I didn't want Weevil to learn I'd lost my supper again. He'd try to split his food in half, like he'd no doubt done for the last two meals. Not this next one, that was only for him. I'd eat tomorrow.
I passed the fenced yard and noticed there was no one in the cage today. That seemed like both good news and bad. Bad because it would've been comforting to know I wasn't the only person here who struggled with rules. And good, because if anyone had nearly entered that cage tonight, it was me.
I didn't want to get too close to the infirmary either, so instead I went as far east as possible, almost to the beach. As I walked, I passed barracks that were probably for the wardens and several other supply tents. Maybe some of them held food, a possibility I certainly would have investigated if I were not determined to avoid trouble.
So I slipped past the buildings and tents, all the way to the tall fence posts on the south end of the Colony. They were thick and bound together by wide leather straps. Not even a fly could squeeze between them. They extended out from the beach into the water, beyond where a person could reasonably swim. From the beach, I could see Keldan off in the distance, including some of the homes near the beach there. Yet even in perfect health, I couldn't make it across. These were rough waters. Still, looking at Keldan made me miss my home too much, so I decided not to return to the beach until I was cured and in possession of a boat to take me home.
From the beach, I followed the fence inland, knowing full well I shouldn't be here--although no wardens had warned me away, it seemed perfectly obvious. Curiosity burned within me for what could possibly be on the other side of this fence. Maybe it was nothing in particular. This was a leftover fence from when the island had been a prison, and obviously the prisoners had needed some sort of border.
If anything was on that side, it was likely just barren countryside, and perhaps graves for the people who had already been lost to the Scourge. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more that made sense. That's probably what Weevil and I had heard last night--wardens out digging grave sites. Those souls lost to the Scourge had to be buried somewhere. If that was the case, then maybe I didn't want to cross this fence anymore.
As I continued to walk inland, I saw a deep river that ran beneath the fence posts, its current coming in from the other side. I dipped my hand into the river, testing the waters. The current was strong enough that it'd be difficult to get beneath the fence this way. Difficult, but not impossible. If I ever changed my mind and decided to cross the fence, this was my way out.
But not today. Not when I'd have to explain how I had gotten so wet. Then I'd be in far more trouble than the loss of a meal.
Instead, I had to wait until I wouldn't be caught. Or when I was already in so much trouble that testing myself against a strong river was better than remaining here.
On my way back to the Colony square, somewhere ahead I heard the crunching of footsteps on gravel and ducked behind a tree. From there, I saw the warden who had caught me with the laundry earlier. He turned into the barracks, forgetting to close the door behind him. The familiar voice of Warden Gossel greeted him with, "What are you doing here so early?"
"I'm taking a break. That grub girl is still causing problems. We should send her to the infirmary today."
Gossel mumbled his sympathies, then added, "I'd have taken her directly there if I could have, but that goes against orders. Governor Felling is clear about who goes to the infirmary. No one goes for misbehavior. Rule breakers are our problem."
"Well, we've never had a grub here before. If the g
overnor is sending us grubs, then our rules have to change."
"That boy who came with her hasn't been a problem."
No, I thought. That's because Weevil is more clever than I am about getting caught. If anything, since coming here he had done far more wrong than I had.
"The boy isn't even sick, no matter how hard he tries to pretend when we're watching. Who let him come over in the first place?"
"Doesn't matter," Gossel said. "He'll end up in the infirmary too, probably sooner than the girl. They all do."
They laughed at that, which made the hairs of my arms bristle. Obviously, the longer he was here, the more likely Weevil would get sick. But for Warden Gossel to be so callous about sending people to a place they'd never leave--sending them to their deaths--that angered me.
"Listen," Gossel continued, "the same boat that brought me here is leaving the island tonight to get supplies. I'll send along a note to the governor about the grub girl, warning that we'll have an uprising if we can't get her under control. Personally, I'd be fine just to take care of things myself, but it must look like an accident. If we lose the people's trust, we'll have an even bigger problem on our hands."
I drew in a sharp breath, then clapped my hand over my mouth in hopes they hadn't heard. Were they really discussing a way to get rid of me? Why? I didn't need to be controlled. I'd already promised Weevil to obey the rules here, or at least, the rules that made sense.
"I know just how to do it," the warden said. "She's getting assigned different work tomorrow. I'll make sure an accident happens then."
As quickly and quietly as I could, I hurried away from the barracks. Once I was back in the Colony square, surrounded by others, I still didn't feel safe. What job did they intend to assign me tomorrow, and how would they make my death look like an accident?
More important, why was that necessary? I hadn't done anything all that wrong, not really. Surely, others had spent time in the cage or had done a poor job with their assigned duties. Why had I been singled out? This wasn't their hatred of River People--if so, they would have targeted Weevil too. No, this was just about me.
Gossel and the other wardens reappeared when the dinner bell rang. Of course they did. The wardens always ate first. They ate Scourge-contaminated food prepared by the hands of Scourge victims and then wandered around us while we ate. Never worrying that they might get the disease too. Never becoming sick. Never entering the infirmary while wondering if they would ever come out again.
If they weren't afraid of the Scourge, then they were somehow protected from it. Della's father seemed to believe there were some medicines that could prevent a person from getting the Scourge. If that was true, maybe he was also right that they'd heal a person who was already sick. Della looked even worse tonight than when I'd seen her only a few hours ago. If those rumors were true, then the special medicine must be kept inside the wardens' barracks. Inside their unguarded barracks.
All the wardens were here, eating.
Sometimes I hated the way my brain worked, like a magnet to thoughts I should not have and actions I should not take. My mother said I was born backward and that probably explained how I'd gotten this way. Maybe she was right--I didn't know.
"Where have you been?" Weevil asked, appearing beside me. "I looked for you in the tent. You need to get in line as soon as that bell rings or there isn't much left at the end."
I shrugged. "I'm not hungry. You get in line."