The Lost Kids: A Young Adult Dystopian Romance

by J. L. Smith

  Just then, the door behind Balen opened and in walked the woman from the stage, the one with the wild hair and eyes. She looked at me suspiciously, a barely-concealed sneer on her face.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked none too pleasantly, moving to snake her arm around Balen’s waist. He shrugged her off and I saw the suspicion in her eyes turn to anger. It was time to leave.

  “I was just saying hello,” I replied, striving to remain calm, while backing away towards the door ever so slightly.

  “Stay,” Balen said, his one word a command. “Who are you with?”

  The door opened behind me and I turned, glad of the distraction as I tried to think of a lie, when my eyes landed on Rayder. The relief was palpable. He barely glanced at me, instead focusing his attention on Balen.

  “Sorry about her,” Rayder said nonchalantly, his voice accented slightly, to fit in with the rough crowd of runners. “Can’t take her anywhere.”

  “I was enjoying the company, actually. And I don’t like interruptions.” Balen’s eyes narrowed, “Why do you look familiar?”

  Rayder responded without missing a beat, “One of those faces.”

  “Which run are you working on?” Balen folded his arms, “And whose crew?”

  I could tell he was demanding an answer and, as I could have expected, Rayder replied immediately, without any trace of hesitation, “Working with Jim along the south eastern route. Jim, Boozer, Doug and those guys. Started to pick up, too.”

  I glanced from Rayder to Balen, hoping Balen was buying it. He nodded slowly, “And your latest run? How’d it go?”

  Rayder whistled, “Good. Saw a few bikers though, but it wasn’t the ones you’re after. But, I’m planning on bringing them in for you.”

  Balen grinned, “You think so?”

  “I know it,” Rayder replied confidently. “I’ll bring them to you all tied up and ready to slice and dice.”

  “Can you throw her in, too?” the woman asked, glaring at me.

  “Bea,” Balen warned, clearly liking the attention, for he chuckled, “play nice.”

  She shrugged, casting me another dirty look.

  “Anyway,” Rayder said quickly, “I’ll be coming past your fortress soon, those bikers chained to my bootstraps.”

  “I’ll hold my breath waiting,” Balen said.

  The door opened once more and Balen’s other sidekick, the man from the stage, frowned in at us. “Problem, sir?”

  “No, Grigor,” Balen said, his eyes landing on me once more and looking me slowly up and down. My skin crawled.

  “Good,” Grigor responded militantly. “There’s a situation that needs your immediate attention then.”

  “There always is.” Turning his gaze to Rayder, Balen added, “Bring me those bikers.” Rayder nodded curtly, while I slowly took a step backwards towards the door from which I had entered. Balen strode over to me, however, and, forcing myself to remain still, I let him run his thick fingers across my cheekbone. I held my breath, trying to pretend to enjoy it, even plastering a flirtatious smile on my face. “And, little red head, when you do, I’ll be expecting to get to know you a whole lot more.”

  I forced my head to nod seductively, before Balen spun on his heel to follow Grigor from the room. Glancing at Bea, I noted the evil gleam in her eyes. “Do that,” she said, “and you’re dead.”

  She did not wait for my response, merely following Balen from the room.

  I exhaled sharply, feeling as if I had been holding my breath for minutes. Slumping against the wall, I let myself relax only a little, knowing we still had to get out of there.

  “You okay?” Rayder asked.

  “Fine,” I mumbled, not looking at him.

  “Why are you in here, anyway?” He sounded annoyed.

  Glancing at him to gauge his mood, which I noted was certainly nearing anger, I responded tetchily, “I lost you and Saffron and was trying to get away from a group of guys.”

  “Did they hurt you?”

  “No.”

  It was ridiculous, but all I could picture in that moment was Rayder’s kiss with Saffron. We had far more important things to deal with, yet there I was, thinking of that stupid kiss.

  “I don’t like him touching you,” Rayder said roughly.

  “Who?” I asked, knowing full well just who he meant.

  “Balen,” he responded in something close to a growl.

  “Why?” I snapped.

  “Is he your type?” he shot back, glaring at me.

  I rolled my eyes, sighing. “Obviously not.”

  Swiping a few strands of hair away, which had fallen into his eyes, he said, “Okay, so what is?”

  Looking at him steadily, my expression as close to bored as I could get it, I replied, “I haven’t decided yet.” Rayder seemed to be on the verge of saying something, but, for whatever mysterious reason of his own, he held his tongue. When it became clear he was done with the conversation, I said, with a little bite of sarcasm, “Care to leave?”

  He did not bother to respond, but, instead, merely opened the door, grabbing my arm to follow him from the underground depot. As we dodged the crowd, his fingers never once leaving my arm, I tried to pull myself together. I was certainly more than a little shaken by my confrontation with Balen. I had not even thought to ask Rayder how he had found me. But, then again, it was Rayder. Balen’s threat loomed over me – the implication of what he planned for me, should we meet again. And I knew we would meet again. It was not just Balen, though. If the truth be told, it had little to do with Balen. All I could think of was Rayder and Saffron – it was embarrassing. Even as we left the depot, even as we braved the cold night air on our motorcycles as we left the village behind, I could still see that kiss.

  The next morning, almost immediately, it was decided that we needed to sell the bikes. They were dangerous now – for obvious reasons. We also needed the money. We were going to be buying a truck. After a particularly cold night’s sleep bundled up into a couple of tents, we left the area, making for Alpha’s store. I did not know much at all about Alpha, except that he bought and sold anything with wheels. I rode with Neal that day, gliding along a piece of desert so flat, it seemed it would go on forever. It was a long, grueling day of riding, with little in the way of stops and almost nothing in the way of entertainment. By the time early evening arrived, I was hungry, tired and moody. All that was forgotten, however, when I spotted Alpha’s store on the horizon. Store was an understatement.

  It was quite unlike anything I had ever seen before. Even from a few miles away, I could distinctly make out the gigantic Ferris wheel, catching the early evening light as it turned slowly on its axis. Surrounding the wheel, like a heap of neglected children’s toys, was a sea of colorful vehicles, everything one could possibly ever want with an engine and wheels.

  “What’s the Ferris wheel for?” I shouted to Neal above the hum of the engine, unable to contain my curiosity.

  “Helps the customers to see the stock better,” he shouted back.

  Given the mass of vehicles, I supposed it was a fairly creative way to showcase what he had on offer. I found myself eager to meet Alpha. It was not difficult to spot him upon arrival. It was not only his height which was intimidating. Alpha had thick black dreadlocks, which easily would have reached his waist, had his hair not been bundled up on top of his head. He wore a black leather trench coat which just skimmed the sand as he walked towards us. Unsurprisingly, he was dressed entirely in black, but for a red scarf about his neck. Yet, a little surprisingly, as he approached us, he gripped two sharp knives, almost as if he were ready for the attack. His eyes were hard, hostile, until Rayder pulled off his helmet and mask.

  Alpha smiled, “Damon, it’s been too long!” I had learned that Damon was Rayder’s name when we were not amongst friends. Mine was to be Sara.

  “Alpha! Good to see you,” Rayder pulled himself off his motorcycle, moving to shake Alpha’s ha
nd. The latter tucked his knives away in his coat, before taking Rayder’s hand. “You open for business tonight? We’ve got these bikes to sell and a truck to buy.”

  “What do you think?” Alpha said, smiling.

  Rayder laughed and Kieran jumped off his own bike, going over to shake Alpha’s hand himself. We all followed suit and I received my introduction to Alpha, as the newbie in the group.

  “Sara?” Alpha said upon meeting me, his eyes moving from my head to my toes, as if sizing me up. I nodded, smiling shyly. “You know anything about cars?”

  “Just that I like them to work.” When he laughed, I added, “And work fast, if possible.”

  “Both of those I can do,” Alpha said. When there was a slight pause, he continued, “Well, the Ferris wheel’s not going to ride itself.”

  We did not need to be invited twice. Susie and Stef practically ran over towards it, with Kieran close behind. The three of them jumped into a rickety white seat as the wheel reached the very bottom point of its arc. Neal followed them, climbing into a seat by himself and smiling widely as he left the ground below. Saffron also jumped into a seat alone, not even turning to see whether Rayder would be joining her, which I thought rather odd. That just left Rayder and me, hovering at the base of the Ferris wheel with Alpha.

  “I’ve got some business to deal with, Damon. You good to make a decision and come find me in the office afterwards?”

  Rayder nodded, “Yeah, sure, thanks Alpha.” When Alpha was out of earshot, Rayder said quietly, “And by business, he means he’s got someone’s fingers to break.”

  I looked at Rayder, a little shocked, although I hardly knew why. “But he seems sort of nice.”

  “Until he’s not,” Rayder said. “You want to ride?”

  “Sure,” I replied.

  It was not until I jumped into a seat as it swung by us, that I realized that it had been an invitation, for Rayder joined me in my seat. I did not have time to really consider it, as we were swept upwards as the Ferris wheel moved slowly around. I could hear the vague chatter of Susie and Stef up ahead of us, but mostly I just took the view in: the bright stars above us, the spotlights illuminating the vehicles lying in heaps surrounding us.

  “Wow,” I said.

  “Yeah,” Rayder replied quietly.

  “Where do you even begin?” I asked, looking around at the cars in confusion.

  “He keeps the best stuff at the back,” Rayder answered. “Like there. The yellow one.” He pointed towards a truck to the far left of us.

  I nodded, following his gaze. Up ahead, Susie shouted as the three of them sharing a seat reached the top of the arc, “Seriously, why a Ferris wheel? I mean, there’s cheaper ways to show people a bunch of scrap metal.”

  Standing up, Stef threw her arms out, laughing in delight as she looked at the vehicles lit up below, “A flair for the dramatic!” Turning to look down at Rayder and me, she added, “And don’t call them scraps. Rayder might have a heart attack.”

  “I’ll try to restrain myself,” Rayder replied dryly.

  I smiled up at Stef, while Kieran threw his arm around her waist, pulling her onto his lap. “Not now, people,” Susie cried, without annoyance. “Three’s a crowd, or so I’m told.” Kieran laughed, ignoring her as he kissed Stef soundly on the mouth. “Gross!” Susie complained good-naturedly.

  Releasing a smiling Stef, Kieran remarked as if nothing had happened, “This is sort of cool, right? We haven’t been here in ages.”

  Below me now, alone in her seat, Saffron replied tartly, “Sure, provide a show so they don’t complain when you rip them off.”

  I tried not to sigh and, instead, said brightly, “Well, I like the show.”

  Susie responded quickly, “Me too. Call me sentimental.”

  “Sentimental or not,” Neal said from above us, as we had sailed over the top and it was now his turn to get the best view on the wheel, “with little time, it’s the fastest option. And I think Rayder will make sure we don’t get ripped off, what with his knowledge of cars.”

  “Ray to the rescue,” Stef said laughingly, as Kieran tried to pull her onto his lap again.

  Turning from them, I looked at Rayder, “So, not just bikes. It’s cars too, then?”

  We had not really spoken since the night before at the depot, and I decided it was time to start again. I was being childish. Rayder had never been mine and had never really shown any feelings towards me. I needed to get over myself and focus on having a friendship with him.

  He shrugged, “I guess so.”

  I tried not to roll my eyes at his ambivalent response. Could he never be enthusiastic about anything? I looked back at the vehicles below us, eerily bathed in yellow from the lights above them.

  “That looks like the one,” Rayder said, pointing to a red truck, near the yellow one he had originally shown me. “We’ll need to check it out, but from here, it looks good.”

  “Cool,” I said, nodding. After a few moments of silence, I added, “Are you sad about the bikes?”

  “Kind of,” he responded abruptly. It seemed he was elsewhere, his expression distant. I turned slightly from him, deciding to give up on conversation for a while again. “My dad taught me everything I know about bikes. Cars too.”

  I was more than a little shocked, but managed to get out, “What happened to him?”

  “Them,” Rayder said, his face hidden in the shadows. “Balen happened.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

  “Balen was the lord of our territory, but you already knew that.” He dragged his fingers in agitation across the handlebars of our seat and continued, “My dad owned a workshop, fixing up cars and bikes. We were rich and my dad was pretty influential in the area. Balen didn’t like that. My dad hated him and everything he represents. But, he didn’t do anything about it. I think he kept quiet for the sake of my mother. And us.” His voice was emotionless now and I wondered who he meant by us. “Balen raised the taxes one day. Unreasonably. People were starving to death because of it, so my dad challenged him.” He looked me straight in the eyes, at last. “And Balen killed him.”

  I was about to speak, to mumble how sorry I was, when Rayder continued, his voice still bland. “I was out helping with the sale of a bike when Balen came for my family. When I got home, he was there, with his men. My parents were dead. Shot like dogs outside our house. Balen was raping my sister. She was only fourteen. I don’t know if he was the first.” He stopped speaking, his jaw set in silent rage.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered again, feeling helpless.

  “I snuck into the house and tried to find my dad’s guns. They’d obviously got there first, though. They shot her while I was still looking. And, do you know what I did next?”

  “What?” I asked, the word barely audible.

  “I hid,” he said, clearly disgusted with himself and I felt as if my heart would break for him, for the child that he had been and the man that he had become.

  “Ray, you couldn’t have been more than a kid,” I said, wanting to reach for him.

  “Eleven. Old enough to know better.”

  “A child,” I said, but he just shook his head, clearly signaling the unexpected conversation was over. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” I said anyway.

  He nodded and just then Kieran’s laughter punctuated the air, bringing us abruptly out of our moment together. Saffron snapped something at Kieran, albeit somewhat affectionately, although I was not following their conversation.

  “There’s nothing between us, you know,” Rayder said, inclining his head in Saffron’s direction.

  Surprised by the change in his thoughts, I asked, furrowing my brow, “But, the kiss?”

  “She kissed me,” he responded. “Big difference. And it was only so that Balen didn’t see her face, in case he recognized her. That’s why I went along with it.”

  I shrugged, not at all sure that was entirely how Saffron s
aw it. “Maybe.”

  “Do you care?” Rayder asked softly.

  “Do you?” I replied, just as quietly.

  He gazed at me intently, before Kieran laughed again, interrupting us once more. The moment was lost then, but I could not help smiling to myself, even as we made our way to inspect our potential new truck.

  Chapter 11

  The sheer size of our new pickup truck was somewhat ridiculous. The wheels alone were almost as tall as me. Within the cab itself, we could easily seat six, given how wide it was, but that would leave only one of us on the back, which was not ideal. We took it in turns as we journeyed across the desert, sitting in pairs on the red cargo bed, masks and goggles on to avoid the sand kicking up at us. I would not dare mention it to Rayder, as I knew he would miss our motorcycles, but the truck was more comfortable, even in the back. Besides, it was quieter, with less chance of being entirely caked in sand, which added to the appeal.

  Rayder was behind the wheel most of the time, taking the late-night shift after we left Alpha’s store and the early morning shift the following day. Our sleep in between was all too brief, as we set up camp for little over six hours. Rayder was characteristically mysterious regarding our precise direction, causing quite a bit of irritation on Saffron’s part. We had probably been traveling for three hours that morning when Saffron apparently could not cope another second without knowing our plans.

  “Ray,” she said loudly, despite the fact that she was sitting right beside him in the passenger seat. Kieran and Stef were outside on the back, having just switched places with me and Neal. “I can’t deal with this anymore. Where’re we going?” Before Rayder could answer, she added, “And don’t even think about telling me you don’t know yet.”

  “I told you,” Rayder said quietly, “we’re heading towards the south eastern route. We’ve got time to play around with, so I’m just figuring things out. We need to infiltrate Balen’s network and I need to think about how we’re going to do that.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” she replied impatiently. “How about we think about how we’re going to do that together? Really, Ray, last time I checked this wasn’t a dictatorship.” She huffed, “Anyway, I saw you talking to Kieran and Neal last night and I know exactly what that means!” Neal cleared his throat nervously, causing Saffron to snap her head around and glare at him, “Am I right, Neal? Do you know what’s going on?”