Evil Among Us

by J. K. Accinni

  Chapter 6

  Bonnie sat high on top of Tobi’s broad, coarse back, watching the babies tumble around in the shallows of their bathing pool. Fortunately, the floor of the pool was thick with sand instead of rock, enabling Tobi and the older juveniles to instruct the babies in the necessity of protecting their tender skin from the African sun by flinging sand in the air to cover their backs. When the sand dried, it tumbled harmlessly to the floor of the cavern.

  In the wild it would be mud that baked on their backs in the hot, relentless sun, lasting from waterhole to waterhole. Here in the Hive, the mystifying light source failed to burn exposed skin. But the elephants didn’t know that. It was important that they didn’t stray from the habits and traditions that kept them alive on the savannas and lowveld that used to be their home. Sooner or later they would need to fend for themselves in the new world above.

  “Hey . . . up here, Emma.” Bonnie waved to her older sister, who was lugging a cardboard box that undoubtedly contained her lunch. Bonnie didn’t mind that her eighteen-year-old sister got so much attention from the boys. Who needs all the drama? Besides, she had her hands full with Chance, the affectionate little piggy she helped Dezi raise, along with the other creatures that owned her heart.

  “Down, Tobi.” Tobi lowered her tremendous bulk slowly, bending to her knees so Bonnie could climb down carefully, stepping from her head to her shoulder to her knee and down to the water. As she splashed her way along the shore, Tobi swiftly and silently tagged behind. Bonnie noticed the anxious expression on Emma’s face. With a laugh she turned to confront Tobi.

  “You rascal. I know what you want.” Reaching into the box of lunch items, she rummaged around until her fingers touched the hard crusty treat Tobi favored. Holding the treat behind her back as Emma scurried up a rock, she faced Tobi.

  “Are you looking for something, girl?” She screamed in laughter as she played hide the treat with Tobi. The generous fifteen-year-old gave a wave to the iconic monolith of the world’s most treasured and looted continent. Tiring of the game and hungry herself, Bonnie demanded a kiss as she always did from her favorite creature. Tobi raised her trunk to snake Bonnie’s neck and wrap it round to her face. Softly, she blew air on Bonnie’s cheek then gently pulled the young girl toward her mouth where her pink tongue waited to slop all over her face.

  “Ewww . . . that’s disgusting. Why do you let Tobi do that to you?” Emma asked. Bonnie’s hands raised up to show Tobi the green, crusty treat and with one crunch from the elephant’s huge maw, it was gone.

  “Because I love her. And it’s her way of saying she loves me. She knows I trust her completely.” Bonnie laid her head against the upper part of Tobi’s trunk. “I’d die if I ever had to give her up. I guess someday when we leave here, I’ll lose her. I don’t know how I’ll be able to bear it, Emma.”

  “Don’t be so dramatic, you silly nit. Now take your lunch before the keepers come back from their lunch. I don’t want to run into Elias.”

  Bonnie rooted through the box, extracting enough for two people. Getting a raised eyebrow from Emma, she pretended not to notice, mumbling about hungry creatures under her breath. As she prepared to walk away to eat her lunch, Bonnie did a double take.

  “What the heck is all over the back of your smock?” Emma appeared disheveled and dirty, her smock stained by grass marks and her hair knotted in clumps.

  “Boy, Mom’s going to have a fit. You better try to get something new from the supply closet. Mom will take one look at you and know what’s up. You’ve been with Elias.”

  Bonnie’s disapproving glare set Emma off. “Just because you like to roll in the stink of filthy creatures and don’t get scolded means I won’t get scolded either.” Smugness radiated deep from within Emma’s grin. “I’ll just say Tobi dumped me in the grass and roughed me up.”

  Bonnie raised high on her tiptoes, her finger shaking in the air. “Oh no you won’t. You’re not blaming anything on Tobi. How could you, Emma?” Tears slipped from her eyes as she thought of the damage to Tobi’s gentle reputation and the possibility that her mother and Johno would ban her from Tobi’s company.

  Emma relented, taking her sister in her arms. “I’m sorry, Bonnie. I didn’t mean to hurt you. And I’m sorry I said I’d blame Tobi. It’s not her fault. I’m just mad you think I’d be with Elias.” She squatted down on the ground next to her sister as Tobi wandered off to supervise her herd. “Want to know a secret?”

  Bonnie’s suspicion grew as Emma cultivated her air of mystery. Narrowing her eyes, she studied the flush on Emma’s cheeks. “What in the world are you talking about? Give.”

  “I’m in love.” She beamed at her sister.

  “Again? Who is it this time?”

  Bonnie’s quizzical face gave Emma a chance to preen. “It’s for real this time. And he loves me too. I can tell.”

  “Who? Who is it, Emma?” Bonnie gripped her sister’s shoulders, turning her face to face.

  “You have to swear not to tell anyone. We have a few little things to work out.”

  Bonnie nodded.

  “Kane.” His name came out in a lovelorn whisper.

  Bonnie didn’t doubt Emma was in love with Kane, the guy was drop dead, spot in your eye, good-looking. “So, you think Kenya’s big ole pregnancy is a little problem?”

  Emma’s face fell. “Yeah, I know. What the heck is with that? Kane can’t just walk away from her in that condition. If the damn baby would just come all the other women would take over, giving her all the support she needs. Then Kane and I could let our relationship slowly come out in the public without anyone thinking he’s a louse for leaving poor Kenya. Ugh.” She threw her hands up to shake out her snarled hair. “I just wish this pregnancy would be over.”

  Emma gave Bonnie a quick hug. “Now we have a secret. Kinda nice, huh?”

  Bonnie shook her head with a lopsided smile as Emma gathered the cardboard box to go.

  “Well, I better scat. See you at dinner.” And she was gone, dancing her way out the cavern entrance, clearly a young woman in love.

  Still feeling hungry for her lunch, Bonnie made her way to an alcove she utilized to shelter her food from the elephants. As she turned the bend, she drew up smartly, discovering she had company.

  “Oh, you startled me. Do you mind if I share this spot with you, Peter?”

  As he glanced up, Bonnie saw Peter wipe away a tear. She rounded a boulder to perch next to him, gently placing her hand on his arm. He looked down, his glasses slipping down his nose to fall on the rocks, cracking the glass. He slapped his hand on his thigh. “Oh . . . sure, Bonnie. Whatever you want. I’ll just get out of your way.” He rose to take his leave. Bonnie reached down to pick up his broken glasses. She extended them toward Peter, gazing up at his perpetually sullen demeanor.

  “I’m sorry about your glasses, Peter. Please . . . let me share my lunch with you. I have plenty.” She spread the luncheon goodies on the rock. “Come on, Peter. You look like you could use some good food.” A reluctant smile tugged marginally at Peter’s lips, transforming his face into that of a young man. His defensive and suspicious posture straightened.

  “You’re a good kid, you know that, Bonnie?”

  “Thanks. Come on, why don’t you sit down and dig in?” Her infectious innocence soothed Peter’s suspicious nature, allowing him to temporarily let down the guard he wore so aggressively, discouraging all overtures of friendship from the rest of the survivors. Even Abby had been unable to break through his newly acquired intractable exterior.

  Bonnie fingered his eyeglasses as she separated Salina’s delicious offerings for them to share.

  “They look like they’re shot. What are you going to do now? Can we fix them?”

  Peter appeared to redden at her choice of the royal we. “You don’t have to help me. It wasn’t your fault anyway. I’ve become quite careless with them. They don’t seem to work like they used to.” He squinted into the distance at the elephants as they watch
ed Chance, the now mature piglet, rush the babies, sending them squealing and then come racing back for more. “I can actually see fairly well without them anyway. My eyes don’t appear to be as unfocused as they once were. Strange. But so much of what I see in the Hive is strange.”

  He reached for a piece of green cake, shot through with soft flecks of a strange and delicious spice that melted in your mouth then exploded with flavor. It crossed Bonnie’s mind that she’d heard plenty of comments from the other survivors that he was the one who was a little strange.

  “What do you mean, Peter?”

  He turned to consider her question, temptation flitting across his face. Bonnie clapped her hands to the sides of her face. “You know something. What is it? Please, please tell me.” Peter’s facial expression shut down like the skirts of a Victorian miss caught with her pantaloons showing. Bonnie’s enthusiasm was too much for the lonely and betrayed cuckold. Mumbling under his breath, he rose from the rocks. His round, pale face highlighted the roundness of his now exposed eyes. Bonnie noticed they were an unexpectedly vivid shade of green that telegraphed confusion and hurt.

  “Wait, Peter.” She quickly wrapped the piece of Salina’s raspberry cake. Softly, she approached him. “I’m sorry you can’t stay. Maybe we can try this again someday. I’m usually here when the keepers take their lunch break.” She placed the wrapped cake in his hands. “This is my favorite, I want you to have it.” Peter stared at Bonnie then looked at the cake in his hands. She could see some kind of calculation going on behind his brilliant green orbs.

  “That’s nice that you thought of me, Bonnie.” He backed away awkwardly with the cake in his hands. His head bobbed as he turned and scurried away.

  Hmmm, what a strange guy. Scanning the remains of her aborted lunch, she discovered his broken glasses nestled under the wrappings. She picked them up and like the good, sweet girl Salina had raised, tucked them away to return to him.

  *

  Later that evening at dinner, as the noises of Kenya’s hot invectives rained down over Johno and Salina’s attempts to console the freaked-out teen, Bonnie eased her way over to Peter’s spot at the end of the long table, the furthest from the social interaction that fortified the rest of the survivors. He swiveled around as she approached, his green eyes unblinking and stoic.

  “Hi, Peter. You left your glasses. I thought you might want to hold on to them in case we find a way to fix them.” She withdrew them from her pocket to place them next to his plate.

  Peter fingered his broken glasses then fixed Bonnie with a subtle tweak of his lips. “That was very thoughtful, Bonnie. It seems I have no trouble seeing now. But I’ll hold on to them, just in case.” He turned back to his plate, the conversation over.

  “Ahem . . . ah . . . okay then.” Puzzled at his abrupt dismissal, Bonnie backed away to locate Chance. Spotting the little guy over by the fireplace with Echo and Barney, she hurried over. As she practiced her aura-casting to Echo and Baby, with Chance on her lap, she promptly forgot about the enigma that was Peter.

  *

  The next afternoon, Bonnie set out down the long membrane encrusted corridors with little Chance trotting at her heels. As he stopped to nuzzle every clump of dung, she knelt to give him a goose and to laugh at his squeal of indignation.

  “Come on, baby doll, Tobi and the keepers are waiting for us.” At the entrance to the animals’ bathing cave, she bumped into Dezi returning from the growing fields after delivering lunch. With his exposure to the animals now limited by his current proficient skills in the kitchen, Dezi had ripened into a funny, engaging man. Most of his bluster resurfaced during the dinner social hour as the men still riddled him about being relegated to the kitchen with the women, but for the most part, he felt the inclusiveness that came from Ginger Mae, Bonnie and Abby. And his darling Chance.

  “Hey, babe, what’s up with my two faves?” Dropping the food box on the ground, he squatted as Chance ran as fast as his tiny hooves would allow, standing on his hind legs for a hug and a scratch from his daddy.

  “Hey, you little monkey. You staying outa trouble?” Chance snuffled, his tiny nose leaving trails of slobber on Dezi’s face and arms.

  Bonnie chuckled as Dezi planted a kiss on Chance’s tender snout and stood to wipe his face with the end of his shirt. “Who let you out of the kitchen?”

  Dezi threw her a conspiratorial glance, his face and form no longer the scrawniest in the Hive. His well fleshed-out profile now reflected a sweet, becoming effect with a thick beard to replace the wisps of chin hairs, his formerly slight build sporting added muscle and weight, enhancing the miraculous transformation. Little did anyone know of the hyperthyroid and metabolism condition that no longer ravished the brash trucker-turned-kitchen-aide.

  “Your mother asked me ta do the deliveries today. She needed Emma to stick closer to the kitchen. I think she plans to have a heart to heart with her. Something ‘bout a certain boyfriend of Kenya’s?” Bonnie’s hand flew up to clamp over her mouth as she sniggered in astonishment.

  “I guess the cat’s out of the bag. Mom’s going to kill her if she gets pregnant.”

  Dezi raised an eyebrow as he scooped up the food box and followed Bonnie into the animal’s bathing cave. “I think she asked Jose to stop by to talk to her too.”

  Bonnie shook her head. “Emma always looked up to Jose as we grew up. He was a great big brother to have around, up until he got his wings and tail and fell for Abby. Now we hardly see him anymore. If he’s not working in the library with Wil, he’s with her. I don’t think he’s going to have the same influence on her. Besides,” Bonnie’s eyes rolled at Dezi, “she’s in love.”

  Dezi threw his head back with a snort. “She’s not gunna listen. You don’t tell a girl her age ta leave a boy alone when she’s in love. You’ll see what I mean, shrimp, when you fall in love the first time.”

  Bonnie shrieked.

  “Don’t laugh. Someday you’ll get tired of making goo-goo eyes at that big elephant in there and pick yourself out a man.” He gave her a quick wink. “The pickins around here are a tad slim if ya ask me.” The keepers gave them both a wave as they funneled out into the corridor for lunch.

  Johno stopped for a quick word. “Hello, Miss Bonnie . . . Dezi. She’s searching for you, young miss. Don’t keep her waiting. She is not afraid to express her displeasure.” His jovial grin animated his dark face, amusement dancing in his rich brown eyes. Dezi reached over to pull Bonnie’s hair then left amiably with his arm around Johno to leave Bonnie to her elephants.

  Feeling on top of the world, Bonnie dragged her food box toward the rocks for later. Slipping a treat into her pocket, she ran toward the small herd to claim her friends, her heart suffused with warmth as the big beautiful matriarch Tobi trumpeted an impatient welcome.

  *

  After a while, the exhausted Bonnie tore herself away from the herd to claim her lunch. Rounding the outcrop of rocks, she discovered Peter.

  “Hello, Bonnie.” Peter rose, a loaf of Netty’s crusty green bread in his hands. “I brought you something.” He shyly proffered the delicacy. His face broke out in the first sincerely happy smile since taking up refuge in the Hive. Bonnie gaped at him in confusion.

  “Peter, I didn’t notice you come in. How long have you been here?”

  “For a while. I get around in my own quiet way. I wanted to surprise you anyway. I fear I may have appeared rude when you returned my glasses.” Peter’s pallid face reddened. “I watched you play with the elephants. You have such a way with them.”

  The longing in his voice gave Bonnie an idea. She sat on the rocks and spread out her lunch.

  “Maybe after lunch I can introduce you to Tobi and the babies. You already know Chance.” Relaxing, Peter cut into the crusty green bread to reveal the succulent red protein interior.

  “Okay. I think that would just be fine.” He nodded his head, a note of excitement in his voice. “Yes, that would be just fine.”

  And thus began
a warm friendship between the embittered, awkward ex-attorney and the darling of the Hive, friend to all, and impassioned lover of the creatures. Through Bonnie’s infectious enthusiasm, Peter’s armor began to crack. It was a slow process which continued as they made a habit of meeting for lunch and joining Tobi and her herd to play in the water.

  Peter’s big breakthrough moment came when Tobi carefully ran her trunk over his face, emanating low rumbles as she offered her lowered foreleg as a stool, inviting him up her back to perch with Bonnie. After that momentous day Bonnie would often arrive at lunchtime to discover Peter already there with the keepers, chasing the babies and splashing water as they mock-charged his gleeful figure.

  A few days later Bonnie had a surprise for Peter. Her big brother attachment had worn off and developed into an affectionate buddy relationship similar to the one she shared with Dezi. They were walking past the cat and bear swimming cavern where chuffing, splashing and hissing snarls emanated to the corridor. Bonnie’s eyes lit up as she coaxed him.

  “Come on, Peter. It’s safe. The mom has an implant and can’t hurt us. She’s used to me now anyway. Abby said it’s okay, and Netty didn’t see any harm. Come on, you won’t believe it.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the opening.

  “Now, just stay to the edge of the wall.” She propelled him in so fast that his protests fell unheard, swallowed in the sounds of the felines and ursine at play. Peter wrinkled his nose at the pungent odors.

  “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.” They rounded a bend and came upon a low wooden structure pushed back into the rocks away from the tumult of the play area. They could see movement in the shadows. Bonnie ducked her head slowly into the shelter and reached in to extract one of the first four baby white lions that had been born in the Hive. Peter anxiously scanned the area for the mother lion.