Chapter 12.When I notice everyone has left the kitchen to go back to work, I want to stay with Wanda. I'm not leaving her alone. Jeb nudges me around the corner though. I can hear the sounds she's making getting things ready for dinner. Seeing her would be better, but since I know there's no other way into the kitchen, hearing her is reassuringly enough as well.
"That was a nice thing to do." Jeb tells me.
"It wasn't so much nice, as needed, Jeb. I wanted people to feel a bit more at ease about him leaving again. I know a lot of them were mad that he didn't leave the body."
"Yeah, I know."
He walks a few steps and then turns back to me.
"What are you doing? There's work."
"I'm going to stay with Wanda."
"I'll do that." Jared comes walking from the other side. "I'll stay with Wanda."
I'm a bit hesitant but Jeb makes the decision for me.
"You can't keep ducking work to keep an eye on her, people will complain."
He's right, so I follow him to the fields to finish cleaning the mirrors.
"Ian, my team!" Kyle calls for me.
Jeb declared it was time for a game, so we're all in the recreation cave now. The sleeping things from the newcomers have been brought to the side. Jodi seems happy about it, it's a nice soft place for her to sit. To Kyle's pleasant surprise she decided not to play this time.
I walk over to Kyle, I'm one of the first to be called for a team.
Jamie picks the other team and he calls for Wanda. From this end of the room I can see her doing some stretching. Since I haven't been with her for any more of her 'training sessions' I have no idea in what shape she's in. But the fact that she is trying must mean she made some progress.
After fifteen minutes Wanda gives up, I walk over to her but she waves me to stay so I just blow her a kiss. Jared was looking at her with amusement for the last five minutes or so. I kind off want to hit that smirk of his face, but I share his amusement too much. She didn't even get close to the ball one time, but just ran trying to follow her team. I don't think she even knew where the ball was. Jodi pats on the ground next to the mattress, signaling Wanda to sit with her, so I concentrate on the game again.
"Ha!" Jamie triumphantly shoots the ball past me as I stand frozen on the spot.
I just noticed Wanda is not sitting with Jodi. Kyle is the first to notice me and he justs walks of the 'field', over to Jodi. She shakes her head at him.
I look around the cave and notice that Sky is also missing. More than one person complain about Kyle walking of the field, but Jeb tells them to shut up. Jamie, Melanie and Jared walk over to me.
"Wanda's not in this cave. Sky is gone as well."
"Okay." Jared springs to action. "Let's go look."
Jamie is sent to explain to Kyle and the three of us all go to other ends of the caves.
These caves are large, and long. I don't even want to think about the possibility of them maybe even headed outside. I'm mad at myself for not having noticed before that Wanda had left. How long was it before she took of? Could have been three minutes, could have been ten.
"Ian!"
Kyle wasn't searching for Wanda, but he is calling for me now. It must mean that they have found her. I turn back and we reach each other at the kitchen.
"She was getting snacks, she's already back at the recreation cave."
Knowing she's safe should calm me down, but I pick up my pace heading back to the recreation cave.
"Do Mel and Jared know?"
"Jamie's getting them."
I only have eyes for Wanda and walk over to her, taking her in my arms, I put my mouth at her ear.
"You shouldn't leave like that on your own, we were worried."
"Nothing to worry about, my love."
I fully disagree with that.
"You don't know that, we have guests. Promise me you won't go wander of on your own again."
"It's who I am."
Seeing her smile, I force smile back at her, but still almost groan out the next words.
"That's not a promise, Wanderer."
"If it makes you feel better, I promise."
As Jared, Jamie and Melanie come back intot the recreation cave, I see Jared checking Wanda for any signs of distress. I pretend not to be bothered by it as they join us and we sit down with Kyle and Jodi. Doc comes over to talk to Jared about new medicine supplies. Wanda turns towards them.
"I'll just have to join Jared and Mel on this trip then, so we can get some."
"No!"
Before Jared can say it – and I can see that he wants to – I already cut her off. And I take her hand as if I'm thinking she'd leave right away.
"You are not going in a hospital for medicine. You will not hurt yourself again."
"It will be healed within minutes Ian, and it will benefit everyone."
"Oh, come on!" Jared is annoyed with the both of us. "There is no need for Wanda to hurt herself, Ian. You're overreacting as usual. We know what medicine we need. Wanda can just go in, pretend that she has a body with really bad head aches or severe belly cramps. Then get the Soul to leave her for a minute and steal the medicine we need."
Well. Yes. That would be a good plan.
"That is a good idea, Jared, but I can't do that at night. I'll have to wait for daytime then."
"We can talk about all of this later, you can't come with us on this trip. We need to get Burns and Nick out and we can't have anyone knowing where we're taking them."
"So blindfold me."
Now I'm irritated with the both of them. There's a easy solution.
"No, we'll just have to make another trip when Mel and I get back." Jared says.
"Jared, you know we shouldn't. Our last raid was very thorough. We got enough to last for months. And that was with reason. When the rain comes, we can't go out anymore. The sand will be mud, so we can't take cover our tracks anymore. We need to take advantage of this now."
"We'll just either have to take the risk or wait the rains out before we get more."
"But what if someone does get seriously hurt during the rains?"
"Then we'll figure it out then."
I'm done with their bickering.
"Just let Wanda and me come."
"O'Shea, like I said, we can't have anyone know where we're taking Burns and Nick."
"Would you let me finish, Howe? Take us with you and bring us to a hotel. Wanda will get us a room and we'll wait until daytime. When we are there, you and Mel can take Burns and Nick away. We get the medicine in the morning, you come pick us up and we'll all head back. That way you don't have to go out for two trips and we don't know where Burns and Nick are going."
Jared is not happy about this plan at all, he grinds his teeth.
"If you have anything you want to take with you, you'd better hurry. We're leaving in an hour."
Jared and Mel drop us off at a hotel, the plan is for them to meet us here in the morning so we can take Wanda to the hospital together and then head back home. But even though we wait longer than we're supposed to, they don't show up.
"It's 11 now and they were supposed to be here three hours ago." Wanda sighs. "We just can't wait any longer though. I'll return the key and we'll just have to walk to the hospital. Maybe they'll show up after I get the medicine."
Wanda takes the key away and I hold both bags. She will take one with her into the hospital.
"What will you say to get medicine?"
"I'm going to say that this body has a lot of head aches. I'll see from there."
She stops at the end of the parking lot.
"You should wait here."
I know that this is more dangerous than sending her into a store. But I also know this is something she has to do by herself, if I go in with her it's very likely we'll get caught. Trying not to let my discomfort show too much I hand her one of the bags, kiss her and watch her walk away.
I'm thinking about a plan B. What if Mel and Jared don't show up? It's probable that Wanda will have to do something suspicious. Well, the stealing alone is already suspicious, but to be able to steal it is likely she has to do something that will give her away within minutes.
I look around the parking lot, trying to figure out a way to get away from here as fast as possible if needed. There are pleny empty cars here, I walk over to the nearest ones to check them out. The first one immediately opens, it isn't locked! Out of curiosity I walk over the next one, that isn't locked either. That makes things easier for me.
The first three cars don't have any spare keys, I could just start the car without it, but that will take up a bit more time. The fourth car does have a key extra, it's under the passengers seat.
Okay. So I'm going to wait until Wanda comes out of the hospital, if Jared hasn't shown up by that time, I'm taking this car. Wanda won't like it, but she'll understand the necessity of it.
Now that I have a plan, I relax a bit more. For about a minute. Coming up with a plan took my mind of Wanda being in there alone. She has been gone for 10 minutes now. How long will it take?
After two more minutes I'm almost ready to walk in there and see where she is. Before I can move I see the jeep. I know Jared won't see me here at the back of the parking lot, so I head towards them, waving. No one looks at me or the jeep, so I'm confident enough to walk into the open.
Jared sees me and comes my way, but I don't see Melanie sitting next to him. When he stops, I open the door to the front passenger seat.
"No, get in the back!"
I listen to him and open the back door. The seat is covered with blood, all coming from Mel.