Finally a secretary handed him his release forms paper-clipped to his service forms, and without any irony at all told Beckett he was free to go.
Beckett raced to the hallway where Sarah and Dan were waiting to drive him to see Luna.
Chapter 45
Dan circled the big lot three times before he double parked behind a tiny blue car near the back. “This car is a friend of Chickadee’s, he’s not going to leave anytime soon. So this is it, you ready? It’s not pretty.”
The sky was sagging, dark, thick, and heavy with rain. A drizzle seeped out, not raining down as much as thoroughly wetting everything as if from every direction. The windshield wipers swept back and forth with a flimp-floomp noise. Beckett said, “You’re kind of freaking me out, how bad can it be?”
Sarah turned around in her seat. “We just need you to be ready for the conditions.”
“The rain—what conditions?”
Dan asked, “Do we have time to look for an umbrella or ponchos? We’re going to be soaked through.”
Beckett said, “I’m down to an hour.”
Dan said, “Okay, then. We should go. Wet never hurt anyone.”
They all opened their car doors, stepped out, and were already soaked through.
Beckett followed Dan. “Do we go up to the building?”
Dan said, “You, my friend, as a relative of Chickadee’s, are not welcome at the building.”
“Oh. But Luna is okay, right?”
“Sure, enough.”
Beckett followed Dan and Sarah through the rain — across the big sprawling completely full parking lot, to a sloping lawn that ended at a big chain-link fence.
Visibility was low in the grey gloomy rain, but Beckett made out a large group milling in front of the fence. Walking closer, he could see umbrellas, camp chairs, tents, tables and close to sixty people. As he entered the crowd behind Roscoe, Beckett recognized friends from back home.
People welcomed him, shook his hand, crowded around. People that he didn’t expect — his former football coach, his former science teacher, Chickadee’s film crew.
And then Chickadee.
“Beckie!!!!” She threw her arms around his neck, holding him tight to her soft jiggling front, rocking him back and forth. Dilly threw her arms around them both, creating a huddle. Beckett buried his face in their shoulders. And they told him how much they missed him, loved him, and then he looked up.
Luna.
There, on the inside of a chain-link fence.
Beckett pulled away from his Aunts’s embrace. “What’s happening?” He swung his head up and down and around taking in the scope of the pen. His eyes darted along the back, noticing the Waterfolk huddled under the tree line, seeking shelter from the rain. “What is this?”
Chickadee grasped both sides of his face, “Beckie these are the camps, please don’t get upset, your Auntie has this all under—”
“What are you—” He picked up a section of the chain that connected her waist to Luna’s pen.
“I’ve chained myself to this fence.” Hoarsely, she yelled over her shoulder in the direction of a building, “And I will not leave until our Luna is out!” To the crowd she bellowed, “Is anyone going to leave until everyone gets to leave?”
The crowed around her yelled, “Hell no!”
“See Aunt Chickadee is going to get Luna out of here. Now what happened with your case?”
Beckett eyes returned to Luna over his aunt’s shoulder, a few feet away, separated by a crowd and that fence, and the necessity of speaking to Chickadee and Dilly first. “I get to meet my battalion. I have to serve six months. I go in an hour.” Luna’s smile fell, her eyes brimmed with tears. Beckett scrubbed his hand over his newly shaved head. “Look, Chickadee, I have to speak to Luna.”
“Yes, Beckie, of course you do.”
She stepped aside, the crowd parted, and he strode to the fence.
Chapter 46
He hooked his hands through the fence, and planted his feet wide to lower himself, near eye to eye. “God, I’m so glad to see you. Luna, this isn’t how this was supposed to. . .”
“I know. . .”
“I’m so sorry.” Beckett scanned the pen. People were huddled, dripping, wet, cold. He looked back at Luna, her hair was plastered down, sopping, her clothes too thin, stuck to her shivering skin. “I’m so sorry. Were you scared?”
Luna nodded. “Really scared — about a lot of things.”
“About me?” Rain dripped down his face, he wiped his face and shook his fingers spraying water away.
“Yes.”
“That I was okay?”
“Yes and. . .”
“More?”
She chewed her lip. “That I had made a mistake. That I traveled here, across the ocean, just because you asked, that it was too much for me to do.”
Beckett nodded. “Yeah, I get that. This is not—” He rattled the fence. “Not at all.” Beckett leaned his forehead on the fence. “I won’t be there. You heard that I have to go?”
“For six whole months?”
“Yeah, I’m so sorry. How do you stick with me after all of this? How do you trust me?”
Luna smiled sadly and joked. “I don’t see how, you promised me you’d drive me and my paddleboard home on your motorcycle. I’ve been looking forward to watching you work through the logistics of that promise.”
“I’m not sure that’s exactly what I said.”
Luna asked, “Do you see all these people behind me? They’re Waterfolk. Just like me, like my family.” She turned and pointed at a group huddled under the trees in the far end. “That family’s surname is the Hymenopteras. I found out that they are actually distant cousins. One of the men was very fond of my uncle, and I don’t even have to ask. I can join them. But I won’t.”
Beckett watched her face and asked, “Would they go back out?”
“Yes, once they’re released. They’ll get their boards back, and they’re gone.”
He blew out a gust of air. “I bet you could ask them to take you to Sky’s family. I mean, you should, six whole months I’ll be gone.”
Luna squinted her eyes. “Are you taking away my home? You freaking promised me a home, are you taking it away?”
“No never I just wonder if you would be happier.”
Luna sighed, “Beckett, I’m standing in a cage, I came all this way, what are you even talking about? See that family there, the Celastrinas, they have a son, Springer, they’d like me to travel with them, because they think he and I should be together.”
He said, “Oh god.”
“Yes, exactly Beckett, but I’m staying. I’m telling you this because I really need you to understand why. To not have any doubts.”
Luna wrapped her fingers around his in the fence links. “The truth is that I have family and fellow Waterfolk over on that side of the pen, it’s familiar, and it’s drier there, shadier, but this is where I’m standing. Over here by you. This is where I keep standing, talking to Chickadee, listening to my new friends. They love you so much and now they love me too, so though I’ve given more thought to a good hitch knot than I gave to coming to shore, I’m not scared about it anymore, about you. I’m here, and you weren’t here, you won’t be, but it’s okay. I’m here. And I’ll be waiting for you when you get home.”
Tears welled up in Beckett’s eyes. “Thank you.”
“Do you feel better?”
“Yep, by degrees.”
She shivered.
“Are you cold?”
“Yes, but a little water never hurt anyone.” She gave him a sad smile.
Beckett sighed. “Dan just said something very similar. Speaking of water, I have a bus to catch, to go throw sandbags. I’ll get a break though. In three months I’ll get a weekend. I’ll see you somewhere.”
Luna said, “At your house. There’s no way Chickadee lets this last three months. She’ll burn it down first.”
Beckett smiled. “You’re in good hands.”
/>
“Definitely.”
“And Roscoe is the best. He’ll get everyone out, it’s just a matter of time. I didn’t know — you see that right? I didn’t know this about the camps.”
“Not one person believes you did.”
Beckett blew out a breath of air. “Are we cursed?”
Luna looked at the chain-link separating them. “Some might say so, but I prefer my friend’s opinion, that you and I are living an epic love story.”
“Is this Chickadee we’re talking about? She told me I needed to be with someone who helped me write the punchline of my life’s sitcom, or something like that.”
Chickadee chuckled merrily, “I’m sitting right behind you. If you’re going to quote me, get it right.”
Luna asked Beckett, “What would your punchline be?”
“I’m not sure — maybe it’s something about how the girl I’m writing it with and I are never alone together.” Beckett glanced over his shoulder at the crowd gathered around them.
“We Waterfolk are never alone, no one would find that funny. I think your punchline is that you volunteered.”
Beckett smiled, “True that, or what about — man terrified of ocean finds himself inside the ocean, lots of ocean.”
“You jumped.”
Beckett chuckled. “That’s our punchline, ‘and then we jumped.’ Now we have to write the joke.”
“In six months.”
Beckett groaned. “If I have to be away from you that long I need more to think about. I know your birthday is August 15th, and you’re learning how to dance. And that you are slowly falling in love with Calvin and Hobbes and that you paddle like a badass. And you have my grandfather’s — wait where’s my grandfather’s watch?”
“They took it when they forcibly showered me.”
Chickadee struggled out of her chair with a, “Oh, hell no!”
Beckett smirked. “Chickadee you heard that?”
“I certainly did. This travesty will not be allowed to continue. That is stolen property. Roscoe! Roscoe!”
Dilly said, “Chickie dear, Roscoe left to deliver your morning filings to the court administrator.”
Chickadee, rain pouring down her face, said, “Mark it someone, mark this moment, I will get my grandfather’s watch back from these evil people for Luna and Beckett if it’s the last thing I do!” She plopped down into the chair sending her chain rattling.
Beckett chuckled and leaned his forehead against the fence again. They looked into each other’s eyes. He said, “Tell me something about you that I don’t know.”
Luna said, “Hmmm, a big thing?”
She stared off into space. She considered telling Beckett the really big thing, the terrible thing, about the night she lost her family, but speaking the words would hurt. They would hurt in her heart and her throat and she didn’t know if she could take that much pain. And it would cause him pain too — he might — she didn’t want to think about what he might think. Or say. He would feel it for all those days, what, ninety, until she saw him again?
So she went for simpler. “Did I tell you that it was my mother that taught me how to navigate? Usually the men do it, but my grandmother taught my mother, and she taught me. She told me to keep it secret. I loved that it was just between us.
“The way she navigated was different from the way the men navigated. My mom didn’t use size and distance, she used stories and relationships. She had tales about each star and as it moved through the sky, its story would change. Story after story, she would ask me to repeat them so I would remember.”
Beckett smiled. “It’s like she saw the future — that you would need to find your way through the world by yourself.”
“She was pretty magical.”
“Can you tell me one?”
Luna brushed her thumb along the curve of his finger. “The easiest one, the first one. There’s a constellation called the Monarch. It’s visible in that area of the sky.” Luna pointed behind Beckett.
“Southeast?”
“Yes. I believe it uses some of your constellation, Orion, the rest of it looks like a big butterfly. It’s supposed to travel the skies carrying messages from one person to a far away other person. I sent you messages after I left you on the Outpost.”
“I got them. One hundred percent. That’s why I came to find you.”
Luna screwed up her face. “I don’t think the timeline—”
“Don’t over-think it, the story is so much better that way. So you’ll be sending me messages by the Monarch constellation every night.”
“Yes, but that’s not the story, not really. This, the Monarch, has moved ever so slightly north, just barely. The tip of the left wing is almost touching the Breeze constellation.” She pointed up to the south. “Right there, stretching across the sky with twists, like a wind. Next time I’m with you, in three months, I’ll show it to you, but until then you should try to figure it out, okay?”
“That’s all I’ll do.”
Luna smiled.
Beckett said, “Just a minute.” He pulled his hands from the fence and shook them out. “My hands hurt.” He put his fingers back immediately.
Luna kissed his right hand’s finger tip, and continued, “Because the Monarch’s wing is in the Breeze constellation it means big changes. Disruptions and upsets, but not necessarily in the bad way. It’s up to us to whisper to the Monarch what we want to happen. Begin the flow. It will be over a year that the two constellations are touching. So that’s good. We have time to get the change right.”
“I love you Luna.”
“I love you too. Now you tell me something about your—”
Chapter 47
Dan came to the fence, “Beckett, Luna, I’m sorry to interrupt, but if I’m going to get you to the bus station in time, we should probably move.”
Beckett said, “Aargh.” He ran his hands over his head. “Can I run away again?”
Dan smirked, “Proving that dumbasses go army. We got your girl, none of us are leaving until she goes home. With your aunt Chickadee. We’re out in the rain. You can trust us.”
Beckett nodded, his eyes on Luna. “You’ll be okay Luna, right?”
“I trust you, them, I’ll be okay.”
Chickadee stood from her chair. “Hug your Aunty, Beckie.” He wrapped up in Chickadee’s smothering hug. Into his ear she said, “You take care of yourself. You’re doing good work, important work. You’re placing sandbags keeping the water at bay. You’re a hero. You go be a hero and we’ll handle this. No worries.”
Beckett nodded into her shoulder.
Next Dilly hugged him then she leaned back to look up at his face. “You have to keep your heart focused on the long goal, but your brain concentrating on the present time. Do what you have to do minute by minute and the moments will slide by. You’ll have a weekend with us in three months. And you’ll call every week. We’ll be waiting.”
Beckett was unable to speak he was so overcome. He was home, but he spent the whole time in jail, all that precious time — what he wouldn’t do to have it back. He turned back to Luna. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Of course you will, and you know where to find me.” She gave him a bittersweet grin.
“I do, it’s a house on a mountain, northeast of here by about two hours.” He gave her a sad smile. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you something to think about while I’m gone.”
She said, “It’s okay, I have enough.”
Dan gave him another reminding pat on the shoulder and Beckett turned to go, but suddenly Luna’s hand went to her stomach with a low moan.
Beckett spun. “You okay?”
She nodded, grimaced, and swallowed. “I just — ugh.”
She leaned over, hands on her knees, retching. “Ugh,” she said again.
Beckett crouched and peered up into her face. “Luna?”
She spit onto the cement. “Ugh, it’s okay, I’m fine I—” She vomited all over her feet.
“Luna, yo
u okay? Dr Mags!”
Dr Mags rushed the fence. “Sit down so you don’t fall down.”
Luna slumped to the ground. Waterfolk gathered around her. Dr Mags said, “Jeffrey go to the building. Tell them I need access to Luna.” Jeffrey darted away.
Dan said, “I’m sorry to say this Beckett, but you have to go. Or you’ll be late.”
“I’m not going, I won’t.”
Dan stepped in front of Beckett. “You won’t go?”
“You heard me—”
Dan stepped into Beckett’s space, “What, the dumbass won’t go?”
“Fuck you.”
Beckett tried to step around him, but Dan planted two hands on his chest and shoved him backwards up the hill. “You going back to the fence? Because only dumbasses go back to the fence.”
Beckett tried to swipe Dan’s hands away.
Dan shoved him so hard that he stumbled three steps. “Dumbasses stay here.”
“Stop calling me a dumbass. I’m starting to get pissed off.”
“Oh yeah? Well I’m pissed off too. Look at you — with your scarred hands, your busted face, your girlfriend in a pen. And the only reason you’re not in jail is because you have the best lawyer in the world, and he got you off. Well guess what — he can’t do it again. You blow this chance and you’ll rot in that jail or worse, East, the front. Is that what you want?” He shoved Beckett so hard he fell on the slick grassy slope.
Beckett, from down in the mud, asked, “Dan would you leave if it was Sarah? Would you leave?”
“I wouldn’t want to, but I hope I’d have a friend who would kick my ass to make me. Because you friend, have to get on that bus. And if you don’t leave now, you’re going to miss it.”
Luna raised her head and called across the crowd to Beckett, “Go, I’m fine. I didn’t eat very well —” She retched and heaved again.
“I can’t leave, crap, I can’t—”
Dan said, “You have to. We’ll give you updates — you have to go or they won’t allow you to come back.”
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