EXALTED (An Exalted Novel) (29 page)

We walk, and sometimes I carry the girl as I run. Eventually, we have to stop. We rest next to what may have been a school at one time. It reminds me of our training facility back in the Republic. However, only the front half of the building is left standing, the rest is rubble. There may have even been a small town here at one time, but this is the only thing left of it.

We sit on the front steps that lead into the building’s main entrance and eat our last two limp carrots. “Where are you headed?” The girl breaks the silence that we settled into throughout the day.

“The United Republic of the Saved. Heard of it?”

“Oh, yes. My mother used to tell me zombies lived there,” she says, while looking at me with curiosity. “Are you a zombie?”

“Your mother didn’t know what she was talking about,” I discount her absurd comment.

“What are those marks on your neck then?” The girl points to a spot on my neck above my collarbone.

My hand travels up to my neck, feeling for something that shouldn’t be there. Finally, I find two small wounds the size of pinpricks. They are sore under the light touch of my fingers. I hadn’t noticed them before, and I can’t remember getting them. When we are sent out for the Third Trial, all the trainees get a sedative.
That explains one of the puncture wounds, but what about the other one?
My brain won’t function like I want it to. I can’t push past the wall that’s blocking my memory of my last night in the Republic.

“They were given to me to help me sleep,” I tell the nosey girl.

She shrugs her shoulders and then wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. She tosses her leafy, carrot top off the side of the building’s steps. It barely makes a sound when it hits the dusty ground. I do the same with my own trash and then look around the barren horizon. I realize I probably should have hunted before we entered into this arid, treeless landscape.

“Can we stay here for the night?” the girl asks when she notices me looking around.

“No, we have to walk a few more hours today—at least until dusk.”

She nods her head and absently rubs her sore feet.

“Let’s go.” I leave her on the steps. She’ll follow if she wants.

* * *

At dusk we reach a farm. I can hardly believe my eyes. Unfortunately, it looks occupied. There is a fire glowing inside the old run down house, and smoke is billowing out of the chimney. I can smell food cooking.

As we ge
t closer to the farm, the plant life has started to return. Thick trees border this side of the farm, making it easy to stay unnoticed as we wait and watch. After 15 minutes of waiting, I decide to approach the house. “Stay here. Don’t move,” I order the girl, as I leave her hidden behind a tree.

“But maybe I can help,” the girl offers.

“No. Stay.”

I keep low and circle around the back of the house with a dagger in each hand, ready for an attack. There’s a cistern next to the back porch, and through the window I can see a middle-aged woman, stirring something in a pot that’s hung over the fireplace.

I duck under the window seal and hustle over to the cistern. My daggers rest on the ground next to me as I rifle through my backpack for the two empty water bottles. A small spigot allows me to fill my vessels with ease. But I only have two bottles. That won’t be enough for the rest of my journey.

I climb onto the back porch and dig around in some boxes for something else that can hold water. I’m leaning over a box full of mildewed plastic trucks and airplanes when I hear the click of a gun being cocked.

“Can I help you?” a man’s voice asks.

My first thought is survival.
I need to play nice with this guy since he has a gun to my head. When he drops it, I’ll kill him. “I was looking for some bottles to fill with water for me and my little sister, sir.” I try to sound like I’m not a trained killer.

“Your sister? I don’t see anyone else here,” the man says with suspicion.

“She’s hiding behind that tree over there,” I answer as I point to the trees.

He sighs and then yells across the field, “Come on out here girl, so we can help you and your sister!”

Help us? Is he being serious?
I turn around to look at him as he lowers his rifle. His face is weathered, and his hair is gray from a hard life. His clothes are worn, but have been patched with scraps of other fabrics, varying in color. I look back at his face. He’s smiling at me.

I remember what it was like to smile, though I can’t seem to foster those emotions now. I’m confused. My instincts are
telling me to kill this man—a man that’s doing us only kindness. I hold back for now, he may have some things that are of use to me.

The man swings open the back door to the old house. It creaks loudly
. He turns and says to someone inside, “Francis, take out two more bowls for dinner. We have guests tonight.” Then the man turns to me and says, “Name’s Tom. You?”

“Mena,” I answer. While he was talking to the woman inside, I shoved my daggers and watch deep into my backpack. I’m standing here unarmed. I still have my two hands though, if I need them.

Finally, the girl climbs the steps of the back porch, smiling the whole time. Tom is quick to ask, “And what about you, little miss? What’s your name?”

“Lily.”

She’s named after a flower. How odd.

Standing next to Tom, I realize how filthy the girl is for the first time. Her spiral curls have gone limp, and there are splotches of dirt covering her exposed
skin. Her ratty clothes need to be thrown out and replaced, but I wasn’t able to provide those things for her so far. This family could keep her. They’re as good as any. First thing in the morning, I’ll sneak out and she’ll be all the better for it.

“So, Mena and Lily, you two don’t look much like sisters. Then again, who does these days. Come on in and we’ll get you sorted out.” Tom leads us into the kitchen where the woman I saw through the window, pulls two bowls out of a cupboard. She turns around to face us and get a good look at her extra dinner guests.

I get a good look at her as well. She wears a floor-length, blue cotton dress with a white apron. They are all handmade. Her hair is brown with the beginnings of gray, and her eyes are a similar shade to her dress. She looks open and friendly.

“Such a shame, two young girls on your own. Well, come on. Let’s get you cleaned up,” Francis says with a smile. She walks across the house and opens a door. “Hurry up. You need to get cleaned up before you eat at my table.” She waves her hand to hurry us along.

The room turns out to be a small bathroom with a white, claw-foot tub. It’s pushed up against the back wall. I’ve never had a bath before. Francis bends over a spout with a long handle. She pumps water into the bathtub, but only fills it with about three inches of water.

“That should do for one of you. When you’re finished, pull out the stopper, and then you can fill it again the same way. Here’s a clean towel.” She hands us each a fresh white towel. “Dinner’s in 15 minutes,” she tells us as she shuts the door behind her.

I let Lily bathe first so I can have some privacy when it’s my turn. While she bathes I sit on the floor and rummage through my backpack. I didn’t dare leave it out there with the strangers. My knife belt easily slips off, which I put in the bag for safekeeping.

Right before Lily finishes bathing, there’s a knock on the door. “Girls, hand me your clothes, and I’ll give them a wash. I have some things here that you can wear while they’re drying.” I crack the door and hand her Lily’s rags. She hands me two neatly folded, light blue nightgowns in return. They are the color of Ethan’s eyes.

“Thank you.” I tell her.

Lily is thrilled with the new fabric, even though it’s way too large. She twirls around on her tiptoes and giggles while I let the water out of her bath. After a few moments, I stop the child from spinning. “My turn. Get out. And don’t tell them I’m from the Republic. Okay?”

Lily nods and scurries out to the kitchen.

After depositing my dirty clothes outside the bathroom door, I climb in the cold water. I soak until Francis raps on the door
. “Dinner’s ready,” she says. The blue nightgown is ridiculous. An Exalted wouldn’t be caught dead in something like this. This is certainly not the attire of someone of honor or rank.

“Mena, hurry up!” Lily shouts.

Finally, I step outside of the bathroom and see Tom, Francis, and Lily waiting patiently at the table. Tom says, “Thought maybe you drowned in there.”

This makes Lily giggle. Her hair is clean, and her curls spring to life as she bounces in her seat.

“No, sir. I was just enjoying the clean water.” I say what’s expected of me as I sit next to Lily at the dining table. It’s a long rectangular pine table that looks as if Tom must have built it. Handmade nails hold it together, and some of the planks are different lengths. The chairs are all mismatched. A few of them have legs that have been replaced with pieces of pine. But they serve their purpose. I sit with them.

Francis ladles a meat and vegetable stew into all of our bowls. I don’t ask what kind of meat it is. Since there are no cows around, I can only guess that it’s squirrel, rabbit, or something I may not want to know about. It’s warm and filling, so I have no trouble finishing every last drop.

“So where do you two come from?” Tom asks us with a mouth full of stew.

I answer before Lily can. “We’re from back East. Our parents were killed, and we escaped before they found us.” Lily looks up at me with a confused look on her face. I kick her foot under the table, and she seems to get the hint. She rearranges her face to reflect her grief.
Ryker told me about grief.

“Oh, that’s terrible. Isn’t it Tom?” Francis says as she pats Lily’s little hand. “Do you have any other family?”

“No.” My answer is simple.

Tom and Francis share a knowing look across the table from each other. Tom clears his throat. “Well, you two are welcome to stay as long as you need. You’ll have to help out around here, of course. You’ll need to earn your keep. We could use some extras hands around here.”

“Tom and I lost our only child when some thieves came through here, years and years ago. We’d love to have some young’uns around here again,” she beams.

All I can think about is the Republic. They never told us there were people like this on the outside.
Why?
I’ve never met anyone like them in my entire life. They blindly trusted two strangers in this post-apocalyptic and violent world. I realize that in this situation, I’m fortunate that I’m small in size for an Exalted. They have no clue what I am or where I am actually from.

My headache returns, causing me to shut my eyes and rub my temples.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” Francis asks me.

“It’s just a headache. I’m feeling really tired all of a sudden.”

Francis gives me a sympathetic smile. “Of course you are. Well, when you two are ready, you can stay in the second bedroom. You’ll have to share a bed, but it’s better than the floor. It’s through that door over there.” She points to a closed wooden door by the bathroom where we bathed.

“Thank you. And thank you for the food too. I think I’ll go to sleep now, if you don’t mind,” I say. I push my chair back under the rickety dining table and head for the bedroom.

“Rest well. See you in the morning,” Francis chirps.

My backpack and boots are waiting for me by the bathroom door where I left them. I grab my belongings and then find the room I will be sleeping in for the night. After shutting the door behind me, I check out the space. The bed is made of iron, and there is a patchwork blanket thrown across the mattress. There’s nothing else in the room except a mirror hanging on the wall. It has a crack running down th
e length of it. As I peer in its reflective surface, I see that I do actually look tired. I also notice the two fading marks on my neck. My mind screams for sleep not answers, so I climb into the bed and pull the blanket up under my chin.

I shift uncomfortably. Francis may have exaggerated a bit when she said this bed was better than sleeping on the floor. The mattress is horrible. A few of the springs have come uncoiled and are poking me in the back. There’s also a big dip in the middle. Eventually, I find a decent position and settle in for the night. I need to get to sleep early so I can sneak out before the sun comes up. This is the perfect place for me to leave Lily. Tom and Francis will take good care of her here, and I can get back on track to finishing first.

I wake before the sun has risen when Lily rolls into the dip in the center of the bed. She rolls right into the side of me, her knees digging into my hip. It’s time. After quietly slipping out of bed, I cover her with the patchwork blanket and grab my bag and shoes. I leave my boots off for now so I don’t wake anyone as I leave the bedroom. I
realize I’m still wearing the ridiculous blue nightgown. That won’t do. I’ll have to find my clothes before leaving.

I tiptoe into the main area of the house, past the rickety dining table and into the kitchen. I take a few hefty handfuls of dried beans that I find in a cabinet and four strips of dried meat that are hanging above the counter. I also find two containers that will hold water. It all goes into my backpack, which weighs it down considerably, but not enough to make me leave any of it behind.