Chapter 8
When Q stopped the truck, they were parked where she could see the water. She couldn’t move it was so big.
“What do you think?” Q asked.
She didn’t answer for a moment because she wasn’t sure what to think. “It’s bigger than a lake.”
He smiled. “Much bigger.”
“This sounds crazy, and you probably think I’m stupid, but we were told the oceans dried up. I’m shocked it’s here. I kind of thought you were joking about seeing the ocean. I thought it might be a lake or something like that.”
He turned to her and took her hand. “I don’t think you are stupid. Not at all. You were told lies and falsehoods. There will be things you learn, and if it’s coming too fast, just tell me, and we can slow down.”
They stepped from the vehicle and stood in front of it as she stared at the water rushing up at them. It was still far away but seemed scary. A noise came from behind Q and she turned, seeing something in the sky.
Shock filled Flora, and she pointed at the thing over Q’s shoulder. “Oh shit, what is that?”
Q glanced over his shoulder, then turned back to her. “It’s an airplane.”
“A what?”
He narrowed his eyes, and his lips thinned. “You didn’t see any airplanes streaking across the sky?”
She shook her head. “No, we were told not to look up and study the sky. That it was the realm of evil. If we heard anything above us, we were encouraged to hide.”
“I can promise you there is nothing inherently evil about the sky. You can look if you want, just don’t stare at the sun because the light is too bright and it can damage your eyes.”
She shook her head. “There is so much I don’t know. My head feels like it’s going to explode.”
He put his arm around her and hugged her close. His arms around her felt good. She leaned against him, liking how strong he felt. It had been a long time since anyone had hugged her. The last person who had held her like this had been her mother.
“It will get better. I promise you that everything will be okay.” Q had no clue if anything would be okay for her ever again.
She had a long road ahead, and he hoped he could help.
She needed a place to go to adjust, but he wasn’t sure where to send her.
All the shelters he’d looked at so far were a little too rough.
She was incredibly innocent and needed help, not someone looking to take advantage of her.
“Can we go closer?”
Q nodded. “Yes.” He took her hand, and they walked out onto the beach. Her laughter was unexpected.
“It’s squishy.”
He nodded. “Sand doesn’t hold together like other dirt. Your feet can sink down into it. Sometimes it’s packed, but usually it’s soft and squishy.”
“Oh my, there’s someone running into the water. They’ll be hit by it.”
He squeezed her hand. “People do that. It’s called surfing. They catch the waves rolling in and try to ride them as they push to shore. He’ll be fine. The waves here aren’t big at this beach. Probably a beginner or someone practicing something they want to try out.”
She stopped walking and watched as the man was hit by a wave. “Is he okay?”
Q pointed. “Look, he’s on his board and paddling out.”
She put her hand on her chest and shook her head.
He liked introducing her to new stuff, but he could tell introducing her to too much would shock her.
He still hadn’t turned on his TV. There were some shows that would be way too shocking if she found them.
He couldn’t imagine her horror if she watched a crime drama or a slasher movie like Scream.
He would have to gradually introduce her to TV because the last thing he wanted for her to find on her own was something violent that would scare her.
Flora took off her shoes and enjoyed the feel of the sand on her feet.
Q had warned that in the summer the sand would be blistering hot and she would need to get sandals or potentially burn her feet.
She didn’t want to tell him that because she’d never worn shoes before, the bottoms of her feet were thick and hard.
A woman walked past wearing only strips of fabric, and Flora gasped and turned her head. Q squeezed her hand.
“It’s called a bikini.”
“Oh my goodness, it’s hardly any clothes.”
“It does seem that way, but she is wearing appropriate beachwear.”
Flora moved her head and stared after the woman. “It doesn’t feel right inside.”
“It’s okay. You’ll get used to it. One day, you might even decide to wear something like that to the beach.”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t even wear something like that under my clothes. Then again, who am I to talk? The first time you saw me, I was naked.”
“You were desperate and running scared. You had no choice. I’m just glad you stumbled onto my camp. I don’t know what would have happened to you out there with no clothes or supplies.”
“When I saw the bottles of water, I felt like my mouth was on fire and needed putting out. It saved me.”
“Well, I’m glad I could help.”
The wind blew across her skin, and she shivered as thoughts of her community hit.
“Are you cold?” Q asked.
She met his gaze, feeling warmth from the look in his eyes.
“No. I was thinking that the men from my community would be looking for me now. They know I ran away. They’ll try to follow my tracks.
They won’t be able to unless they stay in the river.
When I found you, I was running scared, but at one point, I was calm enough to create false trails out of a small creek. ”
“If they do track you to my camp, they won’t be able to track you after that.”
“I don’t know. I hope I never see any of them ever again.”
Q’s arm around her shoulder felt amazing. He was being so nice, so kind, it made her have feelings she’d never experienced. She wanted to stay close to him, but knew he wouldn’t hold her like this forever.
“Are you about ready to head back? It’s almost time for my friends to come over.”
She nodded. “Sure.” Her stomach tightened, and her head swam with fear.
Would these women be like the women from the community?
Were they coming over to tell her all the things she was doing wrong?
She wanted to do things correctly, but the world she was in now was so different from what she’d been used to.
Even the number of people living here shocked her.
Their clothes, the things they did, and the way they talked to each other shocked her.
She saw a man and woman kissing. Seeing something so intimate had been odd, but no one seemed worried or upset.
When she’d decided to run, this wasn’t what she’d been running to. She’d honestly not thought beyond getting free. She’d assumed she could survive on her own, but if she’d run into any other person, she had no idea what would have happened. It all could have gone wrong if she hadn’t met Q.