Divided (The United Trilogy Book 2)

by Wheeler, Jaci

  “You came here as soon as you found out about us?” Malik asks with surprise and approval in his voice.

  “Yes, sir. I have many questions, but mostly I want to understand you and your people. I’m in the dark when it comes to everything that is going on here and I want to do everything in my power to continue the unity and peace that our country is known for.” Again, surprise flashes crossed his face.

  “You want to understand us and bring peace and unity, is that it?” I am not sure why he seems so skeptical, but I’m sure it is founded based on his past encounters, or I guess lack thereof, with the Ministry.

  “Exactly. I promise I don’t intend any harm to your community. I’d like to observe and interact with you and everyone else and get a better idea of how things work here. This trip is unplanned, but if it is alright with all of you, I would like to stay for a while.” My statement elucidates shock from both Malik and Masters. Malik’s look is followed up with approval again, but Masters looks furious.

  “And the Council approves of this adventure?” Malik asks almost skeptically. Now that is odd. Even the people in the Ministry rarely ever ask about the Council, and no one out of the Ministry has ever mentioned them. I study him for a moment, but his face revealed nothing so I decide to answer his question.

  "I find it much easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.” At this, Malik throws his head back and starts laughing.

  “Oh yes, you will do very Well, Miss Rosaline.”

  “Please call me Roz.” I can feel Masters’ intense stare, but I refuse to look back at him.

  Malik picks up on the awkwardness and says, “I need to run it by everyone first to make sure that nobody has any problems with it, and I will let you know. I’m sure everyone will be just as happy to have you as I am, Roz.” He goes off to join the others while I turn to Masters to get what I know was going to be a good old scolding out of the way.

  “Go ahead and yell at me, I know that you want to. “ Masters just glares down at me.

  “Are you honestly thinking of staying here? You know why you can’t, Rosaline. The Council won’t allow it.”

  “Masters, I go around visiting prisons for two weeks. Of course I’m going to do the same with these people. I have to. You know better than most why it is so important that I find the answers. Do you really think the Council is going to give me honest answers? They didn’t even tell me that these people existed. And why do you think that is? They are hiding something, and right now I’m safer here than I am with the Council.” He seems to consider that for a moment, and he knows that I am right. However, knowing Masters, he isn’t just going to give in.

  “You may have a point, Roz, but it isn’t smart to charge in here with a point to prove. You have every right to be upset with the Council; I’m upset with them too, but you need to think this through. Come back with me. I will clear my schedule and we can plan for a trip back here, but we will do it right.” What he is saying is valid, but I also know that if I go back, there is a good chance the Council will forbid me from coming back.

  “I can’t take that chance, Masters. You know just as well as I do that if I go back and the Council forbids me, I will be stuck with many more questions than before, but still no answers. I will not ask you to stay here. In fact, I’m going to order you to leave. I need them to see me as one of them.” He clearly does not like that answer and is about to open his mouth to tell me so but I put my hand up to stop him. “It is very rare that I pull rank on you, Kevin, but you know that when I do, it is for the best. You have trusted my instincts up until this point and I need you to trust them again now. I trusted you by telling you that I know something is wrong. The Council is either playing me or hiding things from me, and I can’t run a country on lies. As the person in charge of our Country’s safety, you know better than to ask me to continue to do so. I appreciate your concern, I really do, but please support me on this,” I'm almost begging him. Master nods.

  “I will always back you up, Roz, always. I know you are doing what you think is best, but I don’t like leaving you here alone. I trust Malik and a few others I know who will not bring you harm, but I don’t know everyone and that makes me uneasy. I just plain don’t like it.”

  “I know you don’t. I’m sorry to leave you feeling uneasy, but I promise I can look out for myself. I still remember those self-defense techniques and I’m going to have you send Wesley to me tomorrow. He doesn’t do well with change and the fact that I left without telling him is going to throw him for a loop. I’d like you to ask him to bring me some casual clothes and the necessities. He can check on me or you can come back with him and see for yourself that I am fine. I will message Judy from here and let her know that I will be out of the office for a while. You can message me at any time to check in and tell Natasha that she is free to do the same, ok?”

  Masters nods yes, but he still doesn’t look happy about it. “Natasha’s going to kill me, you know this right?” he asks.

  I laugh out loud. “I’m pretty sure you can take her wrath.” At his raised brow, I add: “Or find a way to make it up to her.”

  He starts shaking his head and voices out, “Oh no, you don’t. You don’t get off the hook by switching topics to my love life.” Ha!

  “So you admit that you and Natasha have a love life then? I knew it! You are welcome, by the way.” Masters throws his hands up and mutters something about women. I just smile and since nobody is around, I give him a hug.

  I am so surprised when he hugs me back. “Promise me that you will keep your eyes open and stay alert. At the smallest sign of trouble, you yell out for one of the guys. They are always on patrol. Okay?”

  “I’ll be fine, Masters. I think you are just going to miss me.” He smiles at me softly.

  “I just might, little one.”

  “That’s President little one to you. I appreciate your help with this. Annabelle is going to have you in her office before you set foot on the grounds. They will already know you told me about this place and that I’m here. Don’t let them know of my suspicions. Tell them I’m pissed off that I was kept in the dark, but that I needed to spend time here just like in the prisons to make sure that I am aware of all the circumstances. And please tell her also to let the Council know that we will be having a meeting to discuss it further when I come back.” He nods his understanding. “Don’t forget to tell Wes about bringing me my things and if you can ask him if Miriam can pack some food, I will really appreciate it. I don’t want these people to have another mouth to feed.” He smiles at me again.

  “Your heart is too good, you know that, Roz? I’ll tell him everything you said. I’m going to keep my distance so that the Council doesn’t get suspicious, but I’m going to send Green out for your protection. If I don’t do that, it will raise suspicions as well. For now, you take care of yourself and if Natasha does kill me, it has been a pleasure getting to know you!”

  “Oh stop. You know she’s harmless, plus if she gets mad at you for leaving me here, just remind her that she’s the one who put me in the position in the first place.” He gives me a pointed look. “Yea, never mind. I know that will not go so well.”

  “Malik is making his way over now so if you have their approval, I will get going. But first I need you to check in with the guys at the gate every 2 hours until nightfall, and then I want you to at least meet with Trev and Mike. Do you understand?”

  Malik is almost to us now so I nod and smile at him in welcome. He smiles back at me and looks between Masters and I. “It is good to see that you two have made up. Now everyone is very happy to have you, and most are excited to meet you. You are welcome to stay here as long as you see fit.” I nod at Masters who shakes Malik’s hand and then leaves.

  “Thank you so much for having me, Malik. I can’t wait to meet everyone. A friend of mine will be stopping by tomorrow to bring me some things. I hope that won’t be a problem?”

  “Not with us.” He means it might be a problem with the Counc
il, but I will cross that bridge if and when we come to it.

  “Shall we go meet everyone then?” I ask him instead to change the subject. He agrees and starts to lead me to the common area.

  As soon as Masters has left, I instantly want to call him back. I suddenly feel alone and terrified, but I tell myself to suck it up and to be as strong as I made Masters think I am. At least in the prisons, I had Masters and the guys with me. Here, I am completely alone with only the promise of safety from a stranger. I try to push back the feelings of unease. I want these people to accept me and see that I am telling the truth, hoping that they don’t realize how uncomfortable I am because it may send them the wrong message.

  Malik brings me to the middle of their common area. They have used several dozen tree stumps as stools to sit on. They are all arranged in a circle. I notice that there are so many men, women and children, probably close to 150. I have never imagined that there would be so many of them. The children all look so carefree and happy; they are running around, chasing each other and playing games. The parents, on the other hand, are all at ease, not yelling after them or making them stay by their side. This is very unusual to me. Children in the Zones are very well-behaved. If there is ever a gathering, the children are right beside their parents at all times on their best behavior. It is quite refreshing to see children playing and laughing at liberty.

  Actually, that is the first thing I notice about this place: how free its people are. The women wear loose, flowing dresses. Some men are in very simple shirt and work pants, while others have no shirt at all. All of their clothes are simple and handmade. As we walk to the center of the common area, I can feel everyone’s eyes on me. Curiosity is pouring from everyone there but, oddly enough, so is acceptance. I’ve never walked into a room of this many people before and felt accepted without having to earn it in some way. It is so weird being here and having people accept me with open arms before they even know anything about me. It is such a very humbling experience. Malik steps forward and raises his hand for silence; even the children stop playing long enough to listen.

  “Everyone, this very special young lady is the one that I want to introduce to you. She is President Rosaline Thatcher from the Ministry.”

  I whisper quickly in his ear for them to call me Roz, and that they do not need to stand on ceremony with President. These people do not have a President and I feel like an imposter. Malik smiles at me and goes on.

  “She would like for you to all call her Roz and not to stand on ceremony around her. I think she’s going to fit in nicely here. I would like everyone to show her around and make her feel at home. She will be staying with us for a few days to get a true feel of how we live.”

  I hear someone in the crowd yell “It’s about time!” and several shouts of agreement follow.

  Malik asks them to be silent again so he can continue. “Now listen up, guys. She is newly appointed and as soon as she found out about us, she came right over here out of respect to find out just who we are. We will return that same respect to her by accepting her without any problems. Isn’t that right?”

  Everyone nods and some even shout their yeses out.

  “Wonderful. Since it is just about quitting time, everyone start cleaning up so we can start dinner a little early tonight. It looks like we will have a celebration. I will make sure Miss Roz here gets settled and then we will make sure she gets to meet everyone. If the women wouldn't mind taking her under your wing, it will be highly appreciated.”

  All the women gladly agree with him and then smile at me. Some of the tension in my stomach starts to uncoil. This is turning out much better than I thought. Everyone starts to disperse. The men go in one direction while most of the women move in another. They seem to work like a well-oiled machine. The older kids take the younger ones from their mothers and then to a large opening to play. The men are cleaning and preparing some very fresh game and fish while the women are readying the vegetables and making some type of corn cakes. I watch in fascination while Malik goes off to find me a place to stay. I tell him I don’t want to be any trouble and can sleep outside until Wes comes with a tent, but he says that a friend of his is a widow who lives alone and will not mind if I stay with her. I stay put as he leaves to talk to her. I watch the children play while their parents work to have their dinner ready. I ask them several times if I can help, but everyone replies with, “Not tonight. You are our guest.” It is nice of them to treat me like a guest of honor, but the guilt slowly creeps up on me. Why do they treat me so well when I am the person who has basically kept them banished?

  As I am thinking this over, I notice a small little head peek over a large rock. All I see is blonde hair; he or she has bright blonde almost white hair and has big brown eyes looking over at me. I slowly start, moving closer to the rock, just a little movement at a time. Slowly, inch by inch, I go to the little creature that is staring out at me. I do not want to scare the child, so I look over to see if the others are still there. Two big brown eyes continue to stare back at me. I start to softly hum a song to myself, and I can faintly hear the child trying to hum along with me. Just as quietly as I came, I start to make my way back while I am still humming. I can see now that it is a small little girl. She is inching out as unhurried as she can from behind the rock. She is much smaller than I thought she would be, but she looks as if she is older than her size suggests. I think she’s three years old. The closer she comes, the softer I hum, until she is just a few feet away from me. I start to sing Wes’s favorite song very quietly. She sits right next to me on the stump and listens intently as she stares up at me with those large brown eyes. I smile down at her as I continue to sing a little bit louder now. The next thing I know, she has crawled up onto my lap and laid her little head against my chest. I hear her humming the song along with me. When it is over, I just continue singing, afraid to ruin this sweet moment. When I finish, I look down to see that she is already fast asleep. And that’s when I notice that everyone is staring at me with shock in their eyes.

  I’m not sure if they think I am going to harm her or what, but something is surely wrong. I don’t want to put her down since she is sleeping so well, but I also don’t want to overstep in this new place. I search the faces, frantically trying to find Malik. That’s when I notice a huge hulk of a man leaning against a far tree staring right at me. His eyes light with fire as he looks at the little girl, and then at me. He looks like he wants to come over and yell at me, but he just stands still. Just then, I notice that Malik is standing next to him, half hidden by the tree. I cannot hear what he is saying to the guy, but he is obviously trying to calm him down. I shoot him a “help me” look, and he gives me a smile and raises a finger as if to say that he will be with me in a moment. He keeps talking to the man who never once took his eyes off of me. After a moment, the man yells something at Malik and then angrily stomps off. Great, this is my first day and I’m already making enemies. However, I cannot feel bad about holding this sweet child on my lap. She looks so peaceful and happy.

  Malik walks up to me and sits down without saying anything. “I’m so sorry, Malik. I didn’t mean to upset anyone. I didn’t pick her up; she crawled up here while I was singing, and then she fell asleep. Should I put her down?” I know I am letting my fear show through, but it is hard to be confident when I feel so awkward and really, I cannot understand the people’s staring. Back in the Zones, no one would think twice about holding a child. I still cuddle Lily any chance I can get.

  “Hush now, child. You haven’t done anything wrong and there’s absolutely nothing to be sorry for. Folks are just shocked, that’s all. This little one here doesn’t take to anyone. She is very shy and a complete loner. The only one she allows to come near her is her brother. That’s why everyone is staring at you, Roz; not because you did anything wrong, but because you have the magic touch, that’s all.” I feel some of the tension drain from my shoulders. But that does not explain that man’s reaction upon seeing me.

&n
bsp; “What about that man you were talking to? He seems very angry with me.”

  Malik lets out a long sigh. “I was afraid you saw that. Don’t you pay him any mind, Roz, you hear me? I’m serious. He isn’t mad at you; he is mad at the world. It has nothing to do with you.”

  “So he wasn’t mad that I was holding her?” I can tell from the look on his face that I caught him.

  “Little Grace here is his sister. He is just very protective of her, that’s all. He is upset to see her with a stranger, and he doesn’t have good feelings towards the Ministry. But don’t you let that bother you. He will work it out. This sweet little one doesn’t have a momma, and she must miss her fiercely. If what she needs is for you to hold her then that’s what you will do, and Dex can just get over it. I told him as much.”

  Great, I’m here less than an hour and already acquired an enemy. “Maybe I should go talk to him to let him know that I mean no harm.”

  Malik is already shaking his head before she finishes talking. “No, no, Roz, don’t you fret over this. We are having a celebration tonight and in my book, this gives us something else to celebrate. This little one has been in need of a female’s touch for a while now and it looks like you came just in time.” He smiles over at me. “You just stay right here and hold that sweet angel. Dinner will be ready soon.” I can only nod back at him.

  “I’d hate to wake her up. Does she have a bed where I can lay her down? I don’t mind watching over her while her brother is gone.” Malik looks like he is struggling over what to do, unsure if he can let a stranger stay with this little girl. “I don’t have to stay in the house with her. I can sit outside.”

  “Oh don’t you worry about Dex, he can get over it. Come on, I’ll show you where the housing is so we can get this poor thing in bed. She doesn’t sleep well at nights so I’m sure she can use a good night’s sleep.” We walk across the field until we reach the housing area.