“It used to be called the Ocean,” said Evelyn.
There was an inflection in her voice that hinted of both joy and sadness. Rena didn’t bother looking at the old woman’s face to confirm it, because she couldn’t take her eyes off the water. There was so much of it, stretching all the way to a horizon free of the angular silhouettes of buildings or the arc of the Canopy. Just a straight, unobstructed line where the Ocean met the sky. The only time she’d seen so far away was from a mountaintop as a child, and that might have been a delusion.
“You asked me why all the canyons point to the Center. It’s because we live on an island. Esh is in the middle of it.”
Rena tore her gaze away from the horizon to look back at the mouth of the canyon she’d come through, flanked by steep slopes of crumbling rock, barely visible through the fog. “What’s an island?”
Evelyn’s foggy eyes narrowed to a squint. “This land goes around in a great big circle … all the way around Esh. The Ocean surrounds it all.”
Rena suddenly pictured the holographic model that Fijal had created, imagining what it would look like if it took the Ocean into account. How small would Esh seem by comparison, sitting in the middle of it?
“All the way around? Is there anything beyond the Ocean?”
“Don’t know ‘bout now, but there used to be. My grandmother told me stories that were passed down to her. She said there were other cities. Hundreds of thousands of them … scattered all over islands much bigger than ours. She called them countries and continents.”
“With that many cities, there must have been …”
“Billions of people,” Evelyn said, finishing the statement. But her voice didn’t reflect the hope and excitement that Rena felt at such an idea. Evelyn just shook her head.
“What happened?”
“Grandmother used to call it The Sickness. It spread from person to person. Killed off whole cities at a time. Wars broke out when societies began fallin’ apart. Healthy people tried protectin’ themselves from the sick, but it didn’t work. The Sickness kept spreadin’. Eventually, some healthy people came here to hide. That’s how Esh got started.”
Rena was horrified by the thought of so many people dying, yet amazed to learn that so many people had lived out there, beyond the Ocean. And she felt excited at the same time, to meet someone who knew about Esh’s beginnings. “We’ve been hiding ever since?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think anyone else survived?”
“Could be. We did.”
“Does Commander Ryce know about this?”
“Oh, he don’t care much for the past … or us old-timers who have it rattlin’ around in our brains. He only cares about the threats we facin’.”
“Too distracted by the present,” Rena mumbled, remembering her conversation with Dal on a rooftop in the Outskirts.
Evelyn shrugged. “He’s a soldier, and that’s what’s required of him, I suppose. They value military concerns above anything else.”
“Not me.”
Evelyn squinted, her cloudy eyes almost disappearing behind her dark lids. “What do you value most, child?”
“Truth. Not agreement but … actual truth.”
“Most people don’t believe in such a thing anymore.”
“Yeah,” Rena said, turning to stare at the water again. The past few months of her life had certainly proven that. But today, Evelyn had brought her to this place and showed her that such a thing could exist. It might just lie beyond the collective understanding of everyone in Esh. Here was the Ocean. Something unbelievable, yet true. An objective piece of evidence that Rena could see and hear and smell. She could even touch it if she wanted.
And she did want to.
Rena walked forward until her boots were submerged in what was left of the mighty waves after they’d crashed against the sand. She bent down and slid her hand into the cold water, clouded with grit.
“No one in Esh knows about this Ocean,” she said, looking up as Evelyn came to stand beside her. “It won’t matter how many of them talk about the rain. The lake. Or any other type of water they know about. They’d never be able to guess this is here.”
A satisfied grin spread across Evelyn’s face. “That’s right, child. Because truth is not determined by consensus. It exists apart from what anyone believes.”
Rena stood and wiped her hands on her jacket. Finally, she’d met someone who understood. The real problem with consensus was that it was limited to the knowledge of the people involved. Or what could be figured out based on that knowledge. But what if you wanted to know about something outside of others’ experience? What if you wanted to learn about a man named Eldric, who lived in a cabin near the forest? At the base of the mountains? Under a blue sky? They’d say you’re delusional, depending on who you asked.
“I knew you’d understand what this meant,” said Evelyn. “That’s why you the only one I’ve ever brought out here.”
“No one in the village knows about this either?”
Evelyn shook her head. “Too big of a risk. Me and my helpers are the only ones allowed in the orchard. Except the soldiers, of course. But you the only one who doesn’t think it’s a waste of time.”
“I didn’t realize things were so …”
“Similar?” Evelyn asked. “Oh, we Outliers like to think we have our freedom. But we still bein’ controlled. No way ‘round that.”
It made sense. By having to hide from OCON, the Outliers’ lives were still dictated by what happened in Esh. They were an extended part of that society, even if they weren’t officially recognized by it.
She turned to Evelyn and took the old woman’s left hand. “Thank you for showing me this. Someday … hopefully soon … OCON won’t be able to control our future. We’ll be free to decide that for ourselves.”
Evelyn smiled through sad eyes. “I’ve lived a long time, child. I haven’t got much future left. But when I think about what’s in store for my helpers and other young people like you, it makes me wish you all could go back in time ‘stead of forward.”
“Why?”
“I have no doubt Commander Ryce will accomplish his goal. He used to be an OCON operative, so he knows better than anyone what we’re up against.”
Rena let go of Evelyn’s hand.
“If you want to know what your future holds, all you need to do is go back through the tunnel and take a good look at the village. That’s what the future looks like.”