“I don’t either, but I think the carvings are important. I just don’t know why.”I’m missing something, I thought.But what?
The night breeze wafted in, making me shiver. I missed being warm at night, which made me think of Thad and our kiss by the fire. Nothing missing there.
“So when you get home, what’s the thing you’ll miss most about Nil?”
“Nothing.” Natalie’s voice was flat.
“Really? Nothing? What about the sunsets, the black sand beaches? The coconut soap?” I joked.
“Nope. I’m over it. The stress, the running. The merry-go-round of noon. I’ve seen too much death, too many noons. All I’ll miss is the people, but if you think about it, that’s not really Nil.”
“I guess,” I lied. Because for me, the peoplewereNil. I realized that even though we shared this hut, Natalie was in a different place—one I hoped I’d never see.
We stopped talking as Natalie dozed off. I curled into a ball under the thin covers, trying to get warm. Despite the moonlight, darkness crept in, cold and complete, like the dying whisper of a gate. But it was the darkness in my head that was the hardest to shake. For the first time, the darkness had a name. It was the daywatch.
Thad had seventy-five days.
CHAPTER
32
CHARLEY
DAY 25, DAWN
Light peeked inside the hut, a perfect streak of gold. My first thought wasThad.
He had seventy-five days left. Exactly seventy-five noons.
Then I thought of Natalie, who had even fewer. Beside me, her bed sat empty. I had the weirdest flash of home, of Em’s empty bed hugging the other wall in my room. But while Em was probably out hunting the perfect fake ID, Natalie was out hunting gates.
And I was supposed to be with her.
I threw on my sandals, grabbed my satchel, and flew outside. The fire ring smoldered without flame. Two fresh logs sat on top, waiting to burn. And like my first morning here, Thad stood at the Wall, running his hands across the wood. His fingers traced carvings, which now I knew were names. His hand hovered over my name, tracing thee-y.
I kissed the back of his neck.
“Morning, Mr. Blake.”
“Morning, sleepy.” He turned and kissed my head.
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Because you needed the rest. If you’d slept much longer, I would’ve woken you, but now you’re up. Let’s get you set and then we’ll roll.”
Talla jogged over as we met up with Natalie and Jason by the Shack. “It’s good to have our Leader back,” she said, shooting a pointed look at me. Then she gave Natalie a fast hug. “Good luck, Nat! Run fast.” Stepping back, Talla snapped a nod at the three of us. “Watch her back, okay? See you soon.”
Watching Talla trot away, her back ramrod straight, her intensity barely contained, understanding dawned.Talla is Talla, Thad had once said. I’d finally figured her out. She was a fighter. More than competitive, she was determined to win—to beat the island odds, and she needed a strong Leader to do it. And that Leader was Thad. Talla and I didn’t always click, but I finally understood her.
Rives pulled Thad aside, gesturing past the A-frames. Thad listened intently, and after clasping Rives’s shoulder, Thad walked back, his eyes scanning the City perimeter.
“Let’s pack and roll,” he said as he hefted his pack.
“And hope the gates roll, too,” Jason said. Spear in hand, he started after Natalie, who set a brisk pace. We followed, heading south.
“What was Rives talking about?” I asked Thad.
“We lost the cow last night. Something broke down the pen. The hyena was finishing it this morning, but we think something else got it first.”
