by Jo Schneider
Jeff dumped his stash, which joined what the others had already brought.
“No Arie?” Wendy asked.
“She’s coming,” Kev said. “What about Matt?” Kev asked Jeff.
“Haven’t seen him in two days.”
“They’ve really got their hands full with something,” Cal said.
“Hopefully something good,” Kev said.
The door opened, and Arie entered. Kev and Cal turned their attention to her. Wendy took a moment to pick two chairs. One housed the remnants of a green cushion on the seat. The other was cold metal. Wendy took the metal one. Jeff dragged the green one closer to her and sat.
“So, I’ve heard of movies, but I’m not really sure what to expect,” Jeff said.
“Film runs through the projector and goes up on the screen.” She pointed to the sheet hung on the other side of the room. “Picture goes there. Sound comes out of the projector.”
Jeff gave her an amused look. “Thank you for that very technical explanation. What is a movie?”
Wendy cocked her head to the side. Was he making fun of her? “A story that someone filmed and saved.”
“What kind of stories?”
“All kinds. Last week we watched one about a ghost.”
“A ghost?”
“It was supposed to be scary.”
“Was it?”
Wendy shrugged. “I have nightmares about Skinnies; ghosts don’t bother me.”
Jeff chuckled. “Good point.”
“Okay, get your treats. It’s movie time.” Cal said.
Kev and Arie took seats at the front. Cal turned the projector on and dimmed the lights.
Jeff jumped when the reel started. Wendy stifled a laugh, and Jeff scowled at her.
“Easy, it’s not going to attack you.”
“Maybe I don’t like flashing lights,” Jeff said.
Wendy’s face fell. “Is that a problem?”
Jeff shook his head. “No, I’m good.” He reached out and patted her on the back.
“No kissing back there,” Kev said over his shoulder.
“Shut up,” Arie said. “Just watch the movie.”
Wendy’s heartbeat sped up again when Jeff’s fingers lingered, gently rubbing the base of her neck. Her stomach twisted, but not in a bad way. Suddenly, the topic of the movie seemed like a moot point.
Chapter 10
Wendy found herself sitting up in bed, covered in sweat, with her heart trying to pound its way out of her chest. A silent scream escaped her open lips. She stifled it back, and gasped in air. Air that didn’t feel like it was actually getting to her lungs.
The room was dark. Faces of sneering Skinnies flashed before her eyes. Wendy blinked them away as she reached for the knife under her pillow, only to realize it was already in her hand.
A thin ray of light came in under the door from the hallway. Just enough to see that there weren’t any shadowy figures lurking in her room.
When her lungs started to scream for oxygen, Wendy let out the breath she was holding and took another one.
More bad dreams. That was the third one in four nights. At least this time she hadn’t woken Arie.
Wendy gulped down more air and tossed the covers to the foot of the bed. She slid the knife back under her pillow and swiveled her feet off the edge of the mattress. The cold of the tile floor radiated up her legs and into her core, calming the raging fire of fear and anger that always followed a nightmare.
A drop of sweat slid down her forehead and threatened to dive off her eyebrow. Wendy reached up and wiped it away.
It didn’t matter what time it was, she would never get back to sleep now.
It had been hard enough getting to sleep in the first place, what with the memory of Jeff’s arm around her during the movie.
Suddenly she wished Jeff were here to calm the monster. He’d done it the day she’d looked at the map. What power did he have over her?
Wendy wondered where he was, then brushed the thought away. She couldn’t get attached to people. Not even Jeff. Not even Arie. The people she loved died. It was easier to keep them at a distance rather than let a hole eat its way through her heart each time someone died.
Wendy rose and padded into their small bathroom. She shut the door and switched on the light. According to the clock, she only had an hour before she was supposed to be up anyway. Not enough time to get to the combat rooms and back again. She sighed, went back out into the room and quietly put together the gear from Riggs’ list. She pulled the ties tight and set the bag out in the hall.
She took a shower, which felt divine, then slipped into her outdoor exercise gear. It still felt strange to have more than two pairs of clothes. Wendy actually had a set of clothes specifically for outdoor exercises. The colors still reflected her black on black motif, but the pants had more pockets and the tank top sat beneath a thick, black long sleeved shirt that had pockets on the sleeves. Wendy sat on her bed and tried to meditate.
A few minutes later, her alarm went off.
“Is it morning already?” Arie mumbled from under her covers.
“Looks like it.” The lights in the hallway turned up, making the ray under their door brighter.
“Don’t you have an early meeting?” Arie asked.
Wendy could hear her moving around. Sitting up. But she didn’t open her eyes. “Training exercise. What about you?”
“The Council has their big meeting today. I have to get up. Unfortunately.”
“Lights,” Wendy said as she stood and flipped them on.
Arie groaned and shielded her eyes with her hand. When she saw Wendy, she frowned. “How long have you been up?”
“An hour.” Wendy pointed. “Aren’t you getting your cast off today?”
“I am, later.” Her bright eyes bore into Wendy. “So, you and Jeff?”
“Me and Jeff what?”
“Don’t think I missed his arm around you last night.”
Wendy stared at Arie.
“Don’t think that mean look is going to work on me. Spill it.”
“There’s nothing to spill.”
“Oh yes there is.”
Wendy looked at the clock. “I have to go.”
“Convenient.”
“Have fun in meetings all day.”
“Have fun punching stuff.”
“I will.” Wendy moved to open the door.
“Don’t you need an escort?” Arie asked in the most infuriatingly innocent voice Wendy had ever heard.
Wendy ground her teeth. She’d forgotten about that, and Jeff hadn’t offered the night before.
The walk back from the movie echoed through Wendy’s thoughts. The others had made excuses to stay behind for a few minutes, and Kev had suggested that Jeff accompany Wendy to her room. Jeff had agreed.
Wendy didn’t always catch social clues, but she’d clearly felt Jeff’s tension as they walked. Plus his eyes on her as they moved. It was bad enough that it had provoked her into talking.
“So, did you like the movie?” She turned to look up and found him watching her.
Jeff had studied her face for a moment before he’d blinked. “Uh, the movie? Yeah. Sure.”
Wendy had desperately searched her mind for something that Kenzie would say. “I’m glad you came. Kev and Cal have been telling me to invite you for weeks.”
“They have?” Jeff had asked. His expression had fallen a little.
“Yeah.”
Silence. It had been late enough that not many people were out of their rooms. Jeff had cleared his throat and they’d talked about the movie until they’d reached Wendy’s room. Wendy felt stupid, because she couldn’t remember much past Jeff’s gently stroking fingers on her back. She’d somehow fumbled her way through the discussion and had fled inside her room when they’d reached it.
“Give me five minutes; I’ll take you.” Arie jumped out of bed.
Just as she shut the bathroom door, a knock sounded at the main door.
; Wendy eyed it.
“Who’s that?” Arie asked.
“I dunno.”
“Answer it.”
Wendy sighed and opened the door.
It was Jeff. Her heart stopped for a second.
“Hey,” he said. He was leaning up against the wall with one shoulder and had a dopey grin on his face. “I thought you could use an escort to breakfast.”
“Uh, Arie was going to take me.”
“Can’t,” Arie yelled from the bathroom. “My meeting starts in like ten minutes.”
Wendy opened her mouth to call Arie a liar, but Jeff pushed himself off the wall. “Great, I’m starving. Is your gear ready?”
“I put it out earlier.”
“Then let’s go.” His grin morphed into a smile, and Wendy found herself feeling...lighter. The remnants of the nightmare faded as she stepped into the hall and shut the door behind her.
Jeff didn’t let silence settle this time. “How did you sleep?”
“Fine,” Wendy lied. Time to deflect the conversation before he asked more questions. “Did you get your list made?”
“I got it to Mike last night. He said everyone on it should be at the hangar and ready to go this morning.”
“Wow, he moves fast.”
“He does.”
They walked the now familiar pathway through the marketplace and to the mess hall. Jeff ran his hand through his hair before he spoke again. “Hey, uh, about last night. I’m really glad you invited me.”
“So you liked it?” Wendy’s heartbeat sped up. A totally different feeling than when she worked out.
“Yeah. Definitely.”
“Good.”
“Yeah.”
Silence.
Wendy cleared her throat. “Uh, so, what do you think of Cal’s movie obsession?”
“I can see why he loves them so much. It’s nice to relax and forget about the cares of your day.”
“I never really thought about it like that,” Wendy admitted.
Jeff chuckled. “You’re really focused.”
“Sometimes.” She shrugged.
“Sometimes?” Jeff looked down at her. “You mean whenever you’re not sleeping, right?”
“Are you making fun of me?” Wendy asked. A bizarre anger rose in her, like she might care what Jeff thought of her.
“No,” he held up his hands in front of him. “You’re really driven. It’s one of the things I like about you.”
“Oh.” Wendy paused. “You do?”
“Do what?”
“Like me?”
Jeff coughed and then swallowed. “I, uh, yeah. Of course I like you.”
Wendy’s mind caught up to the conversation, and she back peddled. “Oh, I didn’t mean...I mean I...you like my ambition?”
This time Jeff laughed. A deep, pure, from his belly laugh. “Ambition? Wendy, you’re one of the best fighters I’ve ever seen, and you survived a Skinny attack. You’re one of the toughest people I’ve ever met. So yeah, you could say I like your ambition.”
Wendy frantically searched her mind for what to say, but nothing came. She felt like she should return the compliment, so she said, “I really like that you help me forget about what happened.”
Jeff’s mood shifted. Not from good to bad, but from jovial to serious. He stepped closer and their shoulders brushed. Jeff’s fingers, warm and strong, folded around Wendy’s hand.
A strange sort of lightning burst to life in Wendy’s arm. It tingled all the way from her fingers up to her shoulder and then down to her stomach, where a crazed butterfly was now trying to escape.
“It can be hard,” he said.
Wendy nodded. She looked up at him. “What happened to you before you got here?”
Jeff’s fingers tightened around hers, and he held her gaze. “Too much.”
Suddenly, Wendy didn’t want to pry. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. You never mention it.”
“No, I don’t.”
Wendy squeezed Jeff’s hand. “Sorry I asked.”
“It’s okay. Like you, I lost everything, including my sanity for a while. It’s not something I like to think about.”
“I understand.”
Jeff leaned down to look at her. “What do you mean?”
Should she tell him? Wendy chewed her lip for a moment. He might understand. It might be nice to tell someone how she was feeling. What was really going on. She opened her mouth to talk, but was interrupted by an angry voice coming from behind them.
“Jeff.”
Jeff immediately tensed. He let Wendy’s hand go and turned.
Wendy followed suit and found Matt coming down the hall after them. She’d never seen Matt angry before. Now his curly, red hair sat flat on his head, stubble covered his checks and his facial expression could freeze water.
“Matt? What is it?”
“Why in the hell are you calling me out of medical? Doc is overwhelmed and needs my help.” Matt got to them and stopped. He kept his focus on Jeff and didn’t even notice Wendy.
Jeff studied his friend. “Mike asked me to include you on this. He put your name in specifically.”
“So that I can go traipsing around outside pretending to fight?”
“No,” Jeff said slowly. “So that you can learn to be a field medic.”
Matt pointed back down the hall. “There are half a dozen people sick in medical, and two pregnant women who are about to burst. Both have been bleeding for days. I can’t leave.”
Wendy’s problem-solving brain kicked into gear. “Is there someone else that can do this mission?” Wendy asked Jeff.
Matt jumped. Wendy thought he’d just been ignoring her in his rage, but apparently he actually hadn’t noticed her.
As they always did, Matt’s eyes took Wendy in from top to bottom. He studied her eyes and frowned. “You haven’t been sleeping.”
“Neither have you,” she pointed at his face.
Jeff shook his head. “I’m sorry, Matt, but you’re the only medic we’ve got that is even close to being able to do this.”
“But it’s just a training exercise. We have actual medical problems here.” Matt folded his arms across his chest.
Jeff mirrored Matt’s stance. “What did Doc say?”
Matt snorted. “He said he was fine and kicked me out.”
“And you think I’m going to go against something Doc told you to do? I’m not that crazy. You’ll have to go to Riggs if you want that.”
Matt glared. “Fine. I will.” With that he stormed back the way he had come.
Jeff let out a long breath.
“I’ve never seen him like that,” Wendy said.
“His fuse gets pretty short when he doesn’t get enough sleep. And I seriously haven’t seen him for three days. He’s been in medical helping Doc and Elle.”
“He has a point. Do we really need him?”
Jeff shook his head. “Mike’s orders. I tried to take his name off the list.”
“Why didn’t you tell him that?”
“Because he’ll go hunt down Riggs and then Riggs will tell him to do it and he will. Matt has a thing with proper authority chains. He’ll come around.”
“Remind me not to provoke him,” Wendy said.
Jeff’s serious frown turned up. “He’ll be fine.” Jeff’s fingers gently probed Wendy’s.
Wendy didn’t open her hand. She couldn’t get attached. But the way Jeff looked at her, and tried to make her laugh, and how he stepped between the monster in her head and the rest of the world. And now just the look in his eyes riveted her in place.
He stood so much taller than she did. This was the first time she’d ever found it intimidating—Wendy wanted to run, but not because he might hurt her. His dark eyes searched hers as he stepped closer.
Wendy’s heart began to gallop. The world around her smeared into light and dark. Jeff’s face stayed in perfect focus. His eyes. His cheekbones. His lips.
Jeff raised a hand to cup
Wendy’s cheek.
The movement caught Wendy off guard, and she flinched away.
Jeff sighed and dropped his hand to her shoulder. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”
Wendy’s heart slowed to a trot, and she focused on the warmth of his hand on her shoulder. “You shouldn’t scare me like that. You’re lucky you’re still alive.” It was one of the first times something funny had simply popped into her head.
The comment drew a chuckle from Jeff. “Come on,” he said, “let’s go get some breakfast.”
Chapter 11
Wendy marveled at the speed with which Jeff could inhale enough food to feed an entire family for a week. She barely got finished with her breakfast before they were headed toward the hangar. Wendy had only been in here once before. When they’d brought her back after the fight with Pelton. She didn’t remember much.
“We need to check in with Riggs,” Jeff said as they left the mess hall.
Wendy had to practically jog to keep up with Jeff as they traversed Shelter. It didn’t take them long to get to the hangar. The two guards at the door waved and let them through.
While the marketplace served as the hub of Shelter life for most people, the hangar was the place for fighters to gather.
The noise and the bustle hit her fist. Mechanics swarmed the giant room. Hover carts moved back and forth between projects. People yelled and laughed and talked.
From everything her dad had told her, technology like this should be gone. Destroyed or unable to work without power and new parts. But here they were, five flying transports. Mike did a good job keeping things here seemingly simple. The rocket boots she’d used to escape were the only clue she’d had that he had anything this elaborate hiding in Shelter. She wondered how many of the non-fighter residents knew about all of this.
Jeff pointed. “Those are our smaller transports. They can hold fifteen people plus their gear. The paint on the outside can actually mimic the sky or the ground. Camouflage.”
The small transports were shaped like a cross lying on the ground. The engines rotated off of the shorter arms. A tail rose in the air far enough for them to be able to walk in through the back of the transport. The paint looked green in the hangar.
Wendy noted two larger vehicles. “What are those?”