“I saw Seth carry you out of the military unit. What happened?”
Now all eyes were on me. I swallowed, my mouth dry. I did not know what to tell them. I did not know whether to lie, or give the truth. I just shook my head back and forth and looked at my lap.
“Did anyone see him carry you out? Did he get caught?”
Chantel started sobbing harder. “Oh God, he died for you? Why would he risk his life for you?”
I pressed my lips together. My heart hurt. My soul hurt. My body hurt. I just hurt everywhere. I kept my mouth shut and brought my knees to my chest. Resting my forehead on the top of my knees, I silently cried. This was all my fault. So many people were hurt because of me.
Chantel started punching me with her tiny fists. I curled tighter into my body, not stopping her. I deserved this. “What did you do to him?” Her voice was frail. She was losing it.
I heard the van door open. Someone tore her away from me. Her screaming got more distant. I refused to look up. I couldn’t bare to see the looks on their faces.
It was quiet in the van. The driver and the guy in the middle seat didn’t say anything as moments passed. Minutes passed. It felt like a couple of days had passed. I knew Adam was the one who carried Chantel out. His presence was overbearing. That overbearing feeling went away.
I thought of the night that Seth bandaged my feet after I went running through the woods without shoes on. He took care of me. He did not like me, but he made sure I was okay. In a place where humanity seemed thin, he clung to his humanity. He was an angel in a world full of demons. He was gone because of me. His masculine laugh echoed in my head. I had my heard him laugh once. I wished I had gotten to know him better. I wished I had asked him questions. How old was he? Did he have any siblings? Where were his parents? What made him happy in life? What were his goals? All those simple things about people that we all took for granted. Now I would never know.
I kept my head down when the van door reopened. A warm musky scent wafted to my nose. Adam was the one sitting by me now. The driver started the car.
A calloused hand softy touched my arm. I cringed away from the touch. Lifting my head, I looked at Adam. Could he see the guilt on my face? The shame in my eyes?
He rubbed his hand through his buzz cut hair and just looked at me. He looked at me like he could see into my soul. Adam was searching for something in my eyes. I must not have had the answer because he quickly looked away.
I felt relieved when the driver finally stopped the van. He parked outside of a two-story brick house. We were on a barn. In the distance, I could see cattle and chickens roaming freely. Everyone emptied out of the van silently. Adam led me out by the rope tied around my wrists. I felt like a dog that he was walking.
The driver, whose name I learned was Bret, looked around us. He seemed suspicious. Bret's green eyes changed into a hazel color when the sun shone on it. I could see brown mixed into the green. I looked from Bret to Adam. They had the same color eyes, except Adam’s eyes, were just green without any brown in it. Adam had dirty blond hair and Bret had brown hair. Side by side they looked related.
Chantel walked straight towards the barn on the other side of the property. She didn’t say a word and nobody stopped her. She was taking Seth’s death the hardest out of them. I looked down, frowning. I didn’t blame her for hating me.
“What is she doing on my property?” A woman stepped out onto the porch. She had soft, blond hair that framed her oval face. She was wearing a red flowy dress that had patterns all over it and a white apron was tied around her waist. She looked like a perfect housewife.
Adam tugged the rope, making me step closer to his side. “She is a prisoner with us.”
Bret looked between Adam and the woman, gauging the situation. His muscles in his arms tensed. He was ready for a fight.
An ancient man walked out onto the front porch, shotgun in hand aimed right at me. I was not fazed at having a gun pointed at me. In the past week, I had guns pointed at me so many times. In a weird way, I was used to it. I didn’t even bat an eyelash.
Adam pushed me behind him. “Mr. Walker, she is with me.”
The old man frowned, making all the wrinkles on his face more prominent. Mr. Walker had thin hair. Only a couple of strands stood standing. His hands were blue and bruised. He wore overalls twice his size making his fragile body look frailer. Yet there he stood, shotgun in hand, ready to blow my head off.
Mr. Walker seemed angry at the idea. “Get that disgusting parasite out of here!” He was panting with anger.
The woman smoothed her hands over Mr. Walker’s back in concern. She didn’t attempt to get that shotgun out of his shaking hands. She looked at me with an icy stare. She wanted him to pull the trigger.
Bret, the peace keeper spoke. “Now why don’t we all calm down and think rationally. Nobody needs to die today. We've already lost one of our own, let’s not make the numbers bigger. If you don’t mind Susan, I am going to head in for a shower. Adam will take Evelyn and chain her to a tree. She will be staying with us for a few days until things get situated. Don’t worry about her. You won't even know she is here.”
Chain me to a tree? Did I look like a farm animal?
Mr. Walker kept the shot gun focused on me. “You guys know I never ask about your business, but why did you bring Stephan’s daughter here? She is all over the news. Everyone is looking for her. You are putting my family in danger.” For a man his age, he was aware of his surroundings.
Bret started heading up the steps. “We will talk when we are inside. Adam, you know what to do.” Bret turned around and looked at something behind me. “Come in, Mitchel.”
I forgot about the guy who was sitting in the middle of the van. He hasn’t said a thing since I met him. Adam tugged on the rope leading me away from the front door. The air here was clean. It was nothing like the smell in the city. There were birds here. I could hear them chirping in the trees. Animals surrounded me. I enjoyed the noises of nature. I almost forgot what it sounded like.
I didn’t say anything when Adam chained me to a tree in the shade. His face was a blank mask. Something changed in him from when we were in the car to now. I didn’t make any kind of eye contact with him. It was degrading getting chained to a tree. I knew not to speak. Things could be worse.
I used this time to mourn Seth. I did not know him well, but there was something about him. Something that just pulled me to him. I closed my eyes. I was exhausted. I drifted into a restless sleep.
Something poked me in the ribs. I muttered under my breath and curled into a tight ball. The wind was blowing really harsh. I heard the thunder roar in the distance. The sky sounded angry. Light flashed behind my closed eye lids. Another poke jabbed me on my ribs.
I sat up. A little girl stood in front of me giggling and holding a stick in her hand. She wore a yellow sunflower dress. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes were bright with life. Rain began to fall from the sky. I breathed in the wonderful scent, feeling a little at ease.
“What are you doing?” I asked the little girl.
She tilted her head to the side. She was observing the chains bound to my wrist. “My name is Mary, but people call me Mare.”
“My name is Brianna, but people call me Evelyn.” I swiped my brown hair out of my eyes.
Mare sat down beside me. She wasn’t shy at all. “My momma says you’re a bad girl and to stay away from you. She says you killed Brother Matt. Drafted him away and sent him out to a war zone. My momma says he had to fight his friends.” Mare looked up at me, blue eyes shining.
I didn’t know what she was talking about, but I had a feeling I did. The Unit. He got drafted for the military, then had to fight his own friends in a war. My heart was sad. I had never seen, nor felt so much grief in my life. Sadness surrounded me. Everyone was hurting. I wished I could take it all away. I wanted to make everything better.
I noticed Mare started shivering, but she kept those blue orbs on me.
“Wh
y don’t you go inside where it is warm,” I suggested, giving her a little push. My teeth chattered through the words. The temperature out here dropped fast. If we are in California, I see that the drought went away.
Mare shot me an incredulous look. “Are you crazy? Let me tell you something, princess.” She tapped my nose with her index finger and winked. “We are all about equality. I have the same right as you and you have the same rights as me. If you don’t have the right to step foot in my momma’s house, then neither do I. Abraham Lincoln said we are all equal. We abide by the same laws that are best for humanity.”
I pressed my lips together to smother a smile. "I don't think that's what Abraham meant went he talked about equality."
Mare wasn't having it. She flipped her blond hair behind her shoulder and rolled her eyes. "People used to leave the blacks outside in thunder storms and leave them in chains. You’re too skinny." She pinched my arm and frowned. "You need some meat in those tiny bones. When was the last time you ate a turkey?"
Mare seemed unbothered by the cold and the mud staining her dress. She just sat and waited for me to answer.
Someone opened the front door. "Mary?" It was the women from earlier, Susan. She peered into the pouring rain and looked all around. When her eyes landed on her daughter, sitting right next to me, she looked livid. "Get away from her!" Susan ran down the porch steps and to the flimsy tree that was giving us shelter. She grabbed Mare roughly by her arms and dragged her into the house.
The entire way there I could hear Mare screaming about equality and inhumane punishment. I dropped my head back against the tree trunk and let the rain slide over my face.
Only a few minutes went by before Adam came outside. He didn't make any eye contact with me when he unchained me from the tree. I clamped my mouth shut, refusing to talk. I was mad at him. I don't know why. I wanted to bash his head into the tree and scream at him.
Adam led me into the house by the elbow. Warmth embraced me when we stepped inside. We were in a kitchen. The smell of freshly cooked food made my stomach growl. I couldn't remember the last time I ate.
We walked through the dining room. Chantel, Bret, Susan, Mr. Walker, Mitchel, and Mare all sat at the dining table. Every one of them stared at me as we passed. Mare shot me a wink and started eating her mashed potatoes.
I followed Adam up the stairs. Water was dripping off of me making the floor wet and slippery.
"Shower. Here are a change of clothes." Adam put something in my hand and left.
I slid into the bathroom and closed the door. I almost screamed when I saw myself. It did not look like me in the mirror. My brown hair was in complete tangles and knots. I looked like I was trying to pull of dreadlocks. The entire right side of my face was bruised, scraped, and swollen. I hit my face a lot harder than I thought in the blast. My blue eyes looked dull. Lifeless. Dark circles were under my eyes.
When I finished showering, I put on the pile of clothes by the sink. I was relieved at what I saw. Pale brown cotton pants and a thick black sweater. This was something I would have worn before I woke up here. The clothes smelt like warm vanilla and laundry detergent.
After I left the bathroom, I wasn't sure what to do. Was I supposed to go back outside into the rain? I loved the rain, but I didn't want to get drenched again.
I could hear everyone talking downstairs. They were arguing. The atmosphere was tense. As quietly as I could, I walked to the stairs and listened.
"I do not want that monster eating our food! We worked hard for the food here. We work hard to provide for our family, then she comes in expecting perfect hospitality. You don't see her feeding the people and providing them shelter. They all just let the citizens starve and freeze to death." Susan slammed her hand down on something.
Bret, always the calm one, spoke. "We are not them. We will not go down to their level. We are the ones with humanity, not greed."
"Abraham Lincoln wants everyone to be free."
I smiled at Mare's soft, innocent voice.
"Now she knows we have history books here too! Mary went and blabbed to her about what we taught her."
"I did not blab." I could picture the little girl stomping her feet.
"I say we shoot her." That was Chantel's voice. "She is the reason why Seth and Matt are dead."
I sat on the stairs and dropped my head in my hand. I was causing too much of a burden here. This was another family I was tearing apart. Everywhere I went, people got hurt. Whether it be physically or emotionally.
"That is not an option. We need her alive right now. The news said we have her hostage. They are offering a reward for her return, so we can use her to get to them." Adam, the leader said.
"She broke her brother out. I think it is pretty obvious she didn't get taken hostage." That voice was an unfamiliar voice. It must have been Mitchel's.
Except I was taken hostage now.
"They don't know that. Seth is dead. They don't know that he helped her get out. All those soldiers are wounded and dead. I don't think Stephan even knows what happened. He just knows people are dead, there was a riot, Rugter and Evelyn are gone." Adam sounded frustrated. He was on edge.
"That is all speculation. We go by facts, not theories." Susan sounded like a teacher. She talked like she was talking to a classroom of children.
"Now Evelyn, why don’t you stop ease dropping and come on down here." Mr. Walker said.
The room got quiet. I lifted my head to see the old man at the base of the stairs looking right at me, shotgun in hand. Slowly, I rose and walked down the stairs. All eyes were on me. I wasn't sure what to do with myself. Everyone was sitting around a coffee table. Chantel sat on the floor by the fire place, a lost look in her eyes. Mitchel and Bret were leaned back on a love seat. Susan stood at the front of the room. The only spot left was next to Adam.
I sat by him, and he stiffened. He stared straight forward at Susan. He acted like I wasn't even there. Mare crawled over to me and sat between my bouncing legs. Susan's lips tightened at the sight. Anxiety filled my stomach. Mr. Walker stood by Susan, and just watched me. He was like a hawk watching a mouse, waiting for the moment to strike.
I folded my hands in my lap and looked down. I didn't belong here.
"So explain to us why you broke your brother out." Although Mr. Walker had a fragile, old body his voice was sturdy and strong. He was a man I would never want to cross.
"I wanted to right a wrong." I barely spoke above a whisper.
Chantel scoffed. "Oh, setting your brother free will definitely right all your wrongs. Good job, princess. All you did was get Seth killed."
Mitchel rubbed his hands over his eyes. "Please, stop bringing him up so harshly. We get it, Chantel. Your boyfriend is dead, but that was Adams and Bret's brother."
I stared at Adam, jaw hanging to the floor. Seth was his brother?
Chapter Eight
Seth was Adam's brother. They looked nothing alike but so much like each other. I had no idea how I missed it. I felt like I just got slapped in the face. Hard. Seth was Chantel's boyfriend. But Seth was my fiancé. No, Evelyn's fiancé. It was a political move of Stephan's. Things were not what they seemed.
Chantel gave me a satisfied look. "That's right, bitch. You were engaged to my man. He was mine!" Her voice was protective, and it broke.
I felt horrified. He was Evelyn's fiancé, yet he was dating Chantel.
Adam's back went rigid. I stared at his face. His face was blank, empty and in that moment I knew. I just knew that's what he did when he was in emotional pain. He hid it well. I swallowed. My throat felt tight. Nobody spoke for a few moments. I wondered if they were reminiscing on times with Seth. Good memories. Bad memories.
"It was a political move of Stephan's." I don't know what overcame me. I don’t know why I felt like defending the situation, but I did.
Chantel gave a startled, hysterical laugh. "It was your idea! You drafted him knowing he rolled with the rebels, made him join The Unit, and then told your f
ather you wanted to marry him. You did it so citizens would trust The Monarchy. You knew they would let their guard down if you married someone from the lowest end of the food chain. Don't pull that bull with me!"
Evelyn sure was something else. I felt a flush of shame fill my cheeks on her behalf. How could she do something like that? Stephan made it seem like it was his idea and he did it for his best interest.
"Sorry." I muttered, knowing it wouldn't make anything better. Of all the life’s I could have led here, why did it have to be Evelyn’s?
"I say we call it a night." Mr. Walker lowered the shotgun and gave me a satisfied look. If he was looking for answers from me, he found it without having to talk to me. "Adam you know what to do with her."
Adam rose. Mare blew me a kiss and ran up the stairs. Susan followed behind her. I looked at Adam. What did Mr. Walker mean when he said you know what to do with her? Adam took me by my elbow and led me down the hallway. Picture frames covered the entire wall. It was full of pictures of happy people. Laughing people. Smiling people. I guess they still felt joy here.
We went inside a bedroom and when he closed the door and locked it, my stomach plummeted. Fight or flight took over. My body tensed, waiting for conflict and I backed up. I bumped into a dresser and something fell off of it crashing to the floor.
Adam grabbed me by my shoulders and by reflex I went to knee him in the groin. He must have been expecting it because he easily dodged it. "Evelyn. Relax. What are you doing?"
I wasn't paying attention to his words. I was panicked. I was scared. I was tired. I was hungry. I was emotionally exhausted. I jabbed Adam in his ribs with my elbows and went to run across the room. He recovered easily and grabbed onto my shoulders holding me in place. I kicked behind me, but only felt air. I tried to twist out of his grasp, but his grip was firm.
"I am not going to hurt you. I would never hurt you." The broken sound in Adam's voice made me freeze. "See, everything is going to be okay. Breathe in. Breathe out. Trust me."
The bedroom was silent now. My muscles relaxed under his touch. Something about him was familiar. The soft voice, the soft touch, his presence. Tears filled my eyes and slipped silently down my cheeks. I was so sad. My emotions were out of control. I was unsure of what I was feeling and why I was feeling it. The moonlight casted a light glow outside. The storm had ended. I hadn't even noticed.
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