On the way back Layla tells me that I’m doing well. “A few more days and you’ll be one of us,” she says. “Just keep your head down.”

As the days pass by, I can’t help but wonder if she meant the opposite. It’s hard not to notice the strange occurrences, the odd appearances. The more I get to know these kids, the stranger they seem. Noah shocks me every time we touch. Chief looks weaker at every meal. April regards me with glowing purple eyes. Kyle navigates tunnels in the Graveyard faster than I can. Most disturbing are the blue veins. I see them on legs, under rolled up sleeves, the beginning of them on necks. Layla’s explanation about hard circumstances and deprived resources becomes weaker and weaker every day.

I focus on what I can do. Thinking only of Evan and the mysteries of the Haunt are likely to drive me insane. I sleep when I can and listen to bits of conversation when I can’t. Mostly they talk about what they would eat if they had the money. Pastries, fresh meat, those little rolls with gooey insides. They can talk for hours about one day eating cake. They never talk about their lives before coming here. I’m not sure why. When I ask Collin about it one night, he says that most see this life as an improvement. Even if it is tough, it’s all their own. They’re in control.

When my frustration surfaces, my anger at the time I am wasting, I get out of the Haunt and seek refuge in exploring the Graveyard. I know it’s dangerous, but I keep going further and deeper. I figure I can run fast enough to escape any sort of cave-in. That’s probably naïve. I don’t care. Each path brings new sights. I follow one tunnel for what felt like miles. It grows thinner and thinner until I’m crawling on my stomach. It eventually leads to a giant pit, so deep I can’t see the bottom. I back away quickly, my heart pounding. In other parts of the graveyard I find bones. Most are animal, although a few chillingly look human. One day I find a cavern with purple, crystal like rocks that cover the ceiling. Nothing is as beautiful as the salt water lake, although I stay away from it.

The more that passes the more I feel like I am losing my mind. I have no way to explain the things I see. I start to lose time in the Graveyard, sleeping at strange hours. I explore places in the tunnels that seem unreal.

One day, after seeing Kyle snatch an apple out the air, ending an impressive bout of juggling from Zeak, I can’t take it anymore. I head to the only place I know will bring me peace. The salt water lake. I don’t care that Araya told me not to return. For some reason, I need to be there. As soon as I smell the salt air, a peace washes over me. The waterfall is as incredible as I remembered. It dwarfs me, the sheer power of the pounding water makes my problems feel small and far away. I put my hands on the edge of the fall. They are pounded by the water. I want more.

First I make absolutely sure no one is in sight. Then I take off my clothes, leaving them in a pile on the bank. I keep my underwear on just in case. I walk into the water. It heads down on a steady slope. The water is freezing. It feels amazing. The cold seems to clear my mind. I feel more awake, more like myself than I have in days. When it is deep enough, I dive in. I keep my eyes open. I’ve never been in ocean water before. I feel light and swim deeper into the lake.

I only leave when I’m too cold to swim any more. I move back to the rocky shore. I stand up and walk when the water is shallow, my footsteps loudly splash in the water. That’s when I see her. Araya is standing on the shore by the entrance. She has that small smile on her face. Unlike me, she shows no sign of embarrassment. She watches me as I head to shore. Thank the gods that I’m still wearing my undergarments. She doesn’t have her fur cloak on. Her clothes are made of tanned leathers. They are ragged, torn in the knees, fraying on the edges. I haven’t seen her since the last time I was at the lake. I asked Collin about it and he said she’s rarely in the Haunt, preferring to work on her own. She only appears when Layla has need for her.

“You came back,” she says. Her voice is unreadable, although it must be negative. She told me to stay away.

After these past couple of days, I no longer care about being polite. “Yes. I like it here.” My voice is defensive. I get dressed as I speak, pulling on my clothes quickly.

“It’s beautiful here,” she says. Her voice has lost a bit of its hard edge. “I’d never seen the ocean before. We don’t even have lakes where I’m from. Too dry.”

This is the most I’ve ever heard her say. I am momentarily stunned that she is actually speaking to me. “I’d never seen the ocean either. I’m from the Forsyth. There was a lake near our village though.”

“You liked living in the Forsyth?”

“Yes, I love it. It’s a lot different from this place.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

She hums in agreement. The sound is low, cat like. “Everything is better than this place.”

I think she is the first person I’ve heard say that. Everyone has this strange pride of the Graveyard. They seem blind to how rough it is.

“I don’t think I’d want to live in the forest though,” she says. “Too many trees.”

I can’t tell if she is joking or not. She seems to always speak in the same even tone. I wonder if everyone from the west is like that. “No trees where you lived?”

“No. We have heirah. Ah- ” She pauses, searching for a word. “Very small trees.”

“Bushes?” I guess.

“Yes. Not much grows in the desert. Whatever lasts is tough, like you.”

“You think I’m tough?” I don’t think anyone has ever used that word to describe me.

“I overheard your story. Your brother? Some people would have let him go. Many are in the Haunt are here because they have nowhere else to be. Some people are here because they need something. It’s…consuming. I need something. Layla. You. It is easy to tell.”

“Do you think we’ll get it?” I speak softly, praying she’ll say yes.

“That’s not something I know. You should leave. I want to swim.” She walks past me towards the water. She almost brushes my shoulder as she goes. There is a heat that surrounds her. A palpable warmth. I think about it all the way back to the Haunt.

That night I sleep soundly for the first time since I arrived. The next day I get up with Collin like usual and head to the food line. My thoughts are elsewhere. I play that conversation with Araya in my head again and again. I go through the motions of getting my food without seeing what I’m doing. My mind is back at the lake where she said I was tough. Strong. And here I’ve been complaining that I have nothing to do, that I’m not being included. Instead of asking for permission, I need to make things happen. Maybe I’ll follow Layla out of the Haunt that night. If I see what she is up to, it will give me a hint about what is being kept from me. If not that, maybe I can go to the Mountain and steal something. If I give Layla something of value, risk my life again, she might agree that I’m ready. Either way, I’m done with just waiting for her to decide.

I sit down in my usual spot by the fire and am shocked to see Araya at the fire. She’s never here for breakfast. “What are you doing here?” I ask bluntly.

“Hungry,” she says simply and spoons oatmeal into her mouth.

Zeak sits down beside her. There isn’t quite enough room between her and Sarsa, but Zeak squeezes his way in. “Hope you don’t mind the close proximity,” he drawls. “You’re just so warm I have to sit here.” He runs a hand over her cloak. I want to yell at him, tell him to stop, but before I can Araya’s hand darts out and grabs Zeak’s wrist. She throws it in his lap.

“I think that belongs to you,” she says. Her eyes meet mine for a moment and then her gaze shifts to something behind me. “Look. A fight.”

I turn around in time to see Noah push Collin to the ground. I’m on my feet before Collin is. I take a step forward and Araya reaches out and touches my arm. Our skin only comes into contact for a moment, but I can feel an incredible warmth radiate from her fingers.

“Just watch,” she says calmly and pulls her hand away.

Collin is on his feet. He backs away from Noah. “It was an accident!” he says, raising his hands in front of him.

“Stay out of my head!” Noah yells, half of his face clenched, his mouth in a manic snarl.

“I can’t help it,” Collin says. “You know I’m still learning to control it.”

“What are they talking about?” I ask Araya. She ignores me and continues to watch the confrontation.

“How much do you know?” Noah asks, taking a few steps towards Collin. His hands are twitching by his sides. Collin doesn’t answer. He continues to back away with hands up. Noah closes the gap between them with one long step. “How much do you know!” He bellows. His hands are spasming angrily.

Collin looks panicked. When his back hits the wall he lets out a small yelp of surprise. Noah is practically on top of him, towering over the small boy.

I’m not sure what they are fighting about, but it is clear that Noah is beyond reason. Collin is one of the only people here that has been nice to me, who has gone out of his way to help me. I owe him. “I need to stop this,” I say to Araya and move past her. She doesn’t stop me, just hisses as I pass by.

I move slowly towards Noah so I don’t call attention to myself. No one notices me creeping up. Everyone in the cavern is staring at Collin and Noah.

“How much do you know?” Noah asks again. His entire body is shaking violently. It seems completely out of his control. A spasm shoots through his body and his hands jump. “How much!” He yells.

Collin looks up at him guilty. His face is pale under all those freckles. He speaks just loudly enough for me to hear him. “Everything,” he whispers.

Noah lets out a guttural noise, somewhere in between a sob and a scream. His twitching arms move snakelike towards Collin, as if they had minds of their own. I am close to Noah now. I tense to jump and tackle him, taking a moment to decide the best place to throw my body. Before I can jump, Noah’s hands hit Collin. A loud sizzle accompanies a bright, blue streak of light that shoots from Noah’s hands into Collin’s chest.

I stop short. What was that? Was that lightning? Then, to my horror, Collin drops to the ground.