The Survivors Book III: Winter (30 page)

"
Hello again, Jasmine," I said gently, making my voice as soft as possible.  "We found your sister.  She's a bit beaten up, but she's okay.  Would you like me to take you to her?"

I heard a faint rustling sound, but beyond that there was no answer.
 Gavin heaved a sigh and looked at me.  "That was a yes.  She's feeling a bit non-verbal at the moment."

"
So I noticed," I answered dryly, but I gave the girl another smile anyway.  "I can't say I blame her.  There are a lot of bad things out there that want to hurt girls like us, aren't there Jasmine?"

This time, I heard a faint reply from her dark hiding spot, a single word of agreement:
"Yeah."

"
It's okay, I totally get it."  I pushed my gun as far back over my shoulder as it would go, and held my hands up to show her that they were empty.  "I have no intention of hurting you, and I won't let anyone else lay a finger on you, either."

"
These folks are okay, Jazzy," Gavin added, holding his arms out to the girl.  "Come on.  They've got a doctor looking after her right now, and I'll make sure you're safe."

There was a long minute of silence, then the girl dashed out of the bushes, and fled into Gavin's arms.
 She hid her face against his chest and peeked warily at me over his arm.  Gavin just hugged her, and made gentle, paternal sounds of comfort.

To my surprise, I found tears gathering in my eyes.
 I glanced at Michael, and realised that he was no less affected by the sight.  He glanced at me, and his hand silently tightened around mine.  I knew in some guttural, instinctive way that he longed to have that kind of bond with a child again.  What we had together was one thing, but the love between father and child was a whole other experience.  He'd had it with Sophie, and we had something similar growing with Priyanka, but would it ever be the same as having a child that was truly ours?

Suddenly, I realised that everyone was watching me.
 I took a deep breath and brushed away the tears that threatened to bring my emotional dam crashing down.  Now was not the time for that, so I pushed my feelings down and focused on the present.

"
Okay, let's head back," I said, gesturing to the members of my group.  "You guys go first.  We'll bring Jasmine and Gavin up once you're settled in.  We don't want to scare her."

The others nodded and filed out past us, heading back to the office block.
 We waited while they filed away, and in the meantime I looked at Gavin.

"
I don't suppose you've seen my foster daughter, have you?" I asked, cuddling in against Michael's side for warmth.  "She's an Indian girl, a little older than the twins."

"
Wearing bright pink, with a buzz cut?" he asked.  I nodded.  "Yeah, she somehow managed to follow me home.  She stayed behind with Melody and Solomon.  Melody seems to have taken a shine to her, so don't worry about anything bad happening to her.  Anyone that messes with Melody is just asking for trouble."

"
You know, I actually can't wait to meet this girl."  I grinned and beckoned for them to follow me.  "Come on.  The others should have cleared off by now, so let's get out of the cold.  I'm sure Lily wants to see Jazz, too."

Gavin nodded his agreement.
 He released Jasmine from his embrace and made as though to follow me, but Jasmine didn't.  She straightened up, threw her shoulders back, and gave me a dark look.  "You're not allowed to call me that."

I lifted an eyebrow, a little surprised by her vehemence.
 Somehow, I sensed that my response to her defiance would count for a lot more than it would in any normal conversation.  It was something I understood, though.  Names were power, and they could also bring pain if used incorrectly.

I just nodded to her simply, accepting her choice without protest.
 "Well, I'll just have to try and earn the privilege, won't I?"

The girl jerked back a little, surprise written across her young face.
 I just gave her a smile, then I turned and walked away, with Michael at my side.  A few seconds later, I heard footsteps following me, but I didn't look back until we reached the door to the office building.  There, I found Skylar waiting for us, looking anxious.

"
Jasmine," I said pointedly, glancing back at the girl.  "This is my sister, Skylar.  She's been looking after your sister since we got her back."

"
Actually, about that," Skylar interrupted, hugging her cardigan around her to combat the wind.  "There's another problem."

"
Oh, God."  I heaved a long-suffering sigh.  "What is it this time?"

"
Well, Lily's awake," Skye answered, backing up a few paces so that I could herd my group inside.  Michael and Gavin went willingly, but Jasmine skidded to a halt, glaring at Skylar from beneath her messy tangle of hair.  Skye stared back at her, obviously surprised.  "Oh, they're twins."  She glanced at me and opened her mouth to say something else, but her comment was interrupted by a screech from upstairs, followed by the sound of shattering pottery.  Skylar flinched, and gave me a helpless look.  "And that's the problem.  She's freaking out, but she's still pretty out of it and doesn't seem to understand what we're saying."

I muttered a few choice words beneath my breath and looked at our guests.
 "Well, guys, it sounds like Lily needs you.  This way!"

I hurried past my sister and raced up the stairs, taking them two and three at a time.
 At the top, I glanced back and found Jasmine just a couple of steps behind me, with Gavin right behind her.  As soon as they'd caught up, I rushed off again, hurrying down the maze of passages towards Lily's screams.  The sound of them put me on edge, even though I knew instinctively that they were screams of rage and fear, rather than pain.  Somehow, that was no better.

I rounded the last corner at full speed, and almost bowled Doctor Cross right off his feet.
 He shot me a shocked look, and I gave him one in return; his glasses were missing, and a set of vivid red welts tarnished his cheek from where someone had obviously tried to take his eyes out with her fingernails.

"
Sandy!" he gasped, in an obvious mix of relief and surprise.  "Help me!  I'm not sure how long I can keep this door shut."

"
Is it the infection?" I asked urgently, suddenly terrified that the worst had happened.  Had the virus mutated enough to infect the immune?  If so, then we were all screwed.

"
No, no, nothing like that," Doc replied.  "It's some kind of reaction to the cocktail of drugs and booze that man gave her—" Suddenly, he let out a terribly unmanly shriek.  "Look out!  She's behind you!"

"
Huh?"  I jumped and looked back, only to find Jasmine and Gavin skidding to a halt right behind me.  "Oh, no.  That's Jasmine, her twin sister."

"
What's wrong with my sister?" Jasmine demanded, her little hands balled into fists at her side.  "Let her out!"

"
We're going to, I promise," I said, struggling to keep my voice calm and even.  "Jasmine, she needs your help.  The man that took her – the farmer – he drugged her.  We're trying to help her, but she's angry and afraid.  Can you calm her down?"

Jasmine gave me another dark look, and put her hands on her hips.
 "Open.  The door.  Now."

I glanced back at Doc and nodded.
 He swallowed hard, then released the door handle and jumped back with a degree of dexterity that I'd never seen from him before.  A second later, the door popped open, and Lily exploded out, shrieking in a language that I didn't understand.

Jasmine leapt on her sister without a moment of hesitation, sending both of them tumbling back into the room.
 I heard the doctor protesting behind me, but there was nothing that either of us could do.  The twins wrestled for a few minutes, until finally Jasmine got on top of her sister and managed to pin her to the ground.

"
She doesn't recognise me," Jasmine shouted to us.  "Why?  What did he do to her?"

"
It's the drugs," Doc called back to her.  "She's… she's drunk, for lack of a better word.  Just hold her for a moment; I'll give her something to make her sleep.  And for the love of God, be gentle!  The poor child has internal injuries."

Jasmine grunted something that sounded like a wordless agreement, but she was obviously having trouble holding her sister down.
 Lily thrashed beneath her, kicking and screaming with all her might, and even trying to bite her sister.  I watched for a moment, then made a snap decision.

"
Gavin, grab her legs," I instructed, and then I dove into the fray.  I threw myself to my knees near the youngster's head, and pinned it still to keep her from injuring either herself or her sister.  "Hold her, but be gentle!  I don't want her to hurt Jasmine."

Jasmine looked up at me, her face just a few inches from mine as we awkwardly pinned her writhing sister to the ground.
 For the first time, there was something in her gaze besides hatred, something that might have even been respect.  She gave me a faint nod, then she focused her attention on keeping Lily down.  The doctor rushed up to us a few seconds later, with a syringe in his hand.

"
Forgive me, child," he said quietly, though it wasn't clear which of the twins he was talking to.  I saw Jasmine stiffen up, but she let him administer the dose of sedative to her sister.  Lily screamed at the pinch of the needle and tried to fight even harder, but there was nothing she could do against two grown adults and her own sister.

"
It's okay, sweetheart," I whispered soothingly as the sedative started taking effect.  Once she stopped fighting us, I released her and gently smoothed her tangled hair back out of her face.  "It's okay… no one's going to hurt you anymore.  I won't let them.  Shhh… you just go to sleep, and when you wake up you'll feel much better.  I promise."

Lily stared up at me with eyes so dark and fathomless that it felt like I could fall into them and drown.
 Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words came out.  Eventually, her eyelids drifted closed and she fell into a deep sleep.

I sighed heavily and sat back.
 "Are you sure the sedative is safe, Doc?  We don't know what drugs are in her system already."

"
I have no way to know," he admitted.  "I didn't want to use this on her, but she really gave us no choice.  I have no intention of leaving her alone until I know that she's going to be all right, though. "

"
Good," I agreed, nodding.  "If you need someone to assist you, I'll find someo—"

"
Why?"  Suddenly, Jasmine spoke up and interrupted me, her tone sharp and accusative.  "Why are you trying to help us?  We didn't ask for your help."

I looked at her, and gave her the faintest of smiles.
 "You didn't have to ask.  Jasmine, I'm going to tell you a story.  It's not very nice, but it's the truth and I think it will help you understand why I wanted to save your sister.  Come over here, let's get out of the way so that the doctor and Gavin can get her back into bed."

I eased myself to my feet, and offered her a hand to help her up.
 She ignored my hand, but did as she was told.  We moved out of the way, and watched while Lily was tended.  I felt an arm slide around my waist from the other side, and knew without looking that Michael and Skye had joined us.

"
Two summers ago, I was travelling alone when I was taken by a man kind of like the farmer," I said softly.  I felt Michael's arm tighten around me, and silently appreciated the support.  "I was just minding my own business, like you two were, when he saw me and decided that he was going to… make me his wife, to put it kindly."

I looked down at Jasmine and saw her watching me, her expression unreadable.
 I gave her a sad smile and looked away.  "You shouldn't even have to know what that means at your age, but I think you do.  I managed to escape, but only because I was very, very lucky.  Since then, I've made a vow never to let anyone take away the rights of another human being, even if it costs me my life fighting to save them.  I'd help anyone who needed it, but I admit that I have a particular empathy for young women like you, because I know from first-hand experience how hard it is for us to survive in this world.  That's why you didn't have to ask for help, Jasmine.  I'd give it to you willingly, because it's the right thing to do."

Silence descended on the room when I finished speaking.
 I closed my eyes, and savoured in the strange feeling of pride that washed over me.  I'd made the decision to take up the cause to protect humankind on a whim, but today was the day that I'd finally been able to prove my conviction – not just to those around me, but to myself.  It was no longer just words to appeal to the group.  Now, it was reality, and I was living it.

Eventually, Jasmine sighed heavily.
 I looked at her, and found her staring down at her feet with great interest.  A few seconds later, she glanced up and gave me a shy smile.  "On second thoughts, I think you are allowed to call me 'Jazz' after all."