Maya ignored him. “I don't think he's interested in me. He's so worried about Alice I think he's forgotten he needs to look after himself too.”
“Did you come over here to talk about him, because I'm tired and want to go to sleep,” whined Fletcher.
“I wanted to come over here to apologise,” she said.
“Apologise? What for?” Fletcher asked sitting up.
“For the way I talked about and treated Dad. You were right, he was one of the good guys. From what Benjamin said he was trying to fix all of this and I went and made it all worse. I hope I get the chance to apologise to him one day. I made his life so hard and all he wanted to do was keep us safe.” The regret was evident in her glassy eyes.
“He's not all innocent,” admitted Fletcher. “He knew this was happening and didn't act until it was too late. He's keeping the secrets of the Elite.”
“I guess, but he's definitely not the evil person I'd created in my mind. And I'm sorry I tried to taint your picture of him,” said Maya.
Fletcher pulled her head into his chest and hugged it tight. Maya squealed and wriggled until she struggled her way out of his grip. She ran her fingers through her hair trying to tame it back down.
“Don't worry about your hair. He's asleep and can't see it anyway,” mocked Fletcher.
Maya responded by poking out her tongue. Fletcher was right, Alice was curled up into Tyler's side and they were fast asleep.
“Who's going to watch him while we're all sleeping?” Fletcher pointed towards Seth who sat on the dirt with his knees pulled up to his chest, and his back to us.
“Lark and Braven are going to take it in shifts. I thought he'd put up more of a fight but he's been quiet and doing what he's told all night,” said Maya.
“He responds to authority. Must be all of the brainwashing from Brent, but when Dad spoke in his harsh tone, Seth listened,” I added.
“I don't trust him. He stares at Aurora every chance he gets. It's creepy,” said Fletcher.
“Territorial much?” laughed Maya. “Maybe he has a secret crush on our resident redhead? Wants to make sure they don't become extinct.”
“Hilarious.” I rolled my eyes at her. “And gross. I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole.”
“Your loss. The whole fate of redheads may rest on the two of you.” She shook her head in mock disappointment.
I ignored her comment and relaxed onto my bed. “Night Maya. Night Fletch,” I said closing my eyes.
“Night,” they replied in unison.
* * *
The heat of the day woke me from my deep sleep. The stickiness of my sweat made my clothes cling to me in odd places and the dryness of my mouth made it hard to swallow.
“Afternoon sweetheart.” Dad sat beside me leaning against the tree.
“You have water?” I groaned.
Dad chuckled handing me a canister. “Rough sleep?”
“My body's aching like a herd of elephants ran over me.” I sat up and took a long gulp of water relishing the instant relief.
“No elephants in this part of the world I'm afraid.”
I handed him back the canister and sat up brushing my hair with my fingers. “I always wondered where I got my red hair from. Guess now I know.”
His face softened. “Your mother had a head of fiery red hair like yours. I didn't know her for long but you look like her. I think that's why Jenifer found it so hard to accept you as her own, your birth mother stared back at her each time you did.”
I shuffled back to relax against the tree beside Dad. “I can't imagine what it was like for you to lose your baby.”
“It wasn't easy. We cried together for a long time. Every time we spoke of her. Then you would smile and it would take all the pain away. I've tried to be sorry we took you from your parents and brought you with us to Utopia, but I'm selfish, I can't bring myself to regret it.” He picked at the dirt beside him as he spoke.
“I'm happy you did.” I told him. “Who knows where I'd be or if I would've survived?”
Dad opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Lark. “Sorry Aurora, can I steal your father for a moment?”
“Sure,” I replied.
Dad stood to go to Lark. “Love you sweat heart.”
“I love you too Dad.”
Standing from my bed I grabbed a mandarin from my backpack and began peeling it as I wandered towards the other tree where Maya, Tyler, Fletcher and Alice were scratching at the ground with sticks.
“What are you all up to?” I asked hovering over them.
“Playing knots and crosses,” replied Alice not looking up from her game.
“She means naughts and crosses. It's a game, here we'll show you,” said Tyler handing me his stick.
Alice swept at the ground with her hand making it level again. “Do you want to be circles or crosses?”
“Circles please,” I replied.
“The aim of the game is to get three circles in a row, across, down or diagonally on this game board.” Fletcher began scratching lines into the dirt making nine squares joined together. “You and Alice take turns drawing your symbol. Yours a circle, hers a cross, until you either run out of squares or one of you gets three in a row. It's great fun.”
“You first,” said Alice. “Draw a circle in one of them.”
I drew a circle in the centre box and watched as Alice drew a cross in the bottom left corner. We each drew two more symbols before Alice screeched with excitement. “I win, I win. I'm the winner.”
“Alice, you don't rub it in the losers face. Aurora hasn't played before,” scolded Tyler.
Alice's excitement faded. “Sorry Aurora.”
“It's okay. I sucked and you won fair and square. Want to play again?” I asked her.
Her face lit back up and she began rubbing out our game.
“You want to come for a little walk?” Maya asked Tyler. “Give you a break and they can watch Alice for bit.”
Tyler looked to me for an answer.
“I've got a lot to learn and I haven't had a chance to hang out with Alice since we left the camp. You and Maya go for a walk,” I said.
Maya shot me a thank you smile and her and Tyler stood and strolled towards the other tree.
“Keep your hands to yourself,” Fletcher called after them.
I smacked him on the arm.
“What?”
“Leave them alone. It'll be good for Tyler to have a break and talk to your sister.”
“I don't know the guy. She doesn't know the guy,” he argued.
“You didn't care last night when you were teasing her.”
“That was fun. I didn't realise she actually liked him. How do we know what he's really like?”
“Tyler's the best guy ever,” said Alice.
I gave her a wink. “He sure is. Why don't you show me how to play this game again?”
Alice began explaining how she'd beat me and I looked towards Maya and Tyler who were standing at the edge of the shade. Maya's arms were flying all over the place and Tyler tilted his head back laughing. After everything Tyler had been through he needed to laugh, and after years of being a rebel living in the Undercity of Utopia, Maya deserved some happiness of her own.
By the time the sun began its decent towards the horizon I was happy for the coolness of the breeze to return. We packed our backpacks and lifted them onto our shoulders ready for the next leg of our journey.
“We should make it to the camp in five hours or so according to Mick. Let's roll out.” Lark spun his finger in the air and we all began our walk towards the beacon in the distance that was Eden.
Seth hung at the back of the group with my father keeping watch over him and Maya and Tyler strode along with Alice.
“I can't wait for the day we don't have to walk anymore. I think I'll find myself a comfy couch and refuse to use my feet again,” said Fletcher.
“Sounds amazing.” I took a moment to daydream about resting my feet for more than a
few hours. “Remember the day we walked across the entire length of Utopia to get out and do something?”
“It took us three hours and we thought it was such a long time.” He laughed.
“We've walked a thousand times that now. Who would've thought?”
“Do you ever miss Utopia?” he asked me.
I wasn't sure. There was nothing left for me on Utopia anymore. No family, no friends. All I'd left behind was my clothing and computer tablet. “I don't think so. I miss having a bed and a roof over my head. Oh, and easy access to food and water. But other than the basics, no, I don't. Do you?”
He shrugged. “My lifestyle on Utopia was so much easier. Maids, food, computer games, but I'm not sure I could go back now. It'd be weird you know? I didn't realise how spoilt I was while people were down on Earth fighting to survive. The thought of the way we lived makes me sick now. I do miss my parents though, especially my mum. I think about her every day.”
“Your mum is a nice lady. She was always kind to me.”
Fletcher's shoulders relaxed forward. “Do you think I'll ever get to see her again?”
“I don't know Fletch. But all we can do is hope right? If I can find my dead father, I can't see why you couldn't see your mum again.”
A piercing scream ripped through the air and I spun around on my heel to find Maya in the grip of a man with a knife to her throat. The man sneered at our group his eyes landing on Tyler. It was Brent. He'd found us.
Chapter Seventeen
A grin spread across Seth's lips and he left my dad's side to stand beside Brent as Lula stepped out from behind him stern faced.
“Let us take Alice with us and we'll let your friend go,” she declared with an air of confidence.
It was a bold move. Pouncing upon a group of ten when you were a duo. But watching Brent press the blade of his knife to Maya's throat made my stomach queasy. They had one of us, and it meant they were in control.
Maya stop struggling and Fletcher moved towards her. I gripped onto his arm, holding him back. Frightened he would do something stupid and get Maya killed.
“How'd you find us?” asked Lark looking between Lula and Seth.
“Why don't you ask your resident scientist, Ben?” asked Brent, the corner of his mouth quirking up.
“Me?” Dad thought for a moment before smacking his forehead. “Dammit. Trackers. You've been wearing a tracker this whole damned time haven't you Seth?”
Seth lifted his chin. “Invented by our favourite deceitful scientist. I was surprised you didn't pick up on it earlier and have it removed.” He bent down and pulled a small device from his boot.
Dad sighed. “I thought I was getting through to you.”
“He's loyal to me and our church. He did what was necessary, that's all,” said Brent looking over at Seth with a proud smile. Seth stood a little taller.
“I guess it explains why you were so happy to accompany us. But it doesn't explain why you and your wife want Alice so badly? Why can't you let them go, Brent? They mean you no harm,” asked Lark.
Brent opened his mouth to reply, but instead Lula stepped closer to Alice holding out her arms. “Alice is my daughter. Honey are you okay? Mama has missed you so much.”
Alice looked up at Tyler clinging onto his leg.
Tyler lifted her into his arms. “She's not your daughter. She was the daughter of Synthia and Jackson.”
Lula clenched her jaw before ignoring Tyler's words and turning on her charm. “Alice dear, come to Mama. You miss Mama don't you?”
Alice pressed herself against Tyler's chest. “I don't have a Mama. My mummy died.”
Lula's eyes widened and her face paled. “Yes you do. I'm your Mama. This is your Dada; don't you remember us?”
Alice buried her head into Tyler's shoulder crying.
“Don't cry dear. Mama and Dada are here to take you home, take you away from these bad people.” Lula gritted her teeth as though holding back some internal rage. She was losing, and from what I could tell neither she nor Brent liked to lose.
“They aren't the bad people you are,” cried Alice a defiance in her gaze.
“Aurora, could you take her please?” Tyler asked me.
Alice turned for me to take her from her brother's grasp and I took a few more steps away from Lula and Brent.
Lula couldn't hold in her anger any longer. Her eyes grew wild as she scolded Alice. “You ungrateful little brat. When your mother chose death over you we took you in and treated both of you as if you were our own. And this is how you repay us?”
“My mother didn't choose death and you know it.” Tyler narrowed his eyes at her and stood his ground.
“She would be so disappointed in you. She may have lost her way in the end, but she wanted you to be part of our church and all you've done is fight us every step of the way. Even though we were feeding you, clothing you and putting a roof over your ungrateful head,” said Lula.
Tyler balled his fists at his side. “Stop talking like you knew my mother.” He took off running at her but Brent released Maya, pushing her back towards the group and stalked in towards Tyler, knife aimed at his chest. Tyler stopped in his tracks raising his palms in the air.
Lark stepped forward as did Braven, but they were defenceless with him so close to Tyler. One false move and he could slice him open.
“I've put up with your crap for years. All of your defiance and fighting the church. I'm the prophet, God chose me to lead these people,” Brent scowled.
“God didn't choose you. You're a sad excuse for a human who takes delight in torturing, manipulating, and intimidating other people. With all of the sins you've committed you'll be going straight to hell,” spat Tyler.
Brent lunged forward with the knife, but Tyler grabbed hold of his hand and twisted it pulling the knife from his grasp. Lula stepped forward a little but stopped when Mick stepped forward aiming his gun's long barrel into Brent's chest.
“Brent!” she cried before turning her hate towards Mick. “You savage, let him go.”
“Who do you think you are?” growled Brent.
Mick remained silent, gun poised. Molly took her position at his side teeth bared.
Brent turned his attention back to Tyler. “We didn't want you. No, no one ever wanted you. Even your own mother chose death over you. We wanted Alice, but having her meant taking you in as well.”
“You can't have her Brent. Give up, go home,” said Dad.
“Brent, you promised me. You promised me you'd get her back,” Lula cried.
Brent turned to speak to Lula in a calming tone. “It's okay, we'll get another child. One without a meddling brother.”
Lula wiped at her tears with her forearm and swept her long blonde hair over her shoulder before stepping towards him. “All of these years I've been listening to you tell everyone you're the chosen one, you're the prophet.”
Mick swept the barrel between both of them.
Lula stilled for a moment, but straightened her back. “All I ever wanted was a little girl. When I met you, you promised me the world. A beautiful home, a family. I stuck by you all these years despite you being unable to give me what I wanted. You call yourself a prophet. Why can't you talk to that God of yours and tell him what I want. No, instead I had to go get it on my own.”
“It doesn't work that way Lula, you know this.” Brent ignored the gun and begged for his wife to believe him.
“Do I? What makes you so special God would choose you? An impotent fool who can't give his wife a child.” A tear ran over Lula's cheek.
“Lula, you don't mean that…” The guilt of what he couldn't give her was written all over his face.
“Don't I? Do you know what I had to do to get a daughter of my own? I had to commit sins your God would strike me down for. Now you're letting these people take her away from me.” Tears streamed over her pale cheeks.
Tyler knuckles turned white he gripped the hilt of Brent's knife so tight. “It's true, isn't it? You killed my mo
ther. What was the plan? Kill my parents then steal my sister?”
“Your dad wasn't meant to die.”
“Who was then? My mother?” he asked.
She narrowed her eyes at him and stepped closer. “Your mother was a little whore, drawing attention from the men in camp with her supposed beauty. Stealing the attention of my husband while possessing the one thing I couldn't have… a baby girl.”
Tyler's muscles went rigid. “My mother wasn't a whore. She loved my father with her whole heart. Your husband chased her but she wanted none of it. He thinks the women of the camp should fall at his feet. He is the prophet after all, who wouldn't want to be with him, right? The truth is, my mother was beautiful, and you were jealous.”
Lula stepped forward and slapped Tyler hard across the face. “I was not jealous.” Her voice screeched. “And I told her. Right before I crushed the last breath out of her with these very hands.” She shook her hands in Tyler's face.
Tyler stood motionless. Alice's body shuddered as she cried into my neck and I wrapped her tighter, ignoring my own tears.
Brent shook his head furiously. “No, you said she killed herself. You killed Synthia. How could you?”
The sadness and disappointment in Brent's face made Lula swallow hard. “I used to see the way you looked at her. You stopped looking at me like I was beautiful years ago. And I wanted a daughter so desperately.”
Tyler looked into Lula's eyes with a hatred I hadn't seen before. “You bitch,” he growled.
Lula lifted her hand to slap Tyler once more before hunching over and releasing a blood curdling scream. Tyler stepped back in shock, dropping a bloodied knife from his hand and stumbling back watching Lula slump forward. Brent pushed the barrel of Micks gun aside and ran to his wife as Maya ran to Tyler.
“No, no. What have you done? My Lula, my beautiful Lula. I never loved her my love, you were the only one for me.” Brent scrambled to press down on her wounds as Lula gasped for air.
“You killed her. You evil little,” Brent ran at Tyler, bloodied knife in hand and a loud boom echoed through the air.
Brent's stopped in his tracks and dropped the knife patting his hands all over his body. Mick lowered his gun he'd shot into the air and pointed it back at Brent.
Eden (Secrets of Aurora Book 2) Page 13