The Great Altruist Read Online Free PDF Page A

dream. Not far away, Genesis’s hands glowed a bright but deep red as she hovered over the small pile of dead branches. The wood instantly caught fire. As she threw more leaves on the fire, she noticed Jadzia was awake.
     
                “I’m sorry if I disturbed you,” Genesis said, “but I do sometimes get a little cold. Using my powers to heat myself gets tiresome. Besides, I like fire.”
     
                Jadzia smiled and stood up to stretch.
     
                “Are you hungry?” Genesis asked.
     
                “A little.”
     
                “Do you know how to clean a fish?”
     
                Jadzia nodded.
     
                “I’ll make you a deal: if I catch the fish, you have to kill and clean it.” She handed Jadzia a sharp piece of rock.
     
                “Why won’t you kill it?”
     
                “I don’t kill anything if I can help it.” Genesis hovered over the small creek and spotted a few fish just below the surface. With great elegance, Genesis focused on the largest fish and lifted it from the water with nothing but her concentration. The fish gasped for air as Jadzia reached over, grabbed the fish from its suspension in midair, and killed it with the rock. Genesis stoked the fire and moments later, the fish was roasting over the flames. While the fish cooked, Jadzia sat idly by and dipped her toes in the creek. Genesis searched the forest for mushrooms and returned with a meager supply of vegetables just as the fish was cooked. She gathered rocks in the creek and formed them in a circle, and then filled the basin with water. Using her hands as before, she heated the rocks until they glowed. Soon the water simmered.
     
                “This might hurt a little,” Genesis said as she reached for Jadzia’s hands and touched them. Jadzia recoiled instinctively and watched her hands turn a light blue. “Eat.”
     
                Jadzia reached into the cauldron of soup with her hands that felt frozen. The hot liquid touched her cold hands and returned them instantly to a healthy pink. As she sipped the broth, it was the perfect temperature. After each handful, Genesis reached over and touched her hands to cool them again.
     
    “Slow down,” Genesis said as she broke the fish and tossed one half to Jadzia. “We’re in no rush.” She sat on the warm stones and reached forward with her hands to scoop out the soup. Her hands turned blue as well and returned to normal once she ate.
     
                Jadzia finished her portion of the fish and wiped her mouth clean. She took a long drink from the creek and looked around at the forest. Animals moved about, but the sound of humans was noticeably absent. “Where are we exactly?” Jadzia asked.
     
                “Canada. This place has the same weather as Germany.”
     
                “Why not someplace warmer? I am naked after all.” To her surprise, her nakedness had become less of a concern the more she realized how secluded they were. Genesis was right: she got used to it. And after six long years of harassment for being the “prettiest girl in the camp,” she relished the freedom.
     
                “I suppose I could have. But this is a place I’ve been to before and I know it’s secluded.”
     
                Jadzia dipped her toes into the creek and watched as the fish cleaned her feet. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? ” she asked.
     
                “Not a bit.”
     
    “Where are you from?”
     
                “I don’t know. I woke up one morning as you see me now; the only memory I had was my name.”
     
                “And there’s nothing else you remember?”
     
                “When I first awoke, I had no idea where I came from. For months, I struggled with a feeling deep inside that