Gathering Water (21 page)

Keep reading for an except from Theresa Kay’s upcoming book,

Broken Skies.

Broken Skies, By Theresa Kay

I drop to the floor at the sound of the knock. My breath hisses in through my teeth when I smack an elbow against the table on my way down. What is Emily doing here? She has to know that Jace went out with the hunting party this morning. Nosy sheep girl. I cradle my elbow and scurry across the floor, conscious to stay below the level of the windows. I
’ve got my long, red hair pulled into a messy braid and I’m wearing my brother’s clothes— not exactly acceptable attire around here for a girl and not easy to hide. If she sees me like this it will completely ruin my day.

“Jasmine?” Emily’s voice calls from outside. Not after my brother then. She’s after me.

I slide along the wall until I reach my bedroom and pull an over sized dress out of my closet, sliding it over my head and smoothing it down.  She calls my name again and I roll my eyes. “Jax,” I mutter to myself. “My name is Jax.”

My fingers twist my braid into a loose bun and I secure it with two pins from my dresser before I finally answer the door, a smile plastered on my face. “Hello Emily. What can I do for you?”

Emily startles and takes a step back, but her smile never falters. “Good morning Jasmine. I was wondering if you’d like—”

“Jax,” I say. “And my brother’s not here.”

Her brown eyes flick down to my folded arms and she sighs, shaking her head slightly. “I’m not looking for your brother…Jax. I was looking for you. I was hoping you’d join us for the sewing circle today. There are quite a few things I’d like to discuss with you.”

I barely manage to conceal my snort. Emily flinches. I guess I didn’t manage to conceal my expression. “Um…I can’t. I have to take this…” My eyes travel around the room, darting from one item to the next. I grab a small knife sitting on the table “…knife to Jace. He’s out hunting and it’s his favorite.”

She has to know I’m lying, because I’m sure she’s fully aware that I’m not allowed outside the gates without an escort, but she’s too nice to call me on it.

“Well you’re welcome anytime,” says Emily, still smiling. She brushes a few strands of dark brown hair, escapees from her super tight bun, behind her ear. “We’d very much like to get to know you.”

I smile and nod at her. What am I supposed to say to that? No thanks I’d rather pull my fingernails off than sit around and chat about being Promised while sewing a dress I have no intention of wearing? They don’t need to get to know me. I’m not going to be around long enough to make a life here. “Well, uh, maybe next time?”

“Sounds great,” says Emily. Her hand lands on my shoulder before I can move away. She drops it almost the same second it touches me but I have to close my eyes to keep my breath under control. In. Out. One. Two. When I open my eyes again, her face is twisted with concern. “Jasmine…Jax…I’m so sorry…I…”

“No biggie,” I force my shoulders to shrug. “Just… I’ll see you later, okay?”

Her smile returns, weaker now, but still warm. “Sure.”

When she turns and walks back down the path, I let out a sigh and rest back against the door, willing my muscles to relax again. Five minutes later, after ditching the dress, pulling on my boots and wrapping a large cloak around myself, I’m out the door.

It’s only a few blocks to the East gate and I’ve gotten pretty good at small smiles and jaunty waves, but there’s still quite a bit of civilization I have to make it through and always the risk of getting caught. I’ve been caught before and still avoided punishment. You’d be surprised how well the mentally unstable card plays around here in getting me out of things. Of course, my brother is the best hunter in town and he’s also best friends with the son of our ‘illustrious’ leader so that might have something to do with it too. Better not to get discovered sneaking out though, I’d prefer to avoid the scrutiny.

People already look at me funny no need to add to their opinions of me. They say I’m unsociable, but mostly I just have nothing in common with the girls, sitting around and being obedient, just waiting to be Promised and start popping out kids, and I have even less in common with the boys who grew up under Dane’s watchful eye and think I’m less just because I’m female.

No matter what I do, I’ll never fit in here. And thank goodness for that. I would never want to be one of those silly sheep girls that inhabit this place. Dresses, buns, silence and subservience. That’s what’s expected from the females around here. I have a little wiggle room as I’ve still got two months until I hit eighteen.  I suppose I’m supposed to suddenly turn docile and compliant when it’s time for me to be Promised, but that’s not going to happen. I don’t plan to be Promised at all.

I didn’t ask to come here, to live within the walls of this stupid town. The largest and relatively safest human settlement left within hundreds of miles or not, I’d much prefer to be back out at our cabin than here. Jace and I were doing just fine out on our own after dad disappeared four years ago. We hunted, grew food and traded for anything we couldn’t make ourselves. It was perfect and quiet and private.

Somewhere along the way Bridgelake’s leader, Dane Jacobs,  heard about our situation and set about offering his ‘help.’ On our third or fourth trading trip, the man ambushed us, smiling like he was approaching a cornered animal he didn’t want to spook. An overbearing, broad, brown-haired man, he frowned at my jeans and, after a simple hello to me, talked mostly to Jace. My brother got a kick out of that.

Dane offered us a place to stay and went on and on about how we shouldn’t be out there on our own. Admittedly, he almost had us, but then he started going on about how a lady should not be wearing pants and certainly shouldn’t be hunting. In Bridgelake, he claimed, they would make a proper obedient woman out of me and find a good husband for me.

Jace snickered when my jaw dropped.

“I don’t need a husband,” I said through clenched teeth. “We will be going now.” I spun on my heel, grabbed Jace’s sleeve and pulled him away from the idiot.

Most of the way home, Jace laughed and muttered about me wearing a dress and how he pitied any man who ended up with me as a wife. He didn’t stop until I punched him in the arm, leaving a bruise that didn’t fade for two weeks. We didn’t go back to trade for almost three months and Dane kept his opinions to himself.

Then, a year ago,  a couple of men found their way out to our isolated cabin when I was home alone. When Jace got home a few hours later, the men were dead and I was huddled in the corner, covered in blood.

After that, Jace insisted that we move behind the protective walls of the settlement and, since I wasn’t speaking at the time, I didn’t argue.

I’m arguing now though. Jace doesn’t know it yet, but we’re leaving soon, very soon. I’ve put up with the restrictions here because it made Jace feel better after what happened, but the only thing worse than being a sheep is being a brood mare. We will not be sticking around long enough for Dane to marry me off and breed me.

My steps slow as I approach the gate. The folds of fabric disguise my curves and as long as I don’t call attention to myself, I can slip past the two gate guards without much effort. It’s not like I haven’t done it before with no trouble. Put enough swagger in my step and no one pays much attention.

“Where are you going Jax?” Flint’s voice stops me in my tracks. Dammit! It would be just my luck that my brother’s best friend is on guard duty this morning. There’s no way my he wouldn’t recognize me.

Flint’s gun is still slung across his chest,  his arms are crossed rather than making a move to grab me, and the other guard is busy examining a trader’s cart a good ten feet away. A good start at least. I have a chance at convincing Flint to let me by.

I turn my face and force the corners of my mouth up. There may even be a bit of eyelash fluttering going on.   He just rolls his dark blue eyes at me, obviously not impressed, or maybe I just look like I have something stuck in my eye. Sometimes it would be nice to make use of some feminine wiles. I sigh and drop my shoulders. “Out.”

“You’re going to have to do better than that. You know I’m not supposed to let you out without an escort.”

“Please Flint. I can’t breathe in here.” I step forward, stare up into his face and lower my voice. “Do you know Emily wanted me to come to sewing circle this morning? Can you even imagine?”

Flint’s mouth rounds up into a smile and he coughs to cover his chuckle. “No Jax. I can’t possibly imagine you doing anything remotely feminine.”

I narrow my eyes. I’m no girly girl, but I know an insult when I hear it.

“Relax. I understand,” says Flint. “Just make sure you come back with Jace and don’t tell anyone I let you by.”

The smile on my face now is genuine. Reaching up, I ruffle his blond hair with my fingers and he smiles back at me. “Thanks Flint. I owe you one.”  I nudge him with my shoulder as I pass.

“Let Jace know I’ll meet up with him later, okay?”

“Sure will,” I call out over my shoulder.

Success! I wait until I’m out of sight of the gate before stuffing my cloak into my backpack and breaking into a jog.

*******

Even though it
’s mid-September, summer’s heat has lingered and by the time I make the short hike out to the lake, wisps of hair stick to my face with sweat. I hadn’t really planned on a swim, but the idea of jumping into the cool water sticks in my mind and my feet speed their pace, picking through the underbrush until I reach the gently sloped shoreline.

The lake is isolated and not something I’ve shared with anyone but my brother, but I still check to make sure no one else is around before I start stripping off my boots followed quickly by the faded jeans. My underwear and tank top stay in place, but I throw my bra into the air with a whoop. Damn uncomfortable thing. It doesn’t fall far from the rest of my clothes.

My arms and feet propel me out to the center of the lake and I hold my breath and sink into the water until my head is covered. With my eyes closed and the water pressing in around me I can shut out the rest of the world and just be. No rules. No expectations. No voices in my head. It is a wonderful feeling.

I stay under until my lungs are screaming for air, popping up at the last possible second and taking a gasping breath. This breath is cleaner and fuller than any I can take behind the walls of Bridgelake and it leaves me feeling more alive than I’ve felt in ages. It’s been much too long since I’ve left the house and relaxed under the open sky. I wasn’t exaggerating when I told Flint I couldn’t breathe in there. I’m not meant to be caged, some part of me just doesn’t handle it well.

I turn to float on my back, red tendrils of hair swirling around me. Puffy white clouds dance across the sky and a hawk glides on the breeze. A feeling of contentment settles in my stomach and the edges of my mouth turn up into a soft smile as I study the bird, a near perfect match for the metal pendant that rests against my chest, the one and only thing I have of my mother’s. The hawk shifts into a dive and disappears, but I continue looking up and begin picking out shapes in the clouds.  A horse. A rabbit. I tilt my head to the side. There’s one that I can’t quite figure out… A hand grabs my ankle and pulls me under the water.

For a moment the darkness under the water is more a tomb than my refuge and my heartbeat picks up, pounding in my ears and sending a jolt of icy terror through my body. But then the hand squeezes my ankle and another comes up to tickle the bottom of my foot and a warm sense of safety washes over me.

Kicking the hands away, I pull my head above the water, sputtering. “Dammit Jace!”

My brother’s head appears, his hazel eyes, the mirror image of my own, sparkling with humor. “I wish I could have seen your face. Was that a scream I heard? Did I scare you?” He laughs and pushes shaggy red hair the same shade as mine out of his face.

I scowl and send a splash of water toward him. “Not funny.”

“Aw come on Jax,” he says, grinning and sending a splash my way. “Even you have to admit that was pretty good. I mean, I swam halfway across the lake underwater. You didn’t even know I was there. You should at least be impressed with my stealth skills.”

I fight a smile. I rarely let my guard down so it actually is pretty impressive that he was able to sneak up on me.

I swim closer to him. “I guess your stealth skills are pretty good… But not as good as mine!” I kick up in the water until I can grasp his head and push him under. Soon after, his hand finds my leg and I go under too.

We spend a long time goofing off, dunking and splashing each other, before we exit the lake. I turn my back to Jace, remove my tank top and wring it out before pulling it back on. He just stands there letting the water drip from his boxers and down his legs. Once we find a patch of grass under a tree to sit on, I squeeze the water out of my hair and braid it until it falls in a damp line down my back. With my bare legs extended in front of me, I lean back against the tree, my shoulder butting against my brother’s.

“Make any friends today?” Jace asks.

“No.” I narrow my eyes at him. “I can’t stand those girls.”

“You haven’t even given them a chance. I know Emily’s been—”

“Emily huh? She spent an awful lot of time batting her eyelashes at you last time she stopped by. Anything you want to tell me about?”

Redness in his cheeks give away his feelings more than words ever could. “No,” Jace says, frowning. “I’d just like to see you branch out, socialize… get better,” he glances at me and winces, his next words coming out in a rush, “It’s gotta be a lot more fun than sitting around the house and hiding from everyone. No offense, sis.”