“Where’s Marcus?” Pax asks.
“He’s unavailable,” I say.
“Did he die?”
“No.” I give Nova a pointed look. “We can’t leave them to die. If we do that, who are we?”
“We’realive. Keeping our own people alive. Marcus would say no to this.”
She might be right. He’s decisive, even when he’s making choices that weigh heavily on him.
“You can make the call,” I tell Nova.
“We c?—”
I cut her off. “If we don’t take in their survivors, I’m going with Pax.”
She goes silent, her eyes widening in disbelief. “You’rewhat?”
“I don’t have blisters all over my hands. I can help them find clean water and hunt.”
“With what weapons?”
She’s looking at me like I’ve lost my mind. And maybe I have. But after all the people I’ve seen suffer and die from the volcano’s eruption, this is the only choice I’m at peace with.
“I can make spears,” I say. “I know it’ll be hard, but it’s my choice to make.”
She shakes her head, her brows pulled together in a look of disgust. “You wouldn’t say that if Marcus was standing here making the call. He wouldn’t want us bringing them into our camp and you know it.”
“That has nothing to do with me helping them.”
She scoffs. “He’ll have my fucking head if I let you go off with them.”
“You won’t belettingme do anything. I make my own choices.”
After a heavy sigh, she says, “We’ll take the kids.”
“Everyone,” I say.
She turns away from me and walks a few steps, then returns, giving me an accusatory look. “You’re putting me in an impossible situation.”
“I didn’t do this, Nova. The volcano erupted. I’m not playing mind games with you. If you don’t want to take them in, don’t. I understand. But I’m going to do what I can to help them.”
She raises her palms in a gesture of surrender. “Fine. Bring them all in. Just remember this when they’re killing our people in their sleep.”
Pax doesn’t look happy. He still has the vacant look of someone who had to go numb just to survive.
“We have ground rules,” I tell him. “None of you are allowed in our secure area. Anyone who tries to get into it will be shot immediately. We’ll take our shield offline so you guys can come in, but if anyone in your group kills one of our people or tries to stage a coup, we’ll turn the shield back on and it will probably kill every Tider in camp immediately.”
He nods, looking resigned. “I understand.”
“Make that very clear to your people. Anyone who can work has to, and they’ll be working hard. We make people earn their place. They have to respect everyone in camp. If they’re unclear on what respect means, they shouldn’t be there. And no lying to our leaders.”
“That’s all reasonable.”
“We’re already rationing, and we’ll have to cut back more. Rationing means equal portions for all. No one gets special treatment.”
“Okay.”
