Sitting just beneath the trapdoor, Vincent got lifted in the air.
He shouted, scrambling for anything to hold on to. The three of us jumped up, reaching for his legs, trying to pull him back from whoever was trying to take him.
"It's fine!" Firinne called a split second later. "It's them!"
We immediately released our grip and even helped push him upward. Vincent must have realized it too, because he stopped struggling and let himself be pulled out. A moment later, Firinne raised her arms, and more hands reached down to lift her.
"You scared us so bad!" she told the people she met upstairs. "We were not expecting you so soon!"
"It's Finn!" a voice screamed up there.
"Pull them out!"
"How many of them?" I heard someone ask from above. The hustle and the lack of light in the room overhead made it impossible to see what was happening.
Then, it was Kira's turn to reach for the hands. For a second, I hesitated. Maybe Firinne and Vincent only meant for me to join as far as the basement of the shed? But before I could overthink it, strangers' hands reached for me too.
In seconds, I was pulled up into the shed. It was darker than I remembered, and what had seemed like a fairly average space now felt suffocating with so many bodies bumping into each other.
"No one else, right?" seemed to ask me one of the men who'd lifted me up. I shook my head. "Let's get the shipments, then," he said to the other pair of arms around him before jumping down into the hole he'd just helped us out of. More people followed him, looking as if they knew what was expected of them.
The people remaining in the shed followed the light coming from the outside, and I exited with them.
"How come you're all here already!" I heard Firinne's surprised voice.
"We got here faster than planned. We were too impatient to see you all!" someone replied, their warm laugh echoing through the night.
When I stepped outside, nothing could have prepared me for the sight in front of me. A large crowd of thirty, maybe fifty people, stood on the hillside below the shed, scattered all the way down to the lake of the oasis. All around, lanterns had been dispersed, shining on the tall palm trees and the lower bushes. I noticed a few large vehicles in the back. They were dressed in dark, rugged clothing, as if prepared for a long journey. Men, women, and even children were waiting for us.
"Welcome back!"
"How's the City been treating you?"
The first waves of loud greetings quickly faded to hushed murmurs.
"Vincent."
Silence fell over the crowd the moment his name was spoken.
"Vincent is here!" another voice whispered, louder.
It spread like wildfire.
"He's back!"
"Vincent!"
"They freed him!"
The crowd exploded in cheers.
The next second, someone grabbed him by the waist and hoisted him into the air. Vincent didn't resist, letting them carry him, laughing as he was pulled into the crowd, swallowed by hugs and more cheers. A joyous celebration rippled across the oasis, and I watched it all in awe.
Even though I knew the place, everything seemed so new to me. It felt like stepping into a new world for the first time.
Beside me, it was Kira's turn.
"Ma!" she shouted, recognizing the large hands wrapping around her.
She was embraced by a small woman with skin so dark it glowed almost blue under the moonlight.
"My Kanyoni!" the woman cried, holding Kira tightly against her chest. "My Kirana!"
"Why did you come all this way? It's such a long trip—" Kira uttered, muffled in the woman's embrace.
But Ma ignored her.
"Look at this," she said, tugging on the sparkly embroidery of Kira's sweater. "Nothing like the rags you wear at home!" Her deep laugh boomed out.
"I didn't pick it," Kira mumbled, embarrassed.
I had never seen her like this, almost child-like. For the first time, I wondered if Kira might be younger than me.
Then Ma grabbed her chin and tilted her bruised face toward the moonlight.
"What's this?!"
"Ma—"
Kira put her hands on her shoulders, urgently scanning the crowd. Our eyes met, and before she could glare, I looked away and turned in the opposite direction.
I knew I was an outsider here, and I wanted my presence to be as discreet as possible. I was content to simply observe this new environment.
On the other side of the hill, Firinne hadn't wasted a second. As soon as the crates emerged from the shed, she'd opened the one with medication. Just like I had witnessed in the City, she moved with the same, or even more, authority here. The people here treated her like a leader, too. A small group gathered around her, faces serious, focused on her talking.
"Antibiotics," she said, pointing to one of the boxes.
That was the last word I understood coming out of her mouth. She then switched to a language I had never heard before. I watched, mesmerized, as she spoke swiftly and clearly, answering questions without hesitation. She was only the third person in my life I'd ever heard speak another language, and just like the first two times, I felt a sense of awe.
No one paid me much attention, though I caught a few curious glances. I stayed near the shed, feeling a bit out of place. My pale yellow top gleamed under the moonlight, far too bright among a crowd of dark green, grey, and brown colors.
Everyone seemed to know what to do.
Firinne's team moved efficiently, separating the medications of the crate into smaller ones. I'd assumed this was a single group, but now I saw they were split into smaller clusters, each clearly responsible for a share of the shipment. They followed Firinne's instructions closely. One person even took notes in a familiar notebook, one similar to the ones V and I used.
I walked down the hill, where Kira was surrounded by children now. She and another adult had unpacked the backpacks Firinne and her carried with them.
"This one fizzles in your mouth!" she said, spreading energy bars in front of the children's wide eyes.
"What's fizzle?" asked a young girl.
"It's like fireworks in your mouth!" Kira grinned.
Behind the children, I noticed a few adults casting skeptical looks at the pile of snacks. Ma's eyes, however, stayed only on Kira.
I had never seen Kira so radiant. The new air of the oasis seemed to have transformed her. Her long red hair, usually hiding her face, was now pushed back behind her shoulders, her smile wide and open to the assembly of children around her.
Still, Ma watched her with worried eyes.
The kids were eagerly unwrapping the snack bars. One boy struggled with the package.
"Let me help you," I said gently, kneeling beside him and tearing open the wrapper for him.
"Thank you," he said, too shy to even look at me in the eyes, as he took a small bite of the Fruit Fizzler bar.
When I looked up, I noticed many eyes on me. One man even leaned sideways to see what I was giving the boy, as if I might have given him something dangerous.
Feeling even more out of place, I walked away, toward the shade of a nearby tree by the water. I didn't want to draw attention, but I wanted to stay close, in case Firinne called for us to head back. I wasn't impatient to do so, though. I wished I could have observed the people and their activities the whole night.
I understood the mission was a success, and slowly, it turned into a party.
So much had happened already, I had no idea if it had been twenty minutes or an hour since I entered the tunnel.
I found a patch of grass beneath what I identified later as Moringa trees. Long, narrow seed pods had fallen all over the ground. I opened one, letting the dry seeds fall into my hand.
A part of my mind was still thinking of what had happened earlier today at the library. But now, being at the oasis, meeting all of these new people, all coming from a faraway place... I felt far away from my own concerns.
I looked up to the swaying branches and felt at peace. I had already noticed how nature had a way of comforting me. In the distance, I kept observing the group.
Watching Kira lift a kid in her arms, I wondered if Firinne and Vincent were from the Autonomous Territories too. For some strange reason, it didn't feel like it, and I couldn't explain why.
Clearly, Vincent was born in the City. But somehow, he seemed at ease in this group. No, even better, he seemed celebrated here. What had happened to him?
Firinne looked like she belonged, but somehow, in a different manner.
Watching the stars reflect in the quiet lake, I let my thoughts wander until I heard a noise nearby.
I listened.
The water rippled, but I couldn't see what caused it, shielded by the trees at my side.
Then, the surface of the lake split open. A man swam through it, slicing through the water with smooth strokes. When he reached the center, his head emerged, spitting water and brushing his hair in the back.
In the moonlight, his profile was unmistakable to me.
Brothers.
Or rather, twins.
Nearly perfect mirrors of each other, except that one was looking into the future, and the other into the past. It was fascinating to watch. They looked so much alike, yet a few years apart, they looked so different.
Vincent floated in the water, letting it ripple and quiet around him. I hoped the coolness brought him some relief. He looked like he needed a good bath indeed.
I allowed myself to watch him for some time, curiosity and discomfort mixing inside me. Then I turned back to the seeds in my hand.
My mind spun with questions. V had said his brother was dead, or at least, that was what his parents had told him. Why create a copy of their child if this one was still alive?
I didn't notice the water rippling again until it got closer this time. Vincent emerged near my side of the shore. I froze, hidden beneath the branches, in the shadows of the trees. It was too late to move without revealing myself now.
He didn't seem to notice me.
Instead, he bent by the water's edge, sniffing the plants. For a second, I worried. Was he sniffing me? But no, that was ridiculous.
I watched as he plucked a stem, stripped its leaves in one swift motion, and began rubbing them together in his palms, first dry, then in the water.
Bubbles foamed around him.
Soap. He was making soap!
From a plant!
He brought the soapy texture to his chest and his shoulders before he tangled the foamy fingers in his hair.
Under the moonlight, it looked like he was peeling away a layer of grime from his body. Beneath it, his skin gleamed, strong and clean.
He dove underwater, soaking his hair again, then resurfaced and scrubbed some more.
Then he submerged fully.
The water rippled with bubbles, quieting again.
But it went quiet for too long.
Some time had passed, and he was still below the water.
Too long.
I saw a few bubbles appear at the surface, looking as if there was still someone or something there.
How long could he hold his breath?
I remembered how Kira and Firinne had to help him out of the crate. How weak he seemed when I just met him.
I stood up quickly, heading toward the shore, ready to call for help.
Right then, he burst from the water, his hair flipping back, spraying cold droplets all over. I squealed and sheltered behind my arms as the cold water splashed on me.
"Sorry," he laughed as I wiped my face. "Didn't know you were there."
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