by Liahona West
“Eloise?” Bannack asked, and she turned to him. “What happened to Ada?”
She swallowed, her pulse thrumming in her head. “She died.”
“There you are!” Kendal called from the bottom of the hill. “I’ve got warm drinks waiting. Come.”
Giving Bannack a mournful smile, Eloise led the way down the hill and back to Kendal’s plane. Once there, Eloise settled down adjacent to Bannack, eyeing him curiously, while Kendal disappeared behind the tarp door.
This man is a walking conundrum. He’s gentle and quiet, like how I remember him, but he’s also terrifying. What happened?
Kendal reappeared. In her hands, she carried two glasses filled with a steaming, golden liquid.
When Eloise accepted one, the warmth thawed her fingers. “What is it?” she asked.
“Hot toddy,” Kendal said as she leaned against a crudely cut counter. “My Gran taught me to make them. She swore they were a cure-all for the nastiest of colds. Should help you recover.”
“What’s in it?”
“Oh, just some water, honey, and lemon I snagged a couple days back from a man traveling up from California.” Kendal smiled before closing the curtain to her room. “And a bit of rum.” She yawned. “Now…since Blue Eyes woke me before the sun showed its face, I’m going back to bed. Leave. Stay. Don’t care.”
After Kendal disappeared, Eloise took a sip. The lemon slice slipped to the back rim of the glass and the steaming liquid coated her insides all the way down with a kick at the end.
“Woah.” Eloise pulled the glass away and licked her lips.
Bannack nodded as he set down his empty glass. “She gives it to anyone she patches up. She thinks it’s liquid duct tape.”
Eloise chuckled and took a second sip. “Is it?”
“I would not want to be in the same room as the person who tells her otherwise.” Bannack chuckled as he balled up a jacket and leaned back in the plane chair, wincing. “Gotta get some sleep,” he said.
“You’re sleeping? Now?”
“With the day I’ve had…” Bannack mumbled something else and opened one eye to look at her. “Just a few hours.”
Eloise finished her drink, the lemon slice tapping against her lips while the warmth of the drink soothed her. She hummed in her throat, scooting further down the seat. It didn’t take long for her mind to shut off.
Blood dripped down her arms.
In front of her, a crimson puddle formed. Ada lay on the concrete floor. Her dead eyes peered straight at Eloise.
She screamed.
Screamed until she became hoarse.
Until no sound came from her throat.
A deep, terrified gasp escaped Eloise’s mouth as she woke. Sweat covered every inch of her body. The blankets, stuck to her skin, came with her as she tumbled out of the seat. The room lurched sideways. Her body hit the floor of the plane, forehead smashing into the metal bottom of a seat.
Someone large came into her field of vision and Eloise cried out, scrambling away. When he backed up, she blinked, trying to calm her body and mind.
His soothing voice echoed in her head. She recognized it. But from where?
She tried to wake up, to cry out, but her shoulders ached, and her mind remained trapped. She couldn’t speak, only moan from the pain traveling throughout her body.
Bannack leaned in. He stood at the edge of a long tunnel. She squinted. He spoke something. She didn’t register the words, but his smooth tone coated her nerves in warmth. Then he held her, strong and solid, in a cocoon of safety. He set her on the chair, smoothing out the hair stuck to her face.
Kendal appeared and handed a cloth to him. When Bannack spoke, the sound couldn’t get past the cotton in her ears. Something about helping her with her head? She couldn’t be sure. Then he touched her and she cried out, pulling away.
“It hurts.”
Bannack spoke to Kendal in muffled tones. “Something…compressions.”
A blanket covered her body along with a wide, thin stone on her chest. The tunnel vision and shoulder pain faded.
“Better?” Bannack asked.
She nodded.
Kendal removed the rock.
“Good. You have a nasty cut on your forehead. I tried to clean it but—”
“I know what happened,” she said.
Bannack placed a rag in her palm, his fingers brushing her skin. They were warm to the touch. Calmly, he closed her hand around the cloth and paused before scooting away. The gesture floored her. She watched him, unable to stop herself from staring like an idiot.
He blinked once, then smiled. “Maame struggled with something similar.”
With a yawn, Bannack returned to his chair, wrapped his arms around his chest, and grew still. She looked at the brown cloth, fresh blood blotched on the surface. Wincing as the cloth touched her forehead, Eloise found a solid, raised bump. She groaned.
Out the grimy plane window, fog collected on the glass. The sun shining through the window spread a rainbow across her thighs and onto the ground.
People entered and exited the plane, their muffled voices traveling into the first-class area.
What’s going to happen to Seth now that I’m not around to save him?
A bug landed low on the glass, flicked its wings, and then took off again. Eloise leaned forward, her mind distracted, and curled her knees into her body. A thump made Eloise jump. Bannack shifted on the reclined seat.
Tears leaked from her eyes. Eloise took a deep breath, her chest heavy.
I’m going to have to learn how to live without him.
***
“What’s your plan now?” Eloise asked Bannack.
They stood in front of Kendal’s plane, Bannack leaning against vines wrapped around the outside as the afternoon sun beat down on them. A cool breeze carried the scent of fresh water and wet leaves.
“Travel, most likely. Eventually find a home. I have to get the personal possessions I hid before we ran into each other, then I will figure out where to go next.”
Saying goodbye was hard. She’d only reconnected with him for a couple days, and with her curiosity piqued, she wanted to know more about him and his past. When Bannack placed the lunch in the travel pack Kendal had loaned him, Eloise saw a stack of adinkra symbols on his arm.
She blinked and forced her eyes upward. He stared at her. Unlike him, with his dark skin that hid all forms of physical embarrassment, Eloise turned pink, and the brief thought that he could see her embarrassment irritated her. “Will I be able to see you again sometime?”
“Maybe.” Bannack shrugged.
Her heart fell a little. “Well, if you’re ever close to the Compound, feel free to drop in.”
“Thanks for the invitation.”
Bannack moved to leave but Eloise jumped forward and caught his sleeve. “You’re right, you know.”
Confused, he watched her. “I am?”
“Yeah.” She released his sleeve. “About Seth. If he truly wants me to stop helping, I have to respect that decision.”
Bannack smiled. “If it helps, I’m truly sorry you’re losing him.”
“Thanks.”
With a wave, he disappeared into the forest.
Eloise travelled to the Compound. It took her several hours, and on a short water break, she half hoped Bannack would show up. What am I doing? She splashed water on her face. He’s got his own life.
The Compound sat on top of a steep hill, made of red brick and many windows, towels flapping in some, with a sidewalk parallel to the building. The front doors were steel.
“Welcome back, Eloise,” Derrick said as she walked up the steep hill. He was one of two Sentinels tasked with greeting any visitor who approached. Eloise wasn’t a visitor so their approach was cordial.
“Glad you came back before Mason came to get you,” Thomas, the other guard, said. “He was getting ready to find you.”
“Where is he?”
So much had happened. She needed to debrief him. Joy would come back, and they all needed to prepare for the consequences.
Derrick pointed to the second story. “In his apartment, most likely.”
“Thank you, boys.”
A few people waved to her as she entered through the loud, creaking doors. Pierre, a young boy in one of Soora’s medical classes, gathered his two younger siblings, identical twin boys, onto his lap like a mother hen. He fussed over one and once the barrette secured the toddler’s shoulder length hair, Pierre pulled a worn children’s book out and read. He glanced up at Eloise, who waved, and gave her a short upward nod.
“Eloise!”
She turned, and a spindly boy carrying Bali plowed into her. She laughed and asked, “What’re you doing with my cat, Gavin?”
Gavin bounced on the balls of his feet, his big ears sticking out the side of his head, while Bali wriggled in his hands. “I found her in the hay chasing a poor rabbit.”
“She’s supposed to do that, silly.”
“No. It was so sad. I couldn’t let the bunny die.” Gavin blinked his big, brown eyes. “Can you keep her in your room? My friends and I are going to find a safe place far away so she can’t get it.”
“O…okay.” Eloise struggled to hold on to Bali as Gavin threw her into her arms. As she watched the boy with his two buddies run off, one carrying a box, she smiled, unable to tell them Bali would most likely find the rabbit again. She lifted Bali in the air. “Why are you scaring the poor kids?”
Bali let out an annoyed mew.
Eloise dropped Bali in her apartment and walked to the end of the hallway. She paused outside Mason and Soora’s open door, their conversation leaking into the hallway, and couldn’t help but overhear.
“Mason, I know you want life to return to normal, but you need to take a step back and realize that we’re doing okay.”
“Mookie. I highly doubt Fade is gone.”
“But for now, they aren’t bothering us. We’ve built a life here. Let’s not go messing it up, okay?”
The conversation died down. Eloise stared at the floor. Fade took down the country by infiltrating the government and turning the people against each other and those who governed over them. Fear-mongering, propaganda, and slow yet deliberate spread of misinformation all culminated in the kidnapping of the President and acquiring of the nuclear launch codes. Hours later, the US people lost everything.
She knocked on the door.
Soora answered. “Come in!”
She was lithe and no more than fifty, but the youthful glimmer in her eyes made her appear younger. On her shaved scalp was a tattoo of a sunflower, her namesake.
Mason gathered Eloise up in his arms, his salt and pepper beard scratching her face. Eloise melted into him.
It’s so good to be home.
When Mason pulled away, he blocked the sun coming in from the windows, the rays forming a silhouette around his head and shoulders.
“You came back,” Mason whispered.
“Just in time, too, I see. Thomas told me you were planning on mounting an army.”
Mason chuckled. “Better to be over prepared than under. So,” he pulled her to a pair of chairs, sat, and wrapped his arm around Soora’s hip as she settled on the armrest, “what made you late? I was worried.”
Eloise puffed out air and leaned back. “So much, Mason.”
She relayed the events of the past couple days. As she talked, Mason grew tense and Soora touched his shoulder, giving her husband a soft look with the bindi mark between her eyebrows wrinkling.
“So,” Mason leaned forward, “are you okay?”
At those words, Eloise nearly crumbled. Her hands shook and when she tried to reach up to tuck some hair behind her ear, she couldn’t get her fingers around the cartilage. Mason leaned forward, chair creaking, and did it for her.
“Thanks,” Eloise said, her smile small. “I failed, Mason.”
His brow furrowed. “In what way?”
She produced the letter Seth wrote, wrinkled from being in her pocket, and handed it over to Mason. He read it, mouth formed into a half frown, then gave it back.
“Do you remember when you got sick after the car accident?” Mason asked.
Eloise remembered. The horrid sound of crunching metal as the car rolled over and over still bothered her.
“Yeah. I remember. Why?”
“Who made that decision?”
Eloise blinked at him. “My parents.”
“Mmm. And had they not, what would have happened?”
“I would’ve died—Mason. Where is this going?”
“This scenario is much like that one, all those years ago. Your parents stepped in to save your life, and that’s what Seth is doing now.”
Eloise scrubbed her palms together and jumped to her feet. She paced. Mason watched her. After a few rounds, Eloise spun toward Mason. “I poured my life into keeping him alive and now I have to live without him.”
Mason gathered Eloise in his arms again and whispered, “What you’ve done for him matters.”
“You did everything you could,” Soora added.
Suppressed emotions rose out of her with full force. She didn’t stop them. They brought Eloise to her knees.
“I don’t want it to be over.”
Sweat rose into her neck and around her armpits while the room spun. Her body became a pulse, thumping and pounding her insides with a meat tenderizer. Soon, the reeling stopped, and she righted herself.
Soora used the sleeve of her dress to wipe the tears off Eloise’s face. “He’s not giving up,” she said. The expression of sympathy made Eloise smile. “He’s moving on.”
Tears leapt into Eloise’s eyes again. Her shoulders slumped. “What am I going to do?”
Hands wrapped around Eloise’s face and she looked at Soora who said, “Live.”
Eloise nodded. She held onto Soora’s wrists.
“We need to decide what to do about Joy,” Mason said. He leaned against the back of a chair and rubbed his beard.
Eloise wiped her eyes. “Do you think she’ll come here?”
“I do.”
“The contract you have with her prevents her from doing that, doesn’t it?” Soora asked.
The contract protected the Compounders from being targeted by Joy. The agreement, written up seven years ago, early in the Compound’s life, detailed that if Joy ceased her human experiments, Mason wouldn’t go after her with his Sentinels. She also promised to release the people in her employment as soon as they fulfilled their service. Joy didn’t have anywhere near the numbers, relying on fear and blackmail to get what she wanted, and Mason’s Sentinels were superior in both numbers and training. If an attack happened, Joy would experience swift defeat.
“It does,” Mason nodded. “Although, I worry what she’ll do when her son is involved.” He turned to Eloise, putting emphasis on his words and looking at her with unwavering eyes. “You must be prepared for an angry mother who isn’t completely rational. To her, you have endangered her son’s life. I’d go as far as to say she could blame you for his death and she will come for you.”
Eloise’s stomach churned but she squared her shoulders. “Increase the Sentinels on duty. We have the numbers and at the very least we’ll know when she comes.”
“Alright,” Mason nodded. “Mookie, how are your supplies? Do you have enough to support a possible increase in injuries?” Mookie was the last half of her given name, Soorajamukhee, and no one called her Mookie except him.
“I do.” Soora gave Mason a kiss. “My nurses can handle things.”
“I need to be on duty,” Eloise said.
Mason walked around the chair and stood in front of her. “Absolutely not.”
“Oh, come on.” Eloise’s ears heated. “I’m your best knifeman and I can fit into small spaces. You’ve seen me do it. Joy’s going to come after me, or at least send someone, and if I’m holed up
in here, you’re down one Sentinel.”
“As your commander, it would be irresponsible to allow you onto the front lines. You’re an easy target out there.”
Grumbling, Eloise gave Mason side-eye. “I really hate it when you command me.”
“You know I can’t play favorites.”
Soora put her hand on Mason’s chest and smiled. “Honey, you’re doing that right now.”
“I…” Mason blinked at his wife. He sighed, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. “Yes. Fine. Eloise, you can join the Sentinels.”
She smiled, on the verge of hugging Mason, but her face fell when he held up a hand.
“But,” Mason said, “you must do as I say, and if I make the decision to pull you, I want you to follow orders. Got it?”
“Yes. Understood, sir.”
Mason fell into a chair. “Dismissed.”
She walked back to her room, a bounce in her step, and laid on her bed. Bali mewed a greeting, rubbed her body up against Eloise’s cheek, and settled in the crook of Eloise’s arm.
“I’ve missed you.” Eloise snuggled the cat close.
CHAPTER FIVE
Joy
“May I speak freely, ma’am?” Graham asked from behind her.
Her smile faded. She had been watching Seth laugh with one of her employees, who was actively losing his snacks to her son, as they played a card game and Graham’s voice reminded her that she couldn’t ignore her duties, no matter how much she wanted to.
“Of course,” Joy said, still distracted.
“The way you treat Seth, as if he is helpless—”
Joy spun around, eyes narrowed. “Choose your next words carefully. You may be my Head of Command, but I am still your boss.”
Graham balked a bit but stayed still. “Do you think he’s healthy? Happy?”
“Right now he is.”
“No,” Graham made a discouraged sigh, “I mean truly happy. People aren’t meant to be alone.”
She didn’t appreciate the direction their conversation was going, so she turned around, fear and dread clenching at her throat. “He’s my son. My responsibility. I’d like you to leave now.”