Human Bait

Bonus #2: Ether Day

White flakes swirled to the ground around us. Snow crunched beneath our boots, crisp and fresh. My breath fogged the air around me and crystallized on the plaid scarf. I gazed out past the sparkling hill, marveling at the hoarfrost clinging to tree branches and the pink and purple that sponged the horizon.

On the last Ether Day, snow-covered branches had meant another place for Infected to hide. Back then, the setting sun spelled impending doom. Back then, no one knew my name. But now...

I squeezed the mittened hand of the little boy beside me and shot a smile at the man who dragged a makeshift toboggan through the snow on our left. Pakket and Rekkan, my son and my husband. The words still sparked a strange thrill.

Pakket was very excited about sledding—for five minutes. Then an unlucky bump on the hill sent both of us face-first into a pile of snow. I shot up and blinked through the cloud of white to find a snow-covered purple cap, snow-crisped brown locks, and wide brown eyes.

"Hey, that was a great first go!" I told him. "You want to try the other side of the hill next time?"

Just above the fuzzy green scarf, his lower lip wobbled. "I wanna go home."

Before I could offer any more encouragement, Rekkan had plucked the boy from the snow and swaddled him to his chest. "Alright," said Rekkan. "Let's go home."

I rolled my eyes at Rekkan. I sometimes worried that Pakket wasn't learning to solve anything on his own because Rekkan too quickly snatched the boy away from any unpleasant situation. Each time I voiced this concern, Rekkan responded defensively. 'There's nothing wrong with our boy.'

But I couldn't sustain my annoyance for long. Pakket swapped hats with Rekkan, pushing up Rekkan's black stocking cap just high enough over his eyes to see the purple snow-covered poofball hat perched on the crown of Rekkan's head. Rekkan raised an eyebrow at him, Pakket's giggles rang out clear in the cold air, and warmth spilled through my chest.

Anyway, Ether Day was a day for celebrating all the world gave us. 

I had so much to celebrate.

We reached the fence around the fortress, and Rekkan shifted Pakket to one arm so he could pull the key from his pocket. I had attempted to persuade Rekkan that the fence could come down now that the threat was over—or at least be left unlocked—but this was one habit he was not willing to change yet. 'We have a kid now,' he had told me, 'And there are still some scary people out there.'

It was funny to hear him say that when he was probably the scariest one around. Once, people spoke about the infamous "Recluse" in hushed tones. I had been scared of him too—a well-deserved fear based on our first interactions. That scary side of him was a distant memory now, but I knew if anyone attacked the fortress or threatened me or Pakket, Rekkan would remind everyone just how scary he could be.

We entered the living room of the fortress and plopped down on the couch. The space heater cast an electric glow over the tiny oak Ether tree at its side. Brown and green thread draped over the branches, tangling together to represent the union of the North and South. At the top of the tree, white buttons threaded through the smallest stems like oversized snowflakes—seven buttons for the seven months since the second Implant Era had ended and the new world had begun.

Pakket grabbed the glass jar from the coffee table before joining us on the couch. His hair was mussed, and the cold sponged his cheeks red. "Do you think Fluffy is hungry?" he asked, squinting at the cockroach scuttling over a dried-out leaf.

Technically this was Fluffy number two, but we never told Pakket.

"I'm sure she would like a piece of fruit from the harvest," I said, gesturing to the pile of fresh fruits and vegetables scattered around the tree trunk.