They agreed to keep Atom away from the village until the time
was right. Greini was sympathetic, especially when Brett told
her how the boy was half blind due to the acid fog. She squeezed
his hand and started mumbling old curse words, some words
that he had only heard for the first time. When her hands cupped
his face, he listened carefully to her words, memorising every
single detail she told him, and he knew that the elder was trying
her best to help, to prevent a young one losing sight like her.
Atom was able to move again, and sometimes Brett would take him
outside the cave, just to let him walk around. The forest was peaceful
and full of life, and the Grounder slowly eased himself to talk to the
half-blinded, telling him about the bird songs and plants around
them. He didn’t ask about Atom’s plans. He didn’t know whether the
boy would want to head back to his people or not.
Atom’s skin was still scarred, but they were less raw and pink as
time gone by. The ground herbs served as great ointment, and
with persistence, the pain was hopefully gone. This day when the
Grounder visited the cave, Atom was not there. It was the first time,
and Brett searched the forest for him, not for a second thinking that
perhaps Atom wanted to leave and be with his people.
When he finally found the tortured boy, he realised he was crying.
Atom probably was too upset to notice his footsteps, and Brett was
quiet, as always, just as how he was trained and raised to be.
He reached for his arm, lean fingers tracing over the uneven terrain
on the scarred tissues. Then he wrapped his fingers around Atom’s
wrist, holding it firmly but not too tightly. He stepped forward, looking
down into his eyes, and he saw the struggle in those cloudy irises,
the pain marked all over his skin, proving his well-earned survival.
