by Ashlee Price
“Okay.” I give another nod. “I guess we’ll find out.”
Chapter 10
Grace
“Dinner is served.”
I set down the bowl of chicken and vegetable stew in the middle of the coffee table. A cloud of steam rises from it, laced with the aroma of onions, carrots and celery. As it drifts into my nostrils, my mouth waters.
“Smells good,” Travis agrees as he picks up a spoon. “But let’s see how it tastes.”
“Yes, let’s.”
I scoop a portion of the stew into his bowl with the ladle, then scoop another into mine before sitting down on the couch.
“Remind me again why we don’t eat in the dining room regularly,” I tell him.
“Because the table is too big,” he answers as he blows the top of the stew.
I look at the TV on the wall. “And remind me again why our TV doesn’t work.”
Travis shrugs and lifts a spoonful of the stew to his lips. “Does it matter? You never liked it anyway.”
He places the spoon inside his mouth.
“I have to say you do know how to cook now.”
I lean forward and grab my own spoon. “I wonder what else I know how to do now.”
Travis gives another shrug as he eats another spoonful.
“What else was I bad at before?” I ask him as I eat my first and raise my eyebrows at the taste. “This is good.”
“I can’t remember,” he answers.
I glance at my shirt. “I thought I was good with clothes.”
Travis turns to me with creased eyebrows. “What’s wrong with that?”
“It’s…” I pause as I try to think of a word. “Too plain and not really my color.”
“You don’t like red. You don’t like purple. What color do you like now?”
“It’s not that I don’t like red.” I glance at the armchair. “Just not that shade. I guess I like blue, like my eyes, and ochre.”
His eyebrows go up. “O-what?”
“Ochre,” I repeat. “And black. You can pair a lot of things with black.”
“Well, I’m sorry you didn’t have good fashion sense before,” he says as he continues eating.
I glance at him. There he goes with that annoyed expression again.
I eat a slice of carrot, then grab a table napkin to wipe the soup that trickles from the corner of my mouth.
“Did we… get along?” I ask warily.
He nods, too busy with his food to speak.
“Because it just seems like you don’t like me that much.”
He grabs a table napkin as well and wipes his mouth. “What makes you say that?”
I shrug.
I don’t really know why I’m getting that feeling. Maybe because he’s not as affectionate as I wish he was?
“What do we do… for fun?” I ask.
“Nothing much. We just talk, snuggle in front of the fire. Or we’d ride around the property.”
Okay. Those don’t sound too bad.
“Do we have sex a lot?” I blurt out.
He coughs as he almost chokes on his stew.
“Sorry,” I apologize quickly.
What was I thinking asking him that question?
He continues coughing with his hand on his chest.
“Let me go get you a glass of water.”
I rush into the kitchen to fill a glass with water. When I return, I try to hand it to him, but our hands clash and the water spills on his shirt.
“Shit,” I mutter.
Why am I so clumsy?
“I’ll get a paper towel.”
“No.” Travis shakes his head before gulping down half of the water. “It’s okay.”
He stands up and pulls his shirt over his head. As he does, I become privy to his naked torso for the first time, and my breath catches as I see his ripped, broad chest and his sculpted abdomen. My heart skips a beat and a flurry of heat travels down my lower body.
I knew Travis was hot, but I didn’t think he was this hot!
Am I really married to this man? Have I really touched that body?
I feel the urge to touch him now, but I resist. Instead, I sit down and look away.
“To answer your question, I don’t really know what a lot is,” Travis says. “But we have sex whenever you’re in the mood for it.”
Me? What about him?
I decide not to ask, though. All this talk of sex is suddenly making me uncomfortable.
As I try to think of a way to change the subject, my gaze falls on what looks like a trophy on the shelf.
“Is that yours?” I point to it.
“No.” He sits down. “It’s my… father’s.”
Suddenly, I’m reminded of my own father. I still can’t believe I’ll never hear his weird laugh again or listen to him crooning out country ballads or see him dancing with Mom in the kitchen.
Oh, what I’d give to see him again.
I turn to Travis. “Do you think I can see my parents’ graves? And Katie’s?”
His eyebrows crease. “Katie?”
“My younger sister.”
“Oh.”
How could he forget that?
“Well, can I visit their graves? I just… want to feel them close to me again, I guess, and maybe get some closure at the same time.”
Travis nods. “I’ll see what I can do.”
~
A twig snaps beneath my feet and I pause. A leaf cascades down from a branch above my head.
I keep going so that I don’t get left behind by Travis and Toby, who are already several feet ahead on the trail that winds through the woods. A breeze sweeps the strands of my hair across my face and I brush them aside. A yellow butterfly flutters across me.
I would usually smile at the sight of it, but I’m in a solemn mood. I might as well be in a funeral procession, all in black and on my way to see the graves of my family.
A pink wildflower catches my eye and I kneel down to pick it.
Pink was Katie’s favorite color, so I’m sure she’ll like this one.
“Grace,” Travis calls my name.
I nod and stand up, then pick up the pace after him, still holding the lone flower in my hand.
I should have bought flowers—sunflowers like Mom loved, and carnations, which were Katie’s favorite—but I guess this will have to do. What matters is that I’m visiting them, that I’m remembering them. That’s what Dad would have said, anyway.
I try to remember more of them as I walk along the trail—the Christmas mornings I spent with them, all simple yet magical, the family trips we took, like the one to Disneyland and the one to Yosemite, the times we simply watched movies in our living room or had dinner together in our dining room.
Fun times. And wonderful memories.
Come to think of it, I’m glad they’re not the ones that were taken from me.
Finally, Travis stops. I stand beside him and a lump forms in my throat as I gaze at the sea of graves in what looks like a makeshift cemetery. Rows of mounds rise up from the ground, marked with crosses made of sticks and strings and nothing else.
“Are these all the people who used to live in Hope Creek?” I ask Travis.
He nods.
“Why isn’t there a proper cemetery? Why aren’t the graves marked?”
“The people didn’t see the need,” he explains. “Those who have died live on in our hearts, not under the ground. That’s what they said. And as for the unmarked graves, well, everyone knows their names. Besides, everyone comes here to mourn for everyone, not just those close to them.”
I understand, I guess.
“But my parents’ and Katie’s graves are here?”
Travis nods.
I kneel down and set the pink flower down on top of the smallest mound. Then I close my eyes and clasp my hands to my chest.
I hope that wherever you are, you’re at peace, Mom, Dad, Katie. Don’t worry about me. I’m alright. I…
“Toby!” Travis’s voice bre
aks into my thoughts.
I open my eyes and see him chasing after his dog, which seems to have run off.
I close my eyes again and continue praying.
I can take care of myself now. And Travis takes care of me. I still can’t believe I got hitched to someone like him. I don’t even know if you’ve met him or you were there at my wedding, but if you’re watching over me—and I’m sure you are—I know that you can see he’s a good man. He’s a jerk sometimes, sure, but he’s funny and sweet and hardworking and…
“I wish they were still alive,” a voice interrupts my prayer once more.
I turn my head and see an old woman standing over the graves. Sadness brims in her eyes.
“Yes,” I agree as I look at the flower I’ve put down. “If only that accident didn’t happen.”
“Accident?” She gives me a look of surprise and shakes her head.
I throw her a puzzled look. “What I mean is my parents and my younger sister—”
“It was no accident.” She shakes her head again. “The good Lord took them all, even the innocent little ones, even the helpless newborns.”
Newborns?
I walk towards her, about to ask her a few things about Hope Creek, but suddenly I hear the thunder of an explosion. The sound is so loud I clasp my hands over my ears as I go back on my knees. Afterwards, I look at the sky and see a pillar of smoke in the distance.
“Shit!” Travis mutters as he reappears a few feet away.
He touches my arm. “Go back to the house with Toby.”
Then, without a word of explanation, he runs off. I turn my head and see the old woman who was talking to me running off as well. I go over to Toby and kneel beside him as I stroke his fur.
What the hell is going on?
Chapter 11
Travis
“The dome isn’t going to last much longer, is it?” I pose the question that’s on everyone’s minds but somehow unable to make it past their lips.
Once again, we’re at Hope Creek Town Hall, but this time, we’re discussing something more serious—the dome.
Nearly twenty years ago, long before the Icebreaker, Dr. Martin Schwarzschild already knew it would come. He had predicted it, but at the time, most people didn’t believe him. Some people even thought he was crazy, just like people thought about Noah, all because the truth he spoke was too cruel to fathom.
Thankfully, the people of Hope Creek had believed him. They helped him build his inventions, the dome most notably. When finished, it would keep Hope Creek hidden from the outside world while also protecting the town from flooding, poisonous gases, acid rain, radiation and even meteorites. Any object threatening to fall on the town would be burned and turned into ash as it entered the dome. The dome also had a temperature control system so that it was never too hot or too cold inside.
During the Icebreaker, the dome, which had been finished just months before, kept the town not just alive but intact.
Sadly, it didn’t keep Hope Creek safe from disease, including the infection which spread throughout the globe just before the flood. That one caused infertility among women of all ages and miscarriages or stillbirths among pregnant women.
Nevertheless, the people of Hope Creek justifiably considered the dome a marvel, a miracle. Having outlived its inventor, it still stands guard over Hope Creek today. But we all know it won’t stand forever.
Judging from the intensity of that last explosion and the extent of the damage, it may not even be standing in a few weeks.
“You’re right, Travis,” Phil admits after a sigh. “The dome is falling apart. It took heavy damage during the Icebreaker, and I’m afraid that it has fallen into disrepair in recent years.”
“No,” Eileen gasps and shakes her head. “Hope Creek won’t survive without it. Others will see us, and when they do, they will take over our town. They will take our food. They will—”
“Calm down, Eileen,” Anthony interrupts her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “That’s not going to happen.”
He turns to me with a glare.
“Isn’t it your job to repair the dome?” he asks. “To maintain it?”
“Now, now, Tony,” Jerry speaks up. “Glaring and pointing fingers isn’t going to help anyone.”
“Phil and I and everyone assigned to the Dome Team have been doing their jobs,” I answer as I clasp my hands on the table. “But the problem is that some parts of the dome are beyond repair. They need replacing.”
“And we can’t replace them?” Daniel asks.
“The truth is we’ve run out of replacement parts,” Phil informs the council.
“And we have no way of getting them?” Anthony asks.
“Not unless we go to a city,” I answer. “The Pioneers are the only ones with the equipment.”
“Well, can’t you go to a city and ask for some equipment?” Eileen turns to Phil. “You have Pioneer friends, don’t you? Why, you’re even a Pioneer yourself.”
“I’m not a Pioneer, Eileen,” Phil says. “I refused to board the Vessel, remember?”
And all because his best friend, Martin, who Phil considered even more brilliant than him, was not invited.
I glance at him and note the circles under his eyes and the growing number of white hairs on his head.
He could be living in luxury, in comfort and security, in prestige. But no. He chose to stay here in Hope Creek and help his best friend preserve the town.
“As for my friends,” Phil adds. “They’ve likely forgotten me and taken credit for everything I did.”
“But surely there must be someone who can help,” Eileen insists.
Phil shrugs. “Even if someone wanted to help me, he or she couldn’t just hand me the equipment we need.”
“Are you saying we’d have to pay for it?” Anthony asks.
“I thought money no longer existed,” Jerry says.
“They’ll want something in return, no doubt,” Phil says. “Like Martin’s plans for his inventions.”
“We could give them those, surely,” Eileen says. “Won’t they help humanity get back on its feet?”
“Those plans aren’t mine to give.” Phil glances at me.
Eileen turns to me. “Travis? Surely, you think we must share Martin’s legacy with the world. Or what’s left of it. It’s what he would have wanted.”
I frown. Why is it that everyone thinks they know what dead people would have wanted?
“We can’t be sure what they will be used for,” I point out. “And since we’re trading them for equipment we desperately need, we won’t exactly be in a position to dictate it.”
“So what? You’ll let us all die?” Anthony raises his hands.
“Of course not,” I tell him. “I’m just saying we don’t have to ask for the equipment or deal with the Pioneers. We can just steal the equipment.”
“Steal?” Eileen’s eyes grow wide as saucers.
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Daniel asks.
“That’s what you’re worried about?” Eileen asks him with a horrified expression. “You’re the Chief of Hope Creek Police, Mr. Wilson. Aren’t you aware that stealing is a criminal offense?”
“That was back when there were laws,” I remind her and everyone else at the table. “Out there, the only law is survival, sauve qui peut.”
Jerry nods. “I’ve only been out of Hope Creek once since the Icebreaker, but I’ve seen what people do out there. Compared to that, stealing’s on the level of a parking violation.”
“Besides, the Pioneers think they’re gods,” I add. “I’m sure they won’t mind losing a few things.”
“Gods are known for their wrath,” Eileen says. “Do we really want to be on the receiving end of the wrath of the Pioneers?”
“They don’t even know we exist,” Phil says.
“And if they follow us or hunt us down?” Eileen asks. “Then Hope Creek will be discovered and all our hard work will have been for nothing.”
Phil glances at me.
“Travis will make sure that doesn’t happen. Right, Travis?”
I nod. “No matter what, I promise I will keep Hope Creek safe.”
Daniel shakes his head. “It’s still too risky.”
“I’m not exactly against stealing,” Anthony says. “But I don’t like this idea.”
Eileen shakes her head. I glance at Jerry and he shrugs.
“Stealing from the Pioneers could mean more trouble,” he says.
I look down at my hands. That’s already four who are against the plan, which leaves only myself, Nancy and Phil for it. We’re outnumbered, and although it’s only by one, we agreed at the formation of the Council that in order to execute a plan that concerns the residents of Hope Creek, everyone must approve of it.
Clearly, we don’t have that approval.
Phil finally breaks the silence. “Travis and I will talk about what else we can do.”
“Well, do it quick,” Anthony says. “I don’t want another explosion.”
He leaves the room, and so do the others who opposed the plan.
“Are you sure you’d rather not give them those plans?” Nancy asks.
“I’d never hand them over to someone I don’t trust,” I say. “I’d rather die.”
“There’s your answer,” Phil says with a sigh. “Well, who knows? Maybe there’s something in those plans that can help us yet.”
“I’ll go over them and all the notes Martin left behind,” I promise.
Phil nods. “You do that.”
~
That is exactly what I intend to do as soon as I get home, but as soon as I step into living room, I get the feeling that something is wrong.
I don’t see any sign of Grace and Toby.
Did they go home like I asked them to? Or did they wander off somewhere?
With a frown, I race up the stairs. At the top, I freeze. My jaw drops as I see the door at the end of the corridor standing open.
No.
I run to it and find Grace and Toby inside the room, Grace with a pair of knitted yellow and white mittens in her hand.
The mittens that Angie knitted with care. The mittens that were supposed to be for our baby girl.
I grab them from Grace’s hands. “What do you think you’re doing? I thought I told you not to enter this room! How did you even open the door?”