Glistening Haven: A Shape Shifting Dystopian Boxset

by Jill Cooper

  Mark clasped his shoulder. "Since we've met Nick he's always been good to us, eh?"

  "He's good people." Jackie agreed with a twinkle in her eye. "Stay for some apple pie? I would hate to see it go to waste."

  Mark chortled. "Hon, it won't be going to waste under my watch!"

  Jake nodded his thanks. "I would love to, but maybe some other time. I really need to get back to the farm. It'll be dark soon and I need to check on a few things. Next time I promise to help with the dishes, Mrs. Nuefeld."

  “Come now,” Liz said as she gathered up his dishes, “you know Ma never takes no for an answer.”

  The older woman laughed. "Oh heavens! What we ever did to get blessed with such a fine friend I’ll never know.”

  Jake smiled his thanks as pie was placed on the table. He didn’t want to overstay his welcome, but he didn’t want to be rude either. Picking up his fork, he watched Mark cut his slice in half.

  “These could be our last fresh pies of the season.” Mark said. “With winter coming, who knows how much fresh fruit we can keep for ourselves from the food storage.”

  Jackie huffed as she finished clearing the table. Liz put a few mugs down along with the creamer. “Well,” Jackie said, “If the US government has their way, we’ll starve while their states live off our surpluses.”

  “But they’re good to us, aren’t they?” Liz asked. “I mean they pay us.”

  Mark snorted with a mouth full of pie. “Well, not enough. And the taxes…the taxes we are forced to pay on our own crops so they can take it and sell it back to us? It’s outrageous. Outrageous! Every year the NH squeezes us for more food, more money.”

  “But,” Liz’s face was twisted with confusion, “they are the ones that keep us from the glistenings. Someone has to help pay to keep them in those bubbles.”

  Jake swallowed and pretended he wasn’t uncomfortable, like a hairy bug climbing up his leg.

  “And we get what for paying all our taxes?” Mark asked. “We don’t even get a police force. Hell, if it wasn’t for volunteers we’d have no private services at all.”

  Jackie smirked as she stirred cream into her coffee. “Yes, with all that crime we have.”

  “That ain’t the point, Jackie, and you know it.” Mark sighed. “Maybe I’m just a grumpy old man. What do you think, Nick?”

  His eyes widened and he coughed into his fist. “Well, maybe, Mr. Nuefeld, but it’s not wrong to want more than what we’re getting.” Truer words had never been spoken.

  Mark nodded in agreement. “And those new guys they have working at the grain elevators? Slimy. I don’t trust them. But since when can we trust the NH? They do what they want and oversee everything.” He shook his head. “With everything to worry about, I’m lucky to get a wink of sleep a night.”

  Jake’s face crumbled. The Nuefields were good people and he hated to see them so distraught, facing such hardship. “I’m sure one day it’ll get sorted out better. Once there’s more food to go around for everyone. I’m sure everyone appreciates the service Saskatchewan provides.”

  “That’s why I like you. You’re always optimistic and see the best in people.” Liz’s eyes flashed a warm look with kindness and understanding.

  Jake basked in it and realized what he was doing. He stood up. “I really need to be going. Thanks again, for everything.”

  He shook hands with Mark and nodded farewells to Jackie. Liz stood up and rushed after him. "Mind if I walk you out, Nick?"

  Jake never minded and that was part of the problem. "I'd be honored."

  She smiled and bit her lip, looking so sweet and innocent. Jake knew he had to keep his distance, but when he was with her, his heart soared in a way it hadn't since he lost Wendy. He tried not to think about her most days, but when Liz hooked her arm through his on the porch, Jake couldn't help himself.

  The way Wendy smiled at him those first days in school before he even realized what being in love meant. How soft her lips were the first time he kissed her.

  And how much pain she was in the night they fled for their lives. The night their son would come into the world.

  And Wendy would lose hers.

  He never said good-bye. Wendy didn't get to live the life she was meant to. Because of him.

  So much death and destruction, and all because of him. Because he couldn't keep his hands to himself.

  Liz walked him down the porch to his green pickup truck. Jake came by it used and it had seen better days, but it was reliable. It was tough enough to go back and forth on the old gravel roads home to his farm. "The sunset is beautiful, isn't it?"

  Her words rang true. Only half the sun was peeking over the horizon and its orange blaze created streaks almost like those left by an orange crayon against the night's purple hued sky. "Gorgeous is more like it." Like the ones he shared with Wendy at the old cabin before they ran, before she became so pregnant all he did was worry about her.

  He was a damn glistening and his son was just like him. But Jake would make sure no one would ever harm the baby. He didn't care what it meant for him, anyone, but Wendy's death wouldn't be in vain. His son wasn't just some damn test tube.

  So maybe he wasn't the one singing it to sleep. Maybe he would never be dad. But if his dad, Jeff Monroe, taught him anything it was that you would move heaven and earth for family. No sacrifice was too great. Jake didn't know much about Jenna Morgan. But he knew she was loyal to Wendy's family and that meant she would die to protect Travis and his secret. Jake didn't care if she was New Haven once. All that mattered was that she loved his boy. And she did. Time after time, Jake saw it in her eyes, even if they never spoke. Even if Jenna never knew he was there.

  "You're awfully quiet tonight. You okay, Nick?" Liz asked and rested her hand on his arm.

  It tingled to be touched by her and that was bad. Bad indeed.

  Jake forced a smile. "Of course I'm fine, Liz. Just tired. Long day. But you're right, the sunset is beautiful." It wasn't the only thing. The way the sunlight caught Liz's gentle wavy hair, it brought out the amber highlights. When she tucked it behind her ears, Jake could make out her strong, sexy jaw. Liz might have worn a lot of long, loose dresses, but she was beautiful. Maybe if he wasn't a glistening he could be happy with her. Maybe he could even keep her safe, but it wasn't right. Wendy had been dead barely a year.

  Jake wasn't ready to let her memory go.

  "Some of us are going to meet in town tomorrow. Catch an old movie. Thought it might be fun. Thought you might want to come?" Liz tugged on her finger and her eyes were filled with hope.

  He suppressed a sigh. To Liz, to everyone, he was nothing but a recently graduated high school kid. So how could he tell them he had way more important things to worry about than hanging out and watching movies? A year ago he would have wanted nothing more, but now...some days Jake wished nothing had changed and he was still inside New Haven 56, where things were safe. But that was just the thing. Nothing in there was safe.

  At least on the outside they had no illusions. Had nothing to hide behind.

  "I'll see. Might have to help my dad." He gave her a killer smile. "But thanks for thinking of me."

  "All right. Well, text me when you know. Bye, Nick." Liz took a step forward and gazed into his eyes. It was a beautiful face, but Jake couldn't give in. He had nothing to offer and she had a world in front of her that he couldn't touch.

  "Thanks for walking me out." He touched the rim of his hat in a parting good-bye.

  Her mouth opened in disappointment and her eyes glinted.

  He pretended not to notice. The gravel crunched and the hairs on the back of Jake’s neck stood up; they weren’t alone.

  Gazing out into the darkness, Jake’s glistening vision allowed him to see one of the farm hands walking by with an old gardening hoe in his hand. His name was Charlie and when he was around, the air turned cooler. With great suspicion, Charlie’s eyes swept through Jake. But he was too far away to actually make eye contact with Jake.

&
nbsp; So why did he always feel the need to protect Liz when he was around?

  Liz followed his gaze, her lips twisting to the side. “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing,” Jake’s words were flat and he barely believed them himself. “Just thought I heard something. Go inside, okay? Where it’s safe.”

  “I’m pretty sure it’s safe out here. Who would come out this far?”

  Jake gave her a small smile. “You’re probably right. Good evening, Liz.”

  “Bye, Nick.” Her words trailed off and expectations hung between them. Expectations that Jake couldn’t meet.

  When he slid into the car, Liz walked back up the steps, giving the truck enough room to do a one-eighty. Dust kicked up and when he hit the road, pebbles popped up, clinking against the underside of the truck's carriage.

  It would take forty minutes to drive back to his farm. In his glistening form he could fly it in ten. But you couldn't go all dragon when you were wanted dead or alive.

  For now he would have to settle for the truck.

  Speed limitations aside, being a human wasn't half bad. Most of the time.

  Chapter Two Jake

  It was dark when Jake arrived back at old Froese farm. He called it home along with the remaining survivors of New Haven 56. The stars were a beacon in the night sky and there was a fresh crispness to the air when the sunset. Fall was getting closer and it made him nervous.

  The farmhouse was a simple white building, but it was big enough for a large family which meant there were enough rooms to go around. Some of his friends had to make due living in the stables while they built a second living space. In the summer that was fine, but now it was time to step up their time table.

  Winters in Saskatchewan were notorious for being bitterly cold. With health care scarce and expensive, Jake didn't want to risk losing anyone. He had enough of that already.

  He inspected the chickens on the way in. Each chicken was microchip tagged so the NH could keep track of it if sold or slaughtered for meat. The eggs were counted and reported each day. The Neufields were right. The NH would tax them for every penny they could.

  When Jake first touched down in Saskatchewan he thought he was free. If anything he was caged more now than before with NH officers around every corner. How long could he go undiscovered?

  Jake went in through the kitchen and saw his dad, Jeff Monroe, doing dishes at the old farmhouse sink. He was young looking with soft brown hair, and kind eyes. A glistening just like Jake who would never appear to age, which in town sometimes brought Jake tough questions he didn't have answers to.

  Jeff wore a flannel shirt, cuffed at the elbows. While he appeared young there was sadness in his eyes that never left. It had been that way ever since his wife, Susan, was killed by the New Haven police. But it was her actions that showed the glistenings they could defeat the police if they stood together. It was how they managed to escape.

  But it was thanks to Jake that they stopped feeding on human flesh. It was his words that brought them out of their crazed blood lust. His voice, his presence for whatever reason was a calming presence. No one knew why, least of all Jake but he was thankful he was able to save his friends and family. Just didn't know what their next move was other than living from one day to the next.

  It had been enough at first but now Jake was getting an itch. While he stayed at the farmhouse, he couldn't scratch it.

  Jake picked up the dish towel on the back of the chair. "Where's Marie?" His kid sister, who at seventeen was growing up. Soon she'd want what everyone wanted. What he wanted. A life and future. Love.

  Jeff picked up a small paper cup on the counter and downed whatever was in it. "She turned in already. She has an early morning tomorrow. How was your time at the Nuefeld farm?"

  He eyed the cup, but didn’t say anything even as his chest tightened. "Good." Jake wiped a plate and put it away in the cupboard. "They have some supplies we'll be able to use. We'll trade them what they need in exchange." He removed a folded piece of paper from his pocket and placed it on the granite counter top. "See to it, won't you Dad?"

  Jeff nodded. "Of course I will. Tomorrow morning Meghan and her kids are heading early to the farmer's market in town. If you want to go, get some time away..."

  Jake laughed and leaned against the counter. "There's enough to do here."

  "You are going to run yourself into the ground." Jeff sighed and turned off the water. "You have enough on your plate, I know. But you're just a kid, Jake. You need some fun too. Liz will be in town tomorrow, won't she?"

  He sighed. "Not you too. Yeah, she'll be in town. And yeah she asked me to meet up with her and some of the kids but I don't see any reason—I’d just rather not. Okay?"

  Jeff studied his son and Jake felt like an open book. "Is this about losing Wendy? Your son?"

  Jake bit his lip and put his hands in his pockets. "I'm not ready to move on. Is that so horrible?"

  "Of course not." Jeff put a hand on Jake's shoulder. "I wish I could have helped you. Her. But, Jake, you're a young man. You can meet someone. You can still have a happy life."

  "With a human?" Jake gave a bitter laugh. "Sorry, but I think I'm done with that. Until we make plans for what we're going to do, I can't think about going out and having fun."

  "What's wrong with staying here?" Jeff's tone was laced with hope. "We have enough to eat. The new rooms are almost done being built. I kind of like it here. Getting my hands dirty. It feels good to produce something."

  "But we're hiding. No different than when we lived in the bubble." Jake sighed. "I'll figure out what we need to do. I just need time."

  "We'll do whatever you think is best. You know that. Glistenings, well, we'll follow you anywhere, son." Jeff nodded his head in a way that was less of a father and more of a servant, a subject.

  Jake swallowed hard. He knew that.

  But it didn't make anything better.

  “Get some sleep, Dad, would you?” Jake said softly and reached for the cup.

  Jeff put his hand on top of it. “I’m almost done. I love you, son, and I’d follow you into hell, but I make my own decisions. On what I drink and when.”

  Jake let out a slow and steady breath. “You didn’t do this back home. New Haven, I mean.”

  Jeff met his eyes in a steady gaze. “It’s all right to think of it as your home. It was.” He stammered on, “It’s…where your mother was. She made it everything. And now without her, sure, sometimes I need a drink. There’s worse ways of coping, wouldn’t you say?”

  Jake would, but he couldn’t find the words. He just hated seeing the changes in everyone. He missed things the way they used to be.

  On his way to his room, Jake passed by the study. The glow of the television beneath the closed door drew him closer. He knocked and slid the door open.

  Sitting on the sofa with the local paper laid out in front of him was Victor Martin. As a glistening they were barely acquaintances in New Haven 56, but now Victor was Jake's right hand man. When he wasn't helping Jake, he was voicing concern and brainstorming new ideas Jake hadn't thought of. For that, Jake would forever be grateful.

  Dark hair and blue eyes made him stick out in a crowd. Not to mention how Victor looked at his sister. "Hey, Vic." Jake said and gave him a nod.

  Victor was sitting with his elbows on his knees and leaning forward to read the paper, his hands clasped in front of him. "Take a look at this."

  Jake moved a pillow and sat beside him. "What's up?" The paper was the Saskatchewan Territory paper ‘The Wheat land Chronicles’. It featured farming news and occasionally larger news stories coming up from the mother country--the USA.

  The headline read "New Haven 57 Population set to grow by 500."

  "Teams are going to be busing in Glistening prisoners to their new home. This is what we've been working for. If we strike at the right time, we can free them. Have them join us."

  Jake wasn't sure that was the right move. "Violence isn't the answer."

&
nbsp; Victor shook his head. "They treat us like animals! Locked up with monitoring collars. And if we step out of line, you know what they'll do."

  "Of course I do. They killed my mother." Jake was quiet. "If we attack them it could start a war. Us against them. That won't help anyone."

  He blinked his eyes and took an unsteady breath. His eyes wouldn't meet Jake's. "So what will help us, Jake? We need to do something. We've been up here for far too long. It's good to be settled down. It's good to be somewhere, but Goddamn it, we are as much prisoners here as we were in that damn bubble."

  His words stung. "Don't you think you're exaggerating? Here we're free. We have our crops, our animals. We answer to no one, just like anyone else."

  “It’s only a matter of time before the NH tax collectors give us extra scrutiny. We can pretend to be human, but to pretend to be Americans? That’s traceable.” Victor shook his head and folded the paper. "I’d rather they find out on our terms, rather than theirs.”

  What he said made sense, but Jake still didn’t think violence would solve anything. “We need to show them we’re not dangerous. Not out to kill humans. How can we do that with violence?”

  “I’m not talking about killing them.” Victor’s eyes darkened. “You need to figure something out soon, Jake. You know I stand with you. I support you. But you're supposed to be our leader. So lead."

  Victor huffed and threw the papers down on the table. Jake followed it with his eyes. Scowling he swept it away. The coffee table was lined with maps of the US and the old trans-Atlantic railway system.

  “What’s this all about?”

  “Just studying. You know what a history buff I am.” Victor pointed to the area that was once Arizona and Nevada. “Mexico is making a push north to claim more territory. The US is trying to push them back. If there was a time for us to strike—.”

  “No.” Jake said adamantly and stood up. “I won’t say it again, Victor. Don’t push it. War is not the answer.”

  Victor’s shoulders rounded and he shook his head. He sneered, but he didn’t argue. “Then you better come up with one. And soon.”