Nil (21 page)

“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “Doesn’t seem like stealing someone’s gate takes guts. Seems more cowardly to me.”

“Could be.” Thad didn’t look worried. “But either way, he’s got to prove he’s worth taking on Search, and that’s part of what I’ve been working on. Not babysitting Bart, but organizing work details, educating everyone on hot spots, spreading information.”

“Two things.” I spoke carefully. “First, I noticed you’ve been on a tear, helping everyone. But sooner or later, you’ll have to look after yourself.”

“I know.” His voice was quiet. “That’s what I’m planning for. I’ve got Priority soon.”

For a second, Nil looked gray, like Thad’s eyes full of ghosts. Nil without Thad was unimaginable.

“You said two things. What’s the second?” he asked.

“No more sorry, Charleys. I was fine on my own.”

“Oh, I know that.” He flashed his easy grin. “So are you saying you don’t need an island guide?” His tone was teasing, but I heard the flicker of disappointment, or maybe that was just what I wanted to hear.

“Need or want?” I copied his tone, smiling.

“Either,” he said.

“I wouldn’t mind an island guide, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Sounds like want,” he whispered.

Our eyes locked, and as Thad leaned forward, a shout from the beach ruined the moment.

“Thad!” Heesham’s voice. “You ready, man?”

Thad closed his eyes, then turned to Heesham. “Five minutes,” he called. When Thad looked back at me, his eyes were playful, the way I remembered them from my first day at the Cove.

“So, Charley with an
e-y
, what do you miss the most? What are you wishing you had that’s not here?”

Nothing,
I thought, watching humor flash inside Thad’s sapphire eyes.
Absolutely nothing
.

“Power,” I managed.

“Too general,” he said. “Try again.”

I thought for a second. “Okay, hot showers. This morning, when I took my latest Cove bath, I couldn’t stop shivering. I used to take showers so hot the whole bathroom would steam up. Once the steam actually set off the smoke detector in my room. I’m serious,” I said as Thad laughed. “What about you? What do you miss the most?”

Thad watched the white foam curl around his ankles. “Riding up the lift with my board hanging from one foot. Seeing the white below me, knowing I was about to shred it.” He paused. “The first run of the day, when the snow’s like powder and the sun’s so bright it hurts. Launching down the mountain, flying so fast nothing can catch me. I miss that.”

The ache in his voice was palpable. I stayed quiet, feeling sadder for Thad than me. Nothing I’d missed for 24 days could hold a candle to being denied for 290.

Thad kept going. “A cheeseburger, thick and juicy, with bacon. And fries.”

My mouth watered.

“Sprite,” I said. “Fountain Sprite, on crushed ice, the kind you can crunch in your mouth when the Sprite’s gone but the ice still tastes sweet.”

“Barbecue chips.”

“French toast. With butter and syrup.”

Thad grinned. “Chocolate bars, preferably a Crispy Crunch.”

“Umm,” I said, tasting imaginary chocolate. “Chocolate chip cookies. Warm from the oven, when the chocolate’s still gooey. With milk.”

Thad groaned. “When we get back, can I come to your house? Because I really want one of those cookies. How did we get stuck on food?”

When we get back
, he’d said. I lifted my eyes to his.
We?
I thought.

“What?” he asked.

For a second, neither of us spoke. Then I said, “Socks.” I smiled.

Thad looked surprised. “Socks?”

“Socks.” I nodded. “I miss socks. My feet freeze at night.”

“Watching or catching a Canucks game. Hell, I just miss hockey, period.”

I laughed. “My iPod.”

“Echo that,” Thad said nodding. “Got Nuffin here.”

“Did you just quote Spoon?” I asked.

“So Charley knows Spoon.” Thad grinned. “What else do you have on your iPod?”

Thad and I had similar taste, which was cool, but we both had lots of bands neither of us had heard of. I wished I could look them up on iTunes, but of course, I couldn’t.

“Hey, listen, I could talk tunes all day, but Heesham’s setting up island ball and I said I’d play. Come with me?” His voice was anxious, like he wasn’t certain I’d say yes.
Boys.

The minute our feet hit sand, Thad smiled devilishly.

“Race you back,” he said. “Winner bakes the other a chocolate chip cookie when we get home.”

“You can bake?” I asked.

“I have hidden talents.” He grinned.

I laughed.
I’ll bet you do
. “You’re on.”

We lined up beside each other, two track stars toeing an invisible line.

“On your mark,” Thad started, “set … go!”

I hung with him until the end, when Thad easily pulled away.

Huffing and puffing, I jogged up to Thad, who was breathing hard, hands on his hips. “Did you quit on me?” he asked.

“Did you hold back?” I shot back.

“Nope. You quit. Or at least you didn’t kick it at the end.” He laughed as I made a face.

“No way. You’re just fast.”

“Well, we’ll have to work on that. Fast is good on Nil.” Thad’s jaw hardened despite his smile.

“I’m getting that idea.”

Looking away, Thad pointed. “Perfect timing.”

Up the beach, Heesham and Rives were pounding two wooden poles into the sand. A net stretched across the middle. Talla held a green ball; it appeared to be woven from the same green strips I’d tried to fashion a net from on my second week here, only these strips were cross-hatched in a tight pattern, perfectly forming a ball.

A
volleyball.

Heesham cupped his hands. “Court’s ready. If you’re game, bring it.”

“Is he talking about volleyball?” I asked cautiously. Nothing here was exactly what it seemed.

Thad nodded. “Yup. Nil style. Be my partner, and I promise to bake you a full batch of cookies when we get home.” Thad’s devilish grin was back.

“You’re on.”

“Ever played before?” he asked.

“A little.” I smiled.

“Oh, yeah,” Thad said, his grin widening. “Let’s bring it.”

CHAPTER

28

THAD

DAY 290, AFTER NOON

“We’re in.” I called.

“You a team?” Rives asked.

As I nodded, Rives took point. “First game,” he announced. “Charley and Thad against Bart and Talla.”

Talla shot Rives a hard look, then trotted onto the sand, loosening up her shoulders.

“Hey, Charley,” Bart called. “I’ll take it easy on you, seeing as you’re new and all.”

“No need,” Charley said. “I’m a big girl.”

“Oh, I know,” Bart said. “What are you, like, seven feet?”

Charley’s cheeks flushed. I guessed her height was a sore spot. I wanted to tell her it just made her sexier, but I left it alone.

“You want to serve?” I asked her.

“All yours.” She stared at Bart. But now her chin was raised, and her look was calculating, almost dangerous.

I served to open the game. Talla connected, setting up a sweet shot for Bart, who sliced a weak shot across the net. The ball fell like a wounded duck, and Charley spiked it home with the force of an Amazon warrior. The ball landed at Bart’s feet, where he yelped and fell.

Fighting a smile, I turned to Charley. “You play
a little
?”

Grinning, she pinched her thumb and forefinger together. “A little.”

I laughed.

We pounded Bart and Talla. They never scored once. Sy and Jillian lost, too. Jason and Heesham put up the best game, but we still won handily. Talla had just called for a rematch when the ground rocked, violently.

“Quake!” I shouted, grabbing Charley’s hand.

The net sagged as the ground shifted. People dropped to the sand or gripped rocks for support; Charley’s hand held mine in a death grip.

Game over
, Nil giggled. The quake was as subtle as a brick.

The tremor ended as quickly as it began.

“Earthquake?” Charley asked in the postquake stillness. “Do these happen often?”

“Nah. Just when Nil decides to shake things up a bit.”

“Funny,” she said without smiling.

“I thought so.” My tone was grim.

“Hey, Thad!” Heesham yelled. He was already rolling up the net with Jason. “You didn’t tell me you had a ringer, man!”

“Didn’t know,” I answered. “Heesham, take Jason and check the Shack. Make sure everything’s secure, then scout the Cove for slides. Sy and Jillian, find Julio and check the fire ring, then the baking pits. Rives, take Bart, Macy, and Talla. Sweep the perimeter and make sure everyone’s okay. Charley and I’ll start checking foundations.”

Rives saluted, and everyone split.

Working methodically around the City ring, Charley and I inspected each A-frame foundation for cracks. The only suspect one was the last A-frame, the one Rives and I had just repaired. Our patch had crumbled, and the entire corner was in shambles. It needed a full reconstruction. At least we had the rocks.

I showed Charley how to mix wet sand with root gum and crushed shells, making island cement.
Please hold
, I thought as we set the first rock in place. We didn’t need this A-frame now, but tomorrow was another story. Some days I felt like we were barely holding the City together.

As I reached for a second rock, Charley stopped me, her eyes on the construction, her hand on mine. “If we reset it the same way, it’ll crumble again. What if we reinforce it?”

I set the rock down. “How?”

“I have an idea. Give me a sec.” She jogged to the Shack, and when she returned, she carried a small stack of bamboo. She laid the bamboo rods on the ground in a crisscross pattern. “We need to cut a few down, but if we wedge these rods between the rocks like this, I think it’ll support the corner weight better, and we can set the rocks around it.” She looked up. “What do you think?”

I stared at the bamboo, seeing what she did: island rebar.

“I think you have hidden talents. It’s brilliant.”

“Not hardly,” she said. “It just makes sense. Plus, my uncle’s a civil engineer. He builds bridges.”

“Like I said, it’s brilliant.”

Following Charley’s lead, we wove the bamboo into the corner, creating a lattice pattern within the wall. When we were done, I had to admit, it looked a whole lot better than the sloppy job Rives and I had done. This time it would hold, no question.

As Charley and I left the freshly repaired A-frame, I sensed the City sliding back into Nil normalcy, where survival and escape were equals. We’d survived today’s threat, so we could play Nil’s game again tomorrow—or worse, in an hour. Nil loved nothing more than a second round of fun.

Pushing Nil from my thoughts, I focused on the good. On Charley, who stood mere centimeters away. I breathed easier having her close. It gave me a fighting chance to keep her safe.

“So,” I asked as we rinsed our hands in the ocean, “are you, like, some beach volleyball pro back home?”

“Not so much. I just play a little indoor ball.” She cocked her head at me. “You held your own pretty well. Is volleyball one of your hidden talents?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, you’re definitely athletic,” Charley said. “I bet you’re a heck of a snowboarder.”

Moments flying over white felt distant, like they weren’t mine. Grabbing the last memory before it faded, I reveled in the rush, feeling the icy air bite my cheeks as I breathed it in. Snow had a distinct smell, pure and clean, like nothing else on the planet. Like nothing on Nil.

“I wanted to go pro.” My voice was quiet.

“Wanted?” She looked curious. “You don’t anymore?”

I shrugged. The memory was gone. All I could smell was salt and sea.

Charley waggled her finger at me. “Oh, no. That’s the Dark Side talking. You could catch a gate tomorrow and be back on the slopes in forty-eight hours. You never know.”

You could catch a gate tomorrow
.

I didn’t want to leave Charley tomorrow. And part of me—the terrified part that kept me awake at night—whispered that I didn’t want to leave Charley
ever
.

That feeling hit me harder than the quake. Then like an aftershock, I realized I was lucky I hadn’t lost her already. A gate could’ve snatched her yesterday. I swallowed, knowing I was a fool. Knowing I’d wasted time, the most precious commodity on Nil.

“What is it?” Charley asked. “Are you okay?”

“Just thinking. Listen, we’re a little behind in your island tour package, and if I’ve only got forty-eight hours, we’ve got a full schedule.” I grinned. “Are you game?”

“Hmm,” Charley mused, even as she stifled a grin. “What did you have in mind?”

CHAPTER

29

CHARLEY

DAY 24, LATE AFTERNOON

Thad and I sat on driftwood, waiting for the tide to come in so we could close the doors of the fish pools. Then we’d fish, or so he said. I prayed we wouldn’t go back empty-handed.

“Why are you staring at me?” I asked, self-consciously wiping my cheek. Nil had no mirrors, which was a major pain.

“I’m taking your advice. Focusing on the good, and the gorgeous.” Watching me, he laughed. “Which is
you
, by the way.”

“That’s what being on a semi-deserted island does for you,” I said. “It’s worse than beer goggles.”

“Look.” Thad’s grin vanished as he spoke. “If anyone’s sporting Nil goggles, it’s you. I don’t know whether the guys back in Georgia were blind or too scared to ask you out or what, but you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met. More than that, it just clicks with you. Half the time, you say what I’m thinking, or what I would’ve said if my thoughts weren’t so messed up around you.” His lazy grin was back. “You do things to me, Charley with an
e-y
.”

I was quiet. Natalie’s words echoed uncomfortably in my head.
Thad’s never paid attention to any girl here … until you.