“I just can’t figure out what Shaul’s problem is,” I continued.
“He seems a bit unstable.”
“I’d say so.” But, as unusual as Shaul was, he utterly fascinated me. “Any ideas where we should move to?”
She looked burdened. “I haven’t figured it out yet. We don’t have any of our supplies anymore, so it’s going to be difficult to set up in the wilderness.”
“We don’t even have coats or sleeping bags for the nights.”
My mother nodded. “No tent, no clothes, no knives.”
“I think we should stick with Shaul for awhile and see what the community in Seneca Mountains is all about. If we don’t like it there, we can always leave.”
My mother sighed. “Honestly, I don’t see any other choice, but I’ll think of something—hopefully.” She had a pessimistic expression on her face when she looked up. “Please God—help us.”
Shaul rushed back to the car carrying two large bags. He had a mischievous grin on his face as he opened the passenger door. “Got some supplies for you both.”
When I glanced over at Mom, I saw her eyes were lit with joy. “What kind of stuff do you have there?”
“Clothes, coats, sleeping bags, tents, knives, toiletries, etc.”
“How did you get all this?” I asked somewhat skeptical.
He chuckled blackly. “I have friends in high places.”
“What’s that mean?”
“For me to know and you to find out.”
I couldn’t help but laugh—it just sounded so childish what he said. But, I have to admit—I was more than curious.
“I’ll just put the bags in the trunk and we’ll be off and flying.” His smile was mocking.
As we continued onward with the speed wave back on the freeway, the music in my mind continued. It really was entrancing and I felt it was drawing me somewhere as if there was something in the distance that beckoned me. We were moving in the right direction. I sensed that.
Shaul still looked uncomfortable as he drove, but he didn’t say anything. His face seemed tight and his jaw was clenched. I noticed his fingers tapping against the steering wheel to the rhythm of the song that was playing in my mind.
I wondered why the music bothered him. To me the songs were the most beautiful sounds I had ever heard. But, the notes connected me to Shaul somehow and to the place that we were going. I was certain of this and I sensed that Shaul was too. It angered me that this affinity toward me and our destination agitated him so much.
Daybreak hit. The sun began to rise over the mountains to the west. We whizzed by the golden views of San Diego’s abandoned metropolis. Nothing was entirely clear at such a high speed, but the collage was splendorous like a dreamy abstract painting.
I noticed the songs were more intense in my mind now, more alluring. As we came closer, I gained more clarity. I was being beckoned to a lake. I saw images of cool, refreshing water in my mind.
“Well, like I said…” My mother was yawning as she spoke, “…we won’t be going with you to Seneca Mountains. Now that we have supplies, thanks to you dear Shaul, we can make it on our own.”
I sensed her doubt. She wasn’t her usual confident self.
Positioning her long sandy blonde hair over one shoulder, she continued, “Can you drop us off at a park along the way?”
“Mom!” I turned to her, my face flushed with a surprising fury. “I don’t want to be dropped off at a random place that we know nothing about. We’re going to the lake. I mean Seneca Mountains.”
She appeared surprised by my adamancy. “We, uh…” Her mind seemed conflicted. “I want to find a community that unifies to overthrow the serpent people. We have to wipe them off the face of earth…”
“Stop, please.” I looked at her, my eyes wide. “Maybe we can form a coalition with the Seneca community. But first we need to get to a safe location, so we can do some research and make a rational decision.”
Her face was flush. “Ok,” she responded hesitantly. “Let’s go with Shaul, but only for a short time. I’ll ask around about other places and then we’ll move on. How’s that sound?”
“Great.” Though I was surprised that she had succumbed to my demand and didn’t reprimand me for my brazenness, I was relieved she had because the overwhelming desires I felt spawned by the music gave me no choice and I was afraid if she didn’t agree, I would have been overtaken, and gone without her. Ordinarily, I would never do such a thing—I loved her and was deeply attached to her—but, the music’s callings were consuming me.
“But, whatever you do, don’t go to the lake there.”
“What?” I turned to her, feeling utterly perplexed. “Why not?”
“Not now, Cordellia.” Her face was flushed with worry.
I looked at Shaul, but he was filled with angst. His piercing eyes stared too intensely at the road ahead.
Shortly thereafter, just as I noticed the freeway had changed to Interstate 5, Shaul merged onto Highway 8. There were lots of dilapidated high rise buildings, ruined from looting fires. The sun was bright and wonderful, but the city was a ghost town. The thought of so much starvation and death saddened me.
We zipped through the city and were now gliding through the countryside. The trees along the highway were dead and blackened from the fires spread by The Great Sun Scorch.
I noticed we passed some desolate country towns. Most I couldn’t see the names because we were moving at high speed, but I did notice a town called Pine Valley. The pine trees there looked like long black sticks with barren branches where the greenery had burned away. Billboards on the sides of the highway had fallen onto the pass, but we flew right over them.
Awhile later, my mother had fallen asleep between us. Shaul turned off the highway and flew the speed wave up a long winding road. To my surprise, the trees there were so green and lush.
The music intensified even greater in my mind. “Hurry, Shaul,” I demanded, feeling utterly anxious to get there.
He ignored me, as he grasped onto the steering wheel with all his might. His desires seemed to rise up within him as well and he kept his gaze away from me. His body was subtlety moving to the beat of our song.
In my confusion, the road leveled and then descended into a colorful, floral valley. The musty scents of nature filled the speed wave. I tried to control myself and talk myself out of my consuming yearnings, but they intensified further. In my inner turmoil, I turned away from Shaul and stared out the window at its loveliness, digging my fingernails into the armrest.
In a fury, Shaul parked the car at the edge of a green lush mountain. “Let’s hurry,” he commanded with subdued desperation in his voice.
7
Shaul retrieved our bags from the speed wave while I woke up my mother.
“We’re here,” I said trying to act as calm and normal as possible.
She stretched and gazed out the window groggily. “Wow!” Her eyes widened. “What a beautiful place.”
“Ok, let’s go,” I motioned her out of the car and got out.
Shaul was already trekking up the mountain with all three of our bags slung over his shoulder.
“Hurry up, Mom,” I gasped. “Shaul’s already left.”
She looked at me surprised.
“Come on!” I said, my voice edged with angst.
We jogged up the lush, woodsy hill trying to catch up to Shaul. He was fast and although he always remained in sight, motioning us onward, he kept a considerable distance.
I wondered if he yearned for the lake too. I assumed he did by the way he was acting, but his mind was a vast mystery to me.
The heavenly songs lured me on. We passed a lovely waterbed with waterfalls. As we kept on the narrow dirt trail, I noticed a charming stream flowing downwards beside us. Fresh water was scarce these days with the effects of The Great Sun Scorch, so my mother and I were more than pleased to see such plentiful sources of irrigation.
Once deep within the woods, we came upon a small
community of log cabins. We caught up to Shaul as he knocked at the headquarter cabin.
A muscular, tall man with a shaved head answered the door. “How can I help you?” he asked with suspicious eyes.
“We’ve come to inquire about joining your community. Katanel Jerosavabel sent us,” Shaul said confidently.
“One moment,” the large man said in a low, gruff voice.
We stood there waiting silently until a short man of medium build with silver hair came to the door.
“Welcome, welcome.” He smiled cheerily. “I’m Mazen Tratzel, the community president. You must be Shaul Hainsworth.” We’ve been expecting you.”
Shaul shook hands with President Tratzel. “These are my friends Patravia and Cordellia Dressemme.”
“Oh, yes. Katanel spoke highly of you both. We need strong women like you.” I guess Shaul told his friend about us when we were separated.
My mother looked at me and smiled. Then we shook hands with the president.
Wardo will show you to your cabins. He will assign you your job positions. As long as you work hard and follow the rules, you will advance to higher and higher positions within the community and be very happy here.”
“Great,” my mother said, smiling. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He straightened the collar on his shirt. “The number one rule is do not cross the boundary line separating our community from the lake in the valley below.”
“Why?” I asked feeling unhinged. This was a terrible rule. What would I do now with my uncontrollable desire?
He continued, “The serpent people have air scouts that can detect the souls of human beings. We have taken all precautions of not being spotted within our boundaries, but thus far there is no protection field at the lake.”
“No problem,” my mother said looking relieved. Most likely she was glad that now she did not have to worry about me going to the lake that she inexplicably forbid me to go to anyway.
“The penalty for crossing the boundary line is life imprisonment. We strictly enforce this rule, though no one has tested us yet. If you do not agree with our rules, then you should not join the community.”
“We understand,” my mother responded. “Crossing the boundary line and going into a non-protected zone puts the entire community at risk. The serpent people are brutal, cruel creatures who murder and enslave humans and we must take every precaution to insure our survival.”
Mazen Tratzel nodded. “You do understand.” He looked pleased with her response. “We are concerned with the safety of our group as a whole. Extreme rules must be applied.”
The big man, Wardo, escorted us to our cabins. Shaul walked on the other side of Wardo and didn’t speak to my mother or me. Shaul still looked distressed, but it appeared as if he was trying to control his feelings as I was.
I whispered to my mother, “Maybe we should leave.”
Her face lit with surprise. “Cordellia, this is what you wanted.”
“I know.” I paused when Wardo looked at me, a mean glint in his eyes. “It’s fine,” I whispered to her. It wasn’t fine, but now that we had come this far, I sensed it would be dangerous to back out now.
Some teenage girls who were planting seeds in a large garden that we walked by looked up at us. They were all wearing name tags on their shirts. When they saw Shaul, they started giggling and whispering to each other. I could tell that they were attracted to him.
One very tall girl named Jezebel Bradeere with a stunning face and a tough demeanor smiled at him flirtatiously. But, he ignored all the girls seeming to not notice their interest.
Now the music was utterly entrancing in my mind and I considered running away from everyone in search of the lake, but with the threat of life imprisonment, I managed to control myself as overwhelmed as I felt.
The cabins were arranged in concentric circles with the clearing where community meetings were held in the center. Shaul was assigned the cabin next to ours.
Before we were allowed to enter our homes, Wardo had us read and sign the AVO device with the community rules listed on them. Besides not being allowed to cross the boundary or go to the lake, the rules were pretty basic.
We had to work every day except for Sunday from 8AM sharp to 5PM and we were not allowed to leave our assignments without the guard’s permission. In return, as payment, we would receive the fulfillment of our basic needs including housing, food, medicine, and necessary supplies. We also had to attend all community meetings and gatherings.
Other than that, Universal Moral Laws were enforced such as no murdering, stealing, adultery, etc. As of yet, the community was run in a dictatorial fashion. If anyone was caught committing a crime by any community leader or by two witnesses, justice was served, whatever that meant.
Shaul set our bags at the doorstep. “Ok,” he said keeping his perfect face as indiscernible as possible. “If you need anything…” he looked at my mother, “…you know where to find me.” He left for his cabin without even glancing at me.
Over the course of the next couple weeks, we worked diligently at our jobs. My mother was assigned dishwashing and kitchen cleaning at the community dining hall. Shaul was commissioned cabin construction. And I was given the task of helping build Mazen Tratzel’s luxury spa.
The work was tedious, but it was comforting to have a cabin to live in and all of our supplies taken care of. I also liked being a part of a safe community. For so long my mother and I kept ourselves hidden in the island’s cave fearing intruders and risking our lives every time we left in search of food. Having our basic needs taken care of and having a social life on some level was, for the most part, worth the discomfort of hard work.
To my confusion, over these weeks, Shaul avoided me like the plague. Whenever he saw me, he quickly turned away and rushed off. I wanted to ask him if he could still hear the music in his mind as I could and if it called him to the lake. Desperately, I wanted to know if his experiences were the same.
Because I was only fifteen, I had to attend school after work. School was from 6PM to 9PM Monday through Saturday and then 8AM to 3PM on Sundays.
Now it was Sunday and I was in History class. The classroom was one of ten rooms in a three story school house built of logs. It sat across from our cabin on the other side of the clearing.
Mr. Strom was giving a lecture on how the United States became a communist country. It was hard for me to imagine what America would have been like in the past with so many capitalistic freedoms. I couldn’t believe how rebellious and stupid people used to be. Everybody had strong opinions. Average citizens were even allowed to vote on what they wanted as a country.
He said the country was a horrible mess with a bunch of ignoramuses voting on issues they were too feeble minded to know anything about. And he reminded us how lucky we were to live in this woodsy community that was run by a strong, intelligent leader who made complicated decisions for us.
Because there were only six fifteen to sixteen year olds in the community, there were only six people in the class including myself. We sat in a circle at makeshift desks with Mr. Strom lecturing at a pulpit in the center.
There were no digitized boards lining the walls like the classrooms I was used to before the Economy Crash. And it was weird having a real live teacher instead of a hologram giving the lectures. I kind of liked having a physical teacher, but it was strange all the same. But, the best part was that we didn’t get electric shocks for speaking in class.
Aside from my constant, overwhelming desire to go to the lake that interfered with everything I did, the second hardest part about going to school here was that Shaul was in every one of my classes and he never even looked at me. He sat across from me today on the other side of the circle staring at the teacher unwaveringly. I couldn’t believe what great concentration he had. He hardly ever even blinked. He just stared like he was a predator and Mr. Strom was food.
But, I noticed that he did tap his foot occasionally to the same beat of the musi
c I was hearing in my mind, especially during the chorus or at particular parts in the melody that were particularly intense. He seemed agitated like I was. Even with that, I wasn’t absolutely sure if he was hearing the music. He could have just been tapping his foot coincidentally.
Jezebel Bradeere with her stunning six feet tall body sat in the desk beside me. Her face was beautiful and angular, but her personality was as mean as the scar across her cheek.
“Mr. Strom!” She waved her hand in the air obnoxiously as she stared at Shaul instead of the teacher with her bewitching amber eyes.
“Yes, Jezebel.” Mr. Strom pulled at the collar of his shirt and ground his big teeth.
“Can we partner up?”
“That’s a great idea.” He took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his shiny forehead. It was hot in the room. “Pick a partner and take turns reading to each other from your notes.”
Jezebel rushed over to Shaul. He was looking down at his notes when she leaned over and placed her hand on his desk. “You want to study with me?” Her voice was husky. She jutted her hip out to the side, probably trying to look alluring.
He looked up. “Uh…Do I want to study with you?” He paused confidently and then gazed at the line of her body. “No,” he finally said.
She jutted her chin back, apparently startled by his response.
“But, I will.” His smile was cocky as he stretched his arms over his head.
Apparently, she didn’t mind that he didn’t want to study with her because she told Lola to get out of her desk so she could pull it up beside Shaul’s.
I looked around knowing that nobody would want to partner with me because they were all Jezebel followers and she made it clear that she hated me. Lola and Franz partnered because they were a couple. So that left Tomaru.
When I looked at Tomaru, she rolled her eyes. “Don’t even think about it.” She brushed her wavy blond hair away from her rosy cheeks.
Girl Possessed (Book 1 of The Girl Trilogy) Page 4