The Outside
Moriko Saki
Surprise
It's not fair." I said.
"Since when have humans been fair?" Ian countered. Before I could reply he held up his hand to stop me. "You're not going this time. Is it really so bad we're giving you a break? Can't you just relax at home for once?" The strain in his voice made guilt creep into my heart. "I should be going with them, Ian; Sunny would never make it out of the van."
"If I have to lock you in here, believe me, Wanderer, I will." Ian stood above me like stone with his eyes blazing down at me. I sighed, "Fine, I'll stay here and worry to death if that makes you happy. . ." Ian laughed. "Oh, I'll make sure to come back in one piece." Two fluttering beats, "You're going?" I yelped. Ian's smile receded. "Yes but –"
"No! You're not leaving me behind." I jumped up; this body was easily jumpy, I could feel the horror and anger flow from my feet to my white fists.
Ian took my hands in both of his and paralyzed me with one look of his dark sapphire eyes. I sighed and stared at the floor in defeat. "I'll be back in four days, just grabbing some tools." He lifted my chin with his large hand till my eyes were level with his, and kissed my forehead.
I walked with Ian and Jamie to the garage where Jared, Melanie, Kyle, and Sunny were waiting by the jeep. "Don't worry, Wanda, I'll bring you back something good, I promise." Jamie hugged me then walked to Melanie's side. "Take care of yourself; don't do anything crazy, if I find one scratch on you. . ." Ian held me to his chest and kissed me softly. "This is just like a sissy movie." An unexpected voice, Jeb, said. I jumped away from Ian and he laughed, "Have a safe trip kids, bring me back something with garlic while yer out." Jeb laughed. Everyone moaned in unison, there was nothing worse than Jeb's garlic breath.
I didn't sleep well the first night and the night after that... When I closed my eyes I saw the tiny, deadly, pill that we carried on raids. I stayed at the hospital for as long as I could until Doc went to his room with Sharon.
"Still not sleeping well, hon?" Jeb asked. He put a bottle of water in my hand and bread in my lap. I ate quietly and watch others in the kitchen eat and gossip with one another. "The east field could use a little TLC," He added. "Beats workin' in the kitchen with Candy and Sharon," I cringed at the thought; Jeb slapped his knee and laughed. "That's what I thought. Come by when you finish breakfast, I'll have something for you to do." He pushed off the counter and left the kitchen whistling as he always did.
Jeb was in the far corner. It took me awhile to find him. I took a pick from the pile to help him. "Break the dirt around the stocks . . . then mix it around." He didn't look up when he spoke, tending to the stock itself. My arms were weak; I would do the job with no help. We finished three rows when Jeb took my pick from me and slung it over his shoulder. "Let's take a break. Your arms hurt to bad?" I followed him back through the field. "This body is so weak and fragile, everywhere hurts." I sighed. The throbbing in my knees, pulsing muscles in my arms, and the ache in my back made it hard to move or make any effort. Jeb grunted and handed me a bottle of water. "I think we did enough for the day, it's almost lunch time anyhow." He dropped the pick back on the pile and we left the eastern tunnel toward the kitchen.
There were few people in the kitchen, taking a break. They were talking in groups of two or three. "Go take a seat," Jeb said. I sat on the edge of the counter and listened to the rumble of conversations. "You didn't go with Ian to raid, Wanda?" Trudy jumped onto the counter and sat beside me. Geoffrey, Heath, Heidi, and Paige followed her. I didn't answer her right away; I was distracted by her fingers twirling through my hair as she often did. "I didn't know about it until they started getting ready to leave, I wasn't allowed to go." Trudy patted my shoulder. "I'm sure they'll come home safe and sound." I looked her in the eye, "They took Sunny." "Oh," Trudy felt the same as I did.
"Here ya go, Wanda," Jeb came back with water and soup that hinted honey to add flavor. "Afternoon ladies and gents." "What do you think they'll bring back this time?" Paige asked dreamily. "I hope some meat again," Heath and Geoffrey agreed. "I wouldn't mind some tea bags and some apples." Trudy thought aloud, Heidi and Paige agreed. I nodded absentmindedly to their conversation.
"Wanda, why don't you stay with me till the boys- and Melanie and Sunny- get back?" Jeb finished his lunch. "I don't want to bother you, Jeb, I couldn't take up space." I tried to word it as carefully as possible. "Take up space? You're just a tiny little thing; I can't stand to see you lose another night of sleep." My mouth opened to protest. "No buts, you're stayin' in my room till they come back, that's an order, missy." Jeb grinned from ear to ear. I couldn't argue, even if I truly didn't want to stay with him.
We retired to the game room until dinner time. I was nominated as captain, on my team: Lily and Heath. Andy was the other captain; Paige and Lacey were on his team. Heath was our best offense, I was our best defense, and Lily was our magnet goalie. Lacey was the fastest runner and kicker, I had to focus entirely on her just to keep up and pass her. Jeb finally called the game at Twelve-Ten, we won by a hair and everyone collapsed where they stood.
Jeb's cave was simple enough but it felt like so much more then the others. There was a mattress and a mat laying side by side; in one corner of the room were boxes of bullets and a few empty jars, Jeb's spare clothes were folded neatly and sitting in another corner, and the gun laid in its sling on the floor at the head of the mattress. Jeb settled onto the mat and faced away from me. I curled into a ball on the mattress; I didn't have to wait till Jeb began snoring and then I settled into a dreamless sleep.
There was shuffling and murmuring bearable heard over Jeb's droning snores. "Are you sure she's gone?" a voice whispered outside the entrance to the room. "That's what they said, they've woken everyone up." Another whispered back. I was half asleep but it couldn't have been more than a few hours since I went to sleep. I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and sleep dragged me under again. Another hour must have passed when I heard the plywood door drag across the cave entrance. Someone knelt over me and then I was being carried. "Go back to sleep, I got you." I leaned against the person, too tired to feel alarmed by a stranger carrying me away.
I wasn't where I was supposed to be- that much I knew. It was too bright in the room. The door opened and shut and I felt someone lay down beside me. "How long have I been asleep?" I whispered. "It's the afternoon now. . . What were you doing in Jeb's room?" Ian breathing on my neck, his arm around my waist holding me to his chest, "I'm so tired, Ian." I sighed and rolled onto my back, Ian's grip tightened and put his lips to my temple. "What have you been doing while we were gone?" his lips moved against my skin. "I couldn't sleep . . . I was worried . . . Jeb made me stay with him last night, then I heard people talking." I murmured. I wanted to get lost in sleep now that Ian was home, no longer worried.
"I'm sorry," He whispered into my hair. I rolled onto my side to face him. I felt my small hand resting on his cheek as he leaned into the touch. He nuzzled against my face till our lips met. The molten rock ignited into sparks.
My arm wrapped around his neck, my fingers buried into his hair; his arms wrapped tight around my waist, his fists knotted into my hair. I was burning up but I could find nothing wrong with my body, the heat was so different from the heat I felt when Jared touched me.
His lips moved to my ear, "I love you." He whispered, the heat sent a shiver down my spine in pleasure. It had not been only recently in this body that a touch from Ian seared the skin beneath his fingertips, my skin. His eyes were innocent- I sighed in content, sleep dissolved into awareness and heat. My lips slid down his neck and he shifted to give me more access. I kissed the hollow of his throat and he moaned in response. I looked at him and he was staring at me, his eyes burning under the surface-dark blue flames. "Good or bad?" I whispered, I couldn't decipher if it pained him. "Good," he whispered, I kissed the junction of his neck and shoulder and I felt the muscles of his jaw tightened.
I placed my forehead against his; a curtain of gold shielded our faces. His hand stroked my cheek softly, his eyes held mine. "Are you hungry?" his voice deep, it sent a shiver up my spine. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. "Yes," I whispered, I remember the double meaning those words held, and the flames in his eyes told me he knew it too. His hand buried deep in my mass of gold hair the same time his lips crashed onto mine. Everything was rougher but not painful, his lips fused to mine with an intensity I had never felt. His tongue fought with mine, the sensation was searing and a moan escaped from my throat. He pulled away abruptly. "Melanie has been keeping Jamie away all morning, I'll bring back lunch if you want to stay here." He said and straightened slowly to his feet. I could hear his joints pop as he stood. How long had we been laying there? "No, I'll go too; I want to see Mel anyway." I said and rolled onto my knees. Ian offered his hand and when I took it he never let go on our way through the tunnels. When we stepped into the big plaza I realized the sun was dimmer than it should be for the afternoon. "I guess I was off on the time, well we can catch an early lunch." Ian said as if talking to himself.
The kitchen was crowded and the smell of real food made my mouth water. There was a symphony of conversations that filled the cavern. A voice called to me over the others and then I recognized Jamie running towards me- I braced myself for the impact. Jamie scooped me up into his arms but held me as if I were made of glass. "Hey, Wanda," He let me go and patted my head, "How could you stand Jeb's snoring?" He laughed and I laughed too. "When we finished unloading and Ian went to check on you, Jared and him totally freaked out when you weren't there." He was so enthusiastic. I looked up at Ian and he stared down at me, the faintest blush colored his dark skin. "I'll go get us some food. . . ." Ian walked away and Jamie coughed to hide his laughter.
Jamie took my hand and led me through the crowds to where he was previously sitting. He leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Come to the game room after dark." I nodded and I saw Mel and Jared saving a space big enough for two.
Ian reached us at the same time with his hands full of food. The perishables on this raid were pancakes, eggs, bacon and various pre-sliced lunch meat. Without a word he gave me both plates and sat on the counter and then put me on his lap like a small child. "So did anything interesting happen while I was away?" Mel rose up a conversation. "Nothing really; Heath, Lily, and I beat Andy, Paige, and Lacey at soccer- Twelve to Ten. That's about all since you left." I was halfway through my plate but I never tasted in on the way down. "Wow, you took down Lacey?" Jamie said in awe. "She's a beast when she gets competitive," Ian added in. I nodded, his chin now rested on my shoulder and his arms wrapped my waist- I leaned against his chest. "How was Sunny?" I asked, the thought of them depending on her made me tense with doubt. Melanie and Jared looked at each other and their expressions seemed to waver into distress. "What happened? Did something go wrong?" I said with caution. Jared sighed and spoke first, "No, but it took us awhile to get her to stop crying and to get out of the van. . . .We told her to act like she did before. . . .She made it into the store alright but when she went to grab something, she totally lost it and the par- soul came rushing over. She just kept on crying and the soul did everything for her, all she did was point and tear up."
"When she got back to the van she never let go of Kyle, she said that she told the soul that she was new to the body and the remains were too much, so the guy starts asking that she was wants and takes care of everything, I thought she would blow it at some point." Mel interjected, "I still would have brought you along as backup or something, you're defiantly coming next time for sure." She added with a smile, Jared and Jamie nodded.
"I'm glad she did so well, I was so worried she wouldn't be up to it, now I feel silly for doubting her, after all she is a soul as well." I did feel bad for doubting another soul but I felt like I was lying. Ian's hand brushed the back of my neck and kissed the scar that sealed it together, that touch sent a shiver down my spine.
It was hard to judge the time of day, clouds covered the skies, and the rain season was not over. "We won't have to worry about those clouds; they'll either move on or evaporate before it gets heavy enough to rain." Jeb said beside me in the plaza watching the clouds hover. "Well not that this day hasn't been fun but us girls need to get cleaned up." Mel hooked my arm around hers, "I'll see you later," Ian bent down and kissed me softly, my mind went into a haze. Jared did the same with Melanie, Jamie walked off with them in the opposite direction.
"Hey Sunny," Mel said surprised. "Can I join you?" She jumped up and hooked arms with us. "Of course, great job on the raid by the way, Sunny." I smiled genuinely. Sunny laughed and told me about how Kyle almost ran into the store when the soul came to aid her. She seemed so much more confident in herself and in the role she now played. "So where is Kyle?" Mel asked, I was curious, too. "I'm not sure; he said I should stick with you two for awhile, so I waited for you here." Sunny didn't seem to mind the separation. Melanie slipped into the dark pool after us, "I have a surprise for you girls." Mel said and I could hear the mirth in her voice. There was a tearing- like cardboard- and the smell hit me like a breeze. "Are you for real?" Sunny squealed and I hushed her. "It is our secret, okay." Mel laughed. "Thank you, Mel!" Sunny chirped. "Don't mention it; after all we have men to entice. We need to look our best." The soap was passed around the three of us until the room was filled with the smell of flowers, the sulfur in the water will replace the smell in time. We climbed out of the pool and claimed our clean clothes. On the other side of the river room Jared, Ian, Jamie, and Kyle were kneeling by the entrance, seeming to be amused. "Took you long enough," Kyle spoke first, "Oh don't fuss, It's not like you have anything better to do," Mel said curtly, Kyle stole a brief glance at Sunny, "Or Maybe you do, carry on then." Mel kissed Jared's cheek and winked at Jamie. I was following her out when Ian passed me and grabbed my hand, I looked back at him and his eyes held mine, he pressed my hand to his lips, his eyes never leaving mine.
I sat on the mattress Ian and I shared, Mel sitting behind me braiding my hair- She and Sunny gossip and discussed insignificant topics, I tuned them out. There were thoughts racing through my mind so fast I couldn't concentrate on one as they flicked past. The door creaked as it was moved. I looked up at Ian, I realized Mel was no longer fastening my hair into formation; Ian stared back at me not seeming to be aware of Mel and Sunny's presence. "Looks good, Wanda, see you later, Ian." Mel grabbed Sunny's wrist and moved around Ian and out the door. I suddenly felt the heat of my blush rising on my cheeks and I kept my eyes to the floor. "What was that all about?" Ian asked, her turned to close the door. "Don't know, Mel braided my hair, she said it looks cute this way." I mumbled, pulling the braid over my shoulder. "It is," his shoes came into my view and I looked up, his eyes burning into mine. He knelt in front of me and rested his large hand on my cheek, I leaned into the touch. His lips touched mine softly, "I love you, Wanderer." My lips moved with his. "I love you too, Ian." This time his lips moved with mine.
He stood up, pulling me with him, and led me to the door. His hands covered my eyes, I listened intently for the slightest sound but I couldn't hear anything over the stream flowing through the room. Jamie held my hand. "Ready?" he asked but not to me, Ian's hands fell away from my eyes. "Surprise!" I choked on a gasp; the room was crowded with my friends in the dim lights of the solar lanterns. There was another light among the lanterns, it was the bright yellow flames of candles- a faded memory recognized this as birthday cake candles. "Happy Birthday, Wanda!" Jamie shouted, a large smile fitted on his face. Melanie and Sunny held a large chocolate cake with eighteen brightly burning candles shooting up from it.
"It's our gift to you, Wanda. What else could we do here than throw a party?" It was a rhetorical question. The rest of the night I couldn't stop smiling; Ian, Jared, Jamie, and even Kyle and Melanie were fighting over what game to play and who got to get the second piece of cake- after I got the first, of course. I sat in a makeshift circle with Trudy, Heidi, and Sunny while the others played volleyball. Mostly Sunny and I listened as Trudy and Heidi told us about past birthdays before the invasion, every now and then Sunny and I would ambush them with questions about themes, gifts, cakes, and so on. There was a boom of shouting and laughter so loud that Trudy's voice was lost in the quake- apparently Ian's team had won a difficult game against Lacey's. Ian came to sit behind me and pulled me into his lap. "So what are you girls talking about?" Ian said around a whole granola bar he was attempting to swallow. "Just talking about how you play like a girl," Trudy teased, the fake wounded expression on his face sent Heidi snickering. "Oh yea? Then how come my team beat Lacey's?"
"Well it's obvious, the rest of your team played around your sorry excuse for a volleyball player." Trudy's counter sent Heidi into fits of giggles and the others who had gravitated into the circle snickered.