Part 29 (1/2)

I pointed at the little map. ”It's Leech,” I said. ”Those maps we found in the temple. Paul didn't draw them. Leech did.” As I said it I thought, No way No way, there was no way, and yet I felt like I knew it, for sure. ”Paul knew. He even had Leech try to open the skull chamber. That's why his hand was bandaged the other day. He must be the Mariner.”

”So what does that mean?” Lilly asked.

I sighed. ”It means we can't leave without him.”

”Let's go tell the others,” she said. We headed outside.

”That kid?” said Evan when Lilly broke the news. ”It was bad enough when it was just kid?” said Evan when Lilly broke the news. ”It was bad enough when it was just him him,” he added, pointing at me, ”but that little runt, too? Why them?”

Guess it wasn't based on who had the biggest shoulders, I thought to reply, but instead I just pointed. ”And Lilly.”

”Well, yeah, but...” Evan trailed off and looked at the ground like he really was disappointed. Maybe he'd just realized that everything that had been happening here wasn't about him. That he was basically a side character in someone else's story. In my my story. That was something I still wasn't used to, either. story. That was something I still wasn't used to, either.

”It wasn't a contest, idiot,” Lilly added, scowling at him.

”So now what?” asked Aliah. ”Don't we need to get to that south door if we're gonna get out of here?”

”Yeah,” said Lilly. ”You guys should get going.”

”Wait, what about you?” Marco asked.

Lilly looked at me. ”We're going to find Leech. Then, I don't know.”

I thought about how Lilly had called the CITs her family. ”You can go with them, if you want,” I said to her. ”We can find each other outside.”

Lilly's mouth twisted, like she was considering it. Then she shook her head. ”I'm going with you,” she said. ”We'll find another way out,” she told them.

”That's stupid. You guys should come with us now while we have the chance,” said Evan.

”Listen to you,” said Lilly, ”Mr. I'm-never-leaving-Eden.”

”Yeah, well.” Evan glanced at me, and looked around. ”Things changed.”

”They did,” said Lilly. ”And they just changed again. So get going.”

”Maybe we should help you?” said Evan, almost like he was asking himself.

”No,” said Lilly. ”Look, someone needs to get to the Nomads and tell them what's really going on in here. If we don't make it out, then, well, I don't know, go tell the ACF if you have to, and come back for us. Now go, and don't ask me if 'I'm sure' or any of that. This is the plan, got it?”

I listened to her and felt like I was falling for her all over again.

”Fine,” said Evan.

”Good luck,” said Marco.

”Yeah,” Aliah added.

I saw Evan catch Lilly's eye and make a little motion with his head, like he was saying, Be careful Be careful.

Lilly made it back. I made sure not to react.

Then, the three CITs turned and ran into the woods.

Lilly took my hand. We started back down the path toward the fields. ”Now what?” she asked.

”Not sure,” I said. My heart was pounding, though. We wove through the trees, and stopped in the shadows just before the fields. No one was out playing. It was early afternoon. They'd all be at electives and free swim.

I stared out at the sunny field, a moment of exhaustion rus.h.i.+ng over me, my thoughts spinning around.

I felt Lilly watching me. ”Tell me what you're thinking.”

”Ha,” I said. ”Nah.”

She grabbed my arm and twisted it, like she was going to break it if I didn't tell her. ”Or, yes. Spill it, Parker.”

”Well... honestly, I was thinking that I wanted to run back and join the others and get out of here. And then, I don't know, just take off. You and me, like...” I stopped, because I knew we needed to keep moving, needed to keep our guard up, and yet, everything was so dangerous now, and what if there wasn't ever going to be the perfect opportunity to tell her the things on my mind? What if all our quiet moments, like on the island, our chances to really talk, were already gone? ”What if... ah, never mind.”

”Excuse me, you can't say that and then not not finish.” Lilly was doing that thing again where she was staring at me and her eyes were being all blue and white and too much to look at. finish.” Lilly was doing that thing again where she was staring at me and her eyes were being all blue and white and too much to look at.

”Fine. Well, it doesn't matter now, 'cause my gills are gone, but I had this whole idea where you and I could run off and find our own little bay somewhere, you know, just us, a place where the coastline was clean, and there were still fish, and stuff. And we could catch them, and, I don't know, just be there.”

Lilly smiled. ”You want to catch me fish? Like, with a spear?”

”Sure, or, you know, a net.”

She stepped toward me. ”So underneath that quiet exterior, you're a romantic.”

I shrugged. ”Who knows what's under here anymore?”

Closer. ”I'm starting to think I do.”

”Okay,” I said. Heart starting to sprint. Fingers tingling. But this time I was going to be the one who took that final little step, the one that made our bodies press together. I put my arms around her, and even as our faces were closing in on each other, I was still having that old thought like, This can't be right! You This can't be right! You must must be doing be doing something something wrong- wrong- But then we were kissing. Lips moving in waves. Her tongue found mine, two warm creatures playing, and I tried to sense what hers was doing and do the same, and make the same lip movements too. And it worked, at least I thought it did, because we were still kissing, and it was amazing, and seconds were pa.s.sing, now a minute....

”h.e.l.lo? h.e.l.looo?”

The phone. The d.a.m.n phone.

I pulled away. ”Sorry.” I dug the phone from my pocket. Aaron was on the screen, peering frantically into it. He didn't look happy. ”Hey,” I said, ”this is Owen.”

”Owen, Owen, Owen,” Aaron muttered. ”Why is it that I'm sitting here, or should I say huddling in an empty office corner to avoid detection, and watching a team of Nomads sneaking between the solar panels on their way to hatch six, while simultaneously keeping this fact a secret from the rest of EdenWest, mind you, only now I'm noticing on the hatch camera that there are three three young people approaching the door, not five. Please tell me this is because my above-average vision has suddenly and inexplicably deteriorated, and not, I repeat, young people approaching the door, not five. Please tell me this is because my above-average vision has suddenly and inexplicably deteriorated, and not, I repeat, not not because you and that girl are still inside somewhere.” because you and that girl are still inside somewhere.”

”You're not going blind,” I said. ”Lilly and I are looking for Leech.”

Aaron's face darkened. ”You're looking for Leech.”

”Yeah,” I said, ”he's the other Atlantean.”