Aberrant (17 page)

Chancellor Collins glanced at me and then Joshua. "You
have a choice, though, it's not much of one. Pass the tests, and you can call
this place home."

"Or?" Joshua asked, glancing at me anxiously.

"Die trying," he remarked mirthlessly. Was he
kidding? I hoped he was joking! "Now that you know where our city is, we
can't just let you walk out. Or drive out," he scolded us. "It's much
too dangerous for us. Tonight you can stay here. You’ll find a bed on the other
side of that door." His finger wagged in the direction of the bedroom. "Tomorrow
you will begin training."

"Tests? Training?" I repeated feeling an
overwhelming sense of nausea. "What exactly do the tests entail?" I
didn't know what we were up against, but going in blind would likely get one or
both of us killed.

"Our tests have four parts: Bravery, Integrity, Honesty
and Self-Worth. Tomorrow morning your training will begin. Until then I suggest
you get as much sleep as possible. It will be an exhausting day." With
that, he let himself out the door.

The words hung in the air for a few minutes before I finally
stood. I headed toward the window and saw a guard standing by the door and the
car nowhere in sight. “Figures,” I muttered as I glanced back at Joshua. Obviously,
we had no easy escape routes, considering they’d moved our car, not to mention
Joshua’s injuries. Even if I could take out the guard, I doubted I’d manage to find
the vehicle, bring it back and grab Joshua without being seen. With a resigned
sigh, I turned to Josh. "Come on, let me help you into bed." I
offered him my arm as he stood and hobbled towards the bedroom with me.

He grimaced. "Somehow I think I'm going to lose bravery
if I can't walk on my own."

I shook my head. "You can't think like that. For all we
know it's a test to see if we're afraid of spiders. Maybe we'll be covered in
them."

"That sounds disgusting," he laughed. "Besides,
if that were the case, it's unlikely the tests would require any training."

I knew he was right. I just didn't want to face the obvious
truth that we’d once again stumbled into trouble. I led him toward the bed,
noting only one mattress in the small bedroom. "I guess we're sharing
this," I laughed anxiously as I helped him sit down.

"Oh come on. It won't be so bad," I could swear
his face had turned red, but the light was barely visible through the windows,
and darkness bathed the bedroom.

"Let me blow out the candles in the other room, and
I'll join you in a minute." I headed back to the kitchen and took the last
candle with me to the bedroom. I placed it on the counter, blowing it out
before climbing into bed beside Joshua.

Shifting on the mattress, I slipped beneath the covers and
bumped into his warm body. I laughed nervously, feeling him half-naked beside
me. "I changed for bed."

"Into what?" I laughed closing my eyes as my
fingers reached out, feeling his bare chest. Joshua still wore his boxers, but
my skin flushed, nonetheless. I shifted onto my side, burying my face in the
pillow.

"Come on, we're married now and you have too many
clothes on," he tugged at the hem of my shirt.

"Nice try," I laughed nervously. I knew he had to
be joking, right? "We can't. You know we can't." We had too much at
risk. I shifted so I could see his face, even in the darkness. "How do you
know about that stuff?" I asked with a curious smile. Just weeks ago I had
kissed him, and he hadn't known what the simple gesture was. Now, he was
suggesting something more entirely!

"Sex?" he asked. "While you explored Haven
with Jacqueline, I picked up a few books at the library."

"You were doing research?" I asked, wondering what
he planned to do with this newfound information. I was grateful the bedroom was
dark, and he couldn't see the redness spread across my cheeks.

"Not exactly." He leaned in, kissing the tip of my
nose. "Or maybe I was," he let the words trail off as he rolled onto
his back. "It's weird that no one ever speaks about it, don't you
think?"

Rolling onto my stomach, my eyes never left his. "People
don't need to have sex if babies are born in labs." It was a valid point.

"It's not just about that." He reached out and his
index finger danced against my arm. Immediately, I felt an unusual warmth
spread through my veins. My body relaxed as I shifted closer. "We need
human contact to survive, intimacy," Joshua whispered. "I can't
believe people don't touch one another anymore. Not in the way I read about."
His fingers moved over and down my arm in soft motions. "I have to believe
some people still do, in secret."

I didn't know what to think. I'd read a romance novel or two
and remembered the prince wooing his bride, but this was different. This wasn't
a fairytale, it was real. If we got pregnant, everyone would know. There'd be
no secrets, no tests, no lies. I didn't know what would happen, but it would change
our lives in ways I wasn't ready for.

My fingers found his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "We
should get some sleep." As much as I wanted to explore more with him, I
also knew tomorrow morning would come soon enough, and we would have a long day
ahead of us.

"Goodnight, Olive." His breath tickled my ear as
he leaned in to kiss my cheek.

"Night, Josh." I yawned, letting my eyes close
knowing I would fall asleep before long.

CHAPTER 15

Morning came far too quickly and my stomach lurched with
each passing moment, knowing they'd come for us. Soon, our training would start.
I didn't want to think about what happened if we didn't pass the tests. Would
we really die or was he trying to merely scare us? I rolled around, restless.

"You awake?" I heard Joshua's soft voice as I
stared up at the ceiling.

"Unfortunately," I admitted, shifting against the
mattress to face him. "Too nervous to fall back asleep." The sun had
already come up, and the windows had no blinds to block the morning light.

I felt his warm hands wrap around my waist as he hugged me
beneath the covers. "Me, too," he whispered.

"Any idea what the tests might entail?" My mind
kept going over the four categories. I didn't see how they'd determine if we
were fit to be a part of their community. Apparently they didn't want any weaklings
in their town.

"Don't stress." He kissed my temple. "I just
hope we both survive," he laughed under his breath. "I'd hate to
consider we'd both have to escape again and steal another car." His voice sounded
teasing, but I knew deep down he was nervous. We both were. I knew if the tests
were indeed passable, we would do just fine. I hated to consider the
alternative. In fact if they weren't passable, we would have to find a way to
cheat to ensure our safety.

I shifted to sit up in bed but felt Joshua tugging on my
arm. "Lay back down," he protested. "I like lying here with
you."

I smiled, staring down at him. "I do, too, but I think
I could use a real shower." I made a face, leaned down and pretended to
sniff him. "So could you." I laughed, climbing out of bed and slipping
out of his embrace. As much as I wanted to stay in bed all morning, I knew they
would be judging and testing us, and giving a bad impression wouldn’t do either
of us any favors.

Joshua smiled up at me with a mischievous grin. "Can I
join you?"

"You're supposed to keep off your foot," I
gestured. "Somehow I think you and me in the shower would just add more
trouble to an already dangerous situation."

He laughed. "Fine. Fine!" He held up his hands
smiling. "Don't say I never tried to take you anywhere."

"Really?" I shook my head with a growing smile. He
was certainly a handful. I headed for the bathroom as Joshua pushed the blankets
off and exposed his bandaged foot. "Too bad we don't have any clean
clothes," I remarked, closing the door behind me. The frosted window lit
the tiny bathroom as I found the knobs for the shower. Thankfully, they were
very basic. I couldn't have felt more grateful for simplicity. Turning on the
spray, I was relieved to feel the warmth of water rushing against my skin. Although
we'd bathed yesterday in the stream, I hadn't felt clean, not like this heated water
rinsing through my hair and down my body. It was refreshing. I found a small
bottle of liquid and read the label 'shampoo/soap' and cleaned my hair and
body. It smelled oddly of cupcakes, possibly a sign I was hungrier than I
realized. I hoped they would provide us breakfast somewhere in town.

The water started running cool, and I knew what that meant. I
shut the shower off, dried myself with a towel and slipped back into my grimy
clothes. Opening the door, Joshua sat on the bed, looking more awake and alert.
"The bathroom's all yours," I gestured, "but you might want to
wait a few minutes until there's warm water in the shower."

"You didn't save me any hot water?" he teased. "See,
we should have showered together."

"Nice try." I smiled, rolling my eyes as he stood
up. "Be careful on that foot of yours," I pointed at the bandage, as
if he needed a reminder.

The moment his foot grazed solid ground, he grimaced. "Yes
ma'am," Joshua hobbled into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

I sat quietly on the bed, unsure what to do. Leaving the
cabin seemed unlikely, given the guard standing outside the previous night. I
doubted the door was unlocked. I knew they'd come for us sometime this morning
and if we weren’t here, I didn’t want to imagine how that would go over. Neither
Joshua nor I knew the consequence of running off and exploring the town, but I
suspected it wouldn’t end well. I had the unsettling feeling I'd probably be shot
with that rifle if it were up to Chancellor Collins. He seemed to hate me. I
shrugged off the notion. I didn't care what one guy thought about me. He had no
idea who I was or what I'd been through.

A brief knock startled me, and I saw the same nurse from
last night coming into the cabin and into our bedroom.

"Adam's in the bathroom getting cleaned up." I
gestured towards the closed door, hearing the shower.

"I can wait." She nodded standing with her arms
folded across her chest. She made no attempt to sit down and didn't offer to
come back later.

"Is there something I can help you with?" I
doubted it, but thought polite to ask. For some reason, she unnerved me. Maybe
it was the fact she'd come into the cabin without waiting for an answer.

"I want to check his bandages. Unless you'd like to
handle that?" she snapped coldly.

I rolled my eyes and stood up from the mattress. I stomped
over to the bathroom door, giving a forceful knock. "Your nurse girlfriend
is here." I mocked, hinting for him to hurry.

A moment later the shower turned off, and I imagined he was toweling
off.  Joshua opened the bathroom door, the steam followed him out. "What's
that, dear?" he teased, wearing only his boxers.

"She's back to check on your foot."

"Oh." Joshua nodded. "Thanks." He
hobbled back towards the bed, sitting down and propping his foot up. "Need
to check the bandage?" He guessed. It was soaking wet from the shower. She
had impeccable timing.

"On the contrary, I'd like you to come with us. I can't
patch it up here."

"Isn't that what you did last night?" I didn't
understand where they wanted to take Joshua. The last thing I wanted was for him
to disappear, worried I'd never see him again. I did not trust these people.

"I did what I could with the necessary tools I
had," she didn't so much as look at me as she spoke, staring at Joshua. "I
suggest you come with me. Or I can tell the Chancellor that you're being
difficult if you prefer?"

Joshua glanced at me. "No, I'll go with you. I'd like Jacqueline
to come along." He smiled with a boyish grin, hoping to get on her good
side.

"Sure, fine." She rolled her eyes. "You can
tag along." She headed for the front door, waiting for us to follow. He
picked up his dirty clothes from the floor and put them back on before hobbling
out of the bedroom.

Joshua smiled politely. "I never caught your
name." He offered his hand introducing himself, "I'm Adam." He
waited for her to properly introduce herself. He had a way of making friends
with everyone.

"Sydney," she remarked. "Not that it will
matter for long."

"I'm Jacqueline," I offered my hand.

She turned to stare coldly at me. "I don't care who you
are. You're a nuisance, if you ask me."

"Well, I didn't," I muttered beneath my breath. What
had I done to her? What had I done to anyone in this town? I felt like they all
hated me, based more on suspicions than anything else. They didn't trust us. I
couldn't blame them. It wasn't as though I trusted them either.

I followed quietly behind Joshua as the nurse led us outside
and into our car. I didn't feel comfortable knowing they had the keys and had
taken it over since our arrival.

Joshua glanced at me, giving me a knowing look as he climbed
into the front of the car and I climbed into the back. Sydney started the car,
already familiar and comfortable behind the wheel. I wondered how many other
vehicles the town had. I had so many questions and felt as though no one would
give us any answers.

We didn’t drive long before Sydney pulled the car in front
of what appeared to be a medical clinic. "Wait in the car. We won't be but
ten minutes," Sydney told me. "If you get out, I'll give those guards
permission to shoot you." She pointed toward the two armed men standing
not twenty feet from the vehicle.

"Got it. Stay here," I remarked. I glanced around
the car, noticing they’d cleared out everything we'd brought with us. What
little food we had, matches and water were all gone. I couldn't say this
surprised me, but it saddened me these people had stolen from us. We had very
little in our possession, yet they felt it necessary to take what was ours. It
angered me.