Harper continued. “Group one will wait five hundred meters down the road from group two. If they fail, group two get their turn to attempt to stop the truck. Each group will wait in the dark at the designated rendezvous points for the truck to arrive.”
“How will we know it’s the right truck?” asked Joe.
“Cameron said he’ll send us the truck’s name and number plates as soon as the canisters are loaded,” replied Janine.
“Group one will park a second car down an embankment with the lights on, and someone will wave down the truck as though they’ve been in an accident,” said Harper.
“I’ll do it,” piped up Laina.
Harper hadn’t even asked for a volunteer yet. Joe shot her an ‘are you sure?’ glance.
She nodded and looked back towards the group. “I think I’ve spent too much time sitting on my hands. This is something I should do.” She looked at Joe. “I want to help.”
She turned her gaze towards me as though searching for approval. I smiled in encouragement, thankful it was a smile instead of a glare. Maybe she was coming around and understood why Joe wanted to be involved.
“What happens if they keep going?” asked Byron. “This is the MMC we’re talking about.”
“You’ll contact group two, who’ll run spikes across the road to blow the truck’s tyres,” said Harper. “The problem is it’s more dangerous. The truck could lose control, and if the occupants are armed they could come out shooting. We’ll cross our fingers group one is successful and it doesn’t come to that. Once we have the canisters in our care, we’ll come back here and celebrate before organising the next step in our plan.”
Janine added, “Cameron wants to make sure we exercise the plan with precision and without haste. If we want to finish the MMC once and for all, we want to ensure we carry out our plans meticulously.”
Cameron had been stressing the need for careful planning since we’d started, and it looked like he’d get his way now he was technically in charge. Although, the more I thought about it, he’d been in charge the entire time. He and Tech organised the destruction of the dream computers in the city’s facility, and they also organised my rescue from the MMC facility in the bush. Now he was planning to destroy the MultiMind Corporation for good. Maybe I’d misunderstood him, and hadn’t realised how much effort he was putting into our cause. I’d been so upset I was different because I was a Dreamer that I made him think he wasn’t good enough and didn’t belong because he was a Non-Dreamer.
Was that the reason he’d had enough? He was sick of being made to think he wasn’t good enough because he wasn’t a Dreamer? Maybe it was why he had it stuck in his head I belonged with Joe. The thought it was my fault we were over made me angry. He’d blamed my friendship with Joe and my compulsion to constantly chase danger, but maybe it was as simple as me treating him as different instead of as my equal. For so long I’d thought he was better than me, then it’d changed when I’d learnt the truth and he wasn’t a Dreamer. Now we were nothing, and I had no one to blame but myself.
Laina’s hand on my back made me jump. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You didn’t. Well, actually, you did, but I was just thinking about some things.” The fright had muddled my thoughts.
“I was hoping we could go somewhere and talk?”
Joe stood next to Byron, watching us, giving me a slight nod.
“Of course. Where did you want to go?” I asked.
“Why don’t we go to the stream? I like it down there.”
“Me too.”
I followed her down the path, Sarah smiling at me as we passed. I wasn’t exactly sure why Laina wanted to talk to me, but I was certain it’d have something to do with Joe. And if Joe wanted us to get along, I’d make every effort to do so.
As we approached the stream, the towering palms cast shadows over the glass surface of the water. I closed my eyes, allowing the forests energy to settle my growing nerves.
“Why don’t we sit on those rocks so we can put our feet in the water?” she suggested.
We made our way toward the cluster of boulders. As I sat down, the cool water slipped around my feet, chilling my skin. The winter’s cold had begun to sneak into the stream. Goosebumps ran along my legs and up to my arms. An awkwardness formed between us as I stared at my feet. I swished them in the water to keep them warm. Laina remained silent. Was she waiting for me to speak first? Was there something I was meant to say?
“I wanted to talk to you about Joe. I know you and I don’t know each other well, but you’re obviously important to him, so I want the chance to get to know you,” she blurted it out without taking a breath, staring at the ripples in the water.
“I’m glad you pulled me aside. Joe’s important to me too.”
“Why is that?” Her shortness made me uncomfortable. “Sorry, I don’t want to sound rude, but why is there such a strong bond between the two of you?” She looked up into my eyes, searching them for an answer.
“To be honest, I don’t know. I can’t speak for Joe. But for me, I think it’s because he opened my eyes to what was happening. He was the first person to make me believe I wasn’t different and that I didn’t need to be fixed. We went through so much together with losing Dawn and fighting the MMC. I guess it made those of us involved closer.”
She nodded, processing the information. “I do like you, you know. I know it probably doesn’t seem that way sometimes when I’m acting jealous, but I do.”
Why was she jealous of me?
“That’s good to know, because you seem like a really nice person. Joe wouldn’t be with you if you weren’t.”
“Thanks, that means a lot. Sometimes I wonder if Joe and I will ever understand each other.”
“How do you mean?”
“I get why Dreamers want to stop what’s happening, and trust me, I don’t want to end up controlled by the MMC. But I don’t understand why you both feel like you have to be the ones to do it.”
She may as well have taken the words straight out of Cameron’s mouth. Except we hadn’t ever talked about it. We’d never tried to understand it from each other’s point of view.
“I want them gone,” I said. “They made me think there was something wrong with me, imprisoned me in a psych ward, and killed Joe’s Aunty Dawn, who’d treated me like I was her daughter. They kidnapped me, tortured me, and I’d thought they’d killed the person I loved. The past year and a half of my life has been controlled by them in some way or another, and I want to be free of them.”
“I guess it’s hard to understand when my life hasn’t been affected like yours and Joe’s.”
“That’s why Cameron and I didn’t work. His view was so different from mine, and we didn’t understand each other.”
“Maybe Joe and I can’t work either.”
“That isn’t what I’m saying. Just because we couldn’t work out how to communicate doesn’t mean you and Joe won’t. You need to listen to one another. I told him the same thing the other day.”
“The other day? When you walked in on us fighting?” She turned to face me, lifting her feet from the water.
“I really didn’t mean to.”
Laina rolled her eyes in response.
“I’m not a threat to you and Joe. He really cares about you and asked me what he should do to make sure he didn’t lose you.”
“He asked you that?”
“Yes, he did. He’s scared you’re going to end up like Cameron and me. I’m going to tell you what I told him. I’m the last person either of you should be asking for relationship advice.”
She smiled at my self-deprecating answer. “Thanks, Amelia, I’m so glad we had this chat. I feel like a weight has lifted off my shoulders.”
To be honest, I did too. I was happy Joe had found a nice girl to be with, but a part of me felt a twinge of sadness too. I hoped it was because he’d found love and I hadn’t. I’d had my chance to choose him, and I’d chosen to let him go. Now he�
�d fallen for Laina.
“I guess we need to be on the same page if we’re going to be working together in this hijacking,” I said.
“I don’t know how you can be so calm about it all. Joe’s acting like it’s something he’s done a thousand times... but it isn’t, is it?”
“Not that I know of.” I laughed. “I guess we’ve dealt with so much that we’ve become a bit numb to these types of situations. But I promise you, when it comes to the night of stopping the truck, we’ll be more than a little nervous. It was brave of you to put your hand up to be the bait.”
“Bait? When you put it that way, I’m not sure if I made the right decision. But I figure if I can get their attention, I’ve played my part without having to do anything too dangerous. I wasn’t made for this stuff like you two are. But I want Joe to know I’m on his side, even if I don’t understand it completely.”
“You don’t have to come. We wouldn’t judge you if you decided to stay behind. And I know Joe will understand.”
“Would you prefer I wasn’t there?”
“I’m happy for you to join us. But only if you want to.”
“I do want to. I want to help. I’m sick of waiting around camp while you’re all out, worrying if you’ll come back and waiting to be able to go home.”
Home. Now there was a nice thought. It’d been so long since I’d stayed anywhere that felt even remotely like home, a safe place to sleep and to have space to myself. What I wouldn’t give to spend one night in my bedroom in Joe’s blue clad house by the beach. I longed to smell the salty scent of the ocean being carried on the breeze drifting through my window. I couldn’t wait to go back and sink my feet into the grit of the sand of Sandhaven Beach and float in its gentle waves. It was why we were doing this, to be free. To be able to go home.
Chapter Fourteen
The sound of a bell ringing reverberated through my ears and into my skull, dragging me groggily from my sleep. I rolled over to find Sarah sitting upright, her hair askew, and her eyes squinting at me in disbelief.
“What the hell is going on?” she croaked, rubbing her eyes.
Unable to string words together yet, I gave her a shrug before lifting my pillow and squishing it over my face and ears. The sound of our zipper opening made me remove my pillow as a smiling Harper appeared in our doorway.
“Rise and shine, ladies. We have lots of organising and practicing to do today.”
“Sure, be right there,” grumbled Sarah.
Harper’s face disappeared.
“I think she’s finally lost it,” said Sarah as she replaced her pyjama top with a singlet.
“She’s the one person I know who likes getting up before the sun,” I whined and began dressing.
Outside, everyone else was crawling from their tents, combing their hair with their fingers and rubbing their eyes. Seemed there was more people than Sarah and me who would’ve preferred a sleep in. Dew clung to the outside of our tents and the air felt cold and damp. Hugging myself, I followed Sarah and our group congregated around the centre of camp, giving each other mumbled good mornings and half-baked smiles.
“Don’t look so excited, guys,” began Harper, who was way too chirpy for the early hour. Although, I had no idea what time it was, from the sluggishness of my body and the way her voice irritated me, I knew it must be before seven. “Okay, so you hate me for dragging you out of bed at five o’clock in the morning, but we have forty-eight hours to prepare for the hijacking. It’s not much time, and I want us to be ready.”
“We could’ve prepared at like… nine o’clock,” suggested Sarah, who lay her head on Byron’s shoulder.
“I had a feeling you’d be less than impressed at the early morning, so Wade and I have been up brewing coffee and cooking bacon and eggs to get each of you energised. Come up to the undercover area and we’ll serve it.” Her smile reminded how much I didn’t like happy people early in the morning.
The mention of breakfast, and best of all coffee, enticed everyone to migrate towards the undercover area to fill up on the feast they‘d cooked for us.
As I sat down with my plate of bacon, eggs, mushrooms and toast, I remembered the last time my friends and I had eaten such a large breakfast. It’d been the Christmas we’d spent together on my mum and dad’s deck on the farm, looking out at the hills and dales of the landscape. The dry heat and the dusty browns and dull greens. We laughed and smiled, and I can’t remember if I’d felt so at ease and happy since. I wondered how my parents were, their faces clear in my memory. I knew they were safe from the virus. Cameron had ensured they were vaccinated. But how were they handling the fact they hadn’t heard from their only child? I’d been off their radar for months without as much as a word. The idea of calling them and hearing their voices clenched at my throat and made my chest ache. It would be selfish to do so. If the MMC were looking for me, letting my parents know where I was would only endanger them.
“You okay?” Janine slid next to me with her plate of food and a mug of coffee.
“Yeah, thinking about my mum and dad,” I said.
“It’s easy to forget there’s a real world out there while we’re stuck here, isn’t it? I’ve got a younger sister I’m looking forward to visiting when this is over, and spending time with my nephew. It’s hard, and I love spending time with Ethan, but sometimes it makes me realise what I’m missing out on,” she said.
It’d been nice to watch Rose slowly let Janine in, and she must’ve trusted her to a point to let her spend time with Ethan. Looking towards him, he scarfed his food down as though he hadn’t eaten in months. Byron ruffled his hair and told him to slow down before he choked.
“I wonder if the MMC made up some story to tell our families about what happened to us? Do they tell them we’re dead? Or that we ran away?” I asked.
“I wonder the same things. Imagine the story they’ve created to tell my family about why I’m gone. I just hope they’re smart enough to know they aren’t true. At least your family knows you’re safe.”
She was right. Mum and Dad may have had no idea where I was, but they knew I was with people who’d keep me safe. Sarah had assured them I’d be okay, and they trusted Sarah like a daughter.
“Maybe we could send a letter telling them we’re okay? With no return address?” I suggested.
“I don’t want to cause my sister any more grief than she’s already gone through. I’ll visit them when this is done and explain everything in person. That way, she can’t try to convince me to just go home. Although it’d be very tempting, I need to see this through.” She gave me a smile before eating her breakfast.
Maybe she was right. The best thing was to let our families live their lives until we could get this fixed and go home. Explain the entire situation in person. Janine was the psychologist, after all. So if it was what she thought was best, I decided I should probably do the same. I wouldn’t have thought I’d ever be taking her advice, but I knew what she meant about seeing this through. I had the same feeling.
Breakfast was delicious, filling, and seemed to do the trick. Everyone’s spirits were lifted as we stacked up our empty plates. The muggy heat of the rainforest had crept in while we ate and we were ready to start our training in the camping area.
Harper addressed the group. “I’m usually against violence and everything it represents. But what we’re about to attempt will be very dangerous and I think we need some form of protection. Some of you are going to hate this idea. But I think we should obtain some type of weapons to defend ourselves if the need arises.”
“Weapons? Are you sure they’re necessary?” asked Joe.
“According to the MMC, the truck will be carrying precious cargo. I imagine the driver will be armed,” said Wade.
“He could even have an escort or a guard travelling with him. It’s regular practice,” suggested Janine.
Already the whole situation felt more complicated than it’d originally sounded. We needed guns. The thought hadn’t even cross
ed my mind. I hadn’t held a gun before, and I had no desire to start now. Dad tried to persuade me to learn to shoot out at the farm. The idea of holding something in my hands which had the power to end a life scared me. Could I shoot someone? I didn’t think so. Not after seeing what it was capable of doing to a person. And I’d proved to myself I couldn’t kill another human being when I’d bailed out of bombing the MMC facility.
“The gentleman who got us the bomb said he can obtain two guns for us. It would mean someone in each group would need to have one,” said Harper.
“That friend of hers was no gentleman. He was strange and creepy,” Joe whispered.
“My uncle taught me how to shoot a gun,” said Kaelee. It was the first time she’d spoken up in weeks, and I’d begun to forget she was even there.
“No way.” My answer was loud and abrupt.
“I think what Amelia means is, after the history she’s had with Kaelee, she doesn’t trust her with a firearm. I don’t either. Do you?” said Joe.
“If you don’t feel safe, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Sorry Kaelee, but you still need to earn the trust of some of your campmates,” said Harper.
Kaelee nodded in agreement. I looked up in disbelief that Harper had taken my side for a change. I’d expected her to argue Kaelee’s point, but she was actually listening to us. Maybe she hadn’t forgiven Kaelee as easily as I’d thought.
“But it only leaves Janine, who I know some of you still don’t trust a hundred percent, Wade, and me.”
“I’ll do it,” said Wade. “I’ve shot a rifle a few times and I’m sure it won’t come to that anyway.”
There was a sadness in Harper’s eyes as she nodded. I knew she wouldn’t want the man she loved to shoot someone.
“I’ll do it for our group,” said Byron.
“No way, mate. I’ve got this,” answered Joe.
“You’ve done so much already. It’s time I did something.”
“Shoot someone?” Sarah’s eyes were wide.
Rise of the Dreamer Page 11
