15. Willa / Greer
CHAPTER 15
WILLA / GREER
S omehow, River convinced Jordan to let us stay. It was remarkable to see but left an oddly unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach. Every word he said was the truth but living and hearing it are two different things. Or maybe it was the slant River put on it. As if I’m a newborn baby bird that needs protecting until I learn a few survival skills. I mean, I actually don’t know much about this world, but the way he said it guilts Jordan into helping us against his better judgement.
Still, I can’t say I’m unhappy as I stare at the house in front of me. Jordan’s place is a two-story white house with siding that needs a fresh coat of paint, a rough, cracked asphalt driveway, and some seriously overgrown landscaping. All of which sounds terrible, but for some reason, the worn house looks cozy.
Cold winter wind pierces my jacket. Shivering, I huddle into my windbreaker, and River bends over to rub his hands down my shoulders. He looks at Jordan. “Let’s get inside. The temperature is dropping.”
Jordan gestures toward a set of stairs on the left side of the house that leads up to the second story. “I live upstairs.”
Inside, it’s not much warmer, but at least it’s shielded from the wind. Size wise, the apartment is similar to the studio I had at home, with one side of the room serving as the living area and the other side as the bedroom. Shabby green carpet runs the length of the room. Along one wall is a tired-looking brown and golden yellow floral couch that looks like it came out of the seventies with a scratched up wooden lattice-laced coffee table sitting in front of it. A large, outdated TV with the letters RCA sits on a small stand on the opposite wall.
In the bedroom area, a small blow up bed takes up most of the floor, with only a stack of books topped with a coaster and small lamp that seems to be serving as a nightstand beside it.
Jordan’s eyes flick to me and he sneers, “Not fancy enough for you?”
“Reminds me of home,” I inform him, and surprisingly, it does, maybe a bit more sparse than my garage apartment and the furnishings a bit more worn, but it’s comfortable. “Where can I put this?” I hold up the container of leftover BBQ from earlier.
He leads me around the corner to a tiny hallway. Along one side is a small hanging closet with only a few clothes in it and on the other, a kitchenette with a small college refrigerator, a sink, and a single cabinet for dishes. Jordan motions to the fridge. “In there.”
As I place the Styrofoam container in the fridge, I notice it’s pretty bare. A couple of waters, a pack of ham, and a bottle of mustard. I place the BBQ on the top shelf and close the door. Standing, I look at Jordan. He’s watching me closely, as if he can’t decide whether I’m going to steal his food or make a disparaging remark.
“Thanks,” I tell him. Wringing my hands, I walk back to the living room. “What now?” I direct my question toward River, who’s standing in the middle of the room.
“I need to grab us a few things,” he tells me. “Burner phone, little bit of food that we can take with us when we leave, and some fresh clothes.” He pulls out the cash I gave him at the BBQ place. “Do you need anything?”
Uneasy with the thought of him leaving me here with Jordan, I open my larger backpack and dig through it to give myself a moment to think. All my toiletries are in there, along with a few clothes. “No, I’m good.” I really, really want to take a shower, but if River’s leaving, I’ll wait until later.
Jordan plops down on the couch and picks up the remote. “Can you pick me up a loaf of bread?” Not once does he look at River.
“Sure,” River answers with a shrug. “I’ll be back shortly.”
River pulls me to the door and leans down to whisper in my ear, “If I’m not back in an hour, take your things and leave. Don’t wait for me.”
Unnerved at the thought, I stare at him. “Why can’t I go with you? If we see them, we can run together.”
He forces a smile. “Jordan told us earlier that most of the chatter is about you. The longer you stay hidden, the better. I’ll be back.” Leaving no room for argument, he opens the door and heads down the stairs.
With a sigh, I close it behind him and walk back over to the couch. “Mind if I join you?” Without answering, Jordan slides over, and I curl up in the other corner. I’d love to take off this windbreaker, but I don’t want Jordan to see the go bag. “What’s your major?”
He gives a harsh laugh. “I wish.” When he sees the frown on my face, he lifts a shoulder. “Hard to register for school when you’re hiding from the government.”
When I smile sadly, he shrugs. “Don’t feel sorry for me. Auditing the classes means I get to learn everything I want for free. A top-notch education for zero dollars. The only thing sad about it is that I won’t be able to get a real job afterward.” His eyes travel around the small apartment. “And make enough money to afford something better.”
“I miss school,” I admit to him, feeling like we have some common ground. “I was only a semester away from earning my Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Maybe I’ll be able to go back someday.”
He snorts. “I doubt it, but you’re still in the initial stages. Every day you’ll wake up full of hope, and every night you’ll go to sleep with less. Until one day, it’s gone.” He flashes a knowing smile when he sees my chin lift, but he changes the subject. “So, Greer, what’s your power?”
River formally introduced us at lunch, but it’s still startling to hear someone call me by my new name. I stare at him, unsure of whether I should tell him the truth. I guess he reads me well because he simply turns his attention back to the TV while he waits.
“Water,” I admit to him. “Just water.”
Both eyebrows shoot up as he stares at me in disbelief. “That’s it? I don’t get it. Water is an extremely basic power.” His eyes narrow. “What’s the real reason Raven is after you?”
If I told him I killed Senator Hightower’s son, he’d immediately kick me out. “I don’t know. One minute, I was a student, attending school and tutoring for money, and the next, I was being stalked. My guardian knew about… all this. We went on the run.”
His face is blank. “Where’s your guardian?”
I tell him what happened at the gas station, and he stiffens beside me. “That’s where you met River? You didn’t know him until a couple of nights ago?”
It sounds bad when he says it like that, but I didn’t really have a choice. Or maybe I’m afraid to do this alone. I’ve come to realize how sheltered I was from the world.
“Nope. I left Lionel on the ground, fire raging around him, and between one second and the next, River was dragging me into the forest to hide.” Guilt laces every word, but I can’t help it. Logically, I know Lionel couldn’t walk, but my heart still believes we could have found a way to escape together.
A line appears in the center of Jordan’s forehead. “I see. River to the rescue. He does that, you know. Last year, I was running with a group. All of us had powers. One of the guys, Lance, had the ability to bilocate, and he was kind of the designated leader of our group. Great guy. Amazing power. He met River on the streets and slowly brought him into our pack.”
He takes a long swig of his water. “For months, we all lived together in a large, abandoned warehouse. Protected each other. Pooled our resources. We were family. Until one day, it ended. Raven found us. I was headed back when River yanked me into a nearby alley. We watched them swarm the building and take everyone into custody. We stayed together for a couple of days, but I didn’t feel safe anymore, so I left.”
Leaning forward, he places his elbows on his knees and stares at the floor, his face twisted with memories. “River saved me, but sometimes, I feel so damn guilty about it that it pisses me off. Lance did so much for all of us, and I didn’t even try to save him.” He turns his brown eyes toward me. “That’s why you can’t stay more than a couple of nights. I refuse to go through that again.”
Understanding dawns. He’s grieving, too. “Don’t worry, we’ll be gone after we get some rest.” When his shoulders relax, I decide to change the subject. “What’s bilocate?”
His voice is full of awe as he answers. “Lance literally had the ability to be in two places at the same time. Both looked real. You couldn’t tell which one was the original. An extremely rare psi. He’s the only one I or anyone else has even heard of with that power. I confirmed on the boards.”
“What boards?” I ask, confused by his answer.
“There are websites out there for people like us. On the dark web. Hidden from the rest of the world,” he answers in a gruff tone. “It’s how we stay up-to-date and share information, like Raven’s location, so we can give each other a heads up.”
“Would you share them with me? I think I’m going to need all the help I can get,” I ask him, biting my lip. River was right. I’m a baby bird with zero knowledge and no survival skills. Worse, I don’t even know how to use my powers to defend myself.
Jordan studies me for a second, but my worry must be showing on my face because he capitulates. “I can get you access, but don’t be surprised if they don’t speak to you. It takes them a long time to trust anyone new.” He grabs his laptop and sets it on the coffee table in front of us.
River returns while Jordan is showing me the various boards and online forums. There’s even a subreddit cleverly hidden in plain sight where they can ask each other basic questions like how to find a place to live without showing an income. The members use code words to convey information to each other and help each other out.
Overwhelmed, I know it’s going to take me a while to catch on to everything, but it’s reassuring to know others are out there. Hiding. Surviving.
River pulls out the loaf of bread along with a few other groceries. Jordan hops up to show him where to put them.
Taking advantage of River’s return, I grab my backpack and head toward the bathroom. “Would you mind if I took a shower?”
Jordan waves his hand, his attention on the food River bought.
River’s bright green eyes linger on me for a second, then he pulls out a box of dark brown hair color. “I got you this. You don’t have to use it, but it might help.”
I take it from him and stare down at it. “Thanks.” Change my hair? I bite my lip. I should. It would help, but ever since Trent and his buddies kidnapped me, I’ve felt pieces of me being chipped away. I don’t know if I can lose another right now.
Uneasy with the situation, and unsure about the amount of hot water in this small apartment, I strip down and take a quick shower. Dirt runs down the drain, mostly from my hair, but soon it’s clean again. The whole time I’m in there, I mull over all the information I’ve picked up in the last few days and I… hate it. I don’t want to know any of it, much less use it, but I might have to if Phoenix doesn’t find me.
Tears slip down my cheeks and fall to the small pool below. I wish Lionel were here. He always had the best advice. The kind that always made me feel better. Safe. Loved. I tip my face to the water and wash away the sorrow. Later, I promise myself. When I’m safe.
After my shower, I pull on a fresh pair of jeans and layer on a clean tank and sweatshirt. I look around, but don’t see a hair dryer, so I towel dry my hair the best I can until it’s damp, then pick up the box of hair dye. Best on clean, dry hair. Relieved I don’t have to change my appearance right now, I set it on the sink. Maybe later.
The small black backpack Brad called a go pack sits on the floor next to my larger one. I open it and stare at the burner phones, wishing I could remember the number Lionel made me call, but it’s useless. Taking a chance, I grab one and hit send, but nothing happens. With a sigh, I return the phone and zip it closed.
I can’t keep wearing my windbreaker in the apartment, but I also don’t want to let the bag out of my sight. Maybe I can stuff it in the larger bag for now. When we leave, I’ll make sure to put it back on. Squatting down, I rearrange my clothes, putting the gun on the bottom, and placing the small go pack near the top with my purse. I want to be able to grab both quickly.