Road to Clover (The Breanna Raven Series) (12 page)

King disturbs my view with slop
py licks and his stinky breath in my face. This humungous dog has planted himself on my lap, and I can’t move off the ground. Instead of trying to push him off my lap, I give him a hug.

“You’re one tough girl, Breanna. Are you okay?” Agni asks as he squats down beside me.
He makes King give me some room.

“My hand is tingling. I might have broken it.” I remark as I try to wiggle my fingers
, but it hurts.

“Well, you knocked her lights out.”
Agni starts laughing.

“I did
?” I ask in complete shock. “Do you think I killed her?”

“No, you didn’t kill her, but she’s going to wake up with a broken nose and a headache for sure. Can I take a look at your hand?”

I place my hand gently into his, and he presses down on the skin. I watch him thinking Agni might know what he’s doing, but he’s only causing more pain. I take my hand away and hide it under my arm.

“It might be broken,” Agni comments. “
That’s not good, Breanna.”

“
I can’t worry about that right now. We’re really close to my sister’s school, and I want to keep going.”

“We’ll try to stay off the main streets this time.”

“How did you and King get away from the soldiers?” I ask.

“I just kept running. I lost sight of King actually, but he caught up with me. We took a side road back to
wards the football field, but we hid in a backyard across the street. Miss Kiki found us.”

“Oh, so you weren’t too far away. Miss Kiki and I hid in the high school. Speaking of Miss Kiki, I need to wrap her paw. She cut it on a piece of glass in the school.”

“I got first aid wraps and ointment in my backpack.” He picks her up, and looks at it. She starts licking it furiously.

Agni brings out gauze and ointment. He treats her quickly, and he dresses her wound. I try to pick her up with my bad hand and quickly realize that’s a bad idea.
The pain shoots up my arm like a razor cutting the inside of my skin, and I have to quickly put her down. Agni puts her in his arms, and he helps me stand on my feet.

We get to the back gate of the huge playground, and I stop Agni. I have to give him a hug. If I’d lost him, I don’t know what I would do. I hold on to him t
ight, and he hugs me right back. I’m so glad he made it. I’m so glad he’s with me. We look at one another one, and it seems like we’re about to kiss. Instead, gunfire in the distance turns the moment back to reality. I step out of his hold, and I can tell he doesn’t want to let me go. I don’t want him to let me go, either, but we have to keep going. We came to that crazy city for our families, and that’s all that matters.

We finally m
ake it to the elementary school, and the middle school is right next door. Unfortunately, the elementary school is gone, crumbled to nothing. It’s just a pile of bricks, cement, and glass. The middle school is hardly holding up itself. My heart drops to my stomach, and the only thing I can think of is that my sister is under that pile. My poor sweet Chloe. She can’t be gone. I fall to my knees, and I hang my head. It’s not fair. It’s not right. She hasn’t hurt anyone. She’s just a little girl, a baby, and the Enlightened took her away from me. Who is my family now? Are my parents still alive? My life feels so empty. Agni sits down beside me, and I lean on his shoulder. I feel so lost. I feel absolutely hopeless.

“I’m sorry about Chloe.” Agni remarks sadly.

I can’t even speak. I can’t even fathom going on at this point. If she’s gone, there’s no doubt my parents are gone, too.

“Breanna, I know you don’t want to leave, but we have to find somewhere to hide
for the rest of the day.”

I ignore Agni.
I just keep staring at the school. Is it possible that I can just walk away? I stand and go over to where the rubble starts just after the flagpole. I look up, and the American flag is still flying. It’s torn, but it’s still in the air. Agni comes up to stand beside me, and we look at the destruction together.

I guess I have to move on. I can’t live and die where we are. At least, there’s still a chance we might be able to find Agni’s
dad. I say a silent prayer for my sister, and wish her everlasting peace. It doesn’t make me feel any better, but I know that is the least I can do for her.

Agni lifts Miss Kiki, and she lifts her good paw
to say good-bye, as well. She makes me cry even worse, and I drop my head. King starts barking, and I hear him run off. I guess he has the right idea.

I turn to leave, and I notice King
is rounding the corner around the rubble. Agni is walking away from me trying to keep up with him. He’s calling him, and I decide to follow.

We end up behind the school, and King is barking and digging at the ground. There’s a trap door
slanted upward, and King is trying his best to dig it open. King is wagging his tail, and we hear clicking from inside. Agni and I don’t move, and I believe both of us have stopped breathing.

The door comes open, and King steps back and sits. Coming out of the hole in the ground is Mr. Dory, his owner. He has a pistol in his hands, but the moment he sees his dog, he sets it down on the ground. King starts jumping happily and barking. Mr. Dory is so glad to see
him, too. Agni and I smile at their reunion, but deep down inside, I’m kind of sad. King has found his owner, and that means we have to go on without him. He’s saved us so many times. He’s our hero. I don’t think Agni and I would have been able to make it this far without him.

Mr. Dory notices us and he shakes Agni’s hand. “I’m surprised to see, Agni.
Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, Mr. Dory. It’s good to see you
, too.”

“
How are you doing, Breanna?” He asks as he shakes my hand. I have to give him my left hand because my right hand is still hurting.

I try to smile and answer, “I’m okay.”

“How did you guys get here?” Mr. Dory asks. “Did you come from the high school?”

Agni remarks, “We came from Watermeal.”

All of a sudden I hear children’s voices in the hole. I ran right by Mr. Dory. My sister has to be down there. I almost slip and fall on the second step, but I manage to land weirdly at the bottom.

The room is huge. Then I remember what this place is. It’
s an old bomb shelter. The land used to belong to a man that thought the world was coming to an end in the 1950’s. He died in the 1980’s. His wife sold the property to Titan City, and eventually the elementary school was built here. It’s one of those things I heard in passing from my parents.

Lamps are lit all around the
cement room, and there are five kids sitting at a table eating sandwiches. Four women are standing around with plates of food in their hands, and there are three men not too far from them. I’m eyeing each kid to see if any of them is my sister. None of them are, and I can’t hide my disappointment.

A woman comes from
a back area of the room. She has a tray in her hand, and instantly I recognize her. I’ve seen her going over to Mr. Dory’s house many times, and she used to be my sister’s kindergarten teacher.

“Miss
Carter,” I call to her, and she smiles at me. She sets down the plate at another table and comes over to give me a hug.

Miss Natalie
Carter is a kind and caring woman. My sister loves her. She has shoulder length black hair and bright brown eyes. She is taller than me and curvier. I accept her hug. I’m so happy to see another friendly face.

“Breanna, where did you come from?” She asks.

“From Watermeal,” I answer.

Miss
Carter remarks, “I know you must have had a difficult trip. Are you hungry? Come sit down. You can have my plate.”

I realize I am hungry. I take off my backpack and place it out of the way near the wall,
and I sit down at the empty table. I notice one of the girls sitting at the other table is Mrs. Sabeen’s daughter. She looks like she’s been crying, and her face is filthy. I smile at her and say hello. As a matter of fact, I smile at all of the kids and try to show a good face. I must be awful at it because all of them turn away from me.

As I’m eating the sandwich, I notice that Agni and Mr. Dory have come down to the basement. Miss Kiki is trying to trot over to me, but she’s finding it difficult to walk with the bandage on her paw.
Agni and all the men are now having a discussion that I can’t hear from where I’m sitting.

Miss
Carter pulls up a chair next to me and asks, “How did you get across the pass? We heard the bridge was gone.”

“It is gone. We found a speedboat.”

“How big is that speedboat? Is it big enough for at least five people?”

“
I think so. What are you trying to do?” I ask curiously.

“I
have to get back home, and a couple of these kids live on the island, too.” Miss Carter reveals.

“Unless someone has taken the speedboat, it’s still at
Pier 8 off Nereus Boulevard.”

“Everett,” Miss
Carter calls to Mr. Dory. “She has a boat we can take back to Watermeal.”

Mr. Dory walks over to the table and
says, “Yeah, Agni just told me, but we can’t go right now. It’s best if we wait until nightfall.”

Miss
Carter asks, “Why did you guys leave the island in the first place? You would have been safer over there?”

“We came here in search of Breanna’s sister, and now that
we know she’s gone, we plan on looking for my dad next.”

Just hearing him say that my sister is gone breaks my heart. I quickly lose my appetite and push the plate away.

“You came here looking for Clover?” Miss Carter asks me.

“Yes, ma’am. I thought
she might have been here.”

“
She’s not here, Breanna. She got on the bus.”

“Are you sure, Miss
Carter?” That’s even worse. That bus could have been on the bridge when it was bombed.

“I helped load all the kids
going to the island, except for the couple of kids that missed the bus.” She answers.

“Do you know what happened to the bus? It never made it to Eremurus Cove.” I can hardly breathe from wanting to know the truth.

Miss Carter answers, “All three buses made it across the bridge before the explosion. I spoke to all of the bus drivers by radio. The last I heard they made their first stop in Bouvardia Cove, and they planned on holding up there. That’s probably where your sister is now.”

My heart
leaps for joy. Chloe is alive, but I sure wish I knew that before I went all this way.

A short haired blonde woman
asks, “Everett, I think we should leave right away. If there’s a chance we can get home, then I think we need to go for it now.”

“There are troops and tanks out there.” Agni tells them. “They’re killing everyone in sight. Mr. Dory is right
. It’s best to wait until nightfall.”

No one speaks up against Agni’s suggestion.

“Why don’t you sit down and eat, Agni?” Miss Carter asks as she rises from her chair. “I know you’re starving.”

Agni joins me, and the blonde haired woman hands him her plate. I watch him devour half of his sandwich, but then he hands the rest
to King, who inhales it whole. Agni rubs the dog’s head, and he runs back over to his owner’s side. I give part of my sandwich to Miss Kiki, and she picks it apart.

The adults star
t making plans as to what they’re going to do. The ones that don’t live on the island decide to remain in the shelter. The other adults and two kids are taking the speedboat to the island. I’m not so sure if I’m going to. It all depends on what Agni wants to do. I’m sure everything will be figured it out when the time comes.

Agni pulls Mr. Dory aside, which catches my attention. I wonder what they’re talking about. I try not to focus on their conversation any longer
. I feel extremely tired. Two days of running for my life is really catching up with me.

I get up from the table, and I see a pile of folded mats in a corner. It’s one of those kinds that the kindergarten teac
hers use for the kids to take naps on. I take off the top one, which is a cute lavender color. I toss the mat beside my backpack and I sit down. It’s not the most comfortable thing I’ve sat on since I left home; but at least, it’s not the cold hard concrete. I use my backpack as a pillow, and I close my eyes. Before I know it, I’m asleep. That wonderful feeling of shutting off the world is exactly what I need.

Miss Kiki wakes me up. She’s sitting on my chest licking my chin. That little dog knows how to ruin a good nap. I rub her head and gently scoot on my side so she can get down. I scratch under her chin before sitting up.

Agni hands me an open bottle of water. I take it with my left hand, and I drink it down. He sits down with me on the mate, and he’s smiling. In a way, he looks sad.

“Did you get enough rest?” He asks.

“Yeah, I did.” I say as I look around the room. It’s darker from earlier that day, but the lamps have a soft glow illuminating around the room.

Some of the adults are preparing to leave. I can feel
their excitement.

“Breanna, we have to talk.”

“Okay,” I say as I turn towards him.

“I know you
want to go back to Watermeal for your sister, but I’m not going with you.”

“Agni,
I planned on going with you anyway. Now, that I know Chloe is safe.”

“She might be on the island, but that doesn’t mean she’s in good hands
, Breanna. You need to go back and make sure she’s okay.”

Of course, Agni is right, but I don’t feel right leaving him
like that. I’m the reason he’s here in the first place. I just can’t walk away.

He understands that I’m having an inner battle and says, “You have to check on
Chloe, and I have to find my dad. There’s no other way around it.”

I exhale heavily and ask,
“Do you know where he might be?”

“I’m going to try the fire station. They might be holding out there.”

“Agni, you can’t go by yourself.”

“Mr. Dory
, Collin, and King are going with me.”

I ask without looking at Agni, “What are you going to do if you can’t find him? Will you come back to the cove?”

“Yeah, I’ll come back regardless.” He answers confidently.

Agni is my only friend
in the world, and my heart is just breaking to pieces. To think that we’re going to be apart from one another doesn’t seem right at all. We’ve run from bullets, watched a helicopter crash, rode bicycles, hide from tanks and soldiers. We’ve been through more than any two people should in a lifetime, and I’m not sure if I’m ready to part with him.

“
I have the long range radio, and I’ll call you.” He continues. “The same channel and the same appointed time like we set up for our families.”

“Agni, I really don’t want you to go. I know I’m being selfish right
now, but I can’t help it.”

“
I tell you what I’ll do. When we get to the fire station, I’ll send you a code word. I’ll use green when we make it. When we’re getting ready to head back to the island, I’ll give you the same code.”

“What happens if you run into trouble? What then?”

“If I can talk to you, I’ll say the code word red. Look, I’ll try my best to keep you updated every step of the way.”

“You have to promise me.
No red. Green all the way, Agni. Promise me you’ll come back to me. You can’t break your promise.”

“I will do what I can.”

“No, that’s not good enough. You’re just as important to me as my family. You promise me, Agni.”

He stares right into my eyes, and I can’t help but to let the tears fall. Why does this feel so final? He put his arm around my shoulder, and he draws me into his chest. I can’t help but to release my anguish. It sure seems like my friend is
running into the fire with no clear way out.

Mr. Dory
comes over and says softly, “We need to go over a few things, you guys.”

Agni helps me up. He knows my hand is still in bad shape, and he lifts me from under my armpits. Any other time, I’d be ashamed, but seeing how everyone stinks and
is sweaty in that room, I don’t even care.

We all gather around the biggest table in the room, and Mr. Dory
starts his speech. “Okay, everyone, listen up. Shawn will lead the group who is going to the island. I’ve decided that all of the children are going. I believe it’s safer there for them. I need for everyone in that group to listen to Shawn. He’s a sharp guy, and he’ll get you guys home without a problem. Collin, me and Agni are heading out for the fire station tonight in an hour to search for Agni’s dad. We plan on returning here before morning. Afterwards, we’re heading for Pier 8. Shawn will be meeting us at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning at that pier with the speedboat. Barry, Lana, and Valerie, if you decide you want to go to the island after we come back with Agni’s dad later on, you can come with us when we leave for the pier in the morning. Anyone have any questions?”

We all look at one another waiting for someone to speak up. No one does. We all break up, and Agni pulls
me aside.

This time he’s whispering, “
I need the card, Breanna.”

I want to argue with him, but I understand what he’s trying to do. He’s trying to protect me the best way he knows how. If I have the card and know where the key is, then there might be a problem if I get caught and they figure out who I am.
I go over to my backpack and get what Agni wants. I hand it over to him.

He zips up my back
pack for me and helps me put it on. Everyone that’s going for the speedboat starts getting ready to leave. I’m trying my best not to cry. I’m trying so hard to be brave for Agni, but I can’t seem to stop the tears. I wrap my left arm tight around his neck, and I bury my face in his neck. He is hugging me, as well, and I feel so happy in his arms. It feels like a good place to be.

Agni steps away from me. He gives me one little kiss on the lips. “
I’ll be back for you and Chloe. I promise.”

I smile so pleased to hear that one word,
promise
. I hug him one more time, and I call Miss Kiki to my side. Before I make the last rise up the steps back to the outside, I look back at him. My bestie, I pray to God I’ll see him again.

I’m the last to step out into the beginning of the evening. We can see the flashes of red lights coming from the tanks from above the trees, and there’s the familiar smell of burnt wire and rotten eggs. I look down into the underground shelter at Agni’s
brown eyes right before Shawn shuts the door.

I kneel down in front of Mrs.
Sabeen’s daughter. She’s a beautiful kid and looks just like her mom. I call over Miss Kiki, and she comes right to us.

“What’s your name?” I ask her gently.

“Sarah,” she shyly answers.

“Miss Kiki, this is Sarah. Sarah, this is Miss Kiki. She’s my…she’s my dog. Can you watch out for her?”

Sarah nods, and she bends over to pet Miss Kiki on her head.

“She’s a brave dog, and she’ll look out for you, too. Miss Kiki, do not leave her side. Do you hear me, young lady?”

Miss Kiki barks. I know she understands what I’m saying. I stand back up. Shawn is waiting patiently.

The young man looks to be in his early twenties
. He might not even be twenty. He has a chiseled, solemn face with dark eyes, a pointy nose, and he has full lips. He is wearing a black shirt and navy pants. He seems to be taking his new appointed position seriously.

Miss
Carter takes two kids by their hands, and the other two women take one kid each. I have Sarah. I am still very much nursing my right hand. It’s awfully swollen, but I try to not let it bother me.

Shawn says, “We stick together. We leave no one behind.”

We nod. Shawn sets out, and we follow behind him. On the move once again, but this time without my bestie. I pray to see him again.