Finding Nova

by Belle Harper

  Slowly, Nova put a foot out in front of her and stepped around Noah, casting a wary glance his way. She didn’t trust him. If I didn’t know the guy, I wouldn’t trust him either. Then he flashed me that big goofy grin, flashing those dimples. And I almost laughed. He really was a big goofy puppy.

  6

  Nova

  I was standing in front of a shallow grave. The sun beat down, hot on my head with my hat now gone. I had my hair gathered in my hand so it would stop blowing around in the hot wind. Noah told me over and over he felt terrible that he couldn’t find Kevin in the storm. And as soon as the storm had passed, he went out and buried him.

  The morning sun was giving way to noon. I looked at my surroundings. There was a main street, which they had led me across. There were a few brick buildings, and the wooden ones were a lot more damaged. I assumed from the storms. But there were three houses in a row, and we came from the second one. I assumed the other houses on either side were empty. There was no one else but these three men here, that I could see.

  But where will I go from here? I don’t even know where here is. And now Kevin is gone. I hugged myself and looked down to where the fresh red dirt had been placed on him. I didn’t want to cry in front of these men. I didn’t want them to see any weakness. I refused to be taken advantage of. And that was what men did—they wanted something, so they took it. That was how it had always been. It was what I had always seen in Bakersfield.

  I stepped away from them and headed straight back to the house we had come from. I could sense them following me, but I was more relaxed this time. They had seemed tense when we got out here. This was my chance. I quickly dashed around through the front door, slamming it behind me, and ran as fast as I could to where I hoped the back door was.

  Shit. It was locked. How was it locked? Fucking great. I could hear them calling out to me as they made their way inside the house. I quickly ran into the kitchen area. I heard their footsteps as they ran through the house, two sets went up the stairs where as the third set came to where I had just been. I opened the door on the kitchen cupboard and wasn’t surprised to see it empty. I scrambled inside and quietly closed the door behind me. I was in a ball. It was the only way I could fit in there. I was glad right now I was so small. If I was any taller, I wouldn’t have fit.

  “Where the hell is, she?” One of them called out as they ran right through the kitchen. I could hear them running up and down the stairs. I was waiting to see if they would all go up the stairs, but one of them stayed on the lower level the whole time. Probably smart because I was going to run for that front door. I wasn’t staying here—these men knew I was a woman. How long would it take before they sold me or even worse? They might seem nice now, but that was how they lured you in. I had seen it done many times over the years. But not only with women; men did it to other smaller men as well—sold them off to the Red Raiders as sex slaves. I shivered and held down those thoughts. That wouldn’t happen to me. Keep it together, Nova. Kevin didn’t get us this far for you to give up. He would want you to fight.

  He had taught me to fight over the years, and especially after Dad died. He’d said I needed to fight dirty. I was too small to knock a man out, but I could give a good kick to the balls and run. Run and hide.

  It had been quiet for too long. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I they were waiting for me to come out. Giving me a false sense of hope. Well if they thought I was that stupid… Not going to happen. I held my breath. Trying as hard as I could to not make a sound. My stomach wanted to eat itself, but I needed to keep it together. When I heard the front door bang close and muffled talking outside, I felt it was my chance to get in a better position. I slowly opened the cupboard door and peered out.

  What? Was not expecting that at all.

  7

  Ezra

  The only place she would have had time to get to was the basement, but I didn’t think she would want to put herself down there. If I was running from someone, I wouldn’t place myself somewhere with only one exit. Then I realized the kitchen was the only place that had somewhere to really hide, so I placed a protein bar in front of the only two empty cupboards she could be in and then very quietly left the room.

  I gestured to Noah and Colt to go outside. And once there, I gestured with my hand and Colt nodded in understanding. I slammed the door shut and carefully snuck back toward the kitchen area and sat down beside the door so she wouldn’t see me.

  It didn’t take long before I heard the click of the cupboard door latch and the sound she made at seeing I had left her food there. I wanted to look at her, to see her reaction, but I soon heard the wrapper being torn and her devouring the bar within minutes.

  “I wouldn’t eat too fast,” I whispered from where I was hiding. I heard the panicked sound as she scrambled to her feet. “You will make yourself sick after not eating for a while.”

  I peered around the corner and her eyes locked on mine. I could see the fear in her eyes. I kept myself low, as Colt had done earlier. I wanted her to understand I didn’t want any harm to come to her. That I would take care of her, as I had promise Kevin I would.

  “Don’t come any closer,” she warned, as her hand grasped the drawer and rummaged inside, hunting for a weapon. She wouldn’t find much in there. We had the knives hidden around the house. But she pulled up a fork. She quickly glanced to it and must have decided it would do. She held the handle tightly, but I could see she was using all her energy to do it. She didn’t have much. She started to sway on her feet. But she wasn’t giving up.

  “I promised Kevin that I would take care of you. I’m true to my word, Nova. I will take care of you. I can take you to where you were going.” I held my breath as she swayed again. I was worried she would fall and hit her head. She looked down at me, my palms upright on the floor so she could see I had no weapons. I moved slightly and she backed up holding the fork out just from her body.

  “Don’t,” she gritted out. I resumed my position. I didn’t say anything, just kept my eyes on her as she looked at me and the room she was in. She always kept an eye on me; she was smart. I could tell that. She wasn’t some stupid lost girl. No, this woman had strength, fight. She had a will to live.

  I didn’t move. I wanted her to trust me. I knew that Colt was suspicious of her. He had been assessing the whole situation for hours now. He’d taken first watch last night. I tried to sleep, but I couldn’t help but see the concern on his face. He was running over and over in his head what this woman meant. I must say, he was more guarded than me. I never questioned it. Which in thinking back, how often did a woman of any kind just magically come into my life?

  Never.

  But I wanted her side of the story before I came to some conclusion that she was a spy for someone, or maybe even those crazy-as-fuck Red Raiders.

  Eventually exhaustion won over and she all but crumpled to the floor. I quickly got up and raced over, crouched down low I pulled her to a sitting position. Until a sharp pain hit my shoulder. Her eyes flew open as I let her go and grabbed my arm to see what it was. She kicked me then, right in the nuts. I dropped to the floor, gasping for air. It felt like she had kicked my nuts into my stomach. She scrambled to her feet, and I tried to grab her as she took off running. I heard the front door open and Noah yelling.

  “Fuck,” I screamed as I pulled the fork from my shoulder. I stumbled to my feet, threw the fork into the corner of the room, and chased after her. Noah had her in his arms. She was screaming and trying to bite him but he didn’t let go. Colt was trying to calm her down.

  “Let her go,” I called out. Noah shook his head.

  “Colt, I don’t think she is a spy, man.” Colt looked back to me holding my arm and back to Noah who was trying like hell to miss all her little shots. She was giving it her all, until she started to slow down. Then, Noah let her down onto her feet.

  She looked like a deer in headlights. She couldn’t believe he had let her go. She stumbled a few steps back and th
en started to run. She didn’t get far before she was on her knees crawling.

  “Fuck. Shit. Go and get her,” Colt called to Noah. My heart twisted. Why didn’t she want to stay with me? I promised her I would protect her. I knew I shouldn’t have gotten so attached. In my heart I knew she wouldn’t want to stay with me, but I guess having Noah around gave me hope. He made it seem like she would wake up and want to join us and be part of our misfit group of outcasts—our family. I’d started to believe he was right.

  Noah cradled her in his arms. I was surprised she would let him after what she just did to my shoulder. But then I saw her face. She had passed out. Colt grabbed my arm to inspect my shoulder.

  “Lucky it didn’t go to deep. Keep it clean and it shouldn’t get infected.”

  I nodded and headed into the house.

  I can’t believe she stabbed me. With a fork!

  8

  Noah

  I didn’t understand why she ran from us. We were the good guys here. I knew Colt saw her as something else. But I really didn’t understand what she was running from. I wanted her to tell me, to stop Colt from pacing and staring at her like she was the enemy. She had been lying there for the past two hours out cold.

  “I think we need to get her to answer some questions,” Colt said. “Then if she wants to go, let her. I will follow her to see if she is reporting back to anyone. I don’t trust this. It’s too fucking strange. I bet she was here trying to figure out how many men we had. And now that she figured there is only three, she is trying to report back to them…” He trailed off.

  He was over thinking this. I felt like she wasn’t a threat. He was always on alert, but more so now that she was here. But he was very protective. So, I understood where he was coming from. But I was sure Nova would tell him she wasn’t a threat when she woke up.

  She started to stir, so I helped her head up to give her water. She took it and drank half the canteen before pulling away. Water ran down her lips and chin. I wiped it away with my hand, and her eyes flashed open to me.

  “Hey.” I smiled down at her. She was so small in my arms. But now we knew size meant nothing when you wanted to escape. She was good at hiding that was for sure

  She coughed and then surprised me when she gave me a small smile in return.

  “Hey,” she replied. Then she saw Ezra move up and her smile dropped, the look of fear draped across her face. Ez wasn’t even angry with her. He had said that it was a normal reaction for someone who felt cornered. That he was fine, and it was just a scratch. But I could see when he lifted his arm high that it wasn’t just a scratch by the look on his face. She must have hit the muscle at least. The prongs on the fork had gone in quite deep.

  “It’s okay. I’m not upset,” he whispered to her. She looked around the room and saw Colt looking out the window, keeping watch. As always.

  “I’m not upset either, Nova. I just wanted to help you. I’m sorry I scared you.” I smiled again, hoping she would give me another one and she didn’t disappoint. I was happy to see her smile again. It was only a small one, but it was a huge step. I wanted her to stay with us. I never knew any girls after NEX, never touched one until she came here. And I just… I really wanted her to like me.

  9

  Nova

  Noah. He was a giant, but he really was like a big puppy dog. He seemed too sweet to be in this world we live in now. But here he was, helping me drink. And smiling at me as if I didn’t just try to scratch his eyes out and stab his friend.

  Colton looked over to me and started with a barrage of questions.

  “What’s your full name? Where are you from?” He looked out the window again as I answered as best I could. I didn’t want them to send me back to Bakersfield. Or tell the men of Bakersfield I was here.

  “I’m Nova Flores. I’m…from Bakersfield. Kevin and I were leaving because it wasn’t safe there anymore.”

  He turned to me on that last admission. He raised his brows.

  “That place was safe last time I was there.” He tilted his head as he leaned in closer to me. I looked up to Noah who nodded at me to answer as I sat upright. If I was going to be here and interrogated by him, I didn’t want to do it lying down.

  “I’m telling you it’s not safe there. Not anymore… Not for me.” It was all I would give him, and he didn’t push again.

  “Who do you work for?”

  “I don’t work for anyone. It was just me and Kevin. My father died and Kevin took care of me. It wasn’t safe, so we left. We heard whispers about a city through the desert, a place that was safe for women. A place I could be free…”

  “Bullshit,” he all but yelled, cutting me off. It made me jump.

  “Hey, Colt, don’t scare her, fuck man,” Ezra said as he got closer to me. He almost reminded me of Kevin the way he positioned himself between Colton and me. A protector.

  Colton threw his hands up in the air. “Fuck, you guys are so gullible. She didn’t just come here from Bakersfield. No one comes that way and survives. That’s bullshit I tell you. And you guys just eat it up. The truth is, we have a woman here. A fucking woman. Why would, of all the people to ever come here, and that has been zero, we would get a woman at our door?”

  I understood what he was implying. And I felt bad he was fighting with his friends, with his lover over me, but I wasn’t working for anyone.

  I just wanted to go to another city, start over. I didn’t want to go back into hiding, but I would if I couldn’t find this place I had heard whispered so many times. Eden.

  In the past I sometimes used my body to get the supplies we needed. Kevin never said anything when I would return with food and supplies. He knew I was visiting the brothel, and most women there were in their fifties. So when someone young came in, the customers were happy to pay me decently in trade items.

  It was the only safe way to get goods, food. That was why I kept my hair long. The women told me to grow it out. “Men don’t pay to fuck girls who look like boys. They want a real woman, with hair they can pull,” they’d said.

  But never did I expect to be here, with these three men. If I didn’t have Kevin, then I would have to learn to survive on my own.

  And how long do you think that will last?

  “Look,” I yelled. They all froze and stared at me.

  I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. “Look, I didn’t come here for this. I didn’t mean to get here to you. I have been hiding for years, and I got found out, okay? That’s why it wasn’t safe anymore. You know what they do to young women in Bakersfield. They are taken and sold off to the highest bidder to be married. I’m not doing that. I don’t want that so we ran. I would rather be dead than raped every day for the rest of my life.”

  They were all quiet and just stared at me.

  Colton nodded. “If you want us to take you to the next city, we can do that. Do you have someone meeting you there?” Colton seemed to have calmed down. I bit my lip and inhaled.

  “No, but that’s okay. I will figure it out.” They looked to each other. Ezra looked to me, and his eyes appeared…sad? No, that can’t be it. I don’t know him. I owed him my life, and I didn’t know how to feel about the way he was looking at me, so I glanced away.

  Later in the evening, I ate a bowl of stew, with real meat and potatoes. I didn’t ask where the meat had come from, but I think it was rabbit. I felt I could relax a little around them, though I didn’t fully trust them. I wouldn’t go to sleep with them around. Three men in the middle of nowhere. No one would ever hear me scream, and even then, the type of men that would come to save me would probably be even worse than these three. I didn’t have Kevin to save me anymore. I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat at his memory. Later I would mourn for the man who raised me; he had always been like a second father to me.

  “Do you want to play a game, Nova?” Noah asked as he came up with a box in his hand. It was faded but I saw the word Trouble on the side. Wow, a real board game.

  �
��Yes, please.” I sat up and crossed my legs as he moved the mattresses together.

  “Ez, you gonna play?” he called over to the opened door. And I heard Ezra call back. “Yep, just give me a minute.”

  “I have all the pieces left in here. I have kept this with me a long time, Nova. Do you want me to tell you the rules?”

  I shook my head. “I think I know the rules. I used to play this with my mom.”

  He nodded and then asked the one question that none of them had asked me yet.

  “How old are you, Nova? If you don’t mind me asking.”

  I smiled at him. He really wasn’t as scary as he looked. He smiled back at me, and this time it reached his eyes. And the dimples that popped out were cute. I couldn’t help but smile bigger at that. It felt nice to smile. Even if it was only for a little while.

  “I’m twenty, but I could be twenty-one I’m not sure. I just go by the years now instead of my actual birthday date. How old are you?”

  “You’re a lot younger than I thought you would be.”

  I turned to Colton. He was on the chair looking out the window again. The room was cast in a glow of red at the setting sun and he looked incredible. There were no words to describe these men—they were all so attractive. And clean. Maybe just men who washed looked this hot. They practically never washed at Bakersfield.

  “Oh why?” I asked, curious now he was speaking to me. He looked over to me and shrugged. I turned back to Noah.

  “I’m…I’m nineteen or twenty. I’m not sure either, and Colt is…” He hesitated to see what Colton would do. I watched Colton too. He flinched slightly but didn’t look over to us.