Part 24 (2/2)

Lilly gazed toward the dome roof. ”This whole place is built on a lie-its history, its purpose, even its location.”

”Yeah,” I said. ”Paul's probably got the skull by now. That's where Cartier said he was taking it.”

”But you're the only one who can use it, right?”

”Right.”

”And so once Paul figures that out, finding you is going to be his number-one priority.”

”Project Elysium's number-one priority,” I said. ”I want to know what that is.”

”Yeah,” said Lilly. ”And also, I swam back just before dawn to look for Marco or Aliah, or even Evan. I figured after we didn't show up at the ledges, they might have been out at the raft, but they weren't there. I need to make sure they're okay. Paul will know they're lying by now. And, I think anyone with these”-she pointed to her gills-”is in danger.”

”So what should we do?” I asked. I was trying to come up with something, but my brain still felt foggy, slow, like my body was still distracted. It had gotten rid of my gills. What was it busy with now?

”The ledges,” said Lilly. ”Marco and Aliah might have left us some word up there, about what was going on in camp, or where to meet next.”

”If they ever got up there,” I said.

”Yeah, well”-Lilly was suddenly almost snapping at me-”we can't just sit here until the security teams find us. Stand up.”

I did and she took the blanket I'd been lying on and stuffed it into her waterproof bag. She pulled off her sweats.h.i.+rt and stuffed it in, too. Then, she zipped it closed and started rolling down the top to fasten the big metal buckles.

As she was doing that, I found myself staring at the long gra.s.s that was matted in a flat rectangle where the blanket and our bodies had been. I tried to picture us lying there together, curled tight, but my mind was more concerned with something else. Something else I could do...

I picked one of the long, flat strands of gra.s.s. It snapped free. I held it up and pinched it in the middle and made a loop. I ran the bottom end under and back up through the loop, then around the back of the top half. Back down through the hole... I pulled the gra.s.s down, cinching it tight. I looked at my work.

Lilly clicked the buckles then knelt on the bag and wrenched the straps tight. She looked up. ”What's that?”

”A knot,” I said.

It's called a bowline. The voice in my head was familiar. It was Luk, a part of my mind now that we'd joined inside the skull. And yes, a bowline, that's what it was. I knew more, too. ”You can use it for tying off sails.” The voice in my head was familiar. It was Luk, a part of my mind now that we'd joined inside the skull. And yes, a bowline, that's what it was. I knew more, too. ”You can use it for tying off sails.”

”Is this more Atlantean Owen?” asked Lilly, almost suspiciously.

I gazed at the knot. I was a little bit proud of it. ”Yeah, guess so.” I had a weird impulse and held the knot out toward her. ”Here.”

Lilly's eyes narrowed at the little twist of gra.s.s. ”What?”

”For you.”

Lilly took it between two fingers. ”What am I supposed to do with this?”

”I don't know. It's just a little gift.”

A slight smile dawned on Lilly's face. ”You made me a knot out of gra.s.s.” She didn't sound convinced, but then she stuck the little knot back in her braid. ”Thanks,” she said, and then business Lilly returned. She stood up, hoisting her bag over her shoulder. ”Ready?”

”Oh, sure,” I said, a little surprised that the moment had ended so fast. ”You're bringing your bag?”

”Yeah, this is everything that matters to me. And I don't think we'll be spending any more nights here. I still have this, too.” She indicated the knife at her waist.

We left the clearing. The only evidence of Lilly's time there was the dried wax pools on the rock, ancient artifacts for future generations to try to decipher.

We pushed through the birch branches, to the water channel on the back side of the island. It wasn't far to sh.o.r.e, but I felt a hesitancy that I hadn't felt in days. If my gills were really gone, then I was just a land creature and water was an enemy again.

”You can do it,” said Lilly. She waded in up to her hips.

I started after her, missing the way that the cold on my legs used to bring my gills to life. There was a faint tingle, like the ghost of something that used to be there, but that was it. My feet felt unsteady on the rocks. I was tense all over and I could almost feel my cramp beginning to lock up.

I reached chest level and pushed out, swimming slow, keeping my head up. Lilly dove under, the bag dragging along the surface behind her. I paddled along, wis.h.i.+ng I could keep up but feeling the lameness of my side, the protest of the muscles keeping my head above water, keeping me tied to the surface. I looked down into the green and missed that world.

By the time I got to sh.o.r.e, Lilly had her bag open again. Her gills were tucking away. She looked at me. ”Nice work,” she said, and I felt like she was CIT Lilly again and I was just the little student, like our time together was being undone.

I climbed out of the water, through a little forest of water gra.s.s. As I did, something buzzed and landed on my forearm. I looked down to see something like a b.u.t.terfly, but with a long, s.h.i.+mmery green body and four flat, iridescent wings. I raised my other hand, thinking if this was a robot like the b.u.t.terflies, then we couldn't afford to be seen- ”Don't!” said Lilly. ”It's a dragonfly.”

Its long tail twitched.

”Is it fake?” I asked.

Lilly rolled her eyes. ”No. Dragonflies aren't fragile like b.u.t.terflies. They've been around since, like, the dinosaurs.”

I held my arm close and looked at the ancient creature, thinking that maybe Luk had seen these in his world, too.

”You're kind of like one,” said Lilly. ”More than Frog-boy, actually.”

”Huh?”

”Dragonflies start life in the water as these swimmy things, and then they crawl out and turn into the flying guys. You know, metamorphosis, like you. And they're one of the fastest flying animals.”

”Oh, cool.” I started climbing up the bank, and the little creature zipped off.

”'Course, once they fly they only live a few days. Just long enough to mate, then they die.”

”Thanks, Counselor Lilly.” I smiled at her, but she wasn't looking, instead digging in her bag. I felt like yesterday, when we both had gills, we would have laughed together about that.

She pulled something out and tossed it to me. A bundle of sky-blue-colored fabric. I unrolled it and found that it was a T-s.h.i.+rt, a lot bigger than one I'd usually wear.

”It's Evan's,” said Lilly, still rummaging around. ”But it should work for you.”

”Sure,” I said. More spells being broken. Why did she have Evan's s.h.i.+rt in her island bag? Had he left it there one time after they'd hooked up? Had s.h.i.+rtless Evan been on the very blanket where Lilly had introduced me to rain, had kept me warm? I hated this.

She stood up, holding an armful of clothes. ”Now turn around, and no peeking.”

I felt a little twitch of excitement that almost brushed away my Evan jealousy, but not entirely. I turned around and tugged the T-s.h.i.+rt over my still-wet body. Despite my recent muscles, it was huge on me, Evan-sized.

”Okay,” said Lilly.

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