“You can learn,” she says with a shrug. “Or if not, you hunt. Or you work hides. Or something. Everyone figures out what they’re good at and contributes in some way.”
It sounds really nice but also a little terrifying. “What if we don’t contribute enough? What if someone feels like we’re not pulling our weight?”
“You’ll know,” Gail says. Her expression turns sympathetic. “But really, we haven’t had that problem before. Not everyone’s a hunter, but everyone helps out. There’s no checklist of chores you have to complete to get fed, though. Just do your best. We all know it’s hard, especially at first.”
“It’s a lot,” I confess in a small voice, the reality of my situation threatening to overwhelm again.
Gail moves over a seat to sit next to me, placing a comforting hand on my arm. “We know. But that’s why you have everyone else to lean on. We’ve been through the same thing.”
“Are you a clone, too?”
She grimaces. “Okay, most of the same thing. But I was snatched from Earth, just like you. I was held captive by aliens for a few years before I ended up here. The point is, no one comes here well-versed in everything they need to survive. We all have to learn this place.”
Callie nods, gesturing at herself with the wooden spoon. “You got questions? You come ask me. I’ll give it to you straight. About resonance, about babies, about whatever.”
“I already resonated,” I add in a timid voice.
“Oh, it was you?” Her brows go up. “To the lizard guy? I heard he was kinda…a lot.”
A mortified giggle escapes me. “That’s a good way of putting it.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, my mate was an absolute shit to me when we first resonated and I wanted to choke him.” She puts her hands in the air as if to shake an invisible throat. “But we figured each other out and we’re happy. So don’t give up hope. The khui usually knows what it’s doing. And you’ll probably make pretty babies. He has nice hair.”
He does have nice hair, I have to agree. But I don’t want to point out that I’m not sure about the babies part. That I’m holding in my pocket what Flor told me—that the healer can turn things off if we need to. I got the impression that it’s the nuclear option, so to speak, but it’s an option at least.
“She doesn’t want to think about resonance right now,” Gail says defensively. “If she did, she’d be with him instead of sleeping with the other ladies. Give her time to figure things out.”
Callie looks like she wants to say more. She frowns in our direction and then shrugs and turns back to stirring the food. “Some of the other ladies should be waking up soon.”
It is rather quiet. I sip my water, glancing over at Gail. She has a basket near her old seat that looks like it’s full of sewing. Another woman approaches, this one freckled with red hair, and she’s leading a few young boys and has a younger child in her arms. No men, though. In fact, as I look around at the scattered huts, I see a few with smoke coming from their tops, and a person or two standing out by the shore, but I don’t see the other gladiators that arrived with us.
I don’t see Skarr anywhere. I rub my chest, because the constant resonance thrum that’s been present since that fateful day is silent. It’s…odd and vaguely unpleasant, like my khui is punishing me for not doing the deed with him yet. “Where is …um, everyone?”
“Everyone, or just Skarr?” Callie asks.
“Hush,” Gail scolds her as my face burns. “She came out here for a meal, not an interrogation. And as for the others, I don’t know. Some of the women are sleeping in. Some have babies and husbands and get started later than others. It’s still pretty early, but you can see a few people are fishing over by the shore.” She points at the forms in the distance. “Everyone’s got things to do, even though there was a party last night.”
“A few of the men headed out super early,” Callie volunteers. “Hunting.” Her attention turns to the freckled woman. “Morning, Harlow. You want bowls for everyone?”
“Yes, please.” Harlow situates the children, and Callie grabs bowls and fills them.
Is that where Skarr went? Hunting? I know he loves to show off, but for some reason, I thought he’d make sure I was okay first. Why do I care? I ask myself that, and the only reason I can come up with is that he’s been protective of me. He handed me his leather cloak when it was obvious he needed it, all so I could cover up my injured hand.
We will not tell anyone, he’d reassured me. We are a team.
Maybe that’s why I feel vaguely bothered by his absence this morning. He talked about “team” until we arrived and now he’s gone and I’m here awkwardly trying to converse with two strangers.
“If you’re asking about Skarr,” Gail says in a low voice at my side. “He disappeared with Ashtar early this morning.”
I nod. I’m not sure what else to do. I appreciate the information, but it doesn’t solve anything for me. Why did Skarr run off? What’s he doing?
Why’d he leave my side when he knows how nervous I am about being here in the village? Is he mad I grabbed his dick—dicks?—and ran off?
“Oh, here’s Penny,” Callie announces as she dishes out food for the redhead and the children with her. “Have you two met?”
“Hi,” Penny says, sitting on the other side of me with a smile. Her arms are full with a little girl with delicate, pale blue skin, fat cheeks, and dark hair twisted into two knots atop her head. The child’s horns are tiny nubs and she sucks her thumb, even after Penny pulls her fist out of her mouth.
She’s adorable.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Penny says to me, beaming. “I love that we’re getting more people! New blood is always welcome, you know? And more hands to help out around camp.”
“That’s Vivi,” Callie says, spooning more of the strange porridge out. “She’s the one that resonated.”
Inwardly, I cringe at Callie’s words. Is that what I’m going to be known as? The gal that resonated to Skarr?
Penny’s eyes go wide. “Oh, I’ve heard good things about you! That you’re already a whiz with fire and you pick things up quickly. If you want a mentor, I’m going to call dibs.”
“Hey,” Callie protests “What if I want dibs?”
“Dibs are whoever calls it first and I just did,” Penny tells her with a laugh. She pulls her daughter’s thumb out of her mouth again, and then winces. “Oh, my stomach is crap this morning. I think I need to go get my tea.”
And then she hands me her daughter, as if I’m not a stranger.
Penny puts the bowl of gruel into her daughter’s hands. “Miss Vivi’s going to help you eat, Brenna. You be good and Mommy will be right back.” She wrinkles her nose. “Two jifs. Gonna barf and get my tea and I’ll be back in a flash.”
Oh. I stare after her in surprise.
“Pregnant,” Gail explains.
Ah. I hold Brenna in my arms and while it doesn’t feel familiar—my memories don’t flood with babies, which might be a good thing—it’s also not unpleasant. She smells sweet and giggles at Gail as she eats a spoonful and Gail makes faces at her.
“I miss when my boy was that little,” Gail says wistfully. “Z’hren’s getting so big now. He went hunting with his papa this morning. I’ll introduce you to them later.”
Brenna solemnly dips her spoon into her food and tries to offer it to Gail.
“Thank you,” Gail says, and pretends to eat, which makes Brenna giggle.
Surreptitiously, I lean in and sniff Brenna’s baby pigtails. They’re soft and curly and dark and remind me of Skarr’s hair. I don’t know why I’m thinking of him, or why I’m still hurt that he left without saying goodbye. It’s not like I’ve agreed to be his mate. If we have sex, there will be babies.