Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky, #3)(60)

“Same place. The Dweller cavern. They’re all there.” Molly’s smile faded as she noticed Soren’s silence and sensed something was wrong.

“Why are they in there? Are they still sick?” Aria asked.

“Oh, no. They’ve recovered, every one of them. But they won’t come out of there. I’m sorry . . . I’ve tried.”

“They won’t leave?” Aria said. Stunned, she left Molly and hurried to the Dweller cavern, towing Soren along. As they stepped inside, she and Soren received a much more lukewarm reception than Perry and Cinder had. The Dwellers seemed more leery than relieved to see them, but Caleb came over, smiling warmly. Jupiter came too, favoring one leg, accompanied by Rune, who walked slowly in order to keep pace with him.

“I never thought I’d see you again,” Rune said, her lips tugging into a smile.

She was Jupiter’s girlfriend now, but she’d been Aria’s friend first. Seeing her brought a rush of memories of times they’d spent together, with Paisley, Caleb, and Pixie. Aria’s heart twisted for the friends she’d never see again.

[page]She lifted her shoulders. “Well, here I am.”

Rune’s shrewd eyes studied her. “You look like you stepped out of a horror Realm.”

Aria laughed, unsurprised by her directness. Rune had been the honesty in their group. A perfect foil to Paisley’s unfailing sweetness and Caleb’s rambling creativity. “So I’ve heard.”

She embraced Rune, who patted Aria’s shoulder and let herself be hugged. An awkward display of affection, but it was better than Aria could have hoped. At least in a small way, Rune was adjusting to life on the outside.

Aria drew back and they all stood, glancing at Soren. Looking at one another and feeling the absence of their lost home and their lost friends.

Eventually they sat, gathering in a circle. Aria kept Soren close to her side, worried about him. Jupiter and Rune held hands, and Aria wished Paisley could be there to see them. She wouldn’t have believed it; greater opposites didn’t exist.

Aria answered their questions about her mission to the Komodo, doing her best to avoid mentioning Hess out of respect for Soren, who listened in silence. The conversation quickly turned to her Outsider friends. Unsurprisingly, Rune wanted to know about Peregrine in particular.

“Caleb said you’re with him?” she asked.

Caleb winced, sending Aria a little shrug of apology. She smiled, so he’d know she didn’t mind. She saw no better way of helping them accept the Tides than by being open about her relationship with Perry—the exact opposite of the tactic she’d tried the first time, with the Tides.

“Yes. We’re together.” Saying the words aloud gave her a little shiver of pride.

“Do you love him?” Rune asked.

“Yes.”

“You love a Savage? Love him?”

“Yes, Rune. I do.”

“Have you and he—”

“Yes. We have. Can we move on now?”

“Yes,” Caleb and Jupiter answered in unison.

Rune narrowed her eyes. “You and I are talking later,” she said.

Then it was Aria’s turn to ask questions. “Have you all been here the whole time I was away? Cowering here, in the back?”

“We’re not cowering,” Rune said. “We’re just keeping our distance. It’s easier for everyone this way.” She glanced at Jupiter, who tapped a rhythm on his shoe. “They don’t like us, right, Jup?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Some of them are all right.”

“What do you mean they don’t like you?” Aria asked. “What have they done to you?”

“Nothing,” Caleb said. “It’s the way they look at us.”

“You mean the same way you look at them?”

Rune quirked an eyebrow. “Well, they are disgusting.”

“That’s kind of sharp, Rune,” Jupiter said, his hands going still.

Caleb rolled his eyes. “They aren’t disgusting. They’re just . . . rustic.”

Aria ignored the comment. She was pretty sure she’d become rustic too. “How long are you planning to keep yourselves segregated? Forever?”

“Maybe,” said Rune. “It’s not like forever will be long. We’re not going to the Still Blue. All we’re doing is waiting out our last days.”

The sounds of nearby conversation quieted. Aria felt the attention of others focus on them. Everyone was listening. “Just because we failed once doesn’t mean we should stop trying.”

“Trying to what, Aria? Make friends with the Savages? No, thanks. I’m not interested. I don’t understand why you took us out of Reverie just so we could die here instead.”

Soren shook his head. “Unbelievable,” he muttered.

Aria had heard enough too. She stood, forcing calm into her voice as she spoke. “You think Soren and I saved your life by getting you out of Reverie? We didn’t. We gave you a chance. You have to choose whether you want to live or die, not me. Hiding back here isn’t either.”





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