about ten hours that first day, Fred produced a deck of cards and started playing solitaire.
That was more interesting thanwatching the same mistakes over and over again, so I mostly watched him.
After about another twelve hours—we were inside again—I nudged Fred to point out a red five that he could move over. He nodded
and made the change. After that hand, he dealt out the cards to both of us, and we played rummy. We never spoke, but Fred
smiled a few times. No one ever looked our way or asked us to join in.
There were no hunting breaks, and as time went on, this got harder and harder to ignore. Fights broke out more regularly and
with less provocation. Riley’s commands got more shrill, and he tore off two arms himself. I tried to forget the burning thirst
as much as possible—after all, Riley must have been getting thirsty, too, so this couldn’t last forever—but mostly thirst
was the only thing on my mind. Fred was looking pretty strained.
Early into the third night—one more day to go, and when I thought about the ticking clock it tied my empty stomach into knots—Riley
called all the mock fights to a halt.
“Round it up, kids,” he told us, and everyone moved into a loose half-circle facing him. The original gangs all stood close
together, so the practicing hadn’t changed any of those alliances. Fred put the cards in his back pocket and stood up. I stood
closeto his side, counting on his repulsive aura to hide me.
“You’ve done well,” Riley told us. “Tonight, you get a reward. Drink up, because tomorrow you’re going to want your strength.”
Snarls of relief from almost everyone.
“I say
want
and not
need
for a reason,” Riley went on. “I think you guys have got this. You’ve stayed smart and worked hard. Our enemies aren’t going
to know what’s hit them!”
Kristie and Raoul growled, and both of their companies followed suit immediately. I was surprised to see it, but they did
look like an army in that moment. Not that they were marching in formation or anything, but there was just something uniform
about the response. Like they all were part of one big organism. As always, Fred and I were the glaring exceptions, but I
thought only Riley was even the slightest bit aware of us—every now and then his eyes would scan across where we were standing,
almost like he was checking to make sure he still felt Fred’s talent. And Riley didn’t seem to mind that we weren’t joining
up. For now, anyway.
“Um, you mean tomorrow
night
, right, boss?” Raoul clarified.
“Right,” Riley said with a strange little smile. It didn’t seem like anyone else noticed anything off inhis reply—except for Fred. He looked down at me with one eyebrow raised. I shrugged.
“You ready for your reward?” Riley asked.
His little army roared in response.
“Tonight you get a taste of what our world will be like when our competition is out of the picture. Follow me!”
Riley bounded away; Raoul and his team were right on his heels. Kristie’s group started shoving and clawing right through
the middle of them to get to the front.
“Don’t make me change my mind!” Riley bellowed from the trees ahead. “You can all go thirsty. I don’t care!”
Kristie barked an order and her group sullenly fell behind Raoul’s. Fred and I waited until the last of them was out of sight.
Then Fred did one of those little
ladies first
sweeps with his arm. It didn’t feel like he was afraid to have me at his back, just that he was being polite. I started running
after the army.
The others were already long gone, but it was nothing to follow their smell. Fred and I ran in companionable silence. I wondered
what he was thinking. Maybe he was only thirsty. I was burning, so he probably was, too.
We caught up to the others after about five minutes, but kept our distance. The army was movingin amazing quiet. They were focused, and more… disciplined. I kind of wished that
That was more interesting thanwatching the same mistakes over and over again, so I mostly watched him.
After about another twelve hours—we were inside again—I nudged Fred to point out a red five that he could move over. He nodded
and made the change. After that hand, he dealt out the cards to both of us, and we played rummy. We never spoke, but Fred
smiled a few times. No one ever looked our way or asked us to join in.
There were no hunting breaks, and as time went on, this got harder and harder to ignore. Fights broke out more regularly and
with less provocation. Riley’s commands got more shrill, and he tore off two arms himself. I tried to forget the burning thirst
as much as possible—after all, Riley must have been getting thirsty, too, so this couldn’t last forever—but mostly thirst
was the only thing on my mind. Fred was looking pretty strained.
Early into the third night—one more day to go, and when I thought about the ticking clock it tied my empty stomach into knots—Riley
called all the mock fights to a halt.
“Round it up, kids,” he told us, and everyone moved into a loose half-circle facing him. The original gangs all stood close
together, so the practicing hadn’t changed any of those alliances. Fred put the cards in his back pocket and stood up. I stood
closeto his side, counting on his repulsive aura to hide me.
“You’ve done well,” Riley told us. “Tonight, you get a reward. Drink up, because tomorrow you’re going to want your strength.”
Snarls of relief from almost everyone.
“I say
want
and not
need
for a reason,” Riley went on. “I think you guys have got this. You’ve stayed smart and worked hard. Our enemies aren’t going
to know what’s hit them!”
Kristie and Raoul growled, and both of their companies followed suit immediately. I was surprised to see it, but they did
look like an army in that moment. Not that they were marching in formation or anything, but there was just something uniform
about the response. Like they all were part of one big organism. As always, Fred and I were the glaring exceptions, but I
thought only Riley was even the slightest bit aware of us—every now and then his eyes would scan across where we were standing,
almost like he was checking to make sure he still felt Fred’s talent. And Riley didn’t seem to mind that we weren’t joining
up. For now, anyway.
“Um, you mean tomorrow
night
, right, boss?” Raoul clarified.
“Right,” Riley said with a strange little smile. It didn’t seem like anyone else noticed anything off inhis reply—except for Fred. He looked down at me with one eyebrow raised. I shrugged.
“You ready for your reward?” Riley asked.
His little army roared in response.
“Tonight you get a taste of what our world will be like when our competition is out of the picture. Follow me!”
Riley bounded away; Raoul and his team were right on his heels. Kristie’s group started shoving and clawing right through
the middle of them to get to the front.
“Don’t make me change my mind!” Riley bellowed from the trees ahead. “You can all go thirsty. I don’t care!”
Kristie barked an order and her group sullenly fell behind Raoul’s. Fred and I waited until the last of them was out of sight.
Then Fred did one of those little
ladies first
sweeps with his arm. It didn’t feel like he was afraid to have me at his back, just that he was being polite. I started running
after the army.
The others were already long gone, but it was nothing to follow their smell. Fred and I ran in companionable silence. I wondered
what he was thinking. Maybe he was only thirsty. I was burning, so he probably was, too.
We caught up to the others after about five minutes, but kept our distance. The army was movingin amazing quiet. They were focused, and more… disciplined. I kind of wished that
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