wild turkey eggs, Sumi
suddenly appeared, eyeing me from head to toe.
“ She
gets half,” she said.
I fumed
inside. I was starving. What did Sumi have against me? What had I
ever done to her? Ever since landing on Kormace, she’d given me a
hard time.
“ Brone’s
a Hunter,” Ellie intervened. “She gets whatever she
wants.”
She tore the
spoon right out of Sumi’s hands and filled my bowl to the brim. I
glanced at Sumi, who stared right at me, but what I received was
not a hateful glare. Instead, she smiled, as if she knew something
I didn’t or as if she were contemplating a gruesome revenge.
“ You
didn’t have to do that,” I said quickly.
Ellie glanced
sideways at me. “Why can’t you just be thankful you have someone
looking out for you?”
“ Because
you’re making me enemies!”
She led us to
a thick tree log away from the center fire. She sat down and began
shoveling egg into her mouth.
“ Br…
Brone,” she said, still chewing on gooey yellow bits and pieces,
“you’re too soft.”
I stared at
her.
“ You’re
a Hunter now.” She swallowed the last piece. “People should respect
you and fear you.”
“ I’m not
a Hunter. I’m nothing like Eagle.”
I hadn’t meant
to sound mopey, but the title I’d been given was beyond my physical
capabilities. I felt hopeless. I stared at the grass beneath my
feet, where a blue-shelled beetle hopped from blade to blade. Even
he had more stealth than I did.
I couldn’t
help but wonder how Eagle—our finest Archer—was doing ever since
she had been wounded when the Northers attacked the Village. No one
had mentioned her name since. Had she died? Why hadn’t we heard
about it? Would I be quickly forgotten if injured? Was I just a
number?
“ Eagle
was—is,” Ellie corrected, “a great Hunter. But that doesn’t mean
you can’t be. It takes time to shoot an arrow the way she
does.”
I stood
silent. Was she trying to make me feel better? It wasn’t working. I
was useless to the women of the Village. I couldn’t protect them…
or feed them for that matter. Holding a bow and arrow felt so
unnatural to me, so foreign.
Ellie sighed.
“This isn’t about being good at what you do. It’s about knowing
your worth on this island.” She leaned forward, her shoulders
rounded and her fists clenched. “Or at least… pretending to know
it. You have to be assertive, Brone. Weakness won’t get you
anywhere.”
“ You
calling me weak?”
Her lips
curved upward. “Well, yes,” she said, matter-of-factly.
“ You’re
not a citizen anymore, Brone. You’re in the wild. Learn to act like
it. If someone gives you a hard time, challenge her. You’re a
Hunter now, for God’s sake.” She threw her arms up and laughed.
“That’s one of the most respected positions on this island. You
could cut everyone’s food supply. You have leverage.”
I scoffed.
“No, I couldn’t. I’m not the leader of the Hunters. I just do what
I’m told.”
“ You
don’t have to be the one who runs shit,” she said. “You just have
to make people believe that with a few spoken words, you could turn
Trim against them.”
I was finally
beginning to understand what she was getting at. Everything was a
game. Although we functioned well together as a society, we were
still human beings. We were still women who felt the need to prove
our worth to be greater than another’s.
“ It’s
all about survival,” Ellie added, “and I won’t always be around to
defend you.” I finally sat down beside her and scooped a spoonful
of cold egg into my mouth.
“ So what
leverage do you have?” I glanced sideways at her. “No offense, but
you don’t seem like the fighting type. I can’t picture you beating
your way up to the top.”
She raised her
chin proudly toward the sky. “Pearls.”
“ Pearls?” I repeated.
But she didn’t
answer me. Instead, she eyed the pouch of pearls on my waist and
raised both eyebrows.
The island’s
currency? Did she own
suddenly appeared, eyeing me from head to toe.
“ She
gets half,” she said.
I fumed
inside. I was starving. What did Sumi have against me? What had I
ever done to her? Ever since landing on Kormace, she’d given me a
hard time.
“ Brone’s
a Hunter,” Ellie intervened. “She gets whatever she
wants.”
She tore the
spoon right out of Sumi’s hands and filled my bowl to the brim. I
glanced at Sumi, who stared right at me, but what I received was
not a hateful glare. Instead, she smiled, as if she knew something
I didn’t or as if she were contemplating a gruesome revenge.
“ You
didn’t have to do that,” I said quickly.
Ellie glanced
sideways at me. “Why can’t you just be thankful you have someone
looking out for you?”
“ Because
you’re making me enemies!”
She led us to
a thick tree log away from the center fire. She sat down and began
shoveling egg into her mouth.
“ Br…
Brone,” she said, still chewing on gooey yellow bits and pieces,
“you’re too soft.”
I stared at
her.
“ You’re
a Hunter now.” She swallowed the last piece. “People should respect
you and fear you.”
“ I’m not
a Hunter. I’m nothing like Eagle.”
I hadn’t meant
to sound mopey, but the title I’d been given was beyond my physical
capabilities. I felt hopeless. I stared at the grass beneath my
feet, where a blue-shelled beetle hopped from blade to blade. Even
he had more stealth than I did.
I couldn’t
help but wonder how Eagle—our finest Archer—was doing ever since
she had been wounded when the Northers attacked the Village. No one
had mentioned her name since. Had she died? Why hadn’t we heard
about it? Would I be quickly forgotten if injured? Was I just a
number?
“ Eagle
was—is,” Ellie corrected, “a great Hunter. But that doesn’t mean
you can’t be. It takes time to shoot an arrow the way she
does.”
I stood
silent. Was she trying to make me feel better? It wasn’t working. I
was useless to the women of the Village. I couldn’t protect them…
or feed them for that matter. Holding a bow and arrow felt so
unnatural to me, so foreign.
Ellie sighed.
“This isn’t about being good at what you do. It’s about knowing
your worth on this island.” She leaned forward, her shoulders
rounded and her fists clenched. “Or at least… pretending to know
it. You have to be assertive, Brone. Weakness won’t get you
anywhere.”
“ You
calling me weak?”
Her lips
curved upward. “Well, yes,” she said, matter-of-factly.
“ You’re
not a citizen anymore, Brone. You’re in the wild. Learn to act like
it. If someone gives you a hard time, challenge her. You’re a
Hunter now, for God’s sake.” She threw her arms up and laughed.
“That’s one of the most respected positions on this island. You
could cut everyone’s food supply. You have leverage.”
I scoffed.
“No, I couldn’t. I’m not the leader of the Hunters. I just do what
I’m told.”
“ You
don’t have to be the one who runs shit,” she said. “You just have
to make people believe that with a few spoken words, you could turn
Trim against them.”
I was finally
beginning to understand what she was getting at. Everything was a
game. Although we functioned well together as a society, we were
still human beings. We were still women who felt the need to prove
our worth to be greater than another’s.
“ It’s
all about survival,” Ellie added, “and I won’t always be around to
defend you.” I finally sat down beside her and scooped a spoonful
of cold egg into my mouth.
“ So what
leverage do you have?” I glanced sideways at her. “No offense, but
you don’t seem like the fighting type. I can’t picture you beating
your way up to the top.”
She raised her
chin proudly toward the sky. “Pearls.”
“ Pearls?” I repeated.
But she didn’t
answer me. Instead, she eyed the pouch of pearls on my waist and
raised both eyebrows.
The island’s
currency? Did she own
Similar Books
