WILLOW

The shack was packed and full of activity, so unlike the silent, still, gray swamp outside. It had been raining all day. A constant downpour washed away the stain of the Greater Good, but things would never be the same. Especially tomorrow. If the water was the lifeblood of this world, then Croc was the heart, and he was leaving.

Julia harvested everything from the garden, loading it onto the S.S. Testosterone. That's what I kept calling the rusty shrimp boat Merle had arrived on. At first, I'd been grateful for the monstrous men on board. They'd shown up at the right time with a ton of guns; how could I not love them? But love was a fickle thing, and I'd caught several staring at my ass. Pigs. Once upon a time, I'd have ignored them. I'd have been used to it, but that was before. I'd been reborn, and I was stronger.

Strong enough to fight a bear? I wasn't sure. A girl could sprain her neck just trying to meet their eyes.

Croc was more than happy to keep them in line. Thankfully, Merle and Tex had pitched in enough to prevent any fights. But, despite his effective help, Tex was the worst of them all. Apparently, our shared connection to Julia made us adopted siblings. I'd never had an actual sibling, more like friends I got to know then forget about when I inevitably got rehomed. Perhaps this was bonding.

I didn't like it.

Merle thought it was comedic gold.

"Hey, baby sister. How's it going, baby sister?" Randomly booming, "Where's my baby sister?"

The man was going to give me a twitch. He had no regard for personal space, and no matter how many times I gave him the cold shoulder, he didn't give up.

Croc took my hand, pulling me from my thoughts. "Swim with me?"

I looked out at the rain puddles forming across the yard. Had it rained at all in the time since we got here? If it had, I hadn't noticed. I supposed that's what happiness was. Would I stay happy after I left? Would any of us? I took a breath and forced a smile, looking back at him. "Wanna play Marco Polo?"

He smiled back, but it wasn't anymore real than mine. "I want to say goodbye, and I'd like you to be with me."

I wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him tight then pulling back. "Of course I will."

He led the way, squeezing through the masses and helping me over legs the size of logs.

Tex was in our direct path. "Where you going, baby sister?" His massive arm hooked around my shoulders like a vice.

Croc glared at him. A few of the men chuckled.

Tex grinned. "Don't you know it's storming outside? I guess gators don't mind getting wet, huh?"

"I'll get her wet," Reggie, the most obnoxious of them all, murmured beneath his breath.

Merle smacked him upside the head. "You couldn't wet a woman with a goddamn water gun."

I ground my teeth as roars of laughter echoed through the space. I shook Tex off and moved to the door. "You're all annoying," I said.

"All except me, right?" Tex said.

"Especially you."

"Like a big brother?" he sang, eliciting more laughter from the group.

I ignored him and stepped outside, following Croc down the dock and into the canal. We sunk into the water, and she seemed to hold us tighter. A mother's final embrace. I forgot about men and focused on her. She'd made us strong enough to save ourselves. Now, we had to leave and try to save the world.

We swam, but we didn't race as we usually did. Croc kept his pace languid, morose. He'd been struggling ever since the battle ended, though he never said so. He put on a brave face, but his light had dimmed, and I could tell he dreaded leaving. How couldn't he? This was the only place he'd ever known.

I kept pace at his side, my fingers laced through his, offering comfort. He held them tight and moved like a ghost, propelled by something invisible to the human eye. Thrumming filled my ears as rain intensified above the surface. We traveled farther than we ever had before, not out, but deeper in. The canal shifted and weaved, plummeting into an endless depth then growing almost too shallow to swim in.

It felt like an hour passed before Croc finally stopped and stood, pulling me with him into the chilly air. The sky had darkened. Rain fell upon us in sheets. I peered through the downpour, trying to see his face. His jaw was set, his eyes fixed on the left bank.

"Croc?"

"I don't want you to be afraid," he said.

I swallowed hard. With the kind of shit I'd seen in this place, what on Earth could be so bad it came with a warning? "Afraid of what?"

Croc waded forward, pulling me with him. Then he stopped again. "He's there."

I followed his gaze. Something big rocked with the waves, scrubbing up against the debris surrounding it. "Who's there?"

"Pappy."

My breath caught, and I looked harder. Croc moved closer. Cypress branches blocked the rain, offering me a clearer view. A small fishing boat covered in algae was wedged between downed logs. I peered inside, then stumbled backward, throwing a hand over my mouth, as bile rose into my throat. There were two full skeletons inside that boat, their clothes blackened by rot.

"They can't hurt you. They're dead," Croc soothed.

Thank you, captain obvious. "You knew he was here the whole time?"

"Ever since I could swim this far."

My throat grew raw. His voice was so soft, I could barely hear him. I searched his face, a reflection of the boy he'd been. He'd gone through so much. How had he ever survived it? But there were two bodies in that boat, and I hadn't remembered anyone else in a single picture. "Who's the other person?" I whispered.

Croc was quiet a moment. "I used to think he was death. I thought, one day, when I got too old and too tired, the man would come back and tell me it was time to go." He stepped forward, stopping at the bow of the boat.

I listened, hanging on his every word. He'd rarely spoken about the man who'd raised him, and I'd never been quite sure how much he remembered. He'd been so small, so vulnerable.

"Ever since you arrived, I've been having dreams about Pappy, but I don't think they're dreams."

"Memories?"

Croc shrugged. "Sometimes it happens while I'm awake. It happened the day the Officials came. The sounds of their guns, that deafening crack. I'd heard it before, on the day he left. Then it happened, like flashes: the pain in his face, the blood. Pappy hadn't been too old or too tired. This man hadn't been a peaceful death. He came here in this boat, and he shot him." He reached down, grabbing the skull closest to him and chucking it into the brush, then he kept going, unperturbed by the gore of what he was touching.

"Croc?"

He continued chucking the bones with no regard for where they landed. "He doesn't belong in the boat."

I nodded, waited.

When he was done, and only Pappy remained, he kneeled down beside him. "I'm sorry." His voice was rough and low; he wasn't speaking to me. "I have to break my promise for a while, but I'll come back." He hesitated, staring at the corpse as if wishing for a response. "Croc will remember Pappy," he whispered. "Always."

I swallowed convulsively. My vision blurred. Croc stood and returned to me, embracing me tighter than he ever had before.

I held him, caressing his back until his breathing evened, and his heartbeat slowed. "Would you like to bury him?"

He shook his head. "He's at peace here, not below ground, where he can't feel the breeze or see the stars or watch the gators bathe in the sun. This is where he chose; I won't take it away from him."

I nodded, and we started the long swim home. The sun set, and the rain ceased, leaving behind a vapor that bubbled on my skin. When we finally made it back, Julia had finished dinner and most everyone had already eaten. I didn't want to go in there, not now.

Seeming to read my mind, Croc picked me up and climbed onto the roof. I smiled softly. It didn't matter how good I got at climbing, when it was time for bed, he still did it for me.

Under different circumstances, we would have probably slept inside. But the lean-to did its job to keep us dry. Croc sat me down on the blankets then rummaged around, collecting a mismatch of clothes. He handed me one of his shirts, then we each changed and climbed under the blankets. I cuddled into his side, resting my head over his heart.

Our last night here. Tomorrow, we would leave, and the world was a black hole that swallowed everything good. He wasn't safe out there.

None of us were.