“What?” I am appalled.
“I’ll stay with you tonight,” he informs Brooke. Then he turns to me. “It’s the only way.” He turns back to Brooke. “On one condition. I want to see the motorbike. Make sure there is a real payoff for us.”
“Of course. Right this way.” She walks us out of her boudoir and into the oppressive heat of her camp. “There.” She points to a field not far from the tents. “There are seven of them.” Phoenix is staring hard at the bikes.
“Keys?” he asks.
“You haven’t changed a bit.” She smiles. “Tonight should be lots of fun.”
She is toying with him, and her words make me want to vomit.
“Oh all right.” She speaks in a normal tone. “The keys are in the ignitions. No need to hide them. No one steals from me and lives.” Brooke looks pointedly at me then at Phoenix and smiles. “Shall we?” Brooke asks, slipping her hand in his, exactly where mine should be.
“What about Veronica?” he asks.
“She’s welcome to watch.” There’s a lilt of optimism in her voice.
“I’ll pass,” I hiss. “I’m sure I won’t be missing much.”
“Your loss,” she giggles, sounding sugary sweet. “Why doesn’t Veronica sit right there then?” She points to a tree stump just outside her tent. “I’ll get someone to fetch a sleeping bag for her in case she gets sleepy.” I plop down on the stump, unable to comprehend the surrealism of the situation. “Oh all right, she can go in there if she wants.” Brooke points to an empty tent directly across the way.
“No one touches her,” Phoenix orders.
“No one does anything around here without my permission,” Brooke snaps.
“Fine. Then make sure you tell them not to touch her. I’m going to check out the bikes.”
“Don’t trust me?” Brooke asks, batting her eyes again.
“Never have.” Phoenix walks away. As soon as Phoenix reaches the bikes, Brooke turns to me, her eyes red with anger.
“You’ll never completely have him you know.”
“I already do,” I tell her, smiling. She looks at me, confused. In my heart, I know what Phoenix had said to me is right. Farnsworth could never have what’s in my heart, and Brooke could never have what’s in his. Brooke looks toward Phoenix. I see the beauty in her profile, but I also see the anger. “Brooke, I know it’s none of my business, but, how did you end up here?”
“At this camp?” she asks, turning to me.
“At this camp, yes, but also in this position as an angry leader. How does a woman who looks like you end up here?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” Suddenly I realize her hatred for me is based on jealousy and not just dislike. She looks at Phoenix and then back to me. “I’m an AB. You know there are so many of us. Always have been a glut.”
“Until now,” I say sadly, and she nods, agreeing.
“But when I was young, there were plenty of AB’s. There weren’t plenty of girls who looked like me. So they let me stay with my mother with the understanding that as soon as I turned fourteen, I would be matched for the Couplings.”
“At fourteen?” I’m disgusted. Brooke only nods.
“So, for my fourteenth birthday my mother paid someone—a Traveler—to take me as far from the city as he could. I think she had hoped my beauty would get me into the Inferno, and there I could blend with the locals until I was old enough to marry. The first Traveler she hired took me to the other side of the city and dumped me. He took her money and ran. The government officials found me and knew I’d be easy to match. But because I’d run, Farnsworth made my first match with Lucus.”
“Lucus?”
“The man you met when you first came in. He’s nice enough,” she looks down at her feet when she says this. “But he’s not the man a fourteen-year-old wants to be matched with.”
“I would say not.” I think of Lucus’s greasy, gray hair and festering, bulbous nose.
“Farnsworth claimed together there was a chance for better than an AB.”
“How did you escape?” I ask, my attention rapt.
“Lucus couldn’t believe his luck. He was enamored by my beauty. I told him he could be with me that one time, and I would make him hate every moment of it, or we could escape the Coupling house together and run. I told him if he helped me break free, he could be close to me always, just not in a Coupling way.”
“It worked?”
“He couldn’t bear the thought of being without me.” She shrugs.
Then I think of something. “Everyone I’ve seen at this camp is male. Is that what you do? Use your beauty to control men and make them do whatever you want?”
“Worked every time except one.” She looks at Phoenix. Brooke straightens up and pulls down the waistband of her fitted shirt. We’ve become much too chummy. “Phoenix,” she calls, and he puts up a hand to wave to her. Within moments, he has come over to us. He walks up to me.
“I will get you as soon as I can.” He lets his hand linger on my cheek before he drops it and turns away. Brooke takes Phoenix’s hand and leads him into her tent, smiling at me over her shoulder.
Chapter Twenty-One
For two hours, I’ve been sitting on this stump staring at Brooke’s tent. Something perverse is holding me here. My mind keeps telling me to hop on a bike and take off, but my heart has nailed my feet to the earth. For two hours, the boy I care about more than I ever thought possible has been in a hot, dark, romantic tent with a stunning woman who wants him. Countless times, I wanted to barge in but was afraid I would see something I could never forget. Yet, despite it all, my heart tells me to stay put.
I stare at the stars in the sky and wonder so many things. Do my girls see these stars, or are they locked up somewhere with blood-sucking machines attached to them? What about Gretchen? How is she, and what has she decided to do? Where are Gunnar and Lulu? Will Lulu ever come back to me? A shooting star passes overhead, but I don’t need to wonder about that one. “Hello Mom,” I whisper. Suddenly everything feels okay and the emptiness in me is filled with warmth and security. A mother’s love will transcend all.
Seconds later, Phoenix rushes out of Brooke’s tent. “Ronnie,” he whispers, holding out his hand. “Let’s go.” I stand up and look at it, but I just can’t take his hand. I latch my fingers around the straps of my backpack to make it seem like my hands are otherwise engaged. Together, we walk quickly but steadily to the bikes. Phoenix tilts a bike upright and pushes up the kickstand. Quietly he rolls the bike forward, and I walk beside him in silence. It’s difficult moving through the darkness, but when we are finally a mile or so clear of Brooke’s camp, Phoenix mounts the bike and turns the key. I see him exhale when the engine turns over.
“Hop on.” He nods his head to the seat behind him and I climb on.
The bike is fairly small, and we are cramped on the seat, but I am eternally grateful for the ride.
“We should have a fighting chance. Gunnar is moving a large group on foot. We’ll stay ahead of him with this. Wrap your arms around me,” he shouts over the roar of the engine.
I hesitate, but then I put both arms around his abdomen just to keep from falling off. My head leans forward, and I rest it on his back for a second, allowing myself to forget what just transpired between Phoenix and Brooke. Phoenix strokes my hand, holding it for a moment, and then we are off.
Mile after mile we ride, pushing the bike to its limit. Pure adrenaline works its way through me, and I give my body over to the movement of the bike. I sway through every turn and dig my nails into Phoenix’s abdomen as he pushes the bike faster and faster. I am caught up in the pure ecstasy of the machine, but still have nothing but time to think. I wonder, over and over again, what we will do once we reach the Letting facility? How will we get in? How will I find the girls? And how will we save them? Slowly the woods fall away behind us, and we are on open roads. These roads lead to more roads and then even more. I look ahead to the multilane highway with trepidation. It is proof we
’ll be in the Inferno soon.
“We have to cross a huge bridge,” I yell, and Phoenix nods. One wrong turn and we’ll end up back in the city. Before we reach the open highway, Phoenix pulls over to a tiny rest stop with a gas pump.
“We need gas,” he explains. “We’re on empty. We’ll have to steal some somehow, or there’s no way to keep going. If we abandon the bike and hitchhike, there’s a real chance we’ll be recognized. We are running the risk even here.” He looks around warily. “You’re infamous by now.”
I nod. “So what do we do?”
“You’ll have to distract the owner of the gas pump while I siphon gas from one of his other vehicles.”
“Okay, should I distract him the same way you distracted Brooke?” I know it’s incredibly petty, but I can’t seem to help myself. As soon as I say it, I’m immediately regretful.
“Sorry,” I mutter. Phoenix doesn’t acknowledge me. We both look around at an incredibly empty lot.
“There has to be some vehicle we can siphon from in the back,” Phoenix decides. “How about we worry about getting gas first, then we’ll deal with our personal stuff later.”
“Fine,” I mumble, embarrassed. We roll the bike around to the back and find an old man sitting on a tattered lawn chair. He has a distressed hat pulled down tightly over his eyes, and his arms are crossed in front of him, cradling a shotgun. He sits under a lone lamp, attached to the building.
“Is he asleep?” I whisper.
“Even when I’m asleep, I’m awake,” the old man chortles, startling us both.
“Oh, well, hello,” Phoenix exclaims. “We need some gas. Can you help us out?”
“You got money?” the old man asks.
“Not exactly. But I do have opportunity.”
“What’s that?” The old man lifts his hat and looks at us. I take a step back into the darkness, hoping he doesn’t recognize me.
“Opportunity, for a better life. Help us out here and give us enough gas to get us into the New World.” I notice he is careful not to call it the Inferno. “We can promise you a better life.”
“How’s that?” the old man asks, sounding interested.
“I’m Phoenix Day.” I’m touched he’s used the name I gave him. “I’m the leader of the Peaceful Revolution. I am heading to the New World to free us all from their clutches.”
The old man chuckles, and I look at Phoenix. He is unwavering.
“Oh, I know who you are.” The old man wheezes as he speaks. “And I know your girlfriend there, too. You’re the boy who started off with all that promise, but who never rallied the people like we all hoped you would.”
“Yes,” Phoenix replies quietly. “That’s me.” I slip my hand into Phoenix’s and squeeze.
“And your girlfriend there,” the old man points at me. “Well, she’s Veronica Billings. Thing is,” he raises his gun, “I just don’t know whose side she’s on at this moment.”
“I’m on the right side.” I stand tall in front of this man.
“Well, I’m glad to hear it.” The old man looks up at me. “But whose right is it? Yours or mine?”
“I’m hoping they’re the same.” I am painfully aware with every endless second we stand here, the girls are being Let. And then there’s Brooke, who must be on her way to find us and seek revenge by now.
“You want me to give you some gas so you can go make another lame attempt to overthrow the government? Why would I do that? May not be a lot, but Principal Leader Farnsworth makes sure I have food on my table and gas in my pump. He’s the reason I can make a living. For me and my three boys up there.” The old man nods to the house behind us.
I look at the house and in each of three separate windows, I see a tall young man pointing a shotgun straight at us.
“Just a little protection,” the old man chuckles to himself. “So, by the sound of it, all you’re offering me is a free-for-all, and I ain’t interested in that.”
“Fine…” Phoenix responds, never completely discouraged. “But if you’d just listen to our reasons—”
“He doesn’t want our reasons,” I interject. I understand this man and his fear. When you have so very little, you are terrified of losing it. “I’m sorry to interrupt, Phoenix, but this man is a businessman, not a philosopher. Am I right, sir?”
“Maybe,” he grumbles, eyeing me. “What do you have to say?’
“What Farnsworth gives you is the bare minimum you need to survive. Wouldn’t you like to have more?”
“Wouldn’t everyone?”
“Well, your current way of life is in jeopardy.” I can tell I have his attention. “Your days of sitting here, collecting something for nothing are over. Farnsworth is ill, and he’ll be getting worse. That’s why we’re making our move now. And unless Phoenix can get to the New World to serve as interim Principal Leader, someone else will. And that someone is power-hungry and greedy. If he doesn’t kill you, he will seize your property and seal off your way of making a living because you’re not of any service to him. Gas is everywhere,” I explain. “You’re an old man. He doesn’t need you. And your boys? They look strong. They’ll be sent off to the city to work in a factory.”
The man looks at me, his eyes wide. He uses the barrel of his gun to push his hat further up on his head. “Go on.”
“So your best option is to put something aside for your survival. But I’ll bet you don’t have any extra cash lying around do you?”
“No,” he admits, looking at his tiny shop. “No, I don’t.”
“Then here’s the deal. Since you know who I am, you must know I’m one of only a few remaining O’s. The other three are children who, combined, can’t make my weight. You go grab a funnel and an empty pint container from an old oil can or something. You fill up our tank, and I’ll give you a half-pint of pristine O.”
“Ronnie, no,” Phoenix blurts.
“It’s okay, Phoenix. I can do this.” I turn to the old man. “Then you sell my blood on the black market. You’ll make enough for the four of you to live for years without worrying about money one bit.”
“You got yourself a deal there, little lady,” the old man says greedily, and he stands, eager to get the funnel and pint.
“Gas first.” It is my one stipulation.
“No way,” the old man challenges. “You want gas, blood first. There’s no way I’m gonna risk you taking off without paying me.”
“Fine.” I see no way around it. The man leaves to get the paraphernalia.
“Ronnie…” Phoenix holds my hands and speaks urgently. “I can’t let you do this.”
“So what are we going to do, Phoenix? Kill him?”
“No.”
“Then we have no choice, because even if we wanted to kill him, which we don’t, those boys would shoot us in a second.”
“But Ron—”
“You’ve made your tough choices.” I stare at Phoenix. “Now I’m making mine.”
The old man returns with one of his sons who is carrying a funnel and pint. “Let’s go,” the old man urges.
“Okay, but we pump the gas simultaneously. That’s the best you’re going to get.”
“Fine.”
We push the bike to the front of the building and stick the nozzle of the gas pump into the gas tank of the bike.
“Can I have your knife please?” I ask Phoenix.
Reluctantly, he hands it to me. With a swift motion, I cut off a piece of my jacket and use it as a tourniquet on my arm. “You have any alcohol?” I ask the old man.
“Nope.” His son looks at him. I look from his son back to the old man.
“Whiskey?” I ask.
The old man hesitates.
“You can buy a hell of a lot more whiskey if my blood isn’t contaminated.”
The old man reaches into his pocket and pulls out a flask. I douse the inside of my left arm with the whiskey. Without thinking twice, I make a deep cut on the inside of my forearm.
“Ugh,” I grunt through cl
enched teeth and Phoenix moves to help me. “No. Pump the gas!”
He does as I ask as my blood flows into the funnel and down into the pint container. Even in the semi-darkness, we are incredibly exposed in the front of the store, but we have no choice. I count the seconds in my head.
“Done,” Phoenix yells and I release the tourniquet. Quickly I hold my arm upright and cover the cut with my jacket. I apply as much pressure as possible. “You need stitches,” he whispers.
I just shake my head. I am starting to tremble now, my teeth chattering together.
“That’s not a half-pint,” claims the old man.
“It’s more than you need,” I say, hopping on the back of the bike before the old man and his sons decide to hold us as hostages. “You’ll get a fortune for that.” I see the son fumbling with the blood, and he nearly spills it. “Let’s go,” I whisper to Phoenix. We need to get away now, while the man and his son are preoccupied. I wedge my bleeding arm between Phoenix’s back and my abdomen, and I hold on for dear life. We peel out of the gas station and head for the highways of the Inferno.
****
One road morphs into another and soon more and more lanes lay out before us. I feel tiny and exposed riding on the back of the bike, but strangely, I’m grateful for the unease. It may be all that’s keeping me alive. Soon we begin to pass vehicles that look shiny and new, and the passengers are no longer simply government workers. They are families with children and…pets. Gretchen was right. These people do keep small animals just for fun. I feel like we’ve landed on another planet. Up ahead, we see the bridge that connects us to the New World.
“There it is,” I yell and Phoenix nods.
The bridge looks so much larger from our tiny bike. I’ve only ever seen glimpses of it from the back of a truck or those two times I flew over it. I close my eyes and push myself tightly against Phoenix as we start to cross the bridge. I open my eyes and peek out to see we are going over a wide river that flows right into a bay not too far away. That bay leads to the ocean where Farnsworth lives. I close my eyes again and feel the mist from the water splash against my face. There is such a juxtaposition of pain and pleasure in my body that I can barely stand it. All too soon, I feel our bike heading off an exit, and we officially have willingly entered the Inferno. Phoenix brings the bike to a stop and turns to speak to me.
The Letting Page 22