After The Fires | Book 2 | The Trials Ahead

by Greene, Kellee L.

  “Farmer Church.”

  We couldn’t be the only ones in the entire city with the same last name. Maybe he’d think I was just a distant cousin. Or maybe he wouldn’t think anything at all.

  “Wonderful, Farmer Church,” he said, pointing toward the main path. “You should get back to your Keeper now before she starts to worry.”

  “Yes, Scholar,” I said. “Blessings and Kindness.”

  “Very good. Blessings to you as well,” he said without moving his feet. He was going to make sure I started back toward the farms.

  My body was vibrating with excitement. Everyone who saw me would think it was because of what I’d seen in the tent, and I guess in a way it was. I wasn’t even the least bit interested in The Ways programs, I wanted to see my brother again.

  The programs were terrifying. I was almost certain my brother was mentally ill, but he was my brother. He looked healthy, and other than The Way stuff, he seemed good.

  It was nice to see that he seemed happy. More now than ever, I felt as though Hawk and I needed to escape the farms.

  Of course, to do that, I’d have to find him. It was definitely time to start worrying, especially since I hadn’t seen Watcher Jones around either.

  “Hey,” I whispered to Steph when I got back to the farm.

  She barely acknowledged me with a glance.

  “What did you think of all that?” I asked.

  Steph shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure it’s my way back to the Capital. It doesn’t sound like they’re going to let people back… just set up a temple here.”

  “Oh,” I said.

  “I need something a little more life-threatening,” Steph said. “And something that won’t take years.”

  My eyes narrowed. “What are you thinking about doing?”

  “I haven’t come up with anything yet, and when I do, I won’t be telling you or anyone else for that matter. I don’t want anyone to steal my idea for themselves,” Steph said.

  “You’re not kidding, are you?” I asked.

  “Of course, I’m not,” Steph said. “I can’t stay here. It’s already been too long. I need to get back there before I lose my mind in this wretched place.”

  I swallowed hard. “Steph, what did you do?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  I lowered my voice. “To end up in this place.”

  She looked around before setting her eyes on mine. “You really want to know?”

  “Yes.”

  “I had sex with my boyfriend,” she said.

  My heart sank. Steph didn’t belong on the farms like I did.

  “That’s terrible,” I said. “They sent you here?”

  “Instantly,” she said. “My boyfriend was hung.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I said.

  Steph looked down at her feet. “We were young. It was stupid.”

  “How did you even get caught?”

  “We were outside,” Steph said. “A goody-two-shoes walked by and started screaming. We couldn’t get our clothes back on in time. They would have believed the girl anyway.”

  “You shouldn’t have to be here for that.”

  Steph sighed. “Rules are rules. We knew them and chose to break them.”

  I reached out and touched her shoulder. She recoiled, and her eyes darted around.

  “Don’t.”

  “Sorry.”

  “We were going to get married, you know,” Steph said. “Our parents had agreed. Everyone was so excited for us.” She chuckled at the memory. “It’s funny because my mom had set it up. I hadn’t even wanted to meet him.”

  I gave her a sympathetic smile. But what I should have done was told her there might be a way out of this horrible place.

  “His family hates me. They think I deserve to be here,” Steph said.

  The wind picked up. I wanted to hug Steph, but it was probably the last thing she’d want. And if anyone saw us, we’d both be in trouble.

  My hair whipped around my face as bits of dirt pelted my bare skin. Not even a full second later, the whistles started to blow.

  The sandstorm instantly grew with intensity. I could barely see more than a few feet in front of me.

  “Steph!” I called.

  I could see the shadows of people running through the dust storm, looking for safety. I spun in a circle, trying to spot Steph, but she wasn’t near me, and she wasn’t responding.

  “Ladies!” Keeper Marie bellowed. “Let’s move!”

  Someone grabbed my hand. I was able to make out Ivy’s face when I looked up. She wasn’t coming in clearly, but I could tell it was her.

  “I can’t find Steph,” I said.

  Ivy jerked me forward, ignoring me. Or maybe she hadn’t heard me through the screams of panic and the loud gusts of wind.

  “Keeper Marie,” I shouted. “I can’t find Steph!”

  “Hopefully, she’s already back at the cabin.” Keeper Marie made a quick effort to look around. “She has to have gone back on her own.”

  “I don’t think that’s possible,” I said. “She was right next to me.”

  Keeper Marie pulled Farmer Watson harder, which in turn pulled both Ivy and me along more aggressively. “She has to have gone back. I have to get you three back. It's my job to keep you ladies safe.”

  Most of her words were pulled away. The gusts of wind were both strong and painful. If I didn’t follow along, I’d be pulled away too.

  It felt as though we had walked in several circles before we finally found the cabin. Others were still out there calling for help, but none of the voices belong to Steph.

  Keeper Marie pushed open the door. It didn’t take more than a second to see that the small room was empty.

  “Oh, dear,” Keeper Marie said, pacing back and forth near the window.

  The storm raged viciously. The sounds of pebbles hitting the sides of the cabin were like the fists of little children pounding against the walls.

  “I’ll go to talk to the other Keepers,” Keeper Marie said, wringing her hands together. “Maybe another group and kindly taken her in temporarily.”

  “I’m not sure you should go out there,” Ivy said.

  “I could walk home with my eyes closed,” Keeper Marie said with a reassuring smile.

  Ivy shot me a quick look as if asking for me to back her up. “But the dirt and pebbles hurt.”

  “Trust me, ladies,” Keeper Marie said. “I’ve experienced far more uncomfortable things than a sandstorm in my lifetime.”

  Ivy looked like she was going to throw up. She seemed more concerned about Keeper Marie going out into the storm than she was about Steph being missing.

  Maybe I should have been more worried about Keeper Marie too. As far as Keepers were concerned, she wasn’t the worst. She wasn’t the best, but I didn’t want anything to happen to her.

  It would be a disaster if she were replaced. She left us alone for the most part. Gave us trust, even though I didn’t really deserve it. We were settled into our routine.

  There were a few Keepers who bunked with their groups. That would be a complete disaster if Keeper Marie was replaced with someone like that.

  “Are you sure about this?” I asked.

  “Oh, Farmer Church,” Keeper Marie grinned. “I’ve been here longer than even you. I have this place memorized like the back of my hand. You can’t really be worried I won’t find my way back home, are you?”

  “It seems like a really severe storm,” I said, glancing toward the window. I couldn’t see anything except for the dirt and sand blowing around.

  “I’ll update you when I can. Wish me luck,” Keeper Marie said, opening the door. A blast of wind banged the thin wooden door against the wall. Sand came into the cabin and began accumulating on the floor.

  Keeper Marie closed the door and disappeared into the storm.

  21

  I paced the floor twice before abruptly coming to a stop. My eyes flicked to the window.

  “She’s not
going to find her,” I said.

  “Of course, she will,” Ivy said, stomping her boot. “At least she’ll try.”

  Ivy was offended that I thought Keeper Marie would just give up. It was the truth, though, and I wouldn’t blame her. The weather was dangerous, and there was only so much Keeper Marie would be willing to do.

  I walked up to the window and lightly touched the warm glass pane. I could feel each little vibration created when a pebble tapped against the window.

  “I’m going to go look for her,” I announced without turning.

  Ivy laughed.

  I turned, glaring at her. With the anger bubbling inside me over Ivy’s reaction, I barely noticed Farmer Watson tugging on my sleeve like a child.

  “You can’t stop me,” I said without blinking.

  Farmer Watson shook her head and stepped in front of the door. She didn’t take her eyes off me as she raised her palms.

  “Seriously? You too?” I crossed my arms.

  Farmer Watson aggressively jabbed her finger toward Steph’s bed, and then she tapped the side of her head. My eyes narrowed.

  “Do you know something?” I asked.

  Farmer Watson nodded. She chewed her lip nervously. Ivy threw her hands in the air as she spun on her heel.

  “Do you know where she is?” I asked.

  Farmer Watson twisted her fingers together. If only she were able to talk, I wouldn’t have to waste time trying to read her mind.

  “Please,” I begged, “tell me what you know.”

  Farmer Watson grimaced. After a brief hesitation, she raised a finger. She climbed up onto her bed, and I realized we were playing a game of charades.

  She stood near the edge and jumped onto the floor with a thud. I watched as she flailed her arms around her before sinking down to the floor.

  It hit me. But it couldn’t be. I had to have it wrong.

  “Are you trying to tell me that Steph jumped into the lake and tried to swim away?” I asked.

  Farmer Watson pointed at me and nodded. Her excitement over me guessing correctly quickly faded.

  “She wouldn’t do that,” Ivy muttered. She didn’t sound as sure as she wanted to. Steph had become unpredictable since her return to the farms, and I hadn’t been the only one that had noticed.

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  Farmer Watson’s lips pressed into a thin line as her head bobbed. Even though I didn’t want to believe it, I did. Farmer Watson was telling the truth about what she’d seen. It wasn’t like she would have any reason to lie about it.

  I realized what Steph was doing. She was trying to get close to death again in an attempt to find her way back to the Capital.

  “This is stupid,” Ivy said, crossing her arms. “Steph isn’t suicidal. The storm was so bad she probably wouldn’t have even been able to find the lake.”

  The storm had come quickly, but that didn’t mean Steph hadn’t seen it coming. She could have easily climbed up the wall and jumped in. She’d probably hoped she’d been seen without realizing how bad the sandstorm would be.

  I had to do something to try to find her, but what could I do? It wasn’t like I could go out to the lake and jump in after her. I wouldn’t survive.

  Perhaps Steph had managed to get to the shore. She could be out there waiting for help.

  “I’ll be right back,” I said when I realized there was only one thing I could do for her.

  Ivy jumped to her feet and blocked my exit. “Don’t be stupid.”

  “I have to try to help her,” I said.

  “You’ll get caught or lost,” Ivy said, her brows squeezing together. Was there a tinge of worry there? Maybe she was just worried she’d get in trouble for not stopping me.

  “I can’t just sit here and do nothing,” I growled. “How are you able to?”

  Ivy sucked in a breath through her nose, flaring her nostrils like a wild beast. “Because I don’t want to die. Steph is smart. She can take care of herself.”

  “Steph hasn’t been herself, and you know it. I can’t just sit here and let Steph die,” I said, taking a bold step forward. My face was only inches from Ivy’s. If I had to push her out of the way, I would.

  Ivy stared into my eyes for a long moment before her shoulders relaxed. Ivy sighed and held up her palms as she stepped to the side.

  “Whatever. It’s your funeral,” she said. “For the record, you should really just let Keeper Marie and the others worry about it.”

  “Yeah, because they care so much about us,” I said. “I’m sure they have a search party out there right now looking for her.”

  Ivy looked down.

  “Anyway, just keep your mouth shut. If anyone asks, you have no idea what I’m doing,” I said.

  Ivy chuckled. “You don’t need my help to get in trouble, Cory. You do a fine job of that all by yourself. I’ve never had to utter a word, and I don’t plan to start now. One of these days, your luck will run out.”

  “Yeah, because I’m so lucky,” I muttered. “If Keeper Marie returns, you won’t tell her I went out to look for Steph, correct?”

  “I won’t need to,” Ivy said. “She’s not as stupid as you think.”

  Ivy was right. Keeper Marie would know I’d gone out to look for Steph, but what she wouldn’t know was where I’d go to ask for help.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “I’m not doing it for you,” Ivy said, flopping down on her creaky mattress. “I’m doing it because I don’t want to get in trouble. The less I know about your foolish choices, the better.”

  “That’s right,” I said, glancing toward Farmer Watson.

  Ivy looked down at her dirty fingernails. “I need to request new cabin mates.”

  “I bet they’ll get right on that,” I said, holding Farmer Watson’s gaze. “I can trust you, right?”

  She pressed her lips together and bobbed her head reassuringly. They probably wouldn’t bother to even ask Farmer Watson, knowing she wouldn’t say anything anyway.

  The storm was vigorous. Visibility was low.

  I grabbed a spare smock from my shelf and wrapped it around my head. I knew the path I was about to take well… I just hoped it wouldn’t be too late.

  22

  The wind dragged grains of dirt, sand, and dust across my arms and legs. It felt as though my skin was being sanded away. By the time I’d reach Watcher Brody’s house, my flesh would be worn down to the red, raw skin below.

  After only ten feet from the cabin, I almost turned back. Traveling was nearly impossible, and the pain was difficult to endure. I had to press on. Steph’s life depended on it.

  The wind whistled and howled angrily around me. It felt like the ghosts of the past were swirling around me, waiting for the chance to take me with them.

  The sounds of pebbles pecking at the nearby cabins sent shivers up and down my spines. It was like constantly getting tapped on the shoulder even though no one was there.

  I could see my feet. Each step was careful, and I didn’t even put my full weight down until I was sure I had my footing.

  Occasionally, the wind would take a short break, allowing me to see shadows of nearby buildings. Then again, that could have just been my imagination. For the most part, I had to keep my head down to keep the sand out of my eyes.

  Maybe I should have gone to the lake and called out for Steph. But maybe that would be a waste of time as the wind would carry my voice away.

  My hope was that Watcher Brody would know what to do. It couldn’t be the first time someone had gone missing during the storm.

  When I finally got to Watcher Brody’s house, I was careful to make sure I was at the right building. I stood at the window, brushing away the sand that had built up on the glass.

  Watcher Brody had his curtains closed, but there was a small space between them I could see his furniture. It was the right home unless, of course, all of the Watcher’s homes looked identical on the inside.

  Once I started knocking, I couldn’t sto
p. No one would be able to see me standing at his door, even if they were two feet away from me. The wind would likely drown out the sounds of my fist pounding against his door.

  “What are you doing here?” Watcher Brody asked after yanking open the door. Anger wrinkled his nose and brow, but I didn’t care.

  “I need your help,” I said, my shoulders tensed up to my ears.

  “Come in,” Watcher Brody grumbled. He closed the door and walked into the kitchen, promptly returning with a broom. “What if I wouldn’t have been home? Would you have just waited outside?”

  I gestured toward the window. “Where else would you have been?”

  “It’s where you should be too. Your cabin,” Watcher Brody said, flashing his eyes toward me.

  “I have a problem. I didn’t know where else to go.”

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, leaning forward on the broom handle.

  I bit down on my cheek and swallowed down my worry, so I didn’t burst into tears. “Steph is missing. One of the other farmers saw her jump into the lake.”

  “Why on earth would she do that?”

  “I think she’s trying to find her way back to the Capital,” I said.

  “How will jumping into the lake help her get to the Capital?” Watcher Brody asked, bending at the waist to sweep the dirt he’d collected into a dustpan.

  I exhaled as I unwrapped the smock from my head. Bit of sand fell to the floor where he’d just swept.

  “Sorry,” I said with a nervous smile. “I wasn’t thinking. Let me clean up.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Watcher Brody said. “So,” he said as he worked, “how is jumping into the lake going to help your friend get back to the Capital?”

  “She thinks if she can get close to death again, they’ll send her back there for treatment,” I said. “I don’t think she realizes that they aren’t going to send her back again.”

  Watcher Brody shook his head. “Yeah, the only reason they did the first time was because there were too many witnesses. Too many people begging for her life to be saved.”

  “I tried to tell her as much,” I said. “We need to go find her before it’s too late.”