Page 60 of Treasure of the Abyss

I can’t lose him,too.

She closed her eyes, drawing a deepbreath.

“Jax will be fine. He’s a hunter. He’s fast. He’ll…hewillbeback.”

She opened her eyes and waited. Hoped. One minute led to the next, and the next, and there was still no sign ofhim.

Macy got to her feet and paced. “I can’t do this. I can’t sit here and…and…worry. I need—” she stopped and stared at the barrels she’d used to create her tent, “—adistraction.”

Walking to the closest barrel, she lifted the fishing pole and carefully set it down on the ground. The canvas created a gentle breeze as it sagged. She hadn’t searched these containers yet — not thoroughly. Her priority had been to get out of thesun.

She bent down and removed the items within, setting them atop the nearby crates and on the ground around herfeet.

There were a few more pieces of driftwood; she added them to her respectable pile. She had no immediate use for many of the other items — more cups, scraps of clothing, a dented metal sign with only the lettersCAUreadable on its rusted face, bits of tangled fishing line, a small net, and a wooden smokingpipe.

Near the bottom of the barrel, she discovered a square metal container. She reached in with both hands, leaning against the rim, and after a few seconds of struggling, grasped the box by its sides. It was heavier than she’d expected, and her arms strained as she lifted it. Something rattled inside when she tiltedit.

Crouching, she set the box on the ground and checked the latches. They werelocked.

Macy scowled, huffed, and shoved herself up to rummage through the assortment of tools in the other bins. She found a flathead screwdriver and tossed it down beside the box before moving to the edge of the island. Laying on her stomach, she reached into the water and felt around on the bottom until she found a fist-sizedrock.

She returned to the box, knelt, and angled it so the latches were faceup. Picking up the screwdriver, she wedged its tip into the narrow seam between the latch and the casing. She hammered it in until the first latch popped and repeated the process for the otherone.

Setting her tools aside, she laid the box flat and opened thelid.

An eclectic collection of items lay within. She took them out one by one, studying each individually. First was a small, pink bottle. She removed the cap; the contents were dry, but an unfamiliar floral scent lingeredinside.

Next was a flat piece of plastic. When her thumb touched the corner, a hologram flickered on, displaying a man and a woman standing together, arms around each other’s shoulders. They were smiling. Macy brushed her hand through the image, and it changed — the same woman from the first, this time with two other women and a man, all dressed in the bluejumpsuits.

The hologram flickered again, distorting the image before it vanished completely. Frowning, Macy set it aside and turned her attention to the other items. In a small, fabric-lined box she found a necklace with a thin, golden chain and a tear-shaped gemstone in a delicate setting. The stone was clear, but when she turned it toward the light, it broke the rays into a rainbow ofcolor.

After the necklace were four glass vials, all the same size and shape. Each contained a bit of dirt. One was labeledEarth; the next, which had a red tint, was labeledMars; the third was nearly black, markedTau Ceti III. The last of them held the rich, familiar brown soil she’d worked in for years, and was labeledHalora.

It was clear these objects had belonged to a woman — and that woman must’ve been one of the original colonists. Macy didn’t recognizeMarsorTau Ceti, but she knew about Earth. That was the human homeworld. A place she’d only seen in pictures. The owner of these items had traveled impossible distances to get toHalora.

Carefully setting the vials back inside the container, Macy picked up the last object. It reminded her of the wrist attachment on the PDS, though this was a bit larger. She slid her thumb over itssurface.

A small, soft light came on, and a hologram materialized above the device. The rectangular projection was a list of some sort; when Macy flicked her finger up and down, the items cycled. Little of it made sense. Some of the listings were clearly names, but she didn’t know any of the people, and they were always paired with some sort of title. She pressedone.

Sound blared from the device. Startled, Macy nearly dropped it. She stared at the hologram, which had morphed into a small orb of light that pulsed and changed colors with the beat of themusic.

Macy had never heard anything like it. Music was popular in The Watch, serving as a primary means of entertainment — drums, fiddles, and flutes, mostly, and there was even a guitar that had been passed through one family. But the sounds and tones coming from the hologram were alien to her. She couldn’t imagine what instruments had produced them. The music was upbeat, and the rhythm vibrated throughher.

She grinned, fascinated, and bobbed her head to the beat. Was this what music used to sound like when the colony was new? It was…amazing.

Macy set the device down and rose. It had been a long while since she’d danced; since she’d let herself go. She closed her eyes and let the beat wash over her. Though it was foreign, the sound flowed through her; she rocked her hips, raised her arms, and let the music sweep away her consciousthought.

The song ended, and another began immediately; the differences between the two were clear, but she didn’t stop moving, easily transitioning into the newrhythm.

“Macy?”

She spun at the sound of Jax’s voice. “Jax!”

He was on the island with the retrieved container on the ground before him. Rivulets of water ran down his muscled form, pooling on the ground. She ran to him, shoved aside the container with her foot, and huggedhim.

“You’re back!” She pulled away and grabbed his hands, tugging him along. “Come dance withme!”

His brow furrowed, but he didn’t resist as she led him to the center of the island. He glanced at the music device. “Where did you getthat?”

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