Chapter 18
Flora hadn’t slept much the last few days.
She worried about her family learning where she’d gone.
She didn’t want her father to know she’d fled to San Diego.
If he found out where she was, he might show up here.
Then everything would be over for her. The woman helping her get her documents told her that her father wouldn’t find out, but she didn’t trust her.
She needed to keep busy, so she made her bed and had just stepped into the kitchen when she heard someone at the door. Her first instinct was to freeze, then she turned to run out the back when the door swung open.
“Flora, you’re awake.”
Q’s voice washed over her, and she turned to see him standing in the doorway, looking better than ever. Before she could even think about what she was doing, she’d closed the distance and pulled him into a hug.
Her throat closed with emotions as he pulled her close. She held on tight, never wanting to let go. Tears filled her eyes and spilled over. She’d never felt this many emotions at once and it was overwhelming.
He leaned back and met her gaze. “You didn’t run off.”
She shook her head. “Never.”
His lips brushed over hers, sending electric shocks through her. “It’s good to see you. I missed you.”
“I missed you, too. I’ve never missed anyone like I missed you. I was worried that if I texted you, it would disturb you.”
He shook his head. “No, I don’t have my personal cell on me when I’m on a mission. You can call or text at any time. I won’t get it until I get home.”
“I’ve been texting with the women to learn how to text.
It’s interesting. You don’t have to format it for a formal letter or anything.
And people know who it is as long as they know your number.
They taught me how to save contact information and everything.
Also, Clove and Ellis set me up to watch videos on the computer. I’ve been learning so much.”
His eyebrows rose. “Oh, really. What videos?”
“Mostly stuff that Clove lets Neo watch. The science ones are interesting, but the history ones are what I’m most interested in.”
“I’m hungry. Do you want breakfast?”
She nodded. “I was about to make an egg.”
“Awesome. We can eat breakfast together. I’ll need a nap later, but I want to spend time with you today.”
“Oh, later, I need you to talk to the person at social services. They want to know where you were camping. They said they were going to try to find the community where I grew up. Ellis took me to start the process.”
He stopped and turned toward her, his lips down in a frown. “How does that make you feel?”
She shrugged. “Not great. I fear they will come after me.”
“They aren’t sharing where you live, right?”
“They said they wouldn’t, but I can’t trust that my father won’t come hunt me down.”
Q’s lips quirked up to the side. “We’ll figure it out. We want them to understand they can’t share where you live. Hopefully, they won’t fight us on that.”
“She didn’t believe me at first. I had to tell her a lot about how I was raised.
She kept saying it was unbelievable and that she couldn’t believe anyone lived like that.
It took a lot of convincing to get across that I was raised to think everyone was dead and we were alone in a post-apocalyptic world.
Which I did watch two apocalypse movies. ”
“Oh really, which ones?”
“The Day After Tomorrow, and Shaun of the Dead.”
Q chuckled. “Really? What did you think about them?”
“Ellis and Remi watched them with me, so when I got scared, they were there to hold my hand. They gave me a lesson in fiction. Did you know that there are people who actually walked on the moon, but there are movies about aliens and space travel that are fiction?”
He nodded. “Yes. I know some NASA astronauts. One day, we’ll go to Florida and tour the NASA facility.”
“Where is Florida?”
“It’s southeast of us. They have alligators there.”
She shook her head. “There is so much I don’t know. But Neo is tutoring me after school. She’s taking her lessons and teaching them to me. She says it helps her learn the information.”
“Really? That’s cool. She’s a cool kid. When I first met her, I thought she was a bit odd, but she’s great.”
“Yes. She’s smart, and she’s really nice.”
Q began cooking their eggs while she toasted some bread. Having him home was nice. She’d talked about relationships with the women and learned how different it was from what she’d learned as a child.
“I’ve been thinking about work and what I want to do for a job.”
Q glanced over his shoulder and met her gaze. “So what are you thinking?”
“Well, I’m not going to do photography like Ellis.
I don’t feel like I could do that. And Vera’s job doesn’t sound interesting.
Cleaning buildings like Talia used to do might be good for me, but I wouldn’t want to work that late in the day.
Remi is so creative. There’s no way I could ever come up with the stories she does for Pecky.
But Clove’s job, cooking for people, that would be something easy for me. ”
“Cooking is interesting. It’s hard work.”
“Yes, I know, but I’m not sure what else I would be suited for.”
“I’m sure you would be great at whatever you put your mind to.”
“I do have time to think about it. I can’t even apply until I get a social security number, which could take a year.”
Q finished making the eggs and plated them before he turned to her. “I’ve been thinking about your situation.”
She cocked her head to the side, not sure she was going to like what he had to say. “What about it?”
“Let’s eat, and we can talk.”
“Sure.”
They settled at the table, and she picked up her fork and pushed her food around. She feared he would ask her to leave.
“You came from a bad situation, and there is a whole world out here you’ve never known.”
She nodded. “It’s daunting.”
“I don’t want you rushing into any decisions. I know I kissed you when I came in, but I don’t want you to think you have to be in a relationship with me.”
She glanced up and met his gaze, fear rising. “What if I want to be in a relationship with you?”
He swallowed the bite he was working on. “I don’t want you to regret that decision in a few years. There are a lot of great people out there, some jerks, too, but a lot of great people, and I don’t want to be your only option because I was your only option. Does that make sense?”
She shook her head. “No. It doesn’t.”
“There’s this place called The Refuge. They have a counselor and some other people who can help you think through things.
I heard from Wolf that the guy who runs the place is willing to host you out there.
Normally, it’s only free to military vets with PTSD, but they have a scholarship that is available, and you qualify for that. ”
“What is PTSD?”
“It’s a thing that happens when you’ve experienced trauma.
The guys who run it are retired military.
They watch for threats and will keep you safe.
They are good people who will provide space for you to figure out things and talk to people who might have a different perspective.
It’s worth it to give it two weeks, and then you can come back here.
Not that I’d expect you to start a relationship even then, but clearing your mind and finding out what else there is out in the wide world might help you make decisions. ”
“So you’re not telling me I have to leave.”
He shook his head. “Heck no, I want you here, but I don’t want you to think this is all there is. If we do end up together, I want you to really be satisfied that you made the right choice.”
She stared at her plate, worry still pinging at the back of her mind. “I know I’ve made the right choice, but I’ll go.”
“It would just be for two weeks to give you space. I know that seems weird because I just got back, but you need to experience more than just me and my friends. The people at The Refuge are good people.”
“How would I get there?”
His lips spread into a huge smile. “Caroline said she would drive you to The Refuge near Los Alamos, New Mexico, and help you get settled in since you can’t fly yet. Then Caroline would fly home, and Remi said she would fly out there and pick you up and drive you home.”
“Oh, that’s a lot of trouble for them.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s what friends do for each other. You can’t fly since you don’t have any type of ID, and they don’t want someone taking advantage of you. I can’t take leave right now, or I would go out there with you and stay. I’m just happy we have friends who are willing to help.”
She nodded, feeling a little weird that she needed so much help just to navigate this world.
But she’d recently found a video about catfishing and thought it was about actual fish before she watched it.
When it started and wasn’t about fish, she’d been disturbed by how many people lied about who they were so they could get something from others.
It was a strange and frightening world out there, and she was glad she had people who would help her navigate it.