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Chapter Twenty-Two
Sylas
Anticipation floods through me as we leave the hut for the swimming hole. I’ve come here several times since the soldiers gave us permission to wander the property without surveillance. It’s been fun but has never held such promise before.
The air feels cool and crisp against my skin as we navigate the overgrown underbrush. I inhale the scent of loam and vegetation, the aroma invigorating my senses.
Perhaps it’s my enhanced senses, or maybe it’s just my infatuation, but at any given moment I’m ninety percent aware of Cally, and ten percent aware of every other thing in the woods: the sounds, the birdsong, the scents.
But Cally? I’m aware of the rhythm of her heart and whether there’s a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. Even though we’re walking side by side, I’m so attuned to her it’s as though I know in what direction she’s looking at any given moment.
Shaking my head, I try to stay more vigilant to my surroundings.
“So, your friend is Grizz. Am I to assume he has bear DNA?”
“Yep. He’s way bigger than me, with wider shoulders, and lots more hair.”
“Can’t wait to meet him.” Her voice is laced with sarcasm as she gives a terrified shiver. “So, did the evil scientists name you?”
My stomach knots for a moment as her casual words cause an immediate flashback. That happens sometimes when I least expect it. I’ll be going along, not thinking of anything related to my past and the smallest reminder cuts to the heart of me.
For a moment, I’m back in a lab enduring something horrific. I squeeze my hands into fists and breathe deeply as they taught me shortly after my rescue. Performing my grounding exercise, I think of five things I see, five things I hear, and five things I smell. Normally, I’d repeat it with four of each, three of each, and so on. But I’m okay, and Cally’s waiting for an answer.
“We had numbers.”
I may not have known Cally for long, but I’m certain her face will be filled with all sorts of emotions including pity for me and anger at them. Avoiding looking at her, I add, “We named ourselves. Sylas means of the forest.” I shrug and add, “I decided ‘of the test tube’ didn’t have as good a ring to it. Anyway, look where we are now.” I point toward the treetops.
She halts and doesn’t move until I turn to look at her.
“Sylas.” She nods. “It’s strong. It fits. It’s perfect.”
There were so many things she could have said, but this is just what I needed to hear.
“Thanks.” I break our locked gazes and stride forward.
“Chicken of the woods,” I call as I tramp to a fallen log to my right.
“Wild chickens?” Cally hurries after me. “I would have thought Tater would be barking up a storm.”
“Not birds, mushrooms.”
I kneel near the decaying log, which is covered with some of the biggest chicken of the woods I’ve ever seen. Funny, I didn’t notice them when I visited the swimming hole before.
“Are they safe? I’ve never felt good about eating wild mushrooms. Don’t want to die.”
“These are pretty distinctive. You can’t really mistake them for anything else. When I was in captivity, they’d leave us in the wilderness for weeks on end with no rations. Trust me, I paid very close attention to the lessons about what was edible in the wild.”
I break off the outer edge of one of the pale orange ruffles and eat it. “Delish. Want some for dinner?”
“Sure.” She shrugs. “If you haven’t died by then. You can be the official taster for the queen.” She curtsies.
As I gather just the tender bits at the edges of each plant, I motion her over. She holds her t-shirt away from her body and I place the bounty in the pouch the fabric makes. Bonus! I catch a glimpse of a strip of her tan skin from her waist almost to her bra.
As we approach the swimming hole, I catch glimpses of the shimmering sunlight filtering through the canopy of trees, casting dappled shadows on the water’s surface. Cally is by my side. Just her quiet presence next to me holds so much promise.
Beside us, Tater Tot bounds ahead happily, his bandana fluttering around his neck like a flag of mischief. He knows only joy in this moment. Even though I’m overflowing with animal DNA, I’ve never been like him: carefree with no worries about lurking danger or secrets waiting to be discovered.
I observe Cally as she watches him, her eyes gleaming with affection while she calls his name playfully to keep him from wandering off.
