“No, I’ve got it.” Heart racing, I opened the door halfway, and with head held high, stared at him sternly.
Ryan’s eyes lit up with surprise. At first I thought he’d made me, but after glancing at my purple birthmark and momentarily meeting my gaze, he quickly looked down, looking uncomfortable.
I couldn’t believe it – he was shy!
Because of me.
Even better, he didn’t realise who I was. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. With my damp hair put up in a bun, wearing an ankle length brown dress with long sleeves, and without a baseball hat shading my face, I probably looked nothing like my alter ego.
“Can I help you?” I asked, taking care to use my normal voice.
“Sorry to disturb you, Miss. I’m Ryan Hill, one of Brandon’s workmates. He lives here, right? I was hoping to speak with him.” He shifted awkwardly from foot to foot.
“Sorry, he’s not in at the moment.” I stared at him, trying to hide my amusement at this insight into another aspect of his character. His normal confident self evaporated around girls. Who would have guessed?
“Do you know where he is? I’d really like to catch up with him?” He noticed me staring, and puzzled, returned my unwavering gaze.
“Sorry, he didn’t say.”
He nodded thoughtfully, and raised an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t happen to be his twin sister, Chelsea, would you?”
“That’s right.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you at last. I’ve heard so much about you.”
I frowned. “Good things or bad things?”
“He talks very highly of you.” He risked a hesitant smile.
“Lucky for him.” I laughed.
“Hey, I brought something for you – for your family.” He ducked out of view and then popped back with four wooden dining room chairs stacked together.
My hands flew to my mouth in surprise. They were our chairs, the broken one’s I pointed out to him in the Recycling Works two nights ago. Except they weren’t broken anymore.
I opened the door wider. “Brandon said the chairs were all busted up!”
Ryan blushed a dark shade of red. “Yeah. I, ah, fixed them. You know, in my own time.”
For a moment, I feared he would ask to bring them inside and see the humiliating depths of our fall from grace. But to my amazement, he picked up the chairs one at a time and passed them to me.
I carried the first chair inside, to the wonder of my mother and sister. Karen accompanied me back to the door to help carry in the others.
“This is my sister, Karen,” I said.
His eyes lit up at the sight of my beautiful sister. “Oh, ah, nice to meet you, Karen,” he said. He smiled bashfully and then looked away before he could be accused of staring.
Karen accepted the chair he offered and retreated inside as fast as she could while still maintaining decorum.
“How did you get the chairs here?” I asked after we finished carrying them inside. Our room looked so much better already. Now we all had somewhere to sit.
“Borrowed a trolley.”
I laid a gentle hand on his forearm. “Thank you for your kindness. It’s something we’ve seen very little of these past weeks. I wish there was some way we could repay you.”
His eyes widened at my boldness in initiating physical contact, even though it was innocent. “Oh no, it’s the least I can do. Brandon’s a mate, and besides, I owe him for saving my life.”
“He did what?”
“Didn’t he tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“That he saved me – our whole team, actually – from a Skel ambush,” he said.
I pursed my lips. “No, he didn’t. Looks like I’ll be having a word with that young man when he gets home.”
Ryan looked taken aback. “I haven’t gone and gotten him in trouble, have I?”
“No more than he deserves.” I smiled again.
Ryan laughed. “You’re pretty funny, you know that?”
“You making fun of me, Ryan Hill?”
“Of course not!” He seemed taken aback by the suggestion. “It’s just that you’re not like other girls I’ve met.”
“You meet a lot of girls?” I fixed him with an accusatory stare.
“No! That’s not what I meant. You’re just more self-assured and upbeat than I’m used to.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. I think.” I was fighting to stop myself from laughing.
The door abruptly swung wider and my mother appeared, her face an iron mask. “Thank you bringing over our chairs, young man. We are in your debt. When Brandon returns, I will let him know you were looking for him.”
That said, my mother pulled me back from the door and shut it in Ryan’s face.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Mother, that was rude!” I protested after I heard Ryan’s footsteps recede towards the elevator.
“You were embarrassing yourself, Eldest Daughter – practically flirting with him!”
“How dare you accuse me of being immodest!” I was so tired of her attacking my person and character.
“I was standing right here!”
“He’s pretty cute, actually,” Karen said. She had a dreamy look in her eyes.
“Oh, don’t be so naive. All males are the same – utterly useless.” Mother was glaring at both of us now.
“Is he in Brandon’s foraging team?” Karen asked.
“He is, though he and Brandon haven’t actually met.”
“What are you talking about? He was asking after him,” Mother said.
“He joined the foraging team the same day I did. So it’s me he met, not Brandon.”
That rattled her cage. “You mean to say you’re working with that young man every day? I’m really not happy with you masquerading as your brother, Daughter. More now than ever. How long before they discover who you really are?”
“They won’t.”
“All it will take is one small slip up.”
The sanitary pad falling out of my backpack sprang immediately to mind. “I’m being careful.”
“Make sure you’re never alone with him – or any of them, for that matter.” She stared at me, trying to ascertain whether that had ever been the case.
“Don’t worry, Mother, there’s five of us in the team.”
She turned away, muttering to herself, and sat in the battered homeless shelter chair, rather than in the one Ryan delivered. She was so infuriating!
* * *
I couldn’t sleep that night, just tossed and turned as an endless parade of horrific scenarios ran through my mind. What would happen should Deacon front-up tomorrow?
I skipped breakfast when morning came, moping about until it was nearly midday. When it became apparent the debt collectors’ were not going to pay us a visit, I donned my Brandon disguise and hit the town in an attempt to walk off the palpable anxiety that was threatening to send me into hysteria.
As I wandered through poorly maintained streets set between ten-story apartment blocks, I realised I simply couldn’t face another beating like the last one. I had put on a brave face for my mother and sister, but I was quaking with terror now. I couldn’t even handle the thought of Wells stomping on my legs again with his massive boots, and I knew that what they did next time would be far worse. And all thanks to Ryan. I knew he meant well, but I was going to pay for it with broken bones if not worse. My life had descended into an endless living nightmare, and I couldn’t live like this anymore.
I walked aimlessly down the road leading to the town’s eastern gates, thinking of the foragers from Ballarat and the freedoms they enjoyed. No Custodians, freedom to come and go as they pleased, no town walls, and equality for women.
Seething with resentment, I stared at the twelve-foot high gates, the five Custodians standing guard before them, and the guard tower on the wall beside it.
Then, as though a light had been switched on, I knew what I had to do to escape Newhome with my famil
y. A bold, daring plan formed in my mind even as I stood there. A plan that would work, I was sure of it. I wouldn’t be able to do it alone, though. It required numbers, preparation, and careful planning.
I had to see Con and convince him to take the idea onboard. It was my only hope. I pivoted about and hastened to the Foragers’ Club, figuring Con and the others would be there, since it was Saturday. As I went, I continued formulating the plan, throwing up every possible obstacle I could think of, and seeking a solution to overcome it.
* * *
“You wanna run that by me again?” Con said, his beady eyes almost bulging out of his head. He had been playing pool with Matt and a couple of guys I didn’t know. When they finished, I dragged him and Matt over to a table in the corner where no one could overhear us.
“Let’s escape this dump – us foragers and our families – and go to Ballarat,” I repeated. “You do know about Ballarat, right? No Custodians, no wall, no oppressive society.”
“That’s what I thought you said.” Con stared at me as though I was off my rocker. “And of course I know about Ballarat!”
“Well?”
“How exactly do you suggest we do that? Go up to the Custodians and politely ask if we can leave?” Matt asked.
“We meet near the eastern gates in the early morning hours, overpower the guards on watch and in the tower, open the gates, and run.”
“That’s a fantastic idea, Brandon. I wonder why no one else ever thought of it?” Con’s voice dripped with cynicism. “Maybe because of the curfew and Custodian night patrols that would make it impossible for anyone to get near the gates at night? Maybe because the Custodians at the gate have high-powered assault rifles?” He pushed his chair back, about to leave.
“We stage a distraction on the other side of town. That’ll draw off the patrols. We deal with the guards at the gate with trickery. Put foragers on both sides of the gate, and send in a hysterical girl with fake blood all over her. While the guards are trying to deal with the girl, the foragers jump them.”
“And the guard tower?” Matt asked.
“Those guards are watching the ruins, right? We rush them at the same time. Maybe even throw in a homemade flash bomb or something.” I watched their reactions intently, hope etched on my face. They had to go for this, they just had to.
“You’ve been reading too many novels in the ruins,” Con growled.
“I don’t know – Brandon could be onto something here,” Matt said. He furrowed his brow in thought.
“You can’t be serious?”
“Think about it. If can we pull this off, we’ll be free. No more sneaking around, looking over our shoulders, afraid we’re gonna get busted at any moment. No more trying to amass enough money to buy our way into North End,” he replied.
“Still easier said than done. What kind of distraction could be staged on the other side of town?” He looked at me.
“We set an empty building on fire.” I said.
“Great if you want to drag the fire fighters out of bed. Not if you want to distract the Custodian patrols,” he said.
“Set fire to several buildings, then. Surely every Custodian and his dog’ll go running, suspecting foul play,” Matt said.
“So you think it’s doable?” Con asked.
“It would have to be executed perfectly.” Matt nodded.
The scepticism was slowly fading from Con’s face. “Indeed. We would also have to plan for the walk to Ballarat. Everyone would need good shoes or boots, backpacks filled with a couple of day’s worth of water and food, blankets, and some medical supplies. We’d also need guns in case Skel attack us on the way.”
“Don’t like our chances of smuggling guns in here,” Matt said.
“You don’t need to. Make a secret stash of guns, blankets, bottles of water and blankets, in the ruins just outside town,” I said.
“Good thinking, kid!” Matt thumped the table excitedly. “So the first thing we do after breaking out is go to that cache and load up. That would also make it much easier to move quickly through the town on the way to the gates before the breakout.”
“How long would it take to get to Ballarat, by the way?” I asked.
“As I said, a couple of days,” Con replied. He was eyeing me thoughtfully, no doubt contemplating a better future for the first time in his life.
“So, are we gonna do this?” I couldn’t keep the hope from my face. I had half expected them to ridicule the idea and laugh in my face.
“Not so hasty, Brandon. First, I have to run it by the foragers we can trust to keep the lid on it. We need to get the majority of them on board if this is to have any chance of succeeding.”
“The ones we can trust?” I asked.
“The ones who work at the lab, duh. Too many do-gooders amongst the others – one of 'em could even turn us in,” he replied. “Oh, and before I even consider getting this ball rolling, I have one condition.”
“Which is?”
“You don’t breathe a word of this to Ryan.”
I felt like I’d just been punched in the gut. The fact was, I hadn’t consciously thought about asking him, as my thoughts were focused on getting myself and my family away from the debt collectors. But now that Con mentioned him, I realised that deep down I was hoping Ryan would come too. Because if he came, there would be no rules or regulations preventing us from spending time together.
“Promise me, Brandon, or this doesn’t happen.” Con’s beady eyes bore right through me.
“Okay, fine!” I was irritated, and I let it show, but he had boxed me into a corner. My family came first – I simply had to get them away from this place and Father’s legacy.
“Good.” Con leaned closer. “Because if you let it slip and Ryan finds out, you’ll give us no choice but to take matters into our own hands again. But if we do, the Custodian are sure to sit up and take notice this time.”
“I won’t tell him.”
Con grunted in satisfaction, and then he and Matt went off to run the idea past some of the other foragers present. As I watched them go, I wondered what he meant when he said they would have ‘to take matters into our own hands again.’ What had they done in the past? Why would it draw the Custodians attention if they did it again?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
When I got home, Mother was kneeling on the floor, making adjustments to one of her dresses. Karen was languishing in a chair, her latest cross-stitch creation lying untouched on her lap while she stared aimlessly into space. I was glad we had the common sense to bring our sewing kits with us. To have left those behind would have been a crime.
I dragged a chair over beside them, swore them to secrecy, and gave them the good news about the planned escape. Well, I thought it was good news. Mother just about had an apoplectic fit, and it took me half an hour to calm her down enough to listen to the rest of it. Our plan to get past the Custodians at the gate, the store of supplies outside the town for the trip to Ballarat, and the freedoms we’d enjoy once we got there.
“But most importantly,” I said, in conclusion, “We’ll be free of this debt and the constant threat posed by Deacon and his pet dog. Also means I won’t have to risk being arrested for impersonating Brandon anymore.”
Mother paced the room for several minutes, and then turned to face me. “If – and I mean if – I let you do this, you have to promise me you’ll find your brother and take him with you. Otherwise he will be their next target.”
“Haven’t you been listening to me, Mother? The whole point of this is that we all go. Anyone staying behind would be Deacon’s next target.”
“I want to come. I don’t want to spend another day in this hole. The grime and dirt, the slop they call food, and having nothing worthwhile to do.” Karen looked defiantly at Mother, daring her to refuse her request.
“You’ll come too, right, Mother?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I’m too set in my ways, not to mention too old to go trekking all the way to Ballara
t. Besides, I have to wait for your father to get out of prison.”
I was dumbfounded. “After all he’s done to us, and all you’ve said about him, you want to wait for him?”
“He is my husband, Eldest Daughter. It is my duty.”
“But what about Deacon? He’ll come after you if we’re all gone,” I said.
She shook her head. “No, he won’t. If you and Brandon are gone, there’d be no point, since women cannot earn an income.”
“But Mother, like I told you previously, they said if we can’t pay up, they’d take the money out of us in other ways. I’m sure you know what they meant.”
“I will not go, and that’s the end of it. I will consider letting you three go – but that is all.”
I was about to protest more, but she held up her hand, silencing me.
I nodded, but I wasn’t giving up. I would keep on her case until the day of the breakout. However, if she did remain behind, it meant someone would be there for Father when they let him out. As angry as I was with him, I found that thought comforting.
* * *
We hit the market the next day. Karen and I were on the hunt for new walking shoes, while Mother came as chaperone, since she was past the age needing to be chaperoned herself.
The market was a large open area filled with stalls, surrounded on all sides by brick-and-mortar stores, and was frequented by hundreds of shoppers, mostly women. A couple of squads of Custodians patrolled the area too, ready to pounce on any shoplifters or pickpockets. Too often in the past, I had witnessed their brutality as they apprehended criminals, striking them with gun butts if their quarry resisted in any way.
We threaded our way through stalls selling genetically enhanced vegetables and fruits, raw and cooked chicken, soy products, clothes, bedding, kitchen utensils and garden tools. We tried on a few pairs of sneakers in the stalls. They were cheap but very poor quality. Some were so shoddily put together they’d fall apart after a few kilometres, while others had irregularities that would cause agonising blisters.
Forager - the Complete Six Book Series (A Post Apocalyptic/Dystopian Series) Page 89
