low-brown earth. It left behind a

e, vibrating painfully through Ariel's wrist. Her pa

raised the hoe again. She s

re burning. She gasped for air, her

a second. She stumbled backward, her back hitting the r

orting. He was at her side in two stride

at her hands. Two large, bloody blisters had

dark, violent fury aimed at the cruel w

d, his voice low

ripped the handle of the hoe. Secretly, he channel

t, becoming an extension of

ed. Chunks of dirt crumbled a

him. Her mouth fell open in su

the hoe, wiping sweat from his forehead, faking a harsh

iel stared at her torn palms.

d an incredible tolerance for pain, a stubborn resilience forged in the harsh wasteland. She tore off a clean strip from the hem

urned soil. She scooped up a handful, closing

tiny spark of life. It could be saved,

owder," she instruc

ul of the white dust and began t

hose broad-leaf vines, and any rotting leaves you can find under the

e and walked toward th

l dropped to her knees. She plunged

lods of earth, mixing the scattered shell powder into the lower layers. Her muscles screamed, her breath coming in ragged gas

ay on the ground, her clothes soaked with

smoggy sky. A real, bright

She grabbed a handful of dry grass and began wiping the di