Strange Skies (6 page)

I’d also never felt so energized. Whatever faced me ahead with James and Kale, I’d do it with clean hair. I stood up and shook the dripping water from my hair. I’d forgotten about the flower behind my ear until I saw it floating downstream out of reach.

I walked up toward the huts where Alec was arranging sticks in the fire pit. “That is the best thing I’ve ever felt in my life,” I told him.

He had a mischievous look in his eye. “It’s even better naked.”

“I’ll have to try that sometime … when I’m alone.” Maybe he hadn’t heard the part about me liking James. I walked over to a large rock by the huts and stood on it, my face tilted toward the sun where it peeked through the trees. The good thing about thermoplastic was that it dried quickly, though the shirt was a little stiff. The sunshine warmed me. I felt strong. I was ready.

I hopped off the rock. “Okay, let’s do this. Take me to where I can get some answers.”

“Cool. I really want to see Lucy, and we both know who you want to see.” Alec grabbed another few pieces of fruit. “For the road.”

I followed Alec through the trees to the next group of huts, maybe a quarter of a mile away. Alec peered into the first hut. It was set farther off from the other huts.
James and his space issues
.

“Anyone here?” Alec called out. “Lucy? James?” His voice echoed in the trees.

“Guess not,” I said.

Alec scratched his head. “They must be at the command center. We can stop by the bar on the way. Doubt James will be there, but at least you’ll be able to say hi to Markus, maybe talk some sense into him since no one else can. Oh, and here.” Alec plucked another flower from a nearby bush and tucked it behind my ear. “You haven’t seen James in awhile. Don’t you want to make a good impression?”

The bar was little more than a dimly lit shack. A strange wood and metal structure sat atop its roof. Every few seconds the inner metal pieces rotated closer to a large groove in the wood. There were multiple grooves and each had a different marking on it.

I pointed. “What is that?”

“Our version of timekeeping,” Alec said. “We had to create some sort of standard ‘day,’ since so few people have access to an Infinity. Each groove means six light breaks have passed—a new day. It would be hard to organize anything otherwise.”

I stared at the intricate contraption another minute before entering the bar. Makeshift tables constructed from driftwood were scattered around the room in a haphazard pattern. People clustered around them on rough plank benches. It amazed me to see furniture made from something other than thermoplastic. The only thermoplastic items in the room were clothes and the drinking mugs. Someone must have brought a stash from Earth.

A long-haired man held some sort of wooden, stringed instrument that he played with his fingers. I vaguely recalled the instrument from the Net. His voice warbled earnestly as he sang something about fighting and freedom.

“I’m guessing he’s not Consulate,” I joked.

Alec laughed. “None of these
gringos
would be caught dead hanging out with the Consulate.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “You were Consulate and they hung out with you.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, but I had to prove myself like you wouldn’t believe to earn their trust.”

I scanned the room. One group at a table clinked their mugs together and chugged the contents in apparent celebration. A group of girls at another table listened with rapt attention to the long-haired dude, swaying back and forth with the music. Then I saw Markus. Or, rather, the side of Markus as he made out with some girl against the wall. I pointed him out to Alec. “He doesn’t look like he’s coming up for air anytime soon, does he?”

“No. We’ll stop by again on the way back from the command center. You want a drink or are you ready to go?”

The last thing I wanted to do was stick around and watch Markus stick his tongue down a girl’s throat. “Let’s get out of here.”

As I turned, a movement caught my eye from the other side of the room. There was a small table I hadn’t noticed in the far back corner of the bar. The light barely even reached the table. My breath caught in my chest. It was only his back, but I’d know him anywhere.

James
.

And he wasn’t alone.

Chapter
FIVE

R
EDDISH HAIR FELL IN WAVES OVER HER SHOULDERS AS SHE
leaned toward James, her mouth curved into a smile. His left arm rested on the table, and her fingers playfully walked up his muscled forearm as she spoke. I felt like I’d been punched in the gut and wanted to throw up. So
shooting you is okay but talking to another girl makes you sick?
I couldn’t speak, so I grabbed Alec’s arm before he could leave. He followed my gaze to the corner table.

“Oh, her,” Alec said.

She looked up and noticed us staring. Her eyes fixed on mine and something flashed across her face before she removed her hand from James’ arm.

My heart beat like crazy in my chest. I was so mad at myself for believing that even after everything he did to me, James still cared about me.
You shouldn’t be mad at yourself; you should be mad at him. He shot you, remember?
Anger welled
up and I grabbed a full mug from the nearest table, ignoring the protests of its owner. I stormed over to the table.

Alec yelled something that I couldn’t hear because my ears throbbed with rage. James swiveled around, and the red-haired girl’s eyes widened. It seemed to happen in slow motion. Just as his eyes met mine, my stomach dropped and I almost lost my nerve.
Don’t let him fool you again
. I reached the table and threw the contents of the drink in his face.

“That’s for trying to kill me. I’d do worse if I had a weapon.” I turned to the girl. “Good luck, he’s all yours. Oh, and be careful … he likes to shoot girls.”

Alec stared at me slack-jawed as I stormed back over to him. “Now I’m ready to go,” I said.

“Tora!”

Several people yelled my name at once. One of them was James. I’d know that gravelly voice anywhere. I turned toward the second person as I stomped out the door. It was Markus. Apparently the ruckus had been loud enough to pry him away from his make-out session.

Markus stumbled out the door after us with James close behind.

“Sweetcakes, it’s so good to see you,” Markus said loudly. “Come here and give me a hug.” He bent over me and I almost retched from the fumes on his breath.

“You’re drunk off your ass, Markus,” I said, pushing his arms away. “It’s good to see you, but not like this.”

Markus swayed a bit on his feet and Alec helped to
steady him. “Easy there,
amigo
.”

James stepped in front of me. “Tora, I thought we’ve been through this already. What’s wrong?”

What the hell was he talking about? We hadn’t been through anything. I glared into those hazel eyes of his and refused to let them affect me. “What’s wrong is that while I’ve been rotting away in a Consulate prison—after you tried to kill me, I might add—you’ve been making moves on the next girl. I don’t know why I’m surprised.”

He gave me a pleading look “You know that’s not how it is. Just hear me out.”

I put up my hand. “How would I know that? I’m done listening to lies. Just tell me where I can find Kale and the guns, and I’ll be on my way.”

Alec coughed. “And I’d like to know where my dog is.”

Markus waved his arm in the air as his words slurred together. “That mangy mutt is jus’ fine. She’s tied to a tree behind the bar with a bowl of water. James takes her everywhere with him.” He pointed a finger in my face. “In fact, that’s the only bitch you need to be jealous of, heh heh.” With that, he turned and vomited onto the nearest bush.

I couldn’t believe this was the same Markus that had swaggered his way across the planet as a gunrunner. Now he could barely even walk. After he finished gagging, he stumbled over to a tree and passed out within seconds.

“He needs help before he drinks himself to death.” I stared at his snoring form.

“I’ve tried,” said James. “He won’t let me.”

Alec shifted back and forth. “Now that you’re here, maybe you can talk some sense into him, Tora. I’m going to run and and get Lucy. Be right back.”

“Fine, go.” I waved him away. All I needed was information about the guns and I was out of here. I’d get Max to take me and the guns somewhere, and then figure out how to destroy them once and for all. The sky had turned a dusky shade of orange. The light break was ending quickly and I needed answers before it got dark again.

I crossed my arms and stared at James. “You were saying? Kale? Guns?”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “Kale knows you’re alive. He’d have found out anyway, so I figured it was better if he heard it from me. That doesn’t mean you’ll be safe when he gets back.”

“Not with you around, that’s for sure,” I said. “So if I’m in such danger, why was Alec supposed to bring me here—to a settlement that you renamed after my sister. What the hell is that about?”

James frowned. “Remember? The plan was for you to lay low until we got more intel. I didn’t know you were going to show up yelling and causing a scene,” James said. He looked around like he half-expected Kale to show up at any minute. I remembered how James had followed Kale’s orders to the end, even when it meant killing me. All because of some bigger plan that Kale was involved in that James wanted to know about. My life had meant nothing compared to that.

My voice came out harsh and grating. “You think that was a scene? You have no idea what kind of scene I am capable of. I’ll ask you one more time since you seem to have a problem with your hearing—where are the freakin’ guns?”

He sighed. “No one knows. I swear. Kale moved them somewhere after he brought Markus and Alec here. Said something about going to try and get more Resistance recruits from the outer areas. Markus has been drunk ever since, and Alec’s been … with you.” James gritted his teeth.

Like I had a choice. Most of the past three months, I hadn’t even known who was around me because I’d been a doped up, drooling mess. James’ eyes drifted to my hair and then to Alec. “Nice flower. Where’d you get it?”

I reached up to touch my hair. I’d forgotten about the flower. I ignored his question. Let James think what he wanted. “And Kale?” I kept my voice hard and businesslike. But the longer he looked into my eyes, the weaker I felt.

James reached out to touch my hand. “Kale’s only been back once. Word is that he’ll be here again soon though.”

I pulled away from him.

“Please, Tora.”

The way he said “please” reminded me of a fleeting dream about him. I couldn’t quite catch the memory and shook it off. James’ lack of answers was getting on my last nerve. “So what do you know? Did you find out the ‘something bigger’ thing that Kale was part of—the thing that was worth shooting me over?”

James took a step toward me. “Yes, but I already told you all this. I never—”

Lucy tore around the corner, leash dragging in the dirt, and jumped on me. She licked my face like she hadn’t seen me in years. I smiled despite my anger and patted her head. “Easy, girl. I missed you too.” And it was true. The sight of those big eyes and wagging tail made me think she was the only creature worth trusting in the whole universe.

Alec rounded the corner. “Sorry, she took off and pulled the leash out of my hand.”

“No worries. We’re done here.” I gestured at James. “Basically, he knows nothing about anything.” I studied the darkening sky and the long shadows beginning to creep across the ground.

James pleaded with Alec. He sounded almost desperate. “Help me out here, man. Tell her. She doesn’t remember. C’mon, I took care of your dog—you owe me.”

Alec hesitated. “Thanks for helping with Lucy,” he said, shuffling his feet in the dirt.

I whipped my head toward Alec. “Remember what?”

“Your first escape attempt,” Alec said.

All I recalled was being told, while in a drug-induced stupor, that I’d run away once before. I stared blankly from James to Alec. “What about it?”

Alec spoke like the words were being forced out of him. “It was with him. You ran away with James.”

Chapter
SIX

N
O WAY
.
I’
D RUN AWAY WITH
J
AMES BUT HAD NO MEMORY OF
the experience. Not that I remembered much of anything about the past few months. All I could recall were those few strange dreams in between med doses. I shivered. The air contained a noticeable chill now, and the sun had all but disappeared over the horizon.

James watched me and looked concerned. “Did Alec give you the med to help with withdrawal?”

Now Alec was the one on the defensive. “I couldn’t find it. There wasn’t time—”

James reached into his pack and pulled out a blue vial. The slender tube had a button on the bottom side and a rough surface on the top. He held it out toward me. “Look, this will stop any new symptoms.”

Did he seriously think I was just going to put out my
arm and let him inject an unknown substance into me? Another chill grabbed hold of me.

“It’s okay,” Alec said. “That’s the withdrawal med. I swear. It’s the same thing I was going to give you back in the containment center.”

James inched closer to me. “Please let me help you.”

“Fine,” I said. “Only because I believe Alec, not you.” I held out my arm and glared at him. “So if I ran away with you, how are you here when I was still stuck in the containment center?”

James reached out and held my arm to administer the vial. Electricity shot through me at his touch. As he put the rough end against my forearm and pushed the button, I tried to focus on his words.

“I was being held there too. Alec snuck me into your room one night, and I asked you to run away with me. You said yes.” James pulled the vial away but didn’t step back. My chills had already vanished. His eyes pierced mine. “Honestly, first you slapped me and called me a burner for shooting you. But after I explained and asked you to come to Callie City with me, you agreed, but said that being with me would ‘be only slightly more preferable than staying with the Consulate.’ Is any of this ringing a bell?”