Winter:
"Dad, can Hadley stay longer?" Rayne asked, her voice close to a whine. She leaned into my office, balancing on one foot, holding onto the door frame.
"Honey, we've talked about this. They always planned to leave after Christmas and they've stayed a whole month since then. It's time for them to go."
"But I don't want her to go!" Rayne whined. "I want her to stay. I don't want to lose my friend."
"No whining, Rayne. This is the way it is. I promise you'll see each other again. We'll have a big going away party for them and you can give Hadley a present before she leaves to tell her how much you'll miss her, but they aren't staying any longer."
Rayne sniffed and entered my office to sit on my lap. She was getting big for this at nearly 11 years old but occasionally she still wanted a snuggle. I knew that Hadley leaving was going to be tough for her. The younger girl had brought fresh life to this compound and the two of them had become best friends.
"What do you want to give her as a going-away present?" I asked her.
"I think Stormy." She said, referring to her second-favorite doll, "It's her favorite."
"I think that's a nice idea." I approved.
The next day the whole crew gathered in the Main Tennis Area for a going away party. The ladies had managed to bake a huge cake and someone had even found some balloons. Derrick, Peter and Brandon were drinking beers with Nate, Rob, Sean, Davy, Johnny, and Blake. Gail and Greg, and Dawn and Sarge were playing Pinochle at a corner table. Charissa and Paul were off in another corner by themselves, as usual. Kim and Tom were talking quietly with Kady—Tom was edging closer to Kim with every passing minute—while Susan, Kallie, and Alana were watching Hadley and Rayne play while playing with Hope and Devante with Jess and Rachel. Eric was in his office, ignoring all of us, but that was normal. Everyone was happy, but someone was missing.
"Where is Evan?" I asked Jess, walking over to steal a kiss.
She looked around and shrugged after a minute. "Probably somewhere with Ellen."
Ah. Ellen. The boy was absolutely smitten with her. The primary reason why the group had stayed as long as they did was because the two of them kept coming up with excuses for them to stay. The rest of us had put up with it for a while, laughing about their puppy love. But maybe it was something more?
I went off looking for him. First I checked the kitchen, then the infirmary, the offices, the girls' playroom. They weren't in any of those places. Next I went to the apartment he shared with Blake, Tom, and Sean. I didn't find them there. Finally I checked the pod that we were turning into a greenhouse.
I walked in quietly. I heard them talking over behind one of the water canisters.
Ellen was crying. "I don't want to leave you."
"You don't have to, I'll talk to Nate and Gail. You can stay here with me, or I'll come with you." Evan responded, his voice ringing with determination. "I keep telling you, I love you. I want you to stay."
"Are you sure? Are you sure you want me?" She asked.
At that point I knew I couldn't listen to this private conversation any longer without announcing myself. I cleared my throat loudly and yelled, "Evan? Ellen?"
"Yeah, we're here. Hold on a minute." Evan said immediately.
A moment later a red-eyed Ellen and stubborn-looking Evan appeared out from behind the large water canister holding hands tightly.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"If Ellen wants to stay here, she can, right Burns?"
I made myself pause for a moment before I answered carefully, "I don't have a problem with it. Ellen is an adult and can do what she likes. We have plenty for anyone who wants to stay here. But out of respect I think you should probably talk to Nate and Gail and let them know what you want. Do either of them know that that's what you want?"
"No, I haven't told anyone except Evan." Ellen said shakily. She gave me a wobbly smile, "Do you really think it'd be okay if I stayed here?"
"Of course I think it would be!" I said, "Why wouldn't it?"
"Really?" She asked, her mouth forming a surprised smile, "You're ok with it?"
"Of course I am! The more the merrier! Especially if you and Evan are, well, you know. I mean, you should be together, right? Let's go get Gail and Nate and tell them." I said, "No reason to delay now."
"Yeah." Evan said smiling. He tugged on Ellen's arm and led her out of the Garden Pod. I followed them out.
We got Gail and Nate out of the party and brought them into my office. I opened my mouth to tell them what was going on and then realized that I should probably just let Evan and Ellen do the talking. I turned to them and nodded, urging them forward.
Still holding hands, they both started to speak at once, stopped and then laughed. Evan continued on his own. "Ellen would like to stay here with us. She wants to stay with me here."
Nate smiled broadly and clapped Evan on the shoulder, "You sly dog!" he laughed, "of course she can stay here!"
"Oh honey." Gail said, taking Ellen into her arms. The two women hugged for a long time before Gail said, "Are you sure you don't want to come with us? Evan could come with us too."
Ellen stepped out of the hug and looked at Evan. The two of them had a silent conversation for a moment before she shook her head sadly, tears welling up in her eyes. "I love you all and I'll never forget you and I hope you come back to visit a lot, but I think it's safer here to raise a family." She blushed.
Evan turned a bit red himself as he took her hand and pulled her to his side. "We want to get married."
"Well then, I don't see why I would stop you." Gail said, giving the two of them another hug.
Spring:
"Cheers!" Everyone yelled, clinking glasses.
"Kiss, kiss, kiss!" Nate yelled, every bit his troublemaker self. Evan and Ellen laughed and leaned in to acquiesce. The bride was resplendent in a gown of yellow, the groom proud in his jeans and flannel. They were the picture of happiness. It reminded me of my own wedding and I leaned in to get a kiss from my wife. She gave it happily, squeezing my hand. It'd been a good few months. I'd been home the entire time, setting up the Garden Pod. we now had vegetables growing of all types in our hydroponic garden on the upper floors, and on the ground floor Jess, Rachel, Kim, Tom, Ellen, Evan, and Blake were making a paradise. A little outside magic for the occupants of the compound who were stuck inside every day of the year. It was sure to be a beautiful oasis once it was done. Indeed, they had only just finished planting all the baby plants and it already looked amazing.
I tugged Jess's hand and pulled her out onto the "dance" floor, a cleared area in the Main Tennis Area. I pulled her close and led her around the floor. Beside me Evan and Ellen were holding each other close, Paul and Charissa were swaying side by side, and Rob and Rachel were moving along. Nate pulled Rayne onto the floor and the two of them swung by us, giggling and bumping into everyone else. I smiled at them then focused back on my wife. She was quiet today, but I was learning that quiet wasn't always a bad thing. Sometimes my wife just got overwhelmed with the chaos of living closely with 20 other people and needed time to herself.
"Wanna sneak away with me?" I whispered to her, wiggling my eyebrows for effect. She smiled at me and raised her own eyebrow in response.
"What are you suggesting, Mr. Flowers?" She asked.
"Oh, I don't know, Mrs. Flowers. Maybe I just want to make out with you in private." I replied.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me along after her. Instead of returning to the apartment that we shared with Rayne and Devante, she led me to the Garden Pod. This place was becoming the "place" for couples, I realized, then laughed. Once we got there we hid behind one of the newly planted bushes and sat on the newly rolled out sod. I leaned into her embrace, reveling in her touch and the feeling of being in love. Things were just getting good when a bang echoed behind us. Both of us sat up quickly, our hair mussed and our clothes awry, laughing silently at being caught. We turned to greet our interrupters, smiles on our faces when suddenly Jess pulled me back further behind the bush.
"Shhh!" She mouthed silently. She turned around and peeked out around the greenery, then popped back behind it, her face dead red.
"It's Tom and Kim!" She whispered at me. The sounds of the water purifiers and hum of the generators drowned her out, but I got what she said. I felt my face turning red, too. We had to get out of here! I made a move to leave and was shoved back into my place by my wife.
"No!" She mouthed at me, "We've been waiting for him to make a move for forever, we cannot mess this up!"
"Huh?" I mouthed back, totally confused. Who was "we" and what were they waiting for exactly? Anyone could see that Tom had been interested in Kim for ages.
"Just shut up and stay still." She mouthed back at me, shoving me down again. She turned excitedly and cocked her head to hear better.
"So that was nice." Tom was saying.
"Yeah, it was nice." Kim responded.
"It um, made me think about some things." Tom said
"What things?" Kim asked, sounding hopeful.
"Well, um, are your brothers still, um, you know?" Tom stumbled.
"What?" Kim asked, confused.
"I mean, your brothers love you a lot, right?" Tom mumbled.
"Yes, they do. I love them too. That's what happens when you escape the end of the world together. You get crazy close to each other." Kim explained, her voice questioning.
"Right. I guess that's true." Tom said. "It's just that, your brothers, they said some things, and I don't…"
"Hold up." Kim said abruptly, cutting him off. "My brothers said what things exactly? Did they scare you off me? Are they the reason you've taken so long to make a move?"
"A what? I mean, yeah, they said some things, but what do you mean waited so long? Do you want me to make a move?"
"Oh my God."
Silence followed and beside me Jess was beaming, doing little fist pumps in the air.
We waited for several minutes. Then several more minutes. Then several more minutes. After a length of time in which I was severely uncomfortable Kim finally broke the silence.
"I'm going to kill my brothers."
"You're going to kill your brothers?" Tom repeated, bemused.
"Yes. They are dead. I can't believe they scared you off me. And while we're on it, what are you, some lame ass man who won't make a move because some girl's brothers tell you not to?"
"Hey! What do you think me bringing you in here was for, anyway?" Tom defended himself. "It might have taken me a while to work up the nerve, but that wasn't all your brothers fault. I had no idea you felt anything for me."
"I've been letting you hang around me knowing you liked me for months. If I hadn't liked you I would have been avoiding you, dumbass."
More silence followed. Jess was laughing silently, tears streaming down her face. A moment later the door opened and shut, signaling our chance to get out of here. Jess stood up, stretched, and pulled me up behind her.
"Rachel is gonna freak." She announced.
Summer:
"I'm going to kill them." Nate said, his usually sunny face was stormy as he stomped into my office.
"Kill who? And I do hope you mean figuratively kill, because you know I cannot condone literal killing here." I said lightly.
"Paul and Charissa. They snuck out."
I stood abruptly, now panicked. "They snuck out? To where? Did they take a car? Did they take a phone? A radio? Do we know where they are? When they're coming back?"
"I don't know where they are, they didn't take a phone, they did take a car, and they left a note saying they'd be back tonight at 9 PM."
I started pacing my office. This was not good.
"Call a family meeting. We need to see if anyone knows where they went." I told Nate.
Fifteen minutes later the entire family, minus Jess and the children, was gathered in the cafeteria. Nate and I stood together at the front of the room and quieted everyone down. They'd all counted and figured out who was missing.
"People, please, be quiet." I said. "As you may have figured out by now, Paul and Charissa have snuck out."
An uproar followed. The twins Johnny and Davy both shot up out of their seats and started yelling while Rob and Rachel exchanged worried glances.
"Please, please, everyone," Nate said, "We need to know if any of you know where they are or what they're doing."
Silence greeted the question. I sighed in exasperation. "No one heard anything?"
"They keep to themselves." Ellen said quietly.
"Yeah." Evan agreed.
"Paul has been acting restless lately." Sarge put in, his brows furrowed.
"And Charissa was whining about wanting something the other day, what was it?" Dawn said, looking around for help.
"She wanted a meal out." Eric said, "she doesn't like my cooking."
"Fantastic. So what are they going to do. Walk into a restaurant and sit down and eat like they are Souls?" Blake asked.
"I sure hope not." Kim said worriedly. She was the only one who had been able to befriend Charissa, but even she hadn't been able to get close to her. Beside her Tom patted her hand and put an arm around her shoulder, ignoring a glare from Blake.
"So what are we gonna do?" Sean asked, his arms crossed.
"I'll go after them. None of you can come though." I said.
"If they left a note saying they'd be back at 9 PM, maybe we should wait until then for you to go after them. Maybe everything will be fine." Rachel pleaded, her voice hopeful.
I hesitated, torn. On the one hand I had no idea where they were and I was supposed to be out of town right now. I couldn't just go out for a drive and look for them. If my neighbors saw me out and about they'd have questions that would need answering. On the other hand, if I didn't find Paul and Charissa first, someone else might. But it was 5 PM now, so only four hours until they said they'd be back. Could we afford to wait?"
"I think this is time for a vote." Nate said. "Who thinks Burns should go out looking for them now?" He waited for responses. Only two people raised their hands. "And who thinks that we should all wait until 9 PM, while listening to the Seeker radio channels, and Burns should go out then if they don't return?" The rest of the family raised their hands. It was decided. I'd wait until 9 PM.
—
Waiting was agony. The family clung together in the Main Tennis Area, playing games, watching movies, doing anything just to forget what was going on. In Eric's office he and Nate listened to the Seeker radios, flipping through the channels every few minutes trying to see if anyone had spotted them. Everyone was at risk because Charissa and Paul went out. If they were caught they could lead Seekers back here. This was a serious, serious problem. My stomach was in knots as I paced back and forth between the Main Tennis Room, Eric's office, and the car port. By 5:30 I was all packed and ready to go out at any minute but instead I just sat around waiting some more. People were getting on each others' nerves. Jess and Rachel played with the kids and exchanged nervous glances. No one was at ease in this environment, even Rayne knew something was wrong. As the minutes ticked closer to 8 PM the tension in the room rose.
Suddenly Nate shot out of the office. "They've been spotted outside Denver!"
I was instantly alert. "Where?"
"Aurora. In a restaurant. The Seekers are 20 minutes out."
He handed me a sheet of paper with the address on it and I was running to the car. I got in it and out of the car port in record time and was flying down the interstate, speed limit be damned, within 10 minutes. I held my cell phone in one hand the whole time, waiting for a call from home that said it had all been a mistake but it never came. Instead Nate called to update me, saying that they had left the restaurant and were on the move, presumably back to the silo. They had their car make, model, and plates. The Seekers would be chasing them down soon. I pressed the pedal down lower to the floor of the car, going faster than I'd ever driven. My eyes were peeled for a sign of their car coming the opposite direction on the interstate. Fifteen minutes after I left the house I saw who I thought to be them. I found the next turn off, flipped an illegal U-turn, and chased after them.
Getting behind them I flashed my lights. They saw who I was and— thank goodness—pulled over. I got out and threw my keys and phone at Paul. "No time to chat. Seekers are coming. I'll divert them. Take my car and get off the interstate. Make your way home. Call the others and tell them what is going on."
Charissa pouted and said "But…" But I was already in their car. I waited for Paul to push her into the car and pull out in front of me. I watched them take the next exit. Then I pulled back out onto the highway and drove under the speed limit.
Not two minutes later flashing lights shone behind me. I complied with the officer like a good Soul and pulled over, my heart pounding. I hadn't had a chance to think up a good story, so I was going to have to wing it.
I wasn't given the chance to tell a story, though, because the Seekers approached the vehicle with their guns out.
"Hands on the wheel! Right now!" The Seeker yelled, his flashlight and gun in my face. I put my hands on the steering wheel and looked straight ahead, flinching away from the gun, knowing that they had seen the reflection in my eyes and knew I was a Soul.
"Where are the humans?" The Seeker yelled at me.
"The humans?" I asked.
"Yes, the humans who were in this car? Where are they?" He yelled again.
"This is my car. I don't know any humans." I responded, hoping my voice sounded bewildered.
"Pop your trunk!" He demanded.
I popped my trunk, hoping that there wasn't anything in there that could give us away. But he didn't even sift through the stuff that was in there, he just slammed it closed upon finding no humans in it. He came back up to the front of the car and peered closely at my face, then he reached around my neck and felt for my nearly-invisible scar. He seemed satisfied for the moment and lowered his gun and flashlight.
"License and Registration please."
I complied quickly. He scanned the items and handed them back, his face scrunched in confusion.
How did you come across this car tonight, sir?" He asked.
"I own this car. I was driving home." I said.
"How long have you owned it?"
"A year and a half."
"Where did you drive it tonight."
This was the question that I had to answer carefully. "From my house in Boulder to here, I was on my way to my farm in Deer Trail." I said.
"Did you go through Aurora?"
"Yes." They would have the car on traffic cams.
"Can you explain to me how a restaurant in Aurora reported two humans getting into this car and driving away a half an hour ago?"
I produced my best look of shock and said, "No! They must have gotten the license wrong or something!"
"Can anyone verify your whereabouts tonight?" The Seeker asked.
"No. I live alone." I said sadly. "I'm sorry officer, I wish I could help you, but I don't know what happened. I promise you I've been alone all night, and this is my car."
"Yes, well, since they aren't here I'm just going to have to believe you." He said rudely. "Please don't leave town or stay anywhere other than your residence. We will be by to ask some followup questions soon."
I did my best to smile at him and said, "No problem. I hope you catch them!" before he tapped my hood and let me drive away. I wasn't under any delusions, though. I knew they would be watching me. Instead of driving back to the silo I drove straight to the white farmhouse. Once there I called the silo and spoke to Nate and Jess. First I asked about Paul and Charissa. They assured me that they'd made it back safely but that the entire family was upset with them and everyone was going to have a meeting tomorrow to discuss it. Second I told them about my run-in with the suspicious Seeker. Knowing I'd been suspected of helping humans before and that he had my name and address now, I knew I needed to stay above-ground for a while. So I wished them luck with whatever they decided to do with Charissa and Paul and told Jess I loved her and hung up, my heart aching. My promise to Jess was in ruins. I'd promised to be around more often and now I was stuck in the farmhouse living alone for who knew how long.
Fall:
I wiggled in my seat, doing my best to stretch as I rode in the harvester, but it didn't work. I was sore and tight from hours upon hours sitting down and I couldn't find relief. I hired helpers to do most of the work but I was paranoid about the fields above and around the silo so I did those myself. The work was exhausting, but we were almost done. I had another day, maybe two, in the harvester and we'd be finished. I was relieved. I hadn't seen Jess or Rayne or Devante in days, hadn't spent a night with them in two months. Not since the night Paul and Charissa had gone out for a night on the town had I been able to sleep in my own bed in the silo with Jess. I had been unofficially watched for a full month and by the time they were gone it was time for harvest and my crew had moved into the house so I was expected to be there. I was miserable.
Sarah was back cooking this year for harvest and she was back to goading me about the "girlfriend" that she thought I had. Little did she know that I was a happily married man. She was a little too observant for my taste, though, and I kept getting the feeling that she knew something about me that I didn't want her to know. Because of that, while I might have snuck down to the silo under other circumstances, in this case I couldn't because I didn't want Sarah to notice anything out of the ordinary. So I stayed above ground, alone and unhappy.
I wasn't the only one who was unhappy. Charissa and Paul had been making everyone's lives miserable, from what I heard. Charissa whined all the time and Paul continued to question everything that the leadership of our family did. They had only apologized for their little stunt after it'd been made clear to them that they had to. Neither of them were sorry that they almost got everyone killed and nearly blew my cover. They were very unlikable people.
The day passed slowly, and the next, and I was finally on my doorstep again wishing all of my crew a happy fall and thanking them for helping again this year. Just like last year, Sarah was the last to leave.
"Well kiddo," She said, "Looks like that's it. I hope to be back next year, this has been fun."
I nodded my agreement. "Yes, it has."
She looked at me oddly, "Liar." She accused, "You have been miserable this whole time."
I tried to cover the shock on my face but I knew I didn't do a good job. Instead I said, "I'm so sorry if I offended you for lying just now."
"You didn't offend me. I just find you an odd duck." She said, wrinkling her forehead. "Any news on when that girlfriend of yours is going to get here? You could use some good news in your life."
"No, they said it will be years." I replied, treading carefully. This woman was too persistent and observant!
"Well, for your sake I hope it's sooner." She said placidly, patting my cheek. She picked up her bag and made her way to her car, climbing in and starting it. She rolled down the window and waved one last time before she drove off. I waved back at her and let her go. As soon as she was out of sight I was tearing out of the house toward my car. I could make it to the silo before dinner if I hurried.
I got in and drove the mile to the car port. Nate was there to let me in, a huge smile on his face.
"Long time, no see, buddy!" He said, opening my car door.
"I know, I feel like it's been forever. Where are Jess, Rayne, and Devante?" I asked.
"Just sitting down to dinner with the rest of us. Let's go surprise them!"
I nodded my assent and followed him down the hall toward the cafeteria. Stepping into the room, I prepared myself to get Rayned on. Sure enough, 80 lbs of hyperactivity came barreling for me. I held out my arms and lifted her up, swinging her around as we both laughed. Setting her down I kissed Jess who had come up behind her and then reached over to take ahold of Devante. I was home and all was right in the world.
Everyone else was crowding around to say hello also, Rob clapped me on the back, Rachel gave me a hug, Evan high-fived me, and Blake shook my hand. I was all smiles until I saw Paul and Charissa sitting off by themselves, ignoring the rest of us. Rob noticed the direction of my gaze and said, "Don't worry about them. We have someone watching them 24/7."
I nodded, suddenly brought back down to Earth. The two of them were total loose canons. I had no idea what they were going to do next. They hadn't stepped out of line since their adventure two months ago but I was still suspicious. Having Seekers drop by my house unannounced for a month had taught me to anticipate everything and be suspicious of everyone. I was no longer the naive Soul I'd once been.
Still, I was happy to be home.
A/N: Hope you liked it!
