“So, we’re supposed to walk across South America?” I ask.
“NO!” Jax exhales, holding both hands out to me, like he wants to stop me before I freak out. “We’re not too far from the borderlands of Rafe territory. We’re really close to the Comantre clan, too.”
“Too close,” Wayra adds, looking tense.
“The way you’re all acting…it’s like we’re in danger or something.” My voice sounds hollow. I watch them look at each other.
“We’re not in danger, exactly,” Jax replies. “It’s more like we’re not very comfortable with our current position.”
“Oh,” I reply nervously, glancing around. Trey sits forward, easing me off his lap. He stands up quickly and dons a pair of sleek, dark, utilitarian-style pants and a shirt that doesn’t hide just how perfect his physique really is.
After fastening his belt, Trey flips open a small panel on the thigh to reveal a tiny row of buttons. Pressing one a few times, the fabric of his pants changes from dark shades of brown, to camouflage, to white, to sand, to a watery-pattern that looks like actual water wavering on his body. Selecting a chameleon setting, the pants begin to blend in with his surroundings, taking on the shades and shapes of whatever is nearby. He does the same with a panel hidden in the lining of his shirt, and then he looks up, eyeing me critically.
I self-consciously put my hand to my hair, running my fingers through it to try to smooth out the tangles. “Did we bring anything for Kricket to wear?” Trey asks Wayra.
“Uh, no. She’s a prisoner. I didn’t think it mattered,” Wayra says. Trey frowns at Wayra before he glances back at me. I stiffen, hearing just how insignificant I am to them.
Jax nudges my arm, trying to make me take another bite of my bark bar. “Eat that and I’ll give you this,” he says, holding up a small leaf in his palm.
“What’s that?” I ask suspiciously.
“It will refortify your enamel and take away the taste of…cat poop,” he says, trying not to crack up.
“So, it’s good for my teeth?” I ask for clarification.
Jax nods, putting on his clothes that are just like Trey’s. Feeling pissy now, I shove the whole bar in my mouth at once, trying really hard not to gag on it. I need to remain strong if I’m going to find a way to get away from these tools and get back home. Reaching for the canteen, I swallow several mouthfuls of water. Afterward, I hold out my hand for the leaf Jax had promised. Popping it into my mouth, the taste of mint quickly dispels the awful aftertaste.
A terrifying shriek emits from beyond the basin, echoing off the rocks and making every hair on my body stand on end. Bolting to my feet, my eyes the size of saucers, I whisper, “What was that?”
Before anyone can answer me, a deeper, more gut-churning roar sounds, on the same side where the shriek sounded.
“Ready, Kricket?” Trey asks, reaching his hand out to me grimly.
I stumble toward his hand, taking it like a lifeline. “Let’s go!” I reply. Taking his duffle he drops my hand for a moment, threads his arms through the bag, and then grabs my hand again. He leads me rapidly away from the water, toward the cover of enormous trees.
Under the canopy of leaves, the light dims as trunks and branches tower over us, higher than some of the buildings in the loop. I’ve seen pictures of large trees—redwoods in national forests that are so large that one could drive a car through their trunks. These trees are bigger. You could drive a cross-town bus through one and traffic could pass you going the opposite way. Another roar sounds behind us.
“Can you run?” Trey asks me, frowning.
Paling, I nod, “What is this place? Jurassic Park?” I ask, picking up my pace. Trey matches it as Jax and Wayra flank us.
“I saw that movie!” Jax says, excitedly. “How did they do that?”
I don’t answer him but fall into the quick pace that I always use to run for the El when I’m late.
“Those sounds were definitely mammals,” Trey says. “The first one was a mastoff and the second was a saer.”
“Describe,” I insist. Trying to keep my breathing easy and steady, my boots are pounding the dirt beneath me, making squishing noises because they’re still wet.
“A mastoff is an enormous, hairy…mastodon with long tusks,” Trey says.
“That’s prehistoric,” I say, narrowing my eyes. “And a saer?
“Scary cat,” Wayra fills in.
“How scary?”
“You see me running?” Wayra counters grimly.
Looking around me, the scenery is whipping by me faster than it should be. I stop for a second, confused by what’s happening. Everyone pauses with me. “Kricket?” Trey asks. “What’s wrong?”
“I—did you see how fast we were going?” I ask, searching at their faces in confusion.
“Yes, but we need to go faster,” Wayra urges, looking over his shoulder.
“No—I…how fast do you think we were going?” I ask.
“OH!” Jax says, “Gravity is different here, Kricket. It exerts a little less force on Ethar. We have roughly the same size planet as Earth, but it turns a fraction slower, creating slightly less gravity…it’s not that different from Earth, but enough to make everything grow larger. You’ll probably be able to jump higher, too”
“And that’ll come in handy if we don’t go now,” Wayra reminds us. Seeing his distress makes me move again. Picking up the pace and plowing ahead, we eat up the terrain in no time.
Running, we leap over huge, fallen branches as if they aren’t there; but after about an hour, I begin stumbling over unseen roots because the twilight is turning to darkness. Catching me before I stumble again, Trey halts us beneath another huge tree that looks like every other tree in this vast woodland. Pushing away from him and bending over, I grasp my side, trying to work out the cramp. My face feels flushed as sweat drips from my jaw.
“Here, Kricket,” Jax says, handing me the canteen. Thanking him, I put it to my lips.
“Up or down? Wayra asks Trey, breathing heavily from running.
“Definitely up,” Trey says with a grin, pointing to the high canopy of branches above our heads.
Wayra grins too. “How did you spot that?”
Trey shrugs, still smiling. I look up and see nothing unusual.
“How do you feel about heights, Kricket?” Jax asks, staring up, too.
“Don’t ask me that. Why are you asking me that?” I shoot back, narrowing my eyes at him.
“We need to rest and we need a safer place to accomplish it,” Trey says. “How well can you climb trees?”
I just stare at him for a moment before I say, “Let me put it to you this way, Trey, I’ve never had a backyard in my life…that I can remember.” My hands go to my hips defensively, waiting for his disapproving scowl.
Shaking his head, he mutters, “Add climbing to the list with swimming.”
“Do we put her in a harness? Hoist her up?” Wayra asks.
“No,” Trey says, shaking his head and sounding annoyed again. “I’ll take her up. Kricket, get on my back.”
“Why?” I ask tiredly.
“Because I gave you an order. This isn’t Chicago, Kricket, where you can do whatever you want. Here, there are consequences when orders are disobeyed,” he replies, glaring at me.