Earthlight Space Academy Boxset

by Heather Lee Dyer

Just as I’m about ready to hang up, Mr. Tang speaks again. “Yes, I think I can help. You keep phone with you and follow Kai. Do not go near those soldiers. Understand?”

  His English is pretty good for someone who isn’t supposed to associate with us. “Yes, I understand, but what are you going to do? Shouldn’t Rand and I try to get Kai away? What will these soldiers do to him?”

  “No. You watch only. I will call you back.” The line goes dead.

  I stare at the cell phone, wondering what the heck I’m supposed to do now.

  It’s not long before Cam and Rand come back. I breathe a little easier as their forms come into view.

  “Well, how is he? Where are they going?” Cam’s face looks downfallen, and Rand is hiding behind a blank mask.

  “They’ve beat him up pretty badly, but he’s still alive.” Rand comes over and envelopes me in a strong hug as I start to cry. “They’ve positioned themselves up by the wall. In that location, they can see anyone come into or out of the valley, and everyone can see that they’re still there and in control.” He looks away. “And there are dozens of them this time.”

  “Oh, Rand. This is all my fault. I should’ve done something about this yesterday.”

  “You couldn’t have known this would happen. We’ll figure something out.”

  “You should probably pack up and leave now, Rand. Before something happens to you too. This isn’t your fight. You need to concentrate on your own future.” I push myself off his chest, stepping back.

  Rand cocks his head sideways, looks over at Cam, and then back at me, determination blooming in his eyes. “You’re wrong. It is my fight. I have no family, and you and Cam are the only people in this dustbowl I consider friends. I told you I would be here for you, and if that means helping Kai, then so be it. Now sit down and eat something so we can figure out what to do.”

  I give him a weak smile and sit down on a nearby rock. Speechless, I unpack jerky and hand pieces to Cam and Rand. We sit and chew silently, listening to the quiet night. At this time of the evening there should be the sound of people talking and laughing by campfires, owls waking up, crickets playing their music. All we hear is the river. All the bugs and birds must know there is danger nearby.

  “So, did you call Kai’s cell phone?” Rand hands me some fresh fruit from the orchards.

  My shoulders sag. “Yes, I did. Mr. Tang answered.”

  “Seriously? Kai’s dad?” Cam moves closer to me.

  “Yes. And I think he’s going to help us.”

  Rand nods. “What did he say? Can we trust him?”

  “I know you don’t trust the Chinese in general, but we can trust Kai and his family. All he said was to keep the phone with me, and don’t try to rescue Kai ourselves. I don’t know what he can do to help. He didn’t say what he was going to do, but Kai is his son, so yes, I trust him.”

  Rand looks away.

  I touch Rand’s knee, so he looks back at me. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing. We need to find a spot we can keep an eye on Kai,” I point to his binoculars, “and still be far away to not get caught.” I stand up and throw my backpack on.

  I head toward the canyon wall, keeping in the shadows. Cam’s right behind me, and I can hear Rand behind him. With these guys clomping around, I can’t get too close or the Chinese soldiers will hear us. I find a large rock wedged into the lava wall with an opening that will keep us mostly hidden.

  I whisper to Rand, “Your binoculars.”

  He gets out the binoculars, but then leans in close so his whole body is pressed up to my side. Warmth ripples through my skin.

  He whispers in my ear, “Maybe you should let me keep an eye on Kai.”

  My mind fights against the warm tingles in my body caused by his proximity. I’m amazed how easily I’m betrayed by my own body. “Why?” I manage to croak out.

  His expression remains serious, although I can tell the closeness is affecting him too. “Anja.”

  I struggle to move away, and manage to separate myself from him, if only by an inch. “Why shouldn’t I look, Rand?”

  Rand takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. When he opens them, he has masked the feelings that are threatening to come out. “Because, I told you they beat him. You don’t need to see that.”

  A lump forms in my stomach. “How bad?”

  Rand hangs his head. “His face is pretty bruised. Also looks like one of his arms might be broken.”

  “Anja.” Cam’s whine breaks through the terror I’m feeling.

  “It’s okay, Cam. We’ll get him out of there.” I grab the binoculars from Rand before he can stop me. I scoot up the rock until I can see through the hole.

  The area is littered with broken and discarded tents, clothing, and firewood scattered everywhere. I scan the wreckage and turn the binoculars toward the wall where Rand said the soldiers were camped out. I hold my breath.

  I don’t see Kai at first and start to panic. Several soldiers are gathering wood for a campfire they’ve started. They all have large guns strapped to their sides.

  I finally spot Kai on the ground, his hands tied behind his back to a post. Several of these posts stick out at even intervals along the wall. They are the last remains of an old fence. Twenty or so feet past Kai stands my supply shack, also built around one of those posts. They’re still solid after all these years, so there’s no way Kai could escape on his own.

  He’s slumped over, mostly in shadow. As the soldiers get their fire going, I can see more and more of Kai. I slap my hand over my mouth as I get a glimpse of his face.

  Cam tries to grab the binoculars, but I pull them out of his reach. “No, Cam. Not this time.”

  Rand is still next to me, so Cam just crosses his arms and scoots away from us, pouting. I stare at Rand without saying anything. Rand reaches out and pushes a lock of my hair out of my face.

  We sit there for several hours, Rand and I taking turns keeping an eye on Kai through the binoculars. Eventually Cam lays down and falls asleep. I cover him with a blanket and go back to sit down next to Rand.

  “How long do you think we should wait?”

  “I don’t know. If Mr. Tang were to send for help, I would imagine it would take quite a while to organize anything. I’m surprised these soldiers made it this far on our land without our military noticing them. Especially with all those people escaping up top.”

  “I’m sure our people know by now. I have an idea, but I need a diversion. Something to get several of those soldiers away from Kai.”

  At that moment we hear some harsh yelling. I quickly scramble up and look through the binoculars. They’ve untied Kai and are hitting him again, in between yelling something at him. I cringe every time a blow hits him. I can’t stand seeing Kai treated this way. My heart leaps into my throat as I see one of the guards pull out a knife and hold it in front of Kai.

  “We need a diversion, now! They’re going to torture him.”

  “I know, but what?” He’s looking all around us.

  I look up above where the soldiers are. I point up the cliff wall. “There. How’s that throwing arm of yours, surfer boy?” I start gathering baseball size rocks.

  “Uh, I don’t think I can throw that far. Is that a nest?”

  “Yes, a falcon nest. They have babies so they’re extra feisty right now. You don’t have to hit it, just wake them up, irritate them.”

  “Okay, I’ll try.” He takes several of the rocks I’ve collected and crouches near the edge of the rock we’re hiding behind. “What if the soldiers discover us? I’m sure they’ll be able to figure out where I’m throwing these from.”

  “I don’t know, but we need to try something before it’s too late for Kai. I can get him out of there and hidden in the shed as long as they’re all occupied. I have a hidden space in it, and firearms if needed. You take Cam back to your camp and keep him safe. Just promise me you’ll take care of Cam.”

  “Anja?” Cam has woken up. “What’s going on?”

  �
�We have to create a diversion. They’re hurting Kai again.” I frown. Again, this kid is going through crap he shouldn’t have to go through.

  “Anja.” Rand is looking through the binoculars. He hands them to me.

  I look through them and see the soldier with the knife has Kai by the hair and has the knife so tight to his throat that blood drips down Kai’s chest. I feel electricity go through my body and my stomach threatens to heave up my dinner. As I watch Kai struggle weakly, a deep anger builds up inside me.

  20

  Rescue

  I shove rocks into Rand’s hands. “Now!”

  “Cam, stay here with Rand. I’ll catch up with you at your fishing hole!” I take off around the boulder as Rand starts throwing rocks at the wall above the soldiers. So far, his aim is off, and the soldiers are alert, looking around. But at least the soldier with the knife has dropped Kai. I’m still running in the shadows and my footsteps are masked by the sounds of the river.

  Rand hits close to the nest, and I can hear the birds squawk. I smile and duck down among the damaged tents. I get close enough to see that Kai is still on the ground, unmoving. But he’s not tied up anymore. The soldiers are pointing their guns in the air, not able to see the birds or stones. With the campfire, they can’t tell where Rand is either. I release a huge sigh of relief.

  A few more rocks, and the falcons are very agitated. Owls have been rousted off the wall as well. I can see their shadows circling above us. With the campfire shining, the falcon’s attention focuses on the soldiers moving around in the light. The owls stay at the edges of the circle of light.

  The falcons start swooping down on the soldiers, and I hear the soldier’s fearful voices. One of them shoots up in the air and ends up knocking rocks loose from the wall. A bunch of rocks and dirt come crashing down on them. One of the other soldiers hits the soldier that shot his gun to get him to stop.

  Now several soldiers are running away from the cascade of rocks and the others are backing away from the wall and the campfire. I creep over closer to Kai. I try to see if he’s awake and try to get his attention. His eyes are closed. I creep forward and see that I’ll need to drag him away from here. He’s unconscious.

  As another volley of rocks falls, and I take the opportunity to grab Kai by the ankles. I pull him enough to get him out of the firelight. Then I scoot up to his head and try to wake him up.

  “Kai. Please wake up. I’m not strong enough to carry you. We have to go now!” I shake him.

  His eyes flutter open, unfocused. I smile and reach for his hands. I stop and pull my hand back. My hand comes away coated with his blood. “Oh, Kai.” His wrists are all cut up, all the way up his arms. I look over and see that the soldiers are coming back. I squat and take Kai under the armpits and drag him inch by inch away from them.

  I bump into the shed. My muscles burn, but I’m relieved we’re away from the soldiers. But not out of harm yet. I gently place Kai down and open the shed. I drag him in, and close and bar the door. I open the trap door, and ease Kai down into the first shelf below. I then drag one of the cases over in front of the trap door, hiding it somewhat in case the soldiers do check the shed.

  I know the odds are against us and that the soldiers might search here eventually. But I’m determined to keep Kai safe. I hope that Rand has gotten Cam away and that Mr. Tang will come through with some kind of help.

  I crawl in beside Kai and close the trap door above me. The squawks of the birds and the yelling soldiers sound muffled.

  Kai is still out cold. I gather medical supplies and open the lower cellar door. I built the second hiding hole in case something like this happened. Who would suspect two cellars, right? I’m hoping it’ll protect us.

  I ease Kai down into the second storage area, pushing aside root vegetables and cans of food. There isn’t room enough to sit up here, so I pull him to the far wall, and place him on an old sleeping bag. I crawl back to close the door and fasten the lock. Cam thought I was paranoid building this hiding area, but now I’m glad I did anyway.

  I crawl back over to Kai and snap a few glow sticks. He’s lost a lot of blood. I bandage him up the best I can.

  “Kai, please wake up. I think we’re safe for now. We’re in my storage shed.” I laugh softly. “If you don’t wake up soon, I’m going to be that crazy lady who talks to herself.

  I lay my head down on Kai’s chest and listen to his shallow breathing. I rest there, grateful that Kai is still breathing but worried about Cam and Rand. What if I’ve put my brother at risk to save Kai? I struggle to stay still, my muscles ache from dragging Kai here.

  I wake to the sound of voices and the outside shed door ripped open. I lay still, my head still on Kai’s chest. His breathing and heart seem to be normal. I look up, and his eyes are open, watching me. I grin, despite the fact that we’re within minutes of being discovered.

  “Anja.”

  “Hey there. Good to see you awake. Now that I’ve done the heavy work dragging you here.” I lean back a few inches so I can check to see if his wounds are still bleeding.

  “And where is here? I feel like we’ve been buried alive.”

  I shake my head. “I know you’re not crazy about small spaces. But we’re in the sub-sub basement of my storage shed. We built it to keep people from stealing our good supplies. Like the ones you helped smuggle to us.” I smile and lean closer to him as pounding now starts on the floor above us.

  Kai stiffens and tries to sit up, fear seeping into his drowsy features. “Is that them? Have they found us?”

  I lay my hand on his chest and push him back down. I put my finger to my mouth and whisper, “I think so. I’m hoping they won’t find this second compartment.” He tries to bring his hand up, and winces in pain. “Don’t move, Kai. They hurt you pretty bad, and I only had time to quickly bandage the bleeding wounds. Your arm might be broken.”

  Tears threaten to escape, so I scoot up so that my face is buried in his hair, my mouth right next to his ear. “I’m so sorry they hurt you. It’s all my fault.”

  “Not your fault,” Kai whispers.

  We hear them break into the first compartment above us. I wrap my arms around Kai trying not to touch any of his wounds. “Kai, if we don’t get out of here…”

  “Shhh….” Kai turns his head and kisses me, effectively shutting me up. I respond by kissing him back, desperately. I wish this could last forever, and that the danger from above would go away.

  We break apart as the trap door opens and light spills into our hiding spot.

  Instead of Chinese Unit soldiers, Cam’s face pops down into the hole. “Hey, sis.” He turns back to someone else in the room. “I told you they’d make it.”

  I’m speechless, my heart still racing. Kai, however, regains his composure. “Hey, kiddo. Good to see you. Now, can you help us out of here?”

  I climb out first and discover my shed is surrounded by New American Republic army soldiers in desert fatigues. They’re armed to the teeth and a very welcome sight. We carefully pull Kai out, his arm hanging at an unnatural angle.

  Outside I see that the New American Republic Army has taken the remaining Chinese soldiers into custody and are leading them up the steep path to the top of the canyon. I wonder what they’ll do with them. Our government is in a difficult predicament with this situation.

  I sit down next to Kai, who they’ve laid on a stretcher. “How do you feel, Kai?” I lean over to look him in the eyes, so he doesn’t have to move to talk.

  “Like I’ve been through a grinder. Good thing I already took the physical tests, huh?” His smile fades as he tries to move his arm.

  “Why did they do this to you? They’re your own people.”

  Kai looks away from me.

  I gently pull his chin back toward me. “It’s because of me, isn’t it? They want to know how I got under the Wall?”

  Kai just nods. Fear remains in his eyes.

  “You’re safe now. And so are Cam and I. We’ll be all right.�
� I push stray bangs out of his eyes.

  Kai smiles, but then tries to roll away from me as his body spasms in pain.

  “Wait. Don’t move, Kai. You’ll hurt yourself more.” I gently keep him in place, trying not to pull on any of his bandages. One of the medics straps his legs onto the board.

  “What’s wrong?” I lean in close to keep my voice low.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispers as tears roll down his cheeks.

  “You don’t need to be sorry. They hurt you pretty bad. I’m sorry we couldn’t get to you sooner.” I lean down and kiss his forehead and cheeks while he cries silently.

  “We stick together until all this is over and we’re both safe, all right? I can’t stand to think of you getting hurt again, or of them getting Cam and doing this to him.” I slide my hand into his, making sure it’s the non-damaged arm.

  He nods and smiles up at me.

  A few of the Army soldiers come over and pick up Kai’s stretcher. I keep hold of Kai’s hand and walk beside him as we make the trek to the top of the canyon.

  When we get up top, I see that Cam and Rand are already waiting. They allow us to all go in the ambulance with Kai.

  We’re a quiet bunch as the ambulance bumps along the old farm roads. Rand sits next to an officer who looks like he might be the one in charge. They’re whispering together, keeping balance with arms braced against the side of the vehicle. Cam leans against me, half asleep, and I have my legs braced against Kai’s stretcher, still holding his hand.

  Soon the dirt road turns to a paved one. We head north toward the lighted capital city, one in a caravan of military vehicles. We quickly change direction and head west, skirting the city proper. Then we slow to a crawl outside heavily reinforced metal fencing. The caravan zig zags around cement barriers until we are funneled through a guard station. I recognize the armored gate even in the dark. It’s the military base we fly out of for training.

  I lean over to get the soldier’s attention. “Why aren’t we going to a hospital? Kai’s hurt pretty bad.”

  “We have a hospital here on base, miss. All things considered,” he nods toward Kai, “it’ll be safer for him here. And for you all as well.”