The Imagination Machine

Chapter 11

Bright sunshine hit Courtney's eyes as soon as she stepped out of her hut. "Ow," She protested, holding a hand to her forehead. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Rudy walking out of the hut.

"Changed my mind. I was bored," he said. He staggered suddenly, and Courtney caught his forearm to keep him from falling.

"Thanks," he said. "I can't move my stupid legs-"

"You should be resting," Courtney interrupted.

"Whatever."

Courtney's eyes had adjusted to the light, and she began to take in the other huts. They were arranged in rings around the area. A lot of the trees, it seemed, had been cut down to make room for them, but some remained. People sat underneath them in the shade.

Children ran around, carrying jugs of water. Pots sat simmering under small fires and someone was hanging garments on a line in front of their hut. Most seemed to be wearing the same kind of simple white clothing Courtney was. She realized suddenly that Rudy was still wearing the dirty clothes that he had been since their arrival.

"Go get cleaned up," she told her brother.

"With what? There's no water in there."

"Where's Lucretia?" Courtney scanned the area, but he had already appeared, carrying a bucket of vegetables. "Oh, there you are."

"Just coming to check up on you." He smiled at her.

"You think you could do us a favor and get Rudy water so he can clean up?"

Lucretia's brow creased. "You used all of the water I gave you?"

"Of course," Courtney said impatiently. "There wasn't a lot in there to begin with."

"Well, it's..." Lucretia's voice trailed off. "Come with me." He told Rudy. "I can get more water from my hut."

Lucretia put a hand on Rudy's shoulder but he shrugged it off, although still allowing the boy to lead him away. Slightly unsure, Courtney began to trail them. As they walked through the pathways, Courtney could see people glancing at her and Rudy with a mixture of suspicion and wonder. They passed by a women sitting outside of a hut holding a baby. The woman clutched the child to her as they walked by, as if afraid that Courtney was going to steal him.

When they reached Lucretia's hut, he led her brother in and Courtney waited outside to give her brother the privacy she knew he was probably going to need.

"Who are you?"

She whipped around to face the scrutinizing eyes of the boy behind her. Like everyone's else, the boy's skin was a light shade of brown. Probably because generations of villagers had lived in what seemed to be a tropical climate for so long. Courtney looked down at her pale arms, feeling out of place.

"Uh..."

A hand clamped down on her wrist. Courtney looked up at another girl, who glared at her. "Did you attack Uwane?" Courtney tried to yank her arm out of the girls, but she had a grip of steel.

"No! I didn't attack anybody! Let go!" Never had Courtney been grabbed so abruptly, treated so roughly.

The girl responded by spinning her around and shoving her. Courtney fell but got up just as quickly, backing away, startled. "Get out of here," the girl snarled. "We don't welcome strangers."

A woman came to her rescue, stepping in front of Courtney. "Leave her alone, Athera. She did not do anything."

Athera glared at Courtney, but the woman shook her head at her. "Go help Omor with the-"