"Sure,' I said. Dimitri's expression darkened. "I'd love to.'
Joshua and I headed off, leaving the others behind. I knew part of my decision was to prove my independence. Dimitri had said we were equals, yet he'd made an awful lot of decisions in this escape plan without me. It was nice to feel like I had the upper hand for a change, and besides, I liked Joshua and was kind of curious to learn more about how his people lived. I don't think Sydney wanted me to leave, but Dimitri would look after her.
As Joshua and I walked, we passed plenty of Keepers out and about. Just like earlier, I received a fair amount of stares. Rather than lead us down the road to where his father lived, Joshua took me around the small mountain. It was still good-sized, but after living near the Rockies, everything in the Appalachians seemed "small' to me. I guess I was a mountain snob.
Still, the mountain extended quite a ways, and we moved farther and farther from the Keepers' main settlement. The forest grew thicker, the light growing scarce as the sun finally began sinking into the horizon.
"I'm kind of on the outskirts,' Joshua said apologetically. "We keep growing and growing, and there's not much room in the town's center.' I thought "town' was an optimistic term but didn't say so. Yeah. I was definitely a snob. "But the caves keep going, so there's still space.'
"Are they natural?' I asked.
"Some are. Some are abandoned mining caves.'
"It's pretty out here,' I said. I liked all the deciduous trees. I might be homesick for Montana, but the wide leaves here were a neat contrast to pine needles. "And hey, at least you get lots of privacy, right?'
"True.' He smiled. "I figured you'd think it was ... I don't know. Too rustic. Or savage. You probably think we all are.'
His observation startled me. Most of the Keepers had been so fiercely defensive of their way of life that I hadn't thought anyone would even think an outsider would question it--or that any Keeper would care if we did.
"It's just different,' I said diplomatically. "A lot different from what I'm used to.' I felt a flash of homesickness for all the people and places I was now cut off from. Lissa. Adrian. Our other friends. Court. St. Vladimir's. I shook the feeling off quickly. I had no time to mope and could at least check on Lissa later.
"I've been to human towns,' continued Joshua. "And other places the Tainted live. I can see why you'd like them.' He turned a bit sheepish. "I wouldn't mind electricity.'
"Why don't you guys use it?'
"We would if we could. We're just too far out, and no one really knows we're here anyway. The lily-people say it's better for hiding us.'
It hadn't occurred to me that they simply endured these conditions because they were forced to in order to conceal themselves. I wondered how many of their choices came from clinging to the so-called old ways ... and how much was influenced by the Alchemists.
"Here we are,' said Joshua, pulling me from my musings.
He gestured to a dark hole at ground level. The opening was big enough for an adult to enter.
"Nice,' I said. I'd noticed earlier that some of the caves were set higher into the mountains and had watched their residents either climb the rock bare-handed or use homemade ladders. An easy-access doorway seemed luxurious. Joshua looked surprised at my praise. "Really?'
"Really.'
We'd ended up losing too much daylight. He paused to light a torch, and then I followed him inside. We had to duck a little at first, but as we went deeper into the cave, the ceiling slowly expanded and opened up into a wide, rounded space. The floor was hard-packed dirt, the stone walls rough and jagged. This was a natural cave, but I could pick out the efforts made to civilize it. The floor had been cleaned and leveled, and I saw some stones and rocks in a corner that looked like they'd been gathered up to clear space. A couple pieces of furniture had already been moved in: a narrow wooden chair and a mattress that looked like it could barely hold one person.
"You probably think it's small,' said Joshua.
It was true, but it was actually bigger than my dorm room at St. Vladimir's. "Well ... yeah, but I mean, how old are you?'
"Eighteen.'
"Same as me,' I said. This seemed to make him pretty happy. "Having your own, um, cave at eighteen is pretty cool.' It would have been cooler still with electricity, Internet, and plumbing, but there was no need to bring that up.
His blue eyes practically shone. I couldn't help but notice what a pretty contrast they made against his tanned skin. I dismissed the thought immediately. I wasn't here for a boyfriend. But apparently, I was the only one who believed that. Joshua suddenly took a step forward.
"You can stay if you want,' he said. "The other Tainted would never find you here. We could get married, and then when we had kids, we could build a loft like my parents' and--'
The word married had me moving toward the entrance as shocked and panicked as I would be by a Strigoi attack. Except, I usually had fair warning before those.
"Whoa, whoa, slow down.' No. I hadn't seen a proposal coming. "We just met!'
Thankfully, he didn't come closer. "I know, but sometimes that's how it is.'
"What, marriages between people who hardly know each other?' I asked incredulously.
"Sure. Happens all the time. And seriously, just in this short of time, I already know I like you. You're amazing. You're beautiful and obviously a good fighter. And the way you carry yourself ...' He shook his head, awe on his face. "I've never seen anything like it.'
I wished he wasn't so cute and nice. Having creepy guys profess their adoration was a lot easier to deal with than one you liked. I remembered Sydney saying I was a hot commodity here. Scorching was more like it, apparently.