“Anja?”
I open my eyes and pull back so I can see his face. A crease forms on his forehead, and his hand has stilled on my back. “I’m fine. Just enjoying the moment.”
Relief visibly passes through his body. “I thought, well I thought I made a mistake.” He puts both arms around me and pulls me close. I rest my head on his shoulder, breathing in his musky scent. Even all sweaty I can still smell that one mysterious spice.
“It’s you who should not be here with me. I’m the enemy, the Chinese who turned you out of your home. You should be with someone like Rand, who is popular, and well…not Chinese.” His tone doesn’t sound like he really believes his words.
I wrap my arms around him tighter. “No, Kai. I know it’ll be just about impossible for us.” I let go of him just enough so I can make sure he’s looking at me. “But it’s you I want. It’s you I have these feelings for. I don’t care where you’re from, that you have a different life than me, or that neither one of our countries want us to be together. Right now, right here, we have each other. The rest we’ll figure out later.” I smile and kiss him again. He responds with enthusiasm.
I give him a final kiss, and then step back. “We need to get back to Cam. The others will be catching up to us soon, as well.” I look back toward the trail we just came down. In the distance heads are bobbing up and down, on their way toward us. I nod toward the other students, and when Kai turns to look at them, I take off running. I laugh as I find my stride, feeling happier than I have in a long time.
It doesn’t take Kai long to catch up to me, his face beaming with happiness.
We loop around and soon we can see the school off in the distance. We both naturally slow our pace, not wanting this moment to be shattered by the intrusion of reality.
Kai is the first to speak. “I wish I could be there with you tonight. I hate the thought of you and Cam alone in those caves all night. Especially since the Unit might be searching for the tunnels.”
I laugh. “We’ll be fine. Although it would be nice to have you there. I was supposed to help you with your huge fear of small spaces.” I take a few steps sideways without breaking stride as he takes a swipe at me. I laugh. “Okay your small fear of small spaces.” I return to his side. “But seriously, my family spent many nights in those tunnels until we found the camp in the canyon. Even your guys won’t be able to find us in there.”
He makes a grunting noise. “They definitely aren’t my guys. And I’ve been working on the claustrophobia problem with my dad. He trained for the military before they made him study genetics.” He turns his face toward me. “What about the other students? They won’t tell anyone where you went?”
I shake my head. “Nope. Another reason I can’t let the Unit know about the tunnels. Our community takes care of each other and uses the tunnels often when problems arise. Something good that came out of the Wall. Before, people just lived for themselves. Back in old Washington, we didn’t even know our neighbors, even after years of living next door to them.”
Up ahead, I can see that Rand has made it back to the school. He’s pacing and talking with Cam. “What about Cam? What is your idea to do with him after today?”
“Since my father lobbied for the need to allow younger kids into the prep schools, he’ll continue to come here.”
“Your father really is concerned about us? He’s not just trying to get out of his genetic research?” I laugh, not missing a step.
Kai laughs. “It might’ve started that way.” He shakes his head. “Genetics wasn’t his first choice. But my father truly is concerned. I know that if anyone can get this new program going, it’s him.”
I let that sink in. “So then, what do I do with Cam after I leave for the Academy, even if he is allowed to go to school? If Mom doesn’t make it through this fever, Cam won’t have any one to take care of him.”
Kai shakes his head. “I don’t know. I haven’t figured out that far yet. I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be sorry. You’ve already done so much for him. He worships you like the big brother he wishes I was.” I laugh.
Kai smiles. “None of us Chinese are used to having siblings. It’s nice to have a little brother.”
I smile. I’m glad they get along so well. Cam really needs a male role model since our dad has been out of the picture for a long time. And Mom has been more like another child than someone who should be taking care of us. I look up and see Cam jumping up and down waving at us.
I look over at Kai and grin. “Race you.” I take off running as fast as I can toward my little brother. Kai keeps up, but he lets me get there first to tackle Cam to the ground. We lay there, giggling, sweaty, and covered in dry grass and dirt, while Kai and Rand stand over us, laughing.
14
Hiding
After school, Cam and I head out the back door while everyone else goes out the front. I make a game of racing Cam to keep him running. Once the school is just a speck in the distance, I allow us to take a break. We eat our jerky and drink water.
Cam is still constantly in motion, either following lizards around the rocks, or walking in circles looking through Mom’s binoculars. He reports not seeing anyone behind us and finally plops down beside me. “Why don’t we just sneak back down to the canyon through the back way, and cross at the narrow part of the water. They wouldn’t expect us to come back this way.”
“Because Kai suspects the people looking for us are not only military but are those same Unit soldiers we saw on the Wall. That means they’ll expect the unexpected and will have every vantage point covered. It’s not like there’s a lot of places for us to hide on the rim of the canyon.”
“I know. I’m just worried about her. She didn’t even wake up the whole time I was watching her. Do you think she’s going to die?” Cam turns his dirt smudged face toward me, putting me on the spot for an answer.
I make sure not to look away. “I honestly don’t know Cam. She’s in pretty bad shape, and she gave up a long time ago.”
Cam brushes away a few tears.
I muss his hair and stand up. “But you know she still loves us, right?”
He nods.
“Let’s go. It’s going to be dark soon and I want to be able to find the entrance before nightfall.”
We walk along in silence. Soon we come upon an old paved road riddled with huge potholes.
“Cam, get out the binoculars again and make sure there aren’t any vehicles coming either way.” We crouch down behind an old wooden fence that borders the road. Not much for camouflage, but better than nothing.
“I don’t see anyone.”
“Good, let’s go.”
We climb over the fence and then up the ditch to the roadway. The farmers still use this back road in between their farms when they need to move large equipment. We jog along the road until I spot the path off to the side. We’re underneath what looks like the lizard’s tail now. Cam and I climb among the large boulders that lead up the hill.
“I can see the rocks that mark the entrance up there.” I point at the head of the lizard high above us. “It’s still too light out though, so let’s take a break down among these rocks until dusk.”
Cam nods and finds two giant rocks we can wiggle between to get out of the sun and out of view of anyone that might pass by.
After we nap on and off, dusk finally arrives. Once I feel confident, we won’t be seen, we head to the entrance. It’s easy to find since we know what we’re looking for. We slip inside the dark tunnel. Once inside, Cam and I turn on the flashlights we brought with us. I follow the markers and we walk for about an hour. There’s a dead end that branches off one of the tunnels that Cam and I found a while ago. We hid supplies there in case of an emergency. We find it again, and all our stuff is still there.
I pull out the plastic tote and unpack sleeping bags and extra lamps for light. There’s also canned food so we have a pretty good dinner, although it’s a cold one. There’s no way I’m starting a fire
in this section of enclosed tunnel.
I don’t sleep well and wake up grouchy and tired. I wasn’t able to study or work out, and I’m worried about Mom. Cam is equally moody, so we quickly pack the box up, get dressed, and head out of the tunnel.
As we get closer to the truck stop, I see a small cloud of dust this side of the bridge moving quickly toward us. It’s Rand, running on the dry desert path. He pulls up just short of the gravel and walks the rest of the distance, stretching his muscles. I can’t help but stare; he does have a nice athletic body.
Cam runs over to him. “How is she? Did you see her?”
Rand smiles, “Yes, she actually was awake for a while last night. I told her about the military looking for you guys, but that you were both safe in the tunnels. I’m not sure she understood everything though. Her fever still hasn’t broken, but she does look a little bit better.”
I’m so relieved, I sit down on a large rock and put my head in my hands.
One day at a time, right? I swallow back the emotions bubbling over.
Cam still has his wits about him and asks the questions I should have. “What about the military? Were they there? Did they see you?”
I whip my head up to hear the answer. I was so thankful to hear that Mom was better, I’d temporarily forgotten the whole reason we slept in the tunnels last night.
“Yes, they were there.” He looks over Cam’s head to make eye contact with me. “They were asking everyone in the campsite if they heard of any tunnels in the desert. They were scaring people all along the river.”
I cover my mouth with my hand. “Oh, no. Did they hurt anyone? Did anyone tell them about the tunnels?”
“No, they didn’t hurt anyone. Not that I saw anyway. I don’t think anyone said anything to them, because some of the land bosses came down into the canyon and confronted their team.”
“Really? That’s interesting that they would leave their comfortable, safe homes to help us.” I’m surprised at the bitterness in my voice. I look down at my dust-covered shoes. I should be thankful to have a job, no matter how unglamorous it is.
Rand overlooks my attitude. “The bosses threatened to call our military if the Chinese didn’t leave us alone. I guess the Chinese hadn’t gotten permission to be in the States, so they left right away.”
The other kids are starting to cross the bridge, and I shake my head. “They aren’t even supposed to be in New China, let alone our country. But I don’t think we’ve seen the last of them. I’m sure some of the people in our camp are desperate enough to betray us for food. And I think the Chinese know that. They’ll come again.” I groan as I look around at the innocent little faces silently crowding around us to wait for the truck. None of them will meet my gaze.
Rand just takes a long drink out of his water bottle as he stares down at me.
We don’t get another chance to talk until the afternoon.
Before excusing us for lunch, our teacher announces that the rest of the day will be practice for the physical challenges tomorrow.
Rand, Cam, and I walk to the gym after eating. I see Kai still in the computer room taking the same tests I took yesterday. I’d nearly forgotten he had to do his tests today. Now, I’m anxious to see how he does.
Rand and I put ourselves through a tough workout, and then go through each test several more times, timing each other. Cam keeps busy running laps or trying to keep up with us on the obstacle course.
I lay down on the grass under a small locust tree. Cam comes and sits beside me.
“Can we go back to Mom tonight?”
I sit up and lean on one elbow, looking at my big, little brother. “I’m not sure yet. I want to talk to Kai first.”
I look over at Rand, who’s reclining against an old fencepost nearby. “We should hear the military before they come down into the canyon, right?”
He hesitates, but then nods. “They didn’t make it a secret that they were there, if that’s what you mean. They had to come down in at the far end of the canyon where the old road was. You would most likely have time to escape if they do come again.” Rand’s face is more serious than I’ve ever seen him.
I get up and brush off the dust and dry grass. “Thanks, Rand. We’ll go home tonight. I appreciate you looking in on Mom.” I look over at Cam. “Even with all that’s going on, I know that I need to concentrate on passing these tests tomorrow. It’s the only way to get Cam out of this life.”
Rand just nods. I hope he doesn’t think I’m heartless. I really do love my mom, but right now Cam is my priority. I promised Mom I would take care of him. She wanted me to do whatever it took to make sure he got out of the canyon life. I just need one more day, and then the tests will be over. Then, next week I’ll know whether or not all my hard work has paid off.
We grab our backpacks and head to the front where the truck awaits. I still haven’t seen Kai. I really wanted to see him again before we left. I still can feel his kiss on my lips. Even though my head knows there’s no future for us, my heart aches to see him again.
I wait as long as possible, but Cam and I have to get on the truck.
I’m so exhausted from the hard workouts this week and not sleeping well, I doubt I could walk home at this point. As the truck bumps along I use my backpack as a pillow and fall in and out of consciousness.
Once we’re dropped off and are standing at the mouth of the canyon, my emotions finally catch up with me and are multiplied by exhaustion. I stand still, hot tears threatening to fall, and look down at the sea of tents. My stomach cramps and gurgles. I close my eyes for a few seconds and take a deep breath of the dusty desert air.
Cam slips his warm hand into mine. I open my eyes and give him a weak smile. We walk side by side down the path into the canyon, not sure what we’ll find when we get there. Rand strides ahead of us, alert. His ready posture wakes me up, and I pay more attention to my surroundings.
No one will meet my gaze. Most of them duck inside their tents. My hands sweat as I wonder if they’re just traumatized by what happened last night or are they angry at me? I look down and see Cam’s frowning. He’s noticed too.
We hurry after Rand, who’s making a beeline for our tent. I squeeze Cam’s hand as we get closer. At the tent, Rand bends down to open the flap, but he’s startled when it comes flying open. He stumbles backwards and I pull Cam behind me.
Out of the darkness of the tent comes Mrs. Mitchell.
I place my hand over my racing heart. “Mrs. Mitchell, you scared the crap out of me.”
She wipes her hands on her thin dress. “So sorry. Rand.” She nods to him with a smile.
“Is she all right?” I ask, my voice cracking. I swallow and hold my breath.
“No change. Neither for the worse or better.” She makes her clucking sound and wraps Cam and me in a hug. “I’m really not sure what else to do for her,” she whispers in my ear.
I wait until she releases us. “Thank you for helping us so much, Mrs. Mitchell. I’m sorry about the military last night.” I lower my voice. “Did they hurt anyone?”
She bends in close to the three of us, Rand leaning his tall frame in to hear. “No, they just asked a lot of questions and pointed guns.”
I nod the way we came. “No one will look at me. I just assumed that maybe—”
“No, sweet child. People are just scared is all. You don’t worry about them. No one will tell those men anything about you.” She leans closer, her breath teasing my hair. “I don’t think their own government even knows the Unit was over here.”
“They aren’t supposed to be here. It’s in the New China agreement. One of the few things our government did to protect us with that deal.” I shake my head. “I think they’re on to me with the tunnels.”
She clucks again. “Yes, that’s the other thing they were demanding to know about. If you ask me, I think they just want the tunnels so they can sneak over here whenever they want.”
I bite the inside of my cheek, regretting doing it immediatel
y. Another mouth sore. “I think you’re right. At first I thought they were upset with me bringing medicines over the border.”
Mrs. Mitchell looks horrified. “I sure hope I didn’t get you in trouble, sweetheart.” She straightens up.
I grab her hand and squeeze. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong. Kai’s father thinks there was a tracker in something I brought back. I should’ve double checked.”
She relaxes a bit but looks doubtful.
“Anyway, I’ll need to find another way to bring medicines to the people here. I doubt I’ll be able to use the tunnels again, without giving their location away.”
“I reminded anyone who complained last night, or I suspected would talk, just how much you’ve helped everyone in this camp with those meds.” She waves her finger in my face and I can just imagine her following the Unit soldiers all over camp in order to protect me.
I grin at the imaginary sight.
“So, no one here will be giving them any information.” She finishes with her hands on her hips.
I smile over at Rand. “I bet that was a sight to see.”
He grins. “I was definitely more terrified of her than the Chinese.”
She swats Rand playfully. “Hush now. You did your fair share of scaring off those men.”
My smile fades and I look back at Rand. “What did you do, Rand?”
He’s gone still and his expression is serious as he looks between Cam and me. “Nothing. I just stood my ground.”
He gets another swat from Mrs. Mitchell. “Son, you did a heck a lot more than that.” She looks at me, her hands still on her hips. “This boy wouldn’t let those men anywhere near your tent. They were flipping open our tents, trying to open the lean-tos, and kicking our campfires. But they never got near your tent or lean-to. Thanks to this boy here.”
15
Friday
I imagine Rand standing there with guns in his face, and I want to throw up.
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