by Nancy Isaak
On most evenings, Kaylee and I ate dinner together—either at her house or the mansion. Of course, I liked it best when we spent time at my place. There was more privacy there; no little girls popping up to see what we were up to—usually at a most inconvenient moment.
For all of our desire to be together, having Frank roll through his eighteenth birthday had taken the pressure off of Kaylee and me to rush things. We still hadn’t done anything more than kiss or hold hands. It was almost as if we were scared to take things further, worried that a hurried word, a misunderstood gesture, could destroy a growing relationship that we both so desperately wanted.
* * * *
I loved being around Kaylee…at work or at play.
One of the things that struck me about her was how well-suited she was for politics. I think she even surprised herself; her voice was strong in Council, her opinions fair and balanced, her ideas clear and often inspired.
In fact, I realized a few weeks into our work together that—of the two of us—Kaylee was actually the better leader.
That didn’t mean that I was a bad leader. Like Kaylee, I was coming into my own. The Locals trusted me and were quick to obey when I gave an order. I would never feel as confident as Ru, but I knew that I was earning my tribe’s respect.
But Kaylee was different—I could say with absolute certainty that she sometimes ran rings around me, the way she could sum up a tricky situation—considering, evaluating, then coming up with a brilliant, off-the-wall solution in record time.
I envied her abilities…sometimes a little too much.
* * * *
Meanwhile, while the Council struggled on with the worrying issue of the Crazies, the rest of the tribe had their own, more personal concerns.
Porter, for example—for the first time in his life—was experiencing what it was like to be caught in the middle of two girls he liked—and who, surprisingly, liked him back. His days tended to be spent with Jay, working in the medical center, while his off times often meant sitting with Jude at meals, or taking long walks with her down at the Nature Preserve—often with little Hannah hot on their heels.
For whatever reasons, the young girl tended to follow Jude around like a puppy—waiting patiently for a kind word or a pat on the head.
I found it odd that Hannah took so easily to Jude.
Frankly, I’d always known the older girl to be a bit of a bully. Even now, Jude’s words were often harsh and her stern looks terrified some of the younger guys.
How was it that a girl so fragile as Hannah could see past the prickly bits to the softness inside of Jude?
Very curious.
* * * *
Rhys, of course, spent most of his days training his Raiders.
Standing at my window or walking along Dume Drive, I would often see them racing here or there—rifles at the ready—practicing for what we believed would be the inevitable attack of the Crazies. They were becoming a tight group—focused and disciplined. In some ways, they were better prepared for battle than my older soldiers.
Of all the Raiders, I found Shawnee the most fascinating. She not only kept up with the guys, she often surpassed them. Her facility with a bow and arrow was unmatched in the unit and she ran quicker than the rest of them.
There were times when I would catch Rhys watching Shawnee when he didn’t think she was looking. Shawnee had thinned out, her body lean, but with subtle curves in all the right places. She was turning into a lovely young woman—and my kid brother had developed his first serious crush on her.
However, it also appeared that Ian and Andrei liked Shawnee. They often joined her for supper—sometimes at the girls’ house, other times in the compound. When this happened, Rhys would inevitably become depressed, cranky.
The other guy who spent a lot of time with Shawnee was, of course, Wester. He adored his older sister and loved to brag about how Shawnee was going to teach him how to use a bow and arrow.
* * * *
Meanwhile, Cherry continued her work at Frank’s farm. She would rise with the sun and head down the road—her guard walking dutifully beside her—and not come back until just before dark.
When I asked Frank about her work ethic, he had nothing but good things to say; Cherry appeared to be an able and dedicated farmer, willing to take on the hardest and dirtiest of jobs.
* * * *
At the same time, Cammie and Kieran were falling in love. They would spend hours together, torturing each other with goofy looks and ridiculous jokes. At night, Kieran would visit with Cammie at the library, helping her with the books or—more likely—having make-out sessions in the back room.
Through all of this, I came to admire Pauly. Even though he was losing the girl that he liked, not once did he lose his good humor. He still treated Cammie with the same devotion as before, while Kieran remained his best friend and Beta teammate.
* * * *
And then—there was Peyton.
I would have liked to report that she had done something extraordinary but, the truth was, Peyton continued to be—well, Peyton. She didn’t really do much of anything, except walk around the compound in distractingly short skirts. If she did contribute to the tribe, it was to frustrate and torment the guys.
Frankly, I worried for her safety.
After a long talk with Kaylee, we decided to take extra precautions. Without Peyton or anyone else knowing, we assigned an extra guard to shadow her at all times.
Hopefully, he wouldn’t be needed.
KAYLEE
We had such a great birthday party for Cherry.
With the exception of Wester, it was just us girls who were invited. I felt a little bad for Jacob because I knew he wanted to come—but it was Cherry’s choice and she wanted only girls. I think it was mostly because she was overwhelmed with it being her eighteenth birthday; she was also scared (though trying not to show it) and wanted only her family around.
For Cherry—that meant girls.
In any case, we had chocolate cake (sadly, not as good as Sophia’s) and Jay made some excellent East Indian food. When it came close to Cherry’s birth time, we all sat in a circle and held hands. Wester and Shawnee both cried, they were so scared. Then, of course, when Cherry didn’t disappear—they cried even harder.
I repeat—a great birthday party!
The next day, when Cherry and the rest of us left the house for our jobs, we were shocked to discover a good twenty guys standing outside the gate, waiting to see if Cherry was still there. When they saw her, they burst into applause and cheers.
Another Local had made it past eighteen.
* * * *
There was one other birthday that we all waited impatiently for—December 24th, when Brandon would turn eighteen. I remember sitting at Council on that day, all of us wondering if he had survived.
“Any news from Nate?” asked Porter. He was sitting at the end of the table, casually doodling on a piece of paper. “I thought he was going to send down reports through our sentries.”
Jacob shook his head. “He hasn’t shown up at any of the sentry points, yet.”
“I’m sure he’s okay,” I chimed in. “Nate’s probably just waiting to see what happens with Brandon today. Then, he’ll come home slow and easy—making sure that he doesn’t get caught.”
“Getting caught is what I’m worried about,” Jacob admitted. “Because if Brandon sees him, it’ll be all over. He knows Nate from the time he lived with us.”
“On the upside,” grinned Kieran, “Brandon was stoned most of the time. Chances are he doesn’t even remember what Nate looks like.”
“Plus, there are a lot of Crazies now,” added Josh. “Nate’s a smart kid. He’ll know to stay in the crowds.”
Kieran picked up a glass of water and held it up high. “Well, Happy Birthday, Brandon, old pal,” he said. “May it have been your last one.”
The rest of the guys and I picked up our glasses, echoing Kieran’s words.
* * * *
> Christmas became a rather subdued affair.
Most of the Locals celebrated in small groups—primarily with the guys on their work teams. We girls stayed close to our house, having a pancake breakfast in the morning, then stockings and presents soon after.
The evening was spent at the tribe’s compound, where Jacob and the Council hosted a large dinner at the mansion. It was a buffet meal—deer meat and spaghetti being the main dishes—and everyone contributed. There was way too much food and, by the end of the evening, our bellies were full.
We lounged around—fatigued and lazy.
With the exception of Ethan.
He bounced up and down, happily proclaiming to anybody that would listen, “My sister is coming. Her name is Lily!”
At one point, he ran up to me. “Kaylee,” he chirped, “will Lily be staying with you when she comes or with me?”
I didn’t know how to respond. When I looked at Jacob, he merely shrugged.
“W-well,” I stammered, “I suppose she would stay with us girls when she arrived. At least, for the first little while. Then, if she wants, she can move over to the compound. Or you could always come live with us, Ethan. That would be okay, too.”
He shook his head. “No,” he said, very serious. “Boys don’t sleep at the girls’ house. Jacob said so. He said that if we all want to be together, then the girls have to move in with us.”
On my right, Jacob chuckled, amused. I turned and gave him a dark look, which made him chuckle even louder.
* * * *
That night, Jacob walked me back to the house. He was quiet, holding my hand gently—obviously deep in thought.
“Do you think that Lily is really coming here?” I asked, after a while.
“Who knows?” he shrugged. “I sure hope so, because that kid is going to be really disappointed if she doesn’t show up.”
“If Lily doesn’t show up, you know that the girls and I are probably going to go out looking for her.”
Jacob nodded. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”
We walked on for a little bit through the dark, our guards trailing some ways behind.
“Did you like the jacket I made you?” I asked, feeling nervous. Jacob’s quiet mood was really unsettling me. “Cherry helped me with the pattern.”
“It was fine,” he said, vaguely. “Good job.”
That wasn’t true; the sleeves were too long and the hem crooked—but, at least, I’d tried.
I’d given Jacob a Christmas gift that took some effort.
The same couldn’t be said of him.
In fact, I was a little hurt—actually, really hurt—that Jacob hadn’t made much of an effort with my Christmas gift at all. At the start of the evening, he had presented me with a six-pack of pink lemonade and a box of chocolates.
It’s not that I didn’t appreciate the gifts—I did.
It’s just that I was hoping for something a little bit more—romantic.
* * * *
When we reached the gate to the girls’ house, Jacob climbed over the wall first and helped me down the other side. Leaving the guards waiting outside on the road, Jacob walked with me down the driveway. There was a little bench halfway down and he pulled me toward it.
“Listen, Kaylee,” he said, quietly, “why don’t we sit down and have a talk?”
A shiver of dread ran down my spine.
With the dour look on Jacob’s face and the cool way he’d been acting toward me all night—as well as the ‘un-romantic’ Christmas gift—I suddenly had no doubt that I was about to be dumped.
My eyes filled with tears as I sat down. I looked quickly away, hoping that he wouldn’t notice.
With a deep sigh, Jacob sat down beside me.
I wondered what I had done—where I had gone wrong.
Did Jacob stop loving me because I hadn’t moved fast enough for him…or was I moving too fast? Was it just a friendship that he wanted—was romance simply out of the question?
Oh god—my heart hurt so much.
How could this be happening?
How could I be losing the boy that I’d loved for so long?
* * * *
“Please look at me, Kaylee,” Jacob said, quietly.
Taking a deep breath and preparing for the worst, I turned toward him. I could see the full moon reflected in his ice blue eyes and I wondered if I would ever be this close to them again. My heart was beating wildly in my chest and I felt the urge to suddenly get up and run—to flee what he was about to say next.
“What did I do?” I asked, in a tiny voice. “What?”
Jacob looked confused. He turned his head to one side, cocking it, as if trying to figure me out. “Pardon?”
“I mean,” I sniffed, sadly—trying hard not to cry, “what did I do to make you want to break up?”
For a moment, Jacob said nothing. Then, he burst into laughter, sweeping me up into his arms. “God, I love you—you nutty, brilliant girl!” he assured me. “I’m not breaking up with you, silly…I’m asking you to marry me!”
* * * *
I think I probably just stared at Jacob when he got down on his knees and proposed to me. There was a ring involved; I know that, because I remember seeing it in its little box. But how it got on my finger or what he said—I simply can’t recall.
All I know is that, one moment my heart was breaking and—the next moment—Jacob was kissing me.
And suddenly—I was engaged.
* * * *
“I want you to understand,” Jacob was saying, as we walked toward the house, “that I would never have moved this fast in the old world. But—even though it looks like we’ll live past our eighteenth birthdays now, who knows how long we have after that. I love you, Kaylee—and I have from the first moment that I saw you almost walk under that janitor’s ladder. Call it fate, call it chance, call it whatever you will—but I’ve always known that we would end up together.”
We reached the end of the driveway and stopped in front of the door to my dad’s house.
“Of course, I always thought that our lives would go in a different direction,” Jacob continued. “I had planned on asking you to the Valentine’s Day dance last year. Then, maybe we’d date through school, through college, and the start of our adult lives. And, one day, when we were old enough, mature enough, I’d ask you to marry me.”
“And I would say yes,” I whispered—still a little stunned, but finally beginning to enjoy the moment.
“I hoped you would.”
Jacob touched the ring on my finger; it was silver, with a round diamond surrounded by tiny emeralds. “Do you like it? I found it in one of the mansions down near the Nature Preserve.”
“I think it’s the most beautiful ring I have ever seen.”
Lifting my hand, he gave the ring a gentle kiss. “We’ll have to set a date, you know.”
A mixture of terror and excitement flooded my veins.
Jacob must have felt me tremble because he took me into his arms, holding me. “It’s okay,” he murmured. “As long as you want—I’ll wait for you—I promise.”
“Valentine’s Day!” I quickly blurted out. “Let’s do it on Valentine’s Day!”
* * * *
I moved quietly through the house, trying to reach my room without having to explain myself to anyone. Unfortunately, Jay and Jude were sitting in the living room waiting for me.
“So, what did lover boy give you for a Christmas present?” asked Jude. “Jay and I have been laying bets. My money’s on a horse—maybe even Black Beauty.”
“I bet he probably got you jewelry,” said Jay.
“Well…he got me some pink grapefruit soda and some chocolate,” I began.
“Lame,” sniffed Jude. “Man, I honestly thought the dude had more game than that.”
“And he got me some jewelry.” I held up my hand.
“Nice,” Jay commented, barely even looking at the ring. She turned to Jude. “You owe me five dollars.”
&nb
sp; “I’ll give you twenty,” chuckled Jude. “Good luck spending it.”
But—Jay had suddenly stopped listening. Turning back to me, she frowned as she picked up my hand once again. “Is that a promise ring?”
“Kind of,” I mumbled.
“It’s on your wedding finger.” Jay pointed out.
“Kind of…”
“Are you, like…engaged?!”
Jude immediately reached out and wrenched my hand out of Jay’s. She turned the ring on my finger, looking at it closely. “Barbie, are you kidding me?! You’re getting married?!”
I shrugged. “I love him.”
“Like since forever!” cried Jay, ecstatic. “I knew it…I just knew it would happen! When is it going to be?”
“Probably Valentine’s Day.”
“Ohmigod…that’s so romantic!”
“Dude,” whispered Jude, “like…seriously.”
* * * *
Later that night, Jay came into my room and sat on the edge of my bed. “Are you scared?”
“About getting married?”
“That…and the other thing…the honeymoon.”
“Well, I hadn’t really thought about it but, now that you’ve brought it up—yes, I’m scared.”
She sighed. “He’s such a good guy. I love Jacob.”
“So do I,” I conceded.
“You do realize that this is like the end of every daydream you had during high school?”
I nodded. “Do you think I’m making a mistake? Should I have said no?”
“Are you kidding?! Of course you did the right thing.”
