Paradox by A. J. Paquette Read Free Book Online Page A

orbits beam down on her now like old friends. She thinks that even though she was running back in the forest, even though no roots were hooking her into the ground, still some part of her didn’t fully return to life until she came back out into the open air.
    Ana drops to her hands and knees on the soft ground, her heart going like a jackhammer, pounding a double-time beat.
    At first she thinks it’s just in its contrast that the planet suddenly looks so much more hospitable. But then she sees it’s more than that: on this side of the forest, there is some serious plant life—the first healthy signs of growth she’s seen on Paradox so far. Just ahead there’s a little meadow with bluish-green grass and a few flowers. Small bushes and trees dot the sloping terrain, and more grass stretches out to the edge of her vision, off to the base of the high mountain peaks.
    She squints up at Todd, who stands a little ahead of her. He’s turned his map off and is hunched over, hands on his knees, taking big, gulping breaths. His eyes are full of all the right things—pain and fear and shame and anger—all those real, hard-to-bear human emotions.
    “Hey,” she says, pulling herself into a sitting position on the grass.
    He walks back over and drops down beside her. “What happened in there? Do I even want to know?”
    Ana considers this. “Probably not. But I think it’s safe to say that you don’t like forests too much.”
    Todd’s mouth turns down, and Ana adds quickly, “Okay, it’s actually more than that. Something’s not right in that forest—there’s something heavy and oppressive. I couldn’t wait to get out of there myself. But it was more for you; almost as though some force in there had it out for you in particular.”
    Todd turns toward her, about to say something, and then he raises his eyebrows. “What did you do to yourself?” he says, looking at her forehead. He immediately starts burrowing in his pack.
    Ana touches her right temple and discovers a warm, sticky dampness. She winces. “I’m fine,” she says. “Must have been one of those branches I ran into. It’s just a scratch.”
    “Still,” he says, turning toward her with a small tube in one hand and a white cloth in the other. She grits her teeth as he wipes at the wound; then there’s a cool pressure as he applies some gel from the tube.
    “Peri-skin,” he says, replacing the cap and sliding the tube back into his pack. “It’ll set in a few seconds. You can probably tell the difference already.”
    Reaching her hand back up, Ana gingerly assesses the smooth, rubbery coating.
    “Thanks,” she says. She knows the peri-skin will anesthetize, disinfect, and fully repair her cut in hours, if not less.
    Todd leans forward and touches a finger to her temple, and there’s something in his look that makes Ana freeze. She swallows, suddenly uncomfortable. “What about you?” she asks. “How are you feeling?”
    The change of subject works. Todd drops his hand and gets to his feet. “I’m fine,” he says. “Come on. We can talk more as we walk, if you’re doing all right. There’s a plateau up here where we can take a real break.”
    “There is?”
    Todd nods. “I saw it on the map. It’s not far.”
    He reaches into a pocket of his vest and pulls out a handful of water capsules. He tosses her a couple and she catches them gratefully, punching one out and popping it in her mouth. Instantly refreshed, she revels in the feel of the water pouring down her dry throat.
    She shoves the leftover tablets in her pocket, hears them rustle up against the folded letter. The letter! She runs the words over in her mind again.
Our world is on the brink of disaster. Your mission must succeed
. But what
is
the mission? And how can you succeed when you don’t have any idea what you’re supposed to be doing, much less how to do it?
    Ana decides that, though they do need a break, it won’t be a long one. There’s too much ground to cover and