Page 50 of Anna's Bounty
I’m not even sure if he’s listening, since all he does is grunt before steering me out of the hotel and down the street.
I expect to head back to the train, but Rovos takes me in the opposite direction we came yesterday. We weave through the maze of bustling streets, and it’s not long before I’ve lost whatever sense of direction I had. The farther we walk, the quieter the streets become. I notice the dwindling people first. Soon the traffic is growing noticeably lighter as well, until we’ve entered a venerable ghost town of ill-maintained roads and rundown boarded-up buildings.
My hand tightens in his when we turn into an alley. Back on Earth, I would have avoided this part of town. Any moment, I expect a gang to jump out at us.
“Are you sure you know where we’re going?” I ask him, throwing side eye at the few aliens we pass, who give us similar looks.
“Yes,” is all he says.
Rovos stops in front of a boarded-up store front, and a tremble starts in my hands. I don’t have a good feeling about this. At all. Why are we here?
With my hand gripped in his, Rovos pounds on the side of a building until, just like in the movies, a board slides away, revealing a shadowed figure.
“What do you wa—Oh! I’ll be damned. You actually came.” The voice chuckles from the opposite side of the door.
“Rovos?” Before I can ask him any more, a hidden door pops open from the wall, and we’re ushered into a dark hallway. The creature is a few inches taller than me with a scarf wrapped around its face and a hood pulled low over its head to hide its identity.
“Follow me.” The hooded creature beckons to us with a gloved hand. “Stay close andtouch nothing.”
Looking around, I can’t imagine what we would touch since it’s only us in the dungeon-like corridor.
“Rovos!” I hiss in a harsh whisper. “What is this?”
Before he can answer me, the hall opens up, and we step into a larger room. It’s just as dank and dark as the hallway, with movement among the shadows. As my eyes adjust, I see cloaked figures like the creature guiding us. They come and go with purpose, paying us no mind. The low lights glint off what looks like assault rifles strapped to their backs.
I press myself closer to Rovos’ side at the sight of the soldiers.
“Were you followed?” the creature snaps, rounding on us and sticking a gloved finger in Rovos’ face.
“No.” To his credit, Rovos only looks mildly irritated before brushing his finger aside.
“Are yousure?” His eyes narrow through the eye-slits.
“Yes.”
“Right then.” Pushing the hood back from his face, the creature yanks his scarf down, and my jaw drops open with a gasp.
He’s not a creature. He’s… human.
21
Anna
I’m sure my eyes are as wide as saucers as I stare at—
“I’m confused,” I say, ping-ponging between Rovos and the grinning human boy.
He’s younger than I thought and can’t be older than his late teens, with a mop of dirty blond hair and almond-shaped hazel eyes. What I can see of his skin is a rich, golden brown. Like he spends considerable time outdoors in the desert landscape of Pamia. But the way he’s wrapped up, I wonder if it’s not genetic.
“I’m Ravi.” He lifts his hand in a wave. “Deja will want to meet you.”
Before I can ask who Deja is, Ravi turns on his heel and heads farther into the darkened room, giving us no other choice but to follow.
Ravi throws open an unadorned door, and we’re blinded by the bright sunlight that comes pouring in. And along with it, the cheerful sounds of voices. Ravi strides into the room while we stand and stare, our eyes adjusting to focus on a large room lined with floor-to-ceiling windows. Everywhere I look are people.Humans!
Children play in groups while their mothers look on. Older children run through the room to disappear down hallways shooting off the primary room. We’re surrounded by the sounds of conversation, laughter, and the smell of cooking food.
This is a home.
