“What do we have here?” 306 tsks, taking a step toward her.She darts her head instantly, the glow of her eyes coming back full force, and in the blink of an eye, a tunnel of water strikes toward him. He’s hit in the chest, blown back from the force, and makes a bone-cracking smack against a tree trunk.
I’ve been sent on a mission with a bunch of Neanderthals.
She turns back toward me, ready to fire another, when I stop her. “I don’t want any trouble. We’re just passing through.” Her head cants to the side, and I have no clue if she understands what I’m saying. “We’ll be gone at first light.”
Her eyes cast down to my boot that is still firmly holding her arm in place. Reluctantly, I let go, not taking my eyes off her and keeping my extensions suspended in the air.
“Why did you pull him in?” I ask, because there’s a small part of me that thinks she understands.
That predatory glow begins to fade once more, and it looks as if she’s fighting with herself—about what, I can’t be sure. Suddenly, she swims closer to the edge, and the moonlight casts a bright shadow over her face, letting me commit her features to memory. The specks in her eyes are more pronounced, and the scales that I swore marred her body are gone, replaced by cool-toned, flawless skin. Her nose and cheeks are decorated with freckles, and her hair is fiery red, highlighted with orange hues.
“I was hungry.” Her words are choppy, taking her a moment between each to form the answer. “He will die.”
I look down at 701, his breathing nearly non-existent and shallow. Black goo oozes from the lacerations, and I have no doubt she’s right. But I don’t know if it’s from infection or the venom that drips from her long fingernails.
“I can’t let him die.”
“You must. For you to live.” She pulses her yellow eyes at me for emphasis, and when she does, it’s like I’m having a hallucination. The scales return, and weird fins make their mark on either side of the throat. Then they’re gone.
I’ve never seen anything like it. “What are you?”
Her brows furrow in fury. “I shall allow you to passifyou offer me the meal.” Her voice sounds more confident, assertive in a way that wasn’t there moments ago. I don’t say anything. Instead, I watch her grab his ankle and pull him back into the water. His body sinks, but she stays where I can see her—or where she can see me.
“Who areyou?” It catches me off guard, and for some odd reason, I have to think about it before I answer.
“763.”
“That’s not a name,” she states.
It’s not a name—she’s right. But it’s mine. Right?
Yes, it is.
No, it isn’t.
Yes, it is.
306 makes a disgruntled moan behind me, and I look over my shoulder and see he’s still moving, trying to push himself up and gain back his footing. But when I look back, the girl is gone, only the soft ripple of the surface left in her wake.
Pulling my attention back to 306, he braces himself against the tree trunk. “We leave at first light,” I tell him, not bothering with assisting with any injuries. “And stay away from the fucking water.”
At the first inkling of dawn approaching, we are on the move, not wanting to stick around longer than necessary. 306 goes on and on about telling the commander what happened when we return. When she first surfaced, I was intrigued, noting the magnitude of praise we would receive for bringing back such a unique specimen. But something about our interaction made me rethink that. But I keep that to myself, hoping 306 either dies before we get back or forgets about it all together. I wouldn’t careeither way.
The tree line starts to recede and opens up to a mountain range that expands beyond what I can see on my left, and the forest continues on to the right.
Which way did you go? The mountain range would offer her a change, a quicker route perhaps, but it is dangerous. The forest offers protection, solitude, but it is a longer route, and there are unknown creatures throughout it.
“This is just great,” 306 comments, pulling me away from my thoughts. Tingles start along my shoulder blades, and I can’t put my finger on the sensation. But it feels like a lost memory, something I once held so close, but I can’t remember what it is or why.
I’ve had a massive amount of brain fog lately that I can’t shake. Irritated, I turn to face 306. “Just give me a godsdamn minute to figure this out! Maybe if you hadn’t pissed off the creature in the water, we would have more answers,” I bark, but he doesn’t take offense. Instead, he takes a breath and rests against a nearby log.
Wracking my brain for a solution, I close my eyes and try to collect my overwhelming thoughts. An ember of light shines in the depths, calling to me to come closer. I follow it like it’s second nature, like I’ve done this an infinite number of times before this.
The light is faint, almost like a figment of my imagination, but I follow it anyway, curiosity getting the best of me. But at the end of the line is a wall, locked up and impenetrable. But again, something tells me to tear it down and see what kind of secrets are hidden on the other side.
I pound against the unrelenting force, willing it to just give me a peek into the rift I’ve created at the top. It’s barely a crack, but it’s enough to squeeze through and keep the captor busy while I investigate.
It plays out for me like a movie. Scenes and memories from justdays ago flash in front of me. “Where are you hiding? Open those pretty emeralds, and give me a peek. I’m close. You can sense me. I know you—” But I get what I came here for—part of it at least. She shuts me out, using all of her energy in the process. I was right. She’s stronger than I thought.
