by Anne, Melody
“I love you, John, but I can’t stay behind any longer. You can’t come with me — you know that. You have to protect Phoenix, Sadie, and the rest of your team. Josiah is no longer standing passively by. Vyco has broken the rules of the game and Josiah has turned him over to the council, but in the meantime, he’s stepping forward. That’s the reason the enemy has lost their electrical power. Many of our group have been sent to assist the mortals. The problem is that Vyco’s forces are strong. I need to get to my brother — to save him. I promise you I’ll return. I won’t do anything stupid,” Cassidy pleaded for John’s understanding.
“I don’t like it, Cassidy, but I do understand. If it were Phoenix out there, I’d move heaven and earth to save her. I just wish I could go with you. How am I supposed to explain your absence?”
“You’ll come up with something. I’m sorry to put you in this position, but I need to leave now,” Cassidy said. Placing her arms around John, she allowed herself to cling tightly one last time before leaving on her journey.
“I love you. Please stay safe,” John begged. He pulled her closer and kissed her. His hands roamed her delicate curves as he tried to make the moment last. He was terrified it would be their last time together.
“You need to have more faith, John. Now that I’ve found you, I’ll never let you go. Knowing you’re waiting for me will be what gives me the strength to find my brother and return,” she said, looking into his eyes.
“I have complete faith in you,” he told her.
They remained embraced for an endless moment before Cassidy reluctantly pulled away. She had nothing more to say. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to leave if he begged her to stay again. She gently placed her hand on his cheek, loving the way his warm skin felt. A single tear fell down his face and she had to hold back her own overflowing emotions. She turned and ran into the night.
As John watched her go, every part of him wanted to follow. He had to protect her. He turned and looked toward the cave, where his sister and members of his team were waiting. They were completely unaware his world had shattered. He hung his head as he walked toward the entrance. He felt torn in two by the inner turmoil of needing to be with each of the women he loved. He wouldn’t rest until Cassidy was back, but he couldn’t leave his sister alone.
A part of him was angry that Jayden had placed them in this position, but he knew it was wrong to blame him. Jayden had left to protect Phoenix. He’d been fighting the battle before they’d stepped out of the cave. He wanted this war to end, and he was doing all he could do to make that happen.
When Jayden had been gone too long, he and Cassidy had known he’d been taken. There was no way Jayden would stay away from Phoenix so long otherwise. But what if he and Phoenix both lost the love of their lives? Would they ever recover from that? John wasn’t sure the answer was a solid yes.
He couldn’t think that way though. He had to be strong for his team or he’d lose them — and that wasn’t acceptable. Hanging his head, he finally made his way back inside the cave. His heart pulled him away from it, wanting to chase after Cassidy. But he knew he was where he was supposed to be. He had to protect his sister and the rest of his team.
He’d meant what he’d said to them. Every member of his team was just as important as another. They worked so well together because they cared. He had no illusions that the coming months were going to be the most difficult of his life. But he’d made a promise to protect all of them, and he intended to keep it.
He was quiet as he walked inside the caves for what might be one of the very last times. A new chapter was beginning for all of them. He hoped the story had a happy ending.
Chapter Eighteen
“It’s nice to have a day off,” Devon said as he walked along the familiar path with Phoenix, Sadie, and Brian.
“I agree. I’m going to show you my favorite spot. You absolutely can’t tell anyone else about it, especially John. It’s my escape when the world is pressing in on me. Today’s warm enough that we can swim,” Phoenix said. They were on picking duty and they’d make sure to bring back a bounty of food, but they also needed relaxation time to boost their spirits.
“Cassidy’s been gone for a week now. How is John holding up?” Sadie asked.
“I’ve never seen my brother so depressed. It’s like a piece of him is missing. I wish I could make it better, but I know how he feels,” Phoenix said. She hated to see the pain in John, but it did ease a bit over time. Jayden had been away for months, and at first she hadn’t known how she’d manage to get out of bed each day, but as the days turned into weeks, then months, she’d managed to muster more strength.
The longer he was gone, the angrier she became. Why wasn’t he returning? Why had he left in the first place? She was unsure of everything; she didn’t know if he’d ever come back. Maybe their relationship had meant much more to her than it had to him.
“It’ll be okay for Jayden and Cassidy,” Devon said as he put an arm around each girl and gave them his most flirty smile.
“I think I can comfort my girl — get your own.” Brian jumped in and threw off Devon’s arm, but it was all in good fun. There was no jealousy among them.
“Maybe I liked that sexy arm around me,” Sadie said with a twinkle in her eye.
“Oh, really,” Brian said with a wicked look. Sadie knew she was in trouble and started running ahead, with Brian on her heels.
“I guess I started something,” Devon said with a chuckle, his arm still around Phoenix’s shoulders. She was comfortable being with him. They’d been together night and day for months, and each of the team members had to rely heavily on one another. They’d become great friends as they trained for endless hours. He was a rock for her to lean against during the trying times she was going through. They continued to stroll along the trail, listening to Sadie and Brian laugh somewhere ahead of them. It sounded like Brian had caught her. All went silent and Phoenix smiled, thinking Sadie was most likely getting a sound kissing right then. That’s about as harsh a punishment as Brian was capable of when it came to Sadie.
“I say we make camp here at the lake and hope they never find us,” Phoenix joked.
“Your brother does know how to torture us, but on the other hand, it’s obvious how much he adores you,” Devon said, squeezing her shoulders.
“I know. I’m really lucky to have such a great support system. I don’t think I could deal with all of this uncertainty if it weren’t for John, you, Sadie, and my other friends,” Phoenix said. Devon stopped and pulled her close for a hug.
“Just know I have a big, open shoulder for you to cry on anytime you need it,” Devon said while squeezing her tightly. Phoenix laid her head against his strong chest, letting him take some of the burden from her. She felt a pang of guilt, allowing him to hold her so close, but it was only done in friendship, and she needed a strong embrace.
“If you hold everything in all the time, you’ll eventually break,” he said knowingly.
“I’m not a weakling, but sometimes it all gets to be so much, you know? I appreciate your friendship, Devon. You might need to scoop me up in a few minutes when I collapse on the ground in grief,” Phoenix said, trying to lighten the mood with a joke — but it fell flat. She felt weak and vulnerable and his arms partially filled the gap of loneliness Jayden had left.
Brian and Sadie reappeared when they didn’t catch up to them quickly enough. Phoenix didn’t see the look the two of them shared, which was probably a good thing. She didn’t need to feel any more guilt than she already felt.
“Okay, you two — enough emotional garbage. This day is for relaxing and letting go of our worries,” Sadie said, startling them. She watched as Phoenix pulled free from Devon’s arms, and she also noticed the look of disappointment on his face. If Jayden wasn’t returning, then she wanted her best friend to find happiness, but if he did come back, she didn’t want Phoenix to end up falling in love with Devon, then being torn between two guys.
Phoenix was too kind a person and it would rip her apart.
“You promised swimming, so let’s go there,” Brian added. Sadie grabbed Phoenix’s arm and pulled her away from Devon and began walking on the trail. Devon didn’t say anything. He and Brian followed the girls. Sadie moved the conversation to lighter topics, and soon their moods lifted. It was a beautiful day and they deserved to enjoy it.
They reached the lake and soon the last of their stress melted away as they jumped in the cool water and had a splashing war. When they were exhausted, they climbed from the water and lay down in the soft grass.
“I wish this was simply a summer vacation, and we were normal teenagers, enjoying our freedom,” Sadie said with a sigh while she looked up at the soft clouds in the sky.
“It feels like it is right now,” Phoenix said with a happy smile.
“I haven’t felt so much peace since the war began. I’m glad you rescued our camp,” Devon said.
“I’m glad we found you,” Phoenix told him.
“I remember the last summer with my mom and dad,” Devon said. “We went to this great place in Oregon for vacation. My parents hated going to overcrowded camping parks, but my mom refused to camp anywhere that didn’t have a toilet nearby. She was terrified a bear would attack us in the middle of the night. I tried convincing her that was part of the adventure, but she’d just pull my hair and tell me I wasn’t funny.” The three of them laughed, almost able to picture his mother chasing him. It brought tears to the girls’ eyes.
“We went to this place called Whitaker Park. We stayed for a week. I met so many cool kids. There was a river, the Siuslaw, I think. It was pretty shallow, and every day I went searching for crawdads. I’m telling you, that was dangerous work,” he said as if he were serious.
“Those things have some nasty pincers on them. I’d dive down in the water and grab for one, but if I didn’t get it right on the back, its claws would shoot out and snag my fingers. My mom always left for a walk when Dad and I threw them in the water to boil. She swore she could hear them screaming. Nothing ever tasted so good as those miniature lobsters, though. I’d work hours to catch a couple dozen of them,” Devon said with a smile.
“I did that with my parents once, but I was so scared when John picked one up and I saw its pinchers coming toward me that I ran away screaming,” Phoenix said. “I was only ten at the time so I deserved a break. He threatened to throw it at me and I started crying and told Mom on him. I was immensely satisfied when he got a big lecture. I stuck out my tongue at him behind Mom’s back, and he was livid. The next day we were out and he tossed a snake in my direction. I once again screamed like a little girl and went crying to Mom. He got busted bad. When he saw how badly he’d scared me, though, he really did feel terrible. He took me to a pond and caught tadpoles for me. I was so happy, I instantly forgave him.”
Those carefree days seemed a million years ago.
“We didn’t get to go camping, but we took some really cool trips,” Brian said. “My favorite was the summer we went to Disneyland. I’ll never forget how excited I was going on those rides for the first time. I wonder if it’s still there, or if they’ve destroyed it.”
Brian’s comment made them all silently ponder. They lay wordlessly in the grass as they watched the sky, thinking about what their world was going to be like when they returned to it.
Were there going to be parks to go to, clean ocean beaches to visit, stores to shop in? How much had been destroyed? When they’d run into the night so many years before, it had seemed like the entire world was up in smoke. They all hoped there’d be something of their past to build from. None of them could imagine starting over from scratch.
The elders had prepared for the worst, bringing in items to learn from, but if they really did have to start over, how long would it take for them to get back to where they were? But then again, it had been crumbling for a very long time. Did they want to go completely back? Maybe a bit of a fresh start wasn’t the worst thing imaginable.
Phoenix remembered her grandfather talking about his days of running through the dunes, catching frogs and crawdads. He’d been horrified one visit when they’d gone to the park and he’d looked around at all the kids staring at their electronic devices. He’d pointed out to Phoenix that no one looked at each other.
She’d glanced around and noticed he’d been right. Kids sat next to each other laughing, but not with each other. They only stared at their screens. He’d wondered if the art of basic conversation had been destroyed. She was from a family that sat at the dinner table every night and only allowed so much electronic time so she hadn’t noticed how much the rest of the world depended on it.
Now that she was in the cave, she was much more aware of it. Kids had asked for iPads and Kindles when they’d first arrived. She hadn’t thought about it until now, but it had been years since anyone had mentioned those devices. Now the kids played with Legos and something called Lincoln Logs. They made blankets out of yarn, and churned butter. She could understand why the olden days had been so appealing to the older generation.
Communication had been restored. Yes, there was a lot of stress in their new world, but there was a lot of love and learning as well. Was that all going to change when they got their country back? She really hoped it wouldn’t. She’d adjusted, just as everyone else had and though she’d love a real house again, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go back to the way things had been before.
All of those things were almost too overwhelming to think about.
Soon their time of lying around was up. They spent the rest of the afternoon picking, each of them lost in their thoughts of what was to come. By the time they headed back to the caves, each bag was loaded and their hearts were slightly heavy.
“Ugh, my shoulder is killing me,” Sadie whined as they made their way down the long tunnel. The cave seemed gloomier than normal after their gorgeous day at the lake.
“I know. I thought John’s workouts were torture, but these bags are wicked heavy,” Phoenix complained.
“Brian and I have the majority of it — quit complaining,” Devon teased them. They used their last bit of energy to kick him. He jumped away and rushed ahead, with Brian on his heels. They knew dinner was ready, and they weren’t wasting another minute.
“What’s going on between you and Devon?” Sadie asked as soon as he was out of earshot. Phoenix knew she’d been waiting all day to get her alone.
“Nothing’s going on. He’s just a good friend,” Phoenix said defensively.
“That hug didn’t look like a friendship hug. I’m not telling you you’re wrong, Phoenix. If Jayden doesn’t come back, I want you to be happy. I’m just worried about you. If you fall in love with Devon and then Jayden returns, what will you do?” Sadie asked, stopping to set down her bag so they could continue to talk.
“It’s not like that, Sadie. Devon’s only a friend,” Phoenix said, setting her bag down and rubbing her shoulder. She knew she was being defensive, but she liked being with Devon, and if she started thinking of him as anything other than a friend, she’d feel guilty and wouldn’t be able to be so comfortable around him.
“Hey, I’m not saying anything’s wrong with you being with him. I only want to make sure you don’t get hurt. I’ve watched you go through too much over the last year, and I’m your best friend. It’s my job to protect you,” Sadie said. Phoenix felt her tension ease. Sadie was right, of course.
“I love you, Sadie Sting. You really are the best friend ever. I promise to be careful, okay,” Phoenix said. Sadie nodded, and the two girls embraced briefly before hefting the bags onto their shoulders and heading to the kitchen. They were stocking up on more supplies as each group would need to take as much with them as possible while still leaving plenty for those left behind.
They dropped off their picking items, sighing with relief, and then went to bathe and change for supper. As they walked into the dining hall feeling like new women �
� clean and beautified — they started drooling at the heavenly aroma filling the room. They sat with their friends and both were soon cheered up. Phoenix felt her worries about her feelings for Devon evaporate. She knew it was silly to worry about something that wasn’t happening, and she wouldn’t allow herself any more stress than she already had.
“You girls took a while to get here,” Devon piped up as they sat down. Phoenix gave him a big smile. She refused to look at Sadie, just in case she was giving her more of her stink eye. There was nothing wrong with her having a guy for a friend.
“You know girls. We can never be anywhere on time,” Phoenix said, causing him to smile in return. See, they were friends only; there was nothing but laughter in his expression. Phoenix was irritated that Sadie read something into things that weren’t there.
“I hear your brother is planning on torturing us a lot more tomorrow,” Devon said with a mock frown.
“I think John is truly a sadist and gets pleasure from making us sweat,” Sadie said, to which the table of people nodded emphatically.
“Are my ears burning?” John asked as he approached their table. Leah blushed as if they’d been busted. Phoenix gave him a cheeky grin.
“We were just talking about what a wonderful leader you are,” she said, fluttering her lashes. A few snickers were quickly muffled.
“I’ll bet you were,” he said with his eyebrows raised. He wasn’t buying it. “I was going to tell you about tomorrow, but since none of you want to hear . . .” he trailed off.
“Don’t give us nightmares tonight. Just spit it out,” Brian said. The girls laughed because Brian wasn’t too far off. Even the boys had started dragging themselves in at the end of the day. When John had seen they weren’t getting as good a workout as the girls, he’d modified their program, so the guys were doing twice as much.
“All right, you’ve twisted my arm. Tomorrow we begin weapons training,” John said with a glimmer in his eyes. The guys sat up straighter, leaning in to hear more, and excited to do what they deemed manly. The girls looked at him apprehensively. Phoenix had been around guns a lot, but she preferred using anything other than that particular weapon.