The boat ride is awfully boring. Same routine, day after day. Over and over, boring. Necua and I become to get closer, as I am worried. He hasn't been called up ever since the last time, and I don't want it to happen again. He still won't tell me what the whole deal on why they pulled him up, out of the whole village, and honestly, I don't care. I just don't see why they pulled me or Izel.
I sit in his arms, and look around in the hot and stuffy room. There is no light shining through the trap door above us, which normally does when it's day. I sigh, look up to him and ask Necua angelicly, "Why won't you tell me?" He takes a moment to respond, and when he does, he whispers, "Time will tell, Anya." I elbow him in the stomach, and without a response, he falls asleep.
It's the middle of the night. Time will tell. That's all that I am thinking about, and I can't fall asleep. I finally forget about the whole time thing, and I remember all about the awful sacrifices. I see my father, before he was sacrificed and I remember how Izel was gonna get it. If we were still there, she'd be dead. Either because she would've been sacrificed by the town or by that awful Quahtli. How he almost killed my sister. Looking back, I begin to cry. I remember my garden. How beautiful my cactus was. Something's probably eaten it by now. I feel anxious and angry. I wanna go home. I want to be with Necua, the one I know.
I get exhausted and fall asleep. I wake the next day feeling awful. I yawn and my mouth hurts. I feel my mouth and my tooth. It falls out. I see Necua isn't up, so I tap him rapidly, as I am scared. He won't wake up. Is he dead?! I scream.
I wake everyone up, and the boy from the Incas comes down the trap door. He sees me crying and runs over to me. He comes up to me and kisses me. This causes another tooth to fall out. I start cursing in my language so he can't understand it, and continue crying louder. The medic from the Incas comes down and starts to examine me. "Scurvy." he whispers. I look over at Necua and he looks over at the Inca boy. Obviously infuriated, he runs over to him and kicks him. The boy and Necua are fighting, stressing me out more. People start to scream and the Incas start coming down to beat up Necua. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" I scream and go in to help Necua.
It's pretty much a full-blown fight now, Incas versus Aztecs. Well, Necua versus whoever that boy who made out with me was. I try to beat them up, or at least get them to calm down. "INCAS!" I scream. "WILL YOU GUYS PLEASE STOP?!" Everyone looks at me. "OH MY GODS. YOU GUYS JUST NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT NECUA WAS TRYING TO BE PROTECTIVE. NOW GET YOUR ASSES UP, AND LEAVE." I say, now really pissed off. Surprised I said something, Necua and the boy come up. "You are so beautiful and courageous." the boy says. Necua looks over and glares. "Necua.." I say quietly. "Will you marry me? the boy finishes. "I just need you in my life, my dear.... Who is Necua?" "Is my husband," I say brightly. "I'm sorry. I can't marry you.." I try to keep my calm.
The white men come down. "Was there a fight?" one asks. "Yes." the boy says. "But this lovely woman stopped it." he smiles. One of the men asks me, "Oh really? What is your name?" "Um.. Zyanya." I say timidly. I pray that I won't be taken up to the top and be shot. "Ah, what do you want? Anything, as long as it isn't either go back or be free." he says. "Oh, um, well my teeth have been falling out.." I say and hold out my hand. The man chuckles. "Scurvy, come on, let's go fix you." "Scurvy?" I ask. "Yep.. Wanna bring anyone? You guys can have lunch with us.." he says. WHAT? They're letting me take a few people to lunch? I haven't had real food ever since we left. "Oh, sure!" I brightly say. "How many!?" I ask. "Three others." he explains. "Done. Necua, Izel and Mama." I respond. I get them up and we go up top.
The sun blinds me and we all say "ah" or "ow" for a minute. "Alrighty then, this way." the man says. We are led into a hall with several tables. Another man asks, "Hey, what have you got these scum up here for? Can we eat them too?" "No, Paul. This one stopped a fight, and this is her reward." the man who brought us up says. Necua stupidly says, "Oh... are we gonna sit with you guys?" sheepishly. The group of men laugh, even the guy who brought us up is laughing. I sigh and think of how they're gonna eat us, or kill us, or do something awful.
I try to brace myself for my punishment or reward. The man smiles and hands me a barrel of meat, which I am pretty sure is rancid. I'll take it very willingly since I've just been living off of crumbs or rats. Ew. "Go back down and you can eat what you want and share what you want." the man says. "Zyanya, you aren't too bad." he says dreamily. Seriously? This guy's only like, 20, and he's probably going to hit on me too. I've got Necua, who I'm sticking with, and now that stupid Inca boy and now this creep. I smile and try to turn his offer into a friendship, not a relationship. "Well, maybe once we get there, if we don't get locked up, we could maybe get food or something.." I say nicely. "Woah, really? Yeah!" the man says. "My name's John."
I head back down and while we pass through the Inca's room, I smile and say to them, "I got a bunch of food.. Do you guys want some?" The boy steps up and says, "Sure, we'll share it." "Oh.. I was meaning to ask you.. What's your name?" I ask. I was wondering about it. "Oh.. Um, just call me Z..." the boy says. "Oh, um, okay.. Why? What is your real name?" I wonder. "Um, I don't really have one. I never was really named since I was found by my village. I'm kind of... an outcast." he says, trying to sound 'deep' or whatever. I smile and hand him some food. I head back down.
I go down and sit. I hand everyone in my village something, since John must have given me more. Izel says to me, "That John man is..." "Oh my gosh, Izel, what is with you and those people?" I respond, somewhat irritated. I'm sick of her screwing up whatever I'm working on. She just bugs me sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I love her to death and she's my sister, but she just can get carried away with boys and end up messing me up.
Several days later, we are still traveling. I feel like it will never end, until I feel the ship stop moving. We all get a jolt and then are still. We have stopped. I think to myself, "And so begins the next chapter of my life, in which I'll never see my garden or any of my other homeland parts again." I sigh and I notice I begin to cry.
