Page 15 of Blue Arrow Island
I hesitate, then decide to be honest. “I was raised by a scientist. I was a bio major myself, but I was only a freshman when the virus came.”
He lowers his brows. “Your dad was a cop and a scientist?”
“My mom was the scientist.”
“Gotcha. And you were a freshman where?”
“University of Washington.”
“Oh man. I love Washington State. Or I guess, the state formerly known as Washington.”
This is the first conversation I’ve had in a very long time that feels like conversations did before the virus. My dad told me about common tells he used to determine if people were lying to him when he was a detective, and I haven’t seen any of them from Pax.
I’m lucky he lassoed me on the beach. Otherwise, I would have met the same fate as Amira.
“You want to spar some more?” he asks me.
I scoff. “Haven’t you kicked my ass hard enough yet?”
His laugh is hearty, reaching his golden-brown eyes. “I’ve been at this a long time. You just got here. Were you training eight hours a day before you got sent here?”
My smile fades, the memories of my life with Lochlan still painfully fresh. Even if I had been training eight hours a day,I lived in an inescapable fortress. If I hadn’t been caught with the herbal tea I drank monthly to prevent pregnancy, I’d still be living in that hell.
“No.” I clear my throat, eager to change the subject. “Hey, what are the numbers on the bracelets about?”
His eyes narrow slightly in a puzzled look. “Did Marcelle not explain that to you?”
The last thing I need is for my mentor to get in trouble and hate me even more, so I cover for her. “Well, she told me a little bit, but we had a lot going on.”
He puts his hands in the front pockets of his pants, making them hang down just a little lower, and I get a peek at the top of the light-brown hair that trails down. My heartbeat kicks up its pace and I look away quickly.
“You start out on probation, and then you become a one. That’s our entry level, when people are learning and training. Ones have to stay in camp unless they’re with a three or a four. Twos get better job duties, but they also can’t leave camp without a three or a four. Threes get a lot more autonomy. They’re our hunters and fishermen and gatherers. They can be mentors. And fours are in leadership.”
“So you’re a four?”
A corner of his mouth quirks in a grin. “No, I’m one of the two commanders here. I’m Commander Thatcher when it’s not just the two of us. Then there’s Commander Marsden.”
“She was the one who made the announcement about the baby earlier.”
“Yep.”
“I think I saw her on the beach. Does she have blond hair?”
He nods. “She’s thirty-five, long blond hair and a scar on her neck. Virginia’s a hard ass until you get to know her.”
“She called the baby one-three-six Tide. What does that mean?”
Pax’s shoulders lift and then drop slightly when he sighs. “Well...part of prosperity for us is the next generation, so the birth of a baby is a happy occasion.”
I wait for him to answer my question, but he doesn’t.
“The numbers.” I press him. “Do you guys not give away the baby’s name for privacy reasons? And does that mean it’s the one hundred thirty-sixth baby born here?”
He worries his lip for a second before responding. “Yeah, that’s what it means. All babies here have the last name Tide, because we’re one community.”
I’m about to ask him to elaborate when he cuts me off.
“Here’s some friendly advice for you, Briar. Listen and learn. Those are the best things a one can do. I see great potential in you. I can honestly say I’ve never seen anyone—man or woman—come in here with the defense skills you already have. And there’s so much we can do to help you grow and refine what you know. Keep your head down and work, and you’ll settle in here quickly.”
