The Extinction Series , Ellis, Tara [famous ebook reader .txt] 📗

lead her away from the table. To everyone’s surprise, Pikin stopped to give Jess a hug, her small hands taking hold of her braids for a moment before letting go and walking away.

Jess wondered if maybe the girl had lost an older sister who wore her hair the same way, or maybe even her mom. The simple gesture was enough to override her weariness and remind her of what they were fighting for. Pikin deserved a chance to grow up in a place where she could still laugh and play, and feel loved. Jess deserved that, too.

Jess was still turned toward the back door, watching the unlikely pair walk across the lawn, when Akuba scooped another helping of stew in her bowl. “You need to eat more,” she admonished with a grin. “You don’t have any fat to spare, Lobiwan.”

Turning back to the steaming food, Jess found that she’d lost her desire to scream. Her new acceptance had caused the hate she’d been harboring for her dad the past few days to be replaced with a feeling of regret. He was gone.

“I wanted to believe he still felt something for me,” she said, scooping up a fresh spoonful of meat and vegetables. Glancing at Akuba and Amisha, she realized she felt safe with them. That it was okay to share her innermost thoughts and put it out there, making it real and impossible to take back. “I thought maybe that was why at first, he said he was responsible for me, and why he let us stay here. Now…well, now we know it’s only because he thinks we’re serving a purpose.”

Chewing her food, Jess waited for Akuba or Amisha to disagree, or offer some sort of argument. When they both remained silent, watching her, she sighed and nodded slowly. “What do you think will happen once he has enough Kra Puru, and doesn’t need us as his personal farmers or servants anymore?”

Amisha’s eyes widened and she looked at Akuba. “Is there something you didn’t tell me?”

A brief crinkle in her forehead revealed Akuba’s slight annoyance, but she rubbed the lines away with her hands and then looked at both of the younger girls with acceptance. “When Maya was here earlier today, and explained what’s…required of us, it was implied that if we didn’t make ourselves useful, there would be consequences.”

Amisha balked, clearly confused. “But you made it sound like we were all just going to be working together—”

“I didn’t see the need to alarm Paul and Pikin,” Akuba interrupted, lowering her hands. “For now, I think that’s how we should handle this—arrangement. There aren’t any other options at the moment. We don’t have the means to refuse, and technically, this preserve does belong to Dr. Davies.”

“Or, we’ll end up like Mr. Van?” Amisha asked, turning to Jess. “We know what we saw and heard.”

Jess leaned back, her food forgotten again. “I had almost convinced myself that the crude headstone on his grave meant they were showing Mr. Van some sort of compassion. You know, a way to acknowledge him. Except now, I don’t think it was anything more than a marker. Maybe so they can keep track of who they’ve buried.”

Amisha stood abruptly, a hand fluttering to her throat. “I, uh…I better go and see if Pikin needs help getting to bed.”

Jess watched her leave before she and Akuba went about clearing the dishes from the table in a mutual silence, neither of them feeling the need to add anything more to the conversation. Akuba was right, and they were short on options. If they wanted to survive, they’d do what they had to, and Jess figured there were worse things than working on the preserve. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what other people in different parts of the world were going through.

Before they even had the plates rinsed, Amisha came running in through the open screen door, out of breath and flushed. “It’s Kavish and Slaider!” she called out, already heading back outside. “They’re pulling up the driveway right now, and it looks like there’s other people with them!”

Drying her hands on her T-shirt as she ran after Amisha, Jess felt a rush of hope and belonging. They might be an unlikely group of semi-strangers, but they were all in it together.

Kavish was the first to get out of his car, and Jess saw right away that Slaider was driving a truck she hadn’t seen before. A woman sat in the back of it with two goats, and what looked like a large wire-cage full of chickens.

Two indigenous, middle-aged men got out of the car, and Akuba raised a hand in greeting to one of them, who waved back. “I believe he’s a cousin to Slaider,” Akuba explained to Jess as they grew closer.

Kavish was smiling, but looked absolutely exhausted. “We found two of Slaider’s tribe members,” he said happily. “As well as a woman walking down the street on our way there. She lives on a small farm, and has more animals we’ll go back for tomorrow.”

“I’m Kamla,” the woman announced from the bed of the truck, where she was busy coaxing one of the small goats out.  She paused to take a shaky breath and set her lips in a thin, firm line. “Thank you for having me. My family is…gone. I have no one.”

Akuba was the first to reach her, and took the rope from her hands. “I’m Akuba. Welcome to the Libi Nati.” Glancing at Jess, she then looked at the other men to include them in her greeting. “None of you are alone anymore.”

Kavish clapped his hands together once, and then opened his arms wide to include everyone in his announcement. “We need to get these animals settled, and then I’ll show our new guests to the living quarters before we eat. It’s been a long day, and I’d like to finish