plantation

by Stella Samiotou Fitzsimons

  I glance at Finn and realize he’s not going to say anything to Damian now that the danger has passed. Everybody else is either too young or too gullible to say anything in Theo’s defense. It’s probably my turn to step up.

  “The only reason you guys made it back to the camp safe is because Theo managed to cut off communications for the Slimies,” I say as calmly as possible. “He messed up their satellite frequencies or something. Right, Zoe?”

  Zoe looks as if I just poured hot oil on her. Damian goes redder than usual, if that was possible. He stares down at me with contempt.

  Daphne cuts in. “Give it a rest, Freya. We’re safe this time. We’ll all learn from this and try not to repeat any of it.”

  “Why are we judging the one person who made sure we’d be safe?” I say.

  Finn takes me by the arm and pulls me out of headquarters.

  “What are you doing?” I ask him angrily as we head for our tents. “Do you agree with him? Should we let Damian’s temper dictate everything?”

  “What I think is that without discipline we’ve got nothing.”

  “You defied Damian, too, earlier.”

  “No, I didn’t. I reminded him of what was important at the moment. Freya, you have things to learn like Daphne said. We all do.”

  He leaves me standing by the tents and heads back to headquarters. I’m furious and burning with the desire to break something. I feel a hot streak of tears run down my cheeks. That infuriates me even more.

  I feel helpless and useless and I can’t make it stop. I want to do something, have another feeling, any feeling. Solutions never come to me. I’m not like Damian and Finn. All I manage to do is go inside Finn’s tent and steal his knife.

  Chapter 5

  Finn and I have taken the morning off. Doc suggested this for Finn to speed his recovery and I decided to do the same so I can spend some time with him. Finn doesn’t know about it yet. Nor does he know that I am responsible for his knife missing. I already regret my momentary lapse in judgment but I don’t want him to know how foolish I can be. I will sneak in and put the knife back when he’s out on a mission or training.

  The sky is a wonderful clear blue today with not a single cloud in sight. I can hear clanking and banging coming from the combat ring and, as strange as it might seem, that noise has come to be one of the most comforting sounds in the world for me. It’s a reassurance that life is as it should be.

  I go outside and sit in front of my tent with an eye fixed toward Finn’s door. I begin cleaning and sharpening my own knife. It’s a repetitive, evocative action that helps calm down my nerves. I’ve done a lot of thinking and I’m determined to make things right between Finn and me. We are nothing if we don’t learn from our mistakes. And I want to be more than nothing.

  It’s going to be very hot today. It’s only seven in the morning and temperatures have already risen above eighty-five degrees.

  I get tired of waiting for Finn so I walk over to the facilities and get two bottles of icy water. Theo has built a cooling system that leaves the bottles nicely chilled.

  When I get back, Finn’s up and holding my knife that I left outside my tent.

  “Good morning,” I tell him with the most sincere smile I can muster.

  “Hey,” he replies, “you got water for me already.”

  “Yep, brain-frying day ahead of us.”

  I hand him one bottle and glance at my knife in his hands.

  “I can’t find mine,” he says as he hands it over to me.

  I turn my face the other way so he doesn’t see the fire on my cheeks.

  “You must have misplaced it. Unless you lost it in that ravine,” I say, trying to hide any sign of guilt. There are things I do that make no sense. When you are lost and feel you don’t belong, emotions become unreliable. You do things just to forget the reality that you don’t belong, but I’m not sure any of that can excuse stealing your best friend’s knife.

  “No, I brought it back. Don’t worry, I’ll find it.” He drinks some water and spits it out the side. He sees my disgusted face. “What?” he says. “Had to rinse the morning out of my mouth.”

  I am more disgusted with myself than with him, but I play along. “Must you do it in front of me?”

  “I’ve seen you do worse, Freya.”

  Unable to smile for him, I examine my knife.

  “When do you start training?” Finn asks.

  “I don’t, actually. I took the morning off so we can have some quality time. Isn’t that what they used to call it?”

  Finn laughs so loud that I can’t help but laugh myself.

  “You’ve been reading books again?” he asks.

  “I watched a movie,” I confess. “I know we’re not supposed to spend too much time at the library, but I only watched the first half and then left, promise.”

  “What kind of movie?”

  “Family stuff.”

  “Your favorite.”

  I don’t want to say yes to that, so I say nothing.

  “Okay,” Finn continues. “Since we are both free, why don’t we go watch the second half of your movie?”

  Why not indeed? “Sure,” I say. “Sounds like a plan.”

  We let Rabbit know so he’ll have an answer for Daphne if she asks where we went, which she will. I know that Rabbit would like to go, too, but I want Finn all to myself right now.

  The half of the library that is left standing is full of wonders. Books, movies, magazines, newspapers and music are all at our disposal. We can watch the movies and listen to music on the one ancient computer that Theo has repaired. Almost everything we have learned about the world before the aliens came, we have learned in there.

  At the plantations they taught us about technology, medicine, science, math, biology and combat skills, but they said nothing about the history of the human world, nothing about traditions, family life, neighborhoods, towns or countries. Those things we have read and watched here, in the library.

  Finn in particular is very interested in history. He never misses a chance to inform me about things like the Civil War, the constitution, the birth of democracy, and dinosaurs which are by far his favorite subject. He hopes to find fossils one day. He and Scout discuss dinosaurs and fossil hunting more than Rabbit talks about cheetahs.

  I’m more interested in the ways societies used to be organized. I’m fascinated with schools, family life and the movies. I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to be an actor back then and get to live different kinds of lives. Or what it would be like to have two parents who cared for you and supported you. But I will never admit to that. Not even to Finn.

  He has a limp again today and it gets worse as we walk. There is an overgrowth of bushes and shrubs all along the path and that makes it even harder for Finn to walk straight.

  I look around and find a branch at about the right height. I take off all leaves and give it to Finn. It needs to be adjusted a bit so I take out my knife and fix it for him.

  “Well, thank you for all your hard work, but I don’t really need it,” he says.

  “What do you mean you don’t need it? You can barely walk.”

  “I’m protecting my leg, that’s all.” He sighs as he sees my disappointment. He gives in and takes the makeshift cane I just made for him.

  “So you do need it after all,” I tease him.

  “I’d rather have a walking stick than hear another lecture about how careless I am.”

  I stick my tongue out. “You’re lucky you’re wounded,” I say, “or I’d tickle you so bad, you’d beg for my mercy.”

  “Don’t put any ideas in my head.”

  Yeah, I should probably stop. I’m the ticklish one, after all.

  We reach the library half an hour later. Finn checks the perimeter with his binoculars before giving me the clear sign.

  We enter through the demolished east wall. Everything seems to be intact and exactly as we left it the last time we were here.

  “Right, let me
go check on a book while you’re getting your movie,” he says. I know he’ll bring back some history book and leaf through it while we watch the movie. That always annoys me, but he’s lucky I feel guilty enough to allow him anything today.

  The library calms me down. I like to stroll about the silent aisles whose only inhabitants now are books and bugs looking to shelter themselves from the heat. I enjoy the feeling of paper on my fingertips as I pass through the pages of a book. I like studying the pictures of the authors on the back and try to figure out what their lives must have been like.

  I find the movie I’m looking for up on the shelf where I put it last time and take it to the computer. I have to plug it into the small generator Theo has installed under the floor. I start the movie and look for Finn. I find him sitting on the floor with an open book in his lap. He barely responds when I tell him the movie is playing.

  “What’s so interesting?” I ask.

  “It’s funny how people used to communicate back then,” he says as he puts the book back. I manage to take a look at the title as I help him get up: Literature’s Most Famous Love Stories.

  I know better than to mention the title, but I scrunch my face up in wonderment behind his back.

  We settle down on chairs in front of the computer monitor. Finn takes an apple out of his pocket.

  “Can I have your knife?” he says.

  I’m stunned for a second or two before I come to my senses and hand him the knife. Guilt is an overpowering feeling.

  Finn cuts the apple in half with my knife as I fast forward the movie to the point I stopped watching last time.

  “What have I missed so far?” he asks as he hands me my half apple.

  “Well, there’s a family, a mother and four daughters, and they’re having a jolly good time and it’s Christmas. They wear fancy dresses so it must be, I don’t know, the 20th century? There’s all this family love and sisterly rivalry, but in a good sense, and I’m pretty sure something bad is about to happen, so let’s watch.”

  Twenty minutes later I turn off the computer and spring out of the chair.

  “Something wrong?” Finn asks.

  I shake my head. “Everything’s perfect,” I say. “It’s time to get back.”

  Finn examines my face. “It’s all right, Freya, I know that you miss your mother and your sisters.”

  “How could I miss them? I haven’t seen them in ten years,” I say as my eyes well up.

  “Come here,” Finn says as he puts his arms around me.

  I let my head rest against his chest. “You’re all I have, Finn, my only family,” I whisper. “I never want to be mad at you again.”

  “That’ll be the day,” he says. I can imagine the grin on his face.

  I compose myself as quickly as I can. “Did you put everything back where it was?” I ask him.

  He nods but we check around one last time before we leave anyway.

  We’re not very talkative on the way back but we never had to talk to feel connected. He makes me feel at home. I’m tempted to confess about the knife, but I don’t want this moment to change. The sun and the breeze and a walk with Finn are just what I have been needing.

  My sense of bliss evaporates when Finn grabs me by the arm and forces me to get down to the ground.

  “What is it?” I whisper but he hushes me.

  He takes out his touchpad and slowly punches in a command. I know what he’s doing. He activates the sensor in the touchpad. It has a very limited range which means whatever it is he’s looking for must be near us.

  The signal comes in and verifies his fears. There’s movement nearby. Maybe two hundred yards away. Finn sensed it because he’s always prepared, always alert.

  We crawl our way out of the path and into the woods. There’s no telling if this is of any use. If there are Sliman around, chances are they already know we’re here.

  We breathe slowly, clinging to the ground, our faces close together. The only thing that keeps me from panicking is Finn. His hand rests on mine reassuring and strong.

  We hear the footsteps clearly. The sensor lights go crazy on the touchpad. Finn squeezes my hand before he lets go and reaches for his pulse gun. I do the same. I realize fighting is better than dying.

  Three Sliman guards come walking down the path. Their huge figures loom over the landscape menacingly. They are in no hurry. I can see their black cloaks and hoods through the vegetation, and their heavy boots as they hit the ground, but I cannot make out their faces or their insignia. I can’t tell if they are part of a patrol or if they’re just strolling about for reasons known only to them.

  I wonder if we could take them out. If it’s just the three of them, they wouldn’t have a chance to react if we started shooting. I look at Finn and he reads my mind in an instant. He shakes his head and although I know he’s right, I still wish we could do something instead of hiding.

  When the Sliman have disappeared down the path and to the opposite direction of our camp, Finn and I can finally sit up and breathe freely.

  “What do you make of this?” I say.

  “I don’t know. If they were a patrol, they would have detected our presence. Strange. Maybe they’re travelling somewhere.”

  I nod. It still doesn’t make sense though. “Does this mean Lost Town won’t be safe anymore?” I ask. “Damian will probably ban visits to the library.”

  “Yeah. He’s not a big risk taker,” Finn says. “Maybe Theo can install a sensor here to see if more Sliman will pass through.”

  We get up and clean the dust off our clothes. I notice that my hands are shaking slightly and so does Finn.

  “Calm down, Tick,” he says. “We’re not in danger. Not anymore.”

  “I’m not worried. It’s my adrenaline. I made myself ready for battle.”

  “You sound disappointed.”

  “Well, what have we been training for? Hiding in bushes?”

  Finn offers me one of his radiant smiles. “Don’t be in such a hurry,” he says. “Battle must have a purpose. It’s not just to tickle Tick’s fancy.”

  I shove him and he almost loses his balance.

  “What?” he protests.

  I find the walking stick and hand it back to him.

  “That’s your reward for being so clever and condescending at the same time,” I say and before I know it, he moves closer. His eyes seem to breathe as they look at mine and his lips meet my forehead for a long, brotherly kiss.

  *

  RABBIT IS EXCITED to see us when we get back to the camp.

  “Out with it, what’s up?” I command him.

  “Scout wants to move in a tent here with us,” he pronounces.

  Finn scratches his forehead. “Oh boy,” is the only thing he manages to say.

  “I think it’s a great idea,” I jump in. “The more the merrier.”

  “Stop egging him on,” Finn says.

  “Why not? We’ll have so much fun,” I say.

  Even more so because it will annoy Daphne. It’s a win-win situation. Finn will come to appreciate it.

  Chapter 6

  We walk at a snail’s pace since we entered a three-mile radius of the plantation to avoid being picked up by the sensors that are likely to be in the area. The sky is dark and cloudy which actually works in our favor since any interference with the satellites, no matter how small, can help with our mission.

  I volunteered immediately when the mission was announced thinking it would be a good idea to take Finn’s place for once. I owe him this much and he can use all the rest he can get.

  We set out very early yesterday, Rabbit, Daphne, Tilly, Nya and me, to give ourselves enough time to rest and chart every step. Daphne is in charge of the operation. Finn made me promise I wouldn’t stir any trouble for her. It’s like he lives in my head.

  Rabbit is excited and worried at the same time. Plantation-6, our final destination today, is the plantation he escaped from—the place where he got trained and tested, and where he made his fir
st friends, Kicky and Mendy as he likes to call them. The chances of him spotting them from the hill are minuscule. There are about two thousand kids in the plantation but he can’t stop thinking about his friends anyway.

  As we near the plantation, we have to be silent, quiet as mice, making sure we won’t disturb anything around us. If we could talk now, I would try to tell Rabbit some story to take his mind off things. As it is, I can only touch his shoulder encouragingly every now and then.

  Rabbit believed in the Saviors the first moment he heard the legend. He made a run for it, literally, as soon as he saw an opportunity. A broken surveillance system, combined with some argument among the Sliman guards, and Rabbit ran like the wind. I was pretty new myself to our band of fugitives and could not believe an eleven-year-old had managed to escape on his own. It was Nya who spotted him and a team was sent out to collect him.

  Two years later, Rabbit is sent on a mission to spy on Plantation-6 from a safe distance up in the hills and to gather information. This is the third plantation we’re monitoring. We started with Plantation-4 where Doc was harvested as a child. Then it was Plantation-7, Scout’s grounds of origin. We plan to study all of them to learn as much as we can about their similarities and differences, with the exception of plantations twelve through fifteen. Nobody has a good idea of what’s going on there but we do know that they are heavily guarded and protected. Perhaps one day we will be ready for them but for now it’s too risky. If we get really lucky, we might find some fugitive from one of those mysterious plantations. That would make things a lot easier for future missions.

  Daphne signals to us that we should halt. She takes out her detection device and searches the frequencies for an opening. She nods. We are close enough. Theo said that once we reached this point, we could safely interfere with the satellite control systems and as a result block their security tech. We take out our touchpads and type in the coordinates for the satellite. Each one of us will control part of its operation.

  “All right,” Daphne says, “we have twenty minutes before the aliens realize there’s interference. Let’s make them count.”