Drowning in Deception (19 page)

Sera looked her over with knitted brows,
the crease between them deep and dark. “No. I don’t.” She almost sounded
surprised.

Clover sat down with satisfaction. “Well,
there you have it. And I’d prefer it if you called me Clove, like the rest of
my friends.” They were going to be living together, and working in this group
together. Clover still thought Sera was a bitch, but this was her way of making
a peace-offering.

Sera’s face cleared, like she was having
some sort of internal revelation. She whispered to Zander, even though everyone
else in the room could hear. “Maybe she’s not so bad after all. At the very
least, she’s learned to stand up for herself.”

Clover smiled broadly.

No one said anything for a long time, as
if all lost with their own inner turmoil.

Finally Clover spoke up. “Well, what is
it that you all hope to accomplish? What is your goal here?”

She looked to Zander and Sera on the
loveseat. It was Sera who answered for both of them. “Zander and I want the
people of Eadin to know the truth about the milk. It’s wrong to be drugging
people without their knowledge.”

Zander nodded in agreement.

“And I want,” said Smith, “to have the
horrible treatment of the Carnae stopped. They should not be punished for what
they are.”

Clover’s eyes were strong as they looked
into his. “Yes.”

She turned to Luas and Gart in turn. “What
about the two of you?” It suddenly occurred to her that she had taken on a bit
of a leadership role, and she wondered how that had happened. Only moments ago
she hadn’t even been part of the group.

“All of it,” said Gart. “It’s all wrong,
and it needs to be fixed.”

Luas nodded in solemn agreement. Clover
wondered if he even knew how to speak.

“Okay. So we want to either find a way
to stop the drugging or to let people know they are being drugged without
drawing attention to ourselves. And we want to help the people on the other
side of the Wall. Essentially we want to give them their freedom and allow them
to live without interference from anyone.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Well, you guys must have come up with
some ideas in your previous meetings...”

“I say we blow up the Watch Tower,”
offered Sera. “That would solve all the problems. The drugs, the guns, and the
helichoppers would all go up in flames.”

“And so would a lot of innocent people,”
commented Smith.

After another long pause, Clover turned
to Gart. “You said your sister works in the Watch Tower, putting the drugs in
the milk. Maybe she could talk to the people she works with and convince them
to stop.”

“No. I will not put my sister in danger.”

“But...”             

“No!”

Clover sighed. It was becoming obvious
that this was a lost cause. What could six people, five of whom were
practically kids, do to change the world? She leaned forward, resting her
elbows on her knees and plopping her face in her hands.

“I'm with Sera,” said Luas. Those people
up in the Watch Tower need to be punished. They harm innocent people all the
time and they need to pay.” His face was bright red and almost matched the hair
on his head.

Clover looked at him wide-eyed. It was
the first time she’d heard one word come out of his mouth, and there was no
mistaking the contempt that sliced alongside his words.

Zander attempted to explain to Clover, “Luas's
parents...”

“They refused to drink the milk because
my mother had an allergy to it.” It was Luas’s story and Clover could see in
his posture and expression that he needed to be the one to tell it.

“When they noticed how different they
felt after they completely stopped, they started telling their friends that
something was wrong with the milk. They were labelled criminals, and...” He was
choking on his words, and had to stop. Clover could see deep liquid forming in
his eyes. Unable to continue, he dropped his head into his hands so all they
could see was the wavy red hair.

Zander finished for him. “They
were...punished, like Smith was.”

“Except they didn't return like I did,” Smith
added quietly.

“Luas was raised by his aunt and uncle.”
Zander clarified.

A hush fell over the room and Clover
could feel the air turn thick with grief; grief for Luas, for Smith, and for
all the citizens of Eadin, as well as those of Quell. She could completely
understand the animosity toward the people who worked at the top of the Watch
Tower. They seemed to be the ones who were behind it all. She, herself, even
hated her father for what he had done, and for what he was doing on an almost
nightly basis. But even so, he was still her dad, and she didn't want him dead.

“What we need,” said Smith suddenly, “is
to find a way to get their guns away from them. Without those guns, they're
powerless against the Carnae, and my bet is they wouldn't even go over the Wall
without weapons.” He paused and put his finger to his chin. “We need someone to
get access to the Watch Tower, to spy. Observe their routines and find out
where everything is kept. Then we can formulate a plan to steal the guns.”

All eyes suddenly fell to Clover, who
looked around shocked. “What?”

“Your dad works there,” said Sera.

“So?”

“So, you could get in no problem.”

“Not true. No one is permitted...”

Smith was smiling now, his usually dull
green eyes brimming with life. “Unless they show a genuine interest in working
there, and then they might be lucky enough to be trained to work at the Watch
Tower.”

“And,” added Gart. “It's much easier to
get in to work there if you already have a family member that does.”

“Plus, your sweet daddy will be joining
you for supper tonight, so it'll be the perfect time to ask him about it,” Sera
pointed out.

Everyone in the room was staring at her
expectantly.

“Fine,” she groaned. “But I'm not doing
it alone. I've already volunteered to try to get help from the people in Quell,
and now I'm going to be a spy. Someone is coming with me.”

“I will.” Zander's hand shot up.

“Oh, no you're not.” Sera pulled his arm
down into her lap.

“I'll do it,” said Luas.

Smith looked at him carefully, before
saying, “I don't think that's the best idea, Luas. Your negative emotions for
these people are much too strong. It could sabotage the whole thing.”

“I guess that leaves me, then,” said
Gart. He gave Clover an anxious smile and she smiled back.

“They might even accept me more readily
because of my sister.”

“Good point,” said Smith.

“Why don’t you join us for supper
tonight, Gart? I'll introduce you to my dad, and...” She shuddered at the
thought of having to face her father. It wasn't going to be easy to be the fake,
phony, submissive Clover now that she was discovering her new self and
thoroughly enjoying the rush of power that went along with real emotions. She
would have to keep them all in check.

“Speaking of not going alone,” said
Zander. “I don't want you going to meet your monster
friend
alone
anymore. He could kill you.”

She looked at him, shaking her head. “You're
still not getting it, Zander. You don't get to speak for me, or make my decisions
anymore. You gave up that right when you lied and cheated. And besides, even if
you were brave enough to come with me, which I don’t think you are, it would
only increase the chances of pissing him off. Pissing him off would equal him transitioning,
and then we could both be dead.”

Zander seemed to shrink smaller in front
of her eyes. She wondered how she could have been with him for so long, how she
hadn’t been able to see who he really was. And what exactly did an outspoken,
independent girl like Sera see in him?

“Oh, and by the way,” she added, “Don’t
you ever call him a monster again.”

Sera gave her a barely noticeable proud
smile, accompanied by a slight nod. Clover nodded back. She should hate her
more than she hated anyone else. She’d been a bitch to Clover, she’d stolen her
boyfriend, had been sleeping with him right behind her back. So it came as a
huge surprise to Clover that she was actually starting to like Sera.

“I just don't like it,” Zander muttered
under his breath.

***

Clover changed into a pleated skirt and a
silky blouse, brushed her hair down neatly, and put on a bit of make-up for their
dinner with her parents. She nervously wrung her hands together as she looked
at herself in the mirror. She looked so different even to her own eyes, and she
hoped her parents wouldn’t become suspicious because of her slightly altered
appearance. But she was only willing to take the phony act so far. She actually
liked what she saw. The small amounts of eye shadow and blush seemed to enhance
her features. The old Clover, she realized, had worn so much of the stuff that
it looked like she wore a multi-colored mask.

She sighed at her reflection. She would
do her best to play the role of content girlfriend to Zander, a girl who saw
nothing wrong with the world, a girl who still believed her daddy to be the
most wonderful hero in the whole world. She cringed at the thought.

Someone banged on the front door, so she
emerged from her room to join Zander in welcoming her parents and little
brother to their new, somewhat shabby home. She could only imagine what her
mother would say about it.

When she was in her place beside Zander,
he opened the door and their fake smiles quickly relaxed when they saw it was
only Gart. He stood there holding three folding chairs, and beside him was
Sera, wearing a dress, and even an accessory - a fancy barrette pinned in her
hair.

“You’re supposed to be staying away
tonight,” Clover said.

“I thought Gart could use a date,” she
announced as she strutted through the doorway. “Smells good in here. What’s for
supper?”

“Pork chops,” Clover said with a sigh.
Sera’s presence only increased the chance that things would become tense and
awkward.

Gart carried the folding chairs to the
kitchen table, opened them, and placed them alongside the four kitchen chairs.

Sera opened a bag and pulled out a jug
of milk. “Okay, let’s not mix up who is sitting where,” she said as she opened
the jug and began filling a glass at one of the place settings.

Clover tilted her head curiously, so
Sera explained. “We’ll be drinking fake milk. Don’t ask.”

Clover crossed her arms and glared at
her.

“Seriously. Don’t ask. Just be prepared
for it to taste a little salty.”

“Where will your parents and brother be
sitting?” asked Gart. She showed him, and at those places the real milk from
the fridge was poured into glasses.

“I don’t understand,” said Clover. “Would
it really be that bad to drink milk once? And by the way, where’s Smith?”

“Probably not,” answered Sera. “But I’m
not willing to take the chance. I don’t even want to be part zombie.”

“Smith is hiding out in the back shed,
so do not give your folks a tour of the back yard,” said Zander.

“Okay.” She breathed. “I hate this. I
really hate this.”

The doorbell rang. Sera and Gart rushed
to the living room and sat together on the loveseat while Zander and Clover
went to answer the door, wearing their biggest smiles.

Clover’s mother, Aspen Swelton, walked
in, looked around, and immediately her sunny face became gloomy. “Oh, Clover.
It’s…um…charming.”

“This is your new house?” Sprigg gasped.
“It’s gross.”

“Sprigg…” warned Bromer Swelton.

“It’s okay,” said Clover as she ruffled
Sprigg’s hair. “It is kinda gross. But imagine how nice it’ll be once we’ve
fixed it all up.”

“Yes. Yes, indeed. It will be a fun
challenge for you.” Her mother beamed.

Sprigg asked, “Can I see the back yard?”

“No,” came the simultaneous answer from
Clover and Zander.

Thank goodness her mother came
unexpectedly to the rescue. “No, Sprigg. We’re here to visit, not to play.”
That singsong voice was grating. Clover wondered how she ever tolerated it
before.

Her father shook Zander’s hand and then
pulled Clover into a big bear hug. “My little four leaf Clover. I’ve missed
you.” She grimaced into his chest. He was still her father, but his touch was
no longer one that felt safe and secure.

She pulled away and looked into his
beaming face with an awkward smile. “I’ve missed you too, Daddy.” She really
was becoming a master liar.

Zander led them to the living room where
Gart and Sera rose from their seats. “Mr. and Mrs. Swelton,” said Zander, “I’d
like to introduce our friends. Gart Rosen and his er…date for the evening, Sera
Shamperton.”

They all shook hands and exchanged
greetings.