“We can, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to worry.”
“There’s never going to be a time when you don’t worry.” I spoke the truth.
“Maybe one day.” The wistful note in his voice wasn’t lost on me.
“Maybe one day… yes. We always talk about one day.” That seemed to be the mantra of our lives now. We were always hoping to get somewhere one day. Sometimes I wondered if it was code for after we died.
I looked out the window at the landscape whizzing by. It was mostly trees until once in awhile you’d see the outline of a house or building taken over completely by ivy and other growth. Instead of sleeping I passed the time wondering about the people who used to live and frequent those buildings. Where were they now? Were any of them still around? Hiding amongst the trees the way we’d hid out in the farmland?
I was about to pull my eyes from the window when I saw an old swing set, next to a large building. It was a school. An old school. I tried to imagine a time when kids would actually get to play outside. To spend their days learning away from home with peers. That would only happen in a world with lots of children. It wouldn’t occur during Bailey’s time. I wouldn’t even pretend that was a possibility, but maybe for the next generation. Maybe one day. If there was ever an overused phrase, that was it.
The drive wore on, and I was once again contemplating sleep when Denver slowed and turned off the dirt road we were traveling on.
“What’s going on?” Mason tensed.
“We’re almost there.” Denver shot over his shoulder. “Looks like we’ll make it just as the sun comes up.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” I glanced out and saw the faint lines of the rising sun.
“It means you’ll get to take a look at the place.”
He turned onto another road, and we drove across a bridge that looked like it could barely hold the weight of the car. A wooden sign hung at the side, but the only letters I could make out were CAM.
“What’s Cam?” I asked when we safely reached the far side of the bridge.
“Nothing. But Camp is a word. This place was an old camp.”
“A camp? Like a work camp?” I shuddered. I’d heard about those before.
“No.” He shook his head. “A summer camp. For children.”
He continued the slow drive onto a dirt road with tree roots all over. He swerved back and forth to avoid hitting any of the largest roots.
“A summer camp for children?” I tried to understand the meaning. “What are you talking about?”
He groaned. “You people know nothing of history.”
“We’re lucky we can read.” Quinn adjusted Bailey in her lap so she was facing forward. Bailey yawned and rubbed her eyes. “We can only do that because our parents took the time to teach us.”
“I wasn’t referring to you and your sister specifically. The others are just as bad.”
“Oh.” Quinn stretched one arm above her head.
“There was a time when parents would send their children to camp in the summer to build independence, make friends, do lots of activities they couldn’t do at home,” Denver explained.
“Sounds like fun.” Addison said in a sleepy voice as if she’d just woken up.
“That was the point.”
“And this community is built at one of these places?” Maverick in contrast to the rest of us sounded wide awake.
“Yes. We have worked to make it inhabitable again.”
An orange glow from the sun lit the sky as we pulled into a clearing, and Denver stopped the van, parking on the grass. A large wood and brick building was to one side, and off to the other side was a circle of wooden cabins with triangle shaped roofs.
“That building over there,” Denver gestured to the large one. “That’s the mess hall, the cafeteria, if you will. The smaller buildings are cabins. These were the girls’ cabins at this camp I believe. There’s another circle just like this a way down, but we haven’t been able to restore those quite as well. We’ll end up tearing them down, reusing the wood, and building new ones.”
He turned off the engine, and no one moved for a few moments.
“Stay calm,” Denver directed. “They know we’re here.” He pushed open his door, and as if taking our cue, the rest of us scrambled out into the early morning light.
Once on the grass I took an inventory of our group. Most importantly I looked over at where Quinn stood holding Bailey tightly in her arms. I’d barely seen Quinn in the darkness, and now that I could I was saddened by what I saw. She was thin, far thinner than she’d been weeks before, nearly skin and bones. She noticed me staring at her and raised her chin. That was her way of telling me to stop judging. “Why are you reminding us to stay calm? You said everyone here was friendly.”
“They are, but they don’t know who you are. Give them a minute to assess the situation.” Denver looked far more alert than I expected, but he was nervous. That in itself made me nervous.
“Would you like me to hold her?” Maverick made his way over to Quinn’s side.
“No thank you. I have her.” Quinn glanced over at me, and I tried to send her a look to apology if my earlier appraisal insulted her. I was worried about her. That was all.
We waited for someone to come over, and after a few minutes a figure appeared. I expected weapons. I expected men in uniform. What we got was something entirely different.
“Hello, Ramona.” Denver nodded to an older woman who hobbled over to us with the help of a cane.
She smiled broadly as she reached our small circle. “Denver, I see you brought some new friends.”
“Yes. I assured them they would all be safe here.” He hugged her in a familiar way.
“Of course.” She stepped back from the embrace and looked over all of us. She nodded before walking straight toward Quinn.
Quinn froze, and panic marred her face.
“No reason to worry, child. I only wanted to introduce myself to you and your daughter first.” Ramona touched Quinn’s arm. “My name is Ramona, and I can assure you that you and your companions will be safe here.”
Quinn visibly relaxed. “I’m Quinn, and this is Bailey. My sister Kayla is over there.” She nodded toward me.
Ramona looked me over and smiled. “Ah yes, I see the resemblance.”
“And this is Addison.” Denver pointed to where she stood with her arms crossed over her chest. She’d seemed pretty relaxed in the van, but now she was uptight. I didn’t blame her.
Ramona smiled and walked over to her. “Hello, Addison. Thank you for joining us.”
I wondered why she skipped over me and went right to Addison. Maybe she noticed her nervousness.
“Thank you for having us.” Addison crossed her legs at the ankles.
“You don’t have to be nervous here. You’re safe.” Ramona’s voice was tired yet soothing. She had the voice of a storyteller, and I wondered if we’d get to hear her tell us any stories while we were there. It was rare to meet anyone over seventy. Life expectancy had fallen over the last several decades.
“The more you tell us that, the more worried I become.” Addison brushed some of her dark hair off her shoulder. “If it’s safe you shouldn’t need to tell us.”
“Fair enough.” Ramona nodded.
Denver exchanged an unreadable glance with Ramona. “Where’s Jeeves?”
“He’s down by the lake.” Ramona pointed down the steep grass hill.
“There’s a lake here?” Maverick asked looking in the direction Ramona pointed.
“Yes.” She nodded. “It’s safe for swimming. The pool is empty, and we will not be filling that up.”
“Lake? Pool?” Denver wasn’t exaggerating about this place. There must have been far more of it than we’d seen already.
“There is so much more to show you.” Ramona smiled warmly. “Come, come. Breakfast will be ready soon.”
“Breakfast.” Quinn closed her eyes for a moment. “Sounds good.”
“Maybe you’
ll eat here?” Maverick asked with what appeared to be genuine concern. I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed her physical condition.
Quinn frowned. “You can’t blame me for choosing not to eat when I was a prisoner. It was hard to have an appetite when I needed to constantly worry about Bailey.”
“You won’t have to worry here.” Ramona either forgot or chose to ignore Addison’s earlier protest. I agreed with her. There was something unnerving about being told not to worry. It reminded me of the fairy tales with the witch in the woods or something. But Denver had helped us so far—at least I thought he had.
Mason seemed to sense my unease and wrapped his arm around me. “I will protect you all.”
“I can take care of myself and them.”
“But I can help too. You can never have too much protection.” He smiled.
“You’re trying really hard to avoid angering me.”
“I like you better when you aren’t mad at me.” His tone was unexpectedly playful.
“I like myself better that way too.”
Maverick was still right by Quinn’s side. I didn’t know the doctor well, but based on our conversation back at Central, I knew he cared for her—had it been just a few nights? My sense of time was all over the place.
“You need to try to stay calm for their sake.” He didn’t need to say who he meant.
“I know.” I watched as Quinn tentatively set Bailey down on the ground.
“But it’s okay if inside you don’t want to be calm.”
“Who are you, and what did you do with my Mason?” I looked up at him.
“Your Mason?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Yes.” I felt a moment of doubt. Was that the wrong thing to say?
“You’ve never said that before.” He smiled. “I like it.”
“I’ve heard you call me your Kayla.”
“I have, and to be perfectly honest, I know I always will.” He wrapped his hand around mine.
Maverick
It had been months since I’d been outside. Maybe even years. Time inside Central seemed to move in a way that was impossible to record. The lack of windows and the complete restriction against leaving the building made the days blur together. The restriction was predicated on the fear that one of us might be kidnapped in an attempt for someone to extract the information from us. The reality was the powers that be were afraid of us selling the information to the highest bidder.
I hadn’t been worried about the former, and I wouldn’t have done the latter, but if I had ever left the confines of the building and slipped through the barbed wire, I’m not quite sure if I would have ever gone back. There is something about a taste of freedom—even a freedom you didn’t realize you’d been craving- that is impossible to let go of.
Now, armed with the knowledge of what laid outside and the life possibly within my reach, I knew I would never go back. I also was even more determined than ever to discover what had transpired against me while I was inside. I hadn’t undergone the same treatment as the women there, but I was certain there were things done to me I had no clue about. It went beyond my memories, and I was convinced it had started at my birth, if not before.
As I gazed up at the blue sky and down at the green grass below my boots, I wondered, not for the first time since leaving Central, what would’ve happened to me had I never meant Quinn. She was the catalyst of all of this for me. She was the reason I saw a need for change and stopped blindly following orders. I wanted to believe something else could have broken the spell, that I could have been strong enough to leave without her, but I doubted it. It was Quinn’s courage, her determination, and her bright expressive eyes that broke me out of my daze and made me question my identity and role at Central. I didn’t believe in fate, but I did believe I’d needed to meet her. And now that we were outside Central, I had to stick to my promise and ensure their safety.
We’d needed to leave, but part of me worried we’d jumped out of the frying pan into the fire. We had no idea where we really were, or who these people were. Inside I was panicking, but I refused to show that on the outside. I didn’t want to worry Quinn more than she was already. She had been through so much, yet she was still doing what she had to for her daughter. Which is why I would do what I had to for both of them.
“What kind of housing would your group prefer?” Ramona asked Quinn the question before turning to Addison. “I presume you really are all together and didn’t just happen to arrive here at the same time thanks to sharing a ride.”
I snapped out of my internal musings and thought over Ramona’s words. There was something humorous about her words, and I couldn’t help but laugh. I tried to hide it, but I was tired enough that it was louder than I would have liked.
“I wouldn’t have expected you’d be the one with the sense of humor.” Ramona grinned.
I shrugged, pulling myself together. “What can I say?”
Quinn raised her chin. “I don’t know what our options are, but Bailey and I need to stay with Kayla. I refuse to accept any setup that does not allow for that.”
“And I will be staying with them.” Mason chimed in.
“So will I,” I quickly added. I hadn’t really thought before I said it, but there’s no way I was letting Quinn and Bailey out of my sight until I knew I could trust these people—which might never happen.
“Addison stays with us too.” Kayla nodded at Addison.
Addison smiled. “Thank you, Kayla.”
“Of course, why wouldn’t you stay with us?”
“I guess that just leaves me.” Denver said with an unreadable expression. He was harder to read than almost anyone I’d ever met.
“Oh.” Addison’s face reddened. “Of course you are welcome to stay with us too, but I guess we assumed you had your own place to stay here.”
Denver shifted his weight from foot to foot. “I stay here and there. Like I said I don’t stay here long because you never know who’s going to need me out there.”
Ramona waited a moment for Denver’s words to settle in. “We have an empty cabin that will fit you all. Can the child sleep in a regular bed?”
“Yes,” Quinn nodded. “She may be sleeping with me at first.”
“Very well.” Ramona smiled. “I will leave that up to you.” Then she turned. “Denver, please find Jeeves and the others and have them prepare the cabin.”
“Aye, aye.” He saluted with his hand and headed down the grass hill.
Ramona pointed at me. “While they prepare the cabin, the two of us need to speak.”
“You need to speak with me?” I put a hand to my chest.
“Yes, I need to speak with you.” She eyed me as if I was crazy for questioning her.
I debated what to do before landing on a decision. “Mason and Kayla, will you stay with Quinn?”
“Of course,” they said simultaneous, both giving me similar expressions to Ramona—in other words looking at me like I was crazy.
“You know I won’t be letting Quinn or Bailey out of my sight.” Kayla picked up Bailey. Bailey squealed in delight.
I didn’t want to walk off with Ramona, but if there was anything I could learn, I had to do it. We needed any and all information we could get, even if I had no clue why she was signaling me out. I turned to Ramona. “I assume this won’t take long?”
“No.” She leaned heavily on her cane. “It won’t. Walk with me.”
I had a moment of doubt as she started away from the group, but putting off this talk wasn’t going to help anyone. I would keep it to a few minutes and get back to Quinn’s side.
Instead of walking down the hill as Denver had done, Ramona walked across the grassy field and between two of the cabins. I walked at her side, glancing back at the group a few times. Before long they were out of view. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” Ramona continued to hobble along.
I was growing tired of being told that, but I saw no reason to argue. I’d already made the decis
ion to follow her. I couldn’t just turn back.
A few minutes later we reached the end of the overgrown field and stopped in front of what appeared to be an outdoor theater.
She sat down on a bench that overlooked the lake. “This, my friend, is the old amphitheater.”
“They put on plays here?” I tried to imagine a time when anyone had the luxury of doing something like that.
She nodded. “Yes. Quite a nice view of the lake, isn’t it?”
“Very nice.” The water was calm, and every so often a bird flew over.
“I will cut to the chase, as I know you were eager to return to your friends.” She set her cane down on the bench beside her. She patted the open spot on her other side. “Please sit down.”
I listened, settling in after leaving some space between us.
“You have no idea who you are.” Her words were brash—and unapologetic.
“Do you know?” I threw a question back, hoping I’d learn something.
She laughed a dry, low laugh. “No honey. The only one who truly knows that is you.”
“But you just said—”
“I know what I just said,” She interrupted. “I know what I said, and I stand by it. You have no idea who you really are, but the only way you’re going to find out is by finding yourself.”
“I hope you’re not implying I need to go somewhere else in search of these answers.” Leaving Quinn and Bailey wasn’t an option.
“No.” She shook her head. “Not yet. You’ll have a choice of whether to leave later, but for now you’re right where you’re supposed to be.”
“I’m supposed to be here?” I still wasn’t entirely sure where here was, but it was worth asking.
“Yes. She and the child need you. Do you know who the father is?” she asked.
“How do you know I’m not the father?” I tried to keep my expression neutral.
“Because I don’t believe you’d all be here if you were.”
She was right of course. “I don’t know who the father is exactly, but he is dead.” I would take Quinn and Kayla’s word on that.
“That is what I assumed. And it is why you are here with them. Something had to make you leave.”
The Corded Saga Page 28