The Forsaken

river.”
    “I never said they were doing anything,” Markus calls out, overhearing.
    “But we both know that they were.”
    I want to turn away from her, but I’m afraid she might leap on me and attack. All her sadness is coming out as blind fury.
    “Gadya, calm down,” Veidman says wearily. “Liam knew the risks. We all did. He died an honorable death.”
    She spins to face him. “Listen, Vei, we can’t trust her. Alenna’s the newest person here, right? I know she passed your truth test, but maybe she lied her way through it somehow! She and David have probably been playing all of us from the start. What if she’s the spy? The high-level drone?”
    I can’t believe what she’s saying. “That’s crap, and you know it!” I retort.
    “Is it? Who’s to say that you and David aren’t in league with each other? Can you prove that you’re not?”
    I’m speechless. Where I once saw an ally, now I see only someone who hates me.
    “Maybe it’s not a coincidence that Liam is gone,” Gadya continues, addressing Veidman. “After all, she’s been trying to seduce him this whole time—”
    “That’s not true!” I say. “I tried to stop my feelings for him!”
    “Yeah, sure. All I know is that if it weren’t for you, he’d still be alive.”
    Veidman has finally had enough. “Shut up!” he barks at Gadya, startling everyone, because he rarely yells. Silence falls, broken only by the cries of the wounded. He glares at her until she finally looks away. “Alenna stared down death. Just like you and me, and the rest of us. But we got lucky today. Liam and some of the others didn’t.” He sighs. “You girls are on the same side. All of us are. Start acting like it.”
    “Yeah, and who knows if the feelers are gonna come back?” Rika calls out. “Or the drones? Please be friends again. Gadya, we’re all hurting about Liam.”
    Even the mention of his name makes my heart ache. How am I going to find the strength to keep on hiking, when I just want to give up?
    “Okay, fine.” Gadya laughs bitterly. “I guess the rest of you don’t care.”
    I know I must be in shock because I still feel disconnected from my own emotions. The only boy I ever cared about is gone. Dead. I should be sobbing.
    I turn away from the group. Maybe there’s some truth to what Gadya’s saying. Liam probably would be alive if I hadn’t come along.
    I risk a glance behind me and see that Gadya has stalked over to the remnants of a tree. The one near where Liam got taken. I wonder what she’s doing, and then I see that her shoulders are shaking. She’s crying hard, her chest silently heaving. She’s hiding her face so no one will see. I look away.
    Rika walks up behind me, limping. “You okay?” I ask her, swallowing hard.
    “The arrow just grazed me. It hurts, but Veidman said I’ll be fine.” She pauses. “It’s you I’m worried about.”
    “Why?” I mutter. But I’m still wondering why I’m not crying as hard as Gadya. Shouldn’t I be just as upset as she is? Is it possible she had stronger feelings for Liam than I did?
    Like she’s reading my thoughts, Rika murmurs, “People show their emotions in different ways. Gadya’s been on the wheel much longer than you. She’s crying for all the friends she’s lost—not just Liam.”
    I nod, still feeling shattered.
    “Besides, she never meant to break up with him. That’s her big secret. The night she dumped him, she just got mad and overreacted. She thought they’d be back together the next day. But it didn’t work out that way. And her stupid pride prevented her from begging him to forgive her.”
    We walk over to the underbrush together, joining the others, gathering our scattered packs and possessions. We sit down, and Rika rolls her pant leg up. Her leg is still bleeding a little, but it looks more like a deep scratch than a puncture wound.
    “So Liam is really—” I pause. I can’t bring myself to say the word “dead.” It seems so final. So I just say, “It’s hard to believe, that’s all.”
    Rika looks down at the underbrush. “We don’t know what happens when someone gets taken. Not for sure.”
    “You’re trying to make me feel better.”
    “Well, look at it this way—no one back home in the UNA ever sees us again, and we’re not dead.” Then she adds, “At least not yet.”
    I look around. Obviously everyone thinks Liam and the other kids who got taken are dead. I see it stamped on their faces.
    “If you really