April leaned against the wall, crossing her arms against her chest. I knew she really wanted to argue with me. She couldn’t fault my logic and she knew it. If our roles had been reversed and she had been in that situation, she would have done the same thing. I smiled at her as she rolled her eyes at me and huffed in frustration.
“You done being a drama queen?” Billy asked as he joined us once more. Beside me I saw Jack slump in his chair, shaking his head. I guess I wasn’t the only one with a stubborn sibling that liked to mess things up. It was funny to me. Watching Billy and April with their hostile postures, I finally saw just how alike they really were.
April pushed off the wall, readying herself for a fight, which was only bound to get her kicked out. “She was just worried about her sister,” Jack replied, before April could take off in a ranting fit. “You’d act the same way if it were me.”
April smiled at Jack, which was not something I was expecting. Her hostility seemed to vanish. “Thank you, Jack. It’s a shame your brother lacks your intellect and tact.” Now it was Billy’s turn to get all irate. This thing was just going to go around and around in circles.
Before Billy got too worked up, I decided it was time that April and I got out of there and fast. With my hand stitched up, there was no more need for me to be there. I really wished April hadn’t bothered to come find me. It would have given Jack and I more time to talk, which was something I really wanted. Feeling equally as frustrated as Billy and April, I decided to grab my sister and go. But before I could make it out the door, Jack reached out for my hand one last time, slipping a piece of paper into it. Both Billy and April pretended not to notice as our hands intertwined. I was positive that they didn’t see the note. As discretely as I could I slipped it into my pocket.
We were halfway back to our cabin before I finally noticed just how bad my leg was. I guessed the adrenaline had finally worn off. Before I could collapse, April swooped in to compensate for my lack of balance. It was going to be difficult to convince her that I didn’t need her anymore if I kept needing her. I expected her to chastise me some more for what I’d done, putting my life in danger and all, but she didn’t. Instead, she wouldn’t stop smiling.
“It looks like things are working out for you at least.”
I dodged her remark as best I could. “They’d be going better for you if you didn’t keep looking for a fight.”
“This was different, and you know it. You were in danger, and no one told me.”
“The village was on lockdown, as it should have been and after it was over, there was no need to get you. It’s just a few stitches. No big deal. I’ve been through worse remember?” I said, pointing at my leg. She rolled her eyes.
“I don’t like that it was even necessary. If it weren’t winter and you weren’t injured…”
“But it is winter, and I am injured. No point in even thinking about what ifs. This is our home now and we need to make it safe. And I believe they’ve gained a greater knowledge of the threat now and will make smarter decisions. You’ll see April. This place is great. If you’d just relax a little, you’d like it here too.”
She snorted but didn’t bother to reply. I think if Andy were still alive, she wouldn’t even consider leaving. This would have been the perfect place for them to live out their lives. But because it was just the two of us now, she only had one goal in mind and that was finding our family again. As hopeless as it seemed.
I waited until I was sure April was asleep, before pulling out my flashlight, ducking under the covers, and pulling out Jack’s note, that he’d scribbled quickly. What I’d hoped was a love note, turned out to be a simple invitation. Meet me at church tomorrow, 9:00am.
Chapter Seventeen
Normally, an invite by Jack to spend time with him would have got me thinking all sorts of romantic thoughts. I know if Andy had ever suggested meeting up at a church with April it would have entitled a heavy make-out session at the very least. In the very back of the church of course. But Jack was at minimum spiritual, and I was beginning to believe that he was possibly religious.
There weren’t too many devout believers anymore. But every once and awhile you’d run into one. They tended to be freaks though. The kind that believed this was the end of times prophesied of in the bible, and that we deserved what was happening to us. They believed we’d brought this great evil on us and only those who proved themselves worthy would attain salvation. I didn’t believe that for one minute. I’d seen too many good people die. They never brought this on them.
No, this was brought on by man. Every sane person knew this. There were rumors that the two main world governments had decided to use biological weapons to attack one another, to preserve the resources, they wanted. When those biological weapons (viruses) met, we got our current plague.
I knew Jack wasn’t some crazy religious nut, nor was Pastor Lewis. Jack had introduced me to Pastor Lewis when I was in the clinic. The guy seemed normal, though very preachy. The pastor had invited me to Sunday service every Saturday except this last one, but then I’d holed up in my cabin during the dinner hour, otherwise he would have surely tracked me down. Now he was getting Jack to do his dirty work. The pastor wasn’t stupid. He saw what was going on between Jack and me. Like all other people in this world, he knew how to use leverage.
I spent half the night debating whether I should ignore Jack’s request and possibly hinder what progress we’d made or just go. Going to church couldn’t be all bad. It wasn’t like I was a total novice when it came to religion. My family attended church…on Christmas…and Easter. Though I was pretty sure my parents only did it because of the free goodies the kids received on those occasions.
I wrestled with the decision all night, before finally deciding that I’d go to church. But I wasn’t going to get anything out of it. At least I could stare into Jack’s sexy eyes, while the pastor droned on about hellfire and damnation.
I had nothing appropriate to wear to church. Whenever my parents had dragged us out, they’d dress us up in fancy clothes that they’d purchased just for the occasion, and which we weren’t likely to ever wear again. April had always protested the frilly dresses. I didn’t mind it, but then I’d always been a girly girl. I probably would have preferred going to church in a dress as supposed to my jeans and long sleeve black t-shirt, but that was really the best I had.
There were some benefits to going to church on a Sunday. I was the only one in the shower room that morning, so I didn’t need to wait around for my turn while other people used up all the hot water. Then there was the fact that most people were still sleeping, so there weren’t any awkward stares I had to avoid as people judged me walking to the church. From what I understood, the pastor’s congregation was small. And by small, I mean maybe a dozen loyalists.
During the rest of the week, everyone worked hard, but Sunday was the designated day off. The only people who worked were those who had a shift in the kitchen, I still hadn’t been put on rotation. With my hand being stitched up, it would probably be another week before I got a rotation in the kitchen.
April thankfully had been put on the brunch shift for Sunday morning. She would have surely given me the third degree about my attending church. It wasn’t like she was an idiot. April would have known it was because of Jack and she would have protested this. April didn’t like it when people did stupid things for l love.
The moment she took off for the kitchen, I bolted to the bathhouse. I’d been pretending to sleep so that she wouldn’t start interrogating me more about last night. I was surprised she’d managed to fall back asleep so quickly. But I wasn’t about to question that blessed event.
The air was cold as I rushed as fast as I could to the church, which was little more than a shack. But it had a fireplace and I’d take it. I was bundled up better than I had been last night, but that didn’t mean much, especially since I apparently hadn’t dried my hair well enough. I could feel it freezing in the cool air. The snow had stopped fa
lling sometime in the early morning, but it had certainly made a nice blanket on the ground. You couldn’t see any grass and as far as the eye could see was pretty much just white. It was quite beautiful, but it would have been more beautiful to look at through the warmth of my cabin.
I was halfway to the church when I had a sudden strange realization. I’d forgotten my cane back in the bathhouse. I looked down at my leg and realized something even stranger. It wasn’t really bugging me that much. It was sore, but nothing like I was used to. For me, every day since my surgery had been pain, especially when I put pressure on my leg. But now there was little more than a dull ache and I certainly didn’t feel like I was going to fall over like I normally did without my cane. Billy had said it was likely I’d need the cane for months, if not the rest of my life and with the way my rehab had been going, I was beginning to believe him.
I took a few tentative steps forward just to test my leg out. Sure enough, it was holding up just fine. Maybe the cane had been holding me back. Whatever the reason for the improvement in my condition, I didn’t care. I was walking on my own. There was an obvious limp to my walk, but that was to be expected. I was so excited about the freedom, that it was all I could do to keep myself from attempting to run the rest of the way to the church. I only held back because the last thing I wanted was to have my leg give out on me, out in this cold. But later, I was going to give it a go when I was closer to my cottage.
I was so in my own world of excitement, that I didn’t even hear him as he rushed up behind me. He’d probably been calling my name for a while, but I only heard him when he was right behind me. I jumped grabbing my heart, like I could keep it from pounding out of my chest. “You scared me half to death,” I accused, as I finally managed to catch my breath.
He was smiling as he made his apologies, but I got the sense that he wasn’t all that sorry. “I wasn’t exactly being quiet. How’d you not hear me?” he asked, as he offered me his hand. I took it without hesitation. Even with the gloves between us I could feel the warmth from his hand flowing through mine. The warmth reached all the way up to my cheeks. I hoped eventually this whole blushing thing would go away. It was embarrassing. He did me the courtesy of acting like he didn’t notice.
“I was in my own head, I guess. Just thinking.”
“Good thoughts I hope.” I smiled back at him and nodded. He didn’t appear to have noticed the absence of my cane yet and I decided I was just going to wait and see how long it took him to notice. If the men in my family were any indication for the male ability of perception, it could take some time. It once took my father three whole days to notice that my mother had changed her hair from brown to red.
“So,” I said as we approached the church, “did Pastor Lewis set you up to asking me to come out here?”
“I’m not going to lie. He has encouraged the idea, but no, it wasn’t his influence that made me ask you. I just wanted to spend the day with you and seeing as I like to start my Sundays off at church, I thought maybe you might want to join me.”
“I can’t honestly say that when I think about you and spending time with you, it involves anything remotely church like,” I said, shocking both of us. I’d always considered myself the shy type, but the words had flowed right out of my mouth before I could stop them. “I can’t believe I just said that.” I released his hand and attempted to shield my embarrassment with my hands. The heat in my face made it feel like I was sitting right up close to a fire. It was practically suffocating.
Jack gently pulled my hands away from my face. I dared to look into his eyes. He was smiling the biggest smile I’d ever seen him wear. It reached right up into his gorgeous golden-brown eyes. “That’s good to know. And just so you know, my thoughts about you have never involved church either.” I tried to look away, but I couldn’t stop staring into his eyes. They were like magnets holding my gaze and I was unable to resist their pull.
“Then if neither one of us really wants to be here, why not skip it and go find somewhere else to spend the day?”
“Because I kind of feel obligated to be there.” I stared back at him waiting for him to explain. “The congregation hasn’t always been so small. It’s just been the last year that the followers have been dropping like flies. We started out with nearly a hundred people in the beginning. Heck the commander himself once attended regularly.” That was a shocker for sure. He never struck me as the religious type. “Pastor Lewis was one of the first people to really make me feel like this was my home. He’s my friend and I owe him. I must be there. And I know you don’t owe him like I do, but I was hoping that you could at least keep me company. It’s only an hour.”
“From what I remember of the limited religious meetings I attended; an hour often felt like decades.” Jack laughed. “But then I was stuck in a packed church with tons of strangers and my parents constantly nagging us to be quiet and not embarrass them. Maybe being with you would make it a little more bearable.” With a huge grin on his face, Jack offered me his hand once more and I took it. This time, not letting go.
The church turned out to be the Pastor’s cabin. He was one of the few single people in the village that didn’t have to share accommodations, and the only reason for that was because he needed the space to have church services. I wondered where they would have held services prior to the congregation shrinking, maybe the dining hall.
His cabin was the same size as April’s and mine and just as crowded, even with the bed shoved in the far corner. He had set up some pillows in a semi-circle surrounding the fire. Well at least it looked cozy. We weren’t the first to arrive, in fact, I was pretty sure the rest of the group had been waiting for us. There were only two cushions left in the very middle of the semi-circle.
“You came,” an excited squeaky voice shouted from the floor. I looked down and finally noticed Kaia. I’d been so absorbed with taking in the room and avoiding the stares of the others in the group, that I’d completely missed her. She was sitting on the floor with her brother Charlie and her grandmother. Charlie and I had only met once before. He looked pretty much exactly like his sister, only with shaggy chin length hair, verses her long girly locks. Kaia jumped up off the floor sweeping her arm in mine practically knocking me off balance. “I saved you a seat next to me.” I looked back at Jack, but he just smiled as he shrugged his shoulders.
It took me a moment to make my way to the ground. My leg apparently still had some healing to do. It was that awkward movement that finally brought Jack’s attention to what was missing. “Where’s your cane,” he whispered, trying not to grab anyone else’s attention. It was a small room. The others would have surely heard, but they were at least polite enough to pretend not to.
“I forgot it in the bathhouse. It’s fine. I don’t think I need it anymore,” I whispered back. He didn’t look like he liked the idea of me abandoning it, but it wasn’t like he could do much about it right now and besides Kaia was on my left trying to grab my attention back.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered so her grandmother wouldn’t hear. “You have no idea how boring this can be.” Well, she was really selling it for me. Maybe Jack couldn’t take away from the boredom of this thing after all.
“Kaia shhh,” her grandmother scolded. “The pastor’s trying to start the service,” she nudged her head in Pastor Lewis’ direction. “Hello Summer,” she said to me, “We’re all glad you could make it.”
The good thing about attending services on those rare holidays, when I was a child, was that it was always super crowded. You could disappear into the crowd without anyone ever acknowledging your existence. But in a group of fourteen you couldn’t escape. All eyes were on me, and I could feel the sweat beading up on my forehead. Oh great, I thought, they all want to stare at the heathen.
Pastor Lewis felt obligated not only to welcome me, but to introduce me to everyone. There were only two people in the group that I’d never met before. An older woman named Grace and middle-aged man named Al.
Everyone was really welcoming, but it was almost too welcoming. I honestly felt a little smothered, so I was grateful when the pastor said that it was time to get started.
Kaia’s grandmother, Sofia, offered the prayer. It was then that Jack took the opportunity to reassure me by leaning in closer. So close, that his body heat was rivalling the heat of the fire. Now I was really in danger of sweating. His hand was still in mine as he gave it a gentle squeeze. He whispered in my ear, sending a pleasant shiver down my spine. “I promise it won’t be bad. My company makes it all worthwhile don’t you think?” I peeked through my half-closed eyes to see him smiling at me. He stole a quick kiss on the cheek before the prayer was over.
Maybe being here with Jack would make this time fly by after all. Five minutes into the pastor’s sermon, I changed my mind on that one. Even Jack’s presence couldn’t make service bearable. It took a lot of effort not to doze off in the middle of the service. I could tell that Pastor Lewis was trying his best to be engaging with the subject matter, but it wasn’t really reaching me at all. There were some people in our tiny group that appeared to be very into what the pastor was saying. Mostly the older people. Kaia looked as bored as I did. Her grandmother scolded her several times. Her brother Charlie kept picking at a loose thread on his coat.
Seeking Hope: Book 2 in the Seeking Saga Page 16