“Ever?” I’ll admit, I’m surprised, though I know I shouldn’t be. That seemsexactlylike something he’d do. But I still feel compelled to call him out for it, even if he never hears about my complaints. “You mean to tell me he’s going to have me eat by myself every single meal? To spend the entirety of my stay here alone?”
“We could join you at the table if you’d like, Miss Kae.”
My exasperated expression turns into a distraught frown. I don’t know if dining with these two is a better or worse option. “No, that’s okay… I just… Hell, I don’t even know your names. You do have names, right?”
“Yes. I am Gul.” The female points to herself, then to the other locust. “This is Dal.”
He nods, reaffirming her statement. “Those are our shorthand names. You may use them colloquially.”
Colloquially. So we’re friends now, I guess.
“Gul and Dal. Got it. Well, I’m Kae, as I’m sure you know.” I begin to walk towards the dining hall, and I hear the faint taps of their strange, metallic feet following behind me.
As I pass the doors of obscure rooms on our way to the lobby, an idea occurs to me—one that may seem inconspicuous enough to merit an answer from them. “Say, would either of you happen to know where the library is?”
“There is none.”
I stop, glancing over my shoulder in shock. There’s an entire goddamn castle here, and they don’t have a single library? I have a hard time believing that.“No library?At all?”
Gul nods slowly. “We do not require books to read.”
Well, it’s decided, then.
I can’t trust any of these people.
They don’tread.
Jackie,
First, I’m sure you’ve noticed the return address on this letter is nowhere in Africa. I need you to promise me that you won’t tell my dad about any of this. He’s going to get a letter soon, too, telling him what a wonderful time I’m having with the Peace Corps.
Unfortunately, that’s a lie. I’m in Israel.
I can’t tell you everything, and I’m sorry for that. I promise it’sfor everyone’s safety. I know this is about to sound crazy, but I’ve seen some shit you would not believe, and I need you to take me seriously when I say this:
PREPARE FOR CHAOS.
I have undeniable evidence that there’s another world war coming. I don’t know how it’s going to happen, but the US is not going to be left untouched. Do whatever you can to make yourself, and our families, more resilient. Stockpile canned goods, water, medicine... Maybe even buy a gun. I don’t know. You need to research prepping and figure it out for yourself. It’s not going to be pretty.
I wish I could be there to help, but it’s very important that I stay exactly where I am. It’s difficult. I have nobody to talk to—everyone here is so foreign and alien to me—and I can’t use electronics to communicate. The loneliness is going to eat me alive.
Please, tell me how you’re doing. Tell me all about college. You’re still starting at UNC this semester, right? I miss you.
Stay safe.
— Kae
17
Roughly ten days after he left, Dusk finally returns.
Somewhat.
I’m on my way to breakfast when I spot him in the lobby of our hotel. Immediately, I run up to greet him in a hug, grumbling my complaints about his absence. “There you are! I was beginning to think you were never coming back.What the hell happened?”
Rather than returning the hug, he pats my back with one hand. “Hey, Kae.”
I pull away, taking a long look at his face. He smiles for a few seconds, though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Once it slips, his gaze drifts beyond me, fixating on something. I glance over my shoulder, but there’s nothing there. I realize, then, that he’s disassociating. And he used my real name.
