Dagger
Ezra and I talk for hours before I finally fall asleep curled up next to him in the nest. When he wakes me up the next morning, it’s still dark outside, but the sun is starting to rise.
“We should get going,” he says. “We want to walk as much as possible before it gets too hot. It’s gonna be a scorcher,” he winks.
“Are you using Earth slang to impress me?” I ask, pressing a hand to my chest and acting surprised. “Why, Ezra, how sweet of you.”
He just laughs and starts getting dressed. I follow suit, somehow managing to get my clothes on despite the cramped quarters. Then he presses a button and lowers the nest.
The ride down is gentle and smooth and when we land on the ground, Ezra opens the door and steps outside. I follow him. Then he grabs his pack and a couple of other random items and starts putting them into his clothes.
“Shouldn’t you have a weapon or something?” I ask. “You know, for hunting?”
“I have a bow and several knives.”
“Where’s your bow?” I glance back in the nest. “Did you lose it somewhere?”
He holds up a tiny tube-like thing with several buttons on the outside. It looks like a nightstick with dots on it.
“That’s your bow?” I raise my eyebrow disbelievingly.
“It gets bigger,” he says, dropping it in his pack.
“That’s what they all say.”
He winks at me and finishes putting the nest and nest rope back in his bag. Seriously, this guy has more supplies shoved in his little bag than most people have in their entire houses. How he manages to fit so much in one compact carrying device, I have no idea. It must be an alien thing. I don’t know.
I should offer to help Ezra put everything away, but I don’t. Chances are I’ll just mess it up, anyway. He seems to have a specific spot where each item goes, so I sit quietly in the grass while he packs.
Once he’s finished, he takes my hand and pulls me to my feet. Then he wraps his arms around me and kisses me sweetly, softly.
“What do you think, darling?” He asks. “Are you ready for an adventure?”
“I’m already on one,” I gulp, looking around.
“Oh sweetie,” he laughs. “You have no idea how much fun we’re going to have.”
He checks something on his watch and we start walking. My shoes aren’t great for what we’re doing: traipsing through the darkness of the jungle. Still, they offer a small amount of protection for my feet. I glance down every so often at the grass, rocks, and dirt beneath me. The terrain is different from Mars: softer. There are more little hills, but it’s also more delicate.
My feet feel better walking here than they do on Mars. On Mars, my feet are always sore. Aside from the random thorns I keep noticing and the occasional rock, I bet someone could move through this jungle in their socks.
It’s so different, but so wonderful.
I’m beginning to question how anyone ever leaves this planet.
“So what do you do here?” I ask Ezra as he moves silently. He seems to know his way perfectly well. It’s impressive. I seem to get lost going to the grocery store. I’m not sure how I’d be able to navigate through these jungles. Ezra finding me was complete luck. There’s no doubt in my mind that he saved my life. I heard the howls of wild animals throughout the night; I’m under no impression that I could have made it on my own.
Without the nest, those animals would have eaten us alive.
“I’m a hunter.”
“That’s your job?”
“It’s my job.”
Interesting. On Mars, there are people who hunt, but most of the planet consists of small colonies and wide, open spaces. Anyone who wants to hunt goes to another planet to do it. Our diet primarily consists of vegetables and animals that have been raised specifically for eating. As far as I know, there aren’t any wild animals on Mars. Maybe there were once upon a time, but I’ve never heard of any.
“Do you enjoy it?” I ask, curious.
He glances down at me and keeps walking, but nods.
“It’s not a glamorous job, but it pays well, and I don’t have to spend a lot of time working. If I get a good haul, I only have to be gone one or two weeks every two months. That’s not bad at all.”
“What do you do the rest of the time?”
“Curious little thing, aren’t you?”
“I was just wondering.”
“I don’t mind,” he softens his voice, and the way he looks at me makes my heart soar. It shouldn’t. We’ve only just met and I shouldn’t feel as comfortable and safe with him as I do, but I do.
“I was always busy when I was a nanny. I never really had time to do anything but take care of the children, so I don’t think I’m very good at much else. The idea of free time sounds nice to me. Being able to pursue your hobbies and other interests? That sounds nice.”
“It’s nice,” Ezra confirms. “But it’s lonely without someone to share it with.”
“What do you like to do?”
“Read,” he tells me. “Paint. Draw.”
“You can paint and draw?”
“I’m not very good, but it’s interesting to me, and it relaxes me.”
“Do you have brothers and sisters?”
“One of each, plus a sister-in-law. She’s human. You’d like her.”
“Is she a spunky little spitfire?” I laugh.
Ezra smiles. “I’m not sure what that is, but if it means sarcastic, yet lovable, then yes. That’s Fiona.”
“What about your parents?”
“They’re not around anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” I slip my hand in his. “Mine aren’t, either. It’s a hard thing,” I say, thinking about how much I miss them. “Growing up on your own. It’s hard having to find your own way, especially when the people you know and love and trust all have parents, all have these security blankets they can turn to when they need to.”
“I miss them very much,” he says. “But I’m lucky to still have a wonderful family who loves me.”
“You’re very lucky,” I agree. “Very lucky indeed.”
We walk in silence for a long time and I wonder if I’m ever going to find what Ezra has with his siblings. Am I ever going to have a place where I feel secure? Where I’m safe? Am I ever going to have a place where I can let my guard down?
Will Ezra be in that place?
Or will I be running for the rest of my life?