Refugee Road (Freedom Fighters Series Book 1)

by Landis, Nikki

  With the agony of loss, also comes the thrill and experience of love. Relationships with other people, especially romantic relationships, are a journey. Everyone always tells you that it isn’t the destination that is important, but it’s the journey along the way. My Gran often mentioned it. I had to wonder though…was it worth it? If you knew you would experience pain and loss, if you knew that love would lead you down that path, would you still go through with it? Would you still take on that heartache? Would you even want to try?

  Being one of those people who had never experienced either deep love or deep loss, I didn’t feel qualified to answer that question. At least I didn’t think it would happen to me so soon. But life is funny like that, just when you think everything is going a certain way, just when you think it is all planned out…the most unthinkable and unimaginable happens. In other words, you get thrown a curve ball. That’s what happened to me.

  There was no way I could have known. I had no idea how much the experience of love was to impact my life. I had no idea how much loss would cost me or the lengths to which I would go. If only I could have seen the future. If only I could have known the truth. If only I knew.

  My thoughts lingered on the dream. It was a strange nightmare, feeling more real than anything I had ever dreamed before. It had a sense of feasibility, like the likelihood of it actually occurring was terrifyingly high. I often had vivid dreams, dreams that hinted at intuition, dreams that came true, but this was different. More transparent. More authentic. The dream of the attacker and the evil that surrounded it rattled me to the core.

  After a few minutes, I looked over at my alarm. It was only six a.m., still early. Too early. I hated to be up before my alarm. I always felt cheated somehow, like the last of my rest had been stolen from me, whisked away under false pretenses, never to obtain again. It would make me grumpy. It always did.

  I had a few minutes left before I needed to get up. I lay there panting, trying to slow my anxious heartbeat. It wasn’t real and I had only been dreaming. It was just a dumb nightmare. Nothing to worry about. Nothing new in my boring and normal life. But it didn’t change the fact that this felt real. Too real.

  I kept trying to remind myself, unconvincingly. It was just a dream. It’s not real, just a dream. But why couldn’t I stop shaking? I moaned and rolled over on my back, throwing my pillow to the side. Breathe silly, I told myself. I inhaled slowly through my nose and exhaled just as slowly out of my mouth. Deep calming relaxing breaths.

  Sighing, I opened my eyes. The familiar walls of my bedroom surrounded me. They were a light sage green in color and I always found them soothing. I stared at them; feeling the comfort and safety of home relax me. The color reminded me of the forest. When my grandmother asked me last fall if I wanted to redecorate my room, I had enthusiastically threw myself into it. I always went overboard on craft projects. Maybe I had too much time on my hands.

  It was a pretty cool room. I had designed it around a nature theme. All of the furnishings were a dark cherry color which gave them a woodsy feel. The headboard on my bed curled and twisted around like the limbs of a tree. My comforter had an ivory background with deep green ivy twisting all over it. My lampshade matched the comforter, but I had hand painted the design on it.

  My favorite part of the room was the mural I had painted. All of the walls had ivy weaving through them. On the wall opposite my bed, the longest, I had painted a large tree floor to ceiling. All around it were wildflowers and butterflies. I was proud of myself. It had taken a long time to do and it looked really amazing. I doubted a professional could have done better.

  “Rhia, are you up yet?”

  Huh? Oh, right. Time to get up for school. I jumped out of bed and ran to the door. Poking my head out, I yelled downstairs so Gran could hear.

  “Be down in a few minutes Gran!”

  “All right, dear. I’m making pancakes!”

  Yum! My favorite. Gran always knew how to start my day off right. I grabbed my clothes and hurried off to the bathroom to shower. Rushing around, I started getting ready, my thoughts running rampant. I plugged in my curling iron as I brushed my teeth and stared at my reflection critically. I wasn’t half as pretty as some of the other girls my age.

  Plain brown eyes framed by dark lashes stared back at me. If you really looked you could see the flecks of green. I had a heart shaped face with high cheekbones. My complexion had always been rosy. I was lucky my skin was ivory and clear. I didn’t need to wear a lot of make-up. Hearing Gran moving around in the kitchen made me smile. I could not imagine waking up every morning without the familiar noises of Gran in the kitchen.

  Once I had finished with the curling iron, I skipped down the stairs to breakfast. My long legs reached the bottom quickly. I was tall for a girl, five foot eight. I had always been tall and slender. Not thin or petite like most of the girls I knew. I always felt like Bigfoot compared to everybody else. It was ninth grade before anybody started to catch up with me, even the boys. I figured that was why I had so little success with dating. I had never even had a steady boyfriend. In fact, I was fairly certain the boys at school never noticed me at all.

  Most of my friends had steady boyfriends or guys they dated. I guess that was why I was alone so often. I didn’t like to put myself in the third wheel position. I knew I was being silly but I didn’t really mind being alone anyway. I had always been somewhat of a loner. My friends just thought I was a bit old-fashioned like Gran. That was all right with me.

  Gran looked up as I swept into the kitchen and sat down. It should not have caught me by surprise when she asked how I slept. Gran knew everything. But it did surprise me.

  “Hi dear. Did you rest well?” Gran asked pointedly.

  I pretended to be busy looking at the table for a moment, tracing the worn but clean floral pattern of the tablecloth with my fingertip. Knowing she wouldn’t let it go, I finally looked over at her, my expression innocent. She had her eyebrows creased together like she always did when she was worried about something. The lines on her forehead deepened at my silence.

  Gran didn’t have that many wrinkles. I favored her, good genetics she always said. Her face was heart-shaped like mine. She had long dark eyelashes and deep blue eyes. I loved Gran’s eyes. They were so full of depth. You could see the wisdom, humor, and patience. I loved the way the skin crinkled around them when she laughed or smiled.

  She wore thin clear glasses and her carefully styled blonde hair framed her face nicely. Gran was not “going gray gracefully” as she put it. I got a kick out of that. She never missed her monthly hair appointment. That was another thing about Gran. She was consistent, loyal, and I could always count on her. I knew I needed to reassure her now.

  “I had a nightmare. It’s ok now. I’m fine Gran.”

  Her eyes narrowed slightly. She knew I was downplaying it for her benefit.

  “Rhiannon Elizabeth Monahan!” Gran scolded.

  Wow, I got the full name this time. I tried to hide my amusement from Gran and she smiled back. I knew she was kidding with me. We were close like that, better able to decipher each other’s moods than anyone else I had ever known. She hopped up and set a plate of pancakes and strawberries in front of me.

  “Aw Gran, you worry too much. I really am fine.”

  “I nearly ran into your room to make sure you were all right. I haven’t heard you scream like that since your parents…” She trailed off.

  I knew what she meant. I didn’t really remember those days and nights after the accident. The months of loss and sadness. I only had fading memories and my nightmares but it had been a painful time for Gran and Gramps. I reached over and squeezed her hand. We looked into each other’s faces for a minute, mutual understanding reflected in the other’s eyes.

  My stomach growled loudly and Gran smiled.

  “Eat up, Hun.”

  I drizzled some warm syrup over the pancakes and took a bite. Mmmm. Gran poured fresh squeezed orange juice into the glass in front of
me, a small smile on her lips. She was such a good cook. She spoiled me rotten and I loved it.

  Gran made everything homemade from scratch and she used fresh ingredients from her garden out back. She taught me from a young age how to cook and we both loved it. It was important to Gran that I had a good upbringing since my parents were gone. Personally I think she went a little overboard but I would never admit it.

  I looked around the kitchen, chewing thoughtfully. I loved this house. It wasn’t huge but it had a large kitchen which was my favorite room. It was always filled with the smells and sounds of Gran’s cooking. The kitchen was all white, even the appliances. It was always meticulously clean and smelled like the wildflowers and herbs hanging all around. There was a big window above the sink that looked out into the backyard and sliding glass doors that were almost always open, letting in the fresh air. You could look right out and see the garden there. It was a modest house, made of red bricks and white washed wood. It was everything to me in one simple word. Home.

  I glanced at the clock. It was almost seven. Time to go.

  “Gran, I have to finish getting ready. Emily and Mariah will be here soon.”

  “Ok, dear.”

  She kissed me on the cheek and started humming as I walked away. I ran upstairs to brush my teeth, pausing to catch my reflection again. I ran my fingers through my hair and let the soft curls hang down to my waist. A little hairspray, some lip gloss, and I was ready to go.

  Beep, beep. Just in time. I grabbed my backpack and ran downstairs, nearly colliding with my grandmother. I placed a quick kiss on her cheek and ran for the door.

  “Bye Gran!”

  “Have a good day, honey!”

  “Ditto!”

  I smiled as I ran for Mariah’s car. The sleek silver metallic paint glistened in the morning sun. Her car was really nice. Mariah’s parents had given her the Chevy Volt on her sixteenth birthday. It was a hybrid, all electric. I didn’t know much about cars but I knew enough that this car was hot. She got a lot of envious looks in the parking lot at school.

  Mariah’s parents had a lot of money. They gave her anything she wanted. Really. Anything. I could hardly imagine that kind of life. She was a little smug and stuck up at times but we were good friends, besties, and I liked her a lot. I was much closer to Emily though. She was more quiet and reserved by nature. She had an excellent sense of humor. I was relaxed and myself with her. We hung out when she wasn’t with her boyfriend Jarrod.

  All of the windows were rolled down and the stereo was blaring some rock song that I didn’t recognize. Mariah always had the stereo loud, like there was only one volume her car could handle. It sometimes gave me a headache. I never said a word. It was her car. She could do whatever she wanted. And Mariah always did what she wanted. The thought made me smile.

  Looking at Emily, I rolled my eyes. She grinned knowingly. Emily was seated in the backseat so I grabbed shotgun.

  “Hey,” I said as I jumped in, my smile bright.

  “Hi!” They both squealed at the same time. I giggled.

  “What’s up? You guys look excited.”

  “Guess what?” Emily asked excitedly.

  “I have no idea,” I told her.

  “Come on, Rhia. Guess,” Mariah said impatiently, smiling smugly.

  I looked at her for a second. “Did you pass your biology exam?” I asked.

  Mariah made a face. “No, well, yeah, but that’s not it.”

  I could tell I was irritating her slightly. “You met a movie star last night who you fell in love with and now you’re running away to Las Vegas to get married?” I guessed again.

  Emily burst out laughing. Mariah grunted. I thought it was funny. Mariah raised an eyebrow at me. I know she sometimes thought I was a little weird.

  “Hmmm…someone asked you to prom?” I wondered.

  “No, but thanks for reminding me about that. I may have to take drastic action soon. Keep guessing,” Mariah ordered.

  Before I could say anything, Emily jumped in. “Let’s just tell her…the new guy is supposed to be at school today.”

  “Really?” I asked. Finally something to be interested in.

  “I heard from Brittany that he is really cute,” Mariah answered, a sly smile playing on the corners of her lips.

  “How does she know that?” I wondered aloud.

  “He came into Applebee’s restaurant last night with his family while she was working. You know she’s a hostess there, right? She said he was tall, very tan, and very cute. She said that she nearly tripped over her feet when he smiled at her,” Mariah explained.

  Emily and Mariah both giggled. That was interesting.

  “I wonder if we’ll get a chance to see him today,” I responded. They both exchanged a glance.

  “I heard he’s in your first period English class,” Mariah informed me, watching my reaction.

  “What? Wait, how do you know that?” I asked, completely dumbfounded.

  “Brittany got to school early this morning and waited in the office for him to show up. She made up some bogus excuse about one of her classes so she could wait around. He came in early to get his schedule and find where his classes are. Brittany let him talk to Mrs. Garner first, of course. She knows the whole schedule. After he left, she told Mrs. Garner she changed her mind and left but called me right away,” Mariah explained quickly, without pausing for a breath. I briefly wondered if her head would explode from lack of oxygen, but she did this often enough she probably had some kind of high tolerance.

  Wow, that girl is crafty, I thought. Brittany, I mean. Was her stalker certificate in the mail? I almost said the words aloud but I managed to hold myself in check.

  “Is everybody that excited to see him?” I wondered.

  They both just gawked at me. “Rhia, everybody in town seems to be interested in him but you. It’s the first exciting thing to happen in this dumb little place in years,” Mariah sighed dramatically.

  Our city was pretty small, about ten thousand residents. The whole high school only had about five hundred kids, in total. I remembered what Mariah just said about it being exciting to have a new student. Ah, then I got it. Now I knew why they were so hyper when I got in the car. They were excited that I had the first class with him this morning.

  “Oh,” I said, “I guess I’ll be able to tell you something at lunch then.”

  “Rhia, his schedule has every class with you except for math,” Emily told me.

  I froze. All of my classes with this guy? I was suddenly a little nervous. I wasn’t really good at meeting new people. I got anxious and tongue tied. Great, I thought. Yay me.

  “You’re kidding!” I exclaimed, a little too excited.

  Mariah saw right through my ruse. “Nope, that is so cool. I want details at lunch. Promise me you’ll talk to him,” she demanded.

  “Um, I’ll try?” I meant it as a statement but it sounded more like a question.

  Emily looked at me apologetically. Mariah narrowed her eyes.

  “What’s his name?” I asked, making an effort to repair the damage already evident on Mariah’s face. That seemed to brighten up her mood.

  “Kellen Sloane,” she told me dreamily. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

  Just then we pulled into the small parking lot at school. As usual it was crowded with teens and buses. Mariah drove to the front and parked in the only open space left. Nobody ever parked in her spot, no matter how late she was. We climbed out as the bell rang and there wasn’t time for any more conversation. I was fine with that. Grabbing my backpack, I quickly slung it over my shoulder.

  “See ya at lunch,” I called as I walked off, happy not to have to say another word.

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  About the Author

  Nikki Landis is the author of the Freedom Fighters and Fight for Light novels. She holds two degrees
, graduating summa cum laude in her class. Nikki loves to write romance, especially in the young adult, paranormal, post-apocalyptic, and fantasy genres. She lives in Ohio with her husband and amazing family. In her spare time she enjoys watching sunsets and curling up with a good book. Nikki loves to hear from readers.

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