by RJ Crayton
She stared at Josh but didn’t respond.
Josh looked kind, friendly, the kind of soul you wanted to tell your problems to, the kind of person you wanted to confide in. Lijah had seen that look on Josh’s face before. He’d given into it, confided in him. He admired the way Josh wielded his tell me mojo with Natalie. “You look a bit like one of the women we came here with. She and I were traveling when our bike broke. Your father stopped to help us. He stopped because he thought my friend looked like you. He let us stay at his house, in Brimfield. A cute two-story colonial. Lots of windows, lots of light. Well water. He says this time of year, wild turkeys often run through the front yard. He’s lonely there. Did you know your mother died? And he had to bury her, and he got sick himself. But he held on, Natalie.”
Josh stood and took a step toward her. “He held on because of you. He held on and got better because he’s waiting for you to come back to him. Only you’re here, and I don’t know why. Why aren’t you worried about your father? Why are you here in this SPU when he needs you?”
“Enough,” Natalie said, and she turned and pulled the door open. The guard outside had his weapon raised and seemed to be willing to leave it that way as long as the door was open. It stayed open only as long as it took for her to leave. The door closed, and Lijah heard the lock engage.
“What was that?” Lijah asked. “What did you hope to gain from that?”
Josh shrugged, blew out a long breath. “Just to remind her that the people here aren’t her family. That her family is waiting in Brimfield. That her family already vetted me and helped me once. And hopefully I planted the seed that she ought to trust me, too, and when the time comes, that she should help me, too.”
Lijah had to admire the thinking behind it. “Good plan.”
Josh shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said. “We may already be screwed, if she was telling us the truth. And I can’t imagine why she’d lie. If this is the Region 8 SPU and Alexander Caldwell really is the guy in charge, we’re in trouble.”
“Why?”
Josh looked him right in the eye. “You know my father,” Josh said. “He believes he’s the best at what he does, that he can make what he wants happen. He can, frankly, be deceptive and manipulative at times. He doesn’t scare easy. He had a choice. He could’ve come here to this SPU. Only, he said he didn’t want to work with Caldwell. He said Caldwell was ruthless.”
Chapter 9 - Elaan
She’d spent the day holed up in Alex’s suite. It was nice, but there wasn’t a whole lot to do here. Her mother and Alex had spent time talking about the virus, with her mother explaining every minute detail of her virus fix to Alex. Shonda said she trusted him to do this work.
Alex, for his part, had seemed overjoyed with Shonda’s solution, at one point bellowing, “I fell in love with that mind of yours before anything else.”
Elaan had wanted to linger in the second bedroom and maybe take a nap or actually read. Only, she didn’t trust the guy, and she didn’t want to leave her mother alone with him. He wouldn’t make a romantic move with Elaan there in the room, so she stayed, pretending to read, but not really concentrating, so not getting very far in the book. Alex probably thought she was borderline illiterate based on her reading speed. But she didn’t care.
He’d only left her and her mother alone two times. Once to get them lunch and another time to get them dinner. At which point, her mother said very little. Just that they needed Alex’s help and it was best for them just to explain the science to him, because his researchers could get it done.
“But Mom,” Elaan had said. “He’s reporting to this new president and in contact with the people who want me and Lijah.”
Her mother had looked furious at her bringing this up. “Listen to me,” she’d said. “If he was going to turn you in, he would have done it. You have to trust me. I lived with this man for two years. People change somewhat, but his nature hasn’t changed that much. I understand how to deal with him, and I am telling you, what I am doing is the best way. Just please trust me.”
Elaan’s mouth was hanging open with the revelation that her mother had lived with Alex for two years. How could she never ever have mentioned the guy? Unfortunately, there was no time to ask questions. They heard the key in the lock, and Alex had returned with their dinner. They ate together at the table, and Alex asked Elaan how the book was. She’d told him it was pretty good and even managed to discuss it with him in a halfway coherent matter. Only, she didn’t like the fact that they were eating a nice meal of actual beef and mashed potatoes while Lijah, Josh, and Amadu were off in some quarantine.
“I want to see my brother,” Elaan blurted out. “I want to make sure he’s alright.”
Shonda grimaced but didn’t make any other movement. Alex seemed unfazed. “I was going to bring it up after dinner, but yes, visiting your brother is a good idea. People aren’t supposed to be out of bed between eleven at night and five in the morning, so I’ll take you and your mother up then. You can visit for a half an hour. But I don’t want you two roaming the halls. I still have to figure out how to avoid complications.”
“What kind of complications?” Elaan asked. Then she felt a swift kick to her leg under the table. Elaan stifled a yelp. Her mother was giving her that look. The one that said she wanted to be the one to deal with Alex.
“You’re wanted at Charlottesville, along with the Wells boy. And Elijah is wanted at Facility One. That can mean only one thing.”
“My son is not a carrier,” Shonda said adamantly. “They believe he took a vaccine. He didn’t.”
Elaan didn’t say anything, not wanting to contradict her mother. She looked down at her feet.
“I know of the accusation,” Alex said, though Elaan wondered how he knew. “I’ve spoken with people familiar with the warrant to find out how we should proceed if we come in contact with him. These are serious problems, and even though only a couple of people on my staff are aware that you’re here, the longer you’re here, the more likely it is someone will find out.”
Shonda reached across the table and put a hand on top of Alex’s. “There’s no reason to make a rash decision. I think you should take a minute to think on it. And I’m happy to talk things through with you.”
Alex smiled. “Of course you are,” he said. “I’ve always valued your advice and counsel.”
* * *
It was finally eleven. Elaan and Shonda were in the apartment alone. Alex had gone to work, supposedly implementing a couple of her mother’s vaccine theories. But Elaan didn’t trust the guy. She didn’t like the way he looked at her mother, and she didn’t like that he’d pulled them from their home at gunpoint and dragged them here blindfolded. Why her mother was so willing to overlook that, she didn’t know.
At least, she hoped she didn’t know. The obvious reason was that she still had feelings for tall, dark, and creepy and simply believed him. Yet, that couldn’t be the reason, because her mother had said she loved her husband. If she loved her husband, she wouldn’t have feelings for Alex. Part of her had wanted to ask her mother outright how she felt about Alex. Something about the possibility that her mother wouldn’t say what Elaan expected had held her back.
She was in the room with her mother now. It was the second bedroom in Alex’s apartment. It had twin beds, and her mother had taken the one on the left and Elaan the one on the right. “We should go tell him we’re ready,” Elaan said.
Her mother sighed. “We should be patient and wait. He doesn’t like to be pushed.”
Elaan bit back her retort that her mother hadn’t seen the man in 20 years, but she didn’t even know if that was true. Maybe she saw him at conferences and flirted with him. Maybe that was why he was so creepily connected to her. “Have you seen him, since you and Dad have been married?”
Shonda laughed. “Elaan, I know what you’re thinking, but don’t. OK. I love my husband, and Alex and I haven’t been secretly meeting, or anything like that. Alex is just inten
se. About everything he does. He doesn’t have an off switch. It’s one of the reasons he and I didn’t last. No one can be with someone that intense without it pulling at them, threatening to eat away who they are. People need space to breathe. At least I do,” she said. “But I know Alex. He’ll keep his promise. He said you could see Lijah, so he’ll make sure that happens.”
Elaan put a hand to her chin. “What about you?” she said. “Are you going to see Lijah?”
Shonda shrugged. “Eventually,” she said. “Alex just mentioned he wanted to have—”
Her words were cut off by a knock on the door. Elaan peeked at the digital alarm clock on the dresser — 11:03. “Come in,” Shonda said.
It was Alex and the girl who’d brought them here, Natalie. Alex smiled and said, “Natalie will take you up to see your brother and friends. Just follow her.”
Elaan turned back to her mother. “I want you to come, too,” she said. “Lijah will be worried about you.”
Shonda plastered a smile on her face and said, “You go ahead, baby.” She looked over at Alex. “We need to talk about a couple of things. I’ll be up in about fifteen minutes.”
Natalie had already started walking away and didn’t seem keen on pausing for Elaan to catch up. Alex had a satisfied grin on his face, and her mother wasn’t moving. Knowing her mother wasn’t going to budge, Elaan followed Natalie. In her periphery, she glimpsed Alex closing the door to the bedroom. She bit back her dissatisfaction and followed Natalie out of the apartment.
Natalie didn’t speak as they walked. Her steps were soft, and Elaan remembered this SPU was like the one she’d lived in. These were hours when people weren’t supposed to be out. She supposed she should be as quiet as Natalie, but Elaan wanted to talk to her. About Natalie’s father. About why she was here. About why she hadn’t gone back to her father. She knew that must be an interesting story. But she couldn’t ask her anything while they wandered the halls.
Soon enough, they’d traversed several halls and stairwells, and a couple of doors that required keycard access, until they arrived at a section called Quarantine. Two men in military uniforms stood outside the door. They stepped aside for Natalie and Elaan. One of the men pressed a button, an electronic unlatching sound occurred, and then Natalie opened the door.
Inside the room she saw Josh first, lying on the bottom bunk, and went straight toward him. She was so happy he looked well and unharmed. “Josh, are you alright?” she asked as he sat up, and she plopped herself beside him, wrapping her arms around him. “I was so worried about you.”
“And me?” she heard Lijah ask from behind her. She turned, releasing Josh to walk over to Lijah, who’d disembarked from his bunk across the room and was heading toward her. They met in the middle and she hugged him. She was glad to see him. So glad.
“Are you alright?” she said. “I mean, Alex said you were, but I don’t—” She stopped herself and looked back toward the doorway. Natalie was standing there watching. “Can we have some privacy?” Elaan asked her.
Natalie simply turned on her heel, knocked once, and the door opened to let her out.
“Why’d you do that?” Josh asked, sounding a bit perturbed.
Elaan released Lijah and turned back to him, definitely feeling perturbed herself. “Why wouldn’t I? She works for that creepy guy who runs the place and I don’t want her in here.”
Josh seemed taken aback by her vehemence, and even though Elaan was a little surprised at it herself, she didn’t care. She was irritated beyond belief that they were stuck here, and that her mother was doing god knows what with Alex at the moment.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. “What’s going on?” Lijah asked.
She didn’t even want to admit it. She turned back to Lijah and asked softly, “Did you know Mom used to date Alex Caldwell?”
Lijah stepped back, his head shaking adamantly. “The guy who runs this place? Umm, no. Are you sure.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” she said. “If you saw the way he looked at her, you’d be sure, too. Ogling isn’t even the word. And she doesn’t even do anything to discourage it. Just says that we need to be nice to Alex because Alex will help us. Well, you know, Alex hasn’t helped us so far. All I’ve seen that Alex has done is drag us here and lock us up. I don’t understand why she doesn’t see this.”
Elaan turned toward Lijah. He was staring at her like she was crazy.
“Start at the beginning,” he said. So she did. She told them everything. She aimed her story at Josh and Lijah, but she was sure Amadu had heard, too. He seemed to be trying to respect their privacy a bit, but the room wasn’t big enough to keep secrets.
When she’d finished telling them, she looked to Lijah. “I don’t trust him.”
He nodded, as if in agreement, but then said, “Just do what Mom says. Be nice to him.”
“Did you hear what I just told you about him, about everything?”
Lijah nodded. “I did. So do what Mom says and be nice to him. He’s in control here, and we need his help.”
She didn’t expect that from Lijah. She wanted him to stand with her against Alex, to stand up for their father. She supposed that’s what this was really about. She didn’t like what her mother was doing to her father. Yes, Elaan could be nice to Alex. That was obvious, but she didn’t want her mother being nice to Alex. She wanted her mother to stay away from Alex.
“I know you think that this is about Dad, but it’s not,” he said. “We’re stuck here, and we don’t really even know where here is.”
“I do,” Josh said.
They both looked at him. He tapped his head. “Photographic.”
“But we were blindfolded,” Elaan said.
“Not when they brought us here,” Josh said. “Back when the program started. My dad was eligible to come to one of three of the SPUs. Region 8, Region 12, and DC, Region 1. Well, he got a layout of each one. I don’t know everything, but I remember the basics. I should have thought of it earlier, to be honest with you. But now that I’ve made the connection, I know where we are.”
Elaan wasn’t sure what to make of it, but Lijah was. “That’s good,” he said.
Josh looked at Elaan. “Knowing where we are isn’t going to help us unless we can get past the guards. And to do that, I think we’re going to need the help of the lady you kicked out.”
Oh. Oops. She supposed she had been unnecessarily short with Natalie. “Fine, I’ll apologize to her,” she said. “But how do you plan to escape here?”
“I don’t know,” Josh said. “But we’ll think about it overnight. Will you be able to come back tomorrow?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Alex might say yes if I asked.” She frowned and then added, “He’d definitely say yes if Mom asked.”
“Then have her ask.”
Elaan nodded. That she’d do.
Chapter 10 - Elaan
She’d spent a half an hour or so talking with Josh and Lijah. She’d wanted to spend more time with Josh, but the room had all three guys in it. Amadu was nice, in that he hung back and let the three of them chatter, and it was almost kind of normal.
Then the door opened again, and Natalie was there, telling Elaan she had to leave.
“But I wanted to stay a little longer,” Elaan said, trying not to sound combative, as Lijah and Josh had both said to be nice to her. But it was hard to feel warm and fuzzy toward someone who kept intruding.
Natalie shook her head. “I’m sorry. Dr. Caldwell said this was all the time you get. Besides, your mother wants to visit.”
“Where is she?” Elaan asked.
“She’ll be brought in after you leave.”
Why can’t we visit together? Elaan managed to hold back that question. She didn’t think Natalie would answer, and Josh had specifically advised against antagonizing her. She’d ask her mother later. Or maybe she’d ask Alex himself when she got back to her room. If her mother was gone, then that meant she’d be alone with Alex, and maybe she could ask
him in a nice way what the deal was.
Elaan walked toward Natalie, then turned back, offering a quick goodbye to the guys. She followed Natalie back through the corridors, again in silence. This time when they stopped, they weren’t in front of Alex’s door. The apartment they went into was different. It was a smaller one, more bare bones. No bookshelves. No television, but a small table in the corner.
Elaan turned to Natalie, who closed the door. “Why am I here? This isn’t the right room.”
“It is now,” Natalie said. “The director thought it looked inappropriate for him to be sharing a suite with a teenage girl, so you’re going to be staying here with me.”
What. He’d kicked her out. After one day of her lurking, he’d decided that was enough. “What about my mom?”
“I don’t really know,” she said. “I just do as I’m asked.” Natalie seemed indifferent to Elaan’s concern. She wasn’t even facing her now. She’d headed down the hallway and opened a small door, probably to a linen closet. Emerging with sheets and a blanket, Natalie motioned Elaan to follow her. Realizing she didn’t have a whole lot of options at this point, she did.
They walked a few paces down the hall, past one bedroom, to a second one. It was just like the second bedroom in Alex’s suite. It had two twin beds, one against each wall. Natalie set the bedding on the bunk on the left. “Make yourself at home.”
Natalie started to walk out, but then Elaan spoke. “Not so fast. You and I need to talk.”
Natalie laughed. “That’s just it,” she said. “You and I actually don’t need to talk about anything. You just want information that I have, and you have nothing to trade in return.”
“I met your father,” Elaan said. “You’re the same woman he was talking about. I can tell you about him.”
Natalie smiled, and it reminded Elaan of her own smiles. She didn’t like this woman who looked too much like her. “Between you and your friend in quarantine, I’ve already learned everything I need to know. Go to bed, Elaan.”