Tier Trilogy: Books 1-3

by Cindy Gunderson

  Back inside the house, I finally begin the task of organizing and emptying out our packs. Though I meant to deal with them initially, there were too many other distractions. I had forgotten how much work it is to cook for this many people, let alone cleaning up after them. With our meals for today already prepped, thanks to the older children, I line up the gear and begin to sort everything into piles.

  It goes more quickly than I had anticipated, likely because we used up everything perishable and came home with less than we took initially. I quickly wash the camping sheets and hang them to dry with the laundry, then set up the shelter to air out. I’ll sweep it out later, when everything else is put away.

  Reaching into the bottom of my pack, I find something unexpected. A bundle that feels unfamiliar beneath my fingertips. Pulling it out, I freeze, staring at it. I can’t believe I forgot that Jessica handed me these. The moment must have gotten lost in all the other demands that were more pertinent at the time.

  Retreating to my bedroom, my heart beats faster as I carefully open the sack and pull out its contents. Notebooks, Nick’s favorite hat, a baseball...my fingers trace the thread, remembering the many times he played with the boys at the park. Then, my hand closes around something that I have difficulty forcing myself to remove. Just feeling the smooth wooden handle causes my face to contort and tears to stream down my cheeks. With shaky movements, I pull the rattle from the bag and stare. This was Leah’s. Her favorite toy. At least, it was when she was little. I can’t believe he kept it. Holding it to my heart, I will it to remind me of her face each time she played with this. The memories are slipping a little more each day and it kills me.

  Standing, I blow my nose with a cloth on the dresser and take a few deep breaths before returning to the bed. Placing the objects to the side, I open the first notebook.

  Kate is beautiful.

  I read this sentence three times before forcing myself to move on. What are these?

  Her stomach is getting larger by the day and I can physically see the little kicks against her skin.

  Are these his personal journals? I didn’t know Nick kept a journal, though it doesn’t surprise me. He was religious about keeping notes on his trials. I continue to read, my curiosity peaking.

  I met with the Committee tonight. It felt great to report our success with the program so far. Bentley and I are getting along great. Being with Kate is...well, more than I could have hoped for.

  I turn the pages. More notes on our life, more moments that I’m not sure I want to remember. Though some of it provides fresh perspective, Nick and I discussed most of this at one time or another. Near the end, however, I find something that catches my eye:

  “At least I know why that dream was so persistent for her.”

  What? What dream? I flick back a few pages and begin reading.

  “Kate continues to struggle with this dream—about her mom. Though I obviously haven’t seen it myself, her description is disturbing. Like her mom was desperate to tell her something. I’m going to dig into this and see what I can find.”

  Good luck, I think, then laugh at the ridiculousness of the thought. This has already happened, and I have already spent days upon days searching any of my mom’s files that still existed. If there was anything there, I would have already found it.

  Turning the page, I continue reading.

  Found something today. It was restricted, but as if that ever stops me...haha.

  I laugh in spite of myself, shaking my head.

  Kate’s birth records aren’t consistent with her health records. When I traced it back, I found a discrepancy that didn’t sit right with me. Seemed to be a clerical error, but...I don’t know. It stuck out to me and I want to look into it.

  My heart stops. Could there have been something I missed? I don’t remember having to bypass any restricted files in my search. But maybe I already had access as her progeny? Tracing the page, I blur through the sentences, trying to find another revelation. He explains Berg’s edict to place children with fit parents, to rehabilitate those who struggled after birth—yes, I know all of this, I think impatiently. What does any of it have to do with—

  “Mom!” Bentley calls and my head shoots up. The front door slams, and seconds later he is racing through my bedroom door. “Mom, Dad says you have to come see this.”

  “Can it wait just a minute? I—”

  “No, you have to come right now!” Bentley insists, his eyes wide with excitement.

  “Alright, I’m coming,” I laugh, setting the journal down on the bed, still open to the page. This better be good, I think, following him to the yard.

  Bentley leads me to a grove of trees on the other side of the garden.

  “Ta-da!” Eric announces as I round the corner, pointing at a structure in the trees.

  “Whoa! Is this what you guys have been working on all morning?” I ask in awe. A platform stretches between the trees with steps nailed into the bark. Tal stands in the center of it with his hands on his hips, his cast protruding from his pant leg.

  “I’m super impressed,” I admit, inspecting it from below.

  “We’re going to add walls, and a window—Dad says we could even connect another one in that tree over there,” Bentley explains exuberantly.

  “With a rope bridge,” Eric adds.

  “I thought you guys were doing chores…” I tease.

  “We were,” Tal says, “but then Bentley had this idea and it was too good to waste.”

  “I love it,” I say. “Where are the little ones?”

  “They’re playing tag,” Eric answers, and Bentley rushes off in search of the game.

  “Thanks for coming to check it out,” Eric says, turning to me and putting his arm around my shoulders.

  “I was kind of busy,” I admit playfully, turning to walk back to the house, pulling him with me.

  “Yeah?”

  “I was emptying our packs—remember that bundle Jessica gave me?”

  Eric looks confused.

  “She gave me some of Nick’s things,” I explain. “I found some old notebooks in there. He discovered something odd with my birth records, but it doesn’t seem like it led him to anything substantial.”

  “Huh,” Eric says, his eyebrows furrowed.

  “Want to come read the rest of it with me?” I offer.

  “Sure,” he says, “Just let me put these tools in the shed.”

  I nod, watching him go.

  “I’m over here!” Bentley shouts, racing behind the cucumber trellises.

  “That’s not fair!” Tal exclaims as he hobbles in his cast, attempting to find a way around that prevents him from escaping.

  I laugh, carefully sidestepping the soft earth along the garden.

  “They are going to be so muddy,” I comment to Eric as he pops out of the shed.

  “Yeah...but at least they’re enjoying the weather now that the rain stopped.”

  “A small consolation,” I mutter.

  Suddenly, Eric’s head shoots skyward, searching the horizon.

  “It’s definitely going to rain later. Those clouds are moving closer by the minute,” I comment. When he doesn’t answer, I search his expression and immediately tense.

  “What is it?” I ask, but he holds out a hand, silencing me.

  “Kids!” he shouts across the yard, “get in the house.”

  It’s happening. Though I can’t hear or see what he’s noticing, I can feel it. The energy in the yard has shifted. Someone’s coming.

  Chapter 134

  Eric and I wait in front of the door, the kids hiding in the back room. They know the drill: remain silent until one of us comes to retrieve them. We assume that Berg will at least allow us the courtesy of comforting them before we have to leave. I had honestly convinced myself that we were past having to worry about this. I was so sure...I sigh, my eyes misty.

  “It’s going to be okay, Kate,” Eric says softly.

  “We don’t know that.”

&nbs
p; “I know. But it feels like the right thing to say,” he whispers, his arm again around my shoulder, squeezing me tight.

  The vehicle stops, exactly where the transport parked when we first arrived here. This truck looks more heavy duty—I doubt the road here was as easily passable as it was the first time around. While it’s similar to the truck Val used to sneak us into Tier 2, it has a covered back end and visible interior seats.

  “Those would have been nice,” I mutter, and Eric looks at me confused.

  Before I can explain, the passenger door opens and my jaw drops. I’d recognize that bob anywhere. My hands clench into fists, my fingernails pressing into my palms as rage, hurt, and frustration coalesce into an explosive concoction within me. I take an angry step forward—

  “No,” Eric says, pulling me back. “Wait a second, I think—”

  Instead of walking toward us, Shari moves to the back seat. Opening the door, she pulls something—a tiny person with vibrant, blond hair—into the sunlight. Setting her on the ground, she reaches in a second time...

  Ripping from Eric’s grasp, I run, nearly tripping on a rock near the steps. Closing the distance, a thought occurs to me. I look like a crazy person! They don’t even know who I am!

  Slowing, I attempt to pull myself together, but my shaking hands are a lost cause. Shari meets my eyes as I round the front of the vehicle. A deep sadness fills her expression, but she quickly engages with the girls, her tell-tale mask of confidence replaced upon her face.

  “Beth, Leah, this is Kate,” she explains, squatting down next to them and pointing my direction.

  Two pairs of brilliant, shining eyes search my face. Beth smiles first. “You knew our daddy?” she asks, her voice innocent and sweet.

  I nod, tears streaming down my face. Crouching down, I open my arms, hoping beyond anything that they’ll choose to run into them. Beth looks at Leah and grins playfully, then rushes toward me.

  As they both hit my chest, I’m careful not to squeeze too tightly, but it’s difficult to restrain myself. The smell of their hair warmed by the sun, their soft shoulders, their chests rising and falling with each excited breath—it all nearly undoes me.

  As quickly as it began, the girls pull away and inspect my face.

  “Why are you sad?” Leah asks sincerely.

  I laugh at her boldness. That’s exactly like Leah. “Because I’m so happy to see you,” I choke out, forcing my face not to break.

  “Can we go play?” Beth asks, glancing over my shoulder, yearning to explore the yard.

  “Yes, of course. If you ask the man by the door really nicely, he can tell the other kids to come out to play, too,” I whisper, as if sharing a secret.

  “There are more kids?” Leah asks, her eyes wide. I nod, and they race toward Eric, holding hands.

  Standing up, I lean against the vehicle for support before facing Shari.

  “Shari—” I start, but can’t get the words out initially. Trying again, I choke out, “Thank you for this. I know you’re here to take us, and I’m definitely not excited about what will happen after that point, but thank you so much for letting me see them—”

  “Kate, I’m going to stop you there.”

  I look up, embarrassed. Clearly, I don’t understand the protocol here. “Okay, I’m sorry, I just thought—”

  “So dramatic,” she huffs, pulling her bag out of the car. “You don’t need to apologize. I know this is probably overwhelming. Let’s go inside and talk,” she commands, stalking toward the front door.

  Confused, I follow her back to the house. The kids are already pouring back into the yard and Shari stops, taking them all in.

  “You’ve...multiplied,” she comments, then continues up the steps.

  After settling us at the table, Eric rises to fill three glasses of water.

  “I’m good,” Shari says, and Eric obediently puts one glass back in the cupboard without comment.

  “Kate, you know I’ve never been good with...sharing my personal thoughts—” she starts, but I cut her off.

  “On the contrary, I think you’re typically more than happy to share your opinions about most things,” I tease, my voice laced with a slight undercurrent of hurt.

  “I mean, I’m bad at sharing my feelings. Is that better?” she asks, her voice surprisingly tender.

  I nod, taking a deep breath.

  “The truth is, ever since you left...I’ve been second guessing a lot of things. I watched Nick’s trials with great interest, and was horrified when—well, you know, when he had his accident.”

  I raise my eyebrow.

  “I’m not going to comment on that, just hear me out,” she continues in a rush. “I’m going to be honest, I don’t want to give up my comfortable life. I really like having the flexibility to do what I want, and I know you probably think that makes me a terrible person, but it’s true. That being said, I do actually want our society to succeed. The Director…” she sighs. “He’s been on the wrong path for a long time. I kept hoping that we could find a happy medium, but you both saw how he responds to new information,” she chuckles.

  “Is that why you helped us that night?” I ask softly.

  “Kate, I’ve wanted to help you for—” she purses her lips and her eyes squeeze shut. Is she going to cry?

  Just as quickly, her face returns to normal and she clears her throat. “I’ve wanted to help all of you for a long time. After Nick’s death, I took the girls in and tried to find some information on where Berg had left you. That trail was difficult to trace, let me tell you,” she laughs. “Nick covered his tracks well.”

  “But you found us.” Eric states.

  “With Jessica’s help. She was able to pull up coordinates from your messages.”

  “Why would Jessica help you?” I ask sincerely.

  “We’ve been talking on and off for the last few months. She never mentioned her communication with you, which...I guess I understand why. Though it would have been helpful and could have possibly saved us all some trouble.”

  “Shari, I’m really glad that you’ve recognized all of this, but I need to know what happens now. Eric and I assumed that our time here would likely be short lived. These kids—they’re our family now and we will do whatever we need to in order to make sure they are taken care of.”

  “Kate, some of these children are Tier 3,” Shari states, her eyes focused on the table.

  “All of them are,” Eric says. “As far as Berg is concerned, I’m sure our kids don’t qualify as Tier 1 anymore either.”

  “I don’t know if that’s really true,” Shari comments. “But luckily, it doesn’t really matter either way.” She raises her eyes to look at us. “A lot has happened over the last few weeks. I don’t know if it was because of your presentation, or just the sheer fact that so many Committee members were able to witness Carole’s representative and the Director collectively lose their minds at you being there, but the Committees are in the process of being...restructured.”

  I look at her in surprise. “What does that mean?”

  “Look, I’m not going to promise that full integration is going to happen anytime soon—”

  “But it’s being considered?” I ask, my voice shrill.

  Shari nods. “Investigations are being carried out at the request of a regional Committee majority and inter-region discussions about integration are on the table. At least for now, our region will be equally distributing resources between both Tiers.”

  Eric reaches for my hand.

  “This is monumental, Kate,” she continues. “The infrastructure alone—it’s going to take time.”

  I nod. “No, I understand. I’m thrilled to hear that it’s moving in the right direction, though. Even the fact that they are considering—I can’t even imagine what this will look like…” I trail off, pondering. “We’ve learned a lot being here, Shari. It hasn’t been easy by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s been incredible. I believe we need to give more attention to the powe
r that struggle has to benefit us. That’s where our research teams need to look next. If we could—”

  “I don’t think it’s going to be an easy sell to study struggle,” Shari interjects. “But you two need to figure out whether you want to be involved in any of this. Or not,” she says, abruptly standing and reaching for her bag.

  “What do you mean?” Eric asks, standing alongside her.

  “I’m going to be frank. Berg isn’t going to bother you anymore. You’ve suffered enough, and the Committee members recognize that. The Director and Carole—they have enough to worry about without trying to track you down. You can stay here, or, when the dust settles, I’d be happy to help you resettle in Tier—well, whatever it ends up being called at that point. It’s up to you.”

  My eyes are misty, and relief floods through my shocked system. I can’t even process what I’m hearing well enough to respond appropriately.

  Eric takes a deep breath. “I think we’re happy here,” he states simply. “I know it isn’t perfect, and we’ll likely have to re-evaluate at some point, but for now, I can’t imagine going back. And I doubt anyone there would be thrilled to see us. What do you think Kate?”

  I nod. “We’ve built a fantastic life,” I say, proud that when the words leave my lips, I believe them to the core. “It’s not something I want to walk away from. And honestly...I don’t know if I could handle stepping into all of that.”

  Shari nods, shifting her weight.

  “I’ll go call the girls,” I offer reluctantly, my heart already aching at the thought of them driving away. Maybe I can spend a few moments with them outside before they have to go. Even now, I can tell that this visit is only going to make things harder. And yet, I would never take it back. Just seeing them—knowing for a fact that they are vibrant and thriving, alive and well cared for—has lifted an immense burden from my soul.