by Hannah Ross
"At least they haven't made the connection between us and Priscilla Dahl yet. Cheer up, Becky. There isn't much we can do right now except cross our fingers and wish the kids good luck. I'm going to make myself a cup of tea. Maybe it will help me get back to sleep. Do you want one?"
* * *
Ben, Priscilla, and Tony kept walking. The night was clear and moonlit, which made it easy to keep a good and steady pace. By midnight, the three put an impressive distance between themselves and the farm. They waded back and forth across the river several times to mask their trail, and now felt relatively safe as they continued making their way along the water.
Tony gave a huge yawn, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. "How about a break, Ben? We really should get our heads down for a bit. And we could dry off these clothes."
"If you two can go for another twenty minutes or so, there's a nice sheltered spot up ahead where we can make a fire and roll out our sleeping bags."
Neither of his companions looked especially happy at the prospect of continuing, but both saw the sense in overnighting in a protected location.
Half an hour later, after making sure no critters were in residence, they dropped their backpacks and sleeping bags under a wide rock overhang.
"Alright. Let's build a fire," Ben said.
He and Tony collected dry brushwood, and soon a merry fire blazed, illuminating the darkness.
Though they took off their shoes and socks and rolled up their pant legs when they waded across shallow spots, their jeans still got wet. Priscilla was happy to duck behind the bushes and change into the spare pair of jeans she pulled out of her backpack while Ben and Tony did the same. Then the three draped their wet clothes over a low-hanging branch to dry.
"That's a lot better," Tony said, stretching his legs toward the fire. "You have something to munch on, Ben? Where are those cookies your Mom made?"
Ben pulled out the tin of cookies and handed them round. "There should be a few cans in your backpack, Tony. Meat and beans and the like for tomorrow morning. I don't remember what else Mom stuck in there, but we won't get hungry. Are you alright, Ne—" He cleared his throat. "Priscilla?"
"I'm OK," she said, examining her feet. She had a blister above her heel that burst and felt unpleasantly sticky. "But maybe you both should keep calling me Nell so you don't slip up once we're in camp. Will we still make it there by noon?"
"If we keep tonight's pace, we will. I think we should split you two up, by the way. If the TIO comes to our neck of woods, we don't want them to find both of you at once."
"Where would I go?" Tony asked.
"You could go a bit further, to Sidney and Elisa's new place. They've got quite a nice thing going on their own, all cozy and private."
"Well… alright. As long as they don't mind."
"They won't." His lips curled into a sly grin. "Of course, you'll have to lend a hand with chopping firewood and the like. Not just bum out like you do at my Mom and Dad's."
"Oh, shut up," Tony said, grinning, as he tried to cuff him across the head, but missed.
21
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Sunday, April 13
"Wow!" Priscilla shaded her eyes with her hand as she peered ahead. "That looks just like a Viking longhouse." Her head tilted sideways. "Well… minus the turf-roof, I guess."
Ben looked gratified. "That's the extension we built. The old part is on the other side."
"Well, you two can keep admiring the view for all I care," Tony grumbled, "but I'd really rather go on. Don't know about you, but I'm starving. I hope there's a good lunch."
"There usually is," Ben assured him. "'Course, nobody's expecting company."
As they approached the cabin, his companions saw two young men outside. One, thin and wiry, looked Ben's age, the other slightly older. At the sight of the arrivals, they dropped what they were doing and rushed forward to greet them.
"There he is, now!" yelled the younger one, clapping Ben genially on the back. "Told you he ain't dead, Enzo!"
"Been making bets on me, Tom?" Ben grinned, shaking hands. "Here, meet Tony. He's my sister's boyfriend. And this is Nell."
"Nice to meet you, Nell." Tom looked at her with undisguised curiosity.
"What camp are you from?" Enzo asked.
"Nell's from the Boundary. She's been staying at my parents' farm for a bit."
"A Boundary girl, eh? There's a lot more people from the Boundary passing through these parts lately. Not that it's a bad thing. Come on in. Gabby and Lauren have cooked to feed an army as usual."
"You won't have to ask me twice," Tony said, stepping onto the neat gravel path.
Ben and his camp-mates led the visitors to the new main entrance in the log extension. As they followed the crunchy gravel path, Priscilla's curious eye noted the neat outbuildings – the barn, poultry-house, and the animal pens for cows, horses, and goats. The many rows of vegetables looked straight and well-tended. Even after the short time she spent with the Hursts, she could appreciate how much work it would take to keep such a large garden in good shape. On the other side of the household, there was an orchard with carefully pruned trees, and beyond the fence she saw fields of crops. She didn't know what they were, but they looked green and vibrant and promising of a fair harvest. The whole exterior of the little farm spoke of diligence, perseverance, and hard work.
When they entered the wide, spacious, solidly built log hall, Tony whistled.
"You guys really did this?"
"Was a helluva lot of work," Tom said, "and some of us got injured. Enzo could tell you a thing or two about it. But we're sure glad we did it. We'd have been much too cramped in just the old house. You'll see how small it is. It's just the kitchen and some bedrooms there now." At this point his recital was interrupted by a crowd of people who all came forward to meet Ben and the visitors.
Attracted by the commotion, a slightly plump, motherly young woman accompanied by a brood of children walked in from the kitchen and smiled. "Ben! It's about time! I was starting to get anxious. Of course, Mac kept telling me I shouldn't worry, that it's natural for you to want to stay with your parents for a bit." Her eyes shifted to Tony and Priscilla and she smiled. "I see you brought friends. Hello there. "
"Gabby, these are Tony and Nell. Gabby's the best cook in the camp."
"Don't let Lauren hear you say that," she said with a twinkle in the eye. "She's been working all morning on today's bread. If you don't have anything good to say about it, things might just get nasty."
"Oh, don't worry. We're hungry enough to eat a brick with our best compliments. Where's that food, now?"
* * *
It was getting dark, and oil lamps were lit in the long hall before dinner was served. There were so many people around the table Priscilla found it difficult to remember everyone's names. She found herself sitting across from Mac, a tall, lanky young fellow. He's clearly Gabby's man. Not her husband, though. They can't be married. Not in the usual way, anyhow. They don't exist according to the Tower. All these people were sent across the Boundary when they were twelve years old. Or they were born here. Non-citizens born to outcasts. The older kids' mothers probably weren't any older than me when they got pregnant. And my father did this.
She lowered her eyes to her plate so the others would not see the shame she felt, but Gabby noticed her discomfort and asked, "What's the matter, Nell? Don't you like the stew? I'm afraid I overdid it with the salt. Nora, get off your father's knees and let him eat his dinner in peace, will you?"
"No, no, it's really good," Priscilla said, spooning some up. It is good, and there's plenty to go around. These people clearly aren't underfed. They don't look unhappy, either. And look at the children! Despite all their hardships, the hall is filled with laughter, mess, and life. And happiness. Real happiness.
Priscilla reached for a jug of milk to pour herself a cup. "Shake it a bit," Ben said, "so the cream at the top mixes back in."
She did, and found it w
as incredibly rich, unlike any she had back in the Boundary. She sat quietly for a while, enjoying the delicious milk and feeling at peace with the world, almost forgetful of the circumstances that brought her to this remote spot in the wild country. Gradually, sleepiness stole over her and Ben noticed she stifled a yawn with the back of her hand.
"I think we better all get some sleep," he said. "We had a long trek. Gabby, we can swing a bed for Nell somewhere, can't we?"
"Oh, sure. I'll put one of the folding-beds out in the kitchen. It'll be a little cramped, Nell, but you'll be nice and warm by the woodstove."
"That sounds great, thanks."
"I hope those folding-beds are long enough for someone like me," Tony said, stretching his long legs and wiggling his toes.
"You can sleep on the benches in the common hall, same as everyone else."
"Gee, thanks, Ben. You're all nice and hospitable, aren't you?"
"Or you can go to the barn. There's a mound of hay to flop on, and it's a warm night."
"What an alluring prospect."
Ben turned back to Priscilla and said, "As you can see, we don't have that much room around here." He led her to the warm, snug kitchen. "The families each have a room, parents and kids together, and often it gets pretty cramped. The single people sleep on the benches in the main hall, guys on one side and girls on the other. We let down the partition every night."
"Ah, I did wonder what that curtain was doing there, hitched up to the middle of the ceiling."
"The benches are growing kind of cramped too, though, so sleeping in the kitchen will probably be best for you. I hope you don't mind."
"Oh, no, not at all. It's not like I'm…" She was about to say, 'a pampered little princess', but realized that was exactly what she was. Or had been, until the night when she left Silver Oaks. "I'm sure I'll be quite comfortable, Ben. But before I go to bed, could you please show me to the, um, bathroom?"
"Oh, sure. We have an outhouse at the back. I'll show you there through the kitchen door."
"The out… Yeah, sure, OK." She realized that while the Hursts' farmhouse was equipped with a modern bathroom, such luxuries could not be expected in the rough household of the wild children.
22
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Monday, April 14
Priscilla had a pretty comfortable night. She was so tired she fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. She woke around dawn needing to use the bathroom again, and had to steel herself for a few minutes before she mustered resolution enough to get out from under the warm blankets and into the chilly early morning outside.
The house still slumbered, but as she stepped out of the privy, she looked around and noticed light shining through the open door of one barn. Deciding to take a peek, she poked her head in and discovered Ben sitting on a crate, milking a cow. Noticing her, he smiled, but went on with his work.
"You're up bright and early today," he said as she came in.
"Outhouse," she said, shaking her head.
Ben grinned. "We placed it a bit too far from the house, I'd say. We didn't want it to be too close to the kitchen or the vegetable garden, especially with so many people using it. As it is, every year or so we have to dig out the—"
She held up her hand, closed her eyes, and shook her head. "I'm not sure I want to know the details."
He laughed and continued milking.
Pulling over a crate for herself, she sat by his side. There was something soothing in the rhythmical wet squirts as they hit the pail. The milk was frothy and warm, with a faint steam rising above it in the chilly barn. The cow stood patiently, only swishing her tail now and then.
"That's a pretty cow,"
"Yeah. I'm kind of fond of Velvet. Everyone is, I think. She's great to milk." He nodded at another cow that had already been milked. "Ginger's nice as well, but she's a bit skittish. They're both Jerseys. Easy enough to handle."
"Where did you get them from?" She learned last night the Eagle Camp caught and tamed goats and horses gone feral, but she didn't imagine too many feral cows would survive in the plains roamed by wolves, coyotes, and mountain lions.
"They were a gift to the camp from my folks. We've been doing a lot better since we have them. I mean, goat milk is fine in its way, but you can get a lot more cream from cows."
"Mm-hmm. It's really good," she said, remembering the milk she drank the previous night as she admired the animal's rich brown coat. "If I were your Mom, I'd want one of these for myself."
"Oh, she does. Mom can never resist animals, even if it isn’t too practical, but they don't drink that much milk and can get the little they need from Resurrection Town. A real living town beyond the Boundary is quite a change, you know. A couple of years ago, who would have thought it possible?"
"It's not like you have too much to do with it, though."
"No. Our position is more or less the same. We have no legal status and have to shift for ourselves, but people from some of the camps now take odd jobs on farms or in Resurrection now and then. And sometimes we trade with the legals for stuff that's getting more difficult to obtain. Only a few people went back into the Boundary, though. Class B Citizenship is not that tempting. It confines you to drudgery for your whole life."
Priscilla didn't know what to say.
Ben was done milking and stood, so she did likewise. He carefully picked up the pail as he straightened up and set it out of harm's way. "By the way. There's something I want to show you."
"What? The foundations of the new barn you've been talking about, or—"
"No, no. This doesn't really have anything to do with the farm." He stepped over to a corner where bales and a large pile of loose straw for bedding were stored. He dug into the pile and extracted a large, rough, wooden chest.
"Open it," he urged as he set it on a tool bench.
She pushed the lid up with a confused expression on her face. There was rough sackcloth underneath the lid. She lifted it and her expression froze with disbelief.
The chest was full of gold and silver jewelry, all heaped together. Diamond rings intermingled with stylish tennis bracelets. Earrings of all shapes and sizes were attached to old bits of velvet. Gold chains were tightly looped around sticks and pencils to keep them from getting knotted up. There were also brooches, gold watches, and pearl necklaces of a quality to make even the rich ladies of her mother's circle nod appreciatively. The sight of it all was surreal. It was like finding herself in a pirate movie.
"Wow," she said, looking agog. "It's… Ben, what..?"
"Remember I told you about that Hughes guy we met up with in Resurrection Town? It was just before you came to my folks. So, we were discussing all sorts of trade options, and all of a sudden I had this idea, though I didn't mention it back then. I remembered all the gold and silver trinkets lying around in old jewelry stores around the city where we used to live. I said a word or two about it to Tom and he gathered some of the guys and went to the old city to raid all the old jewelry stores. He just told me about it last night."
Priscilla gestured toward the contents of the chest, sparkling dully in the dim, uneven light of the barn. "Do you have any idea how much this is worth?"
Ben shrugged. "Out here, probably nothing. But inside the Boundary, quite a bit, I imagine. I noticed a jewelry store that time I visited inside the Boundary, and it seemed like well-to-do people went there. As for us, we never had much use for these baubles. They won't keep us fed and warm in the winter, you know. But now that we know the traders are interested in these, we can take the lot to Resurrection Town next time we go there, and maybe exchange it for something useful."
"The lot? You mean all of this at once?"
"Yes. The other camps of the city gathered their share as well, and I think they also raided nearby towns. If we cooperate and just take it all as one big load, it will be more convenient."
"But far less profitable. Ben, I realize you haven't lived within the Boundary. I'm not counting th
e orphanage. But you have to learn more about how the economy works. If you flood the market with gold and gems, it will go cheap, and you won't get much for it. If you offer the whole bunch to Hughes, and act as if it's no good to you, he'll pay you accordingly. You'd be lucky to get ten percent of what it's worth. It would be much better to deliver a little bit at a time, and tell him how you had to crawl underneath half-ruined buildings to get the stuff, and so on."
Ben's eyes lit up. "You're right! Of course you are! I would never have thought of that myself, but it makes a lot of sense."
Priscilla shrugged her shoulders with a modest smile. "You sort of soak up these things, growing up the way I did. I hope this Peter Hughes is decent and won't try to swindle you. You deserve to be paid a good bit of money for all this stuff."
"It isn't all mine, of course. I didn't even do the actual gathering. Just voiced the idea. Anyhow, I wasn't really thinking about money, you know. More about things we could use around the camp. Equipment, tools, clothes, food, medicines." He grinned. "Maybe materials for an indoor bathroom or two. Because money... Sure, we get some cash for furs now and then, and it's convenient to use in Resurrection Town, but if you're talking about putting a large sum together… To do that, we'd need a bank account, and we can't get that without legal status."
"Kate could stash the money in her account for you, couldn't she? Or your parents."
"Yeah." He drew the word out as he thought. "Yeah! Kate would be happy to do that. My folks, too. This could work well for us. But not for the other camps. None of the others have relatives or friends inside the Boundary. Not that I know of, at least."
"What you need is a system. Maybe... a meeting to discuss this? Or whatever you do around here."
Ben nodded. "Yeah. An all-camps meeting. But first…" He sprang back into action, closing the chest and shoving it back under the pile of straw. Then he looked up and grinned. "First we need to take this milk into the house."
As they walked, he told her, "I'm taking Tony to Sidney and Elisa's place after breakfast."