Chapter 10 #2
“I’m going to see what jobs I can take on. I’m feeling better today, and the baby’s still a tiny bump,” she explained, taking my hand. “We have to start saving up not only for ourselves, but also to help my parents out with my four siblings.”
“You reckon we’ll be able to transfer these coin things between ourselves?” I wondered.
“I’m going to ask,” Nico replied. “But if it’s supposed to be a replica of money, why wouldn’t it be transferable?”
I shrugged. Everything about this place was all so new and foreign, I felt out of my depth guessing either way.
Zina squeezed my hand. “Hopefully it is. Because we want to help you out, too.”
The offer was tempting, but I shook my head, knowing that she and Nico had to begin saving up for their own child, plus she had her younger siblings.
None of us knew how much time it was going to take to accumulate an income of a hundred thousand coins, and until we knew, I didn’t want her to make any promises to me.
“You need to focus on your more immediate family, Zina. It’s larger than mine. ”
Before she could reply, someone approached behind me. I turned to see Robert, his face a mask of seriousness.
“You okay?” I asked, reaching for his arm.
He nodded stoically, coughing to clear his throat.
By the sound of his husky voice, he hadn’t spoken in a while.
“I was just thinking,” he began, running his tongue over his lower lip, then scratching at the stubble growing along his jawline.
“If it is possible for us to freely transfer coins between ourselves, I’ll help you, Tani.
I’ll help you and Jessie get your siblings back. ”
It felt like my heart expanded three sizes as I gazed up at him. I probably would have grabbed his face and kissed him had Rosalie not been watching us from a short distance. “Thank you, Robbie,” I said, feeling tears prick my eyes. “You have no idea what that means to me.”
“Rosalie only has one sister within the age bracket, so she might be able to help out, too,” he added. “Once her family’s got Freya back.”
I nodded, glancing at the little blonde-haired girl talking to Bea. I placed a hand on Robert’s shoulder and squeezed it. “I appreciate you thinking of us like this. But before any of us starts making promises to each other, I think we should see what the situation is.”
An increase in murmuring among the crowd behind us made me look around. Everyone was turning to face the strip of ocean separating us from Founders’ Isle.
A monstrous black boat made its way toward us.
Its sheer length, and the fact that it had two upper levels, made me estimate that we would all fit on it in one trip.
A true beast of a vessel, it appeared to be specifically designed for carrying people, with silvery handrails lining the decks and an expansive rooftop covering.
I grabbed my sister instinctively.
The boat slowed as it neared our platform, and then came to a halt, leaving a distance of about six feet. Three ramps extended from hatches along the side of the ship, clamping noisily onto our platform.
A man and two women dressed in blue uniforms emerged from the three hatches and crossed the ramps. More of Anna’s colleagues. When they reached the platform, one of the men pulled out a loudspeaker. He was a stout, older, balding man with a silver ring.
“Thank you for being punctual,” he began, his eyes sweeping around.
I suddenly remembered Jessie and turned to see if her family had joined us yet. They had, along with my uncle and aunt, and the rest of my cousins. All stood frozen at the back of the crowd, gazing at the large ship.
“I take it that you have filled in and signed the papers, as instructed last night,” the man continued. “Please form three lines in front of the ramps. We will collect your papers as you board.”
The journey was a short one, gliding parallel to Founders’ Isle, until we reached the nearest flat, artificial island, where we disembarked.
It looked like a ghost town. Clean and sparkly and neat but starved of life.
The bare roads were paved with light gray cobblestones, and the small, one- and two-story, square white buildings gleamed beneath the sunlight with an airy emptiness.
There were no trees, no bushes, no flowers, and no animals.
It had no sounds of its own. It had no scents—save for the smell of saltwater from the ocean and a sour, plasticky tang. It was like a face with vacant eyes.
“Welcome settlers!” the bald man’s voice boomed through a loudspeaker.
“I’m pleased to say everyone is now off the ship.
We’ve arrived five minutes ahead of schedule, so thank you all for being so organized and cooperative.
Assuming the rest of my colleagues are on task this morning, we should be expecting the arrival of… ”
He trailed off as a rattling noise sounded in the distance. I looked toward the bridge which connected this island to Founders’ Isle.
“Aha,” the man said, his eyes glinting. “It seems they’re a little early, too.”
A long metal box trundled across the bridge toward us, rolling on thin black wheels. Its exterior was silver and almost blinding to look at in the daylight.
“What’s that?!” Bea gasped.
“Some sort of shuttle,” my uncle murmured, picking up Jack.
It covered the distance quickly, and barely four minutes later pulled to a stop on the road in front of the dock.
Doors glided open, and dozens of women spilled out.
They were of all ages, though most looked to be in their forties.
By the time they had all assembled on the road in front of us, there were about a hundred of them.
They wore pleasant smiles, and were all beautifully dressed, with immaculately fitted pants, shirts and dresses, and jewelry sparkling on their wrists and ears.
And, when I noticed that the rings on their thumbs were all either silver, gold or platinum, I realized what was happening.
Already.
Anna had indicated it would take a few days for our children to be rehoused, but it seemed they’d managed to get things rolling faster. Hell, they couldn’t have even processed our papers yet.
My little sister was leaving me now.
I clutched Bea as the women advanced toward us.
About a hundred of them were going to take in…
how many of our kids? I wasn’t sure what the count was, with our two communities combined, but it had to be at least three hundred who fell within the age bracket.
Which meant each woman would have to take more than one.
But how was this going to work? Were they just going to pick out the ones they most liked the look of? From the way their eyes were moving around our children, it almost seemed like it.
I instinctively avoided eye contact with all of them, and inched further back, hoping to make us more inconspicuous, but one of the women had already spotted my sister, her smile broadening.
She was a tall, slender woman with rich brown hair swept back in a high ponytail. She wore a simple white blouse and black pants, and on her thumb sat a platinum ring.
I held my breath as she moved closer to us, wishing my sister and I could just disappear.
I looked around to my family, as if for help, but their eyes were glued on the approaching women, too distracted to notice me.
I spotted Jessie about ten feet away in the crowd with her parents, each of them clutching her siblings.
“Well, good morning,” the woman said to me, reaching us and holding out a hand. Her lips were painted a deep red.
I shook her hand. Her palm was silken, and a heady floral scent surrounded me as she leaned in.
“I’m Martha,” she said, her honey-brown eyes glowing with enthusiasm. “Martha Hedgerow. And what are your names?”
“Bea,” Bea murmured, before I could get my mouth to work.
“Bea,” Martha replied, her entire face breaking out into a radiant smile. “What a sweet name. How old are you, Bea?”
Bea slowly held up three fingers.
“Three! Wow. You’re a big girl then.” Martha grinned.
“I’m Tani,” I managed. “Tani Lockwood.”
“Also a lovely name. I take it Bea is your daughter?”
“Oh, no. She’s my sister.”
“Oh, I see,” she said, her brow furrowing with a slight confusion, while her eyes traced the crowd around me. “And where are your parents?”
“They’re back in the outreach center,” I said. “They sustained some injuries and have some recovering to do.”
“Ah, I see.” Her face fell slightly but then perked up again as she set her gaze back on Bea. “Well, I’ve been looking to invite a little one like Bea into my home. It would have been nice if your parents were here, but you seem very mature. How old are you?”
“Nineteen, almost twenty,” I replied.
She nodded, then reached into her slim, beige handbag.
She pulled out a thin screen and ran a finger over it.
It glowed as she swiped a few more times, and then turned it toward Bea and me, revealing a photograph of an expansive white house, at least six times the size of the houses on our island, with windows that shone like crystal and a neatly manicured lawn.
“This is my home,” Martha explained. “As you can see, I have plenty of space and would be delighted to look after her.”
“Um… How do you know?” I couldn’t help but ask.
She frowned slightly, bemused. “How do I know what?”
“How do you know you’d be delighted to have her?” I mean, she knew nothing about Bea’s personality. She could be inviting the devil’s child into her home, for all she knew.
Martha chuckled. “Honestly, who could resist those cherubim cheeks?” She brushed the back of her hand against Bea’s chubby face.
It was true—my sister was too cute for her own good.
Which was how she managed to wrap me and my parents around her little finger.
But, given that I was supposed to be entrusting this woman with Bea for the foreseeable future, I had wanted to hear a deeper reasoning from Martha for her choice.
I guessed that might be a little silly—I mean, did I expect Martha to sit down and conduct a formal interview with Bea?
She was still only three, and children’s demands, in general, were quite similar at around that age.
Still, I definitely had more questions for Martha.
“Are you married?” I asked, drawing my eyes away from her screen and back to her face.
“Yes,” she replied. “Though my husband isn’t at home much. He works in one of the labs up in Founders’ Fortress. Our home is located just beneath it and has some spectacular views—as you would see upon visiting us.”
“Do you have any children of your own?” I asked.
“Yes, several of our own, the youngest of whom is seven,” she replied.
“I have plenty of experience looking after children. And I must point out that Fairwell has extremely high standards when it comes to childcare and protection. All of us have been vigorously pre-vetted and will treat your kids like the precious blossoms they are.” She took Bea’s small hand and squeezed it affectionately.
My sister looked at me, appearing a touch bemused. It seemed she wasn’t sure what to do with all this attention, though, thankfully, she wasn’t objecting either.
“How do I contact you to arrange my weekly visit?” I asked.
She pulled out a pen and a pad of paper from her handbag, and scrawled down a number on it, and what seemed to be an address.
“When you check into your new house, it will include a phone which you can use to contact me on this number—no doubt your supervisor will help you get familiar with the tech, if you’re not sure about it.
You will also find a tablet device there like mine, which will be installed with a map of the main isle, to help you find my place. ”
“Okay,” I said slowly. From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of several women standing around my uncle and aunt, talking to them about my cousins. I felt a spike of urgency.
“Listen, Martha, I appreciate your interest in Bea, but I want her to go to a family that will also take at least one of her cousins.” I pointed to where my family stood.
She looked at them for a moment. “What about that little boy?” She pointed to Jack in my uncle’s arms.
Jack and Bea together. I supposed it wasn’t the worst option. At least, it could do something to reduce my parents’ unease.
I hung back while my aunt and uncle conducted their own interrogations of Martha. I saw Martha swiping across her screen again, showing them her home.
“You could come this Sunday at the same time as Tani, to make things simple—at 3 p.m.,” she was saying.
I glanced around to see that many other women had come to agreements with other families too, some kids already standing by their new guardians’ sides, while others were moving into the shuttle already. Most of the young children were crying.
I stepped back, so I could have one last private moment with my sister. Thankfully, she wasn’t crying yet, although she was very quiet and clearly not herself. I wasn’t sure which was worse. I buried my face in her curls.
“Do you like Martha?” I asked her in a whisper.
I felt her give a small shrug against me.
“She’s going to look after you while you’re staying on that big, pretty island. Jack is coming with you, so if you ever feel like… like you’re missing me, or Mom or Dad, give Jack a big hug, okay? And don’t drive him crazy. I’ll be coming to see you both very soon.”
She nodded, tightening her arms around my neck, and I stood with her for a moment longer, just holding her small frame against mine.
Then I had no choice but to head toward Martha. I slowly carried Bea to where Jack stood, who already held the older woman’s hand. His face was noticeably paler as he looked at his parents.
“Well, best of luck with your settling in,” Martha said, picking up Bea gently. “And for now, farewell!”
Bea’s eyes remained fixed on me as they moved away. I waved, trying to comfort her but unable to ignore the growing concern and uncertainty in her expression. Then the trio reached the vehicle and boarded.