The Union

by T. H. Hernandez

  Before he can answer, Cyrus calls over his shoulder, “You two go ahead. I’ll catch up with you.”

  I stew as I stomp toward the house. I have no designs on him. Wanting to kiss a boy doesn’t mean I own him. Taking over his bedroom doesn’t mean we’re in a relationship. Thinking of Cyrus and Lucy only pisses me off. I need to talk about something else. Anything else. “What’s Dag’s deal?”

  “Dag? He’s nothing but trouble.”

  “I figured that much out on my own…but you guys are friends, right?”

  He shrugs. “I guess. We grew up together. But Dag was always into stuff he shouldn’t have been. He’s a year older than me and Cy and we thought he was cool. We were always following him around, getting into trouble.”

  I try to picture younger versions of Cyrus and Marcus running around the Ruins getting into trouble, wondering what “trouble” even looks like out here.

  “He’s got a reputation as a heartbreaker.”

  “He seems very sure of himself. So, did he come with you after the tornado?”

  “Naw. Lucien never would’ve allowed that. He could always see Dag for the delinquent he is. He just showed up here one day. Said after we left, the town was too boring and pointed himself in the direction we headed and walked until he got here.”

  Yeah, I’m not buying it. Something tells me there’s far more to Dag than meets the eye.

  20

  More Than Meets the Eye

  After dinner, I pull out the book I picked up at the trading post and take it downstairs where the younger boys are playing in front of the couch.

  “Would you like to learn how to read?”

  Ben’s dark eyes widen as if he can’t believe what I asked. “Would I!”

  Ty and Connor nod their blond heads.

  “Okay. Good. Let’s go outside while it’s still light enough.”

  Ben narrows his eyes. “Wait, why are you teaching us? You’re still going to read to us, aren’t you?”

  “Of course. But if you know how, you won’t need to wait for me, or you can read stuff the others aren’t interested in.”

  “Oh.” He smiles, revealing his one dimple. “I thought maybe you were gonna leave.”

  This kid knows where to hit me where it hurts, but I can’t lie to him. “I need to go home, Ben. My family’s there. They miss me.”

  His big brown eyes fill with tears. “I thought we were your family.”

  I wrap my arms around him. “You are. Let’s not worry about it now, okay? I’m not leaving yet. I promise.”

  He nods and I release him, turning toward Ty and Connor. Their faces are equally drawn. I had no idea they cared that much. They barely talk to me, and the only time we spend together is when I read to them in the evenings.

  I push the unsettling emotions from my mind and focus on my plan, explaining about vowels, consonants, and sounds. Taking a stick, I draw the vowels in the dirt in both upper and lower case and explain how each has a long and a short sound, giving them examples of words so they can hear them in action.

  They practice with their own sticks until the darkening sky makes it impossible to see and we head back inside. I sit on the couch next to the candle, Ben beside me with his curly head resting on my arm, and open up Dr. Seuss’s A, B, Cs. I begin with the letter A and ask Ben to point out all vowels on the page he can identify. Before long, Ty and Connor lose interest and wander off.

  We skip the next few pages and go to E and do the same until we get through all the vowels. Then Ben hops down and returns with Little House in the Big Woods, the book we’re currently in the middle of. I read until Ty lets loose a jaw-splitting yawn.

  Ally ushers the boys to bed and I head outside to my favorite spot. Before I even get settled on the rock, the front door closes and footsteps make their way toward me.

  “Can I join you?” Cyrus’s deep baritone calls up.

  “Suit yourself.” It comes out snippier than I intended. He was with Lucy all afternoon. I don’t want to think about what they were doing that whole time, and I’m pissed that it bothers me so much.

  “You all right?”

  “I’m fine,” I say, trying to soften my tone.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see him studying me, and when I let my gaze meet his, warmth slides over me like a fuzzy blanket on a cold winter night. I’m an idiot. Why do I always set my sights on boys who are interested in someone else? First Bryce and Alivia and now Cyrus with Lucy. Maybe I only want what I can’t have. I’m sure it has to do with my daddy issues. I mean, doesn’t everything?

  “Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”

  “Yeah. Yeah. I’m…sorry. Long day, I guess. So, what’s the deal with the trading post? Where do they get everything? Some of it looks like it’s from the Union.”

  “There’s a pretty sophisticated smuggling network here. They bring stuff in from up north or down south, and I’ve always suspected some also goes into and comes out of the Union.” He lays down beside me, fixing his gaze on the night sky.

  “Wait. So, they get stuff from the Northern Territories or Mexico or even the Union and bring it here to trade for what? Locally grown produce and some fresh eggs? That doesn’t make sense. Why would they take such a risk for something they can get much easier almost anywhere else?”

  He shrugs. “I don’t know how everything works, but there’s a profit to be made or they wouldn’t bother.”

  Some of the pieces start to fall into place. Milk, butter, and cheese had the highest values of anything we traded. If it’s going back into the Union, that makes sense. Dairy from cows is rare and expensive back home because of the limited land for raising livestock. But there’s more to it than that. There must be. “The house where I was held had crates of products like what was at the trading post. Do you think the guys who kidnapped me are smugglers?”

  “Could be. They’ve got to stage stuff somewhere. They could be smugglers, or mules, or distributors. But if they’re warehousing products, no doubt they’re involved somehow.”

  How does Bryce fit into all of this? That’s still a huge missing piece. I let out a yawn to rival one of Ty’s. “I’m beat. Thanks for inviting me this morning. I had fun.”

  “Anytime.”

  I say goodnight to Lucien and Draya on my way through the living room and go up to my room. As I’m about to climb into bed, I notice something on the chest — the jar of hair balm. One of them must have seen me put it back and grabbed it for me. It’s such a simple gesture, but my heart swells a little more.

  21

  Simple Gestures

  Ally sits next to me on the edge of the watering hole while Draya and Sonia finish their showers. Draya and I managed to develop a semi-civil relationship. She doesn’t criticize me every chance she gets and I avoid her as much as possible. It’s not ideal but it works for us.

  I apply some of my new hair product, twirling the strands into ringlets as Ally watches in fascination.

  “Wow, that’s cool. I wish my hair would do that,” she says, braiding her hair, her fingers flying in an acrobatic blur.

  “Thanks, but I wish my hair was like yours.”

  “Mama used to say you always want what you don’t have.” She winds a band around the end of her braid.

  The irony of this conversation is not lost on me. “Yeah, my mom said she wanted curly hair curly like mine, and I always envied her beautiful straight hair.”

  “Do you miss her?”

  “We had our issues like most mothers and daughters, but I do miss her. A lot.”

  Ally drops her gaze to her hands in her lap. “I miss mine, too.”

  “Where is she?”

  She glances over at Sonia and Draya in the water. “We lived about two hours north of here. Daddy went hunting one day and never came back. No matter what Mama tried to tell us, I knew he’d just up and left us. I guess three kids and a wife were too much for him.” She pauses and leans back on her forearms, staring at nothing.

  “A few year
s ago some guys came to our house looking for food. We barely had enough for us, but Mama gave them what she could. They wanted more and demanded our pigs, too. Mama offered one, but they insisted on all three. I think she’d had enough at that point and walked toward the kitchen where she kept the shotgun. One of them grabbed her before she got far.”

  She reaches down and picks up a rock, rolling it between her fingers. “Mama yelled for me and the boys to hide, so we ran outside. We heard her screaming as we crawled under the chicken coop. I left the boys and told them to keep quiet then went back to the house and peeked in the window. I saw them…” Her voice drops to a whisper. “…doing stuff to her. I screamed at them to leave her alone, and one of them told the others to grab me.”

  My heart beats wildly as Ally’s story unfolds in vivid color. I picture everything like the worst movie I’ve ever seen, the kind that leaves nightmares in its wake for days after.

  “I ran to the woods and climbed a tree, not wanting to lead them to the boys. They finally gave up looking for me, but I still waited until dark before I went back to the chicken coop. Connor told me Mama screamed for a long time before she got quiet. We spent the night under there.

  “The next day they tied ropes around the pigs’ necks and grabbed some chickens. I was sure they were going to find us but they didn’t. When they left, we waited a couple of hours before crawling out. I ran to the house, and when I opened the door...”

  Ally cries, heaving sobs wracking her body while I sit uselessly beside her. I reach out a shaking hand and rub her back until she composes herself. “Sorry,” she says, wiping a tear.

  “Don’t. You have nothing to apologize for. I’m so sorry I asked. I had no idea. I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut.”

  She gives me a watery smile and shakes her head. “I haven’t talked about this in ages. I think I needed to. Talk about it I mean.” She takes a deep breath and lets it back out. “When I opened the door, she was lying on the floor. Naked. Her eyes were open but I knew she was dead. There was…so much blood…everywhere. I know what they did to her, but I didn’t want the boys to see her like that. I made them wait outside while cleaned and dressed her. We buried her behind the house.”

  Ally lets out shuddering sigh. “I did my best to take care of the boys. I hunted and they gathered eggs and stuff...” She trails off for a long moment. “But Ty wasn’t even three yet, he still needed his mama.”

  “How did you end up here?”

  She wipes her eyes with the back of her wrist. “Cyrus, Lucien, and Marcus found us. I almost shot Cyrus’s head clean off.” She smiles a little. “I was out chopping wood when Cy asked if I needed help. I freaked. When I saw Lucien and Marcus behind him, I thought they were more bandits coming to take what they wanted. I ran into the house, locked the door, and told the boys to hide under the bed. I grabbed the shotgun and sat inside the door, ready to shoot anyone who tried to come in.

  “Cyrus knocked but I ignored him. He knocked again before poking his head around to look in the window. I was so scared, I didn’t aim, I just fired. I missed him, but not by much. Marcus and Lucien started yelling they only wanted to know I was okay. All I had to do was tell them I was fine and they’d leave.”

  “I didn’t answer because I didn’t know what to say,” Ally continues. “I was only thirteen, too young to be a mother to two little boys, but I wasn’t sure I could trust them either. I sat for hours, thinking about what to do. While I was trying to sort it all out, Marcus fetched Sonia. She talked to me through the door, and something about her voice or what she said got through to me.” She glances up at Sonia and smiles. “When I opened the door, Sonia took one look at me and pulled me into her arms as if she knew that was exactly what I needed.”

  My heart breaks apart in my chest, and I have no idea what to say.

  Draya wipes her hands on her shorts. “We’d better get back and let someone else use the shower.” She turns to me. “Your hair is pretty like that.”

  My mouth falls open as I stare at her in stunned silence.

  A knock comes as we’re finishing the dinner dishes. I’m learning neighbors often visit one another in the evenings. Lucien goes down to answer the door. Soon, male voices and laughter accompany two sets of footsteps clomping up the stairs.

  Dag saunters across the room, his blue eyes roaming over me as I dry a plate. “Well hello there, Evan.” A seductive smile crosses his face, revealing a set of dimples. He might be attractive, with his wavy blond hair and square jaw, if he wasn’t so skeevy.

  Cyrus appears out of nowhere, grabs a towel, and helps me finish drying the dishes. The others are at the table readying for a game of poker by the time we’re done.

  Dag deals a couple of extra hands, one for Cyrus, and apparently one for me. “Now don’t go runnin’ off, darlin’. I dealt you in. Play a hand with us.”

  I glance at Cyrus who’s taking a seat, his face set in a determined scowl. I weigh going outside or even up to my room, but as much as Dag creeps me out, I would rather be with my friends than alone.

  Taking a seat, I toss my chip into the ante pile and make the mistake of glancing at Dag. His eyes linger on my lips before sliding down to my chest. “So, Evan, how’d you end up here with these losers?”

  I open my mouth to answer, but Lucien interrupts before I get a word out. “You hear anything about a shipment of scotch? I want to make sure I’m there when it arrives. Don’t want to chance missing out.”

  Dag turns his attention to Lucien. “Yeah, next week some time.”

  I sort the cards in my hand while they talk about scotch, tuning them out. Sonia lets out a loud laugh and knocks over a glass of water, spilling it on my shorts.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She hops up, pulling me with her and drags me up to her room.

  “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. You can’t trust Dag. Don’t tell him you’re from the Union. Make something up. Anything.”

  I search her face for answers but she’s busy finding a clean pair of shorts for me. After I change, we return to the game. With the first lull in the conversation, Dag jumps back in. “So, Evan, you never did say how you ended up here.”

  I think about Ally’s story from this morning and manage to conjure up a couple of tears. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

  “Oh, hey, darlin’, I’m sorry.”

  I’ve had enough of Dag for one night and excuse myself. As I get up, Dag says, “Darlin’, I’m real sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  Plopping down on my bed with a satisfied smirk, I grab a book from the pile and read for a while. I’m just starting to doze off when Sonia comes in.

  “You were amazing, Evan.”

  “What?”

  “With Dag. The crying thing, what you said, it was perfect. He apologized a couple more times.”

  “I’ve met some real douchebags in my life, but he’s right up there with the worst of them.”

  She sighs. “I wish he was just some creep, but I have some serious doubts about why he’s really here.”

  22

  Upping the Ante

  After breakfast, Cyrus corners me in the kitchen. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

  Intrigued, I trail him outside where he slings a pack over his shoulder and leads the way behind the house. Stuffing down my nervous excitement, I remind myself he and Lucy spent yesterday together.

  We follow the tree line before he makes a sharp turn into the wooded area. Leaves crunch beneath our boots as we plod along, our feet kicking up the rich, dark soil, creating a musty, earthy odor with each step. Curiosity swells, filling me until I’m ready to burst. I resist the urge to ask where we’re going, only for fear of spoiling the surprise.

  Bird songs and the percussion of our footfalls are soon joined by the gentle notes of flowing water. Off to the left is a steep drop into a ravine where the stream runs through this part of the valley. We skirt the edge a short distance before Cyrus des
cends, reaching back to take my hand. I know the gesture is only meant to steady me, but someone needs to clue in my heart which thumps harder at his touch.

  A structure built about halfway down the sloped sides hovers over the water, stopping me in my tracks. Even from here I can tell it’s well-crafted and oddly familiar, although I know I’ve never been here. The ground has been leveled on either side of the ravine supporting a concrete and rock foundation. Thick wooden beams traverse the gorge, and additional uprights embedded in the foundation hold up and support a hut-like dwelling.

  I take a few steps closer and can make out an upper deck with a bench, table, and a ladder leading down to a suspended area below, about ten feet above the stream.

  “What is this?” I ask, awe clinging to my words.

  “A place where I come when I need to get away.”

  I tear my eyes away from the hut to stare at him. “This is yours?”

  He shrugs and leads the way to the entrance. When I step onto the floor, I realize why it feels familiar. The same materials and craftsmanship that went into their house are evident throughout.

  “Did you build it?”

  He grips the back of his neck. “Yeah. I started not long after we arrived, taking the leftovers from the house. It took almost a year to finish.” He’s quiet for a moment before his gaze slides to me. “I’ve never brought anyone here.”

  I find that hard to believe. This must be where he brings girls when he wants to be alone with them. Where he brings Lucy. “No one?” I eye him with suspicion.

  “You’re the first.”

  The desire to kiss him overtakes me again, and this time it’s impossible to resist. All the feelings I’ve been trying to deny bubble to the surface. I take a step toward him, drawn to the heat of his body. Without thinking through the wisdom of my actions I reach up and touch my lips to his soft, full bottom lip.