“That’s not poison,” Jamie said. “It’s soup.”
The girl wasn’t convinced, her eyes still wide with fear. Jamie reached for the bowl. He lifted it to his lips and drank some.
“See?” he said. “It’s not dangerous. You only have to be careful if you eat it like my friend here. Then you’ll get fat like him.”
Fatty was too afraid to react with indignation. He kept his eyes fixed firmly on the girl, hands by his side. If there was one person who posed no significant threat to anybody, it was Fatty.
“You can’t stop me from leaving!” the girl said.
“Of course not,” Jamie said. “You can leave any time you want. But you were out in the desert for a long time. You were very sick when we found you.”
“Found me?” the girl said. “Where?”
“Up a tree,” Jamie said. “You were being chased by Rages.”
The girl’s eyes drifted away from Jamie, her memory of the event beginning to come back to her. Her hand began to lower the spoon. Jamie took a step forward. The girl’s scowl returned and she leveled the spoon handle at him again.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to,” the girl said. “You brought me here for a reason. But it’s not going to work!”
“We brought you here to help you,” Jamie said. “We didn’t have to. We could have left you there.”
The girl’s eyes moved side to side, piecing the information together. “If you found me in the desert, what were you doing there?”
“We were looking for a friend of ours,” Jamie said. “He went into the desert to look for his wife.”
“Where are they now?” the girl said.
Jamie faltered. He didn’t like to say they were dead. It was still too painful for him.
“They’re. . . still in the desert,” he said.
“You went looking for them and you found me instead?” the girl said. “Then why did you help me if these Rages were after me?”
“I don’t know,” Jamie said. “Because you needed help. I had to help you. What would you do if you saw someone being chased by Rages?”
“Maybe I wouldn’t do anything,” the girl said.
So this was what Nester’s life had purchased. A girl selfish beyond her own wants and needs.
“I wish we didn’t help you,” Jamie said with fire in his voice. He knew tears wouldn’t be far away.
This girl waking up confused and alone with her questions had reminded him how it was all his fault. His fault he would never see her again. His fault her parents would never look at him the same way. Whether she had chosen of her own volition to go into the desert with them or not, he was their unofficial leader. It was his responsibility to ensure they made it back to the commune safely. He had failed.
What choice did Nester really have if Jamie had already decided he was going to head into the desert to find Bernard? None. She would have done it out of duty if for no other reason. He would have done the same. It was not a choice in any sense of the word. It was an obligation. When your friends were going to put themselves in danger, you had to follow them.
“Just go if you want to leave,” Jamie said. “I really don’t care. “We lost a friend when we rescued you. If you leave, I won’t come rescue you again.”
The girl’s her arm lowered, falling to her side. “Your friend died?” She seemed to have trouble processing her emotions. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
She swayed on her feet, from one foot to the other, as if searching for her centre of gravity. Her eyes rolled back. Jamie could see what was going to happen. She was going to collapse.
Jamie was off the starting blocks fast. It might have all been a ploy, he supposed, designed to lure him in closer so she could jam the spoon handle into the soft flesh of his neck. But Jamie thought her sad expression upon learning one of his friends had died to rescue her was genuine. She looked heartbroken, sad. Maybe a ninja could fake emotions but he didn’t think so. He caught her in his arms.
If she’d hit the floor, her head would have smashed on the small bedside table. He looked into her face. It was once again serene, calm. Relaxed. The face of someone deeply unconscious.
Just what was going on with this girl?
28.
“AND THEN she passed out?” Stephen said, left hand supporting his right elbow as he cupped his chin in a pose of reflection.
“Yes,” Jamie said. “She seemed to think we were going to hurt her, or that we kidnapped her or something.”
“It was like one of Jamie’s comics,” Fatty said. “A ninja who wakes from a coma, forgetting all her ninja skills.”
“Did she say anything else?” Donald said. “When she was awake?”
“No,” Jamie said. “She just seemed really confused.”
“As well she should,” Stephen said. “Being out in the desert can scramble your brains. Sometimes permanently.”
“You’re saying she might be like this forever?” Jamie said.
That was a horrible thought. They’d met traders and merchants—even members of their own commune—who’d taken a wrong turn and gotten lost in the desert. They were out there too long, half-dead—not in the bad way—by the time they reached the commune. Their thoughts had been scrambled too for a while. None of them seemed to suffer any long-term ill effects but it was still not a very pleasant thing to see. The commune patched them up until they were back to normal again. But to think of someone who might get trapped inside their own mind like that forever, with no chance of getting better. . . Jamie shivered. It didn’t bear thinking about.
“Maybe we should move her back to the hospital,” Stephen said.
“That might be for the best,” Donald said.
“I’ll arrange for a couple of nurses to bring her within the next hour,” Stephen said. “Sorry for inflicting this upon you.”
“It’s fine,” Donald said. “As you said, there’s no way to know how someone might react when they woke up. No one was hurt.”
“Thank God,” Stephen said.
“No,” Jamie said. “I’ll take care of her.”
His decision appeared to take both Donald and Stephen by surprise. It was the last thing they thought he was going to say.
“Jamie, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Donald said.
“Too right it’s not a good idea,” Fatty said. “She nearly decapitated you with that spoon.”
“She didn’t touch me,” Jamie said. “I know how it sounds, but like you always say, I should take responsibility for my actions.”
Donald looked his son over. A twinkle in his eye, a look of pride. Jamie felt his chest swell at the thought of making his father proud.
“I can’t say I approve of this,” Stephen said. “She might need specialist attention.”
“If she does, you can take her off my hands,” Jamie said. “But I’d still like to take care of her for now. I’m the one who saved her, who brought her here. She’s my responsibility.”
“It’ll take a lot of time,” Stephen said. “You have to make sure she has everything she needs, and you’ll have to care for her until she makes a full recovery.”
“I understand,” Jamie said.
He couldn’t explain exactly why he wanted to take care of her. Perhaps it was Nester’s sacrifice. She’d given her life to rescue this girl. It was only right that he take care of her. It was an obligation like the one Nester must have felt when Jamie had said he was heading into the desert to find Bernard.
He suddenly felt better about the situation. The girl wasn’t a ninja, wasn’t some kind of alien species. She was a good person. Her mind was just a little scrambled right now, that’s all.
And then there was the alternative. They didn’t have the resources to take care of Angie, and so she was forced from the commune. They wouldn’t have the resources for the girl either if she never recovered. Jamie needed to ensure that wouldn’t happen.
29.
FROM TIME to time, Fatty stopped by and h
anded over Jamie’s homework from school. Jamie would have preferred for him not to stop by in such cases. He never stayed long. Jamie suspected he was afraid the girl would wake up and act the same way she had before. Only this time, go full-on ninja.
Sometimes, Donny came and watched over the girl to give Jamie some much-needed rest. Jamie never liked to leave her side, always wanting to be there for when she finally did open her eyes. It was a shock when he even found going to school and doing his chores pleasant.
Things happen for a reason. Nester’s final words to him.
Things might happen for a reason, but they could be devilishly hard to figure out at times. Did the universe really have plans for each and every one of them? Did it really care about life? Was there really some kind of pattern to it all? Or had Nester simply wanted to give Jamie some hope now that she was due to leave the world of the living?
Jamie didn’t know. He supposed he would never know. If someone had told him the plans the universe had for him over the following few weeks, he never would have believed them.
Things did happen for a reason. But the reason often wasn’t clear until long after the event had transpired.
30.
THE GIRL didn’t wake for the rest of the day. At least, she didn’t make it clear to him she had. Sometimes he spotted the blanket having been pushed aside, or an object having been moved in his room while he had stepped out to the toilet or to fix something for her to eat. He never remarked on it. He could wait for when she was ready to speak to him. Maybe she wanted to check and make sure he was safe to be around.
Jamie mentioned these things whenever Stephen came to check up on her. They spoke in hushed whispers in the living room. Jamie always took his time saying goodbye to Stephen, showing him to the door, so it gave the girl plenty of time to return to bed and make it look like she hadn’t gotten up. So he wouldn’t notice. He knew she was getting more comfortable in his company when she began to get sloppier in covering up her tracks.
Jamie soaked a handkerchief in cool water and used it to dab at her forehead. Her temperature came and went. He was always there to wipe it away and keep her body cool. The last thing she needed was to have to deal with a fever on top of her other problems.
He slept on a cot he’d set up on the floor. He was dog tired at the end of each day, but even then, when he was unconscious between the waking and sleeping world, he was aware of a figure moving around in his room. Where she went—if she indeed went anywhere at all and it hadn’t only been his imagination—he didn’t know. Out exploring their home or the commune, he supposed. He didn’t mention this to anyone else. He was certain she wasn’t dangerous. And she could leave at any time she wanted.
Occasionally, he heard people talking about a shadow moving at night, about how they felt like someone was watching them while they slept. No one was ever harmed. So, it didn’t matter.
And then the big day finally arrived. The day she sat up and spoke to him.
31.
JAMIE HAD returned from the bathroom and washed his hands. He was about to settle down and do his homework when he glanced at the girl. He’d expected to see her fast asleep, or at least, pretend to be. He had to doubletake.
She was sitting up, a small figure in his average-sized bed. She had his mitt in one hand and the ball in the other. Jamie was at a loss for what he ought to say to her. He’d imagined this moment happening a million times, and yet he was speechless.
“Hello,” he finally said. “Sleep well?”
The girl nodded.
“I slept for a long time,” she said.
“Yes,” Jamie said. “How do you feel now?”
He wanted to check her temperature by placing his hand on her forehead, but it seemed strange now that she was awake. He needed to ask for permission.
“May I?” he said, doing his best impression of Stephen.
She nodded.
Jamie pressed his hand to her skin.
“No fever,” he said. “That’s good.”
“You’ve been taking care of me,” the girl said.
“I have,” Jamie said.
“Why?” the girl said. “You didn’t have to.”
“I felt responsible for you,” Jamie said. “I was one of the people who saved you.”
“You said I was up a tree?” the girl said.
“Yes,” Jamie said. “You must be a good climber to get up there. I climb a lot and it was still hard for me to get up there. You must be stronger than you look.”
The girl shrugged.
“I don’t remember how I got up there,” she said.
“Probably a good thing,” Jamie said.
The girl lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry. About before. You were trying to help me. I know that now.”
Jamie nodded.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I would have reacted the same. I should get Stephen. He can check you over.”
“No,” the girl said. “Please stay.”
Jamie took a seat on the corner of the bed.
“What’s your name?” he said.
The girl turned her head to one side, scraping what few memories she could recall.
“L,” she said. “I think my name’s L.”
“L?” Jamie said. “You mean it begins with the letter L?”
The girl shrugged.
“How about Lucy?” Jamie said. “My dad used to go on about a song about Lucy in a sky somewhere with diamonds. I don’t really know what he’s talking about but I always thought Lucy was a nice name.”
“Lucy,” she said, worked her mouth around the name. “I like it.”
“Do you remember much from before?” Jamie said. “Stephen said you might find it hard to remember things. The sun can have a funny effect sometimes.”
The girl took a moment to consider her answer. She did that a lot, Jamie thought. She liked to take her time to answer questions. Finally, she shook her head.
“I don’t remember much,” she said. “I remember a bright ball of light, really bright. So bright, I couldn’t look at it directly.”
“The sun?” Jamie said.
“Maybe,” Lucy said. “And the desert. I remember that. The endless flat surface, bright and white, the sun reflecting off it.”
“That’s the desert all right,” Jamie said.
“And black shapes, big birds, I think, circling overhead,” Lucy said.
“Vultures,” Jamie said. “You must have been in bad shape for them to be circling. They can smell death like a lion smells water. Do you know how long you were out there for?”
“No,” Lucy said.
“A while, I guess,” Jamie said. “You don’t get blisters like yours otherwise. Do you remember how you managed to survive?”
“No.” Lucy looked concerned. “I don’t seem to remember very much, do I?”
“Stephen said it might take some time for the memories to come back,” Jamie said. “It’s normal. Nothing to be worried about. How about where you were before the desert? Your commune?”
“Commune?” Lucy said. “You mean, like this place here?”
“Yes,” Jamie said. “There are other ones around. Maybe if you can remember something about it, we can return you to your family. What do you remember of the place you were before coming here?”
“Nothing much, really,” Lucy said. “Water. A kind of greenish tint. I think I almost drowned. And glass walls. I remember them. Great big, thick ones. So thick I couldn’t break through it.”
“Glass walls?” Jamie said. Weird. Maybe it was her baked brain scrambling her memories together. “It’s easy to get lost in the desert,” Jamie said. “You’re lucky we found you.”
“Very lucky,” Lucy said. “I do remember something about where I was before. It had a shiny floor, metal, I think. That was the floor of my room. And the bed was like yours. Soft, with good blankets. And there was a man. A tall man with round glasses.”
“Your dad?” Jamie said.
Lucy shrugged.
“It’ll come back to you,” Jamie said. “It might take some time but that’s okay. You’re welcome to stay here until you remember everything.”
Lucy smiled. It was the first time she’d done that since Jamie had met her. It was a warm, innocent thing, little-used if Jamie’s guess was right. Some people had a lot of lines on their faces when they smiled. Angie called them ‘character lines.’ The map of someone’s personality type, she used to say. You could read their past emotions if you looked closely enough. If that were true, Lucy had no past. Still, her smile was a nice one. It made him relax, relinquish the last of the reservations he had about her.
A knock came at the door to Jamie’s bedroom. Donny stood in the doorway, knuckles still coiled from having knocked.
“I heard voices,” he said. “Wanted to make sure you weren’t talking to yourself. I told you spending too much time on your own wasn’t good for you.”
He brought his eyes around to Lucy, taking her in and looking for any threat that might come from her. How he could think she might be a threat, Jamie had no idea. She was so small tucked beneath the blankets.
“How are you doing?” Donny said.
“Good,” Jamie said. “I already asked her that.”
Donny held up his hands in surrender. “All right. I guess I should leave you guys to it. Call me if you need anything.”
He turned and left.
“What’s his deal?” he said.
“He’s worried about you,” Lucy said.
“Worried about what?” Jamie said.
“That I might attack you,” Lucy said. “I suppose it’s normal to think that way about things you don’t understand.”
“That’s the way people are,” Jamie said. “Afraid of anything new.”
“He’s right to be worried,” Lucy said.
“Oh?” Jamie said.
For a split second, he thought she was going to say she really was a ninja. He caught himself and reminded himself to smack Fatty upside the head the next time he saw him. Lucy was as much a ninja or spy as Fatty was going to win the Slimmer of the Year prize.
After the Fall- The Complete series Box Set Page 7