Marital Law Page 7

  “Decisions like this one are never easy, Sidnie. But I can assure you that this is a life defining one for you. If you walk away from here and allow things to continue as is, you will never forgive yourself.”

  I didn't respond. He was right, and I just wanted to curl up into a ball and die. No more words came forth, and before too long, Colin had fallen asleep. I was no longer bound, so I could've very easily walked away from there and made my way to Providence. But part of me didn't want to leave, another even wanted to stay.

  It took everything in me to shut off my mind, my wild thoughts. I needed sleep, anything to just get away for a while.

  Chapter 9

  In my dreams that night, I fought the savages, my own people, and the Manumissionists. I lost in all three battles, mortally wounded in the first. The worst was fighting my own people, because Adeline stood with Providence against me. Her betrayal was the worst, and when I finally awoke I couldn't help but think she would view my betrayal of her in a similar fashion.

  Night was still upon us as I slowly came out from the fog of my dreams. I felt terrible, having seen way more than someone my age had a capacity to understand—there is no way to make sense of what Marcella Munford is doing to these people, Sidnie!

  My clothes were drenched with sweat, my mind saturated with the things we were doing to the dwellers. I just wanted to hide inside a bubble and pretend there wasn’t evil in the world.

  I fitfully did my best to put the things I’d seen aside and force my thoughts to focus on the rest my body so needed. It took another hour or so for sleep to pull me back in its embrace, and I prayed this time it would be kind and allow me rest.

  The next day, I still didn’t feel like eating, or even leaving the tent for that matter. My heart ached for the little girl that had been taken last night, and I felt responsible, guilty for even coming here to this place.

  “After breakfast I thought we’d go out to the river and play with the children for a while. It will do us both some good to step away from last night’s horror. Later, I have a special couple I’d like you to meet,” Colin said with a glimmer in his eye.

  Not feeling much like meeting anyone else, I didn’t bother to ask who. I just walked alongside Colin, my words few. All of that changed once we made it to the water and the children attacked me. Even with all the water coming at my face, I couldn’t help but smile at them. They thought it the funniest thing to douse the outsider with buckets of water, and to swing on me like I was the tallest vine in the forest.

  By the time we left the river, I was exhausted, but in much better spirits. I even began to think about what it would be like to hang out here with the children all the time, with Colin’s intense eyes constantly on me. Every time I allowed myself to think it might work, that it might actually be my destiny, I came back to Adeline. How could I leave her? She was my everything.

  ****

  The clothes Colin had rustled up for me, for our secret meeting with his special people had come from Jeremiah’s sister, Meredith. He told me Meredith was only seventeen when they had taken her, and he thought our frames similar in size.

  I noticed Colin’s face flush at the mention of my frame, and I couldn’t help but smile after the way he’d made me feel on the stairs two day’s prior.

  “Okay, I think it’s time you tell me where we’re going,” I said, no longer able to take the suspense.

  “We will be there in ten minutes. No need to tell you when I can show you,” Colin said, avoiding me.

  “What’s the big deal? If we’ll be there in no time, might as well tell me.”

  “Nah, best to wait,” Colin said, as he headed out towards the end of the little village.

  The home Colin stopped in front of looked much different from the others in the village. It had color, and surprisingly flowers—tons of them. They were housed in metal and wooden planters, plastic jugs, tin cans, and just about anything else found around the area. If it was still daylight, I’d imagine this home could be seen from anywhere on the mountain. It stuck out like a sore thumb, even in the dark.

  “Uh, where have you taken me, Colin? Who lives here?”

  Hopping up onto the small porch, Colin rapped twice and said, “It’s Colin, grandpa. There’s someone I’d like for you to meet.”

  “Your grandparents live here?” I asked shocked. Not only by the crazy looking home, but because in Providence the aged and sick were taken to another location, where their ailments wouldn’t be a burden on the younger people in our villages.

  “Yeah, and I probably should warn you that he can be a little rambunctious at times,” Colin said, with nothing but love and admiration in his voice.

  I could hear quite the commotion inside the small home, and when the door finally did open, the older gentlemen standing there looked like he’d just gotten back from the arena, having lost the battle. His hair was mussed, the ragged old shirt he’d obviously had since the war, looked like he’d missed a button or two because he’d hurriedly thrown it on. He looked flustered, but he had a great big smile on his face the size of the moon.

  “Sorry, son. Grandma and I were just playing a little game, if you know what I mean,” the old man said with a wink.

  “Ah, Grandpa! Aren’t you too old for that stuff? You are going to break a hip,” Colin said, his face redder than ever.

  “When they put me in the grave, then I’ll be too old. Now are you going to introduce me to this lovely lady, or what?”

  An older woman joined Grandpa at the door, her face red, her clothes wrinkled, the tie that was supposed to be holding her hair up off her shoulders was dangling to one side, a single strand still giving it position.

  “Why haven’t you invited our guests inside, Harlan? Please come in,” said the woman.

  “Sidnie this is Harlan and Dorothy Chappell, or Grandpa and Grandma,” said Colin once they were all inside, seated around the small living area.

  “It’s good to meet you,” I said. “You two must mean a lot to Colin, because he’s been keeping our coming here a secret all day long.”

  “That’s because we practically raised both Colin and his brother, Thomas. Jeremiah and Hannah are busy most of the time making decisions on life here,” Harlan said proudly.

  “Yeah, we’ve been fortunate to be able to spend so much time with Colin and that brother of his,” Dorothy said.

  “I noticed Thomas seems pretty angry all the time. What’s his deal?”

  Taking his cue, Colin said, “He wasn’t always like this. About two years ago, Thomas fell in love with a newly defected girl from Providence, named Susan—the two were almost inseparable. That is, until the savages came and took her away. She was a strong woman, a warrior in the arena. She went out on regular food raids and hunted often in the forest alongside Thomas.”

  “That girl was the sweetest little thing. She was constantly asking me to help her cook things in the main kitchen area. Having come from Providence, she didn’t know a thing about preparing a meal. She was a quick study though. I’ll never forget Thomas’s face when she served him a possum stew she’d made all on her own,” Grandma added with a tinge of regret in her voice.

  “Yeah, that girl was a real gem. I miss her smiling face around here,” Grandpa said.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “She and Thomas were out hunting one evening, and two of the savages attacked them. Thomas was so beat up from the fight, we found him lying unconscious near where Susan was taken. It took two full days for Thomas to come to, and then he wouldn’t talk to anyone for another week. A few weeks after that, Jeremiah caught him sneaking out of camp late one night. When asked where he was heading, Thomas told him he was going to the Capitol to bring Susan back. It took some time, but Jeremiah finally convinced him that such a mission would be suicide,” Colin said.

  “How long ago was she taken?”

  “Six months and counting. Thomas still believes she’s alive, but I can see he’s losing hope with each passing
day,” Colin said.

  “And he’s growing angrier by the minute,” added Grandma. “That boy has completely changed since they took that poor girl. Thomas used to be the sweetest, kindest little man I’ve ever seen. He used to hold the door open for me all the time, even held out his hand to help me up from the table after every meal. Not anymore. Now he stays out in the forest, searching for trouble. He volunteers for every hunt, every opportunity to engage your people, and the savages.”

  “That’s so sad. I’m sorry for everything that my people are…” I started.

  “Shh! None of this is your fault, Sidnie. Marcella Munford has brought about all of this madness. She will pay one day, mark my words,” said Grandpa.

  Getting up from his seat, Grandpa went over to some sort of machine and said, “Now enough of this sad and depressing talk. We need to have a little fun. Can’t have you returning home thinking Grandma and I are just two old farts who do nothing but reminisce about the past. We like to live life, enjoying every single day of it.”

  When music started emanating from the machine, I couldn’t help but smile. It sounded old and broken but soothing nonetheless.

  Walking up to me, Grandpa said with an outstretched hand, “May I have this dance, Sidnie?”

  “Uh, I can’t…” I started.

  Pulling me up, Grandpa said, “You don’t have to know how. Just follow my lead.”

  Placing my hands on his shoulders, Grandpa led me around the small home in a series of back and forth and side to side. It was exhilarating. My mood instantly changed, my heart lifted. This dancing thing was fun, exciting, and relaxing.

  After the song ended, I was still on a small high, as grandpa went over and placed another large circular thing on the player.

  The song that emanated from the player was slower, and I watched as Grandpa went over and asked for Grandma’s hand to dance with him next. I had a small panic attack as I locked eyes with Colin and saw him headed my way. Oh, no! He’s going to ask me to dance. What do I do?

  “You look like you need a new partner,” said Colin softly.

  “And I suppose you are volunteering?” I said, unabashedly flirting.

  “Absolutely! So, what do you say?”

  “I, I guess so,” I replied. But inside I was an excited, nervous mess. I just knew I would trip over my own feet and fall flat on my face.

  As Colin took my hand in his and led me around the small room in a close embrace, I think I might’ve been the happiest girl in the world. Being around him made me feel safe, free. For the first time in my life, my guard went down. It was different, but in a good way.

  Noticing Grandma’s eyes on me, I smiled over at her. She reached out and patted me on the shoulder and said, “You two look good together, Sidnie.”

  It was then that I remembered where I was, what I was supposed to be doing. I smiled back at Grandma, but fear and worry started battling for space in my mind, my heart. “It’s getting late. I think we should go.”

  “Is everything okay?” Colin asked, clearly out of sorts.

  “It’s fine. I just have a lot of thinking to do and need to get to it,” I said, still without a clue as to where my life would end up.

  Colin told everyone good-bye and I managed a few of my own. But my heart and mind were elsewhere. What are you thinking? You can’t stay here, Sidnie! These people aren’t your friends. You just met them. What would your mother think? And Adeline? How will she cope without you there to look after her?

  Back inside the small room where Colin had deposited me, I lay down on the pallet on the floor and did my best to figure out my next move. Colin tried to make small talk, but I didn’t have the ability to form complete sentences anymore. I went through some sort of mental fog. My thoughts focused on Adeline and Providence.

  “Are you alright, Sidnie?” I finally heard Colin say. I’m not sure how long he’d been asking me that same question, but from the concern in his eye it was obviously not the first time.

  “No, I’m not alright, Colin. I here in the home of the sworn enemy of my people and instead of capturing you and bringing you in as my prisoner, I just spent the evening dancing with you! And to make matters worse, I just learned that my people have been kidnapping yours and turning them into these ungodly creatures!”

  Colin hung his head low. “I’m sorry, Sidnie. I just thought you could use something to lighten the mood, and a little dancing sounded like just the ticket.”

  “Forgive me, Colin. Thank you for showing me a good time. Look, I just need a little time to sort through all of this.”

  “I hate to see you struggle. I’m sorry you have to make such an awful decision,” Colin said sincerely.

  My thoughts wandered back to Providence, and to leaving the forest without a prisoner. I would be like Ellen, never able to wed. Could I live with that? You could remain here and see what comes of your time with Colin.

  Envisioning my life with Colin, I pictured us hunting the scourgers together—the one Colin had killed on our way to their camp had actually ended up tasting really good—and of course, playing with the children. I could see Colin and me training together, and me eventually being able to ascend the long stairwell up to their camp without complete exhaustion. This gave me a brief moment of happiness, before thoughts of betrayal and my grieving family invaded and completely dissolved such ridiculousness.

  At one point Kaylee entered my mind, and only made me feel even guiltier. She accused me of being a traitor, of being weak-minded for allowing the dwellers to change me into one of them. We retorted back and forth, as I did my best to convince her that the dwellers really were good people, but she wasn’t hearing any of it. Before leaving, Kaylee said something about me always being weaker than the other women in Providence, and that’s when I shut her off.

  I don’t remember sleeping, but I vaguely recall seeing Colin come into the back room and kneel down next to me. Something sharp touched my arm, maybe a large mosquito going in for his nightly snack. I was too dazed to fend him off, so I just laid there and looked up at Colin dumbly.

  Chapter 10

  I completely blacked out at some point. Nightmares flowed in and out of my mind like a raging river. Scenes changed rapidly. The savages were ripping the heads off little children, Colin and I locked in a battle of death, Adeline throwing a spear through my heart. I tried to scream out, but my mouth was so dry I couldn't form words. Slowly, I opened my eyes. My body was a sweaty, smelly mess. I was confused, frantic.

  Searching, I looked in all directions for any remnant of the scenes from my dreams. It took a long while, but I eventually calmed my wrecked nerves.

  The edge of the forest brought me back to reality. I'd gone in search of one of the dwellers, fought with two young boys, and- and that's all I could remember.

  As soon as I made my way back onto my feet, I spied movement out of the corner of my right eye. Upon further inspection, I noticed one of the boys I'd fought with, Colin, his partner had called him, and he was attempting to get away.

  His arms and legs were bound making his escape a nonissue. Even though I didn't remember taking him from his homeland, it quickly became evident that he was my prisoner and he was trying to flee.

  Jumping onto my feet, I took off in a sprint after Colin. Things were still a little fuzzy, the dizziness in my head making running in a straight line a feat. It took about 50 yards or so before I was finally able to straighten out. Another 75 and I was within arm's reach of Colin. I bent forward and dived into him. We both tumbled to the ground and rolled a few feet. I quickly crawled on top of him, pinning him underneath me.

  “Please, Sidnie, you have to let me go,” Colin begged.

  Something nagged at me about Colin's request. It wasn't what he said, but how he said it. His words weren't hateful, without underlying threats of harm if I didn't do as he said.

  I sat straddling him, unable to form complete thoughts. There was something in his eyes, something I couldn't quite explain.


  The sound of people running towards us, brought me out of my semi-trance. I spun around, ready to attack. To my surprise, the small group of people contained my mother, father and Adeline. Kaylee and one of her other friends, Skylar, were also in attendance. They had looks of excitement and relief plastered on their faces.

  Pointing my spear towards Colin’s back, I said, “Don’t make any movement, or it will be your last!” Coming back to myself, I moved towards Adeline and embraced her first. She whispered how glad she was that I’d made it back and kissed me on the cheek. This latter show of affection was unexpected but welcomed. I squeezed her tighter, fighting back the tears, the emotions flowing through me.

  Many hugs and pats on the back later, I gathered up Colin and escorted him to the Palace. During our trek, I learned that I'd been away for four days, leaving everyone worried for my return. Thankfully, Mother had been able to hold off the customary death ceremony until evening this same day.

  All of this greatly bothered me because I had no idea where three days of those days had gone, or how I'd ended back up at the edge of the forest with Colin as my prisoner.

  My father admitted he'd shed more than a few tears, thinking I'd been taken by the dwellers. The women looked down on him, disapproving of man's weak habits. But in this instance, I understood, and even this surprised me. I normally would’ve agreed with the other women, but something inside of me had changed, and it concerned me.

  Later that afternoon, I turned Colin over to the Monitors. Pangs of guilt, and more regret than I thought possible assaulted me. I didn't understand any of it. He was a forest dweller, a breaker of the laws of MOM. I should've felt joy and excitement at bringing him in, but those two emotions were the furthest from my mind.

  Before leaving, I looked back at him over my shoulder. The monitors dragged him through the streets, hitting him with their clubs as they went. Each blow caused me to wince. What's wrong with you girl? Get a grip on yourself!

  My eyes must’ve been playing tricks, because I think I imagined Colin closing his eyes and giving me a slight nod before the monitors beat him senseless.