“You only need your mind,” I countered. “Everything you’re wearing was designed by your mind. After seeing how you handled your first time in the matrix, I am confident that you will be able to create magnificent things with time.”
“I guess we’ll have to see what else I can think of.” She shrugged, yanking her hair through the straps of her mask and pulling it over her face. “For the time being, let’s go see if we can find my device.”
“We can take off from the balcony, so if anything goes wrong, I’ll have enough time to save you.”
“After you.”
I walked outside after removing the new vine curtain and opening the double balcony door. The sun greeted me as if it was expecting me to leave our bedroom.
“Because you’re the guardian of this hometree, you should learn how to notify it that we’ll be gone for a while.”
“How do I go about doing that?” she inquired as she shut the doors. “I don’t have the same kind of connection that you do.”
“Because you already have a connection to our hometree, all you have to do is close your eyes and place your hand on the bark, just like you did when you were attempting to enter its matrix and project your message to the hometree.”
Leaning against the railing, I watched with pride as myluwaeribegan to do what I said.
A wave of acceptance washed over me, letting me know she had done what she was told.
“I think I did it,” she gleefully exclaimed as she dashed over to my side and wrapped an arm around me. “If there’s nothing else for us to do, let’s go!”
“What did you say to it?” I cocked my head to the side, curious to learn what kind of secrets she kept about our hometree. “I could ask it if I wanted, but I’d rather hear it from your mouth.”
“I said we were going to the river near the border—”
“How do you know I was at the border?”
“You mentioned it once,” she said, swirling her finger around one of my shoulder leaves. “I was also able to study our land from the display table in the hometree’s matrix.”
“There’s also a copy of the display table’s map on the heartwood’s wall, where the Giving Pool is located,” I added, making sure she knew she didn’t have to connect to the matrix to see what was going on with our land. “But don’t worry, because I’ll never leave your side as we tend to our land, protecting it from the pafeldae and any trouble that arises.”
“I like the sound of that,” she said quietly, pausing her hand to look up into my eyes. “Never to be alone.”
“You don’t have to,” I said, extending my hand. “Do you believe in me?”
She nodded and reached for my hand, clasping it tightly. “I do.”
CHAPTERNINETEEN
VIOLA - VIOLENTVIOLET
“Ahhh!!!” I exclaimed as I felt the air rush past me. “This is so fucking amazing!”
Swinging from limb to limb, I followed Zyre to the location where he had found me.
As we swung beside each other across the land, I imagined Zyre as a futuristic Tarzan—only he was an intelligent alien—and me as his Jane. He was always looking at me, as if he were afraid that my clone vine system would fail and he’d have to catch me before it was too late.
I was grateful for that, even if I wished he could enjoy our first trip outside the hometree as much as I was.
Zyre’s swings began to slow as his connecting limbs grew closer together. As we got closer to the tree where it all started—where he found me—a familiar river rushed beneath us.
He circled the tree where I had pinned the pafeldae, whose carcass was now gone—missing from the bloody mess that had been left behind.
Zyre was the first to hit the ground, and I followed quickly behind him, almost tripping as my feet smacked into land below.
Vines quickly encircled me, stopping my movement and preventing me from falling.
“Are you all right?” His voice was urgent as he gripped my shoulders and flipped me around to face him.
