Read Online A City Called Smoke: The Territory 2 by Justin Woolley - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Justin Woolley
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the dusty road: a tank for holding bio-fuel first and then two wooden trailers used for transporting animals. Squid and Lynn rode in the last of these. It was empty but for a scattering of hay over the floor, a few empty and broken wooden crates stacked in one corner and the single mattress and scratchy woollen blanket that Bishop had mentioned. There was also the smell of emus. When he’d first climbed aboard Squid had been relieved to get away from the overpowering smell of the slums, only to be confronted with the thick, pungent air within the trailer. The trailer had been used to bring a shipment of emus to Alice and the crew hadn’t had a chance to clean it. After two days the lingering smell was beginning to dissipate but Squid was still waking up with feathers in his mouth.
Lynn sat with her legs dangling out the sliding door on the side of the trailer. She had pulled it open to let some fresh air in and to gaze out at the darkening landscape passing them by. They had spent the majority of the last two days confined to the trailer. Because the three-man crew drove in shifts the bio-truck almost never had to stop. They’d pulled in to a small town late on the first day and got out to stretch their legs, but other than that they’d always been on the move, stuck with the hay, feathers and the smell of emu.
Squid didn’t mind being in the trailer too much. He was happy to sit and stare out the open door, counting the small scrubs and distant trees that passed or even just looking around at the walls inside. He liked the subtle patterns. He ran his fingers along the grains in the wood, following the lines and the way they sometimes swirled around dark circles as if avoiding them. The only problem was that most of the planks didn’t match those next to them. He had spent almost all of today trying to imagine how he could rearrange them all so they would fit better.
Lynn didn’t like being stuck inside though. Squid could tell. When she wasn’t sitting by the door, she was pacing the length of the trailer.
“I hate being cooped up inside this box,” Lynn said without turning from the open door.
The sun had just set and the enormous sky of the Central Territory was alight with streaks of orange, pink and purple. Once daytime’s grip on the world was completely gone the inside of the trailer would quickly turn dark, and there would be little left for them to do but try to sleep.
“It’s your turn to use the mattress tonight,” Squid said.
Lynn pulled her legs in from where they hung out into the open air and stood. She leaned her weight against the metal handle of the door, sliding it shut, the rusting wheels squeaking as they ran along the metal tracks. The door closed with a shudder and what little light remained vanished. The trailer dropped into the purple gloom of the last light they would have until morning.
“You know we can probably both fit if we squeeze up together,” Lynn said.
“It’s all right,” Squid said. “I don’t mind.”
“It just seems silly for one of us to be cold and uncomfortable every night.”
Lynn lifted the gray blanket and flicked it out so that it floated down to cover the mattress. She climbed under, lying over on one side of the small mattress and leaving space for Squid.
“Come on,” she said, lifting the blanket for him to join her.
Squid stared at her.
“What?” Lynn said.
Squid didn’t know what to say. Sharing a bed with Lynn didn’t seem right. The idea of it gave him a funny feeling inside, like a tightness in his stomach and an emptiness in his arms. He wouldn’t have minded if she was still Max, but ever since he found out she was a girl he wasn’t sure whether he should do things like that, not least because he had started feeling like he wanted to. He wondered whether he should tell her that. Not the part about wanting to lie down close to her – he didn’t think he would ever be able to tell her that – but tell her that things were
Lynn sat with her legs dangling out the sliding door on the side of the trailer. She had pulled it open to let some fresh air in and to gaze out at the darkening landscape passing them by. They had spent the majority of the last two days confined to the trailer. Because the three-man crew drove in shifts the bio-truck almost never had to stop. They’d pulled in to a small town late on the first day and got out to stretch their legs, but other than that they’d always been on the move, stuck with the hay, feathers and the smell of emu.
Squid didn’t mind being in the trailer too much. He was happy to sit and stare out the open door, counting the small scrubs and distant trees that passed or even just looking around at the walls inside. He liked the subtle patterns. He ran his fingers along the grains in the wood, following the lines and the way they sometimes swirled around dark circles as if avoiding them. The only problem was that most of the planks didn’t match those next to them. He had spent almost all of today trying to imagine how he could rearrange them all so they would fit better.
Lynn didn’t like being stuck inside though. Squid could tell. When she wasn’t sitting by the door, she was pacing the length of the trailer.
“I hate being cooped up inside this box,” Lynn said without turning from the open door.
The sun had just set and the enormous sky of the Central Territory was alight with streaks of orange, pink and purple. Once daytime’s grip on the world was completely gone the inside of the trailer would quickly turn dark, and there would be little left for them to do but try to sleep.
“It’s your turn to use the mattress tonight,” Squid said.
Lynn pulled her legs in from where they hung out into the open air and stood. She leaned her weight against the metal handle of the door, sliding it shut, the rusting wheels squeaking as they ran along the metal tracks. The door closed with a shudder and what little light remained vanished. The trailer dropped into the purple gloom of the last light they would have until morning.
“You know we can probably both fit if we squeeze up together,” Lynn said.
“It’s all right,” Squid said. “I don’t mind.”
“It just seems silly for one of us to be cold and uncomfortable every night.”
Lynn lifted the gray blanket and flicked it out so that it floated down to cover the mattress. She climbed under, lying over on one side of the small mattress and leaving space for Squid.
“Come on,” she said, lifting the blanket for him to join her.
Squid stared at her.
“What?” Lynn said.
Squid didn’t know what to say. Sharing a bed with Lynn didn’t seem right. The idea of it gave him a funny feeling inside, like a tightness in his stomach and an emptiness in his arms. He wouldn’t have minded if she was still Max, but ever since he found out she was a girl he wasn’t sure whether he should do things like that, not least because he had started feeling like he wanted to. He wondered whether he should tell her that. Not the part about wanting to lie down close to her – he didn’t think he would ever be able to tell her that – but tell her that things were
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