Away

CHAPTER 21





THEY’RE HERE!” RACHEL had been watching from the front door since Jonathan and Indigo left. The others had been busy packing all they could into canvas duffels Jonathan had purchased in Bensen. He had managed to get the medicines he had gone for, but nothing else. He had just been dropping off the duffels and medicines at his truck before going to get other supplies when he found Rachel there. Still, there was plenty in Ms. Moore’s house that they felt would be useful. She had only sent a fraction of the things with Rachel that she had been stockpiling in the cellar; there were lots of dehydrated food packs and thermal blankets and other items. And this time there would be many people to carry things, not just Rachel.

“They’re here!” Rachel called out again, louder. Ms. Moore heard her from the parlor, and hurried to the door. She stood behind Rachel, hands on Rachel’s shoulders, and they watched as the truck came up the long driveway.

“Thank goodness,” breathed Ms. Moore.

Rachel squinted. It looked like there were only two people in the truck.

“What . . .” Ms. Moore saw the same thing.

“The back,” said Rachel. “One of them must be in the back, under the tarp.”

“Of course!” Ms. Moore sounded as relieved as Rachel felt.

The truck pulled up close to the porch and stopped. Jonathan got out of the driver’s side. He walked around to the passenger’s side and opened the door. Rachel and Ms. Moore could see him speaking to Pathik, who then got out of the truck. Jonathan put an arm around Pathik’s shoulders and the two began to walk toward the house.

Rachel felt Ms. Moore’s hands leave her shoulders. She heard her footsteps walk away. But Rachel didn’t turn around. She couldn’t take her eyes off the truck.

When Jonathan and Pathik reached the door, Rachel saw all she needed to know in their faces. She took hold of Pathik’s hand. She turned to Jonathan.

“She’s gone to the greenhouse, I think.” Then she led Pathik upstairs to clean his bloody face.

In the bathroom, he didn’t say anything. He just sat, trembling in the oddest way, as though he were cold, while Rachel filled the sink with hot water. He wouldn’t look at her, though he winced when she cleaned the cuts on his face.

“Thank you, Pathik.” She whispered the words. “For saving me.”

He looked at her, so much pain in his eyes that she gasped. “I put you there. In danger.” He looked away. “And him too.”

“It was just a mistake—”

“It was stupid.”

“If you’re to blame, then so am I, just as much.”

He looked back at her, angry. “Maybe so.” Then he got up and left. She heard him open the door to one of the bedrooms, heard it close behind him.

Rachel stared at the wet cloth in her hand, at Pathik’s blood, patterning it with blurry smudges. She sat like that for a long time, before she cleaned up the sink and went downstairs.





THEY WERE READY to Cross. Five duffels sat by the greenhouse door, where they had moved all of the supplies they were taking. Rachel stared at them. She knew what the number meant, though nobody had said anything to her about it.

She heard a noise and looked around. Ms. Moore was still in the back of the greenhouse, where she had retreated once she saw Indigo wasn’t in Jonathan’s truck. Rachel knew Jonathan had come out to tell her what happened. Vivian had come to talk with her too, and then Daniel, while Rachel and Fisher and Pathik finished the packing. None of them could convince her to Cross.

Rachel walked back toward her. She was putting some orchid starts in clear plastic cubes. She looked up as Rachel approached.

“I want you to take these, Rachel. They’re your crosses. If you let them have a little light each day, they should be fine until you get to camp.”

Rachel said nothing. She went to the bench and took a plant out of its pot. She watched what Ms. Moore was doing.

“Fill the reservoir with water, see?” Ms. Moore showed Rachel a tiny pocket inside the plastic cube she was holding. “They won’t be in great shape, but they’ll survive.”

Rachel put her orchid in a cube like Ms. Moore had done.

“You won’t come with us?” She was careful not to look at Ms. Moore.

“No.” Ms. Moore spoke firmly. “I’ll wait here. Just in case.”

“Jonathan is going to stay too.”

“Old fool.” Ms. Moore shook her head. “I told him to go, but he says he’s too set in his ways. I suppose I should be grateful.”

“I’m so sorry.” Rachel couldn’t hold back her emotions anymore. She had to speak the truth to somebody. “It’s my fault about Indigo.”

“Rachel.” Ms. Moore waited until Rachel looked at her. “Indigo did what he had to do. It’s no more your fault that he had to do it than it is your fault that man attacked you in town. Indigo may . . .” Ms. Moore’s voice broke, and she had to stop. She took a breath and continued. “He may be fine. He might find a way out. He might not. But I’m not leaving here without him.” She reached up and smoothed her hair back into its steel-plated bun. “Now, dry your eyes and help me get these orchids cubed up. You’re Crossing in less than an hour.” She looked back down at the orchid she was packing.

Rachel watched Ms. Moore’s face. If she did believe that Indigo might be fine, it was not reflected there. Rachel bowed her head and got back to work.





LATER, ELIZABETH WATCHED the shadows encroach on the corners of the room. She had sent Jonathan home; better for things to be as normal as possible to any observers of their patterns. The house was silent. They had all gone, and were now on their way to places she would never see. She turned the ring that hung from a chain around her neck—turned it absently in her fingers. She was back to it being her only reminder of love.

She knew he was dead. Or if not, that he would be soon. Before he had gone into town, he had taken her aside. When he looked at her she knew what he had in mind; some sort of swap, him for their grandson. And she approved.

“You’ll try, though, to come back?” She hadn’t wanted him to just give up.

“Of course.” He had smiled at her tenderly. “Do you think I want to miss our chance?”

She sighed. Their chance. She was the one who had ruined that, all those years ago, with her indecision and fear. But she couldn’t change it now. She couldn’t do anything to change it now. So she sat in her chair, and thought about climbing the stairs to her bedroom.





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