“Amy! I was looking for you,” Dad booms, descending the steps of the building. “Have you seen Chris? Everyone’s waiting for my speech. ”
That’s all what he wants to know? Seriously? I step around the covered bodies. “Here,” I say, handing him the voice amplifier. I feel sick. “Oh, and also? Elder’s got the shuttle open now. ”
“Does he?” Dad actually looks pleased at this. “Well, that’s good. I’m glad something’s finally working in our favor. ”
Dad goes back upstairs, and by the time I turn around, Mom is gone too. Probably outside, to listen to Dad’s speech.
It’s just me and the bodies—one ripped apart, the other untouched. Juliana has only one eye left, and it watches me as I run from the room.
24: ELDER
Colonel Martin stands on the roof of the closest building, the voice amplifier in his hand. Around me, my people shift nervously. In the shuttle, there was an invisible line dividing the people born on Earth from those born on the ship. Now the scientists stand closest to the buildings, and the military stands closest to the forest, trapping my people in the middle.
“Attention, all members of our colony,” Colonel Martin says. My lips quirk up in a bitter smile. Smart of him, calling us one colony. As if we’re united.
“It is my duty first to inform you of a sad circumstance. Last night, two members of the group—an Earthborn and a shipborn—were discovered dead. ”
Colonel Martin’s words cause a flurry of chatter to rise up until he raises his hand, asking for silence. News of Lorin’s disappearance had spread quickly among my people, but to hear that she’s dead—that’s another thing entirely.
“Their deaths remind us that this planet is full of unknown dangers. Something as simple as sniffing a flower could make you sick; wandering from the group could leave you the victim of savage beasts. ”
I look around me. True terror is painted on every face. I wonder if Colonel Martin knows what he’s done. Fear of the unknown is the greatest sort of fear there is, and he’s just ensured that everything on this planet is an unknown danger to my people.
“My military will be enforcing rules,” Colonel Martin continues, “a curfew, guidelines for who can go where, et cetera—for your safety. ”
I realize that I’m holding my breath. Perhaps it’s my years with Eldest that make me wary of Colonel Martin’s speech, or perhaps it’s the fight with Bartie in those last days, or perhaps it’s that I know what Orion would say if he were here now. But I can’t shake the unease coiling around my stomach.
“We’ve been able to get the shuttle open again, but if the evacuation taught us anything, it’s that it’s unwise to have the entire colony living within such a contained area. All our eggs in one basket, so to say. Therefore, from this point forward, the shuttle will be used for storage and scientific research. Everyone—Earthborn and shipborn alike—is to relocate into the buildings here. Although we will all have to share our space, it will afford us much more privacy than if we were all living in the shuttle’s cramped quarters. ”
I agree with him here; that first night was miserable.
“The first part of the morning will be spent relocating. Bring whatever supplies you need for day-to-day life with you back to the building that will be your new home. My people will distribute food rations at midday, and with them, work assignments. ”
I narrow my eyes.
“Every single person will have to contribute. We need basic things for our survival, and we must all work together to ensure that this happens. ”
I have no doubt that what he’s saying is true.
But I also have no doubt that this is the first step of Orion’s prophecy.
Soldiers, he warned. Or slaves.
As the military guides people to the shuttle, I make my way back to the ruins and Colonel Martin. I catch him as he’s leaving the building. “Elder, there you are,” he says. “I tried to talk to you before the meeting but couldn’t find you. ”
I get right to the point. “How are you dividing up the labor?” I ask.
Colonel Martin holds out his hand, and Emma, who is behind him, hands him a notepad. “I’ve talked with your medic, Cat—”
“Kit,” I correct him automatically.
“Kit. ” Colonel Martin nods. “She made a list that she was kind enough to share with me, indicating the labor skills of your people. I’d like to get the farmers working right away—I believe we might have landed in this planet’s summer, but it might not be too late to start some crops. ”
“That sounds good,” I say, surprised by Colonel Martin’s approach.
“The other labor is menial but necessary,” Colonel Martin continues. “A cleared path between the ruins and the shuttle. Toilets—toilets are a top priority. We have a pump and some water pipe as well, and I’d like to get that started so we can bring water from the lake to here. ”
I nod. “I can help distribute the labor among my people,” I say. “But I want to know what your people will be doing. ”