Shadows of Glass (21 page)

“George does,” Peter says.

“Excellent. It sounds as if we have tomorrow planned then. After we evaluate the rovers
we’ll talk about a venture into the dome.” Lyon goes to Jane and extends his hand
in a very romantic and courtly bow. “I am ready to retire my dear.”

“As am I,” Jane replies and takes his hand. “Good night everyone,” she adds, and they
leave.

“I must prepare for tomorrow’s expedition,” Dr. Stewart says. “If you will all give
me your goggles, I would be happy to paint them for you before I retire so that your
eyes will be protected from the sun.” All of us that have them hand him our goggles
and with a quick bow to all of us he leaves.

“I’m definitely ready for sleep,” Rosalyn says and rises. “Peter, you should get some
rest too. Remember what Jane said.” Peters nods and yawns and follows her into the
tent where George’s snores are now approaching canvas-rattling proportions.

Four chairs are now empty. James and Zan quickly slide into those left behind by Lyon
and Jane, which means that are now sitting next to each other. Alcide offers one to
Levi, who denies it. “Give it to Wren,” he says.

“I am content where I am,” I say. I am. My back rests against Pace’s legs, Jonah is
now in my lap, and Pace occasionally drags his hand through my hair, combing out the
tangles with his fingers. For the first time since our escape I feel blissful. Knowing
that I did not kill the rover has taken such a weight from my shoulders, along with
the fact that the Hatfields are set on helping us. A full belly and shelter from the
elements go a long way in setting one’s fears to rest.

Alcide slides into the chair, and Jon tosses another log on the fire from the pile
the men scavenged from the forest earlier in the day. He goes back to petting Beau’s
large head, which rests in his lap just like Bella’s does with Levi.

One of the reasons why I did not want to move to a chair is because Levi sits directly
across from me and I can watch him without Pace seeing it. Perhaps I should feel guilty
about being curious about Levi, but I cannot help it. He is so very different from
anyone I have ever met. “Tell us more about the world,” I say. “Where have you traveled
to?”

“You saw the pins on the map,” Levi says. “Those mark all the places we’ve been. China
is the most exciting place.”

“China?” Alcide asks, on the edge of his seat once more.

“China is across the Pacific Ocean from America.” Levi points to the map. “Like us,
they were able to recover quicker than most places that were closer to the comet’s
path. Our country signed a trade agreement with them fifty years ago, when air travel
became possible.”

“What about ships?” Pace asked. “Isn’t that how people used to travel? Across the
seas on ships?”

“They did,” Levi says. “But ships are built with wood, and the forests were devastated
and have only started recovering. The government has put precautions into place so
that the forests can continue to recover. When airships were invented they became
much more practical, although they cannot carry as much weight as a ship. Factories
are at work now, designing and building ships out of metals that are powered with
steam engines that can carry thousands of tons of goods.”

“Amazing,” Alcide says, clearly caught up in the story.

“Levi didn’t mention that our grandfather is the one who invented airships,” Zan says.

“He did?” Pace shifts behind me, and I sit up to allow him room to move. He puts a
hand on my shoulder and eases me back into place.

“When he was just a little bit older than we are now,” Levi says. “He is still at
it, working on new designs that are faster and can carry more weight. Our other uncle
runs the company.”

“And Papa tests them out,” Zan says. “Which is perfect as he loves to explore and
seek out adventure.”

“What about your parents?” I ask Levi. “You said they died in an airship explosion.”

“One of our grandfather’s prototypes that didn’t work out,” Levi says.

“We did not think he would ever recover from that,” Zan adds. “We were just children
at the time. Levi lost his older brother too.”

“Lance,” Levi says quietly. “He was seventeen when he died. The same age I am now.”
His brown eyes seem sad as he stares into the fire, and I know he is remembering his
brother. “I am so lucky that Uncle Lyon and Aunt Jane took me in.” He smiles at Zan,
putting his grief away where we cannot see it. “Of course having a cousin as a sister
is a bit of a pain at times.”

Zan shoves him with her foot, and Levi pretends he is severely wounded from her blow.
Bella grunts at the interruption of her rest and shifts her head from Levi’s lap to
the ground.

“What about China?” Adam asks.

“China is as different from us as you can get,” Levi says. “Yet we each need what
the other has. America has the technology and factories. China has things like silk
and spices. They have so many more people too. They, like the Indians, were used to
living off the land, where in America, so many were city dwellers that they had forgotten
how to survive. They are so very different than us in every way. They even look different.
Their skin has a different hue and their eyes are shaped differently than ours.”

“I would like to go to China,” Alcide says.

“Africa is the place to go,” Zan said. “It is still so very primitive, as if nothing
has changed in the past thousand years. And there are so many different species of
wonderful animals. Lions, elephants, giraffes, antelope, cheetahs, and gorillas.”
She shrugs. “More than I can name. More than you can imagine. And so many treasures
from the age of the pharaohs. Pyramids and the Sphinx, and other extraordinary structures
that are thousands of years old and survived the comet.”

We listen in wonder to their words. Pace had told me about these creatures before,
but Levi and Zan have actually seen them. At least Pace has the ability to comprehend
what they are talking about because he’s read the books and seen the paintings in
the museum and library. For the rest of us, the things they talk about are only words,
and I long to have an image to place with each one.

As I listen to Zan and look at Levi I realize how sheltered we really were. Our world
began and ended with the dome. The people who came before us never had the chance
to experience such wondrous things, but they also were protected from the horrible
elements wrought from the comet, along with not having to worry about starvation and
disease. Looking back now, and knowing how hard it was for the human race to survive
the disaster, I think they would say it was worth it. But now the world has so much
to offer, especially for people like us who were relegated to a role no matter what
they felt. People like Harry, who was expected to be a butcher, even though he cannot
stand the smell of blood, and Jilly, who was told who she had to marry in order to
keep the royal bloodlines from crossing too often and too close. People like me, James,
Adam, and the rest of us shiners who can now be anything we want to be and go any
place we want to go. It is up to us to make it happen.

Hearing about these things suddenly isn’t enough. I don’t want to know about them
from books and pictures. I want to see them for myself. I want to fly in the airship
to places like America, China, and Africa. I want to see pyramids and giraffes and
elephants. I want to see the world.

Zan yawns widely. “Goodness,” she says as she politely covers her mouth. “It has been
a long day, and we’ve got a busy one tomorrow according to my father.”

Pace leans forward and wraps his arms around me. Pip chirps as his perch moves beneath
him. “I’m ready for some sleep,” Pace whispers in my ear. “Wish we still had our cave,”
he adds, and I know he’s talking about the privacy of it, not the location.

Levi watches us. Zan stands up and James jumps to his feet beside her.

“Good rest,” he says.

“Thank you,” Zan replies airily. “Good night to you too. Levi, are you coming?”

Levi still has his eyes on me as he stands up. “I am,” he says. “See you all in the
morning,” he adds, and they leave with Bella following them.

“Good rest to you Miss Hatfield.” Alcide stands and bows as Zan and Levi step onto
the catwalk. Only those of us still around the fire can hear him and we know he is
only doing it to aggravate James, who promptly punches him in the shoulder. “Ow!”
Alcide exclaims as he rubs the spot where James punched him. “I was only pointing
out that they will get a good night’s sleep, while the rest of us have to listen to
that all night.” He jerks his thumb in the direction of the tent where George’s snores
have reached a louder pitch.

“I’ll sleep out here,” Jon says. “Beau will keep me warm.”

“I’ve got an idea,” Pace whispers to me. “Someplace soft and private. Want to see?”

“Yes,” I say, wondering how soft it will be. He stands, reaches for my hand, and pulls
me up. We walk by the rest without a word, stop beneath the awning where he hands
me two blankets from the table and grabs Pip’s cage and leads me onward to the pony
pen with Jonah scampering after us. The grass that was cut from the field earlier
in the day is piled next to the pen. Pace kicks it together so it will be thicker
and lays the blanket down on top of it. He puts Pip in his cage and hangs it on a
twig that juts out from one of the branches used to make the pen and then sinks into
the blanket, taking me with him. The moon is bright overhead and the stars sparkle
like candlelight in the sky. The ponies shift to our side of the pen as they recognize
that I am close, and I reach out my hand to touch Ghost on the end of his nose. The
goats are curled up together and Jonah gets down to the business of washing his face
as we lie down.

“Much more comfortable that a stone floor,” Pace says.

I settle in next to him. He puts his arm around me and I curl into his shoulder as
I pull the other blanket over us. “It is,” I say in agreement. It is also colder here
than it was by the fire, and I press close against him for the warmth.

“I’ve missed you,” Pace say. “I miss the time we spent together.” He rubs his cheek
against mine and I feel the rough stubble of hair against my skin.

“So much is happening,” I begin but then I do not know what to say next.

“Just don’t take off again without telling me or someone where you are going,” he
says again. “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”

“I am sorry for causing you worry.” I really mean it. I remember the look on Adam’s
face when Peggy drowned and the sorrow he carries like a heavy weight on his shoulders.
I shift a bit, trying to get comfortable. “Something is jabbing me.”

“It’s my pistol,” Pace says. I sit up and he unbuckles the belt around his waist and
lays it aside.

I look at the weapon. “Lyon must have been impressed with your ability. He said there
were not enough for everyone to have one.”

“I hit the target,” Pace said. “But he said it was the care I took with the weapon
that earned me the right to carry it. I don’t think it was as much that I was cautious
as it was that James is so reckless.”

“Yes he is,” I say, recalling that it was James’s recklessness in blowing up the fans
that led the bluecoats into attacking. “And James was mad after that.”

“When isn’t James mad?”

I laugh. “Have you noticed how Zan keeps looking at him?”

“He’s looking back,” Pace says.

“I noticed that too.”

“Does it bother you?” he asks.

“No?” I am confused by his question. “Why would it?”

“Because you were supposed to marry him.”

“No. He thought I would marry him.” I point out, “There is a difference.”

“Whatever the difference, I’m glad you didn’t.”

“Not as glad as I am,” I say and we both laugh.

“Levi watches you too,” Pace says.

I do not know what to say. To say I have seen him watching me, that I watch him back,
that every time he looks at me I feel something dangerous and reckless inside would
only hurt Pace, and the last thing I would ever want to do is hurt him.

“I don’t want to lose you, Wren,” he says. “I love you.”

I am glad he cannot see my face. “I love you too,” I say and he squeezes me tighter,
kisses the top of my head, and then I hear the steady breathing that says he has fallen
asleep. As for me, it is a long time coming.

16

Why do I
doubt
myself so much? Since we left the dome I have second-guessed myself a hundred times.
Every decision I’ve made I analyze over and over again in my mind, wondering if I
had done anything differently, would it have saved lives. And now I doubt my feelings
for Pace. Everything happened so fast, how can I be certain that what I feel … felt
is real? How can I be certain that my feelings for him didn’t come from us being thrown
together and because I had no one else to turn to?

Of course my lack of sleep could have something to do with my confusion and self-doubt.
My body refuses to accept its new schedule. I lie awake half the night filling my
mind with recriminations and then finally fall into a restless and dream-filled sleep.
If only my mind would let go of the things that swirl within it like a bird beating
against a cage. When Pace wakes me at dawn I am groggy and disoriented.

“I know it’s hard, but you’ve got to get used to being up during the daytime,” Pace
says as I yawn grumpily. He opens up Pip’s cage. The little bird jumps on his finger
and flexes his wings. Pace lifts his finger to the sky and Pip takes off in flight
and disappears into the brightening sky. The colors are still dim, as if we are inside
the dome. I expect that will change when the sun finds the tops of the trees.

I fight the urge to curl up in the hay and pull the blanket over my head. To make
matters worse, I smell like the ponies, or possibly the goats, neither of which is
a good thing. Jonah stretches and yawns as I stumble to my feet and stagger after
Pace and the suddenly pleasant prospect of breakfast. Ghost whickers at me over the
pen, ever faithful. I resolve to get them out of their pen today. With all the work
that is being done, surely we can find something useful for them to do.