Defect (18 page)

“Aren’t you curious about where we’re heading?” he asks.

I’d been so caught up in him that I completely forgot to ask. “Of course. I just thought you were keeping it a surprise.”

He considers it. “No, it’s not a surprise. Just a special kind of training I think you’ll like.”

What did I think this was … a date? I’m an idiot. I turn to look out the open door as we push through the brush. The trees are so close, branches reach in through and brush across our arms.

Will
stops, and we climb out. I struggle to keep up. Even walking seems to suck the air from my lungs.

“Don’t worry, we won’t go far.”

I have to stop every fifteen seconds to lean over and hold my side while I catch my breath. The third time it happens, Will stops and frowns. He helps me sit down on a nearby log. “Okay, you just wait here. I’ll be right back.”

He drops his backpack near my feet and sets off through the thickest part of the woods.

I soon lose sight him and wonder what kind of lesson this is going to be. A few minutes later, he comes back, carrying an arm load of plants and roots.

“Botany lesson?”
I ask when he gets closer.

“Sort of.”
He sits down beside me on the log and arranges the plants in between us. “And a picnic – I guess.”

I look at him like he’s crazy. Weeds and muddy roots are not my idea of a picnic.

He smiles. “Trust me, okay?” He pulls a water bottle from his bag and rinses the dirt from the roots, cleaning them with his hands.

There are a few things I recognize on the log. Dandelions and blackberries, but the rest certainly don’t look edible.

“These are gooseberries,” he says, dropping a little green berry into my palm. I inspect it closer. It’s covered in fine green hairs. He shows me the plant that they come from, pointing out its skinny stalk laced with sharp spines.

“Try it.” He pops one into his mouth first.

I expect the berry to be sweet, but it’s bitter, like biting into a sour green apple. The texture is firm and tangy.

“Not horrible, right?”

I take another. Though it’s not great, it’s not terrible either. And I am actually hungry.

“These are n
ettles,” he says. He holds the weed out for me to take it. It’s a long stalk filled with oblong, jagged-edged leaves.

“You can eat this?”

He nods. “With most of these, boiling or steaming them will get rid of the bitter taste, but they’re just fine to eat raw, too. They may not taste great, but they’ll keep you alive.”

He tears off a leaf and offers it to me.
“Smell it.”

“Smells like sour milk.”
He nods. I put it in my mouth. It feels wrong, but I chew it up and swallow. “It tastes sour too.” I make a face.

“
Here.” He passes me the water bottle. 

I swish the water around, clearing my mouth.

Next, we try the dandelion leaves, then a few blackberries, which are ripe and sweet. Then I take a small bite of the root he offers me. It’s bitter and gritty with sand, but I choke it down.

“Okay, I saved the best for last.”
When I see what he’s holding, I’m doubtful. It’s a brown nut covered in a hairy white tuft. “It’s a chestnut.”

“Oh.”

“They come from that tree, right over there.” He points and my gaze follows. “Close your eyes.” I look over at him, trying to figure out what he intends to do. “Close them,” he says softly. I release a sigh and close my eyes. “Describe the tree to me.”

I try to remember the tree from my quick glance. I would have paid better attention if I
’d known there’d be a test.  “It’s a large tree.” I feel stupid. “It has jagged saw-toothed leaves,” I say, remembering the shape.

“Good.
And the most important thing?” I hear him crack the nut open.

“It has chestnuts littering the ground underneath it.”

“Exactly. Now open your mouth.”

Keeping my eyes closed, I open my mouth. Will’s finger
s brush past my lips, and he places a small piece of the chestnut onto my tongue. I open my eyes and look at him as I begin to chew. It’s firm and slightly sweet.

“Do you like it?” he asks.

I nod.

He shows me how to peel off the outer husk
, and break open the shell. Inside, it has a creamy-white flesh. We eat all that he’s gathered, and when they’re gone, he goes and gets a few more from underneath the tree.

He sits back down beside me and cracks open a chestnut for me.
“You have to be careful when you’re choosing plants. Some look similar, but could be deadly poisonous. If you aren’t positive about what it is – don’t eat it.”

I nod and take the chestnut, popping it into my mouth.

“Always avoid plants with a milky discharge,” he says, giving me another.

“Will?” I swallow down the nut. “Why are teaching me all this?” I sense that it’s not on the
typical compound guard curriculum.

He looks down and fumbles with his backpack. “You should know how to find food if you ever find yourself alone in the woods.”

I’ve got to admit, this knowledge would have come in handy for the last challenge, but it’s also knowledge that I hope I won’t have to use.

He pulls a crusty loaf of bread from his bag.
“You didn’t think I was going to make you eat only weeds for lunch, did you?”

I smile and look at him, confused. I guess he was serious about the picnic.

I watch as he removes the wrapped up food from his bag. My stomach responds with a grumble, reminding me how hungry I still am.

“This I know you’ll like.” His hand hesitates inside the bag. “Close your eyes.” I can’t see w
hat he has, but I close my eyes again.

He brings his fingertips to my lips, and my mouth
opens in response. I don’t know when I started trusting him so much, but with my reactions to him, it’s obvious that I do. He places something sweet on my tongue. Chocolate. The second it hits my taste buds, sweetness flood my senses, and my eyes tear up. I haven’t had chocolate in the longest time. I close my eyes again, savoring the flavor as it melts and fills with mouth with a bittersweet, rich flavor. I don’t even chew; I just let the taste linger as long as possible, until it’s completely dissolved.

“I read in
your file it was your favorite,” his voice is soft.

I open my eyes slowly.
I’m not sure how I feel about that. “Why did you take my file?”

He hesitates for just a second.
“I didn’t want it falling into the wrong hands. You’re not mad, are you?”

It
isn’t possible to be mad at a boy who has just fed me chocolate. “No.”

He inches closer
. “I looked for your mom’s file too, but it wasn’t there.”

I crane up to look at him.
“Why would you?”

“I just get the sense there’s something they’re not telling us.”

“Will, you can’t get yourself in trouble over me. You’re an instructor – if they find out …” I don’t want to think what his punishment would be.

“No
. Since I am an instructor, I figured I could say I was looking for information to train you. Don’t worry about me, Eve. I want to help you.”

He
moves closer toward me on the log. I can feel his breath on my cheek. I look down, suddenly feeling unsure. I never imagined feeling anything like this would be possible under the harsh conditions we live in. But my entire body is aware of Will. I imagine his lips tasting like chestnuts, his fingertips caressing the bruised spots on my body, and my heart speeds up at the thought. My stomach grumbles loudly, ruining the moment.

H
is eyes break away from mine. He fumbles with the bread. “You’re hungry. Let’s feed you.” He tears off a piece and hands it to me.

I take his hand. “Will.”
My voice is pleading, but the rest of the words die on my lips. I have no idea what I’m doing, what I’m trying to say. But I know the last thing on my mind is eating.

His eyes meet mine and slowly, carefully,
he brings one hand up to my face. He trails his fingers across my cheek, touches my swollen eye. I’d forgotten about that. I must look horrible. I look away and grab for the bread. He drops his hand.

We eat
in silence for the next few minutes, tearing off hunks of bread and chewing, since it seems neither of us knows what to say. Will’s even quieter than usual. I watch his jaw tense as he stares out into the woods. I wonder what’s bothering him. When the food is gone, he packs up his backpack.

“Ready?”

“Sure.” I stand up.

We climb into the Jeep in silence, and I wonder if I did something wrong. Will stares straight ahead as he drives. It’s like I’m not even in the Jeep with him.

“Thanks for showing me all that today,” I say, once he parks alongside the building.

“Yeah, no problem,” he says, still looking ahead. It’s like he purposefully avoids loo
king at me. I don’t know what I did wrong.

I climb down from the Jeep and head for the door
, but Will’s hand on my arm stops me. I turn toward him. “Listen, Eve.” He releases a sigh. “I’m sorry if I acted strange today. I’ll explain all this soon … I promise.”

I watch his eyes, trying to understand. I nod.
“When?” I hear myself asking.

His lips quirk up in a half-smile.
“Tonight. Meet me in the bunker after everyone’s gone to bed.”

Though I don’t
know if I should, the word tumbles out of me without my consent. “Okay.” We part at the door, and I go inside. He doesn’t follow me.

I’m back in time for dinner and slip into the cafeteria unnoticed. I head for my usual table. Sam and Jake are pressed together, sharing food from each other’s trays. I’m reminded of my afternoon with Will and blush involuntarily.

Sam hardly notices me, distracted by Jake, but Alex perks up the second I sit down.

“Your eye doesn’t look too bad,” he says after a bite of mashed potato.

“Oh, thanks.” I bring my hand up to touch it. “How’s your leg, by the way?”

“Pretty good. It’s healing nicely.”

“What’d you guys do in training today?” I don’t know why, but my conversations with Alex seem to stay at the surface level – just one level up from asking about the weather.

“We ran and did weights in the gym – stuff like that. You didn’t miss much.”

I nod and stir the food on my tray. I’m not hungry after my picnic with Will.

I can hardly wait for everyone to go to bed once we make it back to the bunker. But there are card games and people lounging around talking, and I know it will be a while.

I sit with Alex in the corner of the room. Sam and Jake are completely distracted by each other. They sit facing each other on a small sofa. He winds her hair around his fingers while they talk in hushed voices.
I’ve never seen her like this – so completely absorbed, but I kind of like it.

I look over at Alex. H
e looks nervous. He places one hand awkwardly on my shoulder.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything last night when you fought Drew and Bryce.”

I’m reminded of how he easily lost to Jake. “Oh, I … don’t worry about that. There’s nothing you could have done.”

His eyes don’t leave mine. I look down. I wish Alex didn’t like me like this. I wasn’t sure at first, but now I know he does. I can
’t return his feelings; I’m not sure why. He’s nice and polite and funny. I just … can’t. My mind jumps to my meeting with Will tonight, and I sigh knowing how long I still have to wait. “I’m kinda tired, Alex. I think I’ll just go to bed.” I get up to leave.

He doesn’t look happy. “See you tomorrow
, Eve.”

I lie down on my bunk and watch the ceiling. Slowly, one by one, girls start to filter into the dorm. When I spot Sam, I get down from my bed.

She’s changing beside her bunk.

“So
… you and Jake, huh?”

She breaks into a grin. “
I’ve never felt like this about anyone before. When he’s around … I don’t know, I just feel completely comfortable and happy. I never thought it could be like this here, but he’s the first thing I think of in the morning, and I actually want to go to training just so I can see him.”

I’m happy for her – I am. But a twinge of jealousy spreads over me. I used to be Sam’s number one priority. Or is it that I don’t have
what she’s describing? She pulls me into a hug before I have the chance to figure it out.

“Sam
, I’m meeting with Will tonight – after lights out.”

“What?” She pulls back,
still holding onto my arms. “What for? I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Sam,
it’s fine. He’s not like you would think.”