“Stole what?! What did they steal?!”
“Food. They raided our cupboards, fridges, pots and took away everything we had prepared for the Sector Dinner. There is nothing left to feed the guests. Absolutely nothing.”
Ellie stared at the maid with disbelief. She had never heard of such a thing in her life.
“Who stole the food?” Edmund growled.
“The Woodsmen,” she spurted out with a shudder. “They called themselves the Woodsmen.”
CHAPTER 19
Ellie unclasped her pearl necklace and tossed it carelessly onto her dresser. She unpinned her chignon from her nape and let it untwine down her back. She tiredly ambled over to the balcony to get a breath of fresh night air like she always did before she would retire to bed.
Unlike other nights though, her mind was more at unease than normal. Who could those masked, hooded men have been? Woodsmen? She had never heard of them before but neither had anyone else. And why had they stolen food when they could have robbed them of much more. The guests, themselves were adorned with expensive jewelry and accessories that could have gained them much more from illegal trading. Were the lower stratum of society in such dire need of food that they now had no choice but resort to stealing it?
The door flung open as Edmund marched in towards her.
“Did you find out who they were?” she asked with anticipation.
He shook his head. “Not much other than what you know already. They transported the food via your father’s study and out through the window. Somehow they had known that those areas of the house would be the least patrolled tonight with the majority of the sentinels on guard at the hall and the front entrance. They used one of the guest limousines to get them out of the grounds.”
“Where do you think they have taken them?”
“I don’t know. It’s as baffling to me as well. We’ve sent out patrols into Central to see if we can learn anything else. It was only a dinner for forty people so I doubt they would be feeding the entire poor of Sector 8.”
“They were making a statement,” Ellie thought to herself. They’ve got to be. She was surprised with herself that she didn’t bother to share that opinion with Edmund. Was she secretly perhaps hoping he had not come to the same conclusion? But why in the world would she want to take sides with a group of lawless men hidden behind masks and hoods? “At least, now Henry Linden understands what going to bed on a hungry stomach feels like,” she snorted aloud.
Edmund rubbed his forehead with irritation. “Oh come on, Ellie. The man had a point. You know how we all feel about you visiting Central to feed those people. You know how we feel about you visiting Central at all!”
“Those people? What do you mean by those people?!” she snapped. “Those people are our people, Edmund. The people you are destined to govern one day. Don’t you think it is our duty to ensure that they are being presided over with justice?”
“Oh, don’t be too sentimental, Ellie,” he tugged at his bow tie. “You are well aware that we are doing what we can to give them adequate service.”
“Apparently not enough. It is no wonder that groups like the Central Monologues and the Woodsmen are beginning to emerge.”
“And they will be stifled,” he growled.
“Why? Why should they? These people are crying for help, for justice.”
“They are nothing but the very metaphor of spoilt children. Sector 8 is well-known for being the most generous of all the sectors in New America.”
“And when has generosity begun equating to fairness? Even a sadist serial murderer is generous to his victim by allowing her to choose her death. But that does not mean he is being just in taking away an innocent life.”
He took an angry stride towards her and grabbed her by the shoulders roughly. “Stop! Stop it now! Do you even realize by uttering such opinions you are bordering treason?!”
She shook his hands away. “Don’t you dare lay one hand on me!” she warned, pointing an angry finger at him. “And treason? It is not I who is committing treason. It is you and Dad and everyone of you out there who do not bother to bring justice to the people of Central!”
“We are being fair, Ellie!”
“No, you’re not. Fairness is not an attitude you carry proudly. It is a skill that’s meant to be executed and exercised in order for it to manifest. Unfortunately, neither of you so-called political professionals have any idea of what that means.”
“Fairness also does not mean dishing out an equal share to every man, woman and child. It means ensuring people are given their rights and freedom in accordance to their needs. The people in Central don’t get the share we get in the economy but they do get what they need in order to be happy. If you give a child the same quantity of food that an adult consumes, you’re going to kill it. We have got to be reasonable, Ellie.”
Ellie let the tear she had been holding back, fall from her eyes. As it dripped down to her lips, she could taste its saltiness along with the resentment she was beginning to feel for the man standing across her. How could she have deluded herself into marrying him?
She closed her eyes at the burning thought of sharing her life with him. “A thousand years ago, ancient North Korea was one of those few nations infamous for denying basic human rights to its people. Radio and television sets were preset to receive only government frequencies. The people and the media were disciplined for speaking against the government. Freedom of expression was curtailed. The people suffered from the onslaught of the regime’s man-made famine. But instead of accepting humanitarian aid, the regime blocked all support and diverted its resources to the military. When then, did the entire world turn into one big North Korea? When had New America adopted hereditary succession of governance? Aren’t our two child policies no different from their forced abortions? Why can’t a woman have more than two children from the same man? And since when have death penalties without judicial due process become acceptable? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Criminal injustice cloaked by any other term would as much stink.”
Edmund unbuttoned his shirt buttons that were suddenly strangling his neck. “Your argument is baseless and makes no sense. We are not anywhere close to the ancient single-party totalitarian dictatorship of North Korea. Our people are happy and satisfied except of course for the few who love to stir trouble for the heck of it. It’s not like we can avoid them totally. These small rebellions are bound to occur occasionally. I don’t understand why you’re making a big deal out of this. We’ve always feared that your contact with the lower classes in Central would turn you against us. And it seems they’ve already worked their way into you.”
“I am not an uneducated gullible fool only because I carry an opinion not in par with you!” she screamed.
“Ellie, I have more serious matters to attend to right now. I’m going to let you cool off and pretend this conversation never happened. And try to do your best to limit your contact with those people in Central, if you must visit them? I can consider it as your hobby, only if you will. But if you speak to me about them just as you had done now, I would have to take measures to curtail your visits to Central.”
And with those words, he turned and left her nailed to her spot in utter speechlessness.
*****
Jared watched her in silence, his eagle vision zoomed onto her face, his tapetum lucidum glowing and pervading through the darkness.
He didn’t know how long he had stood on the edges of the woods, watching her and her loose strands fluttering about her face in the night breeze. Her eyes were drooped and in deep thought. He wished she would raise them so he could get a better view of them.
Each night he had stood at the circumference of the woods so he could get a glimpse of her. And each night she had not disappointed him, coming out onto the balcony to stare into the night, her face awash with her worries.
What are you thinking? he would imagine asking her as he would run his fingers over the contours of her face. He would s
troke her lips lightly with his finger tips and then taste them even more lightly with his own. He longed to explore her mouth like he had done at the house in the forest. To hear her moan, to feel her fall into his arms as he would carry her to their bed to make love to her.
He had stood there in a hypnotic state, staring at her. Until Edmund walked out into the balcony. She had turned towards him, breaking his trance.
He stepped back into the thickness of the forest and made his way towards the old abandoned station.
The boys would have been back by now, celebrating their success on their first mission. Their hooded costumes which James had arranged for them had perfectly disguised their identities. He had even ensured that Jared’s was customized to suit his abilities.
He whistled at Wolf and the husky delightfully sprinted beside him. The raid of the Sector Dinner was simply an egotistical maneuver to announce to the nation that they were the emerging resistance. It was the fastest way he could devise to spread the message to the Capitol and through the country. Perhaps, in the wake of the rumor, other resisting groups would be encouraged to formulate in other sectors to finally unite with their own, giving them more collective strength.
As he walked through the tunnels of the old railway station, nearing Platform 2, he could hear their laughter reverberate against the ancient brick walls. He smiled, the success of their mission seeming all too surreal.
“Here he is!” one noticed him emerge out of the dark tunnel and into the light of the platform.
The men cheered as they raced over to lift him up onto their shoulders, drinking to their success. He laughed while one of them poured him a drink.
“To the man who made it possible!” shouted Frank Townsend, triggering a round of cheers from each of the men.
Finally, rested and calmed down, he asked, “Were you able to deliver the food to the playground in Central?”
“Yep,” Eric nodded, giggling at the memory of it. “We parked the limousine in the dead center of it, switched on its lights to full beam, opened its doors and its trunk for the world to see…”
“And jammed its horn so it wouldn’t stop blaring,” Frank chuckled.
“We escaped into the distance, staying only to watch the Philips, the Joneses and everyone else creep curiously up to it, wondering what the fuss was all about,” said another.
“You should have seen them stare at the food,” Frank reported excitedly. “Wasn’t it a good whole minute before they began diving into it?”
“They would have been wiped clean before the sentinels would discover the limousine and the empty dishes,” Eric grinned. “All in all, a worthwhile mission. To see those happy faces, the children playing in the vehicle.”
“Yep,” Frank nodded. “What was one of them recipes called? The one with the prawns?”
“Shrimp verde,” one man quipped, mimicking the chef’s pronunciation to perfection, drawing in more laughter from the others.
“Whatever it was called, it tasted as good in my mouth,” Frank grinned.
Jared leant back into his chair, listening to them quietly. His eyes rested on James seated at the other end of the long table and smiled. The older man nodded, sipping at his drink quietly. Like him, he must have succumbed deep into his thoughts, knowing that it was too late to turn back now.
*****
He sped out of the woods and up to the house. “Come on, Wolf!” he panted. “We need to catch Tara before she leaves the house.”
He bounced in through the back door, bumping into Fern and Mae as he passed through the kitchen.
“Where’s your mother, Fern?” he shouted.
“In the living room; about to leave for the Callums,” Fern stared after him.
Jared didn’t stay to ask why they were raiding through the refrigerator. He caught her as she was leaving the foyer.
“Tara!” he shouted. “I told you to wait for me!”
She frowned at him. “Yes, but you were late. And I don’t like being late on account of someone else.”
“Tara, you need to stop Ellie from visiting Central today.”
She frowned.
“There’s going to be a protest march through the center,” he explained before she could ask. “The Central Monologues are launching another protest to raise the minimum wage level and improve working conditions in factories.”
Tara paled. “What’s that got to do with us?” she asked despite herself.
“You know exactly what’s that got to do with you,” he grumbled. “Governor Callum has declared that any further protests, especially from the Central Monologues are going to be stamped with brutal force if needed. They are already keeping an eye out for the Woodsmen. And we intend to be there protecting the Central Monologues, should they decide to go that way. Tara, I can’t afford to have you and Ellie caught in the middle of it.”
“I’ll see what I can do. But you do know how stubborn Ellie can get. And it’s not like I can tell her how I found out about the protest.”
He combed his hair in frustration. “Just stay away from the main center. Use another route to get to the village and you’ll be fine. But if anything does happen, you call me, okay?”
Ellie sat on a stack of wooden crates, watching the children play in the sun. Tara glanced at her occasionally, her mind wrought with Jared’s warning. The sky was clear above them and the breeze gently blew through their hair, ruffling it. If she were a fortuneteller, then there was nothing foreboding in the weather or the people around them to tell her that there was going to be disarray in the very near future.
Ellie swept her hair to the side, smoothening it down with her hands. “Kelly was awfully nice today.”
“I suppose she’s coming around to accepting you. You’re becoming quite a fixture in Central. And Tessa has been a remarkable help.” Inside, she was relieved that Ellie had bought into her little lie about Jared’s illness that fateful night when they all first discovered he was a chimera. But a few false assurances later, Ellie had thankfully dropped the matter.
Ellie chuckled. “Yeah, it’s nice to be trusted. But I guess it will take a little more time for us to build the same faith in the others.”
Tara nodded. “It’ll happen gradually.”
“I’m sorry I dragged you into this along with me. I didn’t know how else to reach them.”
Tara reached out and squeezed her hand. “You know I want to be here with you. If I didn’t want to do this anymore, I’d have told you sooner. And besides, you showed me how to pay it forward. I’d have been lost otherwise.”
“Thank you,” Ellie smiled. She then bit her lips, brushing the sides of the crate uneasily.
Tara watched her curiously but didn’t urge her to speak. If she trusted her, she would tell her whatever it was that was plaguing her mind in her own good time.
“I’m going to break it up with Edmund,” Ellie said finally after a long pause.
“Ellie? Why?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Ellie said.
“I always thought you two were perfect for each other. And Edmund loves you, doesn’t he?”
“He sure doesn’t know how to show it.”
“Did you love him?”
“I thought I did… until…,” her voice faded into her train of thoughts.
“Until Jared?” Tara wanted to finish for her.
“Who was I to fool?” Ellie covered her face tiredly. “We were never going to suit each other. We’re two different people with completely different goals, trying desperately to compromise in order to meet the approval of those around us. It would never work. Those fundamentals have never worked for a relationship- ever.”
“I’m sorry,” Tara mumbled. “I thought you were happy.”
Ellie shrugged her shoulders. “I thought I could be. But I think I had known long ago that Edmund wasn’t meant for me. I started giving excuses to distance myself from him. First, I began refusing to sleep with him and then, I couldn’t bring myself to kiss him. There were
always excuses. I want to reserve myself for marriage… I fear losing the intimacies after the marriage… these were just that- excuses. But when he told me he was going to curb my travels to Central because he thought the people I was helping were influencing me against the government...,” she teared. She pressed her lips together tightly, trying desperately to restrain her tears from escaping her eyes.
Tara put an arm around her.
Ellie shook her head confusedly. “He never fussed about never sleeping together. Or spending time together. Sometimes, we’d go weeks without talking or seeing each other and we were both fine with it. When I first told him I wanted to reserve our intimacies for marriage, he had accepted my decision without a fuss. I thought he was just a nice, patient guy. Where else would I get a man who respected such a serious decision in their relationship? But then he wanted me to stop coming to Central. To stop supporting the people here. He didn’t want me involved in the issues affecting the people of Central despite how I felt about it. How can I then continue to believe he respects me? How can I continue to believe that he agreed to my requests for abstinence because he loved and respected me, and not because he wants to marry Governor Callum’s daughter?”
“Ellie…”
“I’m such a fool, Tara. I’m always falling for the wrong men. Those who would never love me back. I have no idea why I do that.”
Tara caressed her shoulders. “If it helps, I also fall for the wrong sort of men. And I have the two greatest evidences to prove that.”
“Fern and Mae?”
Tara nodded. “And I’d do it all over again just to have them in my life.”
CHAPTER 20
Her phone buzzed. Tara pulled it out of her bag and realized it was Jared. She smiled politely at Ellie who nodded as she stepped aside to answer it.
“Hey,” she said into it.
“Where are you?” he barked.
“At the playground by the Philips’ house.”
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