"Momma?" Clover's soprano voice range out like a delicate bell from her small bed. Her tiny blond curls bounced like crazy as she climbed down from her princess themed bed and ran over to our mother.
"Yes, sweet pea?" Mother's voice asked as she picked up Clover and held her close, cuddling.
"Where is poppa, Momma?" Clover asked the same question that had been flooding my thoughts all day.
Poppa had left early this morning, I had watched from my window as he was carried into a black van. I didn't recognize the man carrying him; he was tall and strong enough to lift my father. He had black hair and dark skin but I never saw his face. I had packed my bag right when the shock left. I remember hyperventilating for at least three minutes and I didn't notice the tears until I stopped. I had packed sturdy clothes into the bag; only the ones I thought would last for a long time. It was still winter so I knew I would need some warm, heavy coats. Living in Kentucky, we didn't get much snow but plenty of cold. I haven't packed any food, yet. Tonight when mom is sleeping I will pack as much food I can carry. I did all of this without even thinking about it. I suppose I had been planning an escape for a while now, since my mother left for a few days last week. What I saw this morning set me off.
I had everything planned up till Clover came into my room, complaining of nightmares. Could I take care of Clover in the wilderness all on my own? And what of Jasmine? And David? David is still away at soccer camp and he won't be back till Friday. What was today again? Oh right! Today is Tuesday. Can I wait three days? Can I even wait till tomorrow? Jasmine is only eleven months old! I can't take care of such a young infant. But I can't leave her either! She's my sister. I won't leave her. No matter what.
Then there's Luke to think about. I know his parents have changed. Luke's parents hate each other and are always fighting, but every since last week they've turned all polite and kind towards … everything! But, can I trust Luke? He's my best friend but … has he changed? No, I haven't noticed anything different about him. Nothing at all. He still does everything the same. He still comes to soccer, basketball, and track practices. He talks to me everyday day at school, practice, e-mails, phone calls, and whenever he just feels like coming over. Luke has two younger brothers, Jake and Darin, that I know he won't leave. He also has an older sister, Kate. Kate is nice and funny but a little bitter and sarcastic. We are so much alike. Luke wouldn't leave her either. And I can't leave Luke. He's my best friend and I know he wouldn't leave me.
And what about Rue? Rue is my cousin. We don't have much in common and honestly she can annoy the crap outta me sometimes but she's family. She wouldn't leave her older brother but he's in California at college.
Should I even take so many people?
I need to think about this. I know who I can't leave behind: Jasmine, David, Clover and Luke. I can't leave them. I just can't. I know Luke won't leave Jake, Darin, or Kate behind either. He'd be disgusted by the very thought of it! And he'd hate me forever for simply mentioning it. So, Jasmine, David, Clover, Luke, Kate, Jake, and Darin. What about Rue? She may be annoying and preppy but she can be a good friend. And she's very loyal, but that just means it will be even harder to get her to leave her family. Her mom's eight months pregnant and her dad died four months ago from a heart attack. Rue always takes care of her mother and she definitely won't leave her when she is in such a condition. So, I'll just have to find out whether her mom has changed or not. I haven't spoken to her mom since last Christmas, just ten days ago. They live right down the street; maybe I can go see them now. I'll have to ask mom first though. She's become so much more protective, not that she wasn't before but now it's like she barely ever lets us outta her sight. If she says no then I'll just have to sneak out.
My mothers voice snaps me out of my reverie, "Well, sweet pea, your poppa has gone to visit your Aunt Holly." She says, but I can tell she's lying by the way she fidgets and shifts her weight nervously; she doesn't meet Clover eyes either or mine and her voice broke on the first word she said. She stares for a long time at a crack in Clover's bedroom walls.
"Aunt Holly? Why?" I ask.
It's such an obvious lie! First off, my poppa doesn't even like Aunt Holly! Second, she lives all the way in New Mexico and third, Aunt Holly doesn't even like us either. She always got my name wrong, calling me "Eve" rather than my real name Ivy. None of us have even spoken to the aggravating woman for two years!
"Um, you see … uh …" mom voice is starting to break again and she fidgets as she exclaims, "Aunt Holly is sick!" Then her eyes drop to the floor and her head bows as if she is ashamed.
This still doesn't make any sense! Aunt Holly is mom's sister, not poppas. And even though Aunt Holly was a pain mom loved her and if Aunt Holly was sick them mom would be with her not poppa!
"What does she have?" I pry, trying to sound worried. I mash my eyebrows together a little like I always do when I'm worried or anxious.
"Uh … she has … the … uh … um … the … uh … diabetes!" I can tell mom is really struggling here and against my better judgment can't help feeling slightly guilty for putting such a sad and shameful expression on her face so instead of asking any more I just nod and tell her I'll tuck Clover in tonight. She looks grateful but doesn't say so. Mom passes Clover to me, who has been dozing off all this time, and kisses my right temple before leaving the room.
I take Clover to her pink bed that used to be mine and tuck her in gently. Her fair, blond ringlets form a little halo around her tiny face. Her plump, pink lips open slightly and the familiar, barely audible, snore begins. Her blue eyes close and I have to tare my finger from her tiny right hand. I catch her little hand before it falls to the sheets and kiss it tenderly before checking to make sure no one was around to hear what I have to say to my little eight year old sister. I notice that the door is ajar and go to shut if firmly but silently. I kneel next to Clover and brush a little curl from her face. Her face was as fresh as a rain drop and absolutely angelic. When she was born I had wanted to name her angel but my family has a tradition that all the girls are named after some type of plant or flower. Like my name, Ivy Rose Green. My mother's name is Rose Mimosa Green. I did get to chose what plant I wanted her name to be – Clover. It means think of me. I thought this was suitable because her lovely face is unforgettable and it's near to impossible not to think of her.
I know she is sleeping now but I feel that I must say this.
"Clover, I promise I won't let anything happen to you. I will not allow harm to come to you. I will keep you from any possible danger, even our own mother and father."
I whisper the words as to not wake her. She is such a light-sleeper. I remember the last time I whispered these words to her. She was a new-born baby. So young and pure, so fragile. We were still in the hospital. David and my parents were all sound asleep. She looked so beautiful, like an angel. Short blond curls decorated her crown and her eyes, the color of the sky in summer. She gripped my finger in her tiny hands then just as she did tonight. I did add the last sentence though.
Our cat, Maple, appeared from thin air and leaped gracefully onto Clover's bed. I hated this cat; I really am not much of a cat person at all. It was a lovely cat, all black with piercing green eyes but really it gave me the willies. Maple always came up behind me and jumped on my back or something and I swear the demon cat was always trying to scare me! She did most times too. Maple loved the rest of the family however, especially Clover. She always hissed at me but then again I did kick her across a room once. It was an accident and if she hadn't tried to claw my legs to smithereens it never would've happened.
Maple hissed at me before curling into Clover's side and started purring like an engine.
I sighed before leaving the room and walking as casually as I could to my mom's room. I could hear her talking on the phone quickly. I tried to make out what she was saying by putting my ear to the door.
"I think we should hurry … He's at soccer camp … Are you sure? … How is he? … No … no … Tonight? … I don't … maybe we should wait … no … you can't …" my mom's voice became even quieter and I pictured her going into her own bathroom.
A shiver ran up my spine as suspicion set in. I would ask her if I could go to Luke's house when she is done on the phone. Right now, I need to finish packing for the escape. I need to figure out how I'm going to get David. I know where his camp is at but it will take at least a day of walking to get there. I'm only fifteen; I haven't got a clue how to drive a car which, right now, would really help. I do own a car driving manual. It tells you all about driving and taking care of your car. I bought it just last week because once I turn sixteen I have to take a test to get my drivers permit. I haven't really gotten around to reading it yet, I've only skimmed a few pages. I suppose I could try though. But would I be able to … wait! Luke got his permit a few months ago so he could drive. I've seen him drive and he's already a better driver then his own father!
I go to my room to take out my duffel bags. I had one with my clothes and diary, I can't leave that here because I've written all about my escape and possible places I'll go in it, and a hair brush, not that it's totally necessary but I figured why not, tooth brush and tooth past, as many maps as I could find what with not even knowing my own destination, my poppa's old army knife, he taught me how to handle it pretty well, and his guns, he had three: 20 caliber shotgun, 308 caliber rifle, and his trusty semi-automatic pistol. I also packed all the bullets in the house. All this and is still had room to spare in one bag. I decide to tae out the knife and stick it in my belt and pull my heavy, way-too-big sweat shirt out and pull it on. It conceals the knife perfectly. My poppa forced me and David in shooting classes since we were old enough. David is only ten so he doesn't really know as much about it as me but his aim is perfect, he's just not very fast at loading and re-loading. I do have better aim but only because I've been doing it longer and poppa was obsessed with me winning every tournament there was for shooting. I always made first or second place. Luke also did this and he was usually the one who beat me, if anyone. I pull out the semi-automatic rifle and weigh it in my hand. I had already checked to make sure the safety was on with all three guns. After a moment of thought I put the rifle in my right black, leather boot next to my ankle. This will be easier for me, knowing that I have the gun on my person.
I haven't packed any of my siblings clothes yet. I could probably fit Clover's clothes my duffle bag along with all my stuff.
I sneak back down the long hallway to my parents' room and, again, put my ear to their wooden door. I can't hear anything and I can tell from in the little space between the door and carpet that the light is off. I take a deep breath to give myself confidence and slowly, inch by inch, open the door. I poke my head half-way in to see my mom lying on her side, facing away from me, under the heavy blankets. Her straight black hair is spread out all around her in mid-night tresses. She looks like an angel of darkness with her dark tan skin, sharp cheek bones, and long, thick black lashes. Her face looks surprisingly peaceful, which is odd because my mother is always worrying about something, even in slumber. People say I look like her but I like to think that I'm more care-free and relaxed. I do have the same black hair, but I had inherited my poppa's wavy texture, and dark, naturally tanned skin, the same almond-shaped dark blue eyes, not the light, sky-blue color of Clovers eyes. Our eyes are more like the ocean during a storm, wild and crazy and impossibly dark, there are indeed black streaks in my eyes. Weird, I know…
She is asleep, now is the time to move Ivy. I tell myself.
I silently close the door, knowing that my mother is a light-sleeper. I force myself not to sprint down the hall to my bedroom's phone and the casual pace is annoying so half-way there I run with the balls of my feet, trying to be as quiet as possible.
Once in my room, I snatch the phone of my dresser and dial the number I know by heart.
"Hello?" Luke familiar voice answers and I can't even begin to describe the happiness I feel that it was him answering and not his changed parents.
"Luke! Are you okay?" I don't really know how to ask if he's any different or not.
"Um … sure I guess so." And that's how I know he's still Luke. If he had changed like his parents then he would've said "Why yes, I'm fine. Thank you for asking," or something polite and proper like that.
"So, how are your parents?" I ask. He knows what I mean. It's obvious to anyone with eyes that something is going on with his parents.
"Different." Luke answers in a somber tone. I know how he feels. It's not like my mom was angry all the time like his parents were but she definitely wasn't all sun shine and rainbows.
"And how's the rest of your family?" I ask fear setting in again at the thought of anything happening to little Jake or Darin getting carried away into a strange van by some strange man to be changed forever. Just like my poppa. Jake and Darin are twins and both are nine years old. They hang out with David sometimes but luckily, didn't go to soccer camp because they aren't old enough.
"Their all fine, Kate knows something's wrong too. She's a little freaked but we all kinda are." Luke says and I can hear the frown in his voice. I know Luke's face better than my own. I know all his expression and features and I know that right now he would have a worry line crease between his eye brows just like mine and that his lips would be playing with a frown that didn't really look like a frown but a small smile, you couldn't pay him to stop smiling it's impossible, his gray eyes would harden as he thought about the possible danger we are all in, and his hand would be protectively over his brother shoulders if they are with him now.
"I think it's time we leave. I have something I need to tell you but I don't think I should say it on the phone … I need you to pack food, clothes, flashlights, matches, a lighter, knives, guns, things you would take if you were going away into the wilderness for a long time. Okay?" It all came out in a rush and I hope he understood what I was saying.
Luke doesn't say anything for awhile and I feel like the walls are closing in.
"Where should we meet?" Luke says and I can tell by his voice that his expression is grave and wary.
Oh, no. Why didn't I plan this better?
"Uh …" I stutter around trying to think of a place secluded enough.
"The old tree house would be good." Luke says.
"Yeah that's perfect!" I say, thankful. "Okay, pack up and bring Kate, Darin, and Jake. I'll meet you there in about 30 minutes."
"Okay. Good. See you there." Luke hangs up before I can say anything else.
I put the phone back down without hitting off. I grabbed one of the empty navy duffel bags and sprinted to Clover's room. Clover shared her room with Jasmine. On the other side Jasmine's tiny body laid curled up, sleeping in her wooden crib. I race over to her little dresser and shove all her baby clothes and diapers in the duffel bag. I can
organize it later. I go to Clovers closet and hastily pull the clothes off the hangers and stick them in the duffel bag. I go to the closet in the hall and put the thickest blankets in another duffle bag that's black. I also stick five sleeping bags in it too. I go to David's room and put the clothes he left behind when he went to soccer camp in the same bag as the one with all my clothes. I hesitate before sticking his "banky" in it too. "Banky," is David's favorite blanket that he's had since he was just a baby. The ratty old thing had holes in it and provided little in terms of warmth. It was soft and a dark blue that matched his eyes and mine.
Food. We will need food. I go to the kitchen and begin scuffling through the cupboards and fridge. We need things that will last. Apples, carrot slices, crackers, bread, juice, etc. I stuff as much food as I can in all the bags. I realize that I'm actually famished myself and grab a slice of cold pizza. Yum.
Water. We'll definitely need water. You can last a few weeks, maybe more if you're lucky, but you need a certain amount of water to stay healthy. But I'm not completely worried about being healthy right now, just staying alive. Not me alive, but Clover and Jasmine and David. They must live. My life seems little now in comparison.
After stuffing every inch and empty crevice of the duffle bags I move on but the ugly green van in our drive-way catches my eye through the window.
The ugly, old van awaits us now. I think I have everything that we'll need: food, clothes, tooth brush and tooth past, sleeping bags, blankets … this might actually work. But no matter what encouraging thoughts I form I can't shake the horrid feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I hate this.
I want David to come home so I can properly watch over him. I want my poppa to come home unchanged. I want my momma to yell and be mad and worry again. I want little Clover and Jasmine to grow up without having to run away like this. I want Luke to not have to be kinda "freaked out" like he said they were. I want Rue and her mother to be safe and happy. I want my momma back most of all though. I want to be able to call her momma again. She hasn't been my momma since last week. I haven't been able to bring myself to call her momma since she came home all changed.
I don't think I've ever felt so frightened. I'm not brave or courageous. I'm not strong. I play a lot of sports but mostly just because they make my dad happy when I win. I'm fastest on my track team but long-distance. I play defense and goalie in soccer but coach always makes me do offense if Luke is sick or something. I do basketball too but I'm better at track and soccer.
Momma never cared much for my sports but she always wanted me to join the choir. I eventually did but I really don't think I'm that great. My momma was something of a music whiz. She taught me the piano and guitar and she was teaching me the harp before.-
My throat closed up, stopping all thought and concentration. I haven't noticed the salt-water on my cheeks.
You have to be strong, Ivy, you have to be brave. I tell myself, trying to stop the flow of tears.
I have to go get Clover and Jasmine ready to leave. I need to get them dressed and in the van so I can drive over to a stretch of woods at the end of our neighborhood. Then we'll have to walk, I'll be carrying Jasmine of course, to the old tree house poppa made for me and David a few years back.
Wait a second. Momma and poppa had an old baby carrier thingy that they could strap to their backs. Yeah, now I remember. Where is that thing anyway?
I go to Clover's closet and open it quietly. I don't see it … oh! There it is. I recognize the K.Y. key chain hooked to one of the straps and pull it out from under some old baby blankets. Perfect. It looks to be in good condition, we've had it since I was a baby though. This'll help. Perfect.
I decide to get Jasmine ready first and gently lift her from the cozy little crib that's been in my family the years now. She whines a little but Jasmine's never been much of a crier. I cuddle her to my chest and carry her to the navy duffel bag, now filled with baby clothes, diapers, and food. I dig out her snow suit and a new diaper because I think she wet herself. Yup, she peed. I've spent a lot of time changing diapers so this doesn't bother me all that much. I change her diaper and dress her in warm, comfy layers of clothes that will pack in heat. I pull out the clothes I'll dress Clover in before I zip the bag shut and carry it with Jasmine in the baby carrier on my back to the ugly van. It's gotten late, at least 6:00 p.m. maybe 7:00. I check my watch and I still have some time before I need to go meet up with Luke. I put Jasmine in her little car seat and pull her tiny pink hat down. I close the door and go to the front seat. I turn the car on and the heater all the way to the top.
I walk as casually as I can possibly manage, my eyes darting around the neighborhood searching for any strange black vans with strange tall, dark men waiting to take me just like with my poppa.
I go to Clover's tiny room and gently wake her.
"Clover" I coo, trying to be tender in her waking. She hated being woken up. I should know. I used to have to wake her up every morning before school, momma didn't like waking up early and I didn't mind too much. "Come on, sweet pea. Time to wake up."
Her blond lashes fluttered and I was suddenly staring at her beautiful blue eyes. Her blond curls looked the same as when I laid her down to sleep before. Oh yeah, I remember now, Clover didn't move at all when she slept.
She looked confused for a minute, like she couldn't believe that it was morning already. Her eye lids drooped tiredly.
"It's okay sweet pea. I'm waking you up early, sorry, but we need to go okay? Come on, we need to get you dressed." She was surprisingly silent as I dressed her in layers of soft, warm, tiny clothes.
As I carried her to the van she drifted back into a slumber. I hope she didn't have any nightmares. I tenderly put her in her little car seat and fastened her in.
I still had no idea what to do about David but I knew I wouldn't leave him at that soccer camp another day. I wouldn't survive that – not knowing if he was okay, safe, himself. My little brother…
My relationship with David wasn't really like a normal brother-sister relationship. We argued and had our quarrels but none of them were serious enough to keep us from laughing at each other right after. I loved him just as much as I love Clover and Jasmine. Maybe a little more then I love momma and poppa but that's only because he was more fragile, instinctively, I cared for him more. I made sure he was happy more often then I made sure of my own parents. I don't know what it is but something in me always makes me care for the ones who need me more then the ones who can take for themselves. I loved my momma and poppa so much but they didn't need me as much as David, Clover, and Jasmine always did. My parents were good parents but … they made me do a lot of work with my little siblings. I don't hold any resentment towards them but … sometimes it makes them seem very irresponsible. They never paid much attention to David either so I always made sure that I was there for him whenever he needed me.
And he needs me now.
And I'm not there with him.
A pang of guilt mixed with pain racked my chest.
I need to get him back. I need to get my little David back in my arms, where I can keep him safe and watch over him properly.
The van is completely warm now, even hot. I turn the heater down just a little and, after placing the rest of my duffel bags in the back, drive to end of my neighborhood. I can see the patch of woods from her, maybe a mile or two away. I packed at least four duffel bags. I have to carry Jasmine and Clover will just have to wake up and walk on her own. I get the duffel bags out first and carry them half way before going back for my two younger sisters. I hide the duffel bags pretty well, there's a lot of tall grass around here.
Jasmine doesn't wake as I maneuver her body into the baby carrier, I really don't know the real name for the thing, and I strap her to my chest. I don't want the duffel bags that I'll be carrying on my shoulders to hit her as I walk. I un-strap a tired Clover from her car seat and place her down. I hold her shoulders until I am positive she is conscious enough not to fall over. I still wait there in front of here for a minute just to be sure.
I see her full lips move but no sound reaches my ears. I think she whispered something…
I kneel down in front of her, Jasmine still strapped to my chest.
"Did you say something sweet pea?" I ask in my most soothing voice.
"Where are going?" Her high, young voice asks me and I still have to strain my ears to hear her. Her eyes are so exhausted looking but there is a thick layer of sadness and understanding underneath their tiredness.
I stumble around in my head; trying to think up a good answer that she'll understand correctly and that also won't make her cry. The only thing that could make this worse would be if Clover started crying.
"We're going somewhere safe," is all I can say before my throat closes and I'm dangerously close to tears.
I think Clover sees this and nods her head somberly, forcing her tiny ringlets to bounce around.
I take her tiny hand in mine as we walk but have to let go soon. She's just so small and I'm just too tall, so instead she just keeps her hand on my leg, gripping it firmly.
It doesn't take us long to reach the duffel bags. I struggle trying to keep my weight right as I carry two duffel bags on each arm. I suppose I'm lucky I did so many sports but most of those sports required speed rather then strength. I wish I had Luke here to help carry the load but sure enough he must have his own things to carry. It's gotten dark and I worry that I might fall on top of little Jasmine. This horrid image brings a new strength to my limbs and I move on. I take long strides with my legs and little Clover has to race to keep up with me. I slow down a little to help her for I know how tired she is but my anxiety isn't helping at all.
"There you are!"
The voice breaks through the cold, night-time air, shattering the silence completely. I can tell the voice belongs to a girl and it only takes me a moment to recognize her.
"Kate!" I exclaim and have to stop myself from racing over to her and leaping in her arms. I can't really see her, but I can make out her outline and her silvery-blond hair nearly glows in the pale moonlight. Yes, the moon just finally came out from behind some clouds. Her small figure cam towards me. Kate is two years older than I but I'm a full head and a half taller than her. She was such a petite, little thing.
Kate takes one look at me and my sisters and grabs two of the duffel bags and takes Clovers hand. I was incredibly grateful as the pressure of my shoulders lessened. Clover was familiar with Kate and adored her just as Kate loved tiny Clover. Then again, it was hard not to like Clover.
"Is Luke here? Darin? Jake?" I ask hurriedly. But I know they must be here. Kate would never have left without them; she was just a protective as Jake or me.
"Yes, their all fine. Darin and Jake are asleep in the tree house and Luke's waiting for you. He's been dozing off a little though; none of us got much sleep last night."
"Why? What happened last night?" I ask.
"Well, nothing really, and that's what scarred us. Our parents weren't fighting, there was no yelling or arguing, everything was silent. Darin and Jake were so frightened; it took all night to get them to sleep! Jake refused to sleep at all too. He made us all sleep in the same room and he stayed up all night watching the door and flinching at the slightest sound. It was horrible." Kate shuddered at the memory. I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"So, Luke said that you had something you needed to tell us. Something you couldn't say on phone." Kate said, scrutinizing my expression.
My throat closed up again and my shoulders felt like I was carrying ten heavy duffel bags. "Um … yeah. This morning I saw my poppa get carried into a black van. He was unconscious and I couldn't recognize the man who carried him. He still hasn't come back..." My voice trailed off into nothing. When my poppa does come back … will he still be my poppa or will he be my dad, like how my mom isn't my momma anymore. A painful feeling cuts through my core and it feels like I'm being ripped in half. I small sound escapes my lips, barely audible, but Kate knows me well enough to know that it was a sound of pain.
She places a tiny arm around my waist, for she really can't reach my shoulders without stretching. She hugs me to her but it's awkward and a little uncomfortable for a duffel bag is between us and she doesn't let go of Clover's hand.
I can tell from her expression that she's trying to think of something to say to make me feel better but I don't like being pitied or needed comfort so I smoothly move away from as we continue walking and change the subject.
"Any idea on how I'm supposed to get David?" I ask her. Kate knows where David is and she could probably drive us there…
"Well, we could just drive up there and get him. It'll take about a day or so. I really don't see any other option." Kate's high, reedy voice is more than a little afraid. She knows David from all the night he slept over there with Jake and Darin.
"Okay, well we could take the van. Did you all walk here?" They live just three houses away from the edge of our neighborhood so it wouldn't take long. Kate does have her own car but it's nothing great and eats gas like crazy.
Kate nods.
A terrible thought dawns on me then …
"Kate did you by any chance bring any money?" I ask a new worry and fear seeping into my veins, making the night feel colder then it really is.
"Yes but not much. Our parents have been watching us like hawks and we couldn't find their wallets or anything so we just have my own money and Luke's. I do have my college fund with me though, I don't know the exact amount but it should be enough to get us anything we need. Luke had some money saved up too, for his own car. It's not like we'll be spending much though, me and Luke packed the whole kitchen basically! And we brought our own sleeping bags too." Kate informed me.
"Oh, good." I sighed in relief. "I brought an extra sleeping bag and plenty of food and water that should last us for awhile."
Kate nodded but said nothing.
We were quiet for awhile, except the occasional yawn from Clover or Kate. In the moonlight I could see that her flawless skin looked incredibly worn and old, she had bags under her eyes and her gray eyes themselves looked very … aged. She reminded me of my momma before she was changed, so worried all the time and so tired. I bite down on my tongue hard to hold in the shriek of agony for long, sharp daggers are now writes my momma's name on my heart. Just like before when I was being ripped in two at my core.
To distract myself from the awful pain that pulsed through me in time with my own heartbeats, I looked down at Kate's outfit. I've never been much of a shopper, never really been fascinated with clothes like most girls at my school were. Kate wore a dark blue sweat shirt with her dad's black leather jacket over it. The thing was so huge on her I wondered why she even brought it but decided not to voice my question. She had her waist long silvery blond hair pulled up in her usual high ponytail. She had no layers in her hair or bangs. She also wore some casual dark blue jeans that didn't really look like they offered much in heat but comfort. That's when I noticed that she was shivering a little. I knew her legs would just be cold though, that sweat shirt used to be mine and it's as warm as a snow suit.
The sweat shirt makes me think of David because I was going to give it to him but the very next week he went through a crazy growth spurt. He went from reaching my forearm to just above my shoulder and he was only nine. But then I grew more and he slowed down. David…
"We should leave tonight." I say before I am even thinking about the words.
"What?" Kate asks, surprised.
"I want to go get David tonight. There is enough room for all of us in the van and if you too tired to drive then I'll do it and you can all sleep but I have to go get him. Tonight." I could feel hysteria beginning to creep in my voice but I swallowed it back down. My decision was made and I would stand by it no matter what.
Kate stopped me mid-stride and almost made me lose my balance because the heel of my left foot was on the edge of a hole I hadn't seen. I was about to scold her but the minute I saw her expression I felt the air leave my body in one big gust, like someone had punched me right in the gut, or the lungs maybe, or everywhere in my body. I am in so much pain.
I haven't seen Kate's full face this whole time; it was either only a profile when we were walking or the dim shadow when she first came up to me. But now I saw her and I felt my body grow even colder then it already was. Something's wrong…
Kate's eyes didn't just have purple bags under them; it looked like she had someone tattoo purple bruises there and they seemed even more prominent on her fair skin. Her pretty lips were set in an ugly grimace that looked wrong on her gentle, round face. Her nose was scrunched up a little and her nostrils were slightly flared. Her brows were mashed together just like Luke's did when he was angry or worried. But none of this was compared to her eyes. Not the purple bruises or puffiness, but the sadness, the age, the terror, the angst, the despair! Her gray eyes looked old and worn like a crinkled page of an old book. She appeared on the verge of tears. I would've hugged her but Jasmine was still strapped to my chest and I didn't wanna squish her.
She looked at me for a long time and I was growing impatient. Clover was tired! Sleepy! I want to get her to the tree house or even better back to the van where she can be warm and lull back to sleep from the vibrations of the car. Her exhaustion is what pushes me forward for I, myself, have grown so tired after such a long and horrid day. I haven't slept since I was waken this morning and watched my poppa-
I had to stop the thought for the pain came back only this time it was like ice water in veins. Numbing rather than making me more alert. And this was dangerous.
When Kate still said nothing I tried to turn back around so I could continue my way to the tree house but she held onto my arm firmly, more firmly then I thought she could, what with her own tiredness and all.
"What is it?" I ask, not bothering to hide my impatience. Clover is tired and David is waiting and Jasmine is cold. These three things are burn out the ice water in my veins and make me alert again.
"Ivy, listen please. I know this is hard for you but …" Kate ducked her head, ashamed of the words that threatened to escape her lips. I knew what he would say and I also knew that if she did say them she would only end up with a mouth full of fist. I would never forgive her. Ever. I've become to know Kate well enough to call her a friend but if she finishes this sentence Luke is going to have to pull me off her before I snap her neck.
I feel my face change into a dark scowl. My lips curl and my teeth are bared, my eyes narrow into slits and my nostrils flare. How dare she?!
"Ivy, please try to understand that I have to think about my own family first. You know I love you like a sister but you're not my sister and I just can't put my family in that kind of risk. If you go after David, you're going alone. I've noticed that more and more people are changing and have you seen the news lately? All of it has changed! And there's been huge numbers of people turning themselves in and confessing to stuff that happened so long ago! It's madness! And all these professional fighters are now retiring and going into stuff like teaching and medicine and shit like that! Like suddenly every person in the world has turned all … good." The words come out in a rush but my fist stops her before she can continue.
Kate meet fist. Fist meet Kate. Lovely.
Clover's deafening scream pierced the night and I clamp my hand over her mouth. Tears are streaming down her round face now and I hug her to myself.
Great! Now I've upset Clover! Nice, just freaking perfect!
Kate is trying to stop the flow of blood spurting from her nose now and I can't help but growl at her. I saw red, which made everything look weird in the pale moonlight, as the searing hot anger pulsed through me. Clover, who reads expressions in an instant and can know what's happening, put a small, dimpled hand on me cheek and made me face her again. She didn't say anything and she had finally stopped crying.
"Ivy?" I head Luke's voice before I sensed his presence behind me.
I turned and was instantly blinded. What the crap? I closed my eyes quickly and flinched a little.
"Yeah, I'm right here." I answer. "You mind moving the flashlight before I'm permanently blind?" I ask with my usual sarcastic edge.
Luke laughs a little and lowers the flashlight from my face to his sisters. Uh oh.
"What the hell happened?" He demanded rushing to his sister. I saw his eyes scope every shadow in the tall grass and behind the trees before lowering down to see if Kate's nose is broken. I'm pretty sure I heard a crunch when my fist connected so I bet it is. Good.
I watch silently as Luke straightens out Kate's nose as best as he can. It doesn't look all that bad really, maybe a little crooked but it could've been worse. It's swollen like an orange or something so you can't totally tell.
Kate may seem nice and wonderful but I've seen her beat the hell outta some guy for calling her a tramp so I push Clover aside a little and un-strap Jasmine from the baby carrier before putting her down gently next to Clover just in time for Kate to lunge herself at me.
She pins me down with her knees on my shoulders and I hear the crunch of my nose before I feel it. Then there's a loud smack and my head whips to the side from the blow. Another hit, this time to my throat and before I know it, tiny Kate is gone.
It all happened so quickly! My eyes feels like it's swelling already and my nose are most certainly definitely broken. I'm gasping for air and can't seem to concentrate on anything. I finally get in a good breath of air up my aching windpipe and asses the damage. I open my eye but only one opens completely. My left lid refuses to open more than half way. I raise a shaky hand up to my nose and cringe. Ouch… I use both hands to, as carefully as possible, straighten it out. It isn't as swollen as Kate's, I can tell that much, but how crooked it is … I'd need a mirror for that, the one thing I didn't pack other than money. My right cheek feels swollen too and there's already a bruise forming but that shouldn't take long to heal.
I stand up right, not needing my hands, and look down at Kate. We stare at each other for a long time and I can hear Luke sigh every now and then.
"Okay, will someone please tell me why my sister's nose is broken and why she just beat Ivy up?" Luke asked loudly after at least five minutes of our starring.
"Ivy broke my nose."
"Kate said she was going to abandon David." We both speak at the same time and I feel like hitting her again. She can see this in my eyes and leans forward a little with her arms slightly raised, ready to pounce at any minute.
Luke is looking at us, back and forth, like we've lost our ever loving minds. He exhales a long gust of air and I feel it caress my cheek.
"Alright, well, Kate we can't just abandon David." Luke begins and cuts Kate off when she starts to object, "Hold on now, and don't hit me too." Kate's eyes narrow at her younger brother, "Look, we just can't leave David behind. And if we do then we're gonna have to leave Ivy, Clover and Jasmine behind too." Kate looks down at Clover and up at Jasmine who was still strapped to my chest and a small pout comes to her plump lips.
Luke turns to me then and says, "Ivy, I understand why you hit Kate. I would've done the same, we all would have, but you should say sorry."
Is he serious? I've seen Luke hit plenty of people, break plenty of noses, and he's telling me to say sorry? What the hell!
I feel the stubborn line my jaw forms and cross my arms over my chest.
"She broke my nose too, and more!" I say.
"True, so Kate will say sorry too." Luke says to both of us.
Kate's eyes narrow even more and she crosses her arms over her chest, like mine. Luke can see that we're both equally stubborn and that's it's gonna be awhile before we actually forgive and forget so he just picks up little Jasmine and straps her to his chest after adjusting the straps and picks up the four duffel bags and begins walking with his long strides to the tree house.
I know Kate doesn't want me mad at her but … how can I not be mad?
I pick up Clover and she falls asleep instantly in my arms, borrowing her tiny head in my black hair. I can hear Kate behind us but I'm not keeping pace with her anymore and walk with my own long strides. If she wanted to keep up, she would've had to run.
The easy friendship between Kate and I has been severed in what? Only a few minutes … possibly more. How did that happen? Oh, right. She wanted to leave my little brother behind.
It is weird how fast things like that can break and how long it can take for you to fix them. But, do we even want to fix it?
No telling how long we'll be out here, maybe we should tie this up right now. But I don't think I can be the first one to say 'sorry.' And I just know Kate won't!
Clover's soft snore sounded more like a lullaby than anything. Soft, peaceful.
It's doesn't take long for me to reach the edge of the trees and I know the way to the tree house. When we first made it, poppa had us use red ribbons tied to the branches so we wouldn't get lost until we knew the way perfectly. Now, it was almost too easy to find the tree house. It does take me a little longer than usual, what with the moonlight not being able to filter through the tall trees, even the ones that are bare of leaves.
I do eventually find my way to the old tree house and see Luke rummaging through my duffel bags. I feel a moment of annoyance and worry that he might be looking through the bag with all my clothes in it; he would never live it down if he stumbled across one of my bras, but I notice the familiar dark hunter-green of the duffel bag that I stuffed with only food. Oh, good.
A sigh of relief escapes me and Luke looks up. His face is grim and just plain miserable.
I give him a small smile and he glowers. What did I do? Besides break his sisters' nose?
He sees the blank expression on my face and his glare deepens. Luke jerks his chin towards the woods behind me. Oh. He wants me to go back to Kate. Probably just to help her find her way because she's only been here once but, still, I plant my feet firmly and my jaw clenches into the same stubborn edge. Well, Luke is just as stubborn as me so it could be awhile before either of us move again. It's like a freaking Mexican stand-off, they way we both are frozen staring at each other.
But staring at Luke made me see something: Luke. I don't know what is was, maybe the way the flash light he had sitting up against a rock flashed yellow light against his already sun-tanned skin, making it look golden, or maybe it was the way his gray eyes held mine, like a tractor beam, they called to me but, being the most stubborn and idiotic person on the planet, I refused to move. Maybe it was that he had his shirt off and I saw that he wasn't the little boy from down the street anymore. Luke had a major growth spurt last year and he all but towered over me now. His muscles were long and wiry but absolutely there under his golden skin. His blond hair was nothing like Kate's, his was much darker, also golden but dirty too, and it appeared that he had natural brown streaks in his hair, I could never tell what shade it was exactly because there were so many different shades in his hair. His expression seemed to change as he looked at me too and I wondered if he liked what he saw or if his stubbornness was about to break.
Foreign warmth flooded my cheeks, well not really foreign I've felt this warmth before but never around Luke. I duck my head to my feet and turn wordlessly to the trees to go find Kate before she got too lost.
Wait, why did I get all shy right there?
I shove the question to the back of my mind to ponder about later, when it wasn't so cold. I feel Clover sniff my hair in her sleep and I rub her back motherly.
It doesn't take long to find Kate; her hair and pale skin all but glow in the dark night. I can't really bring myself to look her in the eye but she follows me back to the tree house silently. I notice how quiet her foot steps are and remember back when Luke's where that silent. With all the extra length Luke has become awkward and gangly whenever he walks. It's kinda funny.
When we get back I pull out Clover's tiny pink sleeping bag and place the small child inside. I kiss her forehead after brushing the bouncy ringlets off her face.
I look around for Jasmine and see her in Luke's arms. Luke is sleeping in the tree house, next to Jake and Darin. He's got three blankets on and I see one wrapped around the tiny baby. She looks warm enough and he doesn't look like he'll drop her so I turn to get out my own sleeping bag. I see them from way below and I have to squint my eyes but this is one of the tallest trees and the moon light is shining through perfectly.
I find myself taking deep breaths through my nose; I love the nighttime smell in the woods with all the pine trees and the wind whistling through the branches all around us. I find my own and climb the rope ladder lithely. I hear Kate following me up. The soft wooden floor of the tree house is cold under my hands as I pull myself up but it was a familiar cold. I have to move the smelly brown blanket that we use as a door aside to get in first.
I creep over to Luke and pull Jasmine from his arms and they fall limp at his sides. After pulling the top blanket up to his chin I climb in my own sleeping bag with Jasmine and fall into a restless sleep without even looking at Kate.
My nightmare seems never ending but I am shaken awake by rough hands that I recognize before I open my eyes. I can still feel tiny little Jasmine in my arms. When I do open my eyes I see Luke's kind face and instantly know something is wrong. Why does he look so panicked?
I sit up immediately and my eyes scope the darkness, searching for the danger that has gotten my best friend so frazzled. I can see that Kate is shaking Darin and Jake awake as well. Clover is already up and yawning. She obviously didn't get enough sleep again.
I'm just about to ask Luke what's wrong when his large hand clamps down on my mouth and stops the words from escaping. He holds his index finger to his lips, the same sign our third grade teacher would use in the hall way to tell us to be quiet.
What's wrong? I mouth the words so no noise is made and he points outside, on the ground. I crawl over to the edge and peek around the brown blanket. Flashlights in the distance, I can see the beams of white light, not searching but they are all fixed on the tree. How? Who are they? There are seven of them, I can't see their faces but the moonlight does allow me to see their forms. None of them look very bulky or strong but one who is at least 6'6 but I can't be totally sure.
No one knows of this place but my family and Luke and his siblings, we never told his parents, we figured they wouldn't care anyway. When one of the flashlights beams in my face I quickly cower back behind the think blanket. They know we're here now. I pull out my knife without thinking about it. Could I do it? Could I fight, most likely kill, for these people? I look around at my friends and family in the tree house and the answer comes like a lightening bolt: yes. Of course. Obviously.
Luke notices the sharp knife in my right hand and pulls out his fathers' pistol. I remember the one in my boot and pull it out too. I see Clover shrink away from me, she hated violence but that will have to change. I hate it that she will have to change to survive but it's the truth. I'm changing; I can feel it right now. Like someone is molding a new me, slowly but efficiently. I'm not scared about whom I will be when the change is finished, I just hope it will be someone strong and brave who can protect her family.
Luke meets my eye and I see that he's changing too. This bothers me a little because I don't' really want Luke to change, ever. Luke's been my best friend since I was a little girl, why would I want him to change at all?
I remember when I first me Luke. It was in second grade. He was tall even then and strong for one so young. His head was shaved though because he had gotten lice. Everyone teased him about it but me; I did stay away from him though. I already got picked on enough back then; I didn't want any extra burden by being friends with him. Everyone always made fun of me because I looked very different from all them. I was dark skinned and had black hair that fell in frizzy waves down to my knees, I refused to let anyone cut it off, and I was also tall for my age whereas everyone else in that class was white with either blond or red hair, I was actually the only one in that class with a dark hair. I did notice him watching me thousands of times before though. But one day in mid-fall at recess, I was alone as usual, and I saw Luke behind the trees with the other boys. I knew if I they saw me the teasing and name-calling would commence. I was just starting to turn towards the swing set when I saw Joseph, a small red haired boy with green eyes, kick Luke in the shin. Luke could have shrunk away but Luke had had enough and punched the small Joseph right in the eye. I heard him cry out and saw the other boys start hitting Luke. It was five on one. My temper hit its peak and I sprinted over, kicking and punching until they promised to leave us both alone. After they had limped off I turned to Luke and found him staring at me with his gray eyes and he kissed me on the cheek before asking me to marry him. It was so silly, but I said yes and he said, "I'll hold you to that," before we both started laughing. And like that, we became friends. He asked me to marry him a few times after that but he gradually stopped reminding me and giving me those cheap rings you got in those machines you put quarters in, but I never forgot. I've had crushes on other guys but never really could stop myself from thinking about Luke right after. The thought of marrying Luke, my very best friend, bring warmth to me a cheek which fights against the frigid cold night.
I am pulled from my reverie when Luke shakes my arm.
"Hurry, come on." Luke whispers waving me over to the window we built in last year. We thought the tree house need some improvement so we spent weeks putting in that one window and spray painting whatever we felt like on the walls.
I see Kate climbing out the window with Luke holding her hands until she can balance herself on a thick branch. Jasmine is strapped to her back, sound asleep. My heart pounds in my ears when I see her there, if Kate falls Jasmine would … NO!
I rush to the window but Luke holds me back and gives me another rough shake.
"Stop it!" He whispers in my ear. "You're going after Darin and Jake, Clover will be behind you, then I'll fallow." The quiet words come out in a rush and his hot breath warms my ear and the side of my face.
I nod and wave Jake to go next. I put away my weapons. I hold his hands, like Luke did for Kate, and have to bend over the window at my waist to lower him all the way down to the branch Kate is on. Kate has to stretch so she can grab him by the waist and lower him the rest of the way and then she places him in front of her and waves him forward, he starts to crawl. Jake is scared of heights so I now this must be hard for him and feel a small sense of pride when he doesn't even scream. He's brave, just like Luke and Kate.
I help Darin out the window and hold him by his hands until Kate grabs him and places him in front of her. She starts to walk forward with her arms raised at her sides to help her balance and with Jasmine on her back.
I turn to see Luke peaking around the brown blanket. Clover is quivering standing next to me, her tiny blond curls bouncing and shaking with the movement.
I wish I could hug her but we need to move faster. I crawl out the window awkwardly and hang there by my hands. I'm an inch or two above the branch; I can just touch it with my tippy toes. I take a deep breath and drop myself. I land better then I thought I would and wait to grab Clover.
Luke is lowering her down and I have to stretch to reach her waist. Instead of putting her in front of me I let her cling to my back with her hands clasped tightly around my neck and her legs around my torso. Clover doesn't have the balance for even crawling and she wouldn't be able to stop herself from crying or screaming as she went.
I raise me arms up at my side and walk forward. I can't help myself from looking down but it has no affect on me, I've never been afraid of heights and neither is Luke. I turn just in time to see him balance himself and start to walk forward. He doesn't have the duffel bags! He sees my eyes widen and shakes his head. I know what he's thinking; none of us would have been able to walk on a branch ninety feet in the air with the heavy bags we all brought. I don't even think any of those bags would've fit through the tiny window.
We all walk, Darin and Jake crawls, across the long thick branches. We have to move and sometimes even jump a little to make it to a lower branch that can hold us all. We move pretty fast but not fast enough. The people had to climb all the way up to the tree house and then realize we weren't even there. They've probably spotted us now but we do have some good hiding spots. These branches are strong and as we move along we get more confident about our footing. I've spent hundreds of days out here climbing trees with Luke but have only gone this high a few times before. Luke loved climbing these trees and has most likely gone even higher than this. David would be ecstatic if he could be here, he also loved climbing trees but I never let him go this high up.
I can faintly hear the people in our tree house talking and I can tell they're trying to find us. Spots of bright lights filter through the branches but none of them even touch us.
We don't get distracted and are about twenty feet up when we hear someone shout, "They are over here!"
The voice shocks me and almost makes me fall but Luke catches my arm and steadies me, Clover gives a small whimper. I recognize that voice, its poppa.
Clover recognized the voice too and tries to squirm away from me to see him. I grab her hands which are still at me neck and squeeze them.
"Poppa!" Clover screams trying to jump down to him or something. I feel Luke's warm hand on the back of my head when he shuts her mouth. But it's too late, they've found us.
We're all frozen for two seconds before I see Kate get stuck in the arm with some sore of dart. She gasps.
I hear a gun shot behind me and a snarl rips its way through Luke. Luke shot at them, but whether he hit them I don't know.
A shriek of pure horror shatters the night and we are all running the shriek belongs to my mother.
Running where? We don't know, anywhere away from them.
Jake looses his footing and slips. Darin lunges out and catches his twin brother by the hand and yanks him up before we start running again. I see Kate wobbling a little and a wave of fear crashes down on me. She still has Jasmine strapped to her back.
Before I know it we are falling. My hair is suddenly waving in the wind above my head as I fall and we all scream. Clover's small hands squeeze on my neck hard and I choke a little which stops the shriek in my throat. I don't know how long we were falling, it felt like a forever but really was probably only seconds. I landed on the hard ground in a half crouch and was off running again.
"Run!" Luke yelled at us all from behind me.
I counted the footsteps near me, mine, Luke's, Darin, Jake, where is Kate?
I skid to a stop and look behind me frantically. I see here pale form only yards away where she must have collapsed. I run to her and scream for Luke to help me. Luke yells at his younger brothers to keep running and eventually they do.
Luke reaches us by the time I have Jasmine un-strapped from Kate's back.
Jasmine seems unharmed but has started to cry and wail. Luke picks up Kate in his arms easily, as if she were only a rag doll. We start to run again and I'm not as fast with Jasmine in my arms screaming. I try to say calming things to her but my voice is thick with my own terror and fear, my breath is ragged but I'm not even winded, just tired and scared.
I can't hear anything but my heart beating wildly in my ears and my little Jasmine's wailing.
We ran until our feet literally bled, and then we ran some more.
Luke and I caught up to Jake and Darin after about a mile. Those twins might be small but they sure are fast. Their like Kate, they use speed and accuracy to win. Kate didn't wake up for nine hours. We tried everything, slapping her, pouring cold water over her, shaking her, but we didn't dare scream at her. We didn't want to make any noise at all. Silence was survival. We were able to keep her hydrated but we had no way to feed her. Luke didn't panic; he just became angry and even more determined. Jake and Darin cried a lot during those nine hours but they both kept quiet enough to where neither Luke nor I hushed them. I tried to get Clover to sleep but she just sat there, I could tell she was tired but she refused to close her lids. My poor little sweet pea is exhausted; all I want is for her to sleep.
About halfway through our frantic running we sprinted right into a thorn bush. I covered Jasmine up right in time and Kate didn't even get touched with the pointy needle-like thorns. Luke and the twins only got a few small cuts that healed fast and didn't even leave a scar. I got the worst of it. I kneeled down while running to protect Jasmine but ended up getting a face full of thorns. Only one of the cuts left a scar, dangerously close to me left eye, I now have a scar as long as my index finger. The scar is slanted and curves a little around my left eye it's just a few shades lighter than my dark skin. It doesn't bother me though, I'm just lucky I didn't get any infection.
I don't recall stopping until we were out of Kentucky. Can you believe we ran that far? But honestly we didn't' live that far from the border, just about 120 miles and we were already a few miles in. We probably would've kept on running but both the twins collapsed. Luke was gasping for air and I was more than a little nervous that he would drop Kate. I had to force my arms to hold on to little Jasmine. She eventually stopped crying but I could tell she was hungry and cold.
We stopped the instant we saw the Tennessee sign "Welcome to Tennessee, Home of the Volunteers." None of us knew if this was good or bad but didn't have anytime to ponder on it either. We were all hungry. We were all cold. We were all tired. Necessities distracted us from things like location and whatnot.
"I think we should keep heading south." Luke had said that day. I didn't know why he wanted to go south but agreed with him anyway. If it means we can get out of this cold, I'm up for it.
I did say yes but I also said that we need to go find David first. I could see Luke trying to decide what's best in his eyes and prayed that he wouldn't be like Kate and try to leave me on my own. Thankfully, Luke said that we should.
We weren't that far from his soccer camp now actually. It still would be a long run and an even longer walk. I could tell neither Darin nor Jake were going to be able to move at all until they had some food in them and some well disserved sleep. Strong little Clover clung to my back this whole time, silently, and I wondered if she would sleep at last. But, still she kept her eyes open and her hands balled into tiny fists. Clover didn't talk as much anymore either. I remember when she used to chirp around happily talking about everything and nothing at once. It was so cute.
Luke shook my out of my thoughts. I need to concentrate.
"What?" I ask him in an almost inaudible whisper. The night air seems colder than before, but it is much easier to see. The moonlight doesn't have to filter down through branches here.
"Their starting to leave. I think they'll be going for a while. They are packing up for what seems like a two week vacation." Luke breaths the words into my ear.
The small house glares at us menacingly. Its brick walls and red door are welcoming but the thing is, once we go in there, we might get captured.
Luke and I are going to break in, steal as much food as we can and then … try to get out. Neither of us has ever done anything like this before. And frankly, I'm terrified.
We've all decided that we'll go get David tomorrow for we are in no condition to rescue him. We need food and water. But we also need caution. Caution will keep us alive.
It's weird how I can't even remember the last time my stomach wasn't ripping with hunger like this.
So, Luke and I are going to sneak into this dangerous house and steal food and water and any blankets or coats or anything that will help keep us warm. I can't tell if Luke is just as scared as I am, his face is an emotionless mask. I've seen this mask before during a soccer tournament or track meet or basketball game. His eyes are set on the house in a strange haze of determination. His jaw is clenched in a stubborn line. But that's all, the rest of his features are blank.
I flinch back as the front, red door opens quite suddenly, or maybe that's just me, and out walks three people, two adults and one boy. The boy looks around my age but shorter, his red hair and pasty skin looks creepy in the light coming from the house. The father and the boy head to the little black Honda as the mother turns to turn off the light. That's when I see. As the red haired mother's face hits the light, her eyes shoot blue light across the lawn and side of the house. I stifle a shriek. This is all too much. I can't handle this. Not at all. Did it get colder? But I swallow my fear and the scream in my throat. I hear Luke gasp and cringe back. At least I'm not the only one freaked out.
We're frozen there for fifteen minutes after the family leaves with all their heavy bags. I am the first to move but only because a picture of Clover sitting in the cold, hungry, not speaking or sleeping. I have to search my memory for how to move first but I crawl to the edge of the road and turn to Luke.
"Come on, Luke. We need to hurry." I say in my quietest voice but not quite whispering.
His eyes lock on mine and he begins to shuffle forward. I wait for him.
When he reaches me we both stand at the same time and try to act as casually as we can so but since we really can't act out anything after what we just saw, we sprint across the road. I'm pretty sure no one saw us, everyone's in their cozy houses sleeping. It is late. I can't tell exactly what time it is but I know it's late, the moon is so high up and the stars twinkle delightfully. Luke leads me to the back of the house and we are crawling again. There's a back door, not very sturdy and luckily unlocked. Apparently they felt no need to take the precaution. Idiots.
The house is warm and the heat licks at my nose and cheeks, trying to fight away the icy cold that feels permanent at this point. The house smells comforting in that shelter-like way but this is not our shelter. We both sigh as the warm air fills our lungs but there is no time for rest, only haste. Neither of us dare turn on the lights. Luke tackles the kitchen while I race upstairs and fling open the hall way closet. It's full of thick, inviting blankets that I want to wrap myself in right now but I can't. I carefully place each blanket in the big bag I found in the woods. It stinks like a dead animal and doesn't look that much better than a dead animal either. I'm nervous about using it but what other choice do we have? I can't carry these entire blankets while running, not in the condition that I am in. I keep the blankets folded rather than stuffing then in, it leaves more space.
There are only three blankets left in the closet now. I've filled up every inch of this bag. Now, it's time to leave.
I take one step back from the closet, closing the white wooden door, and bump into something hard. This thing has curves in it so it can't be the wall and just as my mouth opens to let out the scream in my throat and hand clamps my mouth shut, causing me to bite my tongue. Blood fills my mouth, also stifling the shriek. I notice something cold on my throat, thin, icy. A shiver runs up my spine as I realize what it is: a knife. I get my mouth open just bit and blood splatters on the closet door, contrasting with the white. A small yelp breaks through just before the hand shuts my mouth again and the knife presses harder on my throat.
"Shut it!" A voice growls into my ear. I can tell its female.
I reach for my own knife I have in my belt but her hand grabs mine then too. She twists my arm behind my back and pushes me against the closet door, smearing my face with blood. My black eye and bruised cheek from Kate hits it and a growl rips its way through me. Ouch…
The knife is no longer at my throat but that just makes me wonder where it is now. At my back? Over my heart? My skull?
I hope Luke doesn't try to save me. I hope he just runs for it with the food and water back to Kate and Darin and Jake and Jasmine and Clover.
But no, Luke doesn't run for and he doesn't try to save me. I hear him give a little yelp like mine before and know that they've gotten him too. There's a load ruckus down stairs but I'm facing away from the noise. I flail around uselessly; obviously this girl is stronger than me.
There's a cold touch to the back of my neck, at my hairline, and I jump. The warmth of the house had been thawing me out.
The touch is from a hand and it seems to be searching for something on my neck. What's the damn thing doing now? Why won't it just kill me?
I hear the woman gasp lightly.
I am surprised by where I hear the gasp; she's short, about as tall as Kate but just as strong as me. Stronger really.
I try to jerk out of her hold but she just twists my arm even harder.
Abruptly I am pulled away from the wall and a small blue light shines directly in my eye. I gasp and flinch away from the blinding light. I close my eyes and she twists my arm until I open them again. Another gasp comes from the woman.
My arm is let go of and my knees give way, I fall to the soft carpet. I scramble up and turn to face the woman, my fists clenched. I'm dieing to hit something and my arm is aching.
I'm expecting some type of muscle woman but all I see is a small girl who looks starved and just as tired as me. Her black eyes are wide and her lips are white from shock. Her hands are trembling and she keeps opening her mouth but closing them when no words come. We stare at each other for a minute before I roughly push her down to the floor and sprint down the stares to find Luke.
Luke is on the ground passed out with some little girl standing over him. The girl has her back to me sop I can't see her face.
Before I even know what I'm doing I grab the small girl from under her arms and toss her away from Luke. I pull out the extra knife I had hidden in my boot and prepare myself to kill. The girl is up instantly, like my throw didn't even hurt her, and turns to me with her own knife out and ready. I'm just about to lunge when I really see the girl.
How did she…?
I'm thrown off guard because the small girl from upstairs is standing in front of me, crouched with a sharp knife clutched in her small dark hand. Her onyx eyes glare up at me menacingly.
I feel a familiar sharp edge to my back and freeze. What in the world is going on here?
"Clam down; we aren't changed at all. 'S okay we aren't gonna hurt you." Says a voice from behind me. "It's okay Akyra, she's human."
The petite black girl before me stands up but she doesn't drop the knife and her dark eyes are still narrowed.
"Did you check for a scar?" Akyra asks, her eyes never leaving mine.
"Yeah, and I checked her eyes. Believe me she is no damn alien." The voice behind me says. Both of the girls' voices are exactly the same.
I hear Luke stir next to me and the knife leaves me back. I turn on my heal to see the girl checking his neck and shining a small flashlight into his eyes.
I look over to Akyra and notice that her eyes don't have any reflective shine to them like the mom who lives here. So, maybe their still themselves and not changed like so many other people. That's what the other girl had said isn't it?
I decide that I'm just gonna have to trust the two girls who are obviously twins.
"He's still human too." Says the girl from upstairs. She's done looking at Luke so she turns to me. "So, what's you're names anyway?" She asks me casually, like everything before never even happened.
"Um, I'm Ivy and that's Luke." I say gesturing to Luke with my hand, the one that is not holding the knife.
The girl nods and says, "I'm Darcy and that's Akyra." Darcy glances around for a minute before asking Akyra, "Where's Ebony?"
"She went back to base before we found these two, says she was too tired." Akyra shrugged.
Darcy turned to me. "Ebony is our other twin. We also got our ma with us and our big brother, Cooper." Darcy says nonchalantly, as if all this was so normal to her.
I nod this time and ask, "What'd you do to Luke?"
Luke was starting to sit up but his eyelids still slumped heavily.
"Chlorophyll, don't worry he'll be fine." Akyra says and shrugs again.
There's a bit of an awkward silence then while we all watch Luke start up to his feet.
"So, um … what're you two doing here?" I ask a little nervous about the answer.
Darcy and Akyra both crack up laughing.
"What'd ya think we were doing here?" Akyra asks between laughs.
"Um…" Is all I say, I can feel the question mark on my face.
Darcy comes over to me, still chortling, and says, "Please girl! We be doin' the exact same thing you doin'!"
I'm still confused and I think they can see it on my face because they just keep on laughing.
"Oh come on, tell me you weren't stealing them blankets!" Darcy says with a gleeful smile on her coffee colored face.
Oh! Now, I get it.
I feel like kicking myself for being so slow; they were stealing just like me and Luke were.
Luke was currently mumbling about ninja demons' popping outta no where or something like that.
Darcy and Akyra finally stopped laughing and turned to look at me.
"So, is it just-" Darcy began.
"-You and Luke?" Akyra finished.
Okay, that was weird.
"No, we're with my two little sisters and his older sister, Kate, and his two younger brothers, Jake and Darin." I state.
The both nod simultaneously.
Luke is now fully conscious and his eyes dart from me to Darcy to Akyra and back to me. He can tell there's no tension in the air so I guess he just assumes everything's fine and dandy. Luke is best at being casual and calm so all he does is sling his arm over my shoulders and says, "So, where's your camps at?"
Luke's arm around my shoulders puts a strange feeling in my stomach, not painful but extremely annoying. Like something's digging is my abdominals and it doesn't feel very good at all; it's very distracting. There's another feeling, it feels like I just breathed in a whole lot of that gas they give you at the dentist when they must drill in you tooth or something. A bunch of giddy giggles pops outta me and I can feel my face and neck growing hot. My palms are, for some reason, sticky and sweaty so I rub them on my jeans but it doesn't help much.
Luke, Darcy, and Akyra are both giving me that "Are you sure she completely sane?" look so I bite my tongue till I taste blood and stare at the floor like a person who really isn't completely sane. I hope I'm not getting sick or anything…
"Okay then," Darcy clears her throat awkwardly, still giving me that look, before continuing, "Uh, we're camped out at this abandoned shed in the woods."
"It's not that hard to find if you know which way to go, the directions are real easy to follow. We aren't gonna stay there long though. We're heading east towards the coast. We got family that lives there and he got a real nice boat that we gonna live on. We gonna go way out to sea and the only times we gonna come back are for food and medicine and whatnot." Akyra looks us up and down for a second, "You know it's a big boat. We could probably fit you two and your families on it too." She said this slowly looking at her twin.
Darcy looked at Akyra too and then they both shrugged and said at the same time, "We'll leave it up to our Momma, but we think everything would be easier for us all if we joined up."
I looked at Luke and his gray eyes were already on me. I hadn't really noticed how tall he'd gotten but with him being this close I saw that I couldn't even see over his shoulder. I also hadn't noticed that his eyes had little specks of blue in them mixed with the gray. Luke was in need of a haircut too, his hair fell in his eyes and I know how much that annoyed him, but he didn't brush it away with his hand this time. I felt my face and neck grow hot again and I even saw his sun-kissed skin grow a little red too. It was so cute…
"Uh, I hate to interrupt what ever ya'll got going on over there but we really shouldn't stay here too long ya know." Darcy said with a smirk. Akyra had her face away from us but I could still hear the giggles.
Now my face got really red as I stuttered. "Oh, uh, w-we j-just uh…" I bite my tongue and let Luke do the talking.
"We'll think about it." He says with his own smirk.
I didn't like his answer. I thought it was a brilliant idea to team up with them. They were trustworthy enough. They were smart enough to run away when they got the chance. How long have they been running anyhow?
Silently, we start gathering up the food and water we stole. I go upstairs to get the blankets again.
Not before long, we're all ready to go. We are gathered around the back door, wondering who should lead us out. I fidget with my hands while Luke shifts his weight from foot to foot. Finally, Darcy and Akyra both step towards the door at the same time, both using their right and both pushing the door open slowly with their right hands. It's creepy to see how in sync they are with each other.
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