365 Days At War

by Nancy Isaak

“Did Brent talk about a way to get to Brandon or to free the slaves?”

  “No,” Nate shook his head. “Brent thinks it’s too dangerous right now. But he and the other Stars are working on it. They just haven’t figured it out, yet.”

  “What about a messaging system? Did you guys figure that out, at least?”

  “We did,” nodded Nate. “There’s an empty water tower, coming down Lindero Canyon on the way to Encinal. It’s hidden in one of the valleys there, with trees surrounding it. We want to get a message to the Stars, we place it at the base of the north leg of the tower—bury the message a couple of inches down and put a rock over top. If they want to get a message to us, they do the same thing, only they use the south leg.”

  “Good,” said Jacob. “Then, the first thing we should do is establish that the system actually works. Nate, I want you to get some rest. Then, I want you and Kieran to head up Encinal, leave a message for the Stars—just to start things rolling.”

  “Is there anything in particular you want in the message?” asked Kieran.

  “Yes,” said Jacob. “Ask them where the third slave camp is.”

  * * * *

  In the late afternoon, I found myself up on the roof of the house, watching as Hannah and Shawnee tumbled around in the big, bouncy-ball in the backyard, while Ian, Andrei, and Wester laughingly pushed them this way and that. Their innocent fun entranced me, and I found myself smiling when Hannah suddenly toppled out of the ball’s opening. Seconds later, she pushed herself up off of the ground and squirmed back inside of the ball.

  Cherry joined me a few minutes later. She was carrying a soda and a piece of chocolate, which she handed to me. “Thought you might need these. Guess it was a hell of a Council meeting, huh?”

  I took a swig of the soda and stuck the chocolate in a corner of my mouth. “It was the worst…absolute worst.”

  She walked to the edge of the roof, leaning casually over the wall. “You know, if you twist around and look real carefully, you can just see the corner of our farm. Come see.”

  Leaving the soda on the ground, I moved next to her, leaning out to see where she was pointing.

  “That dark crap you see—that’s fifty sacks of manure we laid down this afternoon. Smell was horrific, but it’s gonna’ grow us some great corn next year. We’ll leave that part of the farm fallow for now—that means we don’t use it—then in the spring, we’ll plant the corn.”

  “You really like working on the farm, don’t you?”

  She nodded. “I really do. Before—in my old life—well, I kind of was lost, you know. But here…I’m contributing. What I do matters. I’m not just existing anymore. I’ve got a place and the work I do is important.”

  Cherry reached over and put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing lightly. “And the work you do is important, too, Kaylee. Even on days like this—when it sucks and it feels like the worst possible thing has happened. These are the days when you realize how important what you do really is. Because you’re helping people. And because you’re going to try and figure out how to save all those girls…all those slaves.”

  I sighed, depressed. “It’s just getting so complicated, you know. The Crazies have so many checkpoints up now and all those new tattoos. Just getting spies into their territory is going to be so difficult. To try and rescue everybody—I just don’t know how we’ll be able to do it.”

  Gently, Cherry laid her forehead against mine. “Sister, I remember a time we were stuck in a cage and they were coming to kill Lily. That was complicated and difficult, but you did it—you found a way to save her.”

  “That was different.”

  “No, it wasn’t,” she insisted. “That was an impossible situation that needed an impossible solution. And don’t you see, Kaylee—that is your brilliance. It’s why we made you our leader then. It’s why you’re still our leader now. Because—even when you doubt yourself—we don’t doubt you. I’m totally confident that you’re gonna’ find a way to save those kids. I know it…we all do!”

  * * * *

  Two days later, the girls and I were moving around the kitchen, pouring cereal into bowls—getting ourselves breakfast before we each left on our various work details. Suddenly, I heard a crash and turned to see Hannah standing beside the table—her mouth gaping wide—a plate smashed on the floor at her feet.

  “It’s okay, Hannah-banana,” said Jude, grabbing a broom and dustpan. “We can clean it up, no worries.”

  But—Hannah didn’t move.

  She didn’t say a word, just continued to gape. And then suddenly we realized that it wasn’t the plate that had startled her.

  It was the two intruders standing in the open doorway.

  * * * *

  They were both filthy, covered in dirt and bits of leaves and grass.

  Lily was holding up Sophia, the older girl appearing almost catatonic. They were just standing there, watching us—as if unable to comprehend a breakfast scene of such normality. For a moment, not a one of us spoke. We just stared at each other—shocked.

  Then—Lily smiled.

  And the chaos began.

  * * * *

  Jude raced for Lily, grabbing the young girl up in her arms. Meanwhile, Jay and Cherry reached Sophia, just as she was falling toward the floor. Shawnee started jumping up and down—running from Lily to Sophia—not really knowing who to help first.

  And Hannah—well, she started to scream.

  * * * *

  The guards were stunned when—guns drawn—they finally made it into the kitchen. How one small girl and one near-catatonic teenager had managed to make it by them both confused and humiliated the boys.

  “We crawled through the backyard,” squeaked Lily. “Sophia didn’t want to do it, but I just kept pulling her. It took a long time, but it was okay, because we could see you guys through the windows.”

  “Why didn’t you just come in through the front door?” I asked her.

  Lily pointed to the guards. “There were boys out there. I didn’t know if they were bad boys or good boys. So, we crawled past them…it was scary.”

  She was seated in Jude’s lap; the older girl hadn’t let go of her since she’d first picked her up. Jude wasn’t saying anything—just holding onto Lily, her eyes moist with happy tears.

  Across the room, Sophia was sitting at the kitchen table. Her head was hanging down, her hands limp in her lap. She looked completely exhausted.

  I walked over and knelt down, so that my eyes were level with hers. “Sophia?”

  She didn’t look up.

  “Sophia?” I tried again. “You’re safe now…you’re with friends.”

  Slowly, she raised up her gaze, until her eyes met mine. They were unfocused and watery—full of unshed tears.

  Behind me, Lily climbed off of Jude’s lap and came over to stand beside Sophia. She patted the older girl on the back.

  Sophia didn’t seem to notice.

  “She’s sad,” explained Lily. “We saw some really bad stuff happen and it made Sophia sad.”

  * * * *

  We learned later that—after Sophia had taken Lily from the football stadium—she had raced home, with Reena a few feet behind. While packing her bag, however, Sophia had then informed her best friend that she was taking Lily away—and that Reena wasn’t invited.

  “It’s not that you haven’t been a good friend,” Sophia told Reena. “It’s just that God is telling me that it’s time to say good-bye.”

  Leaving an angry Reena back at the house on Driver Avenue, Sophia and Lily had fled out the back door and onto the 101 Freeway, heading toward Calabasas. Her plan was to find a church somewhere along the way and start a Ministry.

  With God having finally given her Lily, Sophia was certain that He would also lead her to her new church.

  * * * *

  Five days later, Sophia and Lily had somehow become lost in the mountains around Topanga Canyon. They had wandered the hills and valleys—waiting for a sign from God—all the while runn
ing low on food and water. On the seventh day—when Sophia was absolutely certain that ‘He’ would finally answer her prayers—she fell down a small ravine and hurt her ankle.

  That night—stuck at the bottom of the ravine—Sophia and Lily found themselves surrounded by coyotes. The wild dogs circled them warily, coming closer and closer. Sophia’s weapons of choice were bible quotes, while Lily bravely swung a large branch at the coyotes, eventually frightening them away.

  * * * *

  When the two of them finally made it out of the ravine the next day, Lily and Sophia were both fatigued, covered in bug bites—and out of food and water. Sophia was beginning her descent into madness—muttering to herself about God forsaking them or singing quietly in Spanish, most likely church hymns.

  Not knowing what else to do, Lily led Sophia back to Agoura Hills—taking the older girl by the hand and pulling her along the 101 Freeway. Eventually, they made it to Lost Hills and it was there that they discovered the world had changed once more.

  They saw the boys.

  There were eight of them—scary boys—as Lily called them, walking along the freeway; eight Crazies dressed in ripped clothing, their hair braided and adorned with feathers, their bodies covered in tattoos. A few of the guys had their chests bared and Sophia averted her eyes, hissing under her breath about Sodom and Gomorrah.

  When Lily saw that the boys were pulling girls along on chains, she quickly yanked Sophia down behind a car. They hid there, watching, as the boys and their slaves eventually shuffled by—so close that Lily said she could smell them.

  At one point, Sophia opened up her bible. It looked to Lily like the older girl was about to rise up and ‘give witness’, so she yanked the bible away—holding her finger to her lips for silence.

  * * * *

  If seeing boys after a year wasn’t shock enough for the two girls, having Reena walk by them in chains was devastating. At first, Lily didn’t know what to do. As the Crazies and their captives moved on, Sophia once more began to mutter away in Spanish.

  For a moment, Lily considered leaving Sophia where she was but—being the kind girl she was—Lily knew that she could never abandon her.

  But, Lily was also worried about Reena.

  So—dragging Sophia along behind her—Lily slowly and carefully began to follow the Crazies. Over the next few hours she trailed them to their destination—the third slave camp!

  For three days after that, Lily and Sophia had watched the camp, looking for a way to save Reena. Or, perhaps, it would be more realistic to say that Lily watched the camp. Sophia spent the majority of her time, reading from her bible or speaking quietly to herself in Spanish.

  * * * *

  “There were too many boys there,” Lily told us. “And I was scared that they would put chains on us, too.”

  “You did good, Sailor Moon,” Jude assured her. “You couldn’t have saved Reena. The best thing you could have done was find your way to us—and you did just that.”

  “Sophia wanted to go back to Agoura Hills. But I made her come here,” Lily said. “Kaylee always told us, remember—that if we ever got lost, that we were to come to her house in Malibu where we’d be safe.”

  “And you did exactly that, Lily,” I said. “You saved Sophia and you saved yourself.”

  “But—who will save those other girls?” she asked, worried.

  “We will.” It was Jacob, standing at the entrance to the kitchen.

  Ethan was with him and he pushed past, racing toward his sister. Lily gave a little screech of excitement and met him halfway. They hugged, turning around in their enthusiasm—stopping once to look at each other, then hugging again.

  * * * *

  “Did the guards send for you guys?” I asked Jacob.

  “They did,” he nodded. “But we were already on the way here. Ethan woke me up this morning and practically pulled me the whole way over. He said that his sister was finally on the Point.”

  We both looked to where Ethan and Lily were now sitting side-by-side on a little couch, talking in a strange language that we could only assume was twin-speak.

  “She looks so much like Ethan,” said Jacob.

  “I know,” I said. “Now you know how we girls felt when we first met him.”

  “Sophia looks like she’s had it pretty rough,” Jacob said, quietly. “Is she going to be okay?”

  “Who knows?” I said, shrugging. “Sophia’s got a lot of demons to work through, I think.”

  “Do you want Porter to come and have a look at her?”

  I shook my head. “Jay’s taking care of her. Hopefully, with a couple of days of sleep and some good food, she’ll find her way back to reality.”

  Over at the sofa, Lily suddenly became excited. The twin-speak sped up, with lots of giggles and the one word I could actually understand—Pugly.

  “I think that Lily just found out that her dog is here,” I grinned.

  * * * *

  “But boys aren’t supposed to spend the night at the girls’ house,” insisted Ethan, sometime later.

  Jacob nodded. “That’s right. And I’m glad you remember the rule. But there are also going to be exceptions and having your sister here is one of the exceptions.”

  “Then, I won’t get in trouble?”

  “You’ll be fine,” said Jacob. “Just like Wester is sometimes allowed to spend the night because Cherry and Shawnee live here. So, I’ll have someone bring Pugly over to spend the night with you guys. But, right now, I think it’s important for you and your sister to be together.”

  “And you’ll tell Rhys why I can’t train with the Raiders today?”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  Everything settled, Ethan happily skipped back to his sister. Once more, they disappeared into a world and a language that only they could understand.

  “It’s funny,” said Jacob, watching them. “For a while there, Ethan seemed to be so mature. Now, it’s like he’s a little boy again.”

  “Because he feels safe with his sister,” I explained. “Because now he’s been made whole again.”

  * * * *

  Even though it was Lily and Sophia’s first day at the house, I still felt it was important that I attend that afternoon’s Council meeting. The rest of the girls were taking the day off from their work duties, so I knew that the newest members of our house would be well taken care of.

  “Lily didn’t know the name of the place,” I told the Council. “But I’m pretty sure from her description that the slave camp is somewhere around the country club that’s up in Calabasas. My dad golfs there and I’ve gone with him a few times.”

  “Did Lily say how many slaves were there?”

  “She counted at least thirty, and she says that there are about the same amount of Crazies.”

  “If it is the country club,” said Josh, “it would make sense. That’s a good place to set up camp. They’ve got water there, the land is somewhat flat for growing crops, and they’re close to the 101 Freeway.”

  “Which also makes it a great place to snatch up new slaves coming up from the south,” murmured Connor.

  “True that,” nodded Kieran. “So, Jacob—do you want Pauly and me to head on up there, scout out the situation?”

  Jacob shook his head. “Not yet…no one leaves our territory until we’ve figured out these new Crazy tattoos. We can’t afford to have anybody wind up in that Arena because we got one wrong.”

  Porter tapped the large ledger he had on the table in front of him. We all knew that it contained his list of every Local and their abilities and talents. “I talked with every kid who could draw really well,” he told us. “We’ve got one volunteer with the artistic ability that we need who’s willing to go up into Crazy-town and copy the body marks. I don’t think you’re going to like it, though.”

  “If it’s a volunteer,” said Jacob, “what’s the problem?”

  “It’s a girl.”

  Kieran immediately sat up straight, his fist slamming
down on the table. “Cammie’s not going,” he declared. “I forbid it.”

  I looked at him, shocked. “First of all—nobody tells us girls what we can and cannot do. You better figure that out right now, Kieran Riker, or I guarantee that you’ll wind up losing that girl. And, second—it’s not Cammie, is it, Porter?”

  He shook his head. “Cammie draws a little, but not good enough for what we need.”

  “Who is it?” asked Jacob.

  My heart was heavy at the thought. “It’s Cherry.”

  * * * *

  When everyone else had gone to bed for the night, I met with Cherry up on the roof. For a while, we watched the flickering lights in the distance—no doubt the guys going about their business in the compound.

  “You know,” I told Cherry, “there was this old Chumash guy once. He spoke to my kindergarten class about how the natives used to have bonfires set up along this coastline. They’d use them to communicate with each other. I’ll have to remember that—to tell the Council tomorrow. We could do that—use bonfires to warn the tribe if the Crazies are coming.”

  “That’s a good idea,” said Cherry. “But I don’t think you asked me up here to talk about that, did you?”

  I turned toward her, trying to suppress my anger. “Do Shawnee and Wester know that you volunteered to go back into Agoura Hills?”

  Cherry shook her head. “I’ll tell them closer to when it happens.”

  “You do realize what the Crazies will do if they catch you?”

  “I’m not an idiot, Kaylee.”

  “Then, why are you doing this? I thought you were happy working on the farm. I thought it was the thing that brought you peace.”

  “And that’s exactly why I’m doing it,” she explained. “Because I am at peace…because if I don’t do this thing and the Crazies come here…then everything that I love could be taken away.”