Zoey pushed open the door. It seemed as though they were walking into a hill. Freya stepped in apprehensively and looked around.
It was sturdy, something that would last much longer than their former home. There was a wood floor where she expected to find dirt. The ceilings weren’t much higher than Colin’s head, but the dwelling strangely reminded her of independent living. The space was simple. A bed. A stove. A table. All of it compact.
Colin stepped outside, peering down the row of doors spanning the length of the hill. “How did you build this without the State noticing? Didn’t Gwen say that you guys believe that the State still observes the area through satellite?”
“The answer is simple. We built these homes just like we’ve done everything else around here: one at a time, and over many, many years.”
Freya stepped over to their bed, taking a seat on the edge. It was propped up by a wooden frame, sitting as high as a chair. “This is going to be so much easier on my ribs than sleeping on the ground.”
Zoey beamed. “I’m so happy you like it. I didn’t know what to expect from you people. I thought maybe you’d be all fancy where you come from.”
“This is definitely a step up from the village we built,” Colin said. “Most people were still sleeping on floor mats. Staying here is going to be a treat.”
Zoey beamed with pride. “Well, why don’t I leave you two to settle in. I can come back and get you for dinner.”
Freya nodded. “That would be wonderful. Thank you kindly, Zoey.”
Zoey dipped her head and shuffled out the door. Freya peered around the tight space, a collision of coziness and claustrophobia.
“Just imagine,” Colin said, sitting beside her. “We would have never even known about these people if we didn’t build those outposts. They’re going to protect us from the State, and we’re going to help them rebuild. What would have happened if either of us didn’t believe we’re still on Earth?” He shook his head. “This community, it changes everything.”
Freya nodded. She agreed. It changed everything. She just didn’t know what this community would change them into.
Chapter 10
Freya
A knock sounded at their door, rousing her from her slumber. She didn’t respond, simply moaning and rolling over. Colin shimmied out of the bed, stepped lightly to the door to avoid waking her, and gently pulled the door closed behind him.
Her mind came in and out of focus, hearing muffled voices. A distant part of her thought she should be concerned, yet she couldn’t bring herself to move. She was in a bed, a proper one, with linens. The only thing missing from a life of luxury was plumbing. It would be an adjustment from living under the dome but a large step above colony life.
Colin slipped back inside their space, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, Freya, wake up. It’s dinner time.”
She groaned, covering her eyes with her arm. “I don’t want to.”
Colin laughed. “I know, but you need to eat. You’ll wake up in the middle of the night starving if you don’t eat now.”
She could hear the logic in his words, yet her body felt like it was made of lead. “I can’t move.”
He stood and offered her a hand. “Come on.”
She groaned again theatrically, then rolled to the side of the bed, ready to push herself up into a sitting position. Colin helped her up and offered a stabilizing arm while she worked through the stiffness.
“Why am I so tired? I feel like I could sleep for days.”
Colin nodded. “What’s on your mind? Are you worried about anything?”
She halted her small steps, looking at him sideways. “No, should I be?”
He laughed. “No. That’s my point. You’re tired because you aren’t worried about anything.”
She hobbled on the springy wooden floor toward the door. “I can’t remember the last time I had nothing to worry about. I don’t know what to compare this to.”
“Like when you were a child?” He laughed. “I mean, think about it. You were worried about school and getting coupled, then you hated me. Just when I grew on you, I disappeared, and you became a double agent for the rebellion. Then, you were the freaking Head of State until you were shot, then woke up to lead people you don’t know through a foreign land where you survived a bear attack. I think you’re trying to figure out how to function without a constant dose of adrenaline.”
They carefully made it down the incline in front of their home, walking across the open grassland.
“Is that bad? Should I be worried? I mean, other than living here, we have no plan. What about the State? The Colonists? And I know we received a warm welcome, but we’re merely guests here.”
Colin stopped, taking her hands in his. “I know what you mean. They seem excited to have us now, but what about in the winter when rations are tight, when tempers flare, or people get sick? We would have to stay for at least a couple decades until there is no longer an us vs them mentality.”
Freya nodded. “We have to be careful. We need to make sure everyone is working hard and contributing, not taking advantage of our hosts.”
“Agreed. I think we should take our official tour then strategize how we can best be of service to this community.”
“Exactly.” Freya nodded. “We need to find out what their needs are—other than new genetic code—and work from there.”
“Hey, you guys.”
They looked up to see Aakil in the distance, but he wasn’t alone. He escorted two women, one on each arm, toward the dining area.
“Looks like Aakil is acclimating well,” Colin muttered from the side of his mouth.
“I see that.”
Zoey had instructed Colin to head toward the grove of trees for dinner. From where they stood, it looked like exactly that: a grove of trees. As they drew closer, she realized there was a lot of movement on the ground underneath. There were rows and rows of picnic tables and wooden benches.
As they stepped into the general area, she noticed that although this area was open space, there was a roof overhead in the thick vegetation.
As much as she marveled at the genius of how they used nature to camouflage their existence, it boggled her mind to think of the amount of effort they had spent hiding when they could have put that energy into developing technology to improve their way of life.
We’re still in a dome.
This dining hall looked wonderful, as long as the weather held. She figured it was abandoned as frequently as it was used. If they didn’t have to hide from the State, they could build a proper dining hall with doors, walls, and heat. This community may have adapted and survived, but they were far from thriving.
“I see you made it.” Gwen smiled warmly at them.
Colin extended a hand to her, greeting her warmly. “This sure looks interesting,” he remarked. “How often does everyone in this community dine together?”
Gwen shrugged. “As often as the weather allows. Although we use the ovens here to bake large batches of bread year round.”
Colin raised an eyebrow. “What do you do for food when the weather isn’t good?”
Gwen shrugged. “Depends on how long the weather is bad. Every house has both a stove and dry rations. Some people don’t care to come to a big community meal and only eat in their home. Some people refused to cook for themselves. We never have a shortage of food here. There’s always plenty of game to hunt and our greenhouses yield enough for us.”
Freya’s eyes brightened. “Greenhouses?”
Colin chuckled, looking back at Gwen. “Freya trained in the State’s greenhouses before she became the Head of State.”
Freya nodded eagerly. “I would love to see the greenhouses. Maybe I could help.”
Her chest burned with excitement. Optimism. Relief.
If she could make herself useful by improving their harvests, then maybe the people here would respect her, or at least want to keep her around. Having this village know she was once the Head of St
ate did her no favors. They may accept her now, but what about when their people’s philosophies clashed?
No one wants a former leader around.
A sudden thought struck her. Maybe the actions of Colin’s Advisors had less to do with his actions, and more to do with wanting power for themselves. What if Colin hadn’t messed up?
One thing she had learned from the State was that those in power will often do anything to keep it. Power didn’t tempt Freya, but she knew that those who had it would see her as a threat.
I need them to see me as humble. Meek. A worker.
Gwen raised an eyebrow. “Maybe you should give those ribs a chance to heal first before you worry about those greenhouses.”
Colin smiled, shaking his head. “Freya has never been good at sitting still. If you don’t mind, we would love to take a tour and see if there is anything Freya can do to help out, something non-strenuous until she’s fully healed.”
Gwen shrugged, looking over the tables filling up around them. “I appreciate your offer. I’m sure we could use your expertise, after you heal.”
Colin’s eyes seemed to wander off to a group of women walking toward the tables with children. His eyes lingered for so long, even Gwen noticed his gaze. He suddenly noticed they were both watching him watching the group of women, and he turned his attention toward Gwen.
“I know it’s not my place to ask, but I see a lot of women and children around here, but few men. I know you lost your men, but that was a generation ago. Where are all these kids coming from? And where are the men who fathered them?”
Gwen pursed her lips. “I understand what you’re asking, and I assure you, things were different before our men left. One man and one woman were married, setting up a household and raising a family together. Now, we only focus on survival. I’m sure that the next generation will have different options, most likely reverting back to what we had before, or something in the middle.”
“How many of these children have the same father?” Colin pressed.
“Too many.” Gwen crossed her arms. “All males 14 and older left, unless they were too old to walk. When the little boys we had grew up, they started off marrying one girl until enough time had passed that we realized those who left wouldn’t return. Time will eventually fix our imbalance, but the biggest problem we’ve faced is that not enough children were born since those men left.”
Colin let out a heavy sigh. “I know it’s wrong, but that makes me feel better. I know you live the philosophy of the enemy of my enemy is my friend, but I still worry about us repaying your hospitality. But if you were worried about your numbers being too sparse, I’m glad we can at least give you some laborers to help.”
Freya’s glance darted away from them and she remained silent.
Gwen smiled. “We can use your help, but what we need is your unattached men. Even some women who are too old to have kids might enjoy the company of a man from time to time. I mean, we’ve made do, but many women here are absolutely delighted at the prospect.”
“I’m sure Aakil is thrilled,” Colin joked.
Gwen nodded. “If he doesn’t impregnate at least one of our women this month, I’d be surprised.” She paused, wrinkling her brow. “Disappointed, actually. The sooner we get some fresh blood in the mix, the better off we’ll be.”
Freya smiled politely, sweat suddenly glistened her brow. “Shall we take a seat?”
“The lineup for food is going to start over there. You can either sit and relax and visit with people until then, or if you’re hungry, you can start forming the line.”
“Thank you kindly, Gwen,” Colin said with a smile. He looked down at Freya. “You probably want to get straight into line, don’t you?”
She nodded, giving another polite, tense smile. “Yes, I think it will be easier for me.”
They headed over to the area Gwen pointed out to them and stood together, hand in hand. Freya looked out over the group, seeing an abundance of attractive women pouring into the area. Her stomach turned with a restless, uneasy energy.
Colin had chosen her before, but would he still choose her here? She couldn’t have his children. Would he still want her—only her—with so many women begging for his attention? Some who wanted nothing more from him than a child.
In a flash, she realized she had much more to worry about than if this community wanted her to stick around.
Chapter 11
Freya
Freya pushed her bowl away, unable to take another bite. “I don’t understand what that spongy substance is, but I’m just stuffed.”
Colin looked over, sliding her bowl toward him with his spoon. “Bread.” He used a thick slice to mop up the remaining stew left in her bowl. “It’s made from a grain like rice, and I think it’s my new favorite thing.”
Once he finished devouring both their bowls, Colin grabbed their dishes and stood. They headed over to the stove, now boiling soapy water instead of steaming hot stew.
A young woman was standing ready to greet Colin with a warm smile. “I can take those for you.”
Freya wondered if they would have washed their own dishes if she was the one to bring them to the bin of soapy water.
Colin turned back to Freya. “You want to make some rounds?”
Eating here had reminded her of her school days. The rows of tables felt far too much like a common room, except instead of boys flirting with her, she felt overwhelmed by the number of women looking in Colin’s direction.
“Maybe let’s go somewhere, alone.”
He grabbed her hand, suppressing a smile. “Let’s just walk around for a bit before we go home.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“You know Freya, if this is a little too social for you, we can start eating at home. It would be like when we were first coupled.”
Her stomach clenched. She would prefer to be alone with Colin but didn’t know if it was such a good idea to act reclusive when they were so new here.
“Maybe we can alternate nights? That way we can still get a good feel for this community, while having time for just us.”
Colin’s steps halted as a wide, mischievous smile brightened his cheeks. “My, my, how you have changed. It sounds as though you are voluntarily eating in the common room in order to make friends.”
Although she could appreciate the humor he saw in this, it didn’t elevate her mood enough to smile. “I just want to do what is best for us and this community. We have so much to consider in the coming days, months, possibly years. I want to make sure we’re connected here. We need to earn the loyalty of everyone around us, or at least their respect.”
“I agree.” He squeezed her hand. “And I’m glad we’re on the same page. I isolated myself from the colonists the moment I woke up. That’s a mistake I won’t make again. But that doesn’t mean I want to spend every evening playing the politician either.”
He leaned in closer to her and smiled before placing a gentle kiss on her lips. Despite the public nature of his kiss, she leaned in, intensifying the heat between them.
I hope all those women eyeing Colin are watching.
Colin pulled away with flushed cheeks, quickly glancing over at the dining area. He led her down the worn trail, seeing what other treasures lay concealed in this community. They heard the trickling sound of water before they could see the source. The ground sloped downward toward a gurgling stream.
Colin crouched down, grabbing a bucket tied with twine to a tree’s trunk near the bank. “We found their water source.”
A screeching laughter jolted her attention away from the water. “Let’s get back.”
They walked up the slight slope, following the trail back when they saw two figures pressed together against a moss covered hut. Colin covered his mouth, repressing a grin at seeing Aakil settling into the community. They silently slipped past Aakil and his lady friend as they headed back toward their home.
Once they were out of earshot, Colin remarked. “Coming here may be the
best thing that’s happened to Aakil in his entire life.”
“I don’t think we’re getting him out of here,” she said, struggling to shift away from the imbalanced gender ratio in this community.
Colin shrugged. “I don’t know if any of us will be leaving.”
Freya nodded solemnly. “I know you’re probably right, but I hate it. We have to do something about the State. We can’t let them continue hurting people. And I don’t want to live the rest of my life in fear of them either.”
Colin’s pace slowed until he leaned against a tree. “It’s not that I don’t agree with you, I just don’t think we have many options. We have no plan, no army and very little resources. Maybe our best tactical move is to have as many children as possible to build up an army.”
Delivered: A Young Adult Dystopian Romance (The State Series Book 7) Page 7