Part 13 (2/2)

The sound of giggles snapped me out of it. I'd stopped walking without noticing, at the edge of the playing field gra.s.s. Turning, I found the Arctic Foxes emerging from the trees, on their way to flagpole, an army of ponytails and sweats.h.i.+rts and flip-flops, and I remembered that I was standing there in my bathing suit, my skinny self on display for everyone. Except then I glanced down and realized that maybe I wasn't quite as skinny as I'd been. Maybe there were curves now on my shoulders, some actual muscle on my chest. Nights of swimming, all the big camp meals, maybe it was having an effect. Though probably that was only visible to me- ”Hey, Owen.” Or maybe not. I looked back and saw that Mina and another girl were lagging behind the others, looking in my direction.

”Hi,” I said. I figured I was supposed to say something else, something more, but I didn't know what. Mina had stopped and was now standing there s.h.i.+fting from one foot to the other. Wait, was she nervous about talking to me me?

”Did you do polar bear?” Mina asked.

”Oh, yeah,” I said, and then I didn't know what else to say so I added, ”It was cold.”

”Um, you going tomorrow morning?” she asked. Her friend cracked up. Mina bit her lip.

”Maybe?” I said.

”Well, then maybe I'll see you there?”

”Okay... ,” I said, meanwhile thinking, What is happening to me? What is happening to me? As if gills and sirens and Lilly and thoughts about wind direction weren't enough... Now I seemed to be getting asked to dawn swims by Arctic Foxes. ”I gotta go and, um, put on clothes.” As if gills and sirens and Lilly and thoughts about wind direction weren't enough... Now I seemed to be getting asked to dawn swims by Arctic Foxes. ”I gotta go and, um, put on clothes.”

”Mina doesn't think so!” Paige shouted from the group of Foxes who were waiting halfway across the field. How did she even hear me?

Mina blushed. ”Okay, see you at flagpole?”

”I'll be there,” I said, and felt like there was no way I was going to be able to handle all this.

Mina and her friend turned and started after the rest of the Arctic Foxes and as they walked they leaned into each other's shoulders and started whispering and laughing. I realized as I turned away that this time I did not not a.s.sume that they were making fun of me. Instead, I considered that maybe I was someone worth waking up early for polar bear swim for. And even though it seemed crazy, I also smiled about it for a second, and then thought of Lilly, and smiled more, until I remembered that I'd left her last night. a.s.sume that they were making fun of me. Instead, I considered that maybe I was someone worth waking up early for polar bear swim for. And even though it seemed crazy, I also smiled about it for a second, and then thought of Lilly, and smiled more, until I remembered that I'd left her last night.

Idiot! What was I thinking? But the siren. That vision... What was I thinking? But the siren. That vision...

And now the wind.

What did it all mean?

I walked back to the cabin in a daze, all these thoughts jumbling around. I was just nearing the side door when it popped open.

”Owen.” It was Todd. He looked at me expectantly.

”I just went to the polar bear swim.”

Todd looked me over. ”Okay, but you're supposed to let me know the night before.”

”Sorry.”

He held the door for me. Inside, everybody was up and getting dressed, and Jalen greeted me with ”Turtle!” but that was about it.

I threw on clothes and turned around. Beaker was a foot from me again.

”Dude, can you stop doing that?” I said.

He looked at me almost like he was expecting something.

”What?”

He glanced around, then leaned close. ”I saw you leave in the night.”

I looked around, too. ”Did you tell anyone?”

”No.”

”Well, don't, okay?”

”Where were you?”

”Just... out. I needed to take a walk.”

”All night?”

”Yeah.”

”Can I come next time?”

”Probably not.”

Beaker was going to say something else, but Mike pa.s.sed and shoved him down onto his bunk. ”Don't block the door, scrub.”

As he got up, wincing, I said, ”Just forget you saw me, okay?”

”But...” He sighed. ”All right,” he said, sounding disappointed.

We headed down to flagpole. I stumbled along, feeling like I was going to fall asleep on my feet. As we sat down, Mina waved hi to me and I waved back and then slumped in my seat and closed my eyes as Claudia began her announcements. ”For everyone's safety, we'd like all cabins to continue using NoRad on the two-hour cycle from now on. Now, we have lots of things on the schedule today....”

I faded out again, into the half sleep I was getting good at during the day. I saw that place again, that city and the pyramid, or temple.... The siren had said something about a temple... and then I remembered that girl, too, one of the other sacrificial ones, like me-no, not me, but... me? But then who was that siren anyway? Was any of it even real?

Could be leftover trauma from your drowning, a technician suggested.

Maybe we have a faulty block in the memory drives, said another, looking over a map of my brain. Hard to say. Hard to say.

Well, figure it out, already! I said to them. They seemed surprised to be getting an order from me, and grumbled as they hurried around. I said to them. They seemed surprised to be getting an order from me, and grumbled as they hurried around.

I needed to talk to Lilly about all this. Were the CITs seeing sirens or having visions or thinking about wind speeds?

”... for tomorrow's predator-prey compet.i.tion,” Claudia was saying. Now there was the usual giggle from the Arctic Foxes as Leech and Paul arrived and Leech did his grand entrance thing. Where had they been since I'd left the dock? Did Leech get to sit in on the board of directors meeting? I avoided looking at Paul as he headed up the hill.

Back into my thoughts... what had the siren said? What is oldest will be new. What was hidden shall be unlocked. The secrets remembered by the true. What is oldest will be new. What was hidden shall be unlocked. The secrets remembered by the true. The The oldest oldest part made sense with the vision. Whatever that had been, it looked like it had happened a long time ago, but it hadn't looked like any history I remembered hearing about. Where had there been pyramids with some kind of electric light, in snowy mountains by the ocean? part made sense with the vision. Whatever that had been, it looked like it had happened a long time ago, but it hadn't looked like any history I remembered hearing about. Where had there been pyramids with some kind of electric light, in snowy mountains by the ocean?

Claudia's speech filtered back to my ears. ”We'll be using the Preserve for the game-”

And then she was cut off by a huge, thundering sound, immediate and sudden, and a wall of air slammed into our backs and pushed everyone off their benches. The older kids stumbled and staggered to our feet. Little ones were thrown to the ground, hitting their knees and chins.

Everyone spun to see a huge plume of black smoke rising from behind the dining hall like a thrust fist. It billowed up until it hit the side of the dome ceiling and then began to roll and spread, dimming a bank of the SafeSun lights. For a moment, I saw the entire wall of the dome shudder, almost like it was made of rubber.

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