Chapter Twenty-seven

Hope

It has been two days since Eli arrived, quite by accident really. He's thinner than Richard remembers, with a few more scars as well, and not to mention the two missing teeth. Eli sure has gotten around during the past year, but still Richard's friend is no better off than the rest of them. He still carries the scar from Seablite and looks as if he doesn't sleep well at night. But then again who does these days?

Despite the pain that Eli carries, it never seems to dampen his spirit during the day time. He smiles and often talks to Elsa. Of course those two chatter boxes never stop once they get started. But night always offers a different story.

Richard sits upstairs on the couches usually with the TV on softly. He yawns and stretches out on the couch, enjoying the privacy he's able to steal away for a couple of hours. Eventually someone joins him and sits down on the other side of the couch.

"Can't sleep?" Richard asks and looks over at Eli.

"Who does?" he replies. "So, how long have you been here?"

"A year," he says and looks back at the TV. "You like it so far?"

From the corner of his eye he sees Eli nod. "Good pay," he says. "Good company too."

"Is Elsa bothering you yet?"

"Nah, she's nice. Reminds me of how nice people used to be." Eli slides down against the back of the couch. He looks over at Richard and asks, "What are we doing with our lives, Richard?"

"What'd you say?"

Eli reaches up and rubs his eyes wearily. "What are we doing here? Is this what we're going to be doing for the rest of our lives?"

It's a fair question that even Richard can't answer. He hasn't given it much thought. It's a temporary lifestyle, isn't it?

"I don't know," Richard says. "I don't want to gut fish for the rest of my life."

"And if you do?"

Richard doesn't respond.

"I don't want to stay here for the rest of my life, Richard," he says quietly.

"Well what do you want me to say?" Richard asks. "I don't have all the answers, Eli."

Eli backs down. He opens his mouth to say something but closes it again. After a few minutes in silence Eli finally says, "Do you think there's any hope for us?"

Richard sighs and closes his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean is there any hope for us from Seablite? Is there any hope for us to become successful in life?"

Why does Eli torment him like this? Why does he have to ask the most difficult questions? Richard doesn't know if he'll be successful in life. The odds aren't exactly in his favour.

"I don't know," he says. "There are a lot of things I don't know, Eli."

"I doubt it then," Eli mumbles. "We're nothing but a bunch of freaks with no future."

That wraps up the conversation quite quickly. Richard has nothing to say in response because deep down he knows it's true. There's no hope for them. He just doesn't want to admit it yet. He doesn't want to believe that this is as far as he'll get in life. This isn't the end, is it?

"There are other options than just gutting fish, Eli," Richard says.

"Like what?"

He shrugs. "Prospecting, fishing, farming."

"Farming?"

"You know," Richard says. "We stake our claim and a hundred acres of farmable ocean is ours. There are options."

"Not very good ones," he says.

Tired and exhausted, Richard sighs. "Then what do you want? Obviously there aren't many choices out there."

"That's not what I meant," Eli says and sits up. "What I meant was I don't want to be giving anything back to the 'wealth. They took enough from us, didn't they? It's about time they pay us back."

So that's what Eli was getting at. It sounds more like a revenge plot, but who hasn't been planning revenge these days?

"How do you suggest we get them back?" Richard asks. "Everyone works for the 'wealth. There is no way we can escape them."

"We don't have to escape them," Eli says simply. "All we have to do is be a thorn in their side."

"Which they'll eventually pluck," Richard says. "There's no way we can buck the 'wealth. They always win in the end."

"Don't knock until you've tried it," he responds. "I just want to see them pay for what they did to us."

Richard nods. He understands where Eli is coming from. He often thinks of that himself. He lost four years of his life and a part of himself. He could've been a different person today if he didn't end up in Seablite. But he can't dwell on the 'what ifs' of his life. Too much time will be wasted if he does. Right now he has to worry about his future and what he'll do with it.

"I've got an idea," Richard says.

Eli looks over at him and yawns. "What is it?"

Richard leans in and whispers his sudden plan to Eli. The younger one is quiet for a moment as he thinks about it. It's a good plan if a little rough around the edges. It can certainly use some polishing, but it sounds like a good plan.

"How will we be able to pull it off?" Eli asks. "We don't have the gear."

"We'll get it," Richard says. "With the money we all have saved up that can get us pretty far.

"And to think that there's only four of us here," Eli says sarcastically. "Your dreams are a little big, don't you think?"

"There are four of us here now," he says. "Soon there will be seven of us?"

"Wait, seven? How- ohhh. I get it."

Richard smiles. It's the perfect way to get everyone together and to get some payback from the 'wealth. All they need now is some time, money, and a little bit of luck.

The word is sent out the next day in the next batch of letters. His letters to Ace, Henry, and Kyle have a clear meaning. Come to the Trade Station. Richard has a plan. He hopes that everyone will be here by the end of the week. It will be good to see everyone again. It'll be like in Seablite when they plotted an escape plan. Only this time will have a few more challenging parts to it. But at least they won't have any prison guards to worry about this time.

Eli and Richard fill in Peter and Trevor about the plan so far. Both of them think it's a good idea. It's just what they've been waiting for, a way to make the pain go away, at least partially. It isn't a perfect plan yet, but soon it will be. Once Ace arrives, Richard will have someone else to help him figure out the rest of this plan. No offense to the rest of his friends, it's just that Ace came up with the escape plan in Seablite and he's bound to have some more brilliant plans stored away in his head.

The days of the week roll by slowly. Eventually Henry arrives. He looks a little worse for wear and has grown a lot in the past year. He's almost as tall as Richard and almost as bulky as well. Probably his Dark Gift since Henry resembles a bull shark, all brute strength.

The next day Kyle arrives. He's a little more well-mannered than the others. Richard can already think up of ways Kyle's well-mannered nature can be put to good use. He will probably make a good con artist in the future.

Finally Ace arrives. He comes late at night, probably around ten or eleven. Richard is the only one up to greet him. Ace looks absolutely horrid. He's added a few more piercings to his collection, one on his eyebrow, one on his nose and a few more to both his ears. And to top it all off he has another tattoo. This is of a Jack of Spades which sits itself on the opposite arm of his Ace of Spades tattoo.

"You made it out," Richard says as he walks to his friend.

Ace shrugs and dumps his bag on the dock and steps over to the water. "I couldn't exactly say no to your invitation," he says.

It doesn't surprise Richard that Ace sounds bitter and cold. It's been a tough year for them all. "Well thanks for coming," Richard says and stands beside his friend.

"Your idea is insane by the way," Ace says. "What makes you think we can pull it off?"

"We got out of Seablite, didn't we? Besides, we've got the motivation and the manpower."

Ace finishes the statement. "All we need now is the equipment." He sighs and brushes back the black hair that continues to fall into his eyes. "When do we start?"

"As soon as we can."

Ace nods. "Okay. Tomorrow it is." He steps over to his bag and picks it up before heading into the home. People leave and arrive at the home all the time so Richard isn't worried that Karen will become suspicious of all the new arrivals. She's just happy to have the business and some new workers.

"See you in the morning," Ace says as he steps into the home.

Richard stays out on the dock for a few moments yet. With his friends by his sides he finally feels like things are going his way. But with his luck, he knows it won't last for long.