Liam’s violet colored eyes turn to her then, and the way he bores into her makes her persona want to fully rise to the surface. He turns away from her though and faces Charles who is right beside him, and the feeling of being consumed leaves her.
“This won’t affect us getting out of the state will it?” He asks through gritted teeth.
Charles sighs, and rubs the back of his neck with one hand before answering. Moira thinks it can’t be good if Charles seems to be stressing.
“I don’t think so, it’s your name they have not your picture. The names on the passports are all altered, so I think you’re in the clear for now.”
Nodding, Liam says, “Good.”
“I’ll get in touch with some of my contacts and make sure your mother is safe.” Charles tells him softly and gently.
“Good. We’re leaving now then.”
Liam turns around and starts for the door, leaving the rest of them watching after him in alarm. The only thing Moira knows right now is that he is so extremely pissed off, that he is close to using his full persona. She can feel it calling to hers, and has to bite the inside of her cheek to stay in control.
***
They don’t wait around to be called to though and soon enough they are all climbing back into the truck. Since Liam has climbed into the very back, and is lying down with his eyes closed, Ray offers to be the one to drive. No one complains as he gets in the driver’s seat, or when Daisy climbs in next to him in the passenger seat. This leaves Moira with Raven and Marty in the middle.
She notices though, that Marty positioned them with Raven in the middle, so that he wasn’t beside her. She can’t help feeling bad about that, and she figures she knows now that things will be different between them. As Ray backs the truck out of the driveway, Moira stares out the window to Charles and Jo, who are standing on their porch watching them. She hopes that he comes through and finding Liam’s mother.
She never really trusted Paula for some reason, but she doesn’t want anything bad to happen to her. With Liam lying down in the seat behind her, she thinks she can almost sense his presence, and knows without a doubt that he isn’t sleeping and just wants to be left alone. Or maybe it’s just her imagination, she doesn’t know.
***
Adirondack Mountains
Peter Fletcher leans back in his chair with his arms crossed over his head and pushes away from his desk. He glares at the man before him, and can’t believe he has the audacity to come here in the first place. His glare makes the man flinch and shift uncomfortably in his seat.
This only makes Peter exasperated. He turns his glare to General Hetch, like he might know what the man is trying to get at. As usual, Dixon doesn’t have a clue and he just shrugs his shoulders. Sighing, Peter sits forward and places his hands on his desk and narrows his eyes at Agent Brendon House.
“Explain to me again, why it is that you haven’t found her yet?”
“I’m sorry doctor, but she and her companions have eluded us very well. I’m thinking that they must be getting outside help.”
This perks up Peter, and he gives Brendon a sinister smile.
“Oh? Is that what you think?”
Peter slams his fists onto his desk, causing it to rattle and shake, along with making Brendon practically jumping out of his seat.
“Of course she has outside help you fool! You job is to find out who! Must I do everything for you people?”
Sitting back in his chair again, Peter rubs his hands over his face and lets out a heavy sigh. Sometimes, he thinks, that he is getting to old for this kind of work. The new ones joining his team just aren’t cutting it anymore. He knows he won’t be around forever, and then what happens? Brendon clears his throat, and Peter lowers his hands to glare at the man.
“Something to add agent?”
“Yes, sir. We do have Paula Morgan, correct?”
Brendon looks positively animated like he found a cure for cancer while he shares a look with him and Dixon. This makes Peter smile, but not for the obvious reason. No, he smiles because of Paula Morgan. The woman who has been a thorn in his side ever since that ridiculous rights bill came out. He rejoices in knowing she won’t be a problem for him now, not while he holds her in one of his many cells down here in his facility.
“Yes, we do have her. We begin questioning in the morning and we’ll find out what she knows.”
This makes Brendon sigh in relief, but Peter isn’t done with him, not by a long shot. He knows that Moira is getting help from somewhere, and it’s more than just the underage delinquents she is spending her time with. Apparently threatening them didn’t do any good, he wonders if maybe it is time to bring in the big guns, their parents.
“I need you to do something for me Agent.”
He salivates in seeing Brendon swallow nothing but an audible gulp. Yes he enjoyed that very much in deed.
***
Liam wakes up when the truck comes to a stop, not that he was really asleep anyways. He was too busy worrying about his mother and wonders if his dad knows what’s going on. He’d like to call him, but they run the ranch off the grid, which is why it’s succeeded in hiding them this long.
He sits up before anyone can try to wake him, and sees that Ray didn’t have any trouble finding the small farm in Oregon, IL. He hasn’t seen Ronny or Julie in a couple years, and wonders how they are doing. They too are somewhat off the grid, since he’s like them and she is not.
It’s considered against the law to intermarry and they took a great risk to be together, let alone to have children. His mother told him once that they keep the kids homeschooled so that they won’t get caught. He finds it strange that they would be able to help them, but Ronny must still stay in contact.
“Up and atom kiddies, we’re here.” Ray calls out in a sing song voice, which makes the rest of them groan in response.
“And we got company too.” Daisy says hesitantly.
This makes Liam start and quickly jump out of the truck in an easy swift movement. Ray and Raven call out to him to wait, but he ignores them. Outside, Liam finds that they are parked on a gravel made driveway in front of an old farm house that looks like it has seen better days.
To the right of it, is an even worse for wear barn that is a red so faded it appears brown now. All round them is a baron expanse of property, with the occasional farm animal entrapped with a weak looking fence.
Coming out of the barn, are two teens that might be around Liam’s and the others ages. The taller of the two, is a blonde girl that seems so thin he is surprised she doesn’t blow away on the breeze outside. She is all straight blonde hair that falls to her waist and wraps around her like a cloak.
Beside her is a much shorter boy, with hair so fair blonde that it could almost pass for white. He isn’t thin like the girl, but he isn’t large either, more plain in Liam’s opinion. They both share the same wide angled blue eyes though, and he wonders about their ethnicity.
As they approach him, Liam makes no move to go to them and lets them come to him. Charles’s warning is still fresh in his mind, and where he knows these ‘kids’ might not be a threat. He isn’t going to be surprised by anything anymore, he refuses it. It’s late afternoon, and the sun shines it fading light on the heads of those two, and Liam casually makes himself lean aside the truck, without a care in the world.
The teens share a look, and pause mid-step, before shrugging and continuing their stride until they are about a foot away from him. He can feel the others in the car behind him, or rather he can feel Moira’s persona, like an echo of his own.
That is just grazing the surface of his skin, begging for a release. For show, he lets his eyes change making his vision much clearer.
“You are Liam right? The lot of you is here for papers aren’t you?” The boy asks, as he shares a look with the girl, who is spying around Liam to the others in the car.
With a nod, Liam pushes off of the truck and steps up to them. With a smirk, it pleases him when they back up a step. The boy however, returns Liam’s smirk and matches his gait.
“So the rumors are true, you are arrogant like your father.”
The girl gasps, and takes a hold of his arm and pulls him beside her in one yank.
“Jonathon, mind your tongue.” She gives Liam an apologetic look. “Forgive my brother, he’s slightly arrogant. I’m sure you’ve all had a rough couple of days, and are all tense. But we’re friends, I can assure you.”
Liam was glaring at the boy, but then he turns his glance to the girl, and wonders if he can trust them. Only one way to find out he surmises. Giving the girl a wary grin and tilts his head in embarrassment.
“Your right, it’s been quite the couple of days. I am Liam, and the kids pressing their noses the windows of my truck, are my friends.”
The girl gives him a brilliant smile, and releases her hold on her brother so she can offer him her hand to shake.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, I’m Anna. Won’t you come in, mom and dad will want to know you’re here.”
Liam takes her small hand in his and with a gentle shake of their hands he believes that they are trustworthy. The only way to confirm that is to meet their parents, only then will he be able to relax. Or not be so openly aggressive. When he releases her hand, her brother fixes him with a stern look, one that makes Liam want to punch him or laugh at him. Instead, he just shrugs and turns around and yanks open the driver’s side door to reveal a startled looking Ray. Who fails to hide that he so obviously spying on them a moment ago.
“Alright, kids, time to go in and meet and greet.”
Ray looks nervous as he turns to gaze at Daisy, who smiles openly at Liam, like she is proud of him or something. He doesn’t try to understand her, and as he turns around to follow after Anna and her brother, he notices the three others in the back all giving him different expressions that bother him in different ways.
Raven with her knowing look, that tells him to make a move against a girl he is almost sure despises him. Marty with his upending look of jealously that he doesn’t bother to hide from Liam, even though the boy has no reason to feel that way. Then there is the girl, Moira, who stares at him with such sadness and guilt that makes him wonder why that is.
He doesn’t stop to figure out what is going through the minds of the passengers in his mother’s truck. He just starts for the house with the teens, as he hears them all climb out after him. He doesn’t get very far though, and he picks up on the all too familiar apple scent. Knowing Moira must be approaching him, he turns and sure enough to his right there she is.
Not slowing his gait at all, he watches her out of the corner of his eye and notices she steadily avoids looking at him. The others are flocking around them, and each one is as silent as the rest.
“I’m sorry your mom was brought into this.” Moira says softly.
Liam doesn’t have to look at her to know she means it, he can feel it in her persona that is still turning inside him. He nods his head curtly and doesn’t slow down, but she keeps up his pace.
“I know I only met her, the once, but I know she’ll be fine.”
Sighing, Liam can only hope that she is right. He’d like to believe that his mother is safe and sound already on her way back to Montana, but he has a feeling she isn’t. Just like Moira’s father isn’t anywhere to be heard from. He can only guess what that lunatic Peter Fletcher is doing to them. He can’t do anything about it now though, so he pushes those thoughts to the back of his mind and prepares himself for what is ahead of him.
Chapter Sixteen
The following morning Moira finds herself in the most disastrous predicament that she has ever been in. She blames herself though, since she did make the offer to help. She just didn’t know what the outcome would be. Sitting on a small short stool in a damp mildew ridden barn stall, Moira milks her very first cow.
It’s laughable to her, to even imagine what she is doing at the moment, so she tries not to. She won’t complain though, since she isn’t alone and doesn’t want to offend her host Anna. The girl seems nice enough, much more than her parents unfortunately.
The day before when they all clambered into the old house on the farm, Anna and Jonathon introduced them all to their parents. They definitely don’t come close to being as nice as the Stevens. Or as laid back like Charles and Jo. No these people slightly off putting in there way of life. Not that Moira is throwing any stones here.
They were nice enough to let their group of kids stay the night. It was awkward and tense though, and for the most part, they all went to sleep early, with the plan for getting up early and hitting the road out of there. However, things change, and like most of their plans the last couple of days, they have to wait.
So, that is how Moira found herself the only one awake, besides Liam of course, who Moira doesn’t think ever thinks. He never stuck around long enough to say anything to her though, and with only a hint of cinnamon he goes off to talk passport business with Anna’s dad.
Shortly after that, Jonathon and Anna went off to do chores assigned by their parents. Not wanting to be rude, or stuck inside with just their mother, she offered to help.
Sitting quietly doing something distractedly to occupy her time is just what she needed though. It offered up a time for her to have the chance to actually not think about anything, but what she was doing at the moment. The girls worked in silence for a while, much to Moira’s relief, but she could sense that there was something the other girl wanted to get off her chest. Or maybe she is reading into something that isn’t there, she thinks.
She’s found that she does that a lot lately, reading too much into a situation or overthinking. With not much to be able to do though, she finds that it’s all she can do. Until they get to Montana, but then what?
She knows going there will be beneficial and keep her safe, but she doesn’t know how. If only she had someone to talk to like her dad, she wishes more than anything, to be able to see him.
“You’re very brave you know. To be out on your own like you are.” Anna says in quiet voice from the stool behind her.