Read Online Planet Urth: The Savage Lands (Book 2) by Jennifer Martucci, Christopher Martucci - Free Book Online
Authors: Jennifer Martucci, Christopher Martucci
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Will agrees and bangs the table with his hand as he doubles over laughing.
“Well, which is it?” the old man barely manages as he splutters.
“Don’t matter, you still look better than those crones in the kitchen!” the man who made the duck comment says and is laughing so hard tears stream from the corners of his eyes.
Food and spittle sprays from the men’s mouths and the scene becomes one marked by ugliness in all its forms. Seeing Will, gorgeous, golden Will, among them seems incongruous. I don’t know what I’m more offended by, the men’s behavior, their words, or the fact that Will is immersed in both, and is right at the center of it all.
Apparently, I am not alone in noticing this. However, I am alone in feeling discomfited by it.
“Will sure is popular,” June says with a smile. “Everyone seems to really like him.”
“Yes they do,” I say and do not mask my annoyance.
“Avery, what’s the matter?” June asks. “I thought you’d be thrilled to find so many people.”
“Me, too,” I murmur under my breath.
“Then what’s the problem?” she persists and clearly heard my grumbling.
“It’s everything, the women, how they reacted to Ross and Tal and the others,” I start but my voice is drowned out by a roar of laughter that explodes all around us.
June ’s head whips to where it began. Will is getting clapped on the back.
“How are you holding up?” I try to ask her , but can barely hear the sound of my own voice. “I know you didn’t want to come here,” I lean in and say a little louder. I want to gauge her opinion of this place, of the people, but she seems absorbed by the noise and number of humans surrounding us.
When June’s attention does not return to me immediately, I decide to keep my thoughts to myself. The possibility still exists that I am just overly paranoid due to a lack of sleep.
I eat silently and tune into the conversations around me from time to time. I remain vigilant though. I try to scrutinize every move the people around me make, try to analyze their intentions. It is draining, to say the least. I have had little interaction with humans unrelated to me, and that was limited to when I was a child of about June’s age, ironically, when I lived within the walls of the compound I sit in now. I find myself wishing my social skills were as razor sharp as my battle skills.
Few questions come my way and distract me from my intensive watchfulness.
“So where’s your kin , your mom and dad?” Tal’s father asks. His question is ordinary enough, but it is his demeanor, the way he regards me, that gets under my skin. He examines me as if he is able to see through my clothes and lay eyes on my bare flesh.
“Dead,” I offer a simple one-word answer. I have no desire to chitchat on the subject of losing my parents. And the fact that June is my sister is obvious given our many similarities even if I hadn’t told Tal and the others earlier.
Halfhearted condolences are offered by the few men near me then they resume conversing with one another.
While the inquiries are scarce, the lingering stares are abundant. They last longer than curious glances. I cannot put my finger on what exactly it is about the men that has me unnerved. So they’re looking at me, what’s the big deal? Maybe Tal was right. Maybe the men are acting strangely because they haven’t seen many women in their lives. Trying to convince myself of that is difficult.
As if sensing my inner turmoil, Will smiles warmly at me several times while we are in the eating area. He seems to be relaxed and enjoying himself. Why that irks me as much as it does remains a point I wish to examine further. I also wish I could ask Will what prompted his turnaround. If I didn’t know any better and was seeing him for the first time with the men around him, I would think he’d spent his entire life with them. But I can’t
“Well, which is it?” the old man barely manages as he splutters.
“Don’t matter, you still look better than those crones in the kitchen!” the man who made the duck comment says and is laughing so hard tears stream from the corners of his eyes.
Food and spittle sprays from the men’s mouths and the scene becomes one marked by ugliness in all its forms. Seeing Will, gorgeous, golden Will, among them seems incongruous. I don’t know what I’m more offended by, the men’s behavior, their words, or the fact that Will is immersed in both, and is right at the center of it all.
Apparently, I am not alone in noticing this. However, I am alone in feeling discomfited by it.
“Will sure is popular,” June says with a smile. “Everyone seems to really like him.”
“Yes they do,” I say and do not mask my annoyance.
“Avery, what’s the matter?” June asks. “I thought you’d be thrilled to find so many people.”
“Me, too,” I murmur under my breath.
“Then what’s the problem?” she persists and clearly heard my grumbling.
“It’s everything, the women, how they reacted to Ross and Tal and the others,” I start but my voice is drowned out by a roar of laughter that explodes all around us.
June ’s head whips to where it began. Will is getting clapped on the back.
“How are you holding up?” I try to ask her , but can barely hear the sound of my own voice. “I know you didn’t want to come here,” I lean in and say a little louder. I want to gauge her opinion of this place, of the people, but she seems absorbed by the noise and number of humans surrounding us.
When June’s attention does not return to me immediately, I decide to keep my thoughts to myself. The possibility still exists that I am just overly paranoid due to a lack of sleep.
I eat silently and tune into the conversations around me from time to time. I remain vigilant though. I try to scrutinize every move the people around me make, try to analyze their intentions. It is draining, to say the least. I have had little interaction with humans unrelated to me, and that was limited to when I was a child of about June’s age, ironically, when I lived within the walls of the compound I sit in now. I find myself wishing my social skills were as razor sharp as my battle skills.
Few questions come my way and distract me from my intensive watchfulness.
“So where’s your kin , your mom and dad?” Tal’s father asks. His question is ordinary enough, but it is his demeanor, the way he regards me, that gets under my skin. He examines me as if he is able to see through my clothes and lay eyes on my bare flesh.
“Dead,” I offer a simple one-word answer. I have no desire to chitchat on the subject of losing my parents. And the fact that June is my sister is obvious given our many similarities even if I hadn’t told Tal and the others earlier.
Halfhearted condolences are offered by the few men near me then they resume conversing with one another.
While the inquiries are scarce, the lingering stares are abundant. They last longer than curious glances. I cannot put my finger on what exactly it is about the men that has me unnerved. So they’re looking at me, what’s the big deal? Maybe Tal was right. Maybe the men are acting strangely because they haven’t seen many women in their lives. Trying to convince myself of that is difficult.
As if sensing my inner turmoil, Will smiles warmly at me several times while we are in the eating area. He seems to be relaxed and enjoying himself. Why that irks me as much as it does remains a point I wish to examine further. I also wish I could ask Will what prompted his turnaround. If I didn’t know any better and was seeing him for the first time with the men around him, I would think he’d spent his entire life with them. But I can’t
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