(Un)bidden

by Melissa Haag

  “It is, and I’m wondering what’s happened to you to make you so wise.”

  I gave Winifred a sad smile.

  “A lot of heartache, secrets, and lies.”

  We drove in silence for several minutes.

  “He agrees. Elder Jean will send out the request—he is likely to receive more responses—and will direct those interested and living on this continent to me.”

  “I hope you find a few who are willing.”

  “We shall see.”

  For the remainder of the ride, we talked about our plans for the buildings in the near future. The conversation helped keep me from growing too nervous about leaving the safety of their grounds. Thankfully, she turned off onto a side road before we reached town.

  When we arrived at the dump, she and I walked the yard looking for lost treasures. We collected more chipped dishes, bent flatware, and plastic cups. I found a shovel with a broken wooden handle, a rake with broken tines, and a few other tools that would be useful, once repaired.

  Winifred found me less than an hour later as I was checking some of the old cars for loose change. I managed to find five dollars.

  “We need to head back. A few of the men want to sell some of the items they’ve repaired, and I promised to take them into town.”

  * * * *

  Some repaired chairs, lamps, and a few other odd items waited in a pile when Winifred navigated the truck into the yard. Three men stood near the items, watching our progress as we parked. Two broke away and began to unload what we’d found while the other began to carry pieces from the pile to the back of the truck.

  “Go on inside,” Winifred said, opening her door. “I’m sure you want to tell Mary what we’ve found.”

  I nodded and let myself into the main room. Mary and Ann looked up from the table. They were both in the process of sewing.

  “Did you find anything interesting?” Mary asked, as I held the door open for one of the men.

  “Not nearly as interesting as the things you found. Some dishes, a few more tools, and,” I reached into my pocket and withdrew my fisted hand. “Some change.” I let it clatter to the table.

  Mary picked up a coin and studied it. “Interesting.”

  “It’ll help buy us whatever we can’t scrounge. Food most likely.”

  “Winifred says the pile of scrap will help with that, too,” Mary said.

  The door to the main room opened, and I looked up to see Thomas walk in. The discolored skin around his left eye made him look sickly and annoyed. No, his expression made him look annoyed.

  “Don’t ever leave like that again.” He stomped across the room, stopped in front of me, crossed his arms, and proceeded to scowl at me.

  I studied him for a moment, suppressing my natural indignant response and going with the unexpected.

  “All right.”

  His arms lost some of their rigidity.

  “All right?”

  “Yes. All right. I understand that you were worried, and your request is only so you don’t worry in the future. It’s a reasonable request.”

  I smiled and moved to check the supplies as if to decide what to make for our midday meal.

  “Oh,” I said stopping and looking back at him. “And don’t ever again command Mary to do something for your own personal gain. It’s beneath you. Mary, I’ll help you move your stuff back into our room.”

  Thomas didn’t react as I expected. He didn’t try to say his presence was to protect me. He neither denied what he’d done nor tried to excuse it. Instead, he laughed.

  “Fair enough.” He glanced at Mary. “I will make sure Gregory understands.”

  She smiled at him and nodded gratefully.

  “I’ll return with some meat for the meal. Did you, by any chance, find something to help keep your birds in their coup.”

  I reluctantly shook my head. He nodded and left.

  As soon as the door closed, Mary got up and hugged me.

  “I was so worried you’d be mad.”

  “About him making you leave the room? No. I understand everyone’s reasons.”

  “Do you want help?” she asked, nodding toward the stove.

  “No. I think I’ll do another stew, over plain rice this time, and set some water to boil. I want a bath, and there’s a pile of dirty clothes to wash.”

  I spent the rest of my day at the stove or washing something—myself, dishes, laundry. By the time the sun set, I wanted nothing more than my bed.

  I shuffled into my room and froze. Mary’s bed was there, as were her things, but so was Thomas. He leaned against the wall just under the window.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Keeping you safe.”

  “I thought I told you...” I realized I hadn’t told him I didn’t want him in our room. Only that I wanted Mary back and that he shouldn’t command her about for no good reason.

  He stood, taking up too much space in the room, and approached me slowly. His gaze never left me, not even when he had to bend his head down because he towered over me.

  “You told me what I needed to hear, the truth. Someday I will figure out how to make you mine, and I can only hope I’ll be worthy of you then.” He lifted his hand and gently brushed his fingers over my cheek.

  Pretty words meant to please, a part of me whispered. But did he really know what they meant?

  “What will it take to be worthy?” I asked.

  He considered me for several long moments. “I don’t know.”

  “If you don’t know, how will you know if you’re worthy?” I gave him a small smile to take the sting from my words. “Be honest, not just with others, but yourself. Be loyal, not just to those you love, but to those who need you. Work hard to improve the lives of those around you. Don’t waver from your integrity. And, above all...” I leaned toward him and lowered my voice to a whisper. “Don’t assume you can sleep in my room again.”

  His gaze dropped to my mouth.

  “Kiss me and I’ll leave.”

  “In your world, my age is acceptable for Claiming and Mating. In my world, while you helped my father clean his gun, he would tell you to wait another year then come back and speak to him again. And, that would be to take me on a date. A kiss would be months after that.” I stepped back, putting space between us. “Since you’ve kissed me twice already, I think that’s enough of a compromise, for now.”

  “Not nearly.” He tugged me forward. Off balance, I braced my palms on his chest. He wrapped an arm around me and lifted my chin with a finger before I could blink. His lips touched mine. Soft and sweet and full of promise, his warm mouth brushed over mine twice. My eyes fluttered shut, and my heart went crazy.

  Every time we stood too close, I secretly hoped for this. My heart and stomach said yes while my mind hesitated. Yet, when his lips touched mine, doubt fled. He felt right. We felt right. I could understand his persistence when we kissed.

  He pulled back enough to kiss my cheek.

  “I will be worthy,” he said softly. Then, he let me go and left the room.

  I stood there with a hammering heart. I wasn’t sure if it was due to the excitement of the kiss or the fear that he would be worthy, and I’d need to face an uncertain future with these people.

  Eleven

  Early Sunday morning, Winifred left with her empty cookie plate and a truck bed full of metal. I leaned in the doorway, watching the taillights pass through the trees.

  “What should we work on today?” Mary asked. I caught her upward glance and followed her gaze. A sky, dark with heavy clouds, promised a day of rain and storms.

  That meant inside work. Ann and Mary had done a good job sewing yesterday. Ann had taken several pieces with her to her room last night to make things for the baby. Earlier, Leif had come to take breakfast back to her. She wasn’t feeling well.

  “Sewing, I guess.” Not my favorite pastime. A rumble echoed across the clearing, and I retreated indoors. Sewing beat being soaked, though.

  We�
��d barely made it to the table when a loud boom made us both jump. Seconds later, rain lashed at the main room’s window. Mary and I looked at each other. Anton had only managed to repair a few more windows on the second floor with the salvaged glass. Casements that had once held broken shards, a partial barrier against the elements, were now completely empty thanks to our repair efforts.

  Rain whipped through the air from the east, the direction of the clearing. We ran from the room to start checking windows. The intensity of the deluge brought a concerning amount of water through the moderate openings in more than a dozen rooms.

  “We should have boarded them,” Mary said, eyeing the growing puddles on the floor.

  I looked at the water and then tilted my head to look at the boards above. Drips of water fell from the ceiling of the room in which we stood. A little rain wouldn’t hurt the wood too much the first time, but I recalled the already sagging porch and wondered how many times rain had already soaked this wood. How long until it turned rotten? We couldn’t take chances like this.

  Winifred had left me with thirty dollars from the items they brought to town. That made a total of forty-three dollars in my possession. It wasn’t enough to replace the boards in this place if they all went bad at once.

  “It’s not too late to board the windows down here,” I said. “But I don’t think we can do anything about the second floor.”

  “Winifred is listening to her radio. The storm should pass in a few hours.

  The wind howled outside and further down the hallway a door banged shut. Above the noise, I heard someone call my name.

  “Here,” I called back.

  Anton found us staring at the wet room.

  “Come on. I have something to show you.”

  In the main room, we found several squares of wood set on the tables. They were all just a bit bigger than the size of the windows. A man stood near them, waiting for us.

  “Hello,” I said, meeting his gaze.

  He nodded. “Before Henry and Paul left, we started to make these with a few of the broken boards from the shed. They fit over the windows for the most part. I have more started but ran out of nails.”

  “These are perfect,” I said, lifting one to eye the construction. It was a frame covered by boards. The frame would fit over the casement that stuck outside. I counted six on the table.

  “Totally awesome. Thank you,” I said, looking at the man again. “Let’s put these on. I have some money to go get more nails when it stops raining.”

  I made it a step from the table when Thomas opened the door from outside.

  “Not you,” he said with a frown. “We’ll do it. Once we have these on, we’ll do what we can to protect the rest of the windows.”

  The man picked up a stack, Anton plucked the one from my hands, and the three left.

  “What was the point of coming to get us?” I said to Mary. She shrugged.

  It took them an hour to board the exposed windows. They used old, rusted nails and whatever else they could find that was solid enough to drive through the wood. It took Mary and me even longer to clean up the water. By the time we finished, the rain was letting up.

  We brought the wet cloths and the pots to the kitchen. As soon as we walked into the main room, I smelled cooking meat. Two birds already roasted on the fire, and when I checked the oven, I found two more in low pans. Carrots and potatoes crowded around the baking birds. My mouth started to water as I stared at the carrots.

  While Mary dumped the excess water, I pumped some more into a pot for rice. I couldn’t wait to eat.

  The door opened with a bang, and a group of four men I didn’t recognize strode in. Rain dripped off their naked skin. I froze; my hand, full of dried rice, posed over the water. The gaze of the first man through the door settled on me.

  “What do we have here? I thought I smelled smoke.”

  I flicked a quick glance at Mary. She was staring at the men with wide eyes. I hoped she was mentally screaming at Winifred or Thomas. I did not want to use my will against these people any more. They were beaten enough without me adding to it.

  I tilted my hand, dumped the rice into the water, and fully turned toward the men.

  “Welcome. There are dry clothes in the entry. You can help yourself to what you need. Food will be ready soon.”

  He stared at me as a slow grin spread over his features and lit his eyes.

  “We were told to come here. No one said there would be unClaimed females to tempt us away from our choice to become Elder.”

  Understanding why they’d suddenly appeared helped ease some of my fear.

  “We’re not here to tempt you, but we are the reason more Elders are needed. Winifred will return Friday. Until then, you’re welcome to take one of the rooms on the first floor and some clothes.” I really hoped they’d get the hint and put some pants on.

  The man in front didn’t lose his grin as he took a step toward me. A hand clapped down on his shoulder, stopping his advance.

  “Remember why we’re here,” the second man said.

  The third stepped forward. “We’re here because there aren’t enough females for all of us. Yet, here are two, and one seems a definite possibility. We haven’t committed to anything. Why not explore the possibilities.” As he spoke, he began to change. Most notably, his teeth.

  I wasn’t about to allow another bite. I struck out suddenly and violently with my will. Wait outside. All four men stumbled back and blinked dazedly. Then, as one, they turned and left.

  Mary gave me a shaken look as I exhaled slowly.

  “What did Winifred have to say about them?” I asked, hoping Mary would think Winifred had sent them out.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t think of her. I just reached out to Thomas. He’s on his way.” She paused for a moment. “Winifred is speaking to them now and to Thomas. He’s angry none of the men he left here stopped them from entering.”

  I turned away from Mary, not wanting her to see my worry or frustration. All of Thomas’ talk about protecting, and where was he? And Winifred? I thought she reached out to everyone who came here to tell them not to bite me.

  “Can you set out the bowls and plates?” I said to Mary, keeping my voice level and calm. I went to the fire, removed the two birds, then set the food on the tables.

  Outside, a chorus of growls rose loud and fierce. Because I was near the window, I automatically looked up.

  Thomas strode from the woods. He focused on the wolves crouched near the door. I glanced at them as well. Anton, Bine, and Gregory surrounded them. Both sides eyed each other warily, with the strangers growling and casting glances at Thomas. One of the wolves looked back at the window and caught me watching. He stared at me. He shifted his position slightly, angling himself more toward the window. His muscles bunched. Would he really try to get to me through the window?

  Quickly looking away, I focused on Thomas. He saw the wolf watching me, and his face twisted in rage. Instead of walking or running the last few yards, he jumped. As he flew through the air, he shifted from man to wolf and landed right in front of the one watching me. The newcomer twisted at the sound of Thomas’ landing and growled. Thomas dove for him.

  Mary tugged me back. “We need to go upstairs. Now. Winifred’s orders.”

  “No. Tell Winifred, I will keep you safe. I need to know what’s happening. I thought they were here to be Elders.”

  “Winifred says their actions show their selfishness. None of them would have passed. Two have already challenged Thomas for leadership. The three will fight. The last one standing commands the pack.”

  I turned to look out the window. It seemed that the two challengers had decided to help each other. One taunted Thomas while the other tried to sneak behind him. Thomas was too smart for the move. He carefully kept himself positioned so he could see both of them while he slowly backed away from the building.

  One of the wolves looked back at the two who still hovered near our door. Anton, Gregory, and Bine moved
to block them from joining the fight. The two outsiders shifted back into men, crossed their arms, and widened their stance. Gregory nodded his approval, and the three turned back toward the fight.

  One of the outsiders glanced at the window and grinned at me. While still meeting my gaze, he edged closer to the door. His companion remained close, guarding the movements of the first man so they wouldn’t appear obvious.

  “Mary, tell Thomas not to worry about us and to stay focused on his fight, no matter what.”

  I stepped away from the window and waited. It didn’t take long for the latch to move. As soon as the door opened, I swung out. Leave.

  This time the man and his companion flew backward, out into the yard. One knocked into Bine and almost brought him down.

  Anton, Gregory, and Bine immediately shifted into wolves. They surrounded the men, their snarls and poised positions keeping them where they lay.

  I stepped out into the rain and looked down at the fallen men.

  “You are no longer welcome. Leave,” I said, pointing to the trees. They rose, growled at me, then turned and ran. Anton and Bine followed them to the edge of the trees while Gregory stood in front of me.

  Their retreat distracted one of the wolves fighting Thomas. Thomas used that opening to lunge forward. He clamped down over the other’s muzzle. If the wolf bled, the rain washed it away before I could notice.

  A wolf ran from the trees a distance from where Bine and Anton still stood. I didn’t take my eyes from the fight. However, from my peripheral, I recognized Grey.

  Thomas shook his head, maintaining his hold and knocking the other wolf off balance as Grey raced across the clearing. The second wolf noticed Grey, too, and hesitated. He turned sideways to watch Grey’s progress and the fight.

  Halfway across the clearing, Grey shifted. I, at first, thought he meant to join the fight. Instead, Grey stopped just in front of me, shielding me. Gregory tried to nudge me to the door, but I tapped him on the nose in annoyance, and he didn’t try again.

  Seeing that Grey and Gregory had no intention of interfering, the second wolf launched himself at Thomas, trying to clamp down on his neck. Thomas twisted, keeping himself free while continuing to subdue the first challenger.