Tent City (33 page)

“They’ll never let you out of their sight. It’s pretty sick actually. I wonder if they fought over their toys like this?” she says, more to herself.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say.

“Sure you don’t….Listen, do you want my help or not?”

“How so?”

I’m intrigued. I’ve been wondering how I could give them the slip. I have come up with about 50 scenarios on how I can escape, but none of them seem to have a happy ending.
 

“I could cover for you. Bentley would never forgive me for it, but the truth is I would do the same thing. If Bentley is right, and they are just trying to draw the kids back, it’s what I would do too.”

“Is that what he told you?”

She doesn’t respond, but I know it’s true. So I was right. Why does Burke want all the kids? What use could he have for us? Bentley tells her everything, I think to myself with some sadness. Their friendship goes back further than ours. I shouldn’t feel offended, but I do.

“Okay,” I say, ready to move on. “How would this work?”

Callie actually turned out to be more helpful than I could have even imagined. We told everyone that we were going to explore part of the Black Hills behind Sylvan Lake so Brody could climb.

Callie has snuck me a map that leads me to the highway and a way back home. I’m not even sure if I need the map. I can feel home, and I can feel it pulling me back.

We have even taken Brody to tighten our alibi, which gives me the double advantage of being able to say good-bye. They would never dream I would try to take off with him. Not only would it slow me down, but it would endanger him.

On top of getting me all my supplies and acting as my cover, she has even figured out my transportation. I will admit though, when I imagined going home, I could have never pictured this.

It takes about an hour to get there, but I’m tickled with Callie’s mode of transportation. She has found us a horse camp. There’s a main house and a horse barn in the back.

I haven’t ridden a horse in years, but it is smarter than a car.

Besides, I don’t have a car either. It’s not that I’m afraid of riding a horse, as much as I’m afraid of stealing it. Because that’s what we are going to have to do. It’s too risky to ask them for the horse and besides, we have nothing to trade for it.

We watch the house for about an hour and I’m getting so impatient, I’m about ready to just go for it. I can see where they are penned up and I feel confident that I could get in there and get the horse and saddle and be back out before they noticed. There is a back entrance so it could be done.

I’m about to tell Callie and Brody to go back without me, when a couple exits the house. My pulse quickens at the thought of getting caught. I don’t think they can see us, but having Brody with me has me on edge. I put my fingers to my lips in a sign to keep quiet. He seems to understand, but still fidgets around.

To my relief, they get in their Jeep Wrangler and drive off. They are taking a main road that leads away from their ranch and I thank my lucky stars.

“Okay, it’s time,” I say to Callie.

I’m still nervous, but it’s now or never. There are three horses in the stalls and I try to guess which one will be the easiest to ride. I avoid a young black one, as I speculate that maybe he’s not trained, and I settle for the second one. He looks old, but I take that as a good sign. Well broke in.

My heart is pounding, but I’m working quickly. I get the saddle on and hope that it’s secured tightly as I remember the first time Kit and I took a horse out on her grandpa’s farm. I was afraid of them back then, but she assured me it was a gentle mare and we’d be fine. I helped her strap the saddle on and was having a great time until it slowly started to slip to the side. It slid further and further, but I could not get the horse to slow down and neither could she.

Finally, it escaped her and was running wildly in the field with me riding sideways on the horse, holding on for dear life. I held on for as long as I could until fatigue won out and I was dropped to the ground.

I never did get stomped to death, but I got a healthy dose of respect for horses and that’s evident to me now as I nervously check all the straps. I give it one more tug for good measure.
 

I lead the horse out of the stall and it follows obediently. Surely a good sign.

I give Callie the reins as I switch all of the supplies from her bag to mine. The full impact of what I’m about to do is creeping up. It’s not so much that I mind having to ride back home and face what is quite possibly death or worse, learning about the death of my parents; it’s more that this could be the last time I see Brody.

On top of that, even though I trust everyone back at camp, I can’t help but think no one will care for Brody like I can. Will they feel the same as I do that his life is worth more than their own and go to any length to save him? I push that idea to the side. If I keep thinking like that, I won’t have the courage to do what I’m about to do.

I lean down to say good-bye to Brody and the memories of the day we left come flooding in. Was that really only five months ago?  I can see my mother leaning down, doing everything she can to hold it together. I finally understand what she went through that day.

I make it quick, as I did that day, careful to memorize every curl on his head, and focus back to Callie, looking for diversion. My mouth is starting to water as the bile churns in my stomach, reminding me again the consequences of not eating.

“I’ll buy you as much time as I can. I hope this was a good idea,” Callie says, as doubt floats across her face.

“Thanks Callie,” and to my surprise, I lean and give her a hug. She seems surprised by this too and hugs me back.

Just as I’m about to mount an idea comes into my head.

“Callie, what’s advancement?” I haven’t thought about the term since I heard Jack and Bentley talking about it, but now it’s nagging at me. And why not ask Callie? She seems to be in on all the secrets.

She laughs as if I’m talking about an old inside joke. “You’ve never heard of advancement?”

“No.” I’m trying not to feel foolish about not knowing this either. How much could I possibly be in the dark about?

“It’s just a theory Jack and Bentley have. Don’t ask me where they got it from. They believe that since the locusts, some people are developing these “advancements”. It’s kind of like a superpower, but there’s no flying.” She giggles. “It’s basically just a natural ability you have that becomes enhanced.”

“What’s persuasion advancement?” I ask, as I just barely recall the name they gave me.

“Oh, that one.” She thinks a little bit longer. “It’s rare. I didn’t even think it was real. But I guess I can see it,” she says, as she looks me over again. “Figures.”

“Care to elaborate?” I ask, as I check the buckle at horse’s belly one last time.

“It means you can get pretty much whatever you want.”

“What?”

“No…not like that. Think of it like the power of positive thinking. If you were to want something bad enough, the world sort of aligns itself for you. It’s not all good though. Persuasion advancement draws things to you…good and bad.”   

“Advancements…that’s crazy,” I say.

“You’re telling me. But you can’t help but see it sometimes. Like Jack, how does he know all that medical stuff? He’s just a kid himself. How is it that healing comes so naturally to him?”

“Well, his mom was a doctor.”

“Still…the kid’s got skills. Years of medical school couldn’t compete with what he can do. It’s like a gift.”

“What about Bentley?” I ask, and she considers this.

“Jack thinks so. He never used to be so strong or so fast. In fact, if you hear Jack tell of it, Bentley used to be kind of a runt. But now look at him. Bentley denies it. Says it’s from working so hard.” This is so much to take in.

“What about you?” I ask.

“Me? Of course, haven’t you had my cooking?” She laughs.

“Advanced chef?” I smile, and for the first time, I feel a real bond for Callie. Bentley’s a fool.

“You better make it count,” she calls, as I mount and the horse starts to trot. The little riding I did when I was younger is coming back to me, and the horse is responding well. Eager to get out of the stall and into a gallop, I imagine.

I stay off the main roads, hoping to avoid the couple whose horse I just stole. I’m tempted to get out the map and go over it again, but I know I’m going the right way. I’m doing the calculations in my head. If I keep moving, making camp when night falls tonight, I should be there by tomorrow night, with a day to spare.

Maybe it’s the calm before the storm, but as I ride, and I listen to the trot of the hooves meeting soft ground, I find myself strangely at peace. I think it’s because either way, this will end soon.

Thinking of my parents in Burke’s possession is, in some ways, worse than thinking of them dead. I find myself wondering if they are even together and where they are being held.

I’m not sure where they are, but I can guess that they are being held at the county jail. It’s not big, but it’s the only place I could think they would hold criminals, since that’s what Burke says they are.

The first night I make camp it’s chilly and I want to start a fire, but I don’t dare call any attention to myself now. Not when I’m so close to reaching them. I find myself hoping that even if they don’t release them, maybe they will spare their lives. I can’t help but hope that the cost of my freedom might mean something to Burke.

Actually, now that I think about it, Burke will have nothing to do with it. He’s probably in D.C. running his business there. The people I have to deal with will just be his minions, carrying out orders. I have to come up with a way to stop this. Even with the open air and hours of travel to myself, I still haven’t come up with a solution that assures their lives are spared. All I can do is give myself up and hope for the best.

I wake early the next morning, feed and water the horse and get ready to leave. I clean my wound and it’s throbbing, but I’ve grown used to it.

I even force myself to eat a breakfast of canned peaches and relish in the sweetness of the syrup. I only intended on eating a few to keep me going, but before I know it, I finish the entire jar and find myself searching the bag for more food. I find a can of green beans and finish that off too, now wishing I had saved the peaches for last.

Hours on the horse lead to a lot of thought. I find myself thinking of Bentley and what he had said. He said, “You’re going to have to choose,” by which he means I would have to choose between him and Jack.

There’s another advantage to my crazy plan. This leaves the choice out of my hands. I had answered “both”, but in reality, with my decision I have chosen neither. That’s for the best. I can’t imagine having to choose.

Why do I have to choose anyway? Why couldn’t things have just stayed the same? Then it dawns on me why Callie was eager to help me escape. With me gone, she can have Bentley to herself—smart girl.

To my amazement, I’ve made the entire trip so far without the map. As soon as I cleared the Black Hills area, the going was much smoother and the horse, which I have now named “Desperado”, seems to have become my only friend. We have ridden many miles together and he has been loyal for every one of them. I feel a twinge of guilt. His owners must miss him.  I will be sad to see him go, but I intend on setting him free when I get close, which is very soon.

I will run the rest of the way into town. I consider waiting until the sun sets to give myself more cover, but decide not to chance it. After all, I’m only planning on turning myself in, so not much cover needed for that. Tomorrow morning is Halloween and I need to get there as soon as possible.