Human Bait

Chapter 54: Eyes and Hair

"It's not fair." The tiny blonde boy slouched at the bottom of the climbing wall, chin tucked into his chest. "Fennikk keeps winning because of her super-arm."

Razalu rolled her eyes so dramatically her head rolled too, curls bouncing. "It's not just her arm, Pakket. Fennikk is, like, super strong."

He tilted his head, considering. "Do you think if I practice really hard, I could be like Fennikk someday?"

"Maybe," the curly-haired girl allowed.

He grinned wide enough to display his missing front teeth. "Nice!"

"I only said 'maybe,'" she reminded him.

While I trained children to climb, Serigg chatted with the lab experts, Rekkan played guitar with Mekkar, and Mazamu drank with Uzmed. Since Ivogg was still missing, Figgel had made herself a nest to camp out near the schedule while conversing with her squirrel. I was not convinced my task held as much value as the others, but Serigg and Rekkan insisted I keep my word. Serigg argued we could not drop our facade of normalcy, and Rekkan refused to leave me until I promised to stay with the children.

Fennikk beamed down at the rest of the kids from the top of the wall. She kicked off the wall, swinging back several feet before lowering down. As she unhooked the carabiner, Kazap bounded up beside me.

"I'm up next, right? I want to try the route Fennikk just did."

"Yeah, you can hook in. But try using your feet more this time. You're not going to improve if you don't think about where you place your —"

"I know, I know," he said, already fumbling with the carabiner.

While the stubborn Southie adolescent flailed on the wall, I split my attention between belaying him and listening to the conversation behind me.

"Why do Southies have green eyes?" Pakket asked.

"My dad says it's because Etherland is in the North," said Razalu. "They have Ether's force of nature in their land, so we have it in our eyes, instead."

Pakket laughed. "Well, your dad has crazy green eyes." A short silence followed, and he added weakly, "I mean, in a good way."

Kazap collapsed against the wall and admitted defeat. As I lowered him down, Fennikk joined the conversation.

"Green eyes are the most beautiful."

Razalu's voice switched from brassy confidence to shy sweetness. "That's not true, Fennikk. Brown eyes are even more beautifuller."

Another Southie girl chimed in. "Who has the greenest eyes you've ever seen? For me, it's my aunt. But she got Infected, so maybe now it would be —"

"You mean 'Implanted,'" Razalu interrupted. "Like the Implant Era, not like the new ones."

I turned toward her and raised my eyebrows. "The new ones?"

She nodded. "Yeah, like Zhina and Bezan and Nezuli. They are Infected, not Implanted. That's why they turn all spotty and lose their hair. Don't you think so, Mister Zafaru?"

My eyes darted between their earnest faces. Before I could decide on how to respond, Pakket's face lit up, and he poked a finger in the air.

"I know who has the greenest eyes. Doctor Ivogg!"

Kazap cackled and thumped the smaller boy on the back of the head. "Doctor Ivogg has brown eyes, Pakket."

Pakket rubbed the offended spot, nose scrunched. "I knew that, obviously. I meant Ivogg's Southie brother."

The children gave a collective groan. This was not the first time Pakket had sprouted gibberish.

"I don't think Ivogg has a brother, Pakket," said Fennikk, "But even if he did, the brother would be a Northerner, too."