“Water would be nice,” Kayla agreed.
“Whoever lives here better let us in when we get back or I’m going to be pissed. I’m too tired to deal with a stubborn alien today,” Hai defiantly crossed her arms over her chest as if she were preparing herself for an argument.
We left the safety of the den and headed toward the sound of the river. Taylor, the confident woman who had stared down our captors, walked on one side of me, while Julie walked on the other.
“So what did you do before all this?” Taylor asked, her long black hair swaying in a ponytail as she gestured at our surroundings.
“I was an air traffic controller. What about you?” I asked.
“Real estate agent.” Somehow that didn’t surprise me. Taylor carried herself with the confidence of a person who could sell a million dollar home.
“I see it!” Sarah pointed and shouted at what I assumed was the river.
“Me too!” Talia was quick to join in her excitement.
“Don’t you dare run,” Fatima threatened Talia before she could head off in a sprint.
“You’re no fun.” Talia pouted.
“Andyouhave no self preservation instincts. You have no idea what’s down there. Water sources can attract big predators on a planet like this.”
Talia rolled her eyes, but did as she was told, and didn’t run toward the river.
“You’re an oldest child aren’t you?” Taylor asked Fatima.
Fatima looked smug as she tucked some hair behind her ear. “Maybe.”
“Did you get your PhD in anthropology because you like it so much, or did you just enjoy the validation that grad school gave you?” Taylor smirked.
Fatima’s mouth hung open in shock. “I-”
“It’s ok,” Taylor interrupted her. “We all have our issues.” Then she walked ahead of us toward the river.
Fatima’s gaze followed Taylor as she walked toward the river as if she were still processing what the other woman had said.
Talia, Fatima, and Julie had already reached the river by the time Taylor and I approached the water, which was clear with a purple tint. The bottom was covered with rocks of all sizes and teal water plants that swayed with the current. There were large orange fish with purple eyes that swam past each other looking for food, but otherwise seemed very similar to fish on Earth.
Anusha came up beside me, got on her knees and cupped some water in her hands. The water seemed clean.
“What’s making it purple?” I asked.
Anusha peered down at the bottom of the river. “There’s some kind of purple plant or moss on the lake bed. I can’t quite tell what it is from here.”
“Do you think it’s safe to drink?” Ashley asked.
“Does anyone know how to make a fire?” I looked around the group. Sarah raised her hand.
“I can, but we don’t have any bowls to put the water in to boil it.” She had a good point.
“I’m willing to risk it,” Hai offered. “I’m so thirsty.”
“It’s clear. How dangerous can clear water be?” Ashley added.
“Without a fire to boil the water, I don’t see what other choice we have,” Anusha replied.
“We should all drink it at the same time.” Julie said. “We either live or we die, but either way we do it together.”
That was an intense point of view, but I couldn’t fault her for her logic. The thought of going on living after some of thesewomen had died was unbearable. And what were we supposed to do if the water was bad? We’d only live for another two days anyway.
