Rain's Rebellion

by ID Johnson

  Adam pulled back the tarp to their new abode. “After you?”

  A shy smile took over her face, even though Rain had slept with Adam before and shouldn’t let this situation affect her. But it was. Especially in light of the noises coming from next door. He helped her spread the blankets on the floor, and then Rain lay down, trying not to hog the one pillow Cla had been able to spare for the two of them. Adam was sitting near the opening, as if he still felt the need to keep watch, and she let him. She might not be able to trust the citizens of Dafo to keep her safe while she slept, but she could trust him.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Pitch black greeted her when Rain opened her eyes. There was no way of knowing what time it was since her timepiece was in her backpack, which had been confiscated. Her back ached from sleeping on thin blankets on top of a concrete floor, but she didn’t stir, afraid she’d wake Adam who was lying next to her.

  Her stomach growled loudly reminding Rain that she’d fallen asleep before she’d eaten anything. As soon as she’d laid down, she’d been out like a light. How many hours ago had that been? She couldn’t say, but she had a feeling it had been a while.

  Not only was her stomach screaming at her, so was her bladder. Muttering a curse word, and praying she didn’t wake Adam, she sat up, hoping somehow she’d be able to see better at this angle. Her eyes adjusted slightly, but it was still unbelievably dark, and she had no idea how she’d make it to the restroom in a strange place without stumbling into the wrong area or tripping and breaking her neck.

  “Are you okay?” Adam whispered, leaning up on one elbow.

  “I’m so sorry I woke you.” Rain could hardly see him, it was so dark in their little compartment.

  The sound of ruffling let her know he was moving again. She could see his outline next to her then, sitting up. “It’s okay. Are you hungry? We saved you some food.”

  “Yeah, but….” Rain could feel her cheeks heating as she pondered how to tell him what she really needed. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She pushed up off of the ground to standing, but Adam caught her hand.

  “Wait. Where are you going?”

  “I’ll be back.” She tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn’t let go.

  “Rain! You can’t go by yourself. I’ll walk you.”

  She chuckled louder than she meant to but stifled it. “Adam, I’ll be fine.”

  “Mist doesn’t want us going anywhere alone. Besides, I can stand to go, too.”

  So he knew where she was headed. Of course, he did. Where else could it be? It wasn’t like the four of them hadn’t wandered off into the woods to do their business at least a couple dozen times while they were traveling, but this seemed different somehow.

  Adam didn’t let go of her hand, but as he moved to the opening, he stopped and bent down, picking something up off of the ground.

  It was a long black tube unlike anything Rain had ever seen before. He let go of her hand for a second and twisted it, and a faint light came out of the end of it. “What’s that?” she asked.

  “Cla called it a flashlight. She said we should use it if we need to go to the bathroom, but be careful not to shine it on people’s homes if we can help it.”

  Rain nodded. So it was sort of like a flashtube, but not nearly as powerful. It made sense that they wouldn’t want to use something as bright as the devices they had available in such a confined space, but she’d never heard of a flashlight before. Perhaps they’d never heard of a flashtube.

  Adam took her hand again and led her out into the walkway. The building was so quiet now, save for the sound of snoring coming from a few of the tents they passed and a baby crying somewhere in the distance. “Cla said they have lights out at nine. Everyone gets up at six. They try to keep everyone on the same schedule in case of attack.”

  Rain nodded, not wanting to risk speaking when it might wake someone. As they continued, a faint glow up ahead clued her in to where the restrooms were. Unlike the homes, this area had actual walls with doors, and the light was coming from underneath them.

  “Meet you out here?” Adam asked.

  Rain nodded, hoping she didn’t have to pee so badly that it took forever, and he started wondering what was taking her so long. She headed inside, glad to see there was no one else in there. There were three stalls. She picked the middle one and went about doing her business as quickly as possible.

  When she was finished, she hastily washed her hands at the sink, thinking about how something so routine had become so foreign to her, and headed back outside.

  Adam was already there, of course, but he didn’t look as if he’d been waiting too long for her. He took her hand in his, and they headed back to their borrowed home.

  Once inside, Adam handed her the food they’d set aside for her. It was a thick stew, and even though it was cold, it was still delicious. Rain ate it quickly, washing it down with some water from a cup Cla and her daughters had also provided. It had a bit of a metallic taste to it, but it wasn’t bad. Certainly better than a hydration pill.

  Adam sat up waiting for her, holding the flashlight so she could see. He didn’t speak, though. Whether it was because he didn’t want to wake Mist and Walt or just didn’t have anything to say, she wasn’t sure, but she was too busy devouring her food to make conversation anyway.

  When she was finished eating, Rain settled back down onto the floor, her head on the edge of the pillow so Adam had his fair share. He turned the flashlight off and sank down next to her, leaving the blanket they’d been sharing earlier between them.

  It was too bad they couldn’t stay here. Not that she loved the living arrangement, but these people were kind and seemed to have a nice way of life. But it wasn’t a possibility. Every moment they were there put Dal and his followers in more danger, and she would never be able to forgive herself if anything happened to any of them.

  “Do you feel better?” Adam’s voice cut through the darkness. She’d assumed he’d gone back to sleep. “You were out like a light.”

  “Oh, yeah. Sorry. I was pretty tired.”

  “I guess so.” He laughed slightly, and she could picture his smile in her mind.

  “Did you get any sleep?”

  “Yeah. Eventually. After the noise died down.”

  “Noise?”

  Again, he was chuckling. “Our neighbors got a little friendly and didn’t seem to care that the walls are made of thin fabric.”

  “Oh, my!” Rain was glad that she’d missed it. “I don’t even know what to say other than--that’s interesting.”

  “Yeah. I’m kinda surprised it didn’t wake you up.”

  “I must’ve been out of it pretty good.”

  “For sure.”

  Not certain what else to say, Rain laid still, looking up at the darkness. Her eyes adjusted slightly so she could sort of see the ceiling. The lighter color of the concrete gave it a faint glow against the rest of the blackness. Pockmarks reminded her that she had no idea how stable the structure she was lying in might be. She had to push those thoughts aside so that it didn’t drive her crazy thinking about the cement crumbling down around her.

  “Do you think… you’ll ever get married?”

  Adam’s question completely threw her off. He’d been quiet for so long, one again, she’d assumed he had gone back to sleep--or was trying to anyway. The whole concept of marriage was so foreign to her, she’d never even imagined marrying a man. In Michaelanburg, only Sameys got married. “I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe.”

  He didn’t respond, but she could tell by the way that he was breathing he was considering her answer, probably weighing it even more deeply than she had before the words had spilled from her mouth.

  “Do you think you will?” Rain asked him, not sure she wanted to hear the answer. The idea that Adam might meet someone in the Nation of Quebec, settle down, have a family, sat inside of her much like the excess liquid that had almost burst her bladder earlier--it was an unwanted idea, that wa
s for certain.

  “I sure hope so,” he said, his tone conveying he’d given it a lot of thought. “I bet Mist and Walt get married as soon as they can.”

  “Yeah, they probably will.” She hoped she had hidden the disappointment in her voice. Adam was an amazing person, and no one deserved to be happy more so than him. If he found a woman who loved him and would give him everything in the world to make him happy, that’s what she wanted for him, even if it wounded her to the core. “I hope you do, Adam.”

  “What’s that?”

  She heard him turn his head to look at her, but didn’t do the same. She couldn’t bring herself to look him in the face and say it, even if it was dark, and she wouldn’t be able to see his eyes. “I hope you find someone who makes you as happy as Mist and Walt make each other, that you can get married, and get all of the wonderful things this world has to offer.”

  She fully expected him to say thank you in a cheerful voice, but he didn’t say anything at all for the longest time. For a moment, Rain thought maybe she’d inadvertently said something rude. She went back over her comments in her mind but couldn’t note anything offensive. Eventually, Adam said, “Thanks, Rain,” and then rolled over, pulling the blanket up over his shoulder.

  Confused, Rain considered her words again. She had only wished him well. Why would that make him angry?

  With no answers, Rain rolled over, too, curling up into a ball and willing herself to go to sleep. She knew they’d have plenty more long days of walking ahead of them, so she may as well sleep while she could, even if she had just made a costly error in her choice of words she simply could not identify.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  “We are down to six missing men and nine women,” Peach announced, coming into the command center. The Mother had a satisfied look on her face, as if that were good news. Mother White did not think so. Neither did President Violet.

  Violet hadn’t moved from the command center since her arrival, days ago. White was fairly certain the woman hadn’t even closed her eyes for more than a few seconds, though it’s possible she could’ve slept when White was catching a quick nap here and there. She studied her old friend as she took in the news, watched one dark eyebrow twitch for a moment before she asked, “Does that include the three women and four men we believe made it south of our border?”

  Peach’s resilience was shaken as she realized her news was not as pleasant as she’d hoped. “N-no, President Violet. I meant completely unaccounted for.”

  Violet’s face didn’t change a bit, save a small flare of her nostrils. “Then amend your count, Mother Peach. Just because they’ve gone over the border, that does not mean our pursuit stops.”

  “Yes, President Violet.” Peach turned and hurried back out the door. Exactly why she needed to leave to make the requested changes, White wasn’t sure. Knowing Peach, she was off to go shed a few tears for being chastised.

  Violet pressed a hand to her forehead and let out a long sigh, picking up her energy beverage and taking a long draw before she stood and walked over to where White was standing, staring at a map. After the debacle with the tiger, White had pressed Jaguar to move faster. She’d also called in assistance from other towns in monitoring the footage brought in by the drones. That was exactly how they’d caught up to another group, headed toward the western border. The military had moved in and mowed them down, two women and a man. So far, the rebellion wasn’t working out quite as Lightning and her friends had planned.

  But then… they did have a party that had made it across the southern border, into another nation’s territories. So far, the strained situation with the male dominated government of Spanish-America had not come to blows, but that could change at any moment, particularly if the escapees had information about Michaelanburg that President Violet and the other leaders had worked hard to hide from nations who would be quick to attack if those secrets were leaked. As it was, the foreign government was already amassing troops and weapons far too close to their shared border for White’s comfort. Violet had moved most of her troops there, thus creating a situation where Gretchintown was not as well monitored as it should’ve been when the rebellion took place.

  “What of the girl?” Violet asked, watching red blips symbolizing Jaguar’s forces move steadily north on the map. “Surely, she can’t have reached Dafo yet.”

  “A drone exploded in their force field a few hours ago,” White reminded her. She was sure Violet had received the news, though White had been elsewhere when she’d been notified. “While it’s not unusual for them to shoot down any of our tech, we do believe it’s possible the drone was tracking the rebels.” Accessing her info tab from under her arm, she pulled up the footage she’d spent an hour or so examining earlier and narrowed in on the still photograph she wanted Violet to see.

  The president took the tablet and held it closer to her face, narrowing her eyes as she peered at it. She nodded. “Whose territory is that?”

  “Dal,” White said quickly. She was well apprised of the dozens of different territories Dafo was divided into.

  “Will he give them refuge?”

  “It is hard to say,” White admitted. “We have done much damage to his tribe over the years, particularly when they continued to scavenge further north than we were comfortable with, crossing into no-man’s land as much as five miles from the border of Dafo. He may see them as a part of us and mow them down before they even have a chance to speak.”

  “He will see the men and question them,” Violet said, tipping her head up as she handed the tablet back and folded her hands in front of her confidently.

  White nodded. She thought so, too. Shifting her weight on her boots, she waited for Violet to finish thinking and give her an order. The president was the only one she would take orders from at this point in her career.

  Violet wasn’t ready to take action yet. “How far is Jaguar from Dafo?”

  “Fifteen miles. She can be there by morning, but she and her forces are not equipped to attack Dal and his snipers.”

  “How long will it take to get them ready?”

  White swallowed hard. “If we utilize the heliobirds, they can have the equipment Jaguar needs there in a few hours, but if Dal sees our birds, he will shoot them down.”

  “What about the transporters?”

  “I’ve had four of them brought up from Judithtown. That’s half of what we have available. There is no clear overland route. It will take longer, but it would be safer. They can stay back from the border and meet Jaguar and her women here.” She pointed at a road on the map, one of the few that was still maintained.

  Violet was quiet for several minutes before she said, “If a helio goes down over Dafo….”

  White nodded. She already knew the threats involved if the rest of the world knew how the helios were powered. They’d had a close call once before.

  “Dal will not hesitate. We have surprised him many times before, and he has been close to shooting us down. This time, he will be expecting it. He will be on full alert.”

  “Yes, President Violet,” White agreed.

  With her chin still tipped toward the ceiling and her left eye narrowed, Violet said, “Send in the transporters. Tell Jaguar she must protect the tech at all costs.”

  “I will make sure she understands,” White assured her.

  Violet nodded, and White stepped away to make the call to Jaguar. She trusted Jaguar immensely, but with this sort of responsibility, she truly wished she’d opted to go out into the field herself. She glanced over at Violet, thinking perhaps she should ask for permission to report to the front line now. However, Violet was speaking to Mother Mare about the situation in the south. The conversation would have to wait; the more White considered the battle that was about to begin and the pursuit that would follow, the more eager she became to do more than orchestrate flashing dots on a tablet. She wanted to be there when the Mothers caught up to Rain and her companions. She wanted to bring her in herself.

&nb
sp; Chapter Forty-Seven

  The sound of fabric being yanked back woke Rain, causing her to sit bolt upright on the makeshift bed. Her hand automatically reached for a weapon that wasn’t there. Thankfully, it was Mist’s familiar face that met her eye, which made the pounding of her heart soften slightly.

  “We need to get going,” her friend said, entering the room, her hand extended. Rain reached up, palm open, and Mist dropped a capsule into her hand before offering the same to Adam. “I expect Dal will or Cla will be here soon to get us. We should be ready to go. I don’t want to overstay our welcome.”

  Rain looked at the pill in her hand and realized it was an energy pill. She’d definitely be needing that. Even though she’d gone back to sleep after visiting the restroom, it hadn’t been restful; the conversation she’d had with Adam hadn’t left her mind, even when she’d closed her eyes and tried to find sleep. Now, he handed her a canteen of water so she could take her pill, and she thanked him. Even though he was smiling, there was something guarded in the expression; it wasn’t quite as friendly as usual.

  She swallowed the pill down, hoping it kicked in quickly, and handed the water back so he could take his. “We should definitely make sure we fill up our water bottles before we go. The water here seems clean, unlike what we’ll find out in the countryside,” Mist reminded them.

  Nodding, Rain looked around for her boots and saw them sitting a few feet away. Her head felt foggy, and her legs were still aching from the trek the day before, but she was ready to get moving. The Mothers had to have made up some ground while they slept. While the last thing Rain wanted was for Dal and his people to have any problems because of their stay, if coming through Dafo slowed the military down any at all, she’d be thankful.