CHAPTER 12 (Ninety-two days inside.)
By the time Friday rolls around I can barely sit still long enough to focus on my test. I tap my fingers against the desk and check my tablet for the umpteenth time only to realize a few measly minutes have passed. Ms. Thomas gives me the evil eye. I wonder if she thinks my fidgeting is a case of testing jitters or if she thinks I'm trying to cheat. At least my restlessness takes the attention off Connor for once; I’m sure he’s grateful for the break. Even with my lack of concentration I still think I do well on the test. It's kind of hard for me to fail a test with my photographic memory. I wonder if that would be considered a form of cheating. Not that it matters anyway, I learned all of this stuff last year when my mother was homeschooling me.
I over emphasize the final tap on my tablet screen, sending my completed test to Ms. Thomas. I look around the room and see that I'm the first person done.
Ms. Thomas looks up at me like I'm crazy. "Are you sure you don't want to go back and review your answers Ms. Mosby?"
"No, I'm good." I say and then look back down at my tablet.
She makes an annoyed grunting sound which I simply ignore.
They have a video for us to watch after the test and mine starts up. I throw on my earphones to listen. It's an old video that I've seen a thousand times about the importance of education and college. It tours several of the country's finest institutions. I wonder if they will still be around after all of this is over. I can't even fathom the normalcy of going to an actual college or even a real live school. I wonder if anyone can after most of us have been holed up for a good part of our academic careers.
Right before school lets out Alec sends me a text.
Alec: Bring your swimsuit, no questions. Meet me by the first floor elevators at 3:30. Miss u!
I smile at his message. The first half is so boss-like, while the second is the Alec I’ve come to know personally. When he mixes the two it cracks me up.
Me: See u soon!
School is dismissed promptly at 2:15 and I’m the first one out the door. I give a small wave to Connor and Claire and I am on my way. I head to one of the small stores in the commons area and purchase a piece of purple ribbon and some lip-gloss. It costs most of my money, but I don’t care. The lady at the checkout smacks her gum as she scans my tablet. I watch my paycheck diminish to almost nothing and I’m out the door in less than a minute.
I rush back to our little apartment and hurriedly scramble into the bathroom. I pull my hair up into a ponytail and tie the ribbon around it. I find my bathing suit and put it on then squirm into my pink scrubs careful not to mess up my hair. I wash my face and pinch my cheeks a few times to develop some resemblance to blush. I apply the lip-gloss and run my lips together. Yep, they look kissable to me! I look down at my drab scrubs and sincerely wish I could change styles or something. As soon as I can afford a sewing kit I’m going to alter these bad boys. I’ve already seen Candy and her posse around in alternate versions of the scrubs. She even turned one version into shorts and a cute tank top. I figure if she doesn’t get in trouble then it must be okay. I just want to take the sides in a bit, maybe alter the neckline. My mother taught me how to sew when I was younger. It would make her proud. I smile at my mother’s memory which quickly turns into a frown. I shake it off and take a deep breath looking into the mirror. Not on your birthday, Willow I repeat to myself.
I take a quick peek at the clock and realize I have five minutes to spare. I sigh at my reflection. This isn't necessarily the sweet sixteen dress that I had imagined but it will have to do. I apply one more layer of lip gloss for safe measure, check my ribbon and I’m out the door.
I bump into my dad on the way out. “Oh, hey dad!”
“Hey Willow.” He takes one look at my face and hair ribbon. “Where are you off to?”
Without skipping a beat I answer him. “Off to go hang with some friends.” I cringe…I said friends, as in plural.
"Friends or friend?" My dad asks.
I knew I wouldn't get away with being vague. "I'm going to hang out with Alec." I give him the honesty he was looking for and it makes me feel good.
"Alec, hmm." He runs his hands through his greying hair. "He seems like a pretty decent guy."
I nod my head and say, "He is dad."
He studies me for a bit longer making me slightly uncomfortable. “Okay, well you have fun. I’m going to head in to get a bit of shut eye. I’ve got to work the night shift.”
I hate how much they’re making my dad work. I pull him into a brief hug then leave for the elevator.
“Be safe,” he says as I walk away.
“I will, Dad. Love you.” I breathe a sigh of relief and then realize, my dad didn’t even remember my birthday. He’s always been good at remembering and making a bigger than necessary deal on my birthday. I guess I can’t blame him though; he has so much on his plate right now. He seemed too tired to even grill me about going on my date. Well that could have to do with the fact that I think deep down my dad likes and trusts my boyfriend. I'm very grateful for that because I can't imagine doing anything that would damage our father daughter relationship. We are quite possibly the only family we have left.
A lump forms in my throat and I push my feelings aside for the time being. It's my birthday and I'm going on my first real date.
I hop on the elevator feeling giddy from head to toe. The ride down seems like it takes forever. The elevator dings on the first floor opening up to Alec, standing there with a large and full backpack. As soon as he sees it’s me he rushes into the elevator and clicks the door close button.
My heart skips a beat as the doors close.
Alec pulls me into an embrace and kisses me passionately on the lips. I return the favor letting my whole body get absorbed in his kiss. He pulls back far too soon with a wicked smile splaying across his lips. “Strawberry,” he says as he licks his lips. “I like it.”
I blush bright red. The elevator dings on the Storage floor and the doors open up into the vast room. Alec takes my tablet from me. “Hold the door, would you Willow?”
I nod my head, “Sure.”
Alec climbs onto the side rails of the elevator and pushes up one of the cork ceiling tiles. He puts the tablets in them and closes it back off. I give him a smile of satisfaction, genius! “So, what’s the plan?” I ask Alec a little breathlessly.
“You’ll see,” is all he says.
I kind of figured where we’re going, what with the swimsuit and being here on the level marked for storage.
Alec takes my hand and squeezes it softly. “Ready?” I nod my head as we clamor off the elevator.
It takes us about twenty minutes or so of climbing through the different tunnels and grates until I find myself with wet knees crawling through the last round of tunnels. This time we set the rope ladders up at each drop before we jump down, since there would be nobody to help give Alec a boost back up.
We are starting to get much more efficient at making this journey. Alec even found a way to fasten the flashlight to the shoulder of his backpack so we can see better.
Excitement courses through me when we reach our cave. The light hits the stalagmites. They are so beautiful. Alec climbs out of the tunnel and helps me down. Just his touch makes my heart dance with joy.
Alec and I walk over to the water’s edge and he places the backpack down. Shining the light inside, he pulls out a lantern looking thing and goes to work setting it up. Within a few minutes a bright glow begins to illuminate the cavern. I turn off my flashlight thrilled I can now see panoramically. The area is simply breathtaking.
I feel Alec’s arms wrap around me drawing me softly to him. “Happy Birthday,” he says whispering in my ear.
A small smile escapes my lips and I turn to him. “How did you know it was my birthday?” I playfully question.
Alec jokingly laughs, “A man has his secrets.” I hit him lightly on the arm.
“Secrets, schmecrits,” I say taunt
ing him.
He laughs and holds his hand out dropping something cool and metallic in my hand. “For you,” he says.
I open up my hand to see what he gave me. “A paper clip necklace!” I exclaim!
Even in the dim light I see him blush. “I know it’s not much, but you know there isn’t a lot here that I can give you.”
“No need to apologize,” I tell him. “I think it’s sweet and thoughtful. It is a homemade gift after all. I’m going to keep it forever.”
He moves around me and ‘fastens’ the necklace to me. “Hey, it’s one step up from a pasta necklace,” he jokes.
I laugh. “Yes, you're right about that! But this way, I don’t feel the need to eat it.”
To my amazement, Alec has packed a little picnic for us. He sets out various cans of stuff around a small towel he must have brought from his place. “Are you hungry,” he asks while placing some silverware on the blanket.
“Not really quite yet,” I say. I’m a little too excited about this place to eat now, plus dinner’s not officially supposed to be for another few hours.
“Good,” Alec says. “Neither am I. So, what do you say we go do a little exploring, then go for a swim and we’ll finish it off with our special ‘lantern lit’ dinner.” He smiles at me and I know I’m a goner.
I nod my head. “Sure, that sounds fun!” He finishes unloading the backpack and gets his flashlight. I click mine on illuminating the space before me in a bright white glow. Alec takes my hand making it feel so warm and inviting and we’re off.
We follow the areas that are around the large pool of water finding all kinds of things. There are these strange white bugs I have never seen before as well as white tadpoles. I haven’t looked up to see if there are any bats because, truth be told, I’d rather not know if there are.
I reach my hand out to touch one of the stalagmites that have grown up from the floor and Alec stops me. “Don’t touch them, just look. The oils on your fingers could alter their growth.” I pull my hand back. “And we don’t want that,” he reiterates. It’s hard for me not to touch them though because I’m such a tactile person. The texture looks so cool and inviting.
“Willow, shut your flashlight off for a sec,” Alec says. I give him a questioning look but turn my flashlight off squeezing his hand infinitesimally tighter. “Look, do you see over there, in the corner?”
I look to the corner and see a very subtle beam of light. So subtle, that you would have to know what you’re looking for to be able to see it.
Alec turns his light back on and I follow suite. “Let’s go check it out.” He took the words right out of my mouth. We inch along careful not to step on any geologic marvels and make our way to the far corner. Although, when we get there, it isn’t really a corner at all. It’s a hidden pathway leading further into the infrastructure.
“Should we go in?” I ask Mr. Geology to make sure it’s safe.
“Willow, is that really a question?” He smirks at me.
I return the smile with one of my own. This is so exciting! We inch into the narrow space between the cave walls gripping each other’s hands a bit tighter as we make our way through. At one point the walls almost touch each other at the top so we have to get down and waddle like a duck to get by. The light begins to grow and grow until we don’t have to really use our flashlights, except we do anyway.
We round the final turn and come to a cavern that looks very similar to the one we were just in. Similar, except for the small hole in the ceiling that is funneling in a small beam of light. The room is markedly warmer than the other room; my guess is because it has some heat from outside seeping in. There’s another large pool of water in this room; it looks a lot more inviting though. My guess is the temperature of the water is significan’tly warmer.
As if reading my mind Alec says, “Looks like a good place for a swim. You game?”
I smile and follow him to the edge of the large pool of water. "Sure." We kick off our shoes and take off our socks. After that though I begin to feel self-conscious.
Alec must see the worry on my face, “I’ll turn around while you get undressed.” Without waiting for a response he turns around.
I wonder if that means I can’t watch him… And so I do, because I can. While I wrestle with the drawstring that’s tied around my waist I watch as Alec takes off his shirt. The muscles in his back flex and soften as he brings his arms back down. Yum, I think to myself. I finally manage to get my pants undone and I take off my shirt. I make sure my swimsuit is on right and tell Alec, “Okay, you can turn around now.”
He smiles at me and I blush. He has never seen me with so little on but his eyes don’t rake over my body like I would have expected. He stares into my eyes sweetly then comes to my side and takes my hand. He leads me to the water. I put my foot in and feel the warmth pour through my body. It’s not as warm as a shower or bath, but it’s soothing nonetheless.
Alec doesn’t waste anytime diving into the water. His head pops up just under the light a few seconds later. He shakes his head as he comes up sending water spraying around him. The outside light hits it just right and his hair looks like it's glistening. “Man this feels good!” He exclaims.
I can tell he’s a throw-caution-to-the-wind kind of guy as I tiptoe out towards him in the middle. Oh, enough with the pleasantries, I dive in right after him. The water is so clear under here that I can see his feet treading water up ahead. I pop up right next to him feeling the warm light bathe my skin. “It does feel good,” I say as I push my wet hair out of my face. I look up through the natural skylight in the cavern. We both float on our backs staring up at the sun and the sky that is so far above us.
I forgot how much I missed the open sky. My heart warms and I feel suddenly like everything might turn out right after all. Some inkling of hope hits me and I think of my mom and my little brother. My heart tugs slightly but deep down I have the thought that they may make it after all. I mean, here I am in a cavern staring up at the sun, it could be totally possible that they are staring up at the same sun right now. That is, if my brother is still well and has not been overcome by the heat or the virus.
"A penny for your thoughts." Alec says quietly into my ear beside me.
I consider not answering but I say after a few seconds, "I was just thinking of my family."
He pulls me into his arms. I rest my head on his shoulder and he treads water carrying both of our weight. "I bet they are out there Willow. They can't all just be gone, like that."
"I was just thinking that same thing." I say quietly still feeling a little sad. I look up and gaze into his eyes. “Wow, I’ve never noticed how beautiful your eyes are…they’re the most unique shade of blue/green I’ve ever seen.” I reach up briefly to stroke his cheek.
“Blue?” says Alec questionably. “That’s strange; I don’t remember having a blue hue to my eyes.”
I inch closer. “Hmm,” I say looking into his eyes. “They look blue to me, maybe it’s just the way the light is hitting them.”
"Yeah, it has to be the light because your left eye kind of looks a little green too. It's pretty cool looking though." Alec plants a light feathery kiss on my lips. “Happy Birthday Willow. I know this isn’t much, but I hope it’s enough.” A sincere smile splays itself on my lips.
“Alec, this is more than enough. This has to be the best birthday I’ve ever had. Honestly.” I want him to see how grateful I am to be spending my day with him, but I don't want him to see the hint of sadness that the void in my family has left me with. In order to not ruin the moment I slip through his arms and duck down into the water. Swimming further out, enjoying the sting of my muscles as I push them to their limits. I pretend that the warm water is melting away any sadness or worries. I bob back up a moment later taking in a gulp of air. I turn around to see Alec’s head duck below the surface. I tread water waiting for him to come back up.
I feel something tickle my feet. I scramble away think
ing it’s a fish until Alec’s head pops up. “Gotcha!” He says, voice full of playfulness.
I splash water at him and he feigns like he’s hurt. I see a twinkle in his eye indicating 'game on' and away I go…Alec chasing me from behind.
We play for what seems like hours in the water. Playing games like we did when we were children including, Fish Out of Water and Marco Polo. He even gives in when I ask him to have an underwater tea party. We race each other using different strokes we know…even the butterfly, which I suck profusely at. I look like a dying fish.
By the time we're done I’m starving and can’t wait to see what's for dinner.
Alec and I hike back around to the blanket with all the goodies on it and dive in. “Where’d you get all this food?” I ask Alec in between mouthfuls of canned chicken salad. The buttery crackers melt in my mouth. Yum!
"I got connections." Alec jokes.
"I bet! A perk of being a part of the upper class. The rich can get anything." I look up at him when he doesn't laugh and the grin on my face falters when I see Alec's expression. Oh crap.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Alec asks looking not so happy.
"Um." I stutter.
"Do you classify me in the same group as Zack and Candy?" He spits their names out like they taste bad.
"I don't Alec. I was just trying to joke." I say sincerely. "I know you're nothing like them."
He stares at me for a few seconds and then says, "Okay. I'm sorry I got kind of worked up but I couldn't stand it if that's what you thought of me. I may come from money but I work hard, I don't just sit around making other people's lives miserable like they do."
"I know. I'm sorry." I say biting my lip. I look down feeling miserable. I never meant to hurt his feelings.
He scoots closer to me and raises my chin with his hands until my eyes are level with his. "You know it's a good thing you are cute." He says with a boyish grin that changes into a questioning look. "Hey, did you poke your eye?"
I look at him confused. "I don't think so." I say.
"Hmm, your left eye has a red spot in it. Kind of like what happens when someone pops a blood vessel but instead it's on the brown part of your iris." His staring starts making me a little uncomfortable.
"Does it look that horrible?" I move back away from him and reach my hand up to my eye self-consciously.
"Hey, it doesn't look bad Willow. You have to be looking very closely to notice it." He pulls me back towards him and the look in his eyes makes my stomach do summersaults. "And nobody should be able to get as close to you as I do." He brushes a wet strand of hair from my face. "You are really beautiful Willow."
Aww! My self-consciousness melts with his words. He leans in and kisses me gently. My heart races and takes a few moments to calm down even after he's pulled away.
"Thank you Alec for this amazing day." I say as he goes back to eating his food.
"Anything for you." He says. "I wish I could have found some cake but this cookie will have to do." He pulls out a chocolate chip cookie and presents it to me. "Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Willow, happy birthday to you." He sings dramatically.
I'm smiling so big that my face hurts. I accept the cookie from him and take a bite. It's stale like those pre-packaged cookies that sit on the shelf for months, but it satisfies my sweet tooth. I break off half and hand it to him. "For you."
"Why thank you." Alec says smiling. He takes a bite and a smudge of chocolate stains his lips. I wipe it away playfully and give him a quick peck on the cheek.
"So, today was my first time to celebrate my birthday with my boyfriend. It was the first time that we found this cave. The first time we saw the sun in a while. And it was our first fight!" I grin spiritedly at him.
"Wow, a lot of firsts." He says. "And I'm glad I was with you for them."
We talk some more while we finish our food and clean up. Alec tells me about some of his birthday memories. I feel bad when I find out that his mom had died a few years back. I hadn't known that about him. He moves on from the subject quickly though, not wanting to spoil the mood.
"We better head out." Alec says regretfully after a little while.
"Yeah, I guess. Maybe we can come back on our next day off. We could show this place to Connor and Claire." I say a little torn. I want to share this amazing place with our friends but I also want to keep it as Alec and my secret place.
"It's a date." Alec says.
"A double date." I say with a sly grin. We both laugh at that then head out.
The trip back seems to go by a lot faster than the trip in. Normally that's a good thing but in this case it just means I get that much less time with Alec.
We reach the opening and climb out carefully making sure that very little noise was made. We put the grate back on and head for the elevator. It dings and we hop on. I hold the door open button while Alec fishes for our tablets. He passes both of them to me and I release the elevator button and press the button for floor three. The elevator lifts us at its usual quick speed and when it opens up into the common area we step out into a silent hallway.
"It must be late." Alec says looking around. There isn't a single person out on the floor.
I hand him his tablet that I'm still holding and then slide the lock screen off mine. My stomach drops when I see twenty missed messages and the time. It's nine p.m. I pull up my list of messages and my eyes halt when I see the three red bolded message lines from the shelter officials. The first notifies us of a mandatory assembly that began at seven-thirty p.m. The second one state's that I failed to check in and that I should bring my tablet to an official immediately. The third is written in all caps and says that I have twenty minutes to notify an official of my presence at the assembly or I would receive a permanent reprimand on my record. In smaller font it states that additional consequences can be assessed depending on the nature of the situation. I look at the time on the third message and see that I have exactly two minutes to bring my tablet to an official. My heart leaps into my throat and I look at Alec.
He must have identical messages because he grabs my hand and pulls me into the elevator immediately. He presses floor one and the elevator begins moving. "Look, when this opens you separate from me and go in through another entrance to the assembly. I don't care what you say, but lie. Tell them you didn't see the messages, your tablet was off, whatever you have to tell them. Just don't tell them where we were, okay?'
I nod and my palms starts sweating as the doors ding open. We run into the empty foyer and make our way towards headquarters. Alec runs past me to go in through an entrance further down and I take the first set of doors into the auditorium. My heart is leaping as I walk into the dim, gigantic assembly hall. A video is playing and I have no idea what's going on. Thankfully the video seems to be so enthralling that nobody notices me.
I make my way towards a female official who is standing a few rows in front of me. I speed walk and tap her on the shoulder. She turns around and doesn't seem too pleased to see me, especially since I'm interrupting the video presentation. I hand her my tablet and whisper a bit shakily. "I um, my tablet was off and I just turned it on and it had all of these messages and the last one said that I had to bring this to you."
The female official is a few inches taller than me and has a more masculine build to her. I feel extremely intimidated as she stares me down with beady hazel eyes. She looks down at my tablet and my heart races and presses a few things on the screen. She starts to hand it back to me but then asks, "Why did you not hand this to the official upon entering?"
My mind tries to come up with an excuse and I know that the pause in answering her is going to make me look guilty. I finally think of something. "I came in with my dad and we were with a really big group. Nobody asked me for it and I just figured that when they checked my dad's tablet that I would be counted present since we are together."
She studies me for a second and looks around me a
s if trying to find my dad. "I've been covering this entrance and I know I wouldn't have let you go by without seeing your tablet."
Crap! "Um, I didn't come in through this entrance. I came in further down there." I point to my left. There are at least fifteen rows with different officials to my left so I figure it's the best option. She looks at me and I just know that she's going to see right through me and know that I haven't been here. She's going to ask me why I would come all the way to her to check in. She looks in that direction and I see her looking in the direction of a tall lanky male official. She rolls her eyes and a slight ping of hope hits me. Maybe she doesn't like that official.
She returns her attention to me, her eyes squinting as if she's trying to figure me out. The crowd around us breaks out in a loud round of applause. She looks back at the screen and a look of pure disappointment covers her face. She looks back at me annoyed, pulls the screen up on my tablet, types a few things that I can't see onto the touch screen and then hands it to me. I grab it from her and she immediately walks away in search of another official. My guess is she's wanting to find out what just happened on the video.
My heart starts slowing down the further away she gets from me. If she was still suspicious she certainly wouldn't have handed the tablet back to me. I slide into a seat on the end of a row in the back and avoid making any eye contact with those in the neighboring seats. I don't pay attention to the video that's apparently talking about the heating process. Instead, I look down at my tablet. A green warning message is displayed across it stating: Class Three Reprimand. In smaller print I read the notification that as a consequence for a Class Three Reprimand I will be assigned community service for the next month, to commence on any free day I am given. Aww Man! There go all of my hopes of further exploring our caves for a while.
I read the general message under the reprimand, which states the different classes. Apparently a class three is the lowest level and is considered a sort of deferred adjudication where it can be removed from my permanent record upon the completion of all community service. I read the other classes of reprimands and find that class two is a serious level of discipline which requires paying restitution, completing abundant community service and it will go on the permanent record which could affect a persons employment opportunities. A class one reprimand can result in actual prison time and in some cases could result in a person being exiled from the shelter. A shiver passes down my spine. I never knew that there was a prison in this shelter, it's not labeled anywhere on the maps. I also never knew that they would actually kick someone out of here. I mean, that could be a death sentence!
To get my mind off it, I start looking through the other seventeen messages on my tablet. There are seven messages from my dad asking where I am. They get more and more worried as they go on. I feel horrible that I put him through this. I had no idea that this assembly would be called but one of the number one rules in the shelter is to always carry your tablet. Obviously that rule is for this very purpose.
The other messages are from Connor and Claire just asking where I'm at and commenting on the video. It turns out the whole thing is about how the removal of the patches is working. The earth is heating up nicely, yada, yada, yada. They still estimate that we will need to remain in the shelter for another two years. Connor complains about that part the most. Especially since his parents are out there. I concur with that, I don't want to wait another two years to find out if my mom and little brother survived, but I obviously don't have much choice.
My tablet vibrates and a new message from Alec comes on the screen. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I got a reprimand though." I type back.
"What?!" He texts which tells me that he must have gotten through the situation a lot better than I did.
"Yes, it's only a class three though." I say.
A few minutes pass and then he sends, "Okay, that doesn't look like it will be too bad. How many days did you get of community service?" He must have just searched through the shelter facts to find out what the different classes mean.
"I have to go on every free day for a month." I type.
"I'm so sorry babe. This is my fault." He sends.
My stomach flutters in a good way at his use of the word babe. I can't help smiling as I type. "Not your fault. This still was the best b-day ever."
"I still feel horrible but I will find a way to make it up to you." He types.
"You don't have to make up anything. I'll be fine. Looks like they are about to let out." I type as the lights come on in the auditorium. Everyone around me starts getting up and I follow suit.
I head back to my room immediately. When I get in I answer my dad's texts and let him know that I'm fine. I was just sitting with my friends. He seems relieved to hear back from me. He tells me that he has to go back into work but that he loves me. He sends another text with a picture of a birthday cake.
Dad: Happy Birthday Honey!
Me: Thanks!
My heart warms knowing my dad remembered after all. I need to find time to talk to my dad about what's been going on in my life. We used to be close and not telling him about everything seems unnatural. My dad has always been there to support me but lately we've had zero time together. I make a promise to myself that the next time we have alone time I will tell him about Alec and even about our cave.
I take a shower and change into my pajamas. It feels good when I lay down in my bed. I didn't realize how tired I was from our exploring and then the emotional stress of finding out we nearly missed the assembly. I was going to text Claire to see how her time with Connor and Lillie was but I find it hard to keep my eyes open. I decide it can wait till tomorrow and I succumb to the sleep that is calling my name so sweetly.
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