by Jo Schneider
Wendy flicked her eyes back toward the guards.
Arie stepped closer. “What?”
Wendy licked her lips. “Mike came to offer me a deal.”
“What kind of deal? Does the Council know about it?”
“No, I don’t think they know.”
They rounded into the marketplace and then back toward the kitchen.
“What did he say?” Arie asked.
“That he could keep them from locking me up if I translate the map for him.”
Arie inhaled and looked at the ceiling. “Not bad. Are you going to take it?”
“I’m not sure. Mike said I had to play nice with the Council. Lie about what happened.”
“He must have sent the clothes,” Arie said. “Trying to make you look more like a victim.”
“No one is going to believe that.”
“Most of them haven’t seen you in action. You tell your story about how you got here, don’t try to hide your emotions, and you might gain some sympathy.”
Wendy glanced behind them at the guards, who were following at a respectful distance. “Are you going to get in trouble for talking to me?”
Arie laughed. “Oh no, I’m your lawyer.”
“My what?”
“Your lawyer. Basically, I’m on your side. I’m here to make sure the other side doesn’t do anything they’re not supposed to, and to make sure your side of the story gets heard.”
“Does Dennis have a lawyer?”
“He doesn’t need one, he’s got his mom.”
“What does that mean?”
Arie scowled. “Gwen. She’s Chair of the Council."
“Again, what does that mean?"
“Well, Mike’s really in charge. He found this place, he brings people in and he keeps everyone safe. ”
“Okay.” Wendy knit her eyebrows together.
“This is what I've heard. After Mike had more than a hundred people, it got hard for him to keep track of everything, so he formed the Council. Basically there are four people who represent the four factions of Shelter, but because that left an even number for voting, he appointed a Chair.”
“What factions?”
“Oh, like the fighters, the foodies, the craftsmen and the maintenance guys. Each of them needs resources in order to keep things running. The representatives bring their needs to the Council, where they all talk about what’s going on and who needs what when.”
Wendy’s head started to hurt. “Is Mike on the Council?”
“Not really, but he and Riggs take turns sitting in as the fighter representative.”
“Then who is Mike?”
Arie tilted her head to the side. "Um, he’s in charge, but since he’s more invested in rebuilding society than the day to day problems of Shelter, he usually lets the Council make those decisions. If he doesn’t like what’s going on, he will put his foot down.”
“And Dennis’ mom is the Chair?”
“Right now she is." Arie thought about it. "She’s very invested in keeping Shelter safe. My dad says she thinks she has more power than she really does, but Mike keeps her in there because she's tough and smart. She keeps the Council running.”
“Sounds like a tenuous relationship. It seems like no one really trusts anyone here.”
“Yeah.”
Wendy waved a hand. “I’m not sure I trust Mike enough to take his deal. I could translate the map and then he could dump me back into that cell.” She shivered.
“True.” Arie cocked her head to the side. “You should use that.”
“Use what?”
Arie grinned. “You don’t trust Mike; the Council doesn’t always trust him. If you can do something to win the Council’s favor, they’ll want to keep you around.”
Wendy grimaced. “That sounds like a lot of effort for what will probably explode in my face.”
“I’m just saying that’s what I would do.” Arie stopped and pointed at the next door. “It’s right through there.” She studied Wendy. “Don’t be afraid of questions about your past. Feel free to give as many gory details as you can remember. The Council has five members, including Mike. You’ll need three of them to be on your side. Hank usually votes with Mike, so you have one more to convince, unless you change your plan.”
Wendy glanced past Arie to the doors. “I’ll do my best.”
“Kev and Cal and Matt and Jeff are in there. We’re on your side. Remember that.”
“Okay.”
“I know that look. Do you have a plan?” Arie asked.
“Maybe.”
Arie pat Wendy on the arm. “Good. Let’s go.”
Wendy’s shoulders had progressively risen to her ears as Arie talked. Now she forced them to relax. She followed Arie through the double doors.
A large room lay beyond. Rows of blue, padded chairs lined tiers that stepped down to a wooden platform. Only the front row of chairs was occupied. All eyes turned to the girls as they came in. Silence fell.
A set of dilapidated tables ran the length of the platform below, making a long desk. Five chairs in varying stages of disrepair sat behind the tables. Four of them held people.
Two men and two women looked up as Arie and Wendy entered.
“Follow me,” Arie said. She led Wendy down to the lowest tier.
As Arie had promised, Kev, Cal, Jeff and Matt all sat on one end of the row. Dennis and Jordy occupied the far chairs.
Wendy stopped cold. She hadn’t seen Dennis since she’d left him hooked up to the shocking machine, but she’d killed him in her nightmares more times than she could count. He looked up, and his cold eyes met hers.
The roar in Wendy’s ears started again. She did nothing to stop it as she stared Dennis down. He met her gaze without flinching. The temperature in the room fell as they had a silent battle. He would lie. He knew what he had done, and he also knew Wendy could have killed him. She held power over him even now.
Wendy ground her teeth as the nightmares rose in her mind. His power over her was far worse. Just like Pelton.
They had both betrayed her in unforgivable ways.
Dennis deserved everything she had given him.
“Come on,” Arie said as she gave Wendy a little wave.
Wendy jumped. The moment with Dennis evaporated, and she saw Mike come across the platform to take his seat at the end of the table at the front. Conversation started around her.
Mike had said he hadn’t sent Dennis to torture her, but how could she really know? Mike’s offer from the night before suddenly didn’t feel as inviting.
A red bench stood by itself at one end of the platform closest to where Jeff and the others were sitting. This, she presumed, was where she would be tried. With the position of the bench, both the Council and the audience—if there had been one—could watch her.
A rabbit in a trap.
Wendy swallowed down the urge to run, and sat in the chair next to Jeff. Arie sat on her other side.
The Councilwoman in the middle picked up what looked like a mallet and rapped it on a little wooden disc. The thwack echoed through the room loud enough to quiet the buzz of conversation.
“Order,” the woman said.
Wendy studied the members of the Council.
Mike occupied the farthest position from the red bench. He settled in, looking stoic.
Next to him sat a woman who resembled a giraffe. Wendy had seen pictures and this woman’s neck stretched to an impressive length each time she turned her head. Short, red hair topped her head, and she wore a simple brown shirt. The purse of her lips told Wendy that she was not one to be trifled with. Much like Elle—the nurse that had taken care of Wendy when she’d first arrived—but with more clout.
The woman in the middle, the one with the mallet, couldn’t be much taller than Wendy. Her cruel eyes gave her away as Dennis’ mother, Gwen. Her shoulder-length dark hair matched Dennis’, as did her high cheekbones. A blue shawl covered her shoulders and most of her white blouse. Cords stood out in her
neck as she looked around. Just as Arie had said, Dennis’ mom ruled through unhealthy fear, not respect. Like mother like son.
Two men rounded out the Council. One had skin as dark as Riggs, the other a light brown. The darker of the two wore a dingy gray shirt under a brown, leather jacket. The other man wore a button down shirt with bright orange flowers on it. They both had dark hair. The first wore his short and straight, the second curly.
Neither of them gave much away with their face or their eyes. Wendy wondered which one of them was Hank. Who would side with Mike?
Arie leaned over and whispered, “Be sure to keep your cool when Dennis is on the stand.”
Wendy glanced over and found Arie’s blue eyes full of concern.
“Please.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Dennis’ mom spoke. “We have gathered here today to decide the fate of one Wendy Johnson. The charges will be read by the secretary. Wendy, please take your seat on the bench.”
Arie nodded her head toward the red bench and mouthed, “Stay calm.”
Wendy stood, strode up the stairs and sat on the bench, facing the room. The lights shone in her face, but she didn’t flinch. The bench was hard, but she sat tall and waited.
An older woman—it wasn’t often you got to see someone with completely white hair these days—dressed in light brown pants and a camouflage jacket stood. She adjusted her glasses and started to read from a bundle of papers she held in her hand.
“On September fourteenth Wendy Johnson assaulted six members of Shelter, forced one of them to show her the way out of Shelter, stole one set of rocket boots and left.”
The old woman went on, listing a play by play of what had happened. Wendy had assaulted Dennis and Jordy, then captured Kev and Cal and forced them to take her outside the shield. Once there, she’d knocked them out along with two guards, took a pair of rocket boots and left. Read like a report, it sounded correct. Without emotion, the world was a stale place, and actions were only a list of things that had happened.
Wendy wasn’t surprised when the report stopped there. No mention of Pelton and his gang or what they’d found out about him. And the Primate.
Gwen spoke when the old woman sat down. “Thank you, Maudie. She turned to Dennis. “First, the Council will hear witness from Dennis Allred. Then Jordy Coates.”
Dennis rose and slowly made his way up the stairs. Even after being hooked to the shocking machine for so long, he still moved with the grace of a cat, and the tension of a bull ready to charge. He walked to a chair that sat near Mike—opposite Wendy’s position. She noticed that one of his hands twitched every few seconds.
As soon as he settled in, his mother spoke again. “Dennis, tell us in your own words what happened.”
“Well, on the night mentioned, Jordy and I were coming through the complex after a late-night practicing session down in the combat rooms.” His gaze roamed across the crowd. “We were near medical, on our way to our rooms, when Wendy attacked us.”
Wendy took a deep breath and let it out. She caught Arie’s “Don’t even think about it” expression.
Dennis went on. “She jumped out of a room and dragged Jordy inside. Then she tried to shut the door, but I was faster and managed to get in. Before I could stop her, she started hitting Jordy and demanding that he take her outside the complex.”
Wendy kept her breathing steady. Her eyes moved to Mike’s who returned her gaze with ice.
“I grabbed her and got her off of him.” He turned to the Council. “Wendy might be little, but she’s a good fighter.”
The silent, “And she’s insane,” hung in the air.
“Jordy was unconscious already. I tried to reason with Wendy, but she wasn’t listening. She raved about not trusting Mike because he had a hoard of Skinnies in the complex. I tried to subdue her, but she went crazy. One second I was trying to keep her from clawing my eyes out, and the next she shoots me with the shocking machine.” He paused and swallowed. “She didn’t even ask me any questions. Just turned it up and left me there.”
The mood in the room changed. The Council members shifted in their seats.
Gwen spoke. “Did she give you any indication why she wanted to leave?”
Dennis shook his head. “Just that she didn’t trust Mike.”
“Is there anything else?”
“This isn’t the first time she attacked me. She almost ripped my arm off in the combat rooms a few weeks ago.”
Wendy’s short fingernails began cutting into her palms.
“Was this a provoked attack?”
“We were just doing drills. She took it too far.”
“Thank you, Dennis, you may sit.” Gwen turned her gaze to Jordy. “Next.”
Dennis sauntered back to his seat with a self-satisfied expression on his face that boiled Wendy’s blood. He gave Jordy a small flick on the arm as they passed.
Jordy settled into place and repeated the story, almost word for word.
Wendy met his gaze, and he didn’t hold it for long.
“She was ranting. She attacked me without mercy. If Dennis hadn’t been there, she probably would have killed me.”
Wendy kept her breathing even and told herself that beating the life out of him right here and now wouldn’t be worth it. It was one thing to be punished for what she had done, but quite another to be under scrutiny for things that they had started.
“She’s a danger to everyone here,” Jordy said. His pale eyes met Wendy’s. “If she stays, someone will really get hurt. I think she should be executed.”
Chapter 4
A buzz filled the room with Kev’s strangled cry of protest being the loudest. A sick smile flickered across Gwen’s face. She waited for a few long moments before rapping the mallet on the table.
Arie shot out of her seat. “I object. Witnesses cannot pass judgment. They are here only to provide testimony.” She gave Jordy a glare. “Truthful testimony.”
Gwen turned her steely gaze on Arie. “You object?”
“I’m Wendy’s lawyer. I’m here to make sure that this is a fair and lawful trial, Ms. Allred. If that doesn’t happen, the Council has no say over what happens to her.” Arie verbally attacked the woman like an older sister would berate a little brother.
Wendy pressed her lips together and made a mental note not to get on Arie’s bad side.
A snort came from the direction of Kev and Cal.
Gwen looked Arie up and down. “You aren’t old enough to know what a lawyer is.”
Arie raised her eyebrows. “Then let’s call me Wendy’s protector. The law book that you wrote for Shelter specifically states that a witness is not allowed to pass judgment or suggest a punishment during a trial.”
Gwen pursed her lips together and let out a little humph. Then she turned her eyes on Jordy. “Jordy, you are only here to testify, not to pass judgment.”
He lowered his eyes in mock humility. “Sorry, ma’am.”
“Is that all?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Return to your seat.”
Wendy watched him as he rose and walked back to Dennis. He didn’t look at her once.
The mood in the room had shifted. The two men of the Council had their heads together, talking. Matt stood as soon as Jordy sat.
“Gwen, can I please testify next?”
Gwen looked down her nose at Matt. “Arie has pointed out that this proceedings must be lawful. Character witnesses don’t go until last.”
Matt turned to Arie. “I’m the medical witness.”
Arie smiled. “Of course.”
Wendy wondered if the two of them had planned to throw Gwen off like this.
Matt’s long strides ate up the space quickly. He stepped up, turned to face the audience and sat.
“Doc usually does this, but he’s in the middle of two pregnancies, one broken arm and a nasty bout of the stomach flu. He begs you excuse him.”
Some of the Council chuckled. The air lightened.
One corner of Matt’s lips lifted into a grin. “Most of us have lost people we have loved to the Skinnies, but Wendy is the only survivor of a Skinny attack. Her family, friends and her life all gone. By the time Mike found her and they got her back to Shelter, she was almost dead. One more day without water would have taken her life. Another week and she would have succumbed to infection from a cut to the bone on her arm along with extensive internal damage.”
Wendy had never heard Matt talk so clinically before. Nor had she ever heard her story broken down so...dispassionately. Yet Matt carried an air of compassion.
“Doc saved her, and when she woke up she was among strangers. She didn’t consciously remember the attack on her compound, nor did she remember meeting Mike, Riggs and the fighters that found her.
“I took over her recovery, and quickly realized that she was having hallucinations of the attack. They happened at odd times and over things that most people wouldn’t even notice.”
Matt pointed at Dennis. “It’s true that Wendy did almost dislocate Dennis’ shoulder in the combat rooms. I was there. I watched it happen. One minute she was doing the drill just as Yan had instructed, and the next Dennis was face down on the ground with Wendy wrenching his arm.”
He laughed. “When Dennis tells you that she’s a good fighter, he’s grossly underestimating her.”
The tension in Wendy shifted. She felt the Council being swayed.
“I spoke to her afterward, and found out that she’d had a flash of memory come back. Of the fight in which she lost everything.” He sent his words to the Council. “Dennis ended up with a cold pack for his shoulder and a bandage on his face.
“Now, as you consider what happens to Wendy, please remember that her mental state is tenuous. Not dangerous, as has been suggested, but, as with anyone who has come in from outside, she is adjusting.”
The man with the loud shirt spoke up. “You cleared her for this hearing.”
“That’s right.” Matt said.
Wendy was impressed with the ease the lie slid out. Mike had forced Matt to clear her.
The man with the loud shirt kept going. “Do you think she is capable of what Dennis says?”
“Capable? Yes. Especially if something provoked her defense response. Like, say, being locked in a small space. Wendy was trapped in a crate after the attack on her home. She reacts badly to it. But I’ve never seen her go after someone who didn’t first provoke her. She singlehandedly saved Arie, Kev and Cal from a group of Skinnies out in the woods.”