I almost dropped my fork, I was so startled. Then I was pissed at her for insulting me like that, like we were back in the school cafeteria and she was still in Star’s clique. She must’ve seen it on my face.
“You ever thought about cutting bangs?” she continued, reaching out to sweep a few pieces of fly-away corn silk off my forehead. “Roxie’ll braid it. Get these little bits that always go in your face. Help you out.”
Her dark brown eyes held mine in a steady gaze, and I realized she was giving me a message. The guard continued walking, unimpressed by our conversation, and I nodded.
“Where y’all gonna be?” I said.
“We usually set out under that shed in the back by the rows. Come over there and she’ll fix you up.”
“Okay.”
I returned to my plate, picking up a few small pieces of meat from the portions I’d dedicated to my friend. I’d lost a little weight since I’d started doing more work and sharing my meals with Flora, but I didn’t mind. Being lean would help me run faster and be more agile when I made my escape. It’d also help me fit in more places and have better endurance. I could feel my body getting stronger every day, and I liked it.
In the shed after lunch, Roxie and Yolanda were waiting for me. D’Lo sat around the corner pretending to nap like he always did in the afternoons after lunch, but I could tell he was awake and listening. Roxie sat on the top of a picnic table that was centered under the tin roof. I sat in front of her on the bench attached to it, and she started parting my hair into sections. Yolanda waited and watched until we were all sure no official eyes were on us.
“You’re a spitfire, Prentiss Puckett,” she finally said. “I know you’re not going to sit here and take this much longer. I want you to know we’re ready to help you.”
I flicked my eyes to D’Lo, who studied us both as he sat with his hat low and his chin on his chest.
“Thanks,” I said. “I need the help, and it’ll be good if we’re all working together.”
I hadn’t expected her to approach me like this, but I was glad we were making it official. I thought about my next words. These girls were tough and not afraid of a fight. Their people’d lived through hell being black in south Mississippi, and I bet the idea of being kept like slaves was grating on them. If anything, they’d want to make a stand just to show they had what it took to make their ancestors proud.
“Did Dee tell you about the chips?” I asked.
Yolanda’s mouth worked into a frown, but she nodded. Roxie jerked my hair tight, and I let out a little yelp.
“Sorry,” she said. “What chips? Y’all didn’t tell me about that.”
My eyes went to D’Lo, but he’d looked back at his boots. Yolanda didn’t seem ready to speak, so I took the lead on this little tidbit.
“There’s a guard working with the guys, and he keeps telling them stuff,” I said. “I think it’s a load of horse crap, but there’s no way to know for sure. It might be true.”
“Okay?” Roxie said. “So what’s the chips?”
“When you woke up, did you have a Band-Aid on your arm like you’d gotten a shot or something?”
She nodded, and I felt a moment of frustration. If only anybody ever said No, I could take a chance that it was a lie. I kept hoping for that to be the case with somebody, but so far everybody’d had the same experience.
“This jackass guard said they put some microchip or something in our arms while we were out. And if we tried to escape, and they found us gone, they’d flip a switch or push some button. Hell, I don’t know what they’ll do. But Braxton said it would send an electric current through our bodies.”
I wouldn’t repeat the part about the brains and scrambled eggs. It made me want to throw up, and I figured the electric shock was scary enough.
“Jesus!” Roxie hissed, pulling my braid tight again. I let out another yelp of pain, and she apologized again.
Yolanda nodded. “You think it’s true, then.”
“Dammit, I don’t know,” I confessed. “You know what I think? I think it’s a big lie. I think it’s all lies. But how do I know?”
We were quiet until D’Lo finally spoke. “These people... aren’t people,” he said. “They’re not like us, I’m telling you. This is some weird-assed shit going on right here.”
The girls looked at him, but I just exhaled loudly.
“What does that mean?” Roxie’s eyes were wide again.
“Means we gotta sit and wait. No trying to escape, and no funny business. Just lay low and see what happens next.” He got up and walked away like he wasn’t going to talk about it anymore. Like he was going to keep dropping crazy bombs and walking away.
“Braxton’s got some wild ideas in his head, too,” I said. “Their guard’s talking a lot of smack. He’s slick. I’ve seen him. I can also imagine he’s laughing at us behind our backs for being scared, gullible hicks.”
Yolanda’s eyes cut to mine. “So what do you think?”
“That woman Cato’s in charge, I’m sure of it. Now that I’m working with her little brother, I might be able to get some answers. He didn’t get here til later, but he oughta know something.”
“How you gonna get him to talk?” Roxie was tying off my braid as she asked.
“Just, you know. Being friendly and stuff.” I couldn’t tell her I had no idea how. “If this chip thing’s true, maybe there’s a main control I can shut off or disable. If it’s a lie—”
“Maybe he’ll tell you?”
“I don’t know.”
* * *
That night as I headed to the barn I thought about my conversation with Roxie. How long would it take before this guy would talk to me? And what if he wouldn’t? He was one of the scariest things I’d seen yet with those wild scars and wilder eyes, and he didn’t seem too happy to be here or too intent on making friends. But I had to do something, and it seemed like this opportunity dropped in my lap. I had to make the most of it. Or at least try.
I’d just walked through the open door when I froze. Voices were speaking in one of the stalls, and they sounded like they were arguing. Maybe this was another opportunity. I slipped behind a door, hoping I’d learn something.
“So I’m a prisoner now, too?” It was Gallatin, and his low voice was angry.
“Of course not,” Cato soothed. “It’s simply not safe for you to be running through the woods alone. What if you were injured?”
“I hate it here. It’s boring as hell, the people are dull, and it’s unbearably hot.”
“Hotter than the desert?”
“I feel like I’m drowning in this air.”
“You’ll adapt,” Cato’s voice was motherly. “And some people actually like it here.”
“Water signs like you. Protectors.”
“It’s true we had different fathers, but we shared a mother. You could still learn to appreciate the quiet beauty of the forest.”
“There’s quiet beauty in the desert.”
They didn’t speak, and I heard movements. I was just about to peek around when suddenly he spoke in a pleading voice. “Let me go back, Cato. I don’t want to be here.”
She let out a sigh. “No.”
He made a frustrated growl that was followed a loud Bang! I must’ve jumped two inches. A few of the cows bellowed. I leaned forward on shaky legs to see what had happened. Gallatin had his back to her. His hands clutched the top of a stall, and it looked like he’d kicked a hole in the bottom of it. I jerked back.
“You’re going to repair that.” Her voice was calm, undisturbed.
He didn’t answer, and for a moment, I didn’t know what would happen. I heard movement and peeked again to see her going to him and putting her hand on his shoulder. She rubbed it back and forth until finally he softened.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I think that board was rotten.”
“Hm. Perhaps we don’t know our own strength these days.”
“I know I’m strong enough to protect myself. L
et him try another cowardly strike like before and see what happens.”
“Gallatin,” she sighed. “You’re old enough to be more cooperative.”
“I’m old enough to be where I want.”
I jumped back behind the door when she turned away from him, facing my direction. Her arms were crossed over her stomach, and I saw her eyes were closed like she was having a painful memory.
“I’ll never forget what happened. How you looked when I finally reached you, Sontag... I can’t sleep not knowing you’re safe, and I could never get to you in time if something happened again.”
I heard him move, and I could only imagine he was going to her. His voice sounded less angry when he spoke.
“How much longer must we stay here?”
“Not much. Why don’t you talk to your grandfather again? That always cheers you.” I heard a smile in her warm tone.
“Yes. I could try that.”
“You know, I was hoping you might consider being my guard. When the time comes.”
“I would be honored to protect you, my lady.”
She laughed, and I couldn’t help admitting it was a sweet sound. “Well, that won’t be for a while. For now I’m still Cato, and you’re still my little brother.”
He exhaled, and she continued. “And tonight I’m ordering you to take a break. I’ll take your shift here. You go rest or better still, I know Shubuta wants to discuss other options for if we’re detained longer than was planned.”
“Shubuta.”
“She often comments about you. She seems to enjoy your sense of humor.”
“She’s old enough to be my mother.”
“Mother was quite a bit older when she had you.”
“I have no interest in Shubuta.”
“Then do what you like. But Gallatin.” Her voice was serious now. “Do not let me hear you’ve been in the woods again. It isn’t safe.”
My heart jumped. I had to learn more about that. What was going on in the woods and why wasn’t it safe?
“Imprisonment,” he grumbled.
“Thank you.”
I listened as he left the barn and then waited a few moments before creeping back and then reentering as if I were just getting there. Cato smiled and nodded when she saw me approaching. She wore the same gray coveralls as me tonight, but her white-blonde hair was smoothed back in its usual twist. After overhearing their conversation, I was sure now she was a princess or something. She definitely looked the part with her long slim neck and regal features.
Her eyes appeared almost white from a distance, but now that we were close, I could see they were very clear blue like two drops of water. She was beautiful, and she and her brother couldn’t look more dissimilar. Where he was fiery and unsettling, she was cool and soothing. But I’d also learned they had different fathers.
“I’m here to help you,” she said, with an odd sense of anticipation in her voice, like milking cows was a special treat.
I nodded. “Thanks, I guess.”
She surprised me with a little laugh. “You guess? So you’re like the others? You think I shouldn’t be in a barn working?”
“I don’t think anything, ma’am.”
She pressed her lips together and studied me. “How were you able to work with a livestock vet? Being so small, I mean.”
She’d been observing me since our first day in the field, but I couldn’t begin to guess why. And since Yolanda’d told me the story of what happened to Russell, I’d been more careful than ever against any slip-ups about Jackson’s being out there or my plans to find him. I certainly wasn’t going to tell her I’d started working with Dr. Green because Jackson’d dared me to do it.
“I needed the money, and it was the best paying job I could find,” I said.
That answer at least had a grain of truth in it.
“I’m surprised he didn’t question your ability.” She picked up a bucket and handed it to me.
I walked over to the larger cow Yolanda had worked earlier, sat down, and stroked her udders. I hoped the milk would come down quickly so we could hurry up and finish. She wasn’t the one I’d planned to talk to, and I wasn’t good with fast changes.
“He made me do a test run,” I said. “Then he let me help him.”
“What was your test?” She watched me working the cow.
I wondered why she was being so friendly, or if I should tell her the extent of my knowledge. I figured I’d be using it before long anyway, so I let my guard down a little.
“I had to prove I wasn’t afraid to examine a pregnant cow.”
Her pale brows pulled together. “How does that prove anything?”
“Well, most people don’t take to reaching inside a cow’s butt.”
The princess or whatever she was froze like I’d squirted fresh milk in her face. Her jaw dropped, but she closed it just as fast. Then her gaze turned to the large animal before her.
“You reached inside... But why? Why not perform a blood test?”
“Blood tests are expensive and they take too long. Besides, farmers’ve been sticking their arms up cows’ backsides since, well, since as long as I’ve known about it.”
She stared back at me as if I’d sprouted a second head.
“Anyway, palpation is really better than blood tests,” I continued without breaking my milking rhythm. “It’s easy once you get the hang of it. The organs are all right there together, and anyone, regardless of size, can palpate a dairy cow.”
My voice sounded like the old doctor’s as I supplied that extra bit of knowledge, and I had to swallow the tightness in my throat. Dr. Green had always treated our times together like he was a professor, and I was his veterinary student in training. Now I didn’t even know where he was.
Cato didn’t speak. Instead she pulled out a stool and began poking at her cow’s udders. I’d just finished up, and I sat watching as she leaned forward and grabbed a teat. Then she started squeezing it like it was a water balloon.
“You’re not going to get a thing that way,” I said, standing and going to her. “Here.”
I put my hand over hers. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but her hands were warm just like mine. Seeing both our hands together, I couldn’t tell that she was in any way different from me, that she was a non-human or whatever.
“Feel the movement?” I asked.
She studied my method and soon her cow was letting down.
“I’m doing it!”
I straightened up and backed away letting her take over. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to respond to this display of pride, but it looked definitely human to me. Aliens, my butt. It was very much like her reunion with her brother, and the conversation I’d just overheard. I was anxious to get back to my bunk and replay that one in my mind. What was he doing in the woods? And why was he in the desert? Whatever the reason, he sure wanted to go back there.
“I’ll get to work on the other one,” I said.
“Wait,” she called. “Do you mind if I call you Prentiss?”
I glanced back and shook my head.
“Thank you, Prentiss. You’re not like the others. I appreciate your teaching me and letting me help you.”
What was I supposed to say to that? I didn’t ask to be here, and I was pretty sure I didn’t have a choice when it came to what I was going to do or what she as going to do. Still, she sat there looking at me with those raindrop-blue eyes as if I’d just given her some precious gift. The gift of working like a farm hand.
I nodded and quietly milked the third cow. Then I joined her at the second churn.
“I’ll take care of the rest,” she said. “You can return to your quarters and prepare for sleep.”
“Thanks,” I said, handing her my bucket.
How much longer would this go on? And why was she acting like she was just as stuck as I was? None of it made sense. I had to get answers.
Chapter 9
The next day we got a holiday. I didn’t know if it was Sunday or h
ow many days had passed since I’d opened my eyes in this place, but it felt like maybe ten. The alarms didn’t sound to wake us, and at what felt like nine, a voice came across the tinny amplifier letting us know we would be eating as a group today, after which we would be allowed free time.
I sat up and pulled on my coveralls, and as I did, I noticed my brother still on his cot in the back corner staring at the floor in the same vacant way as Flora had done in the cafeteria. I felt a pang of guilt. I’d been avoiding him more and more, but whether I wanted to hear what he said or not, he was still my brother. I couldn’t let him go down without a fight.
“How you doing?” I asked once we’d taken a seat in the yard after breakfast.
He shook his head and looked down. I pulled a long stalk of grass and began chewing the end of it. My afternoon time was cut short now because of the extra milking I had to do. Cows didn’t stop making milk just because humans got a break.
“You seem a little different today,” I said. “Feeling all right?”
His dark eyes moved to the toes of his boots then out in front of him, to the tree before us, to the branches and limbs, and finally to the sky overhead.
“It’s all vanity. Just like the preacher said.”
My brow wrinkled. Braxton was prone to launch into Bible quoting at any given moment, and I recognized this one from Ecclesiastes.
“You know, I always thought that guy was just depressed,” I said. “And maybe a little crazy. Didn’t he have like a thousand wives?”
Braxton sighed and returned his gaze to his lap. “You did listen every once in a while.”
“Oh, I always listened. I just didn’t always agree with what I heard.”
“None of it matters now. It’s all meaningless just like that king said. Wicked or just, foolish or wise, we all suffer the same fate.”
I took the grass from my mouth and held it in my lap a moment. “Why are you having these thoughts now?”
He took a deep breath and pulled his knees up, placing his forehead on the back of his hands.
“I dedicated my life to God and to preaching. Everybody said I was crazy laying hands on sick people and talking in tongues.”
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