She pulled down a faded yellow tin. This says its powdered milk. We can add water to it, and well have milk for Boy23 to drink.
I want to name him, he said.
That drew her attention; she put down the milk dust and regarded him with a small frown. Not with the ceremony? Hes too young for us to cut him.
No. No scars. Just a name we give him, together, because hes ours, and I have to believe that hes going to make it, that we all will.
Ours? she repeated, eyes liquid. Not tears but something else. Joy.
I dont even remember his dams face. She gave him life, but you saved it. More than once.
Ill be with both of you, every step of the way, she promised. As long as you dont mind
Dont, he begged. Youre perfect. Youre you. Youre my whole life.
Chapter 13
The tears spilled from her eyes then. Thimble thought he would have kissed her, but Boy23 stirred and fretted. Ignoring her throbbing ankle, she mixed some milk and found a cup; Stone explored while she tried to feed the brat. At first, Boy23 puckered his mouth and glared, but with some coaxing, he drained the container and let out a satisfied burp.
Stone showed her a shining silver tool with rounded handles and twin blades. Have you seen anything like this before?
She shook her head.
He stripped a white cloth off one of the pallets and cut it into squares. Though they had done the best they could in the tunnels, Boy23 desperately needed bathing and changing. Stone handled that task with a skill born of practice, and Thimble leaned forward to watch. She needed to learn, too. Fortunately, the rash wasnt too bad, and with care, Boy23 would take no permanent harm.
She smiled at how tender the Stone was with his offspring, kissing the top of the brats head when he finished. Then he set Boy23 on the floor; the brat crawled toward the nearest table.
Though her bad foot still hurt, she stood. More exploration carried her to the far end of the room, near the door, where there was a table with a shining surface. She sat down and examined it. Touching it called up new pictures.
Stone! Come see this.
He joined her and then stared, wide-eyed. Can you read it?
Some of it. She tapped, and then a strange voice said, Hermetic seal engaged.
Another touch brightened the room to the point she had to shade her eyes. I guess we dont need the torch.
It says, solar power eighty-eight
something. I dont know what that means. Thimble indicated the symbol that looked like two circles balanced on a slanted stick.
I dont know what solar power is either, he admitted
Im guessing its what gives us light.
Whats a hermetic seal?
Not sure. But I have an idea. Thimble limped to the door, and this time, it didnt open.
So its like a lock.
Sort of, she said. But not the kind we use.
Definitely not. You think were safe here?
Thimble glanced around at the clean room with all its marvelous things. Excitement curled through her. It could take weeks to learn everything this room could teach her, and there was nobody better suited to studying it. But that was selfish. Exhaustion had etched lines beside Stones mouth from the constant burden of Boy23, their belongings, the weapon, and the knowledge he was responsible for their safety. It relieved her that he could rest while she worked. Despite numerous trials, she hadnt let him down. Together, they had endured everything the tunnel threw at them.
I do. There are supplies for us to stay as long as we like. I want to read those books, try and figure out what this purpose this place served.
And what really happened Topside.
Ill put together a meal, then. You sit.
I can
Please, Thimble? Keep an eye on Boy23 for me.
Stone fetched the books she wanted and insisted she prop her foot up. It had swollen to the point it was now bruised. Nobody had ever taken care of her like this; there was something so comforting about a Breeders tenderness. So she examined the books and Boy23 played while Stone opened tins. It felt oddly right, as if she had waited her whole life for this moment.
After they ate, he rubbed her foot while she read more. That felt so good she almost dropped her book, but then the words riveted her. She forgot about Stonefor possibly the first time in her life. When she glanced up again, he was cuddling Boy23.
I found something called a journal. Thimble showed him the blue book with gold letters, knowing he couldnt read them. Some Breeders picked it up easily, but Stone had never been one of them. Hed told her once that the letters didnt seem to be in the same order as other people saw them.
Whats that?
Seems to be a book where somebody writes down thoughts.
And it belonged to someone who lived here?
She nodded. Let me read you some of it. Mom and Dad think well be safe down here. They bought a bunker in the city sublevel, where its supposed to be clean and disease-free. Theyve been saving since the first outbreaks, and now, here we are.
She understood most of it, though some words, like bunker and outbreak, she hadnt seen before. This had been meant as a hiding place, where these others were supposed to be safe. But something must have gone wrong
or the bodies would still be here if theyd died naturally of old age. Someone had hauled them away.
Thimble turned the page. This is later, I think. The numbers on the page are bigger. Mom got sick. There was a problem with the ventilation system. Dads trying to hide her illness when they do status checks, but since weve all been exposed, theyre going to dump us down below. Id hoped to live to see sixteen.
The writer was young, he said softly. Like us.
Heor shehid here, until her dam got sick. The disease spread. Then they ended up in the bone room. Will that happen to us? She didnt know nearly enough about diseaseswhere they came from, how or why they made you sick, or how long they lasted. Could this room still be full of invisible, lethal things?
No. Whatever made them sick is gone. They died, and the sickness with them. Were safe. He sounded as if he believed it. Well stay here as long as you like, until you feel up to going on, and then we can explore. See what the world holds for us
and find out whats true.
Together?
He nodded. Always.
With a fingertip, she drew an invisible line inside the cover of the journal. This says Property of Robin Schiller.
Stone canted his head, looking thoughtful. Thats what we should call Boy23.