The Island by Teri Hall Page B

turning once to check that everyone was following. They wound through groups of people, all working. One woman watched several toddlers, each with a long length of twine tied onto their clothing, the ends held in her hands. Rachel wondered at that, though she could see how easy it might be to lose a child in the immense cavern. The woman seemed kind enough, patiently handing back a dropped toy, checking a scratched knee. She smiled at Rachel when the group passed her.
    Two younger boys and an old man kneaded dough at a table. Several loaves of it were already shaped, rising in shallow wooden bowls. One of the boys stared at Pathik as they passed.
    “What do you think Celebration is?” Pathik whispered, eyes on the boy.
    Rachel shrugged. “I bet we’re going to find out soon enough.”
    “I wonder if we want to know.” Pathik stared back at the boy with the bread dough.
    “Here we are.” Hannah turned to the group. “Those are the units.” She pointed toward two wooden doors set into the cave wall. They were two in a row of many, all identical. “They’re pretty big inside. Keith made them, before he left—” Hannah stopped abruptly. “Well, anyway.” She opened the first door. “Tom should be back soon with bedding and things.”
    Tom was back, almost as soon as Hannah spoke the words. He towed a dented child’s wagon filled with blankets and oil lights and other supplies, and the packs containing all the group’s belongings, which they’d left in the room Filina called the office. He and Hannah helped unload everything.
    “I brought this,” said Tom, holding up a bowl of chopped meat. “It’s sand mole—I figured since he was hunting it he might like it.” Tom looked at Nipper, who was watching him with suspicion.
    “Thank you.” Nandy took the bowl. “I bet he’ll love it.”
    Tom and Hannah took their leave, and the group began to settle in.
    The units were fairly large, at least for rooms that had been carved out of rock. Each had a main room, a bedroom and a small bathroom. Daniel and Malgam checked the second unit out while Rachel, Pathik, Nandy and Vivian unpacked some of their things in the first.
    “Looks like they work the bathrooms just like we did Away.” Pathik held a curtain back from the bathroom doorway to reveal a chamber pot. “I guess The Property spoiled me a bit. I miss the hot and cold running water and the flushing toilet, even though I barely got to know them.” He grinned at Rachel.
    “Should we all stay in this one tonight?” Nandy looked around the main room of the first unit. “It would be tight, but it might be better if we’re all together.”
    “We don’t want to put them on the defensive right away.” Daniel came through the door, Malgam right behind him. “The other one is exactly like this one. It’s almost like they’ve got a little city in this cavern.”
    “This doesn’t look like it was done by hand.” Rachel pointed to the walls. The carving was smooth like the upper walls of the alcove had been, too smooth to have been done with crude hand tools.
    “Keith.” Vivian recalled the name Hannah had mentioned. “Who do you suppose Keith is—or was? That girl said he made these before . . . something.” She ran a hand over one of the walls. “I wonder if this was his talent.”
    Malgam, ever practical, started splitting up the box of food Tom had brought, placing some in a separate pile to take to the unit next door. “I think Daniel is right about not putting our hosts on edge. We should be fine tonight with some of us in here and some of us in there. But for now, let’s talk about what we want to do from here.”
    They borrowed a bench and a stool from the second unit so they could all sit around the small table in the first. Rachel felt safe for the first time since they had climbed into the boat and headed to the island. She was so relieved that her mother and father, Pathik and Malgam and Nandy, even Nipper, were all alive and with