Page 59 of Blue Arrow Island
“We’re not them, Marcus,” Ellison murmurs.
He turns to look at her. “I let you guys bring her here. But now we’re doing this my way.”
“She’s on painkillers and she still needs rest.”
He nods. “She can rest as long as she needs to. But when she’s ready, I’m questioning her.”
“I want my knife back.” Fatigue is tugging at my eyelids, so I lie down again.
He ignores me, sitting back down with the knife still in his hands. Clearly, he thinks someone gave me that knife, and I doubt I’ll be able to convince him otherwise.
But I’m not even going to try until I’m off this medication and able to think straight.
19
This place is a true natural wonder. The colors are more vibrant than words can describe. It’s remote, isolated and virtually untouched by man. For my purposes, it’s perfect.
- Excerpt from the journal of Dr. Randall McClain
It takes another three days for me to be able to stay on my feet for more than a few minutes at a time. I’ve been walking around my small room, drinking a lot of water, eating all the food Ellison brings me, and sleeping a lot.
I’m more confused than ever because not only do the Dust Walkers have medicine and electricity, but the food here is incredible. I get three meals a day. Breakfast is usually oatmeal with fruit and nuts and a piece of buttered toast. One morning, I even got scrambled eggs. I’ve had spicy fish and vegetable stew, grain porridge, and fresh fruit for lunch, and grilled meat and fish with vegetables, grains, and bread on the side for dinner.
How do they have so much food when the people on the other side of the island are starving? How do they have eggs, oatmeal, and butter that tastes freshly churned?
More than once, I’ve questioned Ellison about whether we really are on the island. For all I know, they could have knocked me out and taken me somewhere else. The pieces just don’t fit together.
“Ready?” Ellison comes into my room, smiling warmly.
This morning, she took me to a bathroom a few doors down from my room, where I took a cool shower. They have composting toilets, so I don’t think there’s a sewage system, but they seem to have plumbing. There was tile on the shower floor and real soap and shampoo in the shower. I even got to shave my legs with a razor. I brushed my teeth with an actual toothbrush and toothpaste for a solid ten minutes.
I’m dressed in the clean clothes Ellison left for me. The lightweight gray pants and light blue T-shirt are much more comfortable than my Rising Tide clothes were. She also left me a clean bra, underwear and socks, and a pair of lightweight hiking boots in my size.
This is the cleanest and most comfortable I’ve been in a long time. Marcus seems like a real dick, but Ellison has been nothing but great to me. I’m still not sure about this place, but I’m hoping to see Amira soon and find out what she knows.
But first, I have to get through questioning by Marcus. Ellison leads me from my room, a man following us. The hallway we’re walking down has a concrete floor, and there are simple light fixtures on the walls illuminating our path. The cool air reminds me of being inside a cave.
We reach the door at the end of the hallway and Ellison turns, sighing heavily.
“I’m sorry, but you have to be blindfolded until we get to where we’re going.”
My eyes bulge with alarm. “Blindfolded?”
She purses her lips, her expression apologetic. “I promise I’ll be with you the entire time you’re blindfolded. This is just for the walk to get there.”
My heart pumps faster as the man behind us moves closer, a black cloth in his hands.
“This is Vance,” Ellison says. “Vance, this is Briar.”
Vance has shaggy strawberry-blond hair and a beard. His build is average and he’s about six feet tall. Based on the blank look he’s giving me, he’d rather be elsewhere.
Vance nods at me. “You ready?”
“I don’t want to be blindfolded.” I give Ellison a pleading look. “Can’t I just close my eyes?”
She takes my hand. “I won’t let go until the blindfold comes off. I promise.”
I still don’t like it, but I nod anyway. Ellison patiently fed me when I was too weak to feed myself. She’s cleaned and checked my leg wound every day and made sure I have enough medication to keep the pain at bay. I trust that she doesn’t want to hurt me.
