I could see the old man’s mouth moving but couldn’t hear what they were saying because
of the noise from the vents. This was the opportunity I had been waiting for. I waited until I
was certain that they weren’t watching then I turned to Cameron with urgency, unsure as to how
long I would have before they noticed us talking.
“They think that I’m hiding something … they don’t trust us … they put the guards on high
alert … you’re right, the crop is bad … the Hawk guy is planning on giving you all the worst
plants … oh and, why do they keep calling you crow?” I finished, out of breath.
Cameron first looked at me with puzzlement, and then his face quickly turned to fury. He pushed
me behind him so quickly, so fiercely that I almost fell to the floor. Hawk, who had come
running in my direction, looked violent, his rage equal only to Cameron’s.
“What game are you playing at? You brought the girl so that you could spy on us?” Hawk
screamed. I had been tricked into thinking that they couldn’t overhear me. Hawk and the old man
had now heard everything.
Cameron shoved Hawk away and looked like he was ready to kill him. “Step away. Now.” His voice
was sharp, leaving no doubt that he would kill if pushed to it.
The old man stepped between the two boys and urged them to calm down. He then he turned to me
with an excited smile.
“I knew I recognized those green eyes,” he said in French. “You looked like you understood
what we were saying, but I had to be sure. There aren’t many people in these parts who speak
French. Your brother Billy was the only one I knew outside our tribe.”
The old man started to move toward me, but Cameron barred him and looked at me—absolute
confusion on his face.
I translated in a hurry. “He knows I’m Bill’s sister.” That was the gist of it anyway.
Cameron continued to stand his ground, glancing from me to the old man, trying to figure out
what to do. In my mind, there were only two options: fight through an army of armed guards and
try to escape without too many bullet wounds, or let the defenseless old man approach me.
Deciding for both of us, I held Cameron’s gaze and tugged his arm down. He let me by with great
reluctance. The old man gleefully looped his arm around my shoulders—Cameron flinched as he did
so.
“In Manuuk tribal legends, crows,” he explained in French as we moved ahead of Cameron and
Hawk and continued to wind our way down the vented tunnel, “are said to be spirits of great
powers that move between the worlds of the living and the dead. They are highly intelligent
creatures. They learn and adapt quickly.”
“Crows are also greedy and tricky,” bitterly added Hawk, in English for Cameron’s benefit—
the effect was lost on Cameron, as this was the only portion of the conversation that he had
understood.
“Yes, crows are mischievous—they like to play tricks on us, but they are also extremely loyal
to their kind. When a crow is struggling, it will seek out its kind to survive. They take care
of each other like a family, blood ties or not. Your brother and this one,” he said pointing at
an oblivious Cameron, “were a lot like the crows of my tribe’s legends when I first met them.
”
We arrived at another elevator, and the four of us squeezed in. Hawk pulled the elevator grid
closed.
“I’m Emily,” I blurted out. From the look on Cameron’s face as I said this, I thought he was
going to jump out of his skin.
“Your brother called you Emmy, yes?” the old man asked, his inquisitive eyes persistent.
I figured that I wouldn’t be able to lie to him, so I chose not to. “When I was young.”
“And you’re not young anymore,” he said. This was funny to him. “I’m Jerry, but call me
Pops.”
The elevator motor hummed. Pops still had his arm looped into mine. He patted my hand like he
could feel my heart beating a mile a minute. His skin was cold and rubbery, and I could smell
pipe tobacco off his clothes. I usually didn’t like to be touched by strange old men. But I
decided that I liked him, even if he was a drug dealer … distributor.
We stepped out of the elevator into a darkened grotto. The rock walls and ceiling were
glistening with dripping water, and a stream gushed along one of the walls through gaping holes,
from one side of the cave to the other. The room was barely lit by lanterns that were clumsily
hung on the walls. I couldn’t see my feet in the darkness and had to rely on the old man to
guide me to a small bench that was next to the gushing stream. We sat down, while Cameron and
Hawk silently stood behind us. Men with guns against the walls completed the scene. We waited.
For what, I didn’t know.
“I was really sorry when I heard your brother passed on. He was a good kid. Much too young to
die.” Pops was sincere.