He held on, though, and now he’s recovering well. He’s in a room not far from Marcus’s, but he only gives one-word answers when we try to talk to him. It’s clear the New America soldiers didn’t just brutalize his body, but also his mind.
“If Ellison lets Marcus take a walk, you guys should go to the garden,” Amira says.
“Why?” I ask.
She shrugs. “You have to go if you want to find out.”
“Ellison barely lets me get up to take a piss,” Marcus grumbles.
He’s not great at resting.
“You’ve taken a walk every day for the last three days,” I remind him. “And how about some gratitude for the woman who saved your life?”
“Of course I’m grateful.”
“Does he need to eat?” Amira asks. “He seems hangry.”
“He ate an hour ago. This is just his personality.”
“You being a bastard again?” Pax asks from the doorway.
“To what do I owe the displeasure?” Marcus fires back.
Pax comes in, moves Amira’s bow from the chair, and sits down.
“Just wanted to see your shitty face,” Pax says. “How’s it going?”
“Good,” I answer. “This is his last day of bed rest.”
“We’re taking a vacation tomorrow,” Marcus says.
“Who?” Pax looks between us. “You two? For real?”
“No,” I say. “He thinks we’re going to spend a night at the beach, but we’re not. He’s not ready yet.”
“I’ve been ready for six days,” he says, smirking.
He’s asked me to lock the door and “ride him into the sunset” at least once a day since he woke up. I keep telling him an elevated heart rate isn’t part of bed rest, but he won’t listen.
“Stop rubbing it in that you two are the only ones getting any around here,” Amira says, standing. “I’m going to visit Evander.”
“Thanks for doing that,” Marcus says.
“Olin’s been spending lots of time with him. He’s worried about him.”
“I think we all are,” I say.
Evander was adamant about coming back to the mainland with us. I think he still fears retribution from Island Three.
I don’t think it’ll come, though. We put the bodies of Ingrid and her dead soldiers from the sub on the beach for the animals, since so many of them are starving.
“What’s going on with Niran?” Marcus asks.
“He’s been working in the stables every minute he’s not sleeping or eating,” Pax says. “He doesn’t talk to anyone.”
The new council wanted to start fresh. Our command and security teams are no more. Nova is testing and interviewing everyone who wants to be on the new team, which will be for security only. The wordscommandandcommanderaren’t part of the new Blue Arrow Island.
“I have to go, too,” Pax says. “It’s my day to get the stabilizer.”
