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Chapter 8
"Uh-uh… I don't think so!" Theo waved her finger in Jeremiah's face as he, Kurdy and Smith sat down to tell her they were taking her from the mountain to put her into school. "No sir… over my withered, cold, dead, stinking corpse. You are not taking that girl." Theo rubbed her hand over her swollen pregnant belly. She looked absolutely distraught as she watched the little girl sleeping in the bunk just inside her room.
"Theo you have to understand that she was only brought here to get her well and then she was going to be sent on." Jeremiah stated calmly.
"Uh no." Theo pursed her lips as he looked bitterly at the men.
"She'll be fine Theo… there are other children there her age. She will be taught to read and write…"
"Stuff she can learn here!" Theo interrupted loudly.
"Please don't make this any harder than it has to be." Jeremiah sounded horse as he cleared his throat. He was still suffering from a cold he had picked up from the time in Bailey.
"Maybe you would want to go with us. You know… to check it out. You could make sure she was safe there?" Mr. Smith blurted out. He lifted his eyebrow as he nodded his head in her direction. He offered the slightest sign of a smile behind the slowly fading purple and now yellow bruises. He still hugged his side where he had cracked his ribs and the spot where the stick had pressed through his skin still wasn't healing correctly. It still hurt on occasion to take a breath but the group of healer's seemed optimistic that the pain would start to go away as his ribs healed completely.
Theo let out a loud sigh as she rubbed her stomach again. She was due to have her baby in a few weeks. She and Lilly were both eagerly awaiting the miracle growing inside of the overly opinionated woman. Nobody from the mountain could believe how she and Lilly had become an instant duet. Even Theo had fought it for a day before she realized the little girl needed a mother figure. Theo just wasn't sure that she was the mother for her.
"Maybe… when do we go?" Theo huffed.
Jeremiah looked coldly back at Mr. Smith who raised his eyebrow and then looked down at the floor. He let out a sigh as he realized he probably should have said something to Jeremiah and Kurdy about asking the woman to accompany them. He knew the history between them but he had felt the voice rising up inside of him. The voice… GOD's voice… had told him to take her there. It had not given any indication as to why. Just to take her there. The voice had also said to take Lilly as well. Lilly had an important future in this post-apocalyptical world. What it would be he wasn't sure yet but the only way she would inherit that future was at the school led by Sister Hannah.
"When are we leaving Mr. Smith?" Jeremiah asked in an overly friendly tone. He blinked as he waited for the smaller man to look up at him and answer.
"UH… hey Jeremiah… I think that we stick to our original plan of tomorrow at noon. It'll only take a few hours and then we'll be back by dark." Kurdy nodded his head at Smith who blew out the breath he had been holding for quite sometime.
"Sure… we'll leave at noon." Jeremiah repeated shaking his head at Smith. He then turned on his heal and walked away.
--
"Look… I know you're not happy…"
"Smith… I just wish you would run your ideas by me before you spout them out to the whole universe." Jeremiah complained as he cut off Mr. Smith.
"Well you know Jeremiah… she did agree to let Lilly go." Kurdy shrugged his shoulders.
"Butt out Kurdy…" Jeremiah snapped
"Hey my man… I'm just say'n…" Kurdy patted his chest as he walked into their room carelessly flipping his coat onto his bottom bunk.
Jeremiah turned and looked at Kurdy with the same look of distain. "You mean to tell me you want to travel with… her?"
"No… but he did get her to let Lilly go with us. Who knows… maybe she'll do us all a favor and stay." Kurdy winked looking back at Mr. Smith who was already lost in thought. "Yo… Smith… Smith… HEY SMITH!"
Mr. Smith raised his head and his eyebrows at the same time. He glanced at Kurdy who was sitting facing him on a bed. He shifted uncomfortably waiting for someone to confirm his statement.
"Sure… Sure. I mean… yeah… why not… maybe Theo will just… leave. I gotta go." Smith turned and walked out of the room.
"He is so bizarre." Jeremiah stated pointing at the door after Smith left.
Kurdy shook his head as he made himself comfortable on the bottom bunk. He watched the top of the bunk for five minutes and then rolled onto his side. He closed his eyes as he listened to Jeremiah clamber onto his top bunk. He was tired and tomorrow was bound to be a very long day. He pulled the covers up over him as Jeremiah continued to talk out loud about Mr. Smith. He tried to continue to listen to his friend but it wasn't long before he was soon sleeping soundly.
--
"Good morning!" Mr. Smith walked into the cafeteria carrying a tray of food. Right next to him was the beautiful blue eyed child. She walked close to his legs. Her hair was pulled back into two braids on either side of her face. She held a brown teddy bear close to her. Smith placed his tray on the table in beside Jeremiah and across from Kurdy. He pulled out his chair and took his seat. He started to pull out a chair for Lilly when the little girl climbed up into his lap. She handed her angel her teddy bear and then proceeded to tear into his fruit and bread.
"She just let you know where you stand." Kurdy laughed.
"Yeah… I get the feeling she might be hungry." Smith reached around the small child setting the bear on his haunches and took an apple and began to bite into it.
"Where's Theo?" Jeremiah asked as he handed a grape from his own tray to Lilly who took the bit of purple fruit and deposited it hungrily into her mouth. Jeremiah smiled at her and Lilly quickly returned the same smile between bites.
"Thank you." She shyly replied to the man.
"No problem ma'am… you look hungry." Jeremiah chuckled.
It had been a few weeks since they had returned from Bailey. Jeremiah and Kurdy were both recovering nicely from their gunshot wounds. But the most important thing was that Lilly was nearly completely recovered from her tortuous ordeal with the bandits. She no longer looked so terribly sad and sickly. She had quickly begun to gain weight and would smile. Her blue eyes would just sparkle as she would smile the most beautifully innocent grin. She behaved like she was a child again. She was beginning to let go of the million mile stare she had come in with. Jeremiah just imagined to himself how truly beautiful the child was. He would gladly go through the same and worse to protect her from any harm.
"I'm right here." Her voice cut into Jeremiah's thoughts as he lifted his head to face Theo.
"Good morning." Jeremiah smiled back. That woman was going to be the death of him. "We leave in two hours Theo, please be ready."
"Oh… Theo is always ready." She snapped back.
"Good… Kurdy, Smith, Lilly… I'll see you soon. I'm gonna go and… check on the Rover." Jeremiah turned and left the table.
--
The trip to the school was a cold one for Mr. Smith and Kurdy. Out of respect for the pregnant woman and the child the two men sat in the uncomfortable back. They would turn around occasionally to talk to the trio in the front but for the most part Kurdy watched the world go by and Smith sat alone in his thoughts. He was leaving Lilly with his daughter at the school. He was thrilled with the idea that the two would have each other. She was so much like Rose. She was special…
The truck came to a screeching stop as they pulled up to the front of the Tudor style house. It was a beautiful mansion. A house that a very fortunate family had probably spent a great deal of time planning for, building and decorating with love about a million years ago. Jeremiah emerged slowly from the truck stretching and yawning. He looked towards the house and then back down into the sparkling blue eyes sliding over towards him. He couldn't stop the smile as it spread slowly across him lips. Lilly parted her lips and smiled with a toothy grin. She gracefully opened her arms and waited for Jeremiah to lift her from the cab of the truck in his arms.
"Well… need a lift." Jeremiah laughed as she jumped into his open arms.
"Yeah…" the little girl giggled as Jeremiah pulled her close to him and shut the door behind them.
Jeremiah wanted to cry as he thought about her leaving. She was such a beautiful amazing girl. She had kept him awake the whole way back to the mountain after had he had gotten shot. He had lost more blood than he thought after getting shot in the arm trying to rescue Smith from the Bailey Bandits. He couldn't believe how smart she was, knowing that she needed to keep him talking through his misery.
Kurdy and Mr. Smith both jumped out of the back of their Rover as Theo slowly emerged from the cab.
"Damn… this is nice… like a regular Hilton. Don't get me wrong… I haven't been to one of those since I was a kid but I remember them. And I thought Thunder Mountain was nice…" Theo rambled as she rubbed her swollen stomach and walked towards the entry. She ran her fingers over the shrubbery as she neared the door.
Sister Hannah walked outside as the naturally suspicious black woman began to lift her hand to the door knocker. She smiled warmly as she saw Mr. Smith, Kurdy and Jeremiah approach. She looked at Lilly who had reached for Mr. Smith only to be told he couldn't carry her. He was still struggling with his painfully cracked ribs.
"Right on time." She smiled extending her hand.
"On time for what…" Theo blurted out recoiling from the warm gesture.
"We've been expecting you… all of you." Hannah smiled.
"Who told you we were coming?" Jeremiah asked.
"I radioed ahead and let them know." Kurdy responded.
Jeremiah nodded his head remembering the soldiers whom Smith had requested to protect the school. He still marveled at the little geniuses that were working inside of the home. He was blown away at the things they knew and he would never understand.
"Come in…" Hannah gestured towards the door.
--
The group entered the warm brightly lit school. Students milled around on their way to and from classes accompanied by teachers. They happily chatted about theories and mathematical equations. Things most adults never thought about or even understood. The group watched in complete awe as the students walked and communicated.
"This is better than the schools I remember." Theo looked around at the marveling at the warm surroundings.
"We were just about to break for the day. Perhaps you're hungry and would like to join us for dinner?" Hannah asked with a smile.
"That sounds great." Smith smiled gripping his side a little tighter.
Hannah nodded. She noted the bruises healing on his face. She motioned for them to proceeded when a little girl came bolting down the staircase. Her long brown hair was pulled gently from her shoulders in a long sweeping ponytail which bounced playfully off of her back. She had a soft round face and looked about seven to ten years old… about the same age as their precious Lilly. She had the look of genuine surprise and happiness. It was the words she spoke that sent the rest into shock.
"Daddy!"
"Rose…" Smith nearly cried hit his knees and wrapped the little girl tightly into his arms. "Oh… my little Rose."
"Did she just say…" Theo whispered.
"Smith's a…" Kurdy inhaled.
"Daddy?" Jeremiah's jaw fell as he watched the reunion. He looked over at Lilly who had a peculiar smile on her face. She bit her lip as she continued to watch the unexpected reunion.
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