Eden by Louise Wise Page B

computer.
    She started, and he wondered if he had said something wrong, but probably she was just surprised that he had spoke without the computer ’s aid.
    When he held out the carton she didn’t immediately take it. When she did he watched, fascinated, as she opened it with the eagerness of an infant.
    “It needs hydration.”
    She smiled. The relief was so evident on her face that he could be friendly, and her eagerness to appear equally friendly made him feel awkward.
    She said, “We have something similar.”
    He said nothing, merely watched her. They were alien to one another, yet similar. He had expected to end his days without ever seeing another person like himself again. He hadn’t realiz ed how much he ached to hear a voice like his own.
    “Well, er, goodbye...”
    Her words pulled him back to the present. She was standing back in the doorway, regarding him nervously from her clear green eyes, and fidgeted from one foot to the other.
    “I harmed you.” With an outstretched hand, he touched the side of her bruised jaw with his fingertips.
    Her fear made her freeze, and he stared with the curiosity of a man watching an unknown emotion unveiling in another species. His gaze didn’t move, and in the dimness the woman ’s features were a mixture of terror and awe, but it wasn’t that that he found so repugnant. The human was more than terrified. She was repelled.
    He lowered his hand, and then his gaze. The rush of held breath released from her body didn’t escape his ears.
    “Are you comfortable in the vehicle?” he asked, using the computer.
    Her fear changed to shock. “It ’s OK. It protects me from the animals. “
    He doubted it, but he said nothing. They fell into an uncomfortable silence, which she broke in a faltering voice:
    “Thank you f-for the food.” She shifted the carton from hand to hand. “May I keep the container? It ’ll be useful.”
    The small computer crackled and her voice came out distorted.
    “Keep it.” He attempted a smile, but the simple gesture was unpracticed and his scarred mouth badly distorted, so the harmless smile resembled a snarl. “We will be useful to one another.”
    Her facial expressions were amazing. Her face no longer looked hot, instead it seemed to tighten and lose all visible sign of blood. She swallowed heavily, and took another step backwards.
    “I - I’m sure we could be,” and with those words she fled.
    The bland meal was better than any three-course dinner at her favorite restaurant, she thought. Better, in fact, than anything she had ever eaten before. She scraped the bottom of the carton with her fingers, smacking her lips, determined to get out every crumb.
    Then she wrapped the blanket around herself and climbed into the back of the buggy as though seeking invisibility. Last night she hadn’t slept at all once the wolves began howling, and afterwards her body was too tense for the relaxation of slumber.
    She was still able to feel the imprint of the alien ’s fingers on her face, and although she was sure his touch had meant to be gentle, she could feel his rough skin where he had bitten into her flesh.
    She had been aware her fear was apparent, and had even felt his wonder of her. But somehow she knew the fascination had been for something disturbing rather than wonderful; like rubber-necking on a motorway after a high speed crash.
    She shivered, snuggling beneath the blanket, and continued to feel as if she had been under an invisible microscope.

SEVEN
    When the howling came the night was as its darkest, and she braced herself knowing this sound would haunt her for the rest of her life. She felt as taut as a clockwork mouse, and just as small. The coffee, which she thought might relax her, shook in her hand and she had to abandon the effort it took to hold the carton still.
    She curled on the back seat, with the blanket over her head, but she couldn’t block out the noise. The howling continued for the duration of the night. Her