Myri huffed and looked down. “Just the opposite, actually.” From now on I think I’ll stick with telling people my name is Myri.
The woman gasped and stepped back, causing Myri to look up, senses at high alert. “What?”
“Is that…” She pointed toward Myri’s legs. “Is that a panther?”
Baby sat next to her, leaning against her leg. “Yes. His name is Baby. I think he might be a little shy.” She’d been amazed at how fast he grew. She guessed him to be almost twice the size he’d been when she rescued him. She preferred to think of it that way as opposed to thinking about being responsible for the death of his mother.
“Yes. Well, you probably should tie him up or something. He looks to be mostly wild and I wouldn’t want anything to happen to him.”
Baby hissed when Myri reached down to pick him up, swatting at her hand. His flattened ears and the hair standing up along his spine showed him to be at high alert. Nervous about these new surroundings. Myri lifted him, held him close to her chest, and soothed him with strokes to his fur and quiet words. “It’s okay, Baby. No one’s going to hurt you.” She pulled a rope out of the backpack and slipped it around his neck before setting him back on the ground.
“I can’t believe you can just lift him like that, he looks so heavy,” Katherine said. “How long do you plan to explore here?” She smiled as she spoke, seeming kind and welcoming now that the wild animal had been dealt with.
“I’m not sure. Is it a problem? Is there a time limit on how long someone can visit?” Myri said the last part jokingly.
“Actually, yes, there is. Joseph will explain it all to you.” She gestured for Myri to follow her. “He’s the current Committee Leader.”
They had rebuilt the homes in concentric rings around the center of the town. It looked like they’d gathered up usable supplies from all the destroyed homes and used them to rebuild. Remnants of concrete from the foundations of old homes spotted the landscape. It looked like they’d rebuilt one out of every three homes in three large rings, leaving open spaces between them for individual gardens. And—Myri gazed out beyond the homes—was that an orchard? She decided to save her questions for the Committee Leader, hoping he didn’t turn out to be another Cascus. This place looked amazing. But so did Cascus’s Central Park.
Katherine led her to a building on the far side of the school, where she knocked on the door before opening it and entering. “Joseph? I brought a visitor to see you.”
A diminutive older man scooted a wheeled office chair back from a desk in a room with the door wide open. “Welcome! It’s been a while since we’ve had a visitor. Are you alone young woman?”
Myri nodded, smiling at his cheerfulness. Baby let out a loud feline cry, causing all three of them to jump. Myri’s face reddened. “Except for my noisy friend, that is.” She pulled on the rope, encouraging Baby to step out from behind her.
Joseph’s eyes widened as his eyebrows shot up to his receding hairline. “Well, well. Does your friend need a drink of water or anything?”
“He just drank from the stream before we wandered into your beautiful town. He should be fine for now.”
Joseph stood and gestured to a chair facing his desk. “Have a seat., uh…”
“Myri,” she said.
“Have a seat, Myri. Let’s talk.” He turned to Katherine. “Thank you for escorting our guest to the Community Building, Kate. You may stay if you’d like.”
She shook her head, looking warily at Baby. “No, I’d better get back to the school. The children have probably formed a coup and have Crystal and Bernard tied to chairs by now.”
“She’s joking, of course,” Joseph said as Katherine’s footsteps echoed toward the exit. “The children here are all wonderful.”
Moving her backpack to the front, Myri sat, resting it on her lap.
“So, Myri, you’re probably wondering why Kate brought you here.”
She nodded, surprised he didn’t start right off questioning her.
“Our little town is modeled after a kibbutz. Do you know what that is?”
“I have no idea.” She reached down and stroked the top of Baby’s head. Whether it was to calm herself or him, she wasn’t sure.
“They were all the rage in Israel a century or so ago. The concept is that a community works together for the survival and, hopefully, the betterment of the community. We have joint ownership of the property. Everyone’s home is the same size. We all have assigned work.”
“And, you’re the leader? The boss?”
Wrinkles at the corners of his eyes scrunched up as he laughed. “No, no, no. The town runs by committee. Everyone takes turns being on the town committee and we elect a new leader every two years. No one gets to be the committee leader more than once every four elections.”
“So everyone gets to decide how things are done?”
“Yes.”
“What happens to people who disagree?” Myri thought about people who’d been kicked out of Central Park for disagreeing with the way Cascus ran things.
“Well, sometimes we have some pretty heated debates, but eventually, everyone agrees to go with the majority vote.”
Myri nodded. “What about punishment? Crimes?”
He tilted his head to the side and raised a single eyebrow. “Thankfully, there isn’t much of that around here. Everyone is trained to defend themselves and we have a militia of sorts in case of threats from outside.”
She decided to ignore the suspicion that his last comment was meant for her along with the fact that he’d basically skirted around her question.
“May I ask you a question now?” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk.
“Of course.”
“What brings you here?”
Even though she knew this question was coming, she hadn’t really prepared an answer. She decided to just forge ahead, using the same vague excuse she’d given Katherine. “I’m just exploring. I’ve never been outside Manhattan, and I was—am—curious to see other people. See how they live.”
“Is there a specific reason you chose to leave your home?”
Myri snorted derisively. “I never really had a home. But I chose to leave Manhattan for a lot of reasons. Let’s just say it was time to get away.”
“Okay.” She could tell Joseph wasn’t happy with her evasive answers, but he didn’t push it. “You’re welcome to visit with us as long as you agree to our terms of visitation.”
“And those terms are?”
“We only allow visitors to stay a maximum of two weeks. You will need to pitch in with the work while you’re here, though you can choose your work assignment. You will be provided a place to stay and meals to eat in return. The Committee reserves the right to ask you to leave at any time and you have to agree to do so without argument.”
“That all sounds fair enough. Why only two weeks, though?” Baby slapped playfully at her hand, growling.
“Any longer than that causes problems.”
“What if I decide I would like to stay longer?” Maybe live here forever.
“I’m afraid that isn’t possible. We have a full community at this time.” He leaned back and rummaged around in a desk drawer for a few seconds. He held a small chunk of dried meat out to her. “Would your little friend like a snack? He looks like he’s getting antsy.”
“I believe he would, yes.” Myri took it from him and held it in front of Baby’s nose. “What do you mean by ‘full’?”
“Our system only works well in small numbers. No more than two hundred may live here at a time, and right now, we’re at our capacity. You’re welcome to visit, but you can’t stay.”
Baby attacked the meat with gusto, making little growling noises as he chewed. “Okay, then. Two weeks. What are the work assignments I can choose from?”
“You agree to the visitation terms?” Joseph raised a bushy eyebrow.
“I do.”
“And it’s just you and the cub?”
�
�Yes.” Myri tilted her head and frowned. “I think I already told you I’m traveling alone.”
“I just want to be sure. It’s my duty to ensure the safety of our community. It’s not typical, or safe, for anyone to travel alone these days. Particularly a girl of your young age.”
“I guarantee you that I am alone.” Really, truly alone. She stroked Baby’s back. “And I can take care of myself. I don’t need a traveling companion.” She didn’t want to give away too much about her abilities. The less people knew about what she could do, the less they’d find ways to use her.
“The most common visitor assignments are: working in the fields by weeding, planting, harvesting,; food preparation, we eat morning and evening meals together; tending to the animals; or, this time of year, helping harvest fruit from the orchards.”
She noticed that helping out with the children was not given as an option. Probably a good policy, to not have strangers hanging around the kids. She wanted to choose something she could truly be helpful with, but not show off her abnormal abilities. “I’d like to help in the orchards, if that’s okay.”
Joseph smiled. “Good choice. We need all the help we can get out there.” He leaned forward and raised his eyebrows. “I hope you aren’t afraid of heights.”
Myri smiled. “Nope. Heights do not scare me.”
“Okay.” He stood and stretched his hand out toward her. “We have a deal.” They shook hands. “I’ll show you to the guest house and let you get settled. You can join us for dinner in the communal dining room when you hear the dinner bell ring. Someone will stop by first thing in the morning to show you to the orchard.”
The leashed Baby walked next to her as she followed Joseph through the cracked streets. The single story guest house was slightly larger than the surrounding homes. Joseph opened the front door and hollered, “Nancy? Are you here? I have a guest for you.”
An elderly woman shuffled around a corner, into the entryway. “Nice hat,” the woman, Nancy, snorted. She looked down at Baby, hiding behind Myri’s legs. “That thing better not do its business inside. You’ll be cleanin’ it up if it does, ‘cause I’m sure not gonna’.”
Myri touched her hastily crafted visor and tried to hide a smile. She was going to like Nancy. “I’m not used to this much sun. This thing was the best I could do with my limited abilities. Don’t worry about Baby, I’ll make sure he goes outside to ‘do his business’.”
The deep creases in Nancy’s brow softened almost imperceptibly. “Well, maybe I’ll show you how to weave a real hat while you’re here. Come on.” She turned her back and waved an arm. “I’ll show you to your room.”
Myri waved to Joseph and followed the woman down the hallway. Baby scurried alongside her, swatting at her pants-leg and the rope with each step.
Sleeping in a real bed with soft sheets and a thick comforter made it really hard to get moving in the morning. Myri stretched, pushing Baby to the edge of the mattress, where he let out a little hiss and jumped to the floor. She followed suit, stretching again as she rolled to her feet.
She dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, tied her hair into a sloppy ponytail, and plopped her ill-made visor on her head before proceeding to the communal dining room to grab a bite to eat before heading out to the orchards. She filled her plate, taking care to add items she could slip under the table to Baby. She breathed in the scent of fresh cooked eggs and bacon. She could get used to this.
She frowned. No, actually, she couldn’t. She wasn’t staying here.
The rising sun peaked over the horizon and shined through the open side of the large building. Myri squinted as she searched for one of the three people she’d met yesterday. Not seeing any of them, she looked for an open spot at one of the long tables. She met eyes with a young girl. Young-ish. Actually, she could have been Myri’s age. Myri just felt old. Ancient really. Not physically, only emotionally.
The girl smiled and scooted over to allow room for Myri to sit on the wooden bench.
“Hi. My name’s Grace. I heard we had a visitor, but I didn’t catch your name.” Grace reached a hand down and dropped a small piece of bacon next to Baby.
“I’m Myri.” She smiled as she watched Baby pounce on the treat.
“Where will you be working today?”
“The orchard.” Myri shoveled a forkful of scrambled eggs in her mouth.
Grace’s eyes brightened. “Me too! I’ll walk there with you when we’re done eating.”
After a quick trip to the stream where he drank his fill, Baby napped contentedly, bulging belly and all, beneath the apple tree Myri worked from. Grace occupied the branches of the next tree over. They had this section to themselves, as most of the group had been dispensed to harvest from the peach trees, which were quickly becoming too ripe to wait.
“Just wait until you taste a peach. I’ll make sure we get some when we break for lunch.” Grace stretched to reach an apple farther out on a thin branch. “I mean, apples are good, but they taste like dirt compared to a fresh-picked peach.”
Myri could not even imagine something that tasted better than the sweet apple she’d eaten earlier. Living where the sun shined more often had some distinct advantages, even if the brightness irritated her eyes. “I don’t believe you.” She raised an eyebrow at her new friend.
Laughing, Grace dropped an apple in the pouch that hung at her side. “You will.”
Myri dropped to the ground, careful to do so from a “safe” distance, and emptied her bag into the large basket set between their trees. “How often do you get visitors here?’ she asked as she climbed a new tree on the other side of Grace’s.
“Not very often. We’ve probably had less than ten in the last five years.” She stopped and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “How do you climb so fast without even using the ladder?”
Myri shrugged, she’d have to remember to slow down, use more caution, maybe use the ladder leaned up against Grace’s tree. “Have you had any interesting visitors? Any that wanted to stay?”
“Well,” she smiled, “you’re all interesting. Living with the same group of people your whole life can get pretty boring.” She tilted her head and scrunched her eyebrows together in a thoughtful gaze. “Most everyone that’s visited has wanted to stay, but it seems like we’re always full at those times. Except for two-and-a-half or three years ago. We had some visitors that were invited to stay and they declined.”
“You had room for them then?”
“Yes. A large family that had been here for decades decided to move south and start their own kibbutz, since they were getting so big.” She climbed carefully down to empty her bag.
“Who… what kind of people didn’t want to stay here?” Myri asked.
“It was a man and a boy.” Grace grunted as she hoisted herself back up the ladder. “About two or three years ago. The boy was a little older than me, I think. He was real quiet, haunted looking almost. I think he wanted to stay, but the man he was with declined the offer. I would have liked for the boy to stay, but I was glad the man didn’t. He gave me the creeps.”
Myri’s senses prickled. “Why?”
Grace shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure. Maybe it was the way he talked. It was like he hadn’t been speaking English long, but he didn’t have any type of accent. I think after his strange response to the offer, the leader at the time was glad he didn’t stay, too.”
“What was his response?” Myri stopped pulling apples from the limbs of the tree, and leaned toward the other girl.
“He said, ‘there aren’t enough humans here for the plan’.” Grace shook her head. “I heard him say it, I’d been sitting next to the boy at dinner, trying to get him to open up a little. Creepy.” Grace reached for another apple. “Morgan didn’t seem too happy about leaving, but he left with the man anyway.”
Myri slipped as her heart leaped into her throat. She snagged her arm around a branch to keep from falling to the ground. She cleared her throat of a sudden mucousy obstruction. “The
boy’s name was Morgan?”
“Yeah. I think he’d been through something traumatic, the way he acted. That’s what Katherine said anyway.”
Myri and Baby ended up only staying for a week. After hearing about Cascus’s strange response to the leader of the kibbutz, she made a decision to backtrack, to see if she could figure out where he—or it—had come from. Further questioning of Katherine had revealed that Morgan told her he’d met up with the man in another town a couple days’ walk from there. She said her goodbyes after breakfast, promising to come back and visit, hoping she’d be able to. She’d felt more at peace there than she could ever remember feeling.
As Joseph hugged her goodbye he said, “You’re welcome to come back anytime. Be careful at Hilton, if that’s where you’re headed. The leaders there aren’t nearly as nice as we are.”
Myri nodded. “Thank you for everything.”
She didn’t know if all the extra food people had slipped Baby under the table was the reason for his growth spurt or not, but she swore he’d again doubled in size the week they’d spent there. He definitely no longer fit inside her backpack. He was getting spoiled and probably needed to learn how to hunt for himself. So, as they traveled northwest—the direction Katherine had guessed Cascus and Morgan had come from—Myri caught small rodents and let them loose for Baby to chase and play around with. Within two days, Baby was bringing them to her and they weren’t always small.
“Baby,” Myri rolled over and sat up, pushing against the soft ground, “what do you have there?” A rusty, brownish-gray rabbit struggled to escape the tight clamp of Baby’s teeth around its neck. The rabbit grunted and squealed, kicking at the cat with its large hind feet. Myri leaned up against the trunk of a tree and watched, wincing every time her panther’s prey squealed. She forced herself to let Baby continue. He needed to learn hunting skills.
When Baby decided the game was over, he pinned the rabbit down with his big paws and ripped its throat out. Hmm, Myri thought, when did his grown-up teeth come in? Her impenetrable skin made it impossible for her to tell the difference when he chewed on her arms or ankles playfully.
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