Page 38 of Cry of the Damned
“Um, how come I’ve never seen you there?” I asked Heather, trying to overlook the slip.
“That’s because she’s always in the back,” George said. “She’d rather be in the kitchen than upfront meeting the public. I tell her she needs to show her face more often, but she only cares about her pastries.”
Heather blushed. “I’m more of an introvert and get along better with dough.”
George and Ahanu laughed.
“Ain’t that the truth?” Owen mumbled around a big bite of his sandwich.
The guys, Ila, and Bethel frowned at their food for a bit before digging in. I was sure they’d never seen a sandwich in their lives, but in the last few days, they’d eaten enough city food not to be distrustful for too long, especially when they were hungry.
“I like this… sandwich,” Novuk said, after eating two bites that nearly demolished the whole thing.
“There are more.” Heather passed him the large container, and he got two more. Kall and Maki did likewise as soon as they got hold of the rest.
“You weren’t lying,” George said. “They have a huge appetite. If I ate like that, I would lose my girlish figure.”
The guys exchanged confused glances, probably wondering why George wanted to look like a girl.
“Who wants wine?” Ahanu pulled out a bottle from the picnic basket and proceeded to uncork it.
“Oh, I want to try this!” Maki said. “Nosh told me about it. He also mentioned rum, gin, um…” he paused and frowned, his memory stumped.
“Whiskey?” Owen offered.
“Yeah, that one and a bunch of others that I can’t remember. We have our own version, maple wine, and Ireallylike it.”
Ila rolled her eyes.
“I bet you do.” Owen chuckled. “But there ain’t nothing wrong with that.”
Ahanu filled everyone’s plastic cup with a few inches of red wine. While Maki slugged his down, I stared at the crimson liquid, reminded of that night where a banquet had preceded the most horrific experience of my life. It was Kall who noticed and quickly handed my cup over to Maki.
“Here, finish this one.”
Maki didn’t ask why. He just gulped it down, while I crunched on a strawberry and tried not to let those awful memories cling to me.
For the next half hour, we shared food and a few lighthearted stories. The food was practical but delicious, and everyone got their fill. I enjoyed the instant camaraderie more than anything else, though. It made me trust that once the Academy was nothing but an unpleasant stain in history, all the people who shared these lands would be able to live in harmony the way Skews and Stales did in other parts of the world.
After we were done, we gathered everything, putting the empty containers back in the picnic basket, and the garbage in black bags provided by Heather.
“I’m sorry we can’t offer you anything better,” George apologized as he handed over a pile of blankets he’d retrieved from his car. “We’ll bring a few more things later.”
I took the blankets from him. “There’s nothing more you need to do. This is plenty.”
He shook his head in disagreement but didn’t argue, which told me he would be back with something else later. Not for the first time, I marveled at our luck. This was an outcome I never would have imagined.
After Ahanu and her friends were gone, we arranged the blankets in a circle as if around an imaginary campfire. I could tell from everyone’s expression that they were homesick, memories of our departed pack dampening their spirits.
We turned off all the lights except for one lone bare bulb in a corner. Sleeping surrounded by crates and metal walls felt much safer than in the cramped tool shed we’d shared earlier. I lay on the blanket and curled on my side, doing my best to go to sleep, but it was impossible. Sometime after midnight, I got up and tiptoed out of the warehouse.
For most of my life, I had slept under a heavy roof, but as soon as the vast black sky hung above me without obstruction, I felt my worries ease a little. Without really thinking about it, my steps guided me into the surrounding wooded area. There, I found a soft patch of ground under a tree and sat.
Immediately, I felt a deep connection with the earth beneath me. We were far from Tanisi—my pack’s home…myhome—but I could still feel the same connection here. The Academy had truly stolen everything from my people, relegating us to tiny patches of land that didn’t even feel safe.
Strange how I had never felt this way while I was an initiate. They had driven all good instincts out of me, separating me from the world and making me capable of hating and rejecting my very own blood… the way I’d rejected Kall.
Kall.
