The Forsaken

know you’d cause me so much trouble!” she whispers angrily. “I didn’t think they’d chase us this far!”
    I can’t respond because her hand is covering my mouth. In the distance, I hear boys’ voices.
    “Don’t worry. No one will find us.” Gadya finally lets me go and starts digging around in the dirt. “But if they do, I’ve got a nice surprise for ’em.” She pulls up a knife in a leather sheath, and tugs it out with her teeth.
    I swallow hard, gasping for air. “What is this place?”
    She stares at me as she plays with her knife. “A spider hole. I helped dig it three months ago. We’ve dug them all over this sector.”
    “Your gun—” I begin, curious why she’d trade such a powerful weapon for a simple knife. “Why didn’t you shoot?”
    “No bullets. We haven’t had them for months.” She pauses. “And most of the guns don’t work either. The Monk’s drones don’t know that yet.” She cocks her head to listen. The voices outside are fading as the boys move on. “Besides, it’s not our way to kill. Unless we have to.”
    I try to make my legs more comfortable. My ankles are throbbing. “What’s going to happen to David?”
    “Why do you care?” Her eyes narrow suspiciously. “Do you know him from back home or something?”
    “No, I just met him. But we’re both from New Providence, and he saved my life.”
    “Don’t worry about him. Just worry about yourself.”
    “I told him we’d come back and rescue him.”
    “Then you lied. Accept his fate and move on.”
    I can’t accept it, but I don’t want to argue with her. “So are we trapped here?” I whisper. “In this little hole?”
    “This little hole,” Gadya repeats mockingly. “You’d be dead without it.”
    “I’m not criticizing it. I’m grateful.” We sit in awkward silence. I keep sneaking glances at her. Beneath the piercings and tattoos, and the mane of blue hair, I can see a regular teenage girl. Not too different from me. She catches me looking at her, so I glance away. Now I hear only the cries of tropical birds above us. The robed boys have completely passed us by. “So, your name’s Gadya?” I finally ask.
    She nods sharply. Doesn’t offer a last name.
    “I’m Alenna.”
    She nods again, less sharply. So I finally dare to ask the question that’s on my mind. “No one’s coming to rescue me, are they? I mean, no one from back home.”
    Gadya shakes her head. “Nope.”
    “Then why did I get sent here? And why are kids like you and David here? I thought everyone on this island was supposed to be an Unanchored Soul. But David and you seem so—”
    “Normal?” she interrupts. “Of course we are. Just like you. Nothing they told us in the UNA is true. Not about Island Alpha or anything else.”
    “Then tell me what’s really going on. Why were those boys chasing us?”
    She glares at me. “Doling out reality checks isn’t part of my job. Our leader will explain everything to you when we get back to the village. My job was just to find any new arrivals and bring you in.” She runs a hand through her blue hair. “Guess I only did the job half right, seeing as your friend didn’t make it. But it doesn’t matter much. Kids always turn up around here, so we take turns searching the area every day.” She sheathes her knife and hides it in the dirt floor of the spider hole, presumably for the next person who needs it.
    Then she lifts the roof of our enclosure and peers out. “All clear,” she declares, pushing back the roof the rest of the way, letting light filter in. “I need to get you to the village right away. Get you vaccinated.”
    I look at her, startled. “Vaccinated?”
    “I bet you only have another hour. After that, it’ll be too late.” She puts her hands on the edge of the hole and pushes herself up and out, in a smooth, practiced gesture. Then she brushes herself off and extends a hand. I take it and struggle my way out, feeling awkward and oafish. I crawl onto the trail and stand there on wobbly, aching legs. Gadya kicks the roof back over the hole.
    “You’re scaring me,” I tell her. “Vaccinated against what?”
    “You talk too much. You ask too many questions. That’s not a good trait to have here.” Gadya starts heading down the trail again. I start jogging along behind her.
    “Then give me some answers. Don’t treat me like I’m a moron.”
    “I don’t think you’re a moron. You’re just green.” She lets out a frustrated sigh.