Beyond: Book Four of the State Series

by M. J. Kaestli

  Her people having left them behind felt so callous—cruel. Josh must be right. I do come from bad people. What if he is right? Can he fix me? I don’t want to be like them. She looked at the dust their transport had kicked up and realized she felt relieved to watch them drive away. It was as though she was free.

  “Now that my people are gone, do I live with you?”

  He smiled a large toothy grin and reached over with his hand, grabbing hers. “I would like it very much if you did. The place I have isn’t much, but it could really use a woman’s touch. I only got a small place. I think if I had a wife and children, they might give me a bigger home, they might give us a bigger home. At least I hope they do.”

  She flinched at hearing him speak. He had said something important, she just couldn’t remember why. “What did you say?”

  Joshua shook his head. “What? About us getting a bigger house?”

  She shook her head. “Say it again. Exactly how you said it before.”

  He winced. “I don’t remember word for word, but I think I said I hope they give—”

  “Hope.”

  “Yeah? Do you know that word?”

  She sat and mulled around in her mind. “I think that’s me. I think that’s my name. Is that word sometimes a name?”

  Joshua smiled and brushed a piece of her dark hair away from her face. “That there, is a beautiful name. I’m glad to know you don’t have some sort of awful heathen kind a name. If you did, we would have to give you another one—a proper Christian name. But Hope, that will do just fine.”

  As he said her name, she became more and more certain it belonged to her. She was glad the name pleased him even though she couldn’t comprehend why.

  Joshua stood, reaching down to offer her a hand. “I think they are far enough gone we don’t need to worry about them spotting us. I’d like to get you home before it gets dark.”

  She nodded and smiled softly. “I think I would like that very much.”

  ***

  Hope looked around and marveled at the beauty; lush green rolling hills with the mountains as a backdrop. She didn’t know what Joshua’s home would be like but deeply appreciated the scenery of the surrounding area.

  She saw a structure off in the distance. Her attention was so focused on the structure which led her to bump into Joshua when he stopped walking.

  “Well, darling, this is it. This is home.”

  Hope looked around, feeling more confused than when she had first awoken from the accident. It was difficult to determine what he was referring to because she didn’t feel they had arrived anywhere in particular. There was clearly a single building off in the distance but there was nothing where they stood. Does he live in a pile of grass? Are we going to sleep under the stars?

  He grabbed her hand and nodded off to the side. There, she saw a trapdoor jetting roughly a foot above the ground. It was a combination of a green and brown color which made it blend into the surrounding field. She hadn’t noticed the door until he pointed directly at it.

  He lifted back two doors which opened to either side, exposing a set of stairs descending into the darkness.

  “I will go first to get a light on for you.” Joshua gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before jotting down the stairs. She saw a dim light shine in the stairwell and soon his head popped out of the ground once again.

  “You can come on down now.” He offered his hand.

  She took his hand and stepped over the threshold. The stairs were made of a soft substance, giving slightly with every step. The floor below was made of the same tan colored material as the stairs. It felt foreign, odd, as though there should be a more solid choice used to build a home.

  He handed her a lamp, and she stepped timidly into the foyer while he closed the doors above. There was another door at the bottom of the stairs. He pushed it open to reveal more light coming from inside.

  “This door here keeps us warm in winter and cool in the summer. It also gives us a bit of privacy if anyone was walking by. Not that many folk come walking by out in these parts, but it’s still nice to have a second door. Not all homes have them, you see.”

  Hope nodded and looked back up the stairs towards the trapdoor and then back at the wooden door. She could appreciate the sound and weatherproofing a double-door system would provide. As she stepped further inside she saw the small, confined space glowing in the candlelight.

  “I know this is a bit simple compared to where you come from.”

  Hope looked at him and shook her head. “I don’t remember what my home was like.” She looked down and bounced on the balls of her feet. “Maybe our floors were harder.”

  “Well, I guess this is what you get now. Let me show you around although there isn’t much to see.” He gestured to the furniture in the small space. “This here is our kitchen and our dining room and off to that side we have a bathroom.” He led her to another room. “This here is the main bedroom, it’s usually where I sleep, but I’m going to let you have it because it’s the nicest spot in the house.” He guided her back through the kitchen to an area off to the side of the stairs. “And here are some bunk beds. This home was set up for a new family just getting started. They moved me out here because I’m a hunter. It’s better for the hunters on the outskirts of our community so we don’t have to go so far to find our kills.”

  “Kills?” The color drained from her face. “I don’t understand what a hunter is, but it sounds dreadful.” She placed a hand on the table to steady herself.

  “Do you like the idea of eating?” He gave a small laugh. “I don’t know the words you use where you come from, but you must hunt if you want some meat to eat.”

  Hope shrugged. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what hunting means. I know that killing is bad.” Hope began to get restless anxiety radiating through her. She had thought Joshua seemed nice and good, but now she wasn’t sure. What have I gotten myself into? “Maybe I should go. Maybe I should have gone back with my people.”

  Joshua jumped in front of her to block her from running out. “Are you hungry? If you leave, it will take you a long time to get anywhere. Maybe you should have something to eat first.” He quickly rifled around the kitchen area, placing a few items on the table. “You just take a seat right here and I’ll get you something. I got some fresh bread today.” He looked at her apprehensively. “And some carrots and dried meat and cheese.”

  She took another look around with her eyes settling on him. His shoulders slumped, his face hung gaunt, but it was his eyes which were the most telling. Hope could see his vulnerability and felt she should stay. She was hungry, and he had been kind thus far. Maybe it was a language barrier causing a miscommunication. Maybe killing means something else to his people.

  He placed plates on the table and cut into the bread and cheese. Joshua held a tense grin while he worked, preparing a full plate.

  “This here,” he tapped the meat he had just put down in front of her, “this is from an animal I hunt. This is deer meat. It is my job to hunt the deer and butcher them, and then other people grow the vegetables and bake bread. We all share in the work and in our food and supplies. So killing a deer ain’t a bad thing because it takes care of all of the people I know and love. It keeps us all alive.”

  Hope watched him speak and was mesmerized by the gruff nature of his voice; she saw nothing but kindness reflected in his eyes and heard nothing but truth in his voice.

  She carefully picked up a strip of meat and sniffed it. It had a strong fragrance, stronger and different from anything she felt she had eaten before. She stuck the small tip in her mouth and bit down. It was tough in texture but the moment her saliva moistened, the meats unique flavor filled her mouth and delighted her. She continued to work it with her teeth until she could break off a piece and chewed the tough, flavorful substance. Her panic melted away. Whatever this was, it couldn’t be something bad if it tasted this delicious.

  Next, she picked up a piece of what he referred to as bread,
a spongy substance and a soft and pungent smelling item he referred to as cheese. She put a small piece of each in her mouth together and immediately her mouth watered. The flavor combination of the two was divine. She couldn’t be certain, but she wondered if the food from Joshua’s people was more flavorful and delicious than the food of her own. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, yet with every bite she knew what she was eating was foreign to her.

  Just then there was a clanging noise as someone came stomping down the stairwell. Joshua’s entire body went rigid in anticipation. The door came flinging open and a relatively petite woman came bursting through. She was carrying a large basket and muttering to Joshua when she looked up and saw Hope for the first time. Her jaw crashed open, and she dropped her basket.

  “Joshua! Have you been hiding girls in your home? Have you been lying to your mother and breaking God’s laws like some deviant little snake?”

  His hands flew into the air defensively. “Now Maw, you know I ain’t been lying or hiding anything.”

  “Yet I show up here and find you shacked up with some harlot as though the two of you’ve been married! You know you ain’t allowed to have no girls down here.” She sneered at Hope. “Where did you find her, anyway?”

  “Maw, she got hurt. I found her while I was out today on my hunt. She got hurt so I brought her here to give her something to eat so she can get better.”

  His mother stepped closer and grabbed onto Hope’s chin lifting her head, examining her face. “She doesn’t look anything like anyone I know. What’s your name, girl? Where do you come from?”

  Hope panicked and tried to pull away from this woman’s firm grip.

  “She doesn’t know, Maw. She hit her head and now she doesn’t remember who she is, other than her name is Hope.”

  “Doesn’t know who she is?” She reached out and grabbed her chin again. “Well, what the heck you think you’re gonna do with her? You gonna help her remember who she is and where she belongs?” She raised an eyebrow.

  “I just thought if she had some time to rest she would feel better and we could figure out a plan for what to do with her.”

  “I guess we can bring her in front of the town council and see if they recognize her.” She looked down at Hope and suddenly touched her shoulders and arms. “What the hell has she got on her? Joshua, you don’t reckon she could be one of those heathenistic dome people, do you?” She stepped back, turning to Josh. “Because if she is, you’d of been better off leaving her to die.”

  “Now, Maw! Don’t be going off saying stuff like that to our guest.”

  Adah stomped her foot. “Joshua! What the heck is wrong inside that brain of yours? You found a dome person and brought her here? You’re gonna get us all killed! I should have known from that dark skin and hair of hers she’d be trouble.”

  Joshua stepped forward to get between his mother and Hope. “But Maw, what if she ain’t bad? She doesn’t even know about her people. She can’t remember. You know we been praying for me to find a wife for a long time. What if this is the Lord’s way of answering our prayers? We just don’t got enough girls my age, Maw. What if the Lord sent her to us because she’s good and deserves to be saved?”

  She pushed past her son and looked at Hope again. This time her look wasn’t threatening or hostile. It was as though she saw Hope for the first time. “She could be a gift sent from God,” she paused, then turned back to Joshua, “but she could also be a Jezebel sent to lure you into sin. I don’t want her staying here alone with you.”

  “But what else can we do with her? I don’t want the rest of the village to find out about her just yet. What if they suspect she’s from the dome too?”

  She nodded, thought for a moment and extended her hand to Hope. “Names Adah.” She studied Hope for another moment. “Are you sure you don’t remember nothin’ about your life before today? Before meeting my here Joshua?”

  Hope shook her head. “I don’t remember anything. I woke up and Joshua was there. The people I was with got killed. Joshua said I hit my head, and that’s why I don’t remember anything.”

  Adah looked at her squarely before a satisfied look came across her face. “Maybe the Lord did send you here for my boy.” She paced a small square of floor. “You may be a heathen from the dome, but the Lord Jesus has sent you here and wiped the memory of your previous life away from you as his gift.” She stopped pacing, her eyes wide and bright. “Now that you are here, we’re gonna save your soul.”

  “You think so? You really think so, Maw? Can I keep her for myself?”

  “I think you’re gonna haff to. We can’t let anyone know she’s from the dome. You need to tell them you met her while out hunting, fell in love, and brought her back here to be your wife. You can‘t say nothing about no accident or about the Lord cleaning out her sinful mind.”

  “What do we do then?”

  Adah looked at him and smiled. “I’m going home to tell your father the good news, but tell him to keep a lid on it til after the wedding. Then, I will swing by the church and see if you can get married tomorrow.” She pointed a finger at him. “If you want to keep her for yourself, you need to marry her before the town can have a say in whether she stays or if she is a danger to our community.”

  Hope didn’t understand what they were planning. She didn’t understand what the words marriage or wedding meant, or why there were people in this community who might see her as a danger. Nothing added up. She needed more data before she could formulate a plan.

  She looked back at Joshua and was momentarily lost in the deep blue color of his eyes. She felt a flutter in her stomach as her temperature rose. There was something about the way he looked at her, which made her feel so at home. It was almost as though she felt truly beautiful for the first time. He didn’t seem to look at her frizzy hair or wide hips. She may not fully understand what was happening, but she understood the most important aspect; she was going to stay here with Joshua. A simple glance at him let her know just how much he wanted to keep her, and she felt she wanted it too.

  Chapter 10

  Hope groaned and covered her face as a bright light came blaring through the darkness. She slept on the top bunk bed with Adah on the lower.

  “Rise and shine, Hope. Today we’re gonna take you down to the church and get you baptized and married.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “When you get married, you become Joshua’s possession and responsibility. No one can hurt you without going through him first.” Adah tugged on her hand. “Now, I can spin a good solid web when I need to. I feel the only time I do spin those webs is for the greater good and when the good Lord tells me I should, but I can’t spin everything. You are gonna make a life for yourself in this community and I can’t be there all the time to speak for you.”

  Adah’s eyes narrowed, her free hand perched on her hip. “I don’t know if God will give you back your memories of your old life. I don’t know if having those memories would be a good or bad thing, but the chance of you getting found out are pretty high when everybody knows everybody and their business. You gonna make a mistake at some point and expose who you are. That’s why you need to get married to Joshua first so he can protect you if anyone finds out you’re one of them dome people.”

  She nodded. “Okay, that’s getting married. Why do I need to get baptised?”

  “You have to get baptised so you can marry Joshua.”

  Hope smiled and nodded, completely missing the connection but felt the need to be polite. Although Hope didn’t know the specific words they used, she understood she was somehow being bound to Joshua. She didn’t know what was normal where she came from, but she knew there was something special about him. Every time she looked at him she got lost in those deep blue eyes of his. She wanted to run her fingers through his shaggy, unkempt hair and trace her fingertips along his soft and subtle lips. He was intoxicating, but there was more to her attraction than his rugged good looks. When he lifted her into his ar
ms, she felt as though nothing in the world could hurt her. She was safe with him as her protector. It felt as though it didn’t matter what happened as long as he was with her.

  Joshua came out of the bathroom with wet hair. It appeared he had trimmed his beard; it was cleaner with sharper lines, laying smoothed. He was wearing a crisp light linen shirt and matching slacks.

  “Good morning, ladies.” He stepped toward the bunks and raised his hands, resting them on either side of Hope’s knees. “Did you sleep alright?”

  Hope smiled at him. “Yes, thank you. How about you?”

  He reached his hands a little closer to her and offered to help her down. She placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself while he grabbed her around the waist. She could feel the strength of his arms as he maneuvered her to the floor. Once her feet touched the ground, he lingered for a moment, keeping his hands securely at her sides. Her hands rested on his shoulders and she couldn’t find the desire to move. They gazed into each other’s eyes until Adah came out of the bathroom.