Keary Taylor: Eden

“Hey, Eve,” Wix said with a bright smile on his narrow face. “Look what I got on the way home!”

He held up a nearly three foot long snake, one of the fattest ones I had ever seen. “Looks like it got you too,” I said as I raised my eyebrows.

“Eh, it’s nothing,” he said with a grin again, watching as Avian treated the bite.

I just smiled and shook my head as I sat on a stump that served as a seat. Wix was the skinniest person I had ever met but made up for his small size with personality. Even all the tough warriors like Bill couldn’t tease him about his build. It was impossible to dislike the green-eyed, red-haired kid. I supposed I shouldn’t call him a kid; he was two years older than me.

“Well, that’s all I can do,” Avian said as he finished wrapping a bandage around Wix’s ankle and foot. “Let me know if it starts oozing or turns black. I want to check on it before you go to sleep tonight.”

“Well that doesn’t sound pleasant,” Wix said as he sat up, his twiggish legs hanging off the table. “Thanks for fixing me up, Doc.”

With that he limped out of the tent, his prize and dinner swinging at his side.

“Snake is actually pretty good,” I said as I watched Avian clean up.

“What are you doing here, Eve?” he asked.

“Making sure you are okay,” I said quietly, taking the quick and honest approach. I took a good look at him, trying to determine if he was. His lean but toned frame was taught, his brow pinched together, his intense blue eyes dark.

“I’m fine. Did Sarah say otherwise?” he said with a sigh, throwing a few used rags into a basket.

I only gave a shrug, picking at a piece of bark that was peeling off the stump I sat on.

“You don’t need to worry,” he said, placing his hands on the table, staring at it. I had little doubt he was seeing the body of his cousin, hearing the volts course through it. It was the same thing I was seeing.

“I wanted to talk to you and Gabriel, together. I’m worried about people turning on Graye.”

Avian looked up at me, and after several long moments, still didn’t say anything. I was worried that I knew what he was thinking. That maybe they should.

“You know we can’t afford to lose him,” I said quietly, but keeping my voice firm.

His eyes hardened for a moment. “Gabriel is on scouting duty right now. He will be back this evening.”

“We need to talk,” I said as I stood. I hesitated at the opening to the tent, wanting to tell him that what Graye did was wrong, but that we needed him. Keeping my mouth closed, I walked out. I would make my argument later, when both Avian and Gabriel were there.

I realized as I walked out of the tent that I had already missed the serving of lunch. My stomach growled immediately. I hadn’t bothered to eat breakfast that morning. I walked to the far end of Eden and yanked up the door to the cellar. The room that stored the majority of the food in Eden smelled like earth. It was a comforting place, it felt protected, like Mother Earth wouldn’t ever let anything happen to you there. I helped myself to a few carrots and a few hard rolls that had been wrapped up, left over from that morning.

It spoke volumes as to the characters of the people that lived here in Eden, the fact that there was no need for a guard at the food stores. Most people who made their way here were starving, living only on what they could find in the wild. Here everyone could come and go as they pleased, take what they needed. We all lived by that rule: take what you need . We knew how to ration, no one would starve. We couldn’t afford for anyone to starve.

I ate quickly as I made my way back to my tent. Finding it empty, I threw my few items of clothing and my bedding in a sack and slung it over my back.

Eden moved every two months or so for safety reasons. The Fallen had helicopters that would scout every so often. For humans. We couldn’t risk them seeing us or pinpointing our exact location. The two limitations we had though, were the gardens and water. We always had to be within walking distance of water. It was necessary to survive.

I walked to the south bend of the river, finding myself alone with only the birds for obnoxiously loud company. Kneeling next to the water, I scrubbed my clothing furiously; all of it was barely more than rags anymore. I was going to have to see if there was anything in the storage supplies available or look for something on the next raid. I washed out my blankets and hung it all on the line to dry that had been set up for that exact purpose. My clothes felt hardened and caked with grime as I peeled them off. Dirt clouded the water momentarily as I soaked them and scrubbed furiously. But as hard as I tried, I couldn’t get Tye’s blood out. It would remain a permanent reminder of the man we had lost.

The water was freezing, freshly melted from the snow in the mountains. Bumps rose on my skin as soon as I stepped into the water, my stomach quivering. Closing my eyes, I took a short breath and let myself sink into the river.

I let the flow of the water wash my hair, letting it take the dirt away from my skin. I kept my eyes closed as I settled onto the smooth rocks at the river bottom, listening to the noises I couldn’t discern in the water. It felt peaceful down here. There was no one but me. There was no one else to worry about; no worries about supplies, food, or of being infected. The cybernetics couldn’t survive in the water, everything shorted out.

Down here there was just Eve.

When I finally rose from the water I shivered, the air around me turning brisk. Goosebumps flashed over my bare skin. I climbed out and onto the boulder that my clothes sat on. I wrapped my arms around my legs tightly, huddling against the cold while my clothes continued to dry.

I hoped Gabriel would not take too long. As leader of Eden, he was never away for long. He would never call himself the leader, but that’s what he was. He had never been elected, never asked to be such. But he was the most evenhanded among us, the one who always seemed to have the answers when no one else did. It was he and his family that had formed Eden. Terrif was his father-in-law. Together they had started the gardens that had saved us all from starvation.

He was as much of a father as I’d ever had.

My clothes were still damp when I pulled them on and started the walk back. I passed several other women on the way, heading to do their laundry as well. Two of them wouldn’t look at me, the third tried very hard to form a polite smile. I just tried to keep my eyes glued to the ground.

I found the morning scouting group depositing their weapons in the armory, and was relieved to find Gabriel among them.

“I need to talk to you,” I said quietly as he came out the door.

“Yes, Avian informed me of that,” he said as he came to my side and watched as the rest of the men walked out of the small building. He scratched at his graying beard, his thick brows furrowing.

“Can we talk, now?” I asked, feeling impatient. The distress that was hanging in the air agitated me, filling me with a sense of urgency.

“Fine,” he said, and we set out for the medical tent to find Avian. We retrieved him and made our way to Gabriel’s tent.

We each took a seat on a rug and I could tell both the men were irritated to be there. They would both hear me out though. They owed it to me for saving their lives more than once.

“What Graye did was wrong but you both know we can’t afford to turn on him. We need him, especially now that Tye is gone. You both need to talk to everyone.” It all came out in a desperate rush.

Gabriel and Avian looked at each other with a knowing glance. Avian gave a tired sigh as he looked back at me. “We know that. Everyone does. They aren’t going to turn on Graye. They all love him too, despite his faults. These things happen. We lose people every year. No one wanted to see Tye go but sadly it happens.”