All the tribes of ghosts from the sector were there, at least that's what Miso said. Elder Bour had brought them together on one of the bottom levels of the shelter. It was a safe place, only accessible from inside the wall.
Entering that space, Dotty felt she had been transported to another world. It wasn't Earth, but it was a far cry from what she had seen on Eidolon. The walls and roof were covered with elaborate tapestries, mythological distortions of life back on Earth. The quivering light that fell over the scene came from hundreds of candles arranged across the floor, or hanging in scattered baskets. The smell of incense was strong but pleasant, inviting you to sit and relax. In the middle of all those people stood a long table filled with platters and dishes piled high with food. Dotty was surprised it looked so delicious to her. Her stomach growled.
"Survivor Dorothy." Bour greeted her with a bow and then turned to her companions. "Miso, Caza, come in. The welcome ritual will begin in a few moments."
The guests watched her with interest as the three new arrivals approached the dining table. They were each given a bowl of some kind of stew. Dotty tried to copy every move her friends made, self-conscious under the gaze of all those eyes. They found some boxes to sit on in one corner of the room.
There were two dozen people around them, gathered in small groups and chatting in low voices. From time to time they would turn to stare at Dotty directly, some flashing her a yellowed and gap-toothed smile. Others, however, were more unsettling. Their eyes were overshadowed by hunger. Many of them had skin conditions or other afflictions. There was a woman with no nose, only a dark recess in the middle of her face. There was an old man with strange roots that grew from his forearms, like squishy fingers trailing along the ground. There was a girl around Dotty's own age who sat in a makeshift wheelchair. She had eyes as red as coals and she wouldn't stop staring.
"I think my appetite is coming back!" said Dotty as she took the first bite of her stew. "Finally, something solid! The old man's tea wasn't bad but it's good to have something to sink my teeth into." She smiled to show off the meat stuck in her gums. "Where'd you get this from?"
Miso ate tiny mouthfuls. She replied without looking up from her plate. "Don't you know? There's not much to eat on Eidolon besides what the hunters catch. This is from a leaper. Their bellies have the best meat, don't you think?"
She said it as if it was the most normal meal in the world.
Dotty's tin plate fell to the floor. Her face turned pale and her mouth hung wide open. There was leaper all over her tongue. The rattle of the plate against the floor turned every face in her direction.
"Shit!" she shouted and began to clear up her mess. When she lifted her head she saw they were all still watching her. "Sorry," she said in a voice barely a whisper.
When they all turned back to their meals, or at least looked at her less intensely, Dotty turned to Miso and Caza.
"But, Miso, isn't their flesh toxic too? Aren't we eating their poison?"
"Everything on Eidolon is toxic. The air is full of poison. It collects in the moisture we extract, and in the water we recycle from our… evacuations. It's in those little mushrooms we grow."
"So sooner or later the poison becomes a part of your system… or it kills you?"
Dotty realised for the first time that every person there hadn't just survived every encounter they'd had with a leaper, they'd all beaten the poison that now ran through her veins.
Miso nodded.
Caza pointed to the plate that Dotty hadn't touched since scooping it off the floor.
"Dotty no like? Leaper tasty."
"Daddy!" cried Miso, and she ran over to hug her father.
"Angur!" Elder Bour waved to him. "You're just in time."
Caza gestured that Dotty should follow him and they went over to where the two men were standing.
"Angur, let me present our new survivor: Dorothy."
"Hi," said Dotty, hiding slightly behind Caza.
Angur was tall with brown skin and piercing eyes. His head was shaved aside from a central crest that was tied in a braid that ran halfway down his back. He wore plastic overalls armoured with metal plates over the vital areas and his muscular arms were exposed except for a metal band on each wrist. Over his shoulder, Dotty could see a metal spear similar to Caza's. From his belt hung a machete. Just like Dotty, he wore no shoes. His filthy feet were covered in cuts and blisters.
He offered Dotty his hand. His grip was gentler than she expected.
"Welcome! I'm glad to finally meet you, Dotty. You can stay with this community for as long as you need. I know it's no Earth, or even Eidolon as it was in the past, but it's all we've got and we've learned to call it home."
"Thank you," replied Dotty. "Thanks so much for taking me in."
"Well," Bour rubbed his hands. "Now that we're all here, we can begin the ceremony. What say we give this girl the welcome she deserves?"
Miso and Caza smiled. Mercedes and Narrow, who had arrived a few minutes earlier and tucked into their own plates of stew, left the table and came to join them.
"Make a circle!" cried the Elder, and everyone present formed a ring, leaving Dotty standing alone in the middle.