She managed a smile. “Right.”
Chapter VIII
Despite all doubts, the group of five left Santa Rosa headed to Colorado. Maria and her siblings stopped by to bid farewell, bringing with them a large box of food, both canned and fresh.
“If it doesn’t work out, we might be back,” Andy said to Maria before hopping in the truck.
Wearing a sad smile, Maria replied, “For my sake, I hope you do. For your sake, I hope you don’t. But you know where I’ll be, at least for the next year and a half.”
***
The ski towns of Echo, Arapahoe, Loveland, Keystone, and Copper were all utterly vacant, while Breckenridge and Vail weren’t interested in acquiring more residents. “Not enough food,” was the reason. And as explained by three male residents who gave Andy and Morgan uncomfortably long stares, Beaver Creek had a shortage of women in town and was only interested in new female residents.
“Thanks, but we’ll pass,” Andy told them before slamming down the gas pedal until the tires squealed.
“Whoa, don’t make me regret letting you drive!” warned Ben from the passenger’s seat.
“Can you believe those guys?” she went on.
“Yeah, it’s shocking,” he said sarcastically.
“What, you don’t think that was just a bit…misogynistic?”
“Get used to it,” he muttered under his breath.
“What?”
“Nothing. Turn left up here.”
“I know,” she snapped.
The rest of the ride was silent until they reached Aspen. Upon entering the town from the north, they were stopped by a barricade similar to the one outside Beaver Creek. This one was guarded by four male teens, each armed. It seemed as though everyone was armed these days. Two of the young men approached them.
“Morning,” said Jim, who was now behind the wheel. “We’re looking for a place to stay for a while.” It was direct and to the point. They were all too exhausted for pleasantries.
The guard on Jim’s side glanced at his very expensive-looking watch. “It’s afternoon, actually. Twelve-fifteen to be exact.”
“Alright, good afternoon then,” he muttered, unsure of what to say next. He turned to Charlie, who was sitting next to him. Equally confused, Charlie shrugged, so he looked back at the guard who had yet to say anything else. “So, uh, any chance we can go through?”
Instead of responding, the guard reached behind to his back pocket and unclipped a push-to-talk radio. He turned away from Jim and began communicating with someone, taking the conversation out of earshot.
“What the hell is going on?” Andy whispered in the back.
“Don’t know,” Ben said.
A minute later, the guard returned and clipped the radio back onto his pocket. “You can go through, but you have to leave your weapons here.”
“Sorry, not going to happen,” Ben called out, preempting any response from Jim or the others. “Our weapons stay with us.”
But the guard stood firm. “Those are the rules. Either you leave your weapons here with us, or you turn around and head back to wherever you came from.”
The tension in the air lingered until Morgan spoke. “Why don’t two or three of us stay here with the weapons and the rest go through and see what the deal is?” Her voice was weak from fatigue but her words were resolute.
“Alright, I’ll go,” Andy quickly volunteered. She was losing patience with these towns.
“I don’t like it,” Ben said with a shake of his head.
“Well, what choice do we have?” Morgan snapped back loud enough for the guards to hear. “They don’t know who we are or what our intentions are. You can hardly blame them for being careful.”
“She’s right,” Andy said. “I’ll be fine.”
Biting his lower lip, Ben turned away in defeat. Meanwhile, Jim and Charlie got out of the truck to join the discussion.
“Andy, I’ll go with you,” Charlie offered.
Morgan opened her mouth to protest the notion of her brother venturing into the unknown before realizing she was about to contradict her own argument.
“Alright. Let’s get this over with,” Andy said brusquely. “The two of us will go,” she called out to the guards and gesturing to herself and Charlie.
The guard standing nearest to the truck radioed ahead to some unseen person, telling them that a male and a female were coming their way, along with a brief description of Andy and Charlie.
“Where exactly are we going and how far is it?” she demanded of the guard.
“Walk along this road for about two miles. You’ll see more guards waiting there. They’ll show you to where to go.”
Andy and Charlie exchanged uneasy glances, and she wondered if they should take the truck and just leave the others with the weapons to save time. But then if they got into some kind of trouble, their friends would be too far away to help. No, best to leave all their resources in one place.
“If we don’t come back in two hours, come after us,” Andy muttered to Jim, who was holding her rifle. “We’ll walk quickly, so it shouldn’t take longer than that to find out what the deal is.”
“All right, we’ll stay in the truck just in case,” he replied.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” Morgan said to both Andy and her brother as they began the two-mile trek.
Andy glanced over her shoulder and gave her friend the most reassuring smile she could manage.
***
Nataliya Ivanova stood watching through the enormous second floor window of her home as the two strangers approached the front gate. She had already instructed the gate to be opened, and as they passed through and headed up the long driveway, she was able to get a good look at them. The male looked to be a little younger, with the build of someone still in the midst of adolescence. The girl was older. It was difficult to tell yet if the girl was pretty, but from a distance, the possibility was there. Nataliya didn’t mind pretty girls, as long as they weren’t prettier than her.
Once the two strangers reached the front door, she headed toward the top of the large spiral staircase to greet them. She waited until they were let inside by her guards and were standing in the expansive foyer before she took her first step down the stairs. She liked how people were forced to look up at her as she made her way around the staircase, as though she were on stage and everyone else was the audience.
“Hello,” she said, her accent immediately noticeable after one word. “My name is Nataliya. Nataliya Ivanova.”
She approached the two strangers and extended her hand. They each shook it as she gave them a quick once-over. Though it pleased her that they both looked dreadfully dirty and tired, she hated to admit that the girl was indeed very pretty. She would clean up well, she thought with dismay.
“Andy.”
“Charlie.”
Nataliya tilted her head to the side and gave Andy a questioning look. “Andy? That is a boy’s, I think?”
“It’s short for Andrea,” Andy said. “Where’s your accent from.”
“Russia,” Nataliya replied curtly. “So, come in and sit down.”
She led them to the living room, which was large and beautifully furnished. Adjacent was a kitchen that even the pickiest gourmet chefs would have been hard-pressed to find fault with. Her father had bought the house when she was nine-years-old while still living in Moscow during a time when foreign entrepreneurs began taking an interest in American real estate. The multi-million dollar home was one of the largest in Aspen, and it remained occupied by Nataliya and her younger brother, Mikhail, after their parents’ death.
“This is a beautiful home,” Andy commented.
“Thank you,” Nataliya replied simply as she gestured for the two guests to take a seat on one of three sofas in the large living room.
“How long have you been living here?”
“Nine years, since we moved from Moscow.”
“And it’s got air conditioning,” Andy commented with inte
rest. “Does everyone in Aspen have electricity, or just certain homes?”
Nataliya interpreted Andy’s question as implying that she and her brother had special privileges others didn’t have. “All homes that are occupied have electricity. The solar power and hydroelectric plants that were built in Colorado just before the virus are still functioning and give us power, though I don’t pretend to understand anything about it,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “There are other people who handle that.”
Charlie, however, was interested, but Andy cut him off before he had a chance to open his mouth. “So, Nataliya,” she began, businesslike. “There are five of us here. The three others are Morgan, who is my age and Charlie’s older sister, and Jim and Ben, who are cousins and both about my age as well.”
“And you want to come live here in Aspen?”
“Maybe. We’d like to have a look around first, but the fact that you have electricity here is incredible.”
“Yes, it is very nice here,” she replied haughtily. “But not just anyone can live here, you know? There are rules.”
Charlie and Andy exchanged glances. “What rules?” asked Charlie.
“Well, I will explain,” Nataliya rose to her feet. She headed toward the kitchen and opened the large refrigerator. “Are you thirsty? Hungry? You both look like you could use some water and a good meal.”
“Um, water would be nice,” Charlie said, trying not to sound too eager.
“Andy?” Nataliya queried as she grabbed two glasses from one of the cabinet shelves.
“Sure, thank you.”
Nataliya poured filtered water into the glasses and returned to the living room. She placed them on two coasters on top of the Brazilian rosewood coffee table and sat back down. Andy and Charlie picked them up immediately, each finishing more than half the glass before stopping to take a breath. Nataliya looked on with amusement. “Maybe I should bring the pitcher over too?”
When neither Andy nor Charlie declined the offer, Nataliya returned to the refrigerator to retrieve the pitcher. “So, the rules,” she started. “There are a few, but basically, if you want to live in Aspen, you have to work. Some people take care of the power and water, others take care of the food, and some take care of security—as you can see—but everyone works and we all benefit from it. Money is worthless, so the only things of value are things we all need to live and survive.”
“What if you have special skills?” Charlie asked as he poured himself another glass of water.
Nataliya raised a well-groomed eyebrow. “Skills? Like what?”
“Well, Andy’s father was a doctor, and she’s been learning and practicing medicine for the past five years…”
Nataliya tried not to appear too impressed.
“…and I have an I.Q. of 188.”
“And what exactly does that mean?” she asked as though a high I.Q. was of little significance.
“It means that he’s smart enough to build a spaceship and send it to Mars if he wanted to,” Andy retorted defensively. “Charlie’s ridiculously intelligent.”
“Well, we do not need to send anything to Mars, but I guess I see your point,” Nataliya responded condescendingly, which annoyed Andy. “What about the other three…sorry, I have forgotten their names.”
“We haven’t known Ben and Jim long, but from what I can tell, they are very good with cars…fixing them, modifying them…that sort of thing,” Andy said.
“That could be very useful,” Nataliya conceded. “There are not enough mechanics here.”
“And Morgan, my sister, is very good with children,” Charlie added brightly. “She’s also a teacher. Reading, writing, math…”
Nataliya pursued her lips together in a disapproving manner. “We really do not need any more babysitters. We have plenty already.” Then, sensing Andy’s rising irritation as well as silently admitting that the skills the others had were indeed valuable, she quickly added, “But I suppose we cannot have a bunch of idiot children running around here that cannot read or write, no?”
Andy forced a smile. “So, are you the one who decides if we can live here?”
Nataliya slowly shook her head. “Not entirely. Aspen has a council. There are ten of us on the council and together we vote on who can become a resident. But because I am the leader of the council, I decide whether or not a potential new resident is offered a trial period of one month. After the month, the council votes to determine if they can stay or not.”
“So what’s your decision about us?” Andy asked directly.
“I’ll have to meet your friends first before I make a decision.”
“They won’t leave our weapons behind,” Charlie assured. “So unless you let them through with them, you won’t meet them.”
Andy reinforced Charlie’s words with a nod.
Nataliya thought about it for a quick minute and said, “I’ll tell the guards to let them through with their weapons.” She grabbed the radio from the kitchen, and after a few transmissions, she returned and sat back down in the living room.
“I’m surprised you’re not using mobile phones yet,” Charlie observed.
“Not yet, but we are working on it.”
“I’m sure Charlie could help with that,” Andy said as she cast him an encouraging smile.
Nataliya smiled thinly. “I’m sure.”
A few minutes of awkward silence passed while waiting for the others to arrive, during which Charlie asked a disinterested Nataliya about the solar power plant. Andy, however, ignored the conversation as her gaze shifted back and forth from Nataliya to the expansive room around her. She seemed to fit perfectly amidst such luxury. Impeccably clean, her long, golden brown hair had a shine to it that Andy’s used to have during the days of hot showers and shampoo. Her complexion was milky and flawless, not dirtied and reddened by the wind and sun like Andy’s. She was tall and slender, her build similar to Morgan’s, and her clothes were right out of a fashion magazine. Jewelry that appeared to contain fine gemstones dangled from her ears, neck, and wrists. Although Andy didn’t understand the need to dress beyond basic functionality, she admitted that Nataliya’s efforts toward her physical appearance, combined with her God-given beauty, had a very intimidating effect. Andy glanced down at her hands. They were dirty and callused from the years in Bermuda. Nataliya’s were lily-white and adorned with rings. As Andy began to surreptitiously clean the dirt from underneath her fingernails, the front door opened.
A guard entered the house first, followed by their friends. Thankful for the distraction from Charlie’s litany of boring questions, Nataliya bolted off the sofa and scurried to the grand foyer. Andy and Charlie followed but without the urgency of their host.
After waving the guard off and introducing herself to the three strangers, Nataliya gave Morgan the same judgmental inspection that she’d given Andy. Immediately disliking Morgan’s own beauty, she quickly moved her attention to Jim and Ben. Here, she perked up. “My goodness,” she began, placing her hand to her chest in an overly-dramatic fashion. “Andy did not mention that you two were so handsome.”
Andy rolled her eyes. “Andy didn’t think it was important,” she replied sharply in third person.
Nataliya ignored the remark and requested that they all return to the living room.
As everyone followed her, Ben pulled Andy aside. “Who the hell is this person? Where’s she from?”
“She’s from Russia,” Andy whispered. “Apparently, she’s the leader of some council that governs Aspen.”
He frowned. “So she’s like the chief in this town?”
“No clue. But be nice to her. She doesn’t like me already.”
Once everyone was seated in the living room, Nataliya repeated for the others the general rules of living in Aspen, her role on the council, and the month-long trial period. “There’s an empty house down the road from here,” she said while keeping her eyes on Ben. “You can all rest and take a shower and then stay the night after dinner here
. It’s not quite as big as my home, but I think you will find it comfortable. I’ll ask the guards outside to take you there.”
Everyone seemed happy with this plan and agreed to return at seven o’clock for dinner. Anxious to leave the house and Nataliya’s presence, Andy exited the mansion first as Morgan hurried behind her.
“Is it just me,” Morgan began when they were out of earshot, “or is Nataliya sort of a bitch?”
Andy released a laugh. “Sort of? I love how she only wanted to talk to Ben and Jim. Especially Ben. She couldn’t pull her eyes off him.”
“I noticed that too. Let’s hope they saw through her act and weren’t hypnotized by her perfect hair and sexy accent.”
“Your accent is better.”
“Thanks,” replied Morgan, grateful for the compliment. “Still, she seems to have everyone wrapped around her finger. The guards do anything she asks.”
Charlie approached just then, his face clouded over. “I think I annoyed Nataliya. She kept ignoring my questions about the solar power plant.”
“I wouldn’t take it personally,” Morgan replied, giving her brother a sideways hug.
As Ben and Jim caught up to them, Ben drew up beside Andy, asking, “Do you ever wear perfume?”
“God, no. Why?”
“She reeked of it. She kept leaning toward me and I couldn’t breathe.”
Smiling, Andy looked down at her fingernails and no longer cared about the dirt beneath them.
Chapter IX
Nataliya’s description of the home where Andy and her friends would be staying that evening had been modest. The house, which was just a few hundred yards from Nataliya’s, was quite impressive. Though indeed smaller, it was spacious with décor more rustic than Nataliya’s elegant yet pretentious style. Everyone had their own bedroom, and only Ben and Jim had to share a bathroom, all of which had running water. It was miraculous.
There was a sense among the group that they would be staying longer than one night. Though agitated by Nataliya’s attention to Ben, Andy knew it would likely result in an invitation to stay for at least a month. But when she stepped into the shower—her first in five years—she decided that she could put up with almost anything if she could experience this every day. As the large showerhead above her and jets positioned along the shower walls propelled warm water over her body, she felt as though a layer of something beyond dirt and sweat was sliding off her skin and disappearing down the drain.
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