I grunt. Now I know why. I was never from Earth to begin with. My classmates could probably perceive something wasn't right with me. Something was different about me.
I shake my head and finish pulling my clothes off, standing in front of the spring naked as the day I was born, feeling jittery. Is it because Keen is just over the wall? Or is it something else?
I have no sense of what my feelings are. I roll my eyes and huff before closing the distance between me and the spring in a couple of steps.
My face scrunches up from the heat as I step into the spring. It’s scorching. Boiling, but it feels so good, excessively so. I groan, deliciously sinking to the bottom. The sweltering water laps at my collarbone. The tension melts from my body, and I slump in a little further, letting my head rest against the spring’s lip. I sigh again, swirling my hands through the water.
“This is the best.” I mumble to Prince, “Are you sure you don’t want to get in?” I wait for a beat, smiling at myself.
“Basil.” I jerk at Keen's voice. My eyes popping open, and my hands coming to my chest.
“Yes?”
“Who are you talking to, Doll?”
I stare at Prince with wide eyes, and I feel incredibly stupid. “Umm, Prince.”
Prince flicks his tail, and I swear he rolled his eyes too. But that’s not possible, right? Cats don’t roll their eyes, do they?
“Prince?” I hear a nervous lilt to Keen's question.
I smack the water with my hand. I never introduced him to Prince. I shake my head at myself. Who introduces an animal to a person, anyway?
“Yeah, the fire cat.”
“Ah. Got ya, Doll.” Keen laughs softly. “I do the same thing with Bindi.”
An ugly feeling gurgles in my gut, and I stare into the turquoise water of the spring. Who in the hell is Bindi, and why do I care?
“Who is that?” I croak and jolt at the sound of it. What is wrong with me?
“You alright over there, Doll?” I can hear the laughter in Keen’s question and my face burns.
“Yep.”
“The sand at the bottom is suitable to clean with.” Keen calls out, and I keep quiet.
He never answered my question. Who is Bindi, and why does it make me feel nauseated? I can’t really be jealous, can I?
Prince huffs, and I give him a dirty look. Stupid cat. Grabbing a handful of the green sand. I stare at it. Yes, this sand is green. It’s soft too. I rub it in my hand, and my eyebrows shoot up to my forehead. It’s turning into a light green leather. Sage and something else flood my nose the more I rub the sand between my hands.
I shrug my shoulders and stare at my feet. I can feel little tiny beads. I don’t want to say rocks or pebbles. It feels smaller than that. It’s similar to a sugar scrub I once used at home.
A yearning for home presses in on me, and I feel a tear slide down my cheek. I’m never going home. I sniffle, rubbing the sand on my arm. I’m never going to see my mom again or the few precious things I’ve kept over the years. How can this be my reality right now? I had plans. Grand plans. I was going to go backpacking in Europe. I was going to travel after I graduated, and now all that is shattered into fragments.
The clattering of rocks moving has my head jerking up, and I gasp out loud.
Oh! My gosh. “Who are you?” I speak softly, staring at the little brown monkey sitting opposite of me. The monkey twisted its tiny hands together in front of his chest, and I notice light streaks of green in its brown hair.
The little thing chatters to me and cocks his head to the side as if waiting for an answer.
I smile, “I have no clue.” I say like I understood what it said.
It screeches, and I jerk back with wide eyes, my back scraping on the side of the spring. It starts chattering again, and I just stare at it. The little thing is the size of a dachshund. Its hands are moving around in the air as it talks.
“Bindi.” Keen snaps, “Leave her alone.”
Bindi? This is Bindi? I feel foolish now. Bindi says something else and dashes around the wall.
I gaze at Prince with wide eyes, “What just happened?” He yawns, “Yeah, you’re right.”
I nod my head and dunk myself underneath the water. I scrub my hair with the sand and pop back up. Why couldn’t I have a monkey?
I dunk again, running my fingers through my hair, making sure I got all of the sand out and popped back up.
“You ‘bout done, Doll? We should get going.”
“Yeah.” I sigh and pull myself out of the water.
I wring my hair out and tie it up in a bun. I grab the poet shirt I had on earlier and use the inside to dry off my skin as much as I can. Good enough.
I grab my pack and start to pull out clothes. I squeal in delight when the pants unfold, and I realize that they are one piece. No strings or pieces. Thank the gods! I groan and mumble to myself as I pull them up. I tie up the strings below my belly and bend down for the shirt. It’s a deep red that could be mistaken for black, with the sleeves cut off at the elbows. I pull it on and tie the laces that rest an inch below my boobs. The shirt is loose and hangs at my waist. It's a bit big, but it will do. My socks and boots go on last, and I’m ready to go. Shouldering the pack, I look at Prince, who stretches as he stands.
With a deep breath, I walk around the wall to meet up with the others. Should I go out on my own or with them? Decisions need to be made, and I’m undecided about what I need to do.
CHAPTER FIVE
As I step through, the boulders slide shut, and I glance at Keen. The tug in my gut is letting me know where he is. My eyes are drawn to him of their own accord.
He’s squatted down in the black dirt. His hands move back and forth, catching the soil in them. His brown hair looks black from the water in the springs, and his eyes alight from within as he stares at the dirt as if it has the answers he seeks.
“What now, boss?” Bran's whisper-soft voice shakes me from Keen, and I search the ground.
I feel the heat leaching into my face from staring at Keen for so long. The tip of my boot digs into the ground as Bran’s question knocks around my head.
What now? I have nowhere to go. I know nothing of this world. How do things work? Where are the towns? What to avoid? What do they use for money? I know nothing, and it creates a helplessness in my soul.
“We’re right on the border between Terra and Aeris,” Rush says, drawing my eyes to Keen again. “In the Sable Forest.”
I watch as the dirt falls between his lean fingers, and he stands gracefully to his bare feet. The muscles in his stomach hold me captive as they flex, and my gaze slowly follows the contours up to his smooth chest and face. I jolt as those light green eyes meet mine and a smile takes over his pretty face.
My heart sputters in my chest, and I look away. The tug in my belly wants me to move forwards. My fingers curl into my palms.
“We’ll go to Rosewell and get supplies.”
“Alright then, let's get moving,” Rush says, advancing to the right. Bran follows, and it’s only Keen and me.
Our eyes catch, and my breath grows shallow. Tug. Tug.
“It’ll get better, eventually.”
“What?” My eyebrows arch up.
“The Electus Bond. It won’t be as strong.”