The Survivors (Book 2): Autumn (4 page)

Hell, there was no guarantee either of us would live out the week
.  Life was fickle, and far too short to spend the entire time being serious.

I sprang over him and dived into the corner, to root around inside his bags in search of the hat
.  Although I heard him protesting, he made no attempt to actually stop me from digging through his belongings.  It was only fair, after all – he’d gone through mine on several occasions, looking for something.  We were close enough that he knew I was no threat to his possessions, just like I understood that he was no threat to mine.

Socks and shorts went flying as I turned his bag upside down, until I finally found what I was looking for, right at the very bottom.

“Victory is mine!” I yanked out one slightly crushed, navy blue police officer’s cap.  I dusted it off, popped it back into shape and plonked it on my head.  There was a muffled snort behind me.  I turned and gave him a look of wide-eyed mock innocence.  “What?”

“What on earth has gotten into you, Sandy McDermott?” he asked
.  I bounced back over to join him in bed.

“Me?
Oh, I’m just feeling a bit playful, is all.” I gave him a grin, to which he responded by snatching the hat off my head and placing it upon his own.

“You’re just trying to cheer me up, aren’t you?”
He peered at me from beneath the brim of his cap, his smile fading away.

I heaved a sigh and flopped back down with my head on his chest
.  “Pretty much, yes.  Trying to cheer myself up, too.  It’s been such a miserable week.”

“I know.”
He ran his fingers through my hair, stroking a few golden-blonde strands back away from my face.  One finger hooked under my chin and tilted my face up towards his so that he could look me in the eye.  “It’s been a rough couple of months for everyone.”

“It’s been a rough decade.”
I broke eye contact and looked away.  “I need a vacation from being miserable before I go crazy.”

“You and me both.”
He nodded his agreement and wrapped an arm around my waist to draw me closer against him.  Then he kissed me, softly and tenderly; suddenly, it seemed like everything was going to be fine after all.  The kiss lingered for long minutes as we both tried to lose our worries in one another.  It was a moment of warmth and comfort, the kind of moment shared between two people who had suffered so much and only had one another to fall back on.

We were so wrapped up in one another that we didn’t hear the footfalls of someone approaching, nor did we notice the presence in the doorway until Anahera cleared her throat pointedly and knocked on the door frame
.  Startled, we jerked away from one another and stared at her.

“Sorry to interrupt.”
She was obviously trying very hard not to laugh at the expressions on our faces.  We looked at one another, half-naked with hands in all kinds of interesting places, then promptly started frantically disentangling ourselves.  By the time we were straightened up, both of us were blushing furiously, and Anahera could barely keep a straight face.

“Um, sorry.”
I felt the need to apologise as I straightened my t-shirt, but she just shook her head.

“Don’t be, dear
.  I was your age not that long ago; I remember what it’s like to be in love.” Her smile faded, and I felt a stab of guilt when I remembered how she had lost her husband to the plague.  “Just make the most of him while you can.  And you–” She pointed at Michael.  “–take good care of her as well.  Or else.”

Michael flashed his cheeky smile and saluted her, which looked a little ridiculous considering he was still dressed in his policeman’s cap.

“Don’t just stand out there in the wind, you’ll get hit by something.” He gestured towards the chair in the corner of room with a flourish, inviting her inside.  Somehow, he even managed to sound nonchalant about it.  “Come in, sit down.  How’s Hemi?”

Anahera accepted the invitation and stepped inside, closing the door behind her to keep out the wind
.  It was getting loud outside, so I thought nothing of the gesture; with the door open we could hardly hear ourselves think.

“He’s fine, thank you,” she answered as she settled in the chair by the window, adjusting her clothing about her to get comfortable
.  “The good doctor has removed the pellet, and given him some antibiotics to ensure it doesn’t get infected.” Her lips twisted into an appreciative smile.  “It seems we owe you gifts once again.”

“Oh, there’s no need for that.”
Michael shook his head and gave her a smile in return.  “Friends help friends, that’s all that matters.  I’m sure you’d do the same for us if we needed help.”

“Absolutely,” she agreed amicably, then shifted her gaze to me
.  “I spoke with your sister.”

My heart leapt into my throat
.  “How is she?”

“She’s in a great deal of pain, but she is healing.”
Anahera sighed heavily.  “It will take time and support, and the love of the people around her.  She told me that her man left her as well, and I fear that has only compounded her grief.”

I felt an arm creep around me and turned to look at Michael; the expression on his face was one of deep anger
.  Anahera seemed to notice it as well, but she said nothing.

“I don’t know how to help her,” I admitted, turning my attention back to our visitor
.  “I’ve forgotten how to be a sister.  We were separated for a long time, and only found one another recently.”

Anahera nodded understandingly
.  “This is a strange world we live in, but I think there is more to your bond than just time spent together as adults.  Just knowing that you’re here for her is enough.”

“How do you know?”
I looked down at my hands, feeling helplessness hit me in the gut all over again.  “I don’t know what she needs.”

“I know because she told me as much,” Anahera said
.  I looked up to find her regarding me with an expression that spoke of fondness.  “She told me that if it weren’t for you, she would have nothing left to live for.”

“Oh.”
I looked back down and leaned against Michael for support.  “But I haven’t even done anything.”

“You don’t need to, dear
.  You’re her sister.  That’s all that matters.” I could hear the smile in her voice without looking up, and found it reassuring somehow.

“Is there anything we can do to help her through the grieving process?”
Michael asked.

“Perhaps.”
I heard her shift in her seat, and glanced up to find her staring out the window at the raging storm.  “I was going to suggest that some time away from the place where her baby died might help her.  Of course, it is difficult to find somewhere safe in this world, so I thought some of you might like to come and visit my group for a few days.  After the storm passes, that is.”

“That sounds like an interesting idea.”
Michael gave me a squeeze.  I looked up at him, staring deep into those kind eyes of his.  “What do you think, Sandy? Shall we go for a visit?”

I stayed silent for a moment to consider the question, then looked back at Anahera, regarding her profile thoughtfully as she watched the weather.

My first instinct would have been to say no, to stay safely holed up in our little fortress with the people I knew I could trust, but I knew that feeling stemmed from cowardice.  Anahera was a good person, as was her son Hemi.  I liked them both and felt that I could trust them, especially after I had seen the way Anahera reacted to finding out one of her brethren had been preying on women and girls for years before he’d joined her tribe.

She had evicted him from her tribe without hesitation, mutilated him and thrown him out into the wilds as punishment for his crime
.  I didn’t have to go through a lengthy trial, recount my ordeal in great detail, and suffer through the horror of being judged by a jury.  Nobody had tried to tell me that I’d been asking for it because of my gender or my state of dress, and nobody tried to pass it off as a misunderstanding.  She had listened to me and confronted him, and when he was found guilty, her punishment had been swift.

In a way, I felt like I had gotten more justice from Anahera than I would have gotten in a court of law
.  I trusted her.  With that thought in mind, I nodded my consent and we began to make plans for the nearest thing to a vacation that any of us had taken in a very long time.

The storm raged for almost a day, tearing branches from trees and uprooting any plants and fixtures that were not lucky enough to be protected from the winds.  Every so often, we’d hear the sound of something breaking or being thrown around, but we were safe within our precious haven.

No one even considered
sending Anahera and Hemi back out into the storm.  It just wasn’t an option.  Their chances of making it home safely on those little farm bikes would be slim to non-existent.  Luckily, our hotel had plenty of spare bedrooms and furniture that had survived the years, so we set them up with beds and insisted they stay the night.  I wasn’t terribly surprised that neither of them protested.

Without power, lunch and dinner were solemn events
.  I did my best to cheer everyone up by assembling a salad with canned meat for protein, but I lacked my sister’s flair for creative cooking.

Skye didn’t leave her room the entire day
.  At mealtimes, I braved the weather to bring her food, but she barely even looked at me.  Each time I checked on her, she was just sitting on her bed, staring out her window at the raging storm, clutching that tiny pink teddy bear.  She ate the food I left for her, but never made any comments.

Night seemed to fall earlier than normal that evening, because the sun was obscured by the roiling clouds
.  I left the others to finish cleaning up the kitchen by candlelight, and went back upstairs to bring Skylar a little lantern for her room.  For some reason, the thought of leaving her brooding in the dark made me feel sick to my stomach.

She was still sitting in exactly the same spot when I arrived, her eyes a million miles away
.  When I set the lantern down and turned it on, she stirred a little, as though coming out of a dream.  Her head turned towards me.  I looked back at her, and found her watching me with eyes that were sunken and hollow from grief.  My heart lurched at the sight of the sorrow etched on her face.

I sat down beside her and wrapped my arm around her slender frame; she felt tiny and fragile now that the weight of her pregnancy had begun to fade
.  She’d always been slender and small-boned, but now it felt like I could break her if I gripped her too firmly.  I wondered if that was how Michael felt, all those times when he held me as gently as if I were a porcelain doll.  Now, I understood the feeling.

“Anahera invited us to stay with her clan for a couple of days.” I found myself talking to her automatically, even if she was away with the fairies
.  “So we’re going for a trip once the storm is over.  Just for a little while.  Anahera says it’ll be good for us to get away for a bit.  I think she’s right.  What do you think?” I wasn’t expecting an answer, so when I got one it just about gave me a heart attack.

“I think… I’d like that.”
Skye shifted and snuggled up against me.  “She’s really nice.”

“Yeah, she is,” I agreed, fighting to contain the flood of relief that poured through me from the simple fact that my little sister was talking to me again
.  “She’s downstairs with Hemi and the others.  We were thinking of playing a game to pass the time.  Why don’t you come and play with us?”

“A game?”
She stirred and looked up at me with those big blue eyes, set into a face that looked so hauntingly similar to my mother’s that it made my gut twist.  “What kind of game?”

“Well, I found a few different ones while I was out exploring the other day
.  We could play a card game, if you want?” I suggested.  She wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

“No, card games are boring.”
She pulled a face, but apparently I had her attention now.  Sometimes I had to remind myself that she was only eighteen.  Our relationship had become a bit peculiar.  To me, she’d gone from being an adorable eight-year-old to being a grown, very capable young woman without me having a chance to watch the change happen naturally.  I was still struggling to work out how to cope with that.  Sometimes I didn’t know whether to treat her like an adult or a child.  Luckily, she seemed to understand how jarring the transition was for me, and was generally patient with me.

“What about a board game?” I suggested
.  “I found Cluedo, Monopoly, and Scrabble.  Take your pick.”

“Oh, I remember Monopoly.”
Her eyes lit up.  “We used to play that with Mum and Dad.”

“Yeah, that’s right
.  I don’t remember the rules, but I’m sure we can figure it out.” I gave her a squeeze and held her close until she finally smiled and nodded.

That was all the permission I needed
.  I grabbed her hand and dragged her off for an evening of frivolity before she could lose herself in depression again.

The others joined us in the common room, and helped us to set up the board
.  None of us really remembered how to play and the instructions were faded with age, but between us we managed to figure out enough to get the game going.  The pieces were dirty and tarnished, and the old paper money was wrinkled, but no one really minded.  Although I offered to play with my sister as a team, she rejected the help with a stubborn determination that made my heart swell with joy.  That was the Skylar I knew.  Her personality was coming back at last.

We played long into the night by lantern light
.  Eventually the doctor retired and took Madeline off to her bed, leaving five of us to battle it out.  I fell quickly to my sister’s brutal wiles, and Michael and Anahera soon joined me in bankruptcy.

Defeated, we sat back to watch the two youngest members of our groups battle it out, their faces masks of intense concentration
.  Then it all came tumbling down, when one unlucky roll of the dice made Hemi’s little race car land on Mayfair.  It was stacked high with Skye’s motels, so that was the end of him.

“I can’t believe it
.  Beaten by a girl,” Hemi complained jokingly.

“And I’d beat you again, too,” she retorted, leaning over to smack his arm.

“Hey now! You’re not allowed to hit me,” Hemi protested, holding his hands up in mock defence.  “That’s not fair, since I’m not allowed to hit you back.”

“Seems perfectly fair to me.”
Skye grinned wickedly at him.  “You think I’m
only
a girl.  I’ll show you!”

A crack of thunder so loud that it made the windows rattle punctuated Skylar’s sentence, and made us all jump
.  We exchanged looks, and then melted into communal laughter at our own expense.

“
Okay, children; off to bed,” Anahera commanded once the levity subsided, making shooing motions at Skylar and her son.  I expected protests, but neither of them said a word.  They stood obediently and departed, still teasing one another as they went out the door.

I watched them go, then turned and looked at Anahera with a raised eyebrow
.  “You know, if I tried that I’d probably just get jeered at.  What’s your secret?”

“My secret?”
She laughed and shook her head.  “I’m old enough to be both their mothers.  Mum will always be Mum.”

I heard Michael chuckle behind me, then felt a hand run across my shoulders
.  “Hear that? You’re just too young to be the boss.”

“Hey!”
I pouted at him.  “You’re only four years older than me.  That means you’re too young to be the boss, too.”

“You’re both youngsters.”
Anahera peered at us with a peculiar little half-smile on her face.  “Therefore, I am the boss.”

“This entire conversation is silly,” I announced, sliding down off the couch to start picking up the game pieces and putting them away
.  There was a soft grunt as Michael slid down beside me to help, while Anahera watched on from her armchair.

“Yes, it is,” she agreed thoughtfully, absently crossing her long legs
.  “A little levity is good for everyone, though.  I am glad you convinced Skylar to join us.  This was a wonderful idea.”

I glanced up at her, and she smiled at me, a smile so beautiful that it made my heart do a somersault in my chest
.  There was just something about that woman that was so strong and so charismatic that her praise made me feel like a puppy who’d gotten a treat.  I smiled back, shyly, and looked back down at the strewn game pieces.

“Thanks
.  I’m just glad that she agreed.  I was really worrying about her.” I absently reached out to touch Michael’s hand as it happened to pass by me while gathering up motels.  He hesitated, then gave my hand a squeeze, understanding my need for contact.

“We were all worried about her,” he said
quietly in that deep, grainy voice of his, then shot a glance towards Anahera.  “There were a few days where we thought that she might…”

He trailed off and looked at me, leaving me to finish the sentence
.  I did, but only with great reluctance.  “…kill herself.”

“Ah,” Anahera murmured
.  She thought about it for a second, then shook her head.  “I don’t think you need to worry about that.  Your sister is a very strong and determined young woman.  She just needs time to sort through her grief and find her own strength again.  The two of you are much alike in that manner.”

“Me?”
I looked up again, bewildered.  “You must be kidding.  I’m the biggest wimp in the universe, just ask Michael.”

“Wimp?
Hardly.” Michael laughed.  He grabbed my shoulder and gave me a light shake.  “You just have a warped sense of your own self-worth, sweetheart.”

“He’s right,” Anahera agreed, amusement flickering across her face
.  “How long were you alone out there? A decade, was it? You went through terrible things all by yourself, with no one to support you, no one to fall back on, and no one to keep you grounded.  And yet, here you are, alive and well, and forming bonds with other people.  You have had to learn how to have friends and how to trust all over again, and you’re doing very well at it from what I can see.”

I felt my cheeks grow hot with embarrassment, but when I opened my mouth to protest Michael cut me off.

“Oh no, I know what you’re going to say,” he scolded gently, sliding an arm around my shoulders.  “Don’t you even think about it.  She’s bang on the money, and you know it.”

Tears sprang into my eyes
.  Suddenly, I found myself fascinated by the tiny game pieces in my hands, unable to meet their eyes.  “I don’t feel like I’m doing very well.”

“You are.”
Anahera joined us on the floor, and reached over to take the game pieces from my hand.  She set them aside, and then wrapped her hands around mine.  “Darling, I know that you struggle.  I saw the way you looked at me when we first met, and I know that look.  You have been trapped for a very long time in a prison fate made for you, and now you’re learning to cope with the world outside that prison.” She reached over and cupped my chin in her hand, forcing me to meet her gaze.  “You are doing very well, and I want you to remember that.  Promise me.”

I wasn’t sure what to say to that so I mumbled something inarticulate
.  She smiled and shook her head but let it pass.  She eased herself back into her chair, leaving me to resume picking up the scattered toys.

Michael was never one to leave me to sulk when he knew I was feeling a bit down, so he distracted me with a playful pinch on the bottom
.  I squealed in surprise and leapt away from him, then laughed and gave him an equally playful slap across the shoulder in return.

“Ow!
I was just about to point out that it’s been weeks since you hit me, too.  So much for that,” he teased.  I flung a tiny metal shoe at him in retaliation.  He yelped as it bounced off his arm and tumbled away, then went scrambling after it.  When he found it, he flung it right back at me.  It missed me and hit Anahera in the shin instead.

“Hey now, you two,” she scolded us with amusement, leaning down to grab the fallen toy and toss it into the box with the others
.  “I thought you were supposed to be the responsible ones?”

“Me?” I snorted indignantly and flapped a hand
.  “God, no.  He’s the responsible one.  Did he tell you he used to be a police officer?”

“He did mention it, yes.”
She gave Michael a long, pointed look.  This time, it was Michael’s turn to look flustered by her scrutiny.

“I was a constable, yeah,” he admitted
.  “I guess that’s why I feel like I’m responsible for protecting these troublemakers.  Or arresting them, I haven’t decided which yet.” He shot an impish grin at me, and I laughed.

“Yeah, right,” I scoffed
.  “If you arrested me, where would you put me?”

“Oh, I have some ideas…” he teased right back, and then gave me a wink that made me start blushing all over again.

Anahera watched with amusement, clearly enjoying the sight of our youthful exuberance.  Then, out of the blue, she hit us with a question that stunned us both.  “So, when are you two getting married?”

I stared at her, and then glanced at Michael to find him looking just as dumbstruck.

“Er… well, but we’ve only known each other for about six weeks…” he stumbled awkwardly, absently rubbing at the back of his neck.  As I watched, I saw a flush of colour rise in his cheeks and the side of his throat, mirroring the rush of heat I felt in my own face.