by Beth Martin
Roemell looked back at the fire pit. The little flame had petered out before the larger log had been able to start burning. Looking around, he grabbed a stack of papers and started feeding them to the fire, encouraging it to grow once more.
• • •
Leona looked nervously over the group of people seated in front of her. When she had asked Alisa to gather everyone for a meeting of sorts, she hadn’t completely thought it through. Now, she realized that she would be scrutinized by all the people who were currently staring her down, waiting for her to speak. Roemell had offered to help, but she felt like she needed to do this on her own.
“I, uh—” she looked around at the countless eyes staring at her. She took a deep breath and started again. “I wanted to make an offer to everyone here at the settlement. Some of you are already aware that I grew up with means and own a large estate.”
“Then what the hell are you doing here?” someone called from the back of the crowd. A few others grunted in agreement.
“My home was recently targeted by a terrorist group who call themselves the lurch. The fields are burnt, and all the resources which were in storage were destroyed.”
There were general murmurs from the group, and the overall tone wasn’t particularly sympathetic. She knew she couldn’t expect much compassion from people who had been poor their entire lives. Still, they didn’t need to be rude.
“First of all, I wanted to thank all of you for being so welcoming to me. After I lost everything, you were the only ones willing to help me out. And now, I’d like to offer my help.”
She stepped forward, feeling more confident. “I want to be a part of a community, so I’d like to grant my land to this settlement. Instead of being hidden off the side of the road like you currently are, I want to offer the fields and structures of the Poole Estate for your use. If we work together, we can produce food and goods. In time, this community can support itself instead of relying on charity or theft for the things you need.”
There was another general murmuring, except this time she could make out someone saying, “Miser bitch thinks she’s saving us,” and, “How dare she call us thieves.” She could feel her confidence slipping away and glanced at Roemell, who was sitting in the front. He smiled at her and gave a thumbs up.
“I also wanted to ask for everyone’s assistance in another matter. I need your help to stop the lurch.”
This time, Bennet was the one to make a snide remark. “I’d rather help them than stop them.”
Before she could say something more, Roemell leapt up and came to her side to speak. “But first, we’re going to seize those fields and get to work. Who here is ready to use the sweat of your brow to make your own food?”
Roemell was met with cheers of agreement. While everyone spoke in approval, he whispered to Leona, “I need to talk to you about something before you pursue your witch-hunt.”
She shot him a confused look before glancing back at the crowd. “We’ll need to gather supplies, things like seeds and tools, and then we can travel to the estate as early as tomorrow morning.”
At that point, Alisa stood up to address everyone. “I know we sent a group of six last time, most of who returned. Leona has assured me that all bots and machines have been permanently deactivated. I want to gauge everyone’s interest in this endeavor before committing anyone to traveling to the Poole Estate. I also want to remind everyone that this isn’t all or nothing. We can have a group go or have individuals head over in stages. I want to open the floor to anyone who would like to say anything. Let’s hear your opinions.”
Leona wanted to listen to what the group decided, but Roemell tugged on her hand and whispered, “We need to talk.” By the look on his face, she knew it was something important, so she followed him away from the gathering area to behind the lines of tents.
“I want to hear what everyone decides,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I know, but this is important.” His normally smooth features were tense and hard. She couldn’t imagine what was worth missing the discussion, but she decided to hear him out. “It’s about the lurch.”
She uncrossed her arms and raised her brows, curious now to hear what he wanted to say.
“It’s not a group. It’s just a single person.”
“What? How is that even possible?”
“I suspected that it took only one person to sneak into the emergency shelter and disarm the security bots. What I didn’t realize was that the people who came later to burn everything down aren’t people. They’re robots.”
Leona couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I saw the woman who killed my father. Are you saying she destroyed everything by herself?”
He nodded. “Basically.”
She pushed her hands into her hair and shook her head. “How did you find this out?”
Instead of immediately answering, he bit his lip and looked down at the ground, pushing dirt around with his foot. “I, uh... I found her.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh my God! What happened? Did she try to hurt you or—” She reached out to touch his arm, but he stepped away and wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“I’m fine.”
He kept looking down at his feet. She knew he was hiding something. “How did you learn the lurch is just one woman? I want the truth. I deserve the truth.”
He cleared his throat before looking at her, his green eyes pleading. “I was going to join her.”
“What?” she yelled. She backed up, not wanting to even be near him. “How could you? She killed my father! She destroyed everything!”
“I’m sorry, please.” He took a step forward, and as she stepped back, she stumbled and fell, landing on her butt.
He extended a hand to help her up, but instead, she shuffled back some more. “Stay away!”
Covering his face with his hands, he lowered himself to the ground. “Please, forgive me. I was so angry and upset. I ran into her when she infiltrated the Evanko Estate, and well, you know how amazingly I got along with Ava.”
She started piecing together all the events in her mind. After he had stormed away from her estate, he must have sought out this lurch person out. And then he came back, and… “You were furious at me when you returned, after you tried to join the person who destroyed my life.” She slouched forward and rested her head against her knees, beginning to cry. He had gotten the perfect opportunity to get back at the woman who had killed her father, and instead offered to help. Her heart hurt, and she felt profoundly betrayed.
“I didn’t think it through. And as soon as I met Tina, I changed my mind. She’s pure evil.”
Leona quieted when she heard the name. “Did you say Tina?”
“Yes, Tina. I know, I should have done something to stop her, but—”
Leona interrupted his thought. “It all makes sense! I can’t believe I didn’t recognize her.” The woman’s hair had gotten longer and darker, and Leona hadn’t been able to see the lower half of her face, but now that she had a name, she knew exactly who the terrorist was.
He sat up a little straighter. “Wait, you know her?”
“I did. Tina is short for Antonia.” Antonia Patel was the second child of Leon and Isabel Patel, who lived in an estate about twenty miles south of Leona’s home. Her older brother was going to inherit the family’s land. When he’d married a wealthy woman he’d moved to her estate, which she owned outright.
Antonia had assumed that since her brother was totally supported by his wife’s property, her family’s land would go to her instead. At least, she assumed her parents would bequeath the estate to her when she’d fallen in love with a vagrant. But instead of embracing her new love, her parents had forbidden her from seeing the impoverished man.
She figured that love was all she really needed to be happy, so she had run away from home to be with her boyfriend. Leona never heard what happened to Tina after that beyond rumors saying the Patel family no longer acknowledged they had a daughter. S
he didn’t know if Tina had ever tried to go back home or not. But all of the young people Leona knew used Antonia as a cautionary tale of why you shouldn’t make friends with the destitute.
Leona’s best guess for what had happened between then and now was that Antonia had tried to reconnect with her wealthy friends only to get turned away like Leona had. It also explained why the Cooper Estate, the one Tina’s brother lived at, was the first one hit. Leona wished Tina could have stopped her run of destruction at the Patel Estate, but assumed the woman had gotten hooked on her new life of terrorism.
Leona briefly explained Tina’s story to Roemell.
“Wow.” He stood up and helped Leona to her feet as well. “I wonder if the security bots recognized her. That would make breaking in much easier.” He dusted the dirt from the ground off his pants, then looked back up at Leona. “So, you’re not mad at me?”
“I’m fucking furious,” she said in a cold tone. “You should have killed her when you had a chance.”
Roemell frowned. “I don’t just seek out people with the intentions of killing them. I really hope you don’t decide to, either.”
She scoffed and turned away. “I need some space. Just, stay away from me.” She stormed off to the end of the tent line, then wound around to where her small dome was on the other side of the settlement. Even though she wanted to know what the community decided to do moving forward, she needed to be alone. She didn’t want to deal with anyone for a while.
• • •
When Leona finally emerged from her tent, she was dying to find out what agreement the others at the settlement had come to about her proposal. The crowd had dispersed, and only a few people were hanging around.
She saw Bennet at the beach, his tall figure unmistakable. As she drew closer, she could also make out the fishing pole in his hands. He flicked the pole, sending the line out into the ocean before turning to greet her.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey yourself.”
She watched him as he slowly reeled in the line before casting it out again. She wondered how frequently he actually caught anything. Probably not too often since they hadn’t had fish with any of their meals while she’d been at the camp.
“So, what did everyone decide to do about my offer?”
He glanced at her, raising a single brow, before focusing back on pulling in his line. “That’s right, you didn’t stick around. Keaghan wants to go. I assume Roemell’s going.”
Leona crossed her arms. “I wouldn’t count on that.”
Bennet gave her a curious look before casting his hook again. “Trouble in paradise, eh?”
She ignored his remark. “Was there really only one person who wants to come?” She felt sorely disappointed; she had hoped everyone would want to come. Keaghan was new to the settlement, and something about him rubbed her the wrong way. There was no way she would go with him alone.
“I feel like I’d be more useful here,” he gestured to the ocean, “than on a field. I don’t know the first thing about farming. At least the ocean has an endless supply of fish.”
Leona watched the thin fishing line as it glided slowly through the water. “There’s waterfront at the estate. Please come with us. I don’t want to go with just Keaghan.”
“Yeah, that guy gives me the creeps. I imagine it’s worse for a woman. All right, I’ll go with you. But only because you forced my hand.”
“Thank you!” she said, giving him a quick hug before skipping back to the tent line. She had some preparing to do to get ready for the trip home.
The rest of the day, she gathered supplies she might need while doing her best to avoid Roemell. By the evening, she was exhausted, but also excited. Her mind was racing, going over all the things she’d do to make her—now their—estate productive. But she also had a secret mission in mind. She was going to find Tina and stop her, no matter what it took.
Roemell knew Leona needed some space, but he wondered how much exactly that would be. She had avoided him all afternoon and evening. As he ate dinner with Cole, one of the founders of the settlement, he kept glancing her way to see what she was doing.
As he picked at his food, he noticed her excuse herself and wander off toward her tent. He was about to get up and follow her when Cole said, “Can you believe that bitch?”
He glanced at the middle-aged man. “What do you mean?”
Cole let out a laugh. “People like her don’t change. She’s used to everything being handed to her. Now that her precious robots are machine dust, she expects us serfs to take over the labor. She even specifically sought out Bennet to go. She wants us to be her slaves.”
Roemell shook his head. “It’s not like that. And this was my idea. I was the one who suggested setting up a commune—”
“She really does have you under her thumb. Remind me, how did you two meet?”
Roemell looked down at his plate of uneaten food. He wasn’t hungry anymore. “I was hired to be her bodyguard.”
Cole sat back in his seat. “Oh, so you were paid?”
“Well, no. It was in exchange for medical care for Jovelyn.”
He shook his head. “See, now that’s what they told you. But who actually turns away a pregnant woman? Your sister would have received care no matter what you did. They took advantage of your situation to essentially force you into slavery.”
Roemell couldn’t think of anything to say that might change Cole’s opinion. It wasn’t worth arguing—the man’s mind was clearly made up.
Cole stood up and yelled for Bennet and some of the other men to join them. He began telling everyone his theory of how wealthy people viewed the settlement as a pool of potential slaves, warning them against joining Leona. He added, “We need to stop tyrants like her. Let’s make an example out of her—kick the bitch out. Ban misers from our settlement.”
“I don’t know about that,” Keaghan said, turning around to join in the discussion. “She’s awful pretty. I’m sure we could find some use for the lady instead of just getting rid of her.”
Cole laughed as he slapped his thigh. “I think you’re onto something there.”
“I’ll drink to that,” someone else added.
Before Roemell could do anything to mitigate the situation, the group of rowdy men rolled out a barrel of jungle juice and started pouring cups for everyone. He knew they would just get more boisterous, and he didn’t want to wait and see what Cole might try to do once intoxicated. After making a show of getting himself a cup and toasting their plans of debauchery, he slipped away from the rambunctious men.
Trying to make as little noise as possible, Roemell crept behind the grouping of tents over to Leona’s. Instead of announcing himself, he silently pulled open the zippered door and slipped inside.
Leona was still awake and sat up quickly. “What are you doing here?”
He placed a finger over his lips, not wanting her to attract the attention of the mob. “We need to get you away from here. It’s not safe to stay.”
“No,” she said firmly. “I’m not going anywhere with you. I’m staying here until tomorrow morning. Now get out of my tent.”
“I know you’re mad at me,” he said, “but the settlement has decided that you’re a tyrant, and they want to punish you while they have a chance.”
“A tyrant? But I talked with everyone earlier today about working together. I’m not looking to take over anyone’s lives.”
“And we left before they finished the meeting. Who knows what they talked about while you were gone. But right now, they’re talking about passing you around like some sort of sex slave.”
As if on cue, a roar of yells came from the settlers still gathered around the fire pit.
“I just wanted to help,” she said, her voice weak like a child’s.
“People with nothing have a long history of hating the wealthy.”
She grabbed her pants and slipped them on, followed by her shoes. “Will you help me pack up the tent?”
&n
bsp; “There’s no time. We’ll be fine without it. Come on, we need to hurry.” He held out a hand, and to his surprise she took it and followed him out, both of them dashing to the water’s edge. “We won’t be seen if we follow the coast.” She nodded, and walked quickly to keep up with his pace.
Their flight reminded him of the night Jovelyn had woken him from a dead sleep and told him she was pregnant. When she had insisted she wanted to keep her baby, they’d decided to sneak out that very moment. In her ill-fitting clothing from the settlement’s surplus, Leona even looked a little like his sister. Out of nowhere, his feelings of loss overwhelmed him. His eyes teared up as he imagined he was fleeing with Jo once again.
• • •
Leona could tell something was bothering Roemell, certainly more than he would admit. But she was still angry at him. She hadn’t been able to verify whether or not the settlers actually hated her, but somehow, she knew it wasn’t something he’d lie about. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what was eating away at Roemell and if it had anything to do with her.
They walked all night until they got as far as the Kapoor Estate. She was tired, her feet were sore, and she really needed something to drink.
“Let’s stop here,” Roemell said. They were still following the coastline instead of the road. Cliffs loomed above them, and there was a recess in the side which provided shelter and was out of view if anyone came looking for them.
Leona collapsed onto the sand and laid on her back. She knew she’d get sand in her hair, but she didn’t care. She would rinse it out in the water later. It felt like it had been forever since she’s used special soaps and conditioners to keep her hair soft and styled it daily in loose waves. Her exhaustion overcame her, and she nodded off in the sand.
She woke up still tired with Roemell sitting next to her and tapping her shoulder. She sat up, then shook her head to get some of the sand to fall from her hair. “How long was I asleep?”
“Not too long.”
“Then why are you waking me?” Rubbing her fists over her eyes, she tried to make herself a little more alert.
