“Thank goodness,” he said and breathed a sigh of relief. “We wanted to stay all day with you but thought that might look strange.”
“Yes, that’s fine. I was alright and it gave me plenty of opportunity to watch Jonathan and Marissa.” They played the concerned parents so well. Of course, I understood that they’d brought her up since she was four and as far as they were concerned they were her parents but they knew better. They were lying to hospital staff, giving false information and had fake identification for Scarlett, yet they were still so calm.
“And?”
I shrugged. “Nothing out of the ordinary. You would never know they weren’t her parents. They seem to love her the same as Jeremy.”
“They are not her parents,” Dad said.
“I know.”
He shook his head, frowning. “I’m sorry, Noah. Being out here puts me on edge. I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I. It’s hard to keep up with the pretence every single day, but it will be worth it.”
“It will, son. I’m proud of you, you know? I was unsure to begin with. Not that I didn’t think you could do this but it is a big ask, and I know you are a good person. You hate dishonesty and Jonathan, Marissa and Jeremy are lying to Scarlett every day. But you have really come through, and it won’t be long until we are home with her and can get back to normal. Nothing about the way people live out here is normal. Absolutely nothing.”
I’d started to doubt that. But I couldn’t say that to my father. “You’re right,” I replied, only half lying.
There were certain things, sure. People called themselves free when they were governed and bound by so many laws. They worked forty hours a week plus and most still struggled, gave up a portion of their money, and followed what society expected. That was the furthest thing from being free but they still went on fooling themselves. They believed they had a voice but they didn’t use it past voting for someone they knew was lying to them anyway. It made absolutely no sense. Democracy. Freedom. Bullshit.
It was beyond stupid the amount of rubbish people fed themselves, but they valued human life in a way that Eternal Life did not. Scarlett would be protected out here. I couldn’t help question my own attitude to human life. If I were successful, Scarlett wouldn’t be safe. I would be hurting her, allowing Eternal Light to hurt her.
How was I going to watch Donald drive a knife through her chest?
Scarlett
AFTER JUST TWO days in hospital, I was allowed home. Besides being tired and having a lingering headache, I felt fine. Dad and I had been on the sofa since, lying under fluffy blankets and under strict orders not to move. Throughout the morning, I’d been drifting in and out of short naps, resting my tired body.
Startled, I woke abruptly, the explosion thundered through my unconscious mind. My heart raced. I was hot all over, sweat beaded at the back of my neck. The dream was so real I expected the house to be in flames.
Mum and Dad were talking to each other, unaware that I’d woke. I gulped and pushed myself up. They looked up as I forced myself to calm down.
“Hey, are you okay?”
I nodded.
“Missa,” Dad said, using his pet name for Mum.
“Yes, honey,” she replied, smirking.
“Can you pass the remote, please? I’d get it myself but…”
“Of course.”
I shook my head. He was loving being the patient. I was climbing the walls. Dad was completely fine now, and I gave it a day before Mum refused to do anything for him anymore. Lying around and sleeping would have suited me fine before the nightmares started.
“Do you need anything, Scarlett?” Mum asked once she’d given Dad the remote.
All I needed was my heart to return to its normal rate. “I’m good. Think I can go out tomorrow? Just to Noah’s.”
She tilted her head to the side, and I knew the answer was no. “Sweetheart, you’ve just got home from the hospital. You were in and out of unconsciousness for a whole day.”
“So, that’s a no, huh?”
“It’s a no,” she confirmed. “Noah’s welcome here. You know that.”
It wasn’t just seeing Noah; it was getting out for a bit. I’d been cooped up inside a hospital room and now my house. I missed the outside. I wanted to sit in the new hammock in Noah’s garden and get some fresh air. They were outdoors people and I wanted that for a while.
My eyes slid over a photo of Jeremy when he was about seven or eight. He had a big, front toothless smile. My mind instantly conjured the image of Evelyn. I saw them in my head, running around together. I blinked and looked away but her eyes followed me, looking directly into mine as she whizzed past me with Jer.