Authors: L.M. McCleary
“Protection?
From what?
What
could we really do to a tribe of Pirates?” Kay scoffed.
“Oh trust me, my boy, it’s not
you
directly that we’re worried about.”
Nathaniel separated the vials in his palm and handed them out to each of us;
they felt slightly warm to the touch. “…but it is your words that concern us.
One small story overheard by the wrong person and suddenly my entire way of
life is exposed. We have much more at stake than you could possibly ever
realize.” The Pirate stared Kay down before continuing, “…not to mention that
even offering this service is completely taboo and something tells me you’re
not the type to keep quiet about that; there are some…
powers that be
that don’t even know I’m doing this and I would hope that they never find out.”
Powers that be, huh?
“Then who made the decision to do
this? You said that
‘we’
decided.” I asked.
“A small group of us that hold some authority.
That’s
all.”
His words jarred forth a memory.
“Amy and Thomas?”
I
asked, though I probably shouldn’t have.
Nathaniel’s face froze and he cast me a sharp glance. “Yes…” He eventually
conceded, “
and
I am surprised that you would know
that.” His voice was stern but he smiled slightly, albeit briefly, at my
question.
“You’d be surprised at just what I found in the wasteland,” I laughed in
response as I remembered that he still had my journal. “It will be a good read,
I’m sure.”
He chuckled in response. “I will have to get started on that quite soon, then.”
Kay and Chester stared at the both of us in wide-eyed confusion. Catching their
glances, Nathaniel returned his attention to the vials. “Make sure you are
seated comfortably and drink the entire thing. I’ll be sure to bring your
backpacks along as well; might as well make use of the supplies you’ve gathered
when you’re gone.”
The three of us exchanged short glances and uncorked the vials. They were
odourless but swashed about inside their containers like a wave crashing into
the surf. By this point I had assumed it was the closest I would ever come to
seeing the ocean.
“There’s no turning back from this. Is everyone ready?” My father asked us,
waiting for each of us to nod in approval before bringing the liquid up to his
lips. “…see you on the other side, then.” My father was the first to drink his,
finishing the entire thing in one fast gulp.
Kay had stared at his and bit his lower lip, swishing the liquid around as he
gathered his confidence. “Don’t do it if you don’t want to…” I had said and Kay
glanced quickly up at me.
“You haven’t really given me a choice now have you?” He chugged the vial back
as I reeled from his response.
My father was already started to doze in his spot and Nathaniel stood strong
beside him, grabbing Chester’s shoulders and leaning him back against the
sturdy boxes behind him. “Don’t want you to fall, now…” The Pirate had
whispered to no one in particular.
I raised the vial to my lips as well, taking one last look at a place I would
probably never see again.
“Hey,”
Nathaniel had suddenly spoken to me and I stared up at him. “It’s been great
talking with you; it truly has. You’ve done well for yourself and don’t let
this…” he gestured to Chester, Kay, and the tent in general, “…change your
mind. They brought this upon themselves and they needed you to fix it.”
I smiled at his words; it’s been a long time since someone said something
positive in my general direction and while I did not know Nathaniel, his kind
words softened my heart. “Thank you,” I replied, “I will remember that.”
I saw Kay slump down into the sacks he had been sitting on as I tilted my head
back. Closing my eyes, I sipped the ocean-like substance and let it fall freely
down my throat. It was surprisingly tasty, actually; the liquid was quite sweet
and I found myself wishing I had more by the time the vial had emptied.
Nathaniel was across from me, propping Kay up in his seat as the sound of
scattered hooves outside rung in my ears. My eyes were already becoming heavy
as I cast my gaze towards the entrance of the tent, catching small specks of
brown hooves through the slit. I heard voices, one of them female, but I could
no longer make out words as my vision blurred and my eyes closed. I felt my
head bang sharply off the box behind me and multiple footsteps around me.
“I’ll take care of you,” I heard Nathaniel’s voice, soft in my ear, “just
rest.” I tried to mumble out a response but the world quickly became black as I
passed out.
CHAPTER 6
I awoke to the sun dazzling bright in the sky above me. I blinked a few times
and dug my fingers into the hard sand below me as I slowly sat up, surprised at
just how energized I felt. Kay and Chester lay nearby, blinking rapidly in the
morning sun as well. I recognized where we were; the Meeting Place. There were
tracks in the sand from years of path walking and multiple marks left over from
tents being erected and removed. I brought myself to my feet and looked towards
the other two. As promised, our backpacks were scattered nearby and I rushed to
my father’s side, helping him get steady on his feet. Kay, however, still sat
on the floor next to me, his head between his knees as he rocked gently back
and forth. My father looked around him in awe as I reached my hand out to Kay,
who promptly shifted his position away and ignored me. I sighed.
“I just
need a minute.” He said as he burrowed his head farther into his knees.
I was about to respond when my father interjected. “Where exactly are we?” He
looked at me with a hopeful expression.
“We’re about a day’s walk from town…unless we hurry.” I pointed towards the
lines that were engraved in the ground, “it’s just south of us; we can follow
that.”
He nodded and wrung his hands nervously. “Well I guess we better get going
then.”
“What
about him, though?” I gestured towards Kay.
Chester grabbed Kay’s arm and hauled him to his feet. “Get up, boy. You have
the entire walk to sulk.” Kay pulled his arm away sharply and refused to look
at either of us. “You want to be stuck out here when night falls?” My father
glared at him but he continued to ignore us. Chester shrugged his shoulders and
turned his attention to me. “Lead the way.”
“Alright;
everyone grab a backpack and let’s get going.” I grabbed the nearest one and
headed south, not waiting for either man to catch up with me; at this point, I
wasn’t really needed anyway.
I heard
my father’s racing steps on the ground as he came up beside me and I heard
sluggish footsteps further back; Kay must have been taking up the rear. His
attitude bothered me more than it should have and sent me constantly thinking.
He was right; I did this to him. He may have had the chance to stay in the
Outpost but I couldn’t exactly blame him for feeling guilty if he did…he didn’t
have a choice once the vial was shown to him. I slowed my pace until I was
walking in step with Kay.
“…I’m
sorry, Kay. Maybe I…shouldn’t have rushed to conclusions. You’re right and if
you didn’t want this then I had no right to force it on you.”
Kay shrugged. “What does it matter? I can’t go back to the Outpost anyway; they
don’t want us there. It doesn’t matter anymore.”
My father put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Don’t blame yourself, sweetheart;
you did what was right. We can’t run from our mistakes…he just needs to accept
that.” I smiled at Chester and leaned into him for a brief hug. He lifted his
hand away instantly and I felt him shift uncomfortably at the motion. I drew
back. “I’m not really one for hugs.” He laughed in a stilted manner as he
shoved his hands into his pockets.
I tried so desperately to hide the hurt I felt and I nodded meekly at him. My father
had always given the best hugs in the world; how could he be so different? The
choices he’s made in the wasteland couldn’t have possibly have changed him so
drastically, could they? Were all decisions so powerful? We continued on for
quite some time in silence; we all had a lot to think about. My stomach leapt
when I saw the lights of my town come into view in the distance. This was it,
the moment of truth…how would everyone react when they see us?
“Looks like we’ll make it before sundown.”
I mumbled to my
father.
“Phew; kind of nerve wracking, isn’t it?” He wiped his brow although it wasn’t
that hot out anymore;
he
must have been sweating
bullets.
I no longer felt like talking. I grunted some kind of response at him and
noticed Kay quicken his pace to walk beside my father and me, his face brighter
than it had been in days. “How you
holdin
’ up, Kay?”
I asked him, my voice sounding more sullen than I had liked.
“Maybe…it won’t be so bad.” He smirked at the lights before us.
“That’s the spirit, Kay; it could end up even better than the Outpost. You’d
never know if you didn’t try.” My father smiled at him.
“I don’t see how some hick town would be better but it’ll be…interesting, I’m
sure.” Kay was no longer angry, at least, and his tone of voice rung high with
anticipation.
“Uh…yeah.
That’ll work.” My father looked at him with
narrowed eyes before shaking his head and turning his attention to me. “Thank
you for all your help.”
The words felt cold. I gazed up at him and for the first time since finding the
Outpost, I saw him as a strange man in a strange desert; a vagabond that I had
helped somewhere along my journey. He was no longer Chester
Morgansen
,
my father and closest friend; he was now Mr.
Morgansen
,
a lost man that I had managed to bring home and nothing more. The feeling
caused a tight fixation in my chest as I turned my attention towards the town
ahead, no longer a mere speck on the horizon but close enough to see the
outlines of the houses and silhouettes of people wandering the square. I had
dreamed of this day for so long…and it’s nothing like how I expected. This was
supposed to be a happy occasion…so why did I feel so sad?
Kay had started to smile and my father wrung his hands quickly by the time we
entered town. The sky had darkened considerably since we left but a small speck
of the sun was still making its own way home on the horizon. Many of the
townspeople had ventured back inside their houses, but a few still remained at
the square that I had spent most of my youth at. It looked just as dusty and
old as I had remembered. A few of the neighbourhood boys were snickering about
something, sitting precariously on the edges of the fountain as we walked past.
They had to do a double-take; our familiar faces must have felt normal at first
glance. They stared at us, wide-eyed with gaping mouths as I escorted the men
towards my house; it felt like the best place to start our goodbyes.
I saw Rose from the corner of my eye, sleeping peacefully, and the forever
empty spot beside her that her son used to reside in. The saddle he never used
hung off the side of the corral like it always had and his brushes still hung
loosely from pegs that were put in the ceiling of the shelter. I remembered the
day I left as I gazed at it; I never would have thought I’d return here again
without him. My stomach was in knots at the sight and only worsened as I
reached the front door of my home. I could see shafts of light escape through
the curtains in the front window, alerting me to her presence, although it was
rare that my mother ever left the house in the end. I drew my hand up to the
doorknob and stopped. Should I knock? It was my house and yet I felt so foreign
here, like I didn’t belong. Perhaps I was merely picking up on the tension that
emanated from my travelling companions, who looked around them with bitten lips
and creased brows. How long, exactly, had I been in the wasteland for?
Long enough to no longer feel like my mother’s daughter,
apparently, as I knocked loudly on the large wooden door.
I heard a scuffle in the living room but then nothing. I knocked again and was
met with another round of silence.
“Mom?”
I finally
called out. “Mom…I’m home.” I knocked again and heard, ever so slightly, the
sound of shuffled feet. “Mom…?” I called out again and turned the doorknob,
opening the door ever so slowly; I still felt that it wasn’t my place to help
myself inside.
I was about to peek my head inside when my mother was suddenly there, whipping
the door open and staring at me in a huff. It took a moment for realization to
dawn on her. I watched in mild amusement as her face contorted from an angry
frown into a gasp of incredible surprise, her eyes widening as they rested on
me and even more so when they gazed up at my father, who smiled so sweetly at
her for a man who no longer remembered any of this. She tried to mumble out a
response but all I heard was complete gibberish. Then, suddenly, her arms were
wrapped around my father in the tightest hug I had ever seen. She had moved so
quickly that she had almost pushed me out of the way and I staggered into the
doorframe as I tried to give her space, chuckling quietly to myself. My father
returned the hug but he gave me a skeptical glance, his fingers entwined with
each other as he played with them nervously.