out of here if I ran and I know that if I try to escape he’ll be able to catch me before I get far at all.
I struggle to push my hair out of my face but it’s wet and tangled so I fold my arms across my chest, clutching my elbows. My clothes are wet and stick to my skin, leaving me feeling exposed. Why did I take such a stupid risk?
“You’re …” He pauses and clears his throat. His eyes are wide, the moon hovering over the horizon highlighting the shadows of his cheeks and lashes.
“I’m Gabrielle,” I say, my voice a whisper. “Gabry,” I add. I can only glance at him, afraid to look him in the eyes. Afraid that I’ll see hunger or rage.
His eyebrows draw together and he just stands there staring at me, making me more uncomfortable. “I’m Elias,” he finally says. But he doesn’t move toward me, doesn’t hold out a hand for me to shake. Behind him the Mudo pulse against the fence, writhe for us. Their moans filter through my head,mingling with the buzz of panic that tastes like old metal in the back of my throat.
I’m trapped on all sides by danger and I squeeze my elbows tighter. I finally glance into his eyes and see a flicker of confusion before he blinks it away. I look down, feeling strange and awkward. I don’t know what to say to him or how to begin to speak to a stranger. I want to ask him not to hurt me but somehow I feel as though it would be the wrong thing to say. If he really wanted to hurt me he could have left me on the beach. He could have left me on the ground after I jumped from the fence.
I remember the way his hand hesitated over mine as he pulled me to my feet. He didn’t feel dangerous.
He breaks the silence. “What are you doing here? Where did you come from?”
I’m taken aback. I’m the one who should be asking him these questions. I bite the inside of my cheek. “I’m from Vista.” I glance over my shoulder into the darkness, trying to appear casual, trying not to let my voice quaver. “Are you alone?”
He doesn’t answer my question. “If you’re from the town, what are you doing out here?” He takes a small step toward me and the panic roars to life. I throw up my hands and try to walk backward but I stumble over the cracked concrete and start to lose my balance.
He lunges for me then and I swing at his hands, trying to push him away. But he’s stronger than I am and his fingers circle my upper arms easily, his grip tight.
The only thought in my head is wonder at how we focus so much on the terrors of the Mudo that we don’t think enough about the dangers of the normal world. Of the in-between places full of lawless and desperate scavengers.
For a moment we stand there with barely anythingseparating us, his firm hold on my arms keeping me from falling onto the sharp edge of a broken wall. He could do anything he wanted to me right then. I could kick and scream and bite. But who would hear me? And if he’s survived out here in the world between the protection of cities, he knows well enough how to defend himself against biting. I stifle a whimper, not wanting him to know how scared I am.
He must see everything in my eyes because his face goes pale. He steps quickly away wiping his fingers across his tunic as if brushing off the feel of me. I’m almost light-headed with relief.
“I’m not …,” he says, stumbling over his words, “I wouldn’t …” He waves his hands at me as he continues to put distance between us. I see his throat tighten before he finally whispers, “I won’t hurt you.” He hesitates before adding, “Gabrielle.”
There’s something in the way he says my name. Maybe it’s because I’ve grown up knowing every way that my name can sound, every way it falls from the lips of the people in my town. And he’s someone new—a voice I’ve never heard before.
I nod. A sort of awkward silence stretches between us, my name the only thing floating on the air.
I try to bring us back to solid footing by answering his
I struggle to push my hair out of my face but it’s wet and tangled so I fold my arms across my chest, clutching my elbows. My clothes are wet and stick to my skin, leaving me feeling exposed. Why did I take such a stupid risk?
“You’re …” He pauses and clears his throat. His eyes are wide, the moon hovering over the horizon highlighting the shadows of his cheeks and lashes.
“I’m Gabrielle,” I say, my voice a whisper. “Gabry,” I add. I can only glance at him, afraid to look him in the eyes. Afraid that I’ll see hunger or rage.
His eyebrows draw together and he just stands there staring at me, making me more uncomfortable. “I’m Elias,” he finally says. But he doesn’t move toward me, doesn’t hold out a hand for me to shake. Behind him the Mudo pulse against the fence, writhe for us. Their moans filter through my head,mingling with the buzz of panic that tastes like old metal in the back of my throat.
I’m trapped on all sides by danger and I squeeze my elbows tighter. I finally glance into his eyes and see a flicker of confusion before he blinks it away. I look down, feeling strange and awkward. I don’t know what to say to him or how to begin to speak to a stranger. I want to ask him not to hurt me but somehow I feel as though it would be the wrong thing to say. If he really wanted to hurt me he could have left me on the beach. He could have left me on the ground after I jumped from the fence.
I remember the way his hand hesitated over mine as he pulled me to my feet. He didn’t feel dangerous.
He breaks the silence. “What are you doing here? Where did you come from?”
I’m taken aback. I’m the one who should be asking him these questions. I bite the inside of my cheek. “I’m from Vista.” I glance over my shoulder into the darkness, trying to appear casual, trying not to let my voice quaver. “Are you alone?”
He doesn’t answer my question. “If you’re from the town, what are you doing out here?” He takes a small step toward me and the panic roars to life. I throw up my hands and try to walk backward but I stumble over the cracked concrete and start to lose my balance.
He lunges for me then and I swing at his hands, trying to push him away. But he’s stronger than I am and his fingers circle my upper arms easily, his grip tight.
The only thought in my head is wonder at how we focus so much on the terrors of the Mudo that we don’t think enough about the dangers of the normal world. Of the in-between places full of lawless and desperate scavengers.
For a moment we stand there with barely anythingseparating us, his firm hold on my arms keeping me from falling onto the sharp edge of a broken wall. He could do anything he wanted to me right then. I could kick and scream and bite. But who would hear me? And if he’s survived out here in the world between the protection of cities, he knows well enough how to defend himself against biting. I stifle a whimper, not wanting him to know how scared I am.
He must see everything in my eyes because his face goes pale. He steps quickly away wiping his fingers across his tunic as if brushing off the feel of me. I’m almost light-headed with relief.
“I’m not …,” he says, stumbling over his words, “I wouldn’t …” He waves his hands at me as he continues to put distance between us. I see his throat tighten before he finally whispers, “I won’t hurt you.” He hesitates before adding, “Gabrielle.”
There’s something in the way he says my name. Maybe it’s because I’ve grown up knowing every way that my name can sound, every way it falls from the lips of the people in my town. And he’s someone new—a voice I’ve never heard before.
I nod. A sort of awkward silence stretches between us, my name the only thing floating on the air.
I try to bring us back to solid footing by answering his
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