Fear Me Not (The EVE Chronicles) (12 page)

I’m about to quip something when Dakota’s round face darkens with anger.

“She’s not! She might b-be really blunt and angry-looking, but she’s really nice!”

Shadus stares at her with his signature searing gaze, but she doesn’t cower. The Dakota who avoids everyone’s eye contact is stubbornly staring back. Shadus raises an eyebrow at me.

“It seems you have a loyal defender.”

“Friend,” I correct. “There’s a difference.”

The bell rings for second period, a shrill knife between the two halves of clashing silence. Shadus nods.

“It was good meeting you, Dakota.” He looks to me. “You and I will talk next week, in study hall.”

Dakota’s red face only subsides when he walks away. I put my arm around her shoulder.

“What was that all about? You were pretty cool.”

“I-I just don’t want him to say things that hurt you.”

“That’s just how we are,” I laugh. “Him and I decided to actively not be friends.”

“But – he’s your culture partner,” Dakota insists. “I’m sort of friends with mine. A-Aren’t we supposed to be?”

I shrug. “It just feels forced. And there could be trouble, you know. For partners that get too friendly.”

Dakota frowns. “Just b-because there’ll be trouble doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it.”

I don’t know how right she is, or how wrong I am. But her words ring in the halls purer and truer than mine.

                        ***

As the dying autumn begins to lose color the school blooms with it - frost blues, regal golds, and blood reds. Thanksgiving comes and goes without much ceremony, other than turkey with cranberry sauce served for dinner that day. Of course the faculty wouldn’t want to make a big deal of it – Thanksgiving is a celebration of the beginning of colonialism in America, when the Europeans essentially invaded the Native American’s lands. It strikes too close to home, with the Gutters crash landing in America and all.

Shadus seems keenly aware of this fact. The next time we have study hall is right after Thanksgiving.

“The Native American people and Gutters share many similarities,” he says lightly as he puts a book back on a shelf. “We are a proud, noble people. We’ve both been confined to reservations by the same people. And we are monitored closely and controlled by your government.”  

“Except there’s the fact you come from outer space. Oh, and they’re mammals. And you’re reptiles.”

“We do have scales, and our young hatch from eggs,” He says thoughtfully. “But we aren’t cold-blooded, and we don’t eat our own kind. Your human scientists haven’t come up with a definition for us, yet.”

“Ooh, ooh, I’ve got one!” I raise my hand. “Emotionus Eaterus.”

He rolls his eyes, a very human gesture I’ve never seen him do before.

“Regardless, after Thankspitying comes the Gutter holiday of Owakess. We’ve reconciled our 902-cycle calendar with Earth’s 365-day calendar, so Owakess always falls on the first of December.” 

“Lemme guess,” I wad up a spare paper and chuck it at him. He dodges smoothly, (without looking, the showoff) and keeps returning books to shelves like it never happened. “Owakess involves ritual fighting. Maybe some blood. Someone’s fingers get broke, also.”

Shadus smirks. “You really know nothing.”

“Enlighten me.”

“Owakess is a night of dancing to commemorate the end of the Grand War three thousand
ujuns
ago.”

I stare at him blankly. He translates.

“Seven thousand years.”

I feel my jaw drop a little. He’s pleased at my reaction, because he barrels on.

“The Grand War was fought between Asara and Umala. It divided the four continents and caused a civil war among the Gutters. Brother fought brother. Sister assassinated Sister.”

“Wait, wait! But Asara and Umala…those are your goddesses. They aren’t real.”

Shadus smiles. “Asara and Umala were very real. As were Shototh and Latori. They weren’t born from Yu. There was no Great Father Yu. That’s just religious embellishment. They were female Gutters born to other Gutters who lived in ancient times.”

“B-But – But why are they –”

“Revered as gods now? That’s simple. They were born with power.”

“Power?”

“The power of
zol
,” Shadus snaps his fingers. “To explode.”

I’m at a loss. Shadus sits at the table, crossing his arms in front of him and a serious look growing in his ruby eyes.

“On our planet, we farm a species of animal known as
lemak
. We used to hunt them, but after years of advancing our technology, we discovered it was easier to breed and keep them.
Lemak
come in many types, and flavors, and they are plentiful. But most importantly, they are the only animal on our planet capable of producing
rotssa
- tangible emotions.”

I quirk a brow. Shadus leans in, voice lowering.

“It’s like a cloud that follows them. Your human mystics would call it an ‘aura’, but it’s more real than that. It is a field of organic electromagnetic waves that emit from the creature’s heads. They produce it in great quantity, and use it to communicate with each other.”

I open my mouth, and he holds up a finger.

“Before you harp on me about how it’s inhumane, know this – their emotion-producing capabilities are strong, but their intelligence is borderline. They’re no smarter or more self-aware than your average deer.” 

“So you guys evolved to hunt them.”

“Precisely. We are highly specialized creatures whose evolution revolved around chasing, hunting, and eating
lemak
. Humans needed sight to hunt buffalo and mastodons. We needed our sense of smell to follow the
lemak
’s waves. You humans evolved to eat many different kinds of foods. We have only ever eaten one.”

“So, back to Asara and Umala –”

“Right, right,” Shadus claps his hands softly and leans back. “As I was saying, we’ve evolved to hunt
lemak
. We have fangs, tails, claws. We are tripedal to ensure maximum speeds on sand and maximum balance on mountains the
lemak
like to hide in.”

“Tripedal?” I hiss. “Like, three legs?”

He nods, smirking. “If it’s too strange, I’ll stop here – ”

Curiosity makes me jump in. “No, no it’s fine. Keep going.”

“We’ve evolved all these different body parts, all these different senses, just to hunt
lemak
. But Asara and Umala…they evolved beyond that. Evolution gave them a hunting weapon more powerful than any claw. Asara and Umala were Gutters who could manipulate the electromagnetic field of a
lemak
and turn it in on the
lemak
’s own brain. The result was a massive electrostatic surge that wiped out all vital nervous systems of the
lemak
.”

Shadus’ smirk grows somber, but it’s still full of pride.

“Herds would simply drop dead, their emotions free for the eating. The Gutters would pick them clean, use the fur for beds and the bones for tools, and the meat would go to our pets and work animals. In a time when
lemak
were scarce and the Gutter civilization was dwindling, Asara and Umala were saviors. They were heroes.”

I run my hands through my hair. “So where did it go wrong?”

Shadus smiles bitterly. “Asara and Umala had a falling out.”

“Over what?”

“A mate, of course. Jealousy is not exclusive to humans. Asara continued to help build the Gutter civilization, and under her leadership great cities rose. Ships were built, connecting the continents and uniting our people. Technology advanced. But Umala went down a darker path. She went into seclusion, honing her
zol
in the Deadlands. She used all manner of test subjects, and soon,
lemak
weren’t the only things she could kill with a mere thought.”

Shadus clears his throat.

“She returned to the cities. And she waged war. She cut down thousands, and persuaded thousands more. Asara repelled her, but the damage had been done. Gutters joined Umala’s side. And so began the Grand War.”

“And Latori and Shototh were –”

“Asara and Umala’s lieutenants, respectively. They didn’t have
zol
, but they were clever, strong warriors, and well-trusted.”       

“And who won?”

“Shototh eventually betrayed Umala. Umala was arrested by the Adjudicators, killed by the Executioners, and her body kept for research by the Illuminators. And the story was immortalized over the years, first as myths, then as
Ki’eth
. It’s a miracle we still know the real story at all. But Latori’s painstakingly recorded scrolls were discovered in 665, and we’ve known since then. Even in the face of the true history,
Ki’eth’
s only grown stronger as the dominant religion.”

We’re quiet. The golden sun filters through our window. I pull my hoodie over my head. Shadus doesn’t seemed bothered by the light - running his hands through his hair when it gets in his eyes. I scribble a hole in my worksheet.

“You probably shouldn’t have told me all that. I doubt the Gutters will be happy if a human knows this much.”

“Like I said, no one would believe you.”

“What about what I told you? About Raine and Yulan’s talk?”

Shadus nods. “I’ve thought it over. I understand as much as you. Jerai is Raine’s father, and head of the Illuminators. Tall, skinny, constantly looks sick. He and his scientists are always tinkling with some new and horrible contraption.”

“Tin
ker
ing. Tinkling means peeing,” I interject.

“Regardless,” Shadus coughs. “He and his team invented the EVE organs by melding Gutter arterial glands,
lemak
marrow, and human liver DNA. He is smart, possibly the smartest Gutter we have. If Jerai was ‘planning’ something, he’s already gotten away with it. He’s sneaky and quick and never gets caught. It’s already too late to stop him. Raine’s attempt is foolish.”

“But –”

“My guess is she’s trying to overthrow him in a bid for his title. She’s next in line, but she’s never had much patience for waiting. If this thing Jerai has done is something illegal and she’s found proof of it, she’ll keep it for herself and then hand it over to Taj.”

“No – she’ll come to you first and try to get your support before she goes to the Adjudicators,” I correct.

Shadus smirks at me. “You’ve been hanging around me too much. Don’t you have a nice human male friend who, I don’t know,
isn’t
involved in a delicate game of extraterrestrial politics?”

“Yeah, but they all know what tinkling means. I can’t correct them and feel instantly superior.”

“Ah, so that’s why you hang around.”

He reads his book with a smirk that lessens into his usual frown. I stare at him. Even with the Gutter’s technology, forcing hundreds of Gutters into human shapes must have been painful. Messy. He still looks a little alien; they all do. His face is so sharp at every angle, nothing soft or round. Those red eyes are deep-set under thick, hawk-like brows. He’s not ruggedly handsome like Taj, but there’s something that makes people do a double take.

“Don’t glare so much.” I point to his eyes. “Those things are scary enough without you glaring. Humans can see a lot in a person’s eyes. They won’t run off so fast if you keep a neutral face, at least. Smiling’s even better.”

Shadus snorts. “I don’t smile very well.”

“The trick to it is thinking about something nice. Do you have like, nice memories?”

“A few. Most from our time on the ship.”

I pull a bottle of water from my bag and sneak sips when the librarian isn’t looking. “What about some Gutter expressions? Tell me about those.”

“Like what?”

“Anger. Happiness. How would your body react to that?”

“Happiness is a tail wag, I suppose. If it’s anger, the spines on our backs would stand up. We might snarl to show our teeth. Much of our emotional changes were relayed through pheromones. For humans it’s more in the eyebrows. Those were very hard to learn to control. The hardest concept to wrap our heads around was kissing. We watched human movies, of course, and practiced with each other, but it still felt awkward. I don’t know why your race is so entranced with it.”

I nearly the gulp from my water bottle across the desk.

“There are so many things wrong with that. I don’t even know where to start,” I rub my forehead. He keeps going, unaware of my discomfort.

“Procreation, we can understand. Those basic mechanics are the same in our species as well. But why the mouth? Is it because so many of your nerve clusters reside in the lips?”

“I, uh, I guess?”

“So it’s less a show of affection and more a pursuit of physical pleasure.”

“No!” I shake my head. “I mean, it can be both, depending on who - why are we even talking about this? You think it’s so gross, but I bet your Gutter version is way weirder.”

“It involves much less unsanitary saliva, that is for certain.”

I sigh and hide my face in my hands. An EVE walks up to our table and clears her throat.

“Here’s the attendance sign-in sheet.” She holds out a notebook. I look up from my hands, and before Shadus can glower I pull on his sleeve.

“Take the sheet and smile,” I murmur. He curls his lip.

“Why?”

“Just try it.”

He turns back to the EVE and takes the book, grinning in that disarming way I’d only seen at the bonfire. “Thank you.”

The EVE blushes. Shadus watches her go with surprise.

“That was a different reaction.”

“You think? Smile more and I promise people will like you.”

“If all I need to do is smile, your culture is highly dependent on the shallowness of outer appearances.”

“Yeah,” I laugh.  “We know. A million dead philosophers have told us before.”

The bell rings. The setting sun paints the sky in fire outside the windows. The smell of something stew-y wafts down the hall and makes my stomach gurgle. I don’t even notice Shadus and I are walking to the cafeteria together, until I do, and I start back to put space between us, but he just keeps walking.

So I keep walking, too.