The Dociles

by Valerie Puri

  As Ethan kissed Jennie, he felt the pull of attraction toward her growing stronger. His heart beat faster when she was near. The sound of her voice was sweeter than any birdsong. When she spoke, her lips entranced him. The impulse to kiss Jennie had overwhelmed Ethan. Something about her made him want to pull her close and embrace her. Maybe it was the way the corners of her mouth always turned up into a little grin when she saw him. It felt like a smile just for him.

  He was relieved she returned his affection by kissing him back. He ran his fingers through her silky hair and relished the way she felt in his arms. During this moment, Ethan was able to forget completely about the lemerons, the oppressive wall that surrounded him, the strange disappearances, and the fact that his mother, who abandoned him as a baby, was probably in another building not too far away.

  Ethan broke the kiss and held Jennie’s face in his hands. Her smooth, creamy skin accentuated her blue eyes and made them seem all the more vibrant. Her pink lips were slightly parted. She was beautiful.

  “I – I’ve never been kissed before,” Jennie said in a breathless voice.

  “I’m sorry,” Ethan said. “I’ve never done anything like that. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “No, don’t apologize. It was nice.” Jennie’s cheeks turned a soft pink color. “Have you,” she paused and looked a little embarrassed, “have you ever kissed anyone else?”

  “Yes,” Ethan replied. He saw her face fall. He added “my grandmother. I kissed her on the cheek before I left a few days back.”

  “Don’t tease,” she nudged him playfully.

  “Sorry, I was only joking.” Ethan said, “To answer your question, no. You are the first girl I have ever kissed. I’m glad it was you.”

  Jennie smiled and shifted so she was sitting side by side with him. She reached out to the makeshift table and picked up the paper with the graphite rubbing. “I saw you were studying this when I came in. Do you recognize the symbol at all?”

  “It’s the strangest thing,” Ethan said. “I know I have seen this horse image before, but I can’t recall where.”

  “This is a rubbing I made from the embossed image on the cover of Marlene’s journal.” Jennie said. “Maybe it has something to do with her?”

  “It could be possible that my mother and the horse symbol are somehow related. After all, this instance of the symbol came directly from her journal. I know I have seen this symbol before. Multiple times, too, but I can’t place where.”

  Something bothered Ethan about that symbol. He was searching his mind for an answer that would not come. Ethan closed his eyes tightly and searched the back of his eyelids for the memory. Every time he felt close to placing it, the recollection would elude him. It was like trying to grasp smoke with his bare hands. Sighing with disappointment, Ethan opened his eyes and shook his head.

  “It will come to you,” Jennie said.

  They were both startled by a loud bang from below. There was a great commotion, and a horse whinnied loudly. Jennie’s eyes widened, and she jumped up. “It’s happening.”

  Ethan thought the worst. “What’s happening? Have we been found out? Is this person Sash here to take us away?”

  Jennie didn’t answer. Instead she ran to the ladder and was preparing to go down below where the noise came from. Ethan stood up to follow her.

  “Wait.” Ethan called after her. “What’s going on?”

  Jennie’s head disappeared through the opening in the loft floor as she descended the ladder. A few moments later, he found himself climbing down after her. The pain in his left arm was intense as the injured muscles strained during his rapid descent. This was the most he had used his upper body since the attack. He always took care when using his injured limb, but there was no time for caution now. Jennie could be in danger.

  When he reached the ground, he realized that he had forgotten his knife on the crate. Silently he cursed himself. It was too late now; he would have to make do without it. The adrenaline coursing through him made his limbs feel lighter. Even if his opponent was stronger, he was certain he could be faster. He was stronger than most men and was a good fighter, but the searing pain would make his left arm useless in a struggle.

  “Jennie?” There was no response. His eyes scanned the stables frantically, but she was out of sight.

  33

  Anxiety crept over Ethan as he searched the stable for Jennie. He moved down the corridor peering into each of the stalls hoping to find Jennie or the source of the commotion. Coming from the front of the building were thuds and shuffling as if someone were in a struggle. As he approached the source of sound, Ethan could make out deep, heavy breathing.

  Each stall he passed had its gate latched closed. He peered into each one through metal bars expecting to find Jennie and her assailant. Only horses were found within. One by one, he checked them all. Too much time had gone by. Jennie could be in terrible trouble and he wasn’t there to protect her. He clenched his fists. He didn’t know where she was and there were too many places to check.

  By now, she might not be in the stables at all. Her attacker could have pulled her struggling from the building. He quickened his pace. The loose dirt of the stable floor muffled his footsteps. The gate to Misty’s stall stood ajar. Ethan rushed to it and paused with his body pressed against the wall. Breathing heavily, he mustered his strength. He rounded the corner and entered through the opening.

  The stall was empty except for Misty. She lay on her side, her swollen belly protruding high into the air. The heavy breathing was coming from the mare. Periodically, she would thrash her legs on the hay-covered floor, as if she were running. Everything about her looked normal except for something protruding from her backside.

  Ethan stood transfixed, trying to comprehend what he was seeing when Jennie rushed past him carrying a bucket of water and her medical kit. It all made sense to Ethan in a flash. Misty was giving birth. The commotion they had heard from the loft was probably from Misty lying down and struggling to get into a comfortable position. Jennie must have known the situation, which is why she left the loft so quickly.

  Ethan looked on as Jennie went to work helping the mare deliver her foal. If Jennie noticed Ethan standing there, she ignored him. She focused on was the task at hand. Jennie maneuvered so she was now near the rear of the mare to assess the situation. Jennie nodded to herself as she pulled on a pair of stretchy gloves.

  The mass protruding from Misty was growing larger by the minute. Jennie carefully removed a membrane that covered the foal as it emerged. Ethan could make out its front legs and head. Misty gave a final heave and the foal slid free of her body. It had the same chestnut coat as Misty with a black mane and tail.

  Misty gingerly got to her feet and turned to face her newborn. She lowered her head and smelled the foal at her feet. She began to lick its face and body. The foal reacted to its mother’s contact and lifted its head. It tucked its slender legs in and with strained effort rolled from its side to its belly. Lying there, it breathed in the new surroundings through its small nostrils.

  “Welcome to the world, little one. We will call you Buck,” Jennie stood and began to clean up the area and her supplies.

  Jennie returned to the stall, and for the first time since she left the loft, her eyes met Ethan’s. She smiled broadly at him. “I bet you never saw anything like that before.”

  “No, not at all. I’ve seen birds hatching, but that was just incredible. You were incredible.” Ethan took Jennie’s hand in his. “For so long, I have only seen death at the hands of the lemerons. Watching a new life being born is refreshing. It gives me renewed hope that even though the world we live in is full of peril, good things are still possible.”

  Ethan still could not believe how calm Jennie had been. He was sure if their roles were reversed, he would have been petrified. She beamed at him. They both stood there watching Misty nuzzle her colt, happy to momentarily forget their troubles.

  The door to the stable was slammed shu
t, blocking out the afternoon light. Startled, Ethan and Jennie turned around. Travis was bent over with his hands on his knees gasping for breath.

  “Something’s happened. It’s Belle.” Travis said between breaths. He swallowed hard and fear blazed in his eyes. “Sash took her.”

  34

  Jennie’s blood ran cold at Travis’ words.

  “How did it happen?” Jennie asked, her shaky voice betraying her fear and grief for Belle. “How did you find out?”

  “I saw it happen,” Travis said in a small voice.

  Jennie and Ethan were both silent as they waited for Travis to carry on. Ethan placed a hand on Jennie’s shoulder. She felt both comforted and strengthened by his presence. She stepped away from Ethan, letting his hand slide off her shoulder. Pacing, she tried to push the fear from her mind to give way to more rational thinking. She had to keep a clear head if there was any chance of helping Belle.

  “I got to leave early since today was my last day working in the kitchens. I decided to go to the solar farm to see Belle. I went to see if Belle had any luck getting more information about how Madam Marie was taken. She talking to someone, but I couldn’t see who it was. I couldn’t hear anything, but she looked scared.”

  Travis swallowed hard. “I wanted to see who she was afraid of, so I tried to get closer. That’s when she started shaking her head and held her hands out in front of her like she wanted to keep away from this person. She backed up, and the person moved toward her. That’s when I saw him. It was Sash. He was scaring her, and then…” Travis’ voice broke off.

  “Then what? What happened?” Jennie was desperate to know.

  He took a moment to collect himself and continued in an unsteady voice. “Sash grabbed her throat with one hand. He pulled a black bag out of his pocket with his other hand and pulled it over her head.”

  His voice caught in his throat, and he rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. “I heard her scream. I ran to help her, but I stopped running when I saw Sash take something else out of his pocket. He had a syringe in his hand and stabbed Belle in the arm with the needle. Her whole body went limp. I watched as he tossed her over his shoulder like she was a sack of potatoes and carried her away.” Travis dropped to his knees in anguish. “I should have helped her.”

  “Sash would have done the same to you if you had approached him,” Jennie hugged her little brother. He was trembling in her arms. “You did the right thing.”

  Jennie’s mind spun as she tried to digest everything she had just heard. She played the scene in the classroom over and over again in her mind. Sash did not know their names or where they worked, and there was nothing that could lead Sash to them. Except for…

  “Oh no,” Jennie said, her voice barely a whisper. “The note.”

  “What note?” Ethan and Travis asked in unison.

  “That’s how Sash tracked down Belle. I’m sure of it.”

  It was the only explanation which made any sense to her. “Belle and I were the last ones to see Mrs. Townsend before Sash took her. He saw us when we were leaving her classroom. Belle had given Mrs. Townsend a note from her superior at the solar farm to excuse her from missing the first half of school due to work. Sash must have searched Mrs. Townsend’s desk and found the note. It would have given Sash a link to Belle and led him right to her.”

  “Travis, what did you do after Sash carried Belle away?” Ethan asked.

  Travis glanced sideways and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He wouldn’t meet Jennie’s eye. “I followed him.”

  “You what?” Jennie shrieked. She grabbed Travis by the shoulders and began shaking him. “Don’t you know how dangerous that could be? Did he see you?”

  Travis wriggled free from her tight grip. “I had to know where he was taking Belle. I was careful not to be spotted.”

  “How can you be so sure?” Jennie interrupted. “You shouldn’t have done that. What if something happened to you?”

  Ethan stepped forward and spoke for the first time. “Let him finish. He’s the only lead we have to find Belle.”

  Jennie felt as though someone punched her in the stomach. How could Ethan side with her brother on this? She folded her arms and glared at Ethan. They just shared their first kiss together and experienced new life coming into this world. These things brought them closer, but now he was siding with her brother. She felt betrayed.

  “Go on,” Ethan prompted Travis.

  “I followed Sash through town. He only walked down alleys. I guess he didn’t want to be seen carrying a girl with a bag over her head. He wasn’t far from the town square when he entered a small stone shed. I never noticed it before.”

  “Did you notice how long Sash was inside?” Ethan asked.

  “I didn’t stick around. I was the only person in the area and I didn’t want to be there when he came back out,” Travis replied. “After I found out where he took Belle, I ran here.”

  A daunting thought crept into Jennie’s mind. “Travis, were you followed?”

  “What?” Travis asked in a bewildered tone.

  “Were you followed?” Jennie asked with more urgency.

  “No,” Travis answered tentatively. “At least I don’t think so. Why?”

  “We are no longer safe here,” Jennie replied. “If Sash can track down Belle, it is only a matter of time before he comes after us.”

  “What do we do? Where will Ethan stay if it is not safe here?” Travis asked.

  A plan formulated in Jennie’s mind. “Today I spoke with Uncle Albert at the Apothecary shop. He knew of Mrs. Townsend’s and Madam Marie’s disappearances.”

  “But there hasn’t even been a Commune announcement about Madam Marie, how could Uncle Albert have known?” Travis asked.

  “There are other people in the Commune like us. Others who are trying to uncover what is really going on. They call themselves Truth Seekers. Uncle Albert is one of them, and he can be trusted. He told me that a secret group of people is behind these disappearances. Sash is only one of the people involved with our friends being taken.”

  Jennie spoke directly to Travis. “It is imperative you trust no one unless you are introduced by someone like Uncle Albert or myself. Unless you know and trust them, do not speak to anyone about Ethan or the disappearances.” Travis nodded as Jennie continued to speak. “Uncle Albert has arranged for me to meet someone tonight that we can trust. The meeting will take place in the Apothecary shop. Travis, when I go to the meeting tonight, I want you to stay here with Ethan.”

  “Take me with you to the meeting. I can help.” Travis protested.

  “Travis, even though Uncle Albert is trustworthy, something could still go wrong tonight. If something happens to me and I don’t return, let Father know everything that has been going on. I need you to do this.” He nodded in agreement. Jennie turned to Ethan, “Ethan, please look after my brother if I don’t come back.”

  “I will.” Ethan took Jennie’s hand and stared at her. “And I know you will come back.”

  A warm tingling radiated up her arm from where he held her hand. Jennie smiled at Ethan. She felt like she could breath a little easier.

  Tonight she would meet with Uncle Albert and one of the Truth Seekers. Once she learned who could be relied upon, she would relocate Ethan to a safer place. Somewhere Sash would not be able to find him.

  35

  Jennie felt like she would throw up. Sash abducted her best friend and she felt responsible. If she never took Belle to see Mrs. Townsend before class, Sash would have never seen them. They would have believed the lie that lemerons seized Mrs. Townsend outside of the wall. But then Sash would have found the incriminating book that Jennie now protected.

  Was ignorance better than knowing the truth? The truth was dangerous. Belle was kidnapped because of what she knew. Jennie’s lip trembled. She needed to cry, but she needed to do it alone. Seeking a moment of solitude, she left the stable and ventured into the apple orchard.

  Mindlessly, Jennie let h
er feet guide her deeper and deeper through the trees. She cast out all of her thoughts and just focused on the gentle rise and fall of the terrain. The setting sun painted a beautiful canvas of oranges and reds in the sky above her. Jennie listened as a cool autumn breeze rustled the leaves in the trees around her creating a playful flutter of music. She inhaled the air that was perfumed with the scent of apples, although today it didn’t smell as sweet.

  On a nearby apple tree, a delicate leaf on the end of a branch danced in the breeze. Jennie stopped walking and watched as it waved back and forth, influenced by the unseen force of the wind. Jennie felt a lot like that leaf. Always being pushed or pulled one way or another by the confines of the society that she lived in. The more information that she uncovered, the more disillusioned she was with the Commune.

  A subtle gust of wind blew through the trees, and Jennie watched as the dancing little leaf broke free from its branch and floated away. Her eyes followed as it was carried on the breeze until it flew out of sight. The leaf was free now, but Jennie was not. She began to cry.

  36

  Sash rushed into Victor’s study and sat across from him by the fire. His chest swelled with pride. He had tracked down a major problem and taken care of it. This was the kind of update Victor always enjoyed. Sash sat forward in his chair, eager to tell of his triumph.

  “What news?” Victor asked.

  Sash scooted even further to the edge of his seat. He found it hard to sit. He wanted to move about the room and pantomime the victorious encounter with the undesirable Belle. Instead, he gripped the arms of the chair. Since Victor was sitting, so too he must sit.

  “I went back to the school and searched Eleanor’s classroom. At first I didn’t expect to find anything there. She’s clever and wouldn’t leave incriminating information lying about. I was going through her desk when I found a lead. It was a note excusing a student from class, and it was dated the day I took Eleanor.”