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?? CHAPTER 28 ??
Macie
I can go. I don’t have to stay here. I’m not responsible for the captain’s safety, it’s the other way around. But I feel responsible. I discovered the storm.
And it’s coming. When I emerge from the ship for some fresh air the next morning, the sky is completely overcast. Flocks of birds crowd the air, V’s of them all aimed in the same direction.
I snap a photo and send it to Faith. “We only have one more day.”
“So go,” she replies.
The entire camp is empty, now, the firepits dead and the camping tents gone. I kick at the ashes of a campfire. Movement catches my eye beyond our ship. Stella. The growing breeze disturbs her short brown curls. She’s holding her tablet and staring off into the distance, down the long, thin path that leads to the beach. The bulldozer sits near the edge. It’s gathering a fine layer of sand.
“It’s daunting,” she says when she spots me approaching. “Fixing the ship. It’s very tempting to go sleep through a week in that cave. Then what? It’s comfortable there, we get too comfortable, we stop trying.”
“That won’t happen,” I say. “Faith won’t let that happen.”
“I’m promised to a soldier on the first launch crew,” Stella says. “Not vaguely, like most of you here. I’m promised to someone specific.” Her head drops. “We met just before their launch. I was so scared for him. But we know they’re alive, we know they’re out there somewhere...”
“Stella,” I say, “We won’t quit. We won’t. I’m sorry about your... friend. We’re going to do everything we can to reach him. But the number one thing we have to do is stay safe. Stay alive.”
Her shoulders slump. “I know.”
“Come on. Help me convince Tess.”
Stella nods reluctantly and finally follows.
?????
I’m flooded with warmth when I spot Ryle in the distance, just beyond the tall golden grasses.
The happy feeling is short-lived. A scream echoes from somewhere behind him. A female scream. Tess! Stella and I take off running.
I race for the ship. A breeze blows my hair into my face - Ryle racing ahead of me, covering three times the amount of ground with his huge strides. He has to duck to enter the ship.
He’s found one of his friends inside and by the time I’ve caught up. They’re waving their arms and snarling in their language. Oh, God, I hope they don’t fight. Ryle’s so big, but his crewmate is formidable, too, and I don’t want to be anywhere near them if they start butting horns. Or worse, flinging their tails about.
“What is it?” I demand. “Where’s Tess?”
“There,” Ryle says, pointing through the doorway to our left.
I peer through into a wide open space - a mostly empty cargo bay. In the center of it is a crudely built vehicle. Shoddy and lopsided, it looks like a golf cart that’s been in several accidents and patched back together with spare parts.
Tess is in the back seat, wrists bound and tied to the armrest.
“Macie!” she shouts. “Make him let me go!” She tugs on her bindings and gets nowhere. The cart is sturdier than it seems.
I move to step toward her but suddenly Wroz is there, all seven blue feet of him blocking the doorway, stopping me from reaching my friend. Ryle growls behind me.
“Wait. Listen.” Wroz glances over his shoulder at Tess. His mouth opens as if he’s searching for words - he turns to Ryle and speaks quickly in Rurimish.
Ryle translates, “He begs forgiveness. He cannot allow this human to stay here and die.” Thunder rumbles outside as if to emphasize his point. “He will drive her to the caves.”
Tess tugs at the armrest again. “This is ridiculous! I’ll be fine on the ship!”
“You won’t,” I say, shaking my head.
“We cannot flood,” she says, enunciating each word at me as if I’m a child. “We’re above sea level, Macie.”
