Kerwen walked backwards to the door. “We still have a long walk and a long climb. Let’s not overdo it.” She popped out her flashlight and flicked it on, although its light was lost in the array around them. “Can you turn them off?”
Syn nodded. “Lights off,” she commanded. The greenhouse obeyed. All faded out except the persistent miniature sunstrips, and the room was left in the eerie incandescent glow of false UV light.
Kerwen exited, shining the light ahead of her. “Wow! Just wow. Neci is going to be so happy!”
Syn shouted, “Wait! No!” racing up to catch her. Syn grabbed Kerwen’s elbow. “No. You can’t.”
“You don’t understand—this changes everything! We won’t be stuck in Zondon. We won’t be stuck on this side.”
“Please! Promise me! You can’t tell her.”
Kerwen stopped, shining the flashlight in Syn’s face. “Why not?”
Syn’s mind raced. She couldn’t let Neci know that she was different. Neci would figure out that she came from the other Disc. She wasn’t sure she was ready to give up that secret. At least not yet. “She doesn’t trust me already. Let me tell her. Please. On my own.” And, like most of what Syn had said, it was some of the truth. She had known everything about who she was would come out, but she didn’t want to give up her secret world, not until she was sure she could trust them. They were savage, but she was beginning to understand why. Each step they took today brought her closer to deciding to reveal it all. But it had to be her that told. If Neci discovered it otherwise, she wouldn’t trust Syn at all. And then the secret would be out, and without Neci’s trust, Syn would have no say in what happened after.
Kerwen met her eyes. “You’re going to tell her?”
Syn nodded. “Yes.” Just maybe not right away. “Soon.”
“Promise? Cause if she finds out I knew and didn’t tell her, she’ll have my hide.”
Syn smiled. “I promise. Promise to let me tell her?”
Kerwen nodded in kind, mirroring Syn’s actions. “I promise.”
32
COLLECTING THE DEAD
“The best way to make dreams come true is to wake up.”
The march back through the wild landscape of overgrowth and burned crops took less time than Syn imagined. As they passed the tomatoes, Syn shone her light across them. “Should we get those?”
Kerwen shook her head. “Tried before. They smash too easy, and you’re left with mush. The climb up is too tough.”
“Could I try?”
“Fine by me. You’re going to have a mess.”
Syn walked through the tangled vines roughly growing until she reached the tomato plants. Tucking her spear into the crook of her arm, she popped one of the tomatoes off and held it up. It did feel mushy. Soft as she touched it. Ugh—Kerwen was right. This would break everywhere. They can’t all be this soft? She swept her lights across the plants, searching for one that looked more solid.
In the light, nestled between a few plants two rows back, something reflected the light back to her with an orange brilliance. Syn jumped back in surprise and swept the light back. Eyes. Two bright orange eyes with slitted pupils stared back at her—whatever those eyes belonged to, it was huge.
Syn muttered, “Hello?” She knew those eyes. She had seen those eyes before.
“What?” Kerwen shouted, far behind her.
Syn gave a half-hearted “Shh!” hoping to not disturb the creature. She should be frightened, but for some reason she wasn’t. She knew these eyes.
Syn took a step forward and said, “Eku?”
With a single step, silent as its paw rested in the soil, a tiger slid out of the shadows. Orange and black, fierce and lean, the tiger strode forward with hungry intent.
Syn leaned forward, narrowing her eyes, and held out her hand to it. “Eku? It’s me. Syn. How’d you get over here?”
In reply, the tiger growled and dropped its head lower, never breaking eye contact. Its black teeth glistened with its own saliva.
“Eku, what’s wrong? It’s me.” As she leaned in, the spear, resting against her arm, fell forward. Syn diverted her gaze to see her weapon drop.
In the half-second of distraction, the tiger leapt at her, growling, claws extended to swipe at her.
Seeing the orange and black blur move toward her, Syn jerked back, tripping over a vine. Her flashlight dropped from her hand, and the light spun away. The tiger’s leap was halted, and it fell to the ground, splashing dirt around it—the light of its eyes flashing out at once. Its front paw slammed into Syn’s chest, the weight of it pinning her to the ground. She screamed and struggled to free herself.
“Eku!” Syn screeched, pushing the huge claw off, and rolling away in the dirt. The tiger did not move. Syn pushed herself up, sweating and panting and crying. Her vision blurred, and she saw dark figures silhouetted by the smaller ceiling sunstrips.
“Stupid girl,” a gruff voice said. “What were you doing?”
Syn gave another short mutter, “Eku,” and worked to wipe the tears and sweat from her eyes.
“What is an eku?” the voice continued, and Syn felt a sharp jab of pain in her leg. “Get up,” the voice continued. Taji—the voice belonged to Taji. Syn glanced up and saw the brute of a girl standing above her. Taji had kicked her and was rearing back to do it again.
Kerwen interjected, “Stop it! Let her up. She’s new. She didn’t know.”
Syn came to her feet and took a moment to get her balance. At her feet lay the body of the tiger, a knife hilt protruding from the base of its skull.
That’s not Eku.
She moved from staring at the knife to Taji. “You saved me?” Syn stammered.
Taji yanked the blade out and wiped the blood on her shirt. “You stupid girl. Everything here wants to kill you.” She leaned forward and tapped Syn on the forehead. “Don’t forget that.”
Kerwen picked up Syn’s flashlight and spear, handing them to her. “What were you doing?” she whispered.
“I—I thought…” But how could she explain what she was doing? Eku wasn’t here. Eku was on a world that these girls didn’t know. “I thought it was…” Tigers don’t attack me. They’ve never attacked me. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
Kerwen sighed. “Hate to say it, but she’s right. You have to remember that everything around us wants to kill us.” She turned around and started walking toward the ladder, still a long way away. “How did you survive as long as you did on your own?” Kerwen asked, shaking her head.
“But… aren’t they programmed?” She stammered. As the words slipped out, she blushed at her own naivety. Of course these aren’t programmed to not hurt me. This isn’t my Disc.
If Kerwen and Taji heard that question, they had ignored it. They’d walked on, leaving her there alone.
Syn turned her flashlight in her hands and brushed the dirt from her back. Several apples had fallen from the other bag she was carrying, and she picked those up one by one. Kerwen was already walking away, putting distance between the two. Syn stood over the huge tiger dead at her feet—one of the apples lay next to its paw, and she slowly, carefully leaned over and picked it up, her eyes wide and waiting for movement. Please be dead. Yet, the thought hurt her. The beast before her resembled Eku. Syn fingered the pendant of the orange tiger at her neck. She couldn’t imagine Eku dead. Syn couldn’t grasp that everything over here was wanting to kill her—she just wasn’t in tune to that level of danger. But could the Sisters lower their guard and not see everything as a threat on her side? Moments before, she had been near telling Kerwen of her side—she had thought she would tell them all. But now? Would they be able to leave their cruelty and suspicion on this side of the gate? Yet, how would Taji react when she saw Eku for the first time?