me,” she said, and let out another hiccup of tears.
“No,” I said. Behind me a creature pressed his prod to my back. His mouth was open wide. There were probably four dozen teeth in there as, sharp as needles, all lined up in front of his bright purple tongue. “I don’t either.”
“Ettie!”
It was Aleksandra. Her hair was coming undone, stubborn black hairs worming out of the braid. She seemed to have lost all of her patience, all of her poise. Just another difference between her and her mother, I guess. Captain Wolff could keep up appearances, but Aleksandra’s emotions were much closer to the surface of her pretty white face.
Ettie turned, staring fearfully at Aleksandra.
“What?”
“Pull yourself together. You’re not a baby.”
Her words might as well have been a slap, for the way that Ettie winced at them. In the distance I saw Rebbe Davison give his head a dismayed shake. My own brow furrowed. But Ettie didn’t see that through her sheen of tears. She wiped her eyes against her shoulder. Her chin trembled. But soon it stilled.
“I’m sorry, Giveret Wolff,” she nearly whispered. She trudged forward, her hair a black net over her eyes.
I gaped at Aleksandra. The edge of her lip ticked up at me.
“It’s up to me to see that our people stay strong. Even the young ones.”
But when I looked at Ettie, I wasn’t certain that Aleksandra’s words had helped one bit. Her small shoulders were hunched; her head hung down as if she couldn’t bear to face the city that surrounded us. And what about the people Aleksandra had left behind—hundreds of them, packed like sardines into the tin can of our ship? How was she helping them ?
But then I felt something cold against my back. A weapon’s blunted end. I glanced behind me. There was an alien, snarling, showing every single tooth.
“I’m going! I’m going!” I said, and continued the long march into the heart of the city.
• • •
The dome overhead seemed to amplify the sunlight; it burned strong enough that soon my body swam with sweat inside my flight suit. The others didn’t look much better off: Aleksandra’s hair was pasted to her neck. Perspiration rolled down Jachin’s face in a steady stream. Though Rebbe Davison’s hands were bound, every few minutes he still managed to wipe his palms against his flight suit trousers. And Laurel?
Well, I couldn’t blame the heat for her condition. She sniffled hard again and again, trying to suck back the tears. But it didn’t do any good. By the time we reached the western edge of the city, where the ground dipped into an overshadowed park, she’d slicked the entire front of her flight suit. But she didn’t seem to care, and if she did, I’m not sure she could have stopped anyway—no matter what Aleksandra said.
The aliens led us through the jostling crowds, past towering buildings that stretched like arms overhead, and through groves crowded with fragrant fruit trees. Finally we reached a fenced area, where copper links were interlaced with sheets of synthetic fabric. It was a tent, an enormous tent, with a hole at the center of the roof and smoke streaming out. An alien stood guard at the gate; he nodded to our captors.
“Xadse zhosoui, xadse zalum zhieselekh,” their leader said, and gaveAleksandra Wolff’s binding ties a fervent shake. Her eyes were wide, inflamed at the violence of his touch. But the guard only appraised us carefully.
“Ezli aum aze zasum,” he replied. Then he entered something into a keypad at the door and stepped aside to let us pass.
They didn’t come with us. They just pushed us inside and left. Metal against metal rang out like a bell.
We struggled to right ourselves. Lifting myself from the dusty ground, I appraised the situation. Under a white canopy yellow light danced and flickered. Meager lean-tos had been constructed, all around the same central point—a fire circle, not unlike the one we’d built at our own camp only days before.
“No,” I said. Behind me a creature pressed his prod to my back. His mouth was open wide. There were probably four dozen teeth in there as, sharp as needles, all lined up in front of his bright purple tongue. “I don’t either.”
“Ettie!”
It was Aleksandra. Her hair was coming undone, stubborn black hairs worming out of the braid. She seemed to have lost all of her patience, all of her poise. Just another difference between her and her mother, I guess. Captain Wolff could keep up appearances, but Aleksandra’s emotions were much closer to the surface of her pretty white face.
Ettie turned, staring fearfully at Aleksandra.
“What?”
“Pull yourself together. You’re not a baby.”
Her words might as well have been a slap, for the way that Ettie winced at them. In the distance I saw Rebbe Davison give his head a dismayed shake. My own brow furrowed. But Ettie didn’t see that through her sheen of tears. She wiped her eyes against her shoulder. Her chin trembled. But soon it stilled.
“I’m sorry, Giveret Wolff,” she nearly whispered. She trudged forward, her hair a black net over her eyes.
I gaped at Aleksandra. The edge of her lip ticked up at me.
“It’s up to me to see that our people stay strong. Even the young ones.”
But when I looked at Ettie, I wasn’t certain that Aleksandra’s words had helped one bit. Her small shoulders were hunched; her head hung down as if she couldn’t bear to face the city that surrounded us. And what about the people Aleksandra had left behind—hundreds of them, packed like sardines into the tin can of our ship? How was she helping them ?
But then I felt something cold against my back. A weapon’s blunted end. I glanced behind me. There was an alien, snarling, showing every single tooth.
“I’m going! I’m going!” I said, and continued the long march into the heart of the city.
• • •
The dome overhead seemed to amplify the sunlight; it burned strong enough that soon my body swam with sweat inside my flight suit. The others didn’t look much better off: Aleksandra’s hair was pasted to her neck. Perspiration rolled down Jachin’s face in a steady stream. Though Rebbe Davison’s hands were bound, every few minutes he still managed to wipe his palms against his flight suit trousers. And Laurel?
Well, I couldn’t blame the heat for her condition. She sniffled hard again and again, trying to suck back the tears. But it didn’t do any good. By the time we reached the western edge of the city, where the ground dipped into an overshadowed park, she’d slicked the entire front of her flight suit. But she didn’t seem to care, and if she did, I’m not sure she could have stopped anyway—no matter what Aleksandra said.
The aliens led us through the jostling crowds, past towering buildings that stretched like arms overhead, and through groves crowded with fragrant fruit trees. Finally we reached a fenced area, where copper links were interlaced with sheets of synthetic fabric. It was a tent, an enormous tent, with a hole at the center of the roof and smoke streaming out. An alien stood guard at the gate; he nodded to our captors.
“Xadse zhosoui, xadse zalum zhieselekh,” their leader said, and gaveAleksandra Wolff’s binding ties a fervent shake. Her eyes were wide, inflamed at the violence of his touch. But the guard only appraised us carefully.
“Ezli aum aze zasum,” he replied. Then he entered something into a keypad at the door and stepped aside to let us pass.
They didn’t come with us. They just pushed us inside and left. Metal against metal rang out like a bell.
We struggled to right ourselves. Lifting myself from the dusty ground, I appraised the situation. Under a white canopy yellow light danced and flickered. Meager lean-tos had been constructed, all around the same central point—a fire circle, not unlike the one we’d built at our own camp only days before.
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