365 Days At War

by Nancy Isaak

As the weeks went on, Shawnee would carry that map with her when she searched for her sister and Connor. Although the other members of the Council were against it, I allowed Shawnee to come and go as she wished during this time.

  Frankly, I knew that she’d go anyway. This way, at least—with my permission—there would be no reason to punish her for disobeying. My only requirement for Shawnee’s searches was that she always gave us a general idea of where she was going and when she would be back.

  And that she would not take Wester.

  * * * *

  While Shawnee went north into Oxnard and Ventura, so Kieran went over the mountains into the Conejo Valley. He searched there for Cherry and Connor—from the hill leading up from Camarillo, all the way to Westlake Village, where he often would meet up with Josh for secret meetings.

  One day, after one of these meetings, Kieran returned to the Point, coming directly to my room in the prince’s mansion.

  “I thought Jacob would be here,” Kieran said, the moment he came through the door.

  “You’re not the only one,” I answered, moodily.

  “Seriously?”

  I shrugged. “Jay says that we have to give Jacob time.”

  “Yeah, but…like this is getting ridiculous!” He practically fell into a high-back chair, dust wafting up from him the moment he hit the cushion.

  “You need a bath,” I told him.

  “Tell me about it,” Kieran yawned. “Cammie’s probably down in the yard, heating up buckets of water as we speak.”

  “So, what’s Josh have to say?” I asked, sitting down across from him. There was a plate of brownies on the coffee table between us and I pushed it closer to Kieran. He looked down at them, disinterested.

  “Too tired to eat,” he yawned. Then—on second thought—he reached out and took two of the brownies off of the top, sliding one into each of his jacket’s pockets. “For later.”

  “You want some coffee?”

  “Good god, no…last thing I want is caffeine keeping me up.” He yawned again, rubbing at his eyes. “So, first thing—no sign of Cherry or Connor.”

  I sighed. “Shawnee just came back yesterday. She hasn’t found anything either.”

  Kieran shook his head. “Sucks, man. And Josh—well, Sophia’s not going to like it, but he’s not coming back, yet. He wants to stay in the Valley, because he thinks that things might be heating up again.”

  “That’s not good news—for us or Sophia.”

  Kieran shook his head. “Dude gave me a letter for her, though. Honestly, I kind of wanted to open it—see how two uptight Christians flirt with each other. Like I feel like their matchmaker or something, carrying love notes back and forth.”

  “I think their relationship is sweet. I mean like there’s a purity to it. I’ll bet they haven’t even kissed, yet.”

  “Or we’re both wrong and these letters I keep carrying are the new world equivalent of ‘sexting’. Wouldn’t it be hilarious to open one of them up and find out that Sophia and Josh are like—‘Oh baby…I’m lying in my bed right now, wearing only an apron and rosary and using my spatula to—”

  “Ohmigod, Kieran…stop!”

  For a moment, Kieran couldn’t stop chuckling, he was so amused. Then—with another yawn, his biggest yet—Kieran became serious. “Josh hasn’t heard anything from Brent or Han.”

  “Dammit,” I said, unhappy. “So, they really have disappeared.”

  “But Josh and some of the other Stars think that maybe they’ll reappear on Halloween.”

  “In the Arena.”

  Kieran nodded. “And no one seems worried that the ‘disappearing’ might have started again. Everyone seems pretty certain that Brandon and the Foxes have either killed Brent and Han or are saving them for the big show.”

  “What about the other Star cells? Have anyone in them disappeared?”

  “Not so far.”

  “So, if Brent and Han were taken prisoner, it means that either they haven’t talked or that Brandon and the Foxes are thinking that they were acting on their own.”

  “Or maybe Brandon and the Foxes have just been too busy on other things to really question them, yet,” Kieran suggested. “Because there is a lot of movement in the tribe right now. Like even I saw teams of guys heading up along the 101 Freeway.”

  “Toward Oxnard?”

  “Oxnard—Ventura—Santa Barbara…they’re certainly heading somewhere in that direction. Josh thinks that maybe some of them are even heading toward the Naval Station at Point Mugu.”

  “Does he know that for sure?” I asked, becoming worried. “Because the guys at the Naval Station don’t want anything to do with anybody. At least, every time we approach them, that’s what they tell us.”

  “Josh doesn’t really know,” Kieran admitted. “But he did say that the Crazies lost so many guys fighting us that they’re looking to bring in more soldiers from wherever they can. He says that Brandon has sent search teams east out into the desert and down south into Los Angeles to bring back fighters—so maybe he’s going after the Point Mugu guys for that, too.”

  “That would be disastrous for us. The Naval Station has probably got weapons on that base that we couldn’t defend ourselves against. I mean, just a couple of guys with flame throwers would devastate this Point.”

  “Well, that brings up something else that Josh told me. He said that Brandon has sent out teams to scavenge other military bases in Southern California. Like one team headed out to Twenty-Nine Palms where they have a base—and they’re supposed to bring back everything they can find—especially grenades.”

  “So, Brandon and the Foxes are definitely planning on attacking the Point again, looks like.”

  “Looks like,” agreed Kieran. “And it might be even worse.”

  “How can it get any worse?”

  “Well, you know…like I was Brandon’s friend for a while.” He waited until I nodded before he continued. “See…I kind of remember Brandon talking about having a cousin who was a soldier on one of the military bases down near San Diego. Like Brandon would tell me about his cousin taking him on tours and showing him where all the weapons were and stuff.”

  “Which means that Brandon has access and knowledge about where the weapons are on at least one military base.”

  Kieran nodded. “But the good news is that the base is quite a ways away. So, maybe he won’t go there. And if he does, it’ll probably be really difficult to bring anything back.”

  “What does Alice have to say about all this?” I asked. “What’s her opinion on what Brandon and the Foxes are up to?”

  “Josh hasn’t seen her for a while. He says that Alice seems to be staying close to the Foxes at the moment—like she’s basically living with them up in their compound, doesn’t come home for days at a time.”

  “Do you think she might have turned—gone back to the Foxes?”

  “Josh doesn’t think so. If she had, he says that Brandon and the Foxes would have come after the rest of the Stars—except they haven’t.”

  “And Brandon and the Foxes are all still living together up in that house above the high school?”

  Kieran gave another big yawn, then rubbed his eyes. He looked so tired, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he simply fell asleep while we were talking.

  “Foxes and Brandon in the main house…some of the guards and Alice, too. The rest of the guards and the White Shirts live in the houses all around them. Basically that whole hill behind the high school has become Crazy central command.”

  “Good to know. If they’re all in one place, they might be easier to get to.”

  His eyes went wide. “You planning something I should know about, Kaylee?”

  I shook my head. “Still in the musing stage.”

  “Interesting,” he grinned. “Oh—and another thing Josh reported. Orla hasn’t been seen for a while. Gossip on the street is that maybe—after Mateo got killed—Tray and Brandon took control of the Fox compound and put Orla under house ar
rest…either that or they secretly executed her.”

  “Wow,” I said. “That is news. I wonder if maybe they chained Orla to the same pipe they chained me. Now, wouldn’t that just be sweet irony!”

  * * * *

  To try and bring up the tribe’s morale—and to celebrate our win against the Crazies—I decided that the tribe should have a party. Also—although I never mentioned it to anyone—I had a secret agenda; I was hoping that having fun with his friends and family just might bring Jacob out of his funk.

  He was still moping around—wandering the Point like some self-absorbed emo. His hair had gotten so long that he was wearing it in a little man-bun which—to be completely honest—looked STUPID!

  That said, even with his ‘bun’, Jacob still looked handsome; my heart melted whenever he entered a room. I wanted to grab him the moment I saw him—to put my arms and legs around him and—you get the idea.

  But the last thing Jacob seemed to want was intimacy.

  Even giving me a hug hello seemed to bother him; his embraces became fewer, farther between, and very short in duration.

  Honestly—I was beginning to think that he didn’t love me anymore.

  * * * *

  Just for fun—and since many of the guys were a little lax with their personal hygiene—some of the girls and I decided to create goody bags for the party. We met the night before the festivities and, along with Pauly and Kieran, filled up plastic bags with toothpaste, antiperspirant, shampoo, conditioner, and—the true prize—toilet paper.

  Of course, others might have said that the true prize was Sophia’s contribution—one chocolate chip cookie plus one brownie for each tribe member.

  As we created our goody bags, Kanga and Pugly chased each other around at our feet, jumping and wiggling through the wrappers we threw down. Hannah and Lily, becoming bored, joined them, until an irritated look from Peyton sent them back to stuffing bags again.

  “What’s this?” asked Lily at one point, holding up a tiny wrapped oblong—tied in a pretty pink ribbon. She was working on the goody bags we’d been creating for us girls—putting a few extra items inside that the guys’ bags wouldn’t be getting.

  “Hey!” said Kieran, looking over. “What the heck is that? How come there are none of those for the guys’ bags?”

  “That’s not fair!” complained Pauly, frowning. “You girls are holding out on us. Look, Kieran.” He pointed to the pile of prettily wrapped oblongs and other little boxes in front of Lily. “There’s even more of them, the dirty sneaks!”

  Cammie reached around Lily and tapped each little present in turn. “Tampon, sanitary pad, Midol.”

  Kieran immediately stuck his fingers in his ears. “La-la-la-la!”

  Meanwhile, Lily unwrapped the little oblong present. “This is a tampon?” She dangled it from its string, studying it.

  Beside her, Hannah reached over and poked at the tampon, setting it swinging. “You’re supposed to stick it up your bleep-bleep.”

  “How?” asked Lily.

  Blushing, Pauly joined Kieran, his fingers flying to his ears. “Don’t want to hear this, don’t need to hear this!”

  “I don’t know what the string is for, though,” admitted Hannah.

  Lily turned the tampon over, holding it by the string, and dangled it in front of Kanga. Immediately, the cat began batting at it. Looking absolutely horrified, both Kieran and Pauly turned and raced out of the room.

  “Dang,” I said, quietly, watching Lily and Hannah play with the little calico. “It never even occurred to me before, but we need to talk to those girls about, like menstruation and stuff.”

  “Got it covered,” drawled Jude. She was shoving a tube of antiperspirant into Wester’s goody bag. As she did, Shawnee reached over and handed her another tube. “Two, please—Wester, like seriously needs it.”

  “You’ve already talked to Hannah and Lily about getting their periods?” I asked Jude, feeling a little put out, because I hadn’t been involved.

  She shrugged. “We live together. You’re in the big house now. Somebody had to tell them what to expect.”

  I took my voice down to a whisper. “And you talked to them about, like—sex?”

  “They know where all the bits and pieces go, Kaylee.”

  Hearing a giggle, I turned and looked at the girls. Hannah had just shoved the tampon up her nose and was trying to blow it out again—much to Lily’s amusement.

  Across from me, Jude sighed. “Okay, so they might need a refresher.”

  * * * *

  Since there were more cookies than there were goody bags, we used them to celebrate a job well done by heading out to the cliff’s edge. We girls sat there, sharing the cookies and just enjoying each other’s company. There were guys nearby—walking this way and that—obviously trying to catch our attention—but we ignored them, enjoying a moment to ourselves.

  “That cookie was so good,” Jay told Sophia, cleaning the last of the crumbs from her lips. “I’m still like so amazed with what you can do over a fire.”

  “Gracias,” said Sophia. “I think maybe that’s gonna’ change, though.”

  My warning hackles started to tingle; I turned toward her, frowning. “What do you mean?”

  She shrugged. “No more flour soon.”

  “We’re running out?”

  “Pretty much. The rest, it’s not smelling right, so I think it’s going bad.”

  “Oh man,” groaned Jay. “What are we going to do without bread and cookies and stuff?”

  “And cakes?!” cried Lily. “We’re not gonna’ have desserts anymore?!”

  “That’s so wrong!” added Hannah.

  “Can we make our own flour somehow?” I asked. “We’d just need some wheat, right? What if we find some seeds for that?”

  “I don’t think the climate is right for wheat here,” said Jay. “Isn’t wheat grown farther north?”

  “What about rice?” asked Jude. “Rice makes flour.”

  Jay shook her head. “You got the same problem. Rice isn’t grown in California. Like you need rice paddies for that, which would mean a lot of water, because you have to flood the fields.”

  “That would be a problem,” agreed Jude. “So, Jay—you’re the brainiac, what do we do?”

  “I don’t know. Guess we’ll have to think on it some.”

  Sophia gave a snort. “You guys all forget.”

  “What have we forgotten?” I asked.

  She smiled, happy to finally know something the rest of us didn’t. “The answer is simple—we grow corn.”

  Slapping a hand to her forehead, Jay groaned. “Perfect sense! Sophia is right. Frank could easily grow a field of corn. The temperature here is perfect for that.”

  “Do you know how to make flour out of it, though?” I asked Sophia.

  “Si, si,” nodded Sophia. “My mommy showed me. You grind the corn in the bowl. It turns it to flour. Other thing, you boil the corn and it becomes masa—then you make your tortillas…very easy.”

  “Guess I’ll talk to Frank about finding a yard we can dig up for our new corn field. So, Sophia—what do you say? You up to being in charge of the corn—from seed to flour?”

  She grinned—looking happier than I’d ever seen her. “Si—yes, of course!” Then, she got tears in her eyes. “My mommy, she was always so embarrassed, you know—‘cause we had no money. At night, back where we came from, she would go into the fields and pick up the corn that was left on the ground—the ears that no one wanted. Then, she would grind it into flour or make masa.”

  “Well, look at your mom now,” I told her. “Because she taught her daughter something so important that it will feed a tribe.”

  And Sophia’s tears began to flow—but they were happy tears for once.

  * * * *

  We decided to hold the party in the mansion’s ballroom. The younger kids—both boys and girls—had decorated it with streamers and disco balls. Candle chandeliers mixed with tiki torches were everywhere,
while sofas and chairs had been arranged all along the walls to create a comfortable atmosphere.

  As each tribe member entered the party, Jay and I stood side-by-side, handing out the goody bags. It was fun to watch everyone’s reactions when they opened up their bag and pulled out the toiletries. In the old world, it would have been electronics that would have made these kids happy; now, it was antiperspirant and shampoo. Hoots of joy were everywhere as hands held up tubes of toothpaste and rolls of toilet paper; the cookies and brownies brought equal celebration.

  Sandeep and Louis—two of our youngest and newest—were absolutely ecstatic over their goody bags. They immediately sat down on the nearest couch, pulling everything out and setting each item up on a nearby coffee table to admire separately as if it was a piece of art.

  Over at the far end of the ballroom, meanwhile, Sophia was busy fussing over the banquet table she was setting up—moving a bowl of beans here, a plate of barbequed deer meat there.

  Rhys followed hungrily behind her.

  As she placed the last dish down, Rhys reached out, wanting to snag a warm tortilla. His hand never made it close, however, as Sophia’s hand snaked out, batting it away. I watched, amused, as Sophia then took her rosary out from around her neck. With a raised eyebrow of warning to Rhys, Sophia bowed her head and prayed over the banquet table for a moment. Then, kissing her rosary, she placed it back around her neck again.

  Anxious, waiting, Rhys shuffled from foot-to-foot.

  Finally, Sophia turned to him and gave a nod.

  With a lunge, he dove at the table of food. Moments later, others followed and the table disappeared behind a crowd of happy guys—and Jude.

  Looking proud and content, Sophia walked away, brushing her hands off on her apron. She caught me watching her and we shared a smile, one that seemed to say—look how far we had all come.

  Because there was a time that Sophia would have betrayed us.

  And there was a time that I would have killed her.

  * * * *

  It was the sound of the guys clapping and cheering that made me turn—just as he came through the door.