Moirai (8 page)

Adelaide nodded eagerly, hopping down off the chair. I
led her back upstairs and grabbed her a t-shirt of mine before I turned on the
shower, leaving her alone to clean up while I checked on Joshua. I knew I'd
need to find her clothes that fit, but at least the oversized shirt would be
clean.

Heading into my own bedroom, I leaned down, pressing a
kiss to Joshua's forehead and feeling him stir on the bed. “Hey, sleepyhead.” I
grinned, running my thumb across his cheek. “Adelaide's in the shower. I'm
going to take her to breakfast when she's done. Do you want to join us?” Joshua
shifted on the bed, his eyes heavy as he slowly awoke.

“There's nothing to eat here?” He asked sitting up in
bed. He ran a hand through his tousled hair.

“I tried to feed her yogurt,” I laughed, finding a change
of clothes in the dresser for myself. “That didn't go over too well.” I took my
clothes with me into the bathroom. “If she's looking for me, let her know I'll
be right out.”

I didn't hear Joshua's answer. I jumped in the shower and
tried to be fast, not wanting Adelaide to wait too long. I knew we'd brought
her in last night and she hadn't been awake when she met Joshua. I didn't want
to upset her. Finishing my shower, I dried off and got dressed, coming out of
the bathroom to see Joshua still on the bed. He was lying back down but he
hadn't quite fallen asleep. “Hey,” Joshua yawned, glancing at me. “No sign of
her yet.”

I ran a towel through my hair before heading out into the
hall. “Adelaide?” I knocked on the bathroom door, hearing the shower still
running. The moment I knocked she turned the tap off. I waited outside in the
hallway as I heard her tiny feet pattering around. A few minutes later she
opened the bathroom door, my t-shirt much too big on her.

“I promise we'll get you clothes that fit as soon as we
can,” I assured her. “How about you and me grab some breakfast while we let
Joshua sleep a little longer?”

Adelaide nodded in response. I grabbed a hairbrush,
combing through her long dark locks and drying her hair before taking her hand.
I led her to the foyer, grabbed my coat and wrapped her in it before putting on
our shoes and stepping outside.

Adelaide shivered as the door opened and the cold gust of
air assaulted us. I wore a long-sleeved shirt and sweatshirt. Not enough for
this cold morning in Shadow. Quickly, we walked through town and north towards
the recruit center. It housed the cafeteria along with the training facilities
for the town. I waved at Chancellor Collins, seeing him as he opened the door
and we walked into the warm cafeteria together.

“Hello, there.” He smiled warmly at Adelaide. “I bet
you're hungry.” Adelaide glanced up at me with wide curious eyes, not saying a
word.

“Breakfast at home wasn't too successful,” I admitted,
leading her towards the cafeteria line. Adelaide pointed at the breakfast items
she wanted—most seemed out of reach—and I piled them onto a plate, glad to see
she had an appetite. “How are the others?” I asked, curious about the two we'd
brought in from Thena. I knew they hadn't been well and didn't expect an
overnight recovery but was hopeful. Collins shook his head no and I didn't ask
anything more. I didn't have to, already knowing the answer from his grave
expression. Even the best of Shadow's technology couldn't save everyone.

I grabbed breakfast for myself, carrying it over along
with Adelaide's to a table where we could sit down. Cate already sat at the
table and although we'd never been much for friends, I sat down with her. I
knew Adelaide had met her the previous day and at least it would be one more
familiar face.

“Good morning.” Cate smiled at Adelaide.

Adelaide took a few sips of milk before glancing at Cate.
“You drove the van yesterday.”

Cate laughed. “That's right. You have a good memory.” She
turned her attention towards me. “Where's Joshua?”

I eyed the door, not sure why I expected to see him.
“Still in bed.” I smiled.

Adelaide tugged on my sleeve. “Maybe we can bring him
back something to eat?”

Cate smiled, averting her gaze.

“I bet he'd like that,” I agreed, helping Adelaide out of
her coat. I glanced back towards Cate, worried about her. I knew she was happy
we'd found Adelaide but a part of her obviously had hoped to find her own
family. After we saw the damage of Thena, there was no chance we'd left any
survivors behind. I knew what it felt to lose someone you cared about. Although
I didn't know what to say. Nothing would ease the pain. It never did.

Adelaide kept eyeing Cate's strawberry sitting perched at
the edge of her plate. Cate reached out, offering it to her. “Go ahead.” She
handed Adelaide the fruit, watching her eyes widen as she plucked it from her
fingers and brought it to her lips. Adelaide's lips curved into a smile, which
seemed to bring a tiny smile to Cate's lips.

“Stay here, okay?” I told Adelaide as I stood up, heading
towards the Chancellor. She nodded eagerly and climbed onto her knees to lean
closer to Cate. Walking across the room, I gave him a brief nod. “We need to
talk.”

“I know.” He stared at Adelaide and his look changed to
something I couldn't quite recognize. He didn't say anything and I glanced at
her small frame and dark hair as she giggled, talking to Cate.

“What's the procedure for bringing an abandoned child
into this city?” I asked. I didn't know who Adelaide would live with. I wasn't
even sure how she felt about all that had transpired. No one had asked her. I
knew it wasn't easy: she'd been through an ordeal but she didn't let it show.
Even at six she was stronger than anyone I'd ever met.

Collins glanced past me, watching Adelaide curiously.
“We'll have a lottery to determine who will win the child.”

“Absolutely not!” My eyes narrowed, appalled by his
suggestion. “Children aren't prizes to be won!” I couldn't believe him. “You're
not serious?”

A faint smile broke out on his face. “I was kidding,
Olivia. In all seriousness, Adelaide is the first child we've had brought into
Shadow. We don't exactly have a procedure for this sort of thing. Besides, the
town is a training camp, not a playground.” He paused, thinking of what to do.
“I'll bring some clothes to the recruit center. She can stay with Taron
tonight.”

“I'm not comfortable leaving her with a stranger,” I
admitted, glancing back at Adelaide across the cafeteria. It was clear to me
Taron didn't know her or at least didn't care enough about her. He hadn't come
over to see who the sleeping girl was I brought back from Thena. He also hadn't
come over in the cafeteria as he grabbed himself a plate of eggs after standing
in line. Now he walked to a table across the room, refusing to acknowledge
Adelaide.

The Chancellor answered. “She can stay with you, if you'd
prefer?”

“Do you think that's best?” I remarked. What did I know
about raising a child? I was barely eighteen and had enough trouble remembering
to eat three meals a day! How would I look after someone else?

The Chancellor glanced past me towards Cate, watching
them interact. “She seems to be taking a liking to Cate,” he suggested.

I didn't know what to do. Adelaide was so young, still a
child. I wanted what was best for her and I wasn't sure what that was. I
couldn't imagine choosing a random family in Shadow to take care of Adelaide.
How would I know they were best suited for her? Maybe it was selfish of me to
even consider raising a child since I could have one if I desired, but I wanted
what was best for Adelaide. She deserved that much.

“Olivia!” Adelaide climbed off the bench and ran over towards
me, throwing her arms around me for a hug. I rubbed her back. “Hey sweetie,” I
smiled, bending down to her level.

 “I'm bored,” she announced. “Can we go home?” I wondered
what she thought home meant. There was no going back to Thena. I didn't want to
tell her that.

“Sure.” I offered her a faint smile, seeing the
Chancellor looking quite pleased with himself. I didn't understand why. Had he
wanted me to look after Adelaide all along? I couldn't see the benefit in it. I
stood up, taking her hand, and walked over to the empty tray of food. I cleaned
up Adelaide's breakfast before helping her into my coat again. I grabbed my
breakfast, taking it with me back to the house.

We walked back home, not wasting a moment as the cold air
only made my arms tremble. I had to be careful not to drop our tray of food.
Adelaide might have eaten but I'd barely touched my meal, and I carried enough
for Joshua to eat too.

Unlocking the front door, I saw that Joshua had already
dressed and come down the stairs. “You're back soon,” he commented, smiling as
he saw Adelaide standing beside me. “Hi.” He grinned and offered out his hand.
“I'm Joshua.”

Adelaide slipped behind my legs, poking her head out to
the side to see him. Evidently she was shy. I handed Joshua our breakfast,
letting him take it to the kitchen as I helped Adelaide out of my coat. I hoped
someone would soon bring the girl clothes that fit. Together, we walked into
the kitchen. I grabbed a seat at the table to eat breakfast as Adelaide ran
into the living room, grabbing a book from the shelf. None had pictures but she
stared at the pages. I wasn't sure if she was old enough to read but it kept
her occupied for a while.

“She's cute,” Joshua mused, getting a better look at her
as he sat with me for breakfast.

“Apparently, she's ours,” I remarked, eyeing him. I
didn't know how he'd feel about us looking after a child. I wasn't entirely
comfortable with the idea but I wasn't going to let her be given to a family at
random.

“Well, she has taken a liking to you.” Josh nodded
slowly. “What's Collins think about all of it?”

I took a bite of breakfast, trying to get it down. I
wasn't entirely hungry but knew I needed to eat something. “He mentioned a
lottery.” My fork picked at my food on the plate. “I shot that idea down.”

“Good.” Joshua rolled his eyes. “He wasn't serious?” he
asked me.

“No. Adelaide's the first child to come here though, so
they don’t exactly have a set of rules to follow. He mentioned Taron but you
were there yesterday. Taron didn't so much as come up to us to see who the
little girl was. I can't just hand her over to him.” I pinched the bridge of my
nose, hanging my head slightly, eyes closed, trying to think. “Are we ready to
be parents?”

Joshua laughed softly. “To Adelaide? I don't know. Maybe
we could handle it. I mean she's what, four?” he guessed. “I'm not crazy about
having a child here. It's a huge risk considering everything we've been
through,” he acknowledged. “But she's also a person who needs a family and
parents who will love her. I see the way you are with her and I can't imagine
anyone doing a better job, Olivia.”

“She's six,” I corrected him. “And I'm eighteen, barely
an adult,” I remarked. “I can't be anyone's mother.” The thought still
terrified me.

“Well that settles it.” Joshua smiled. “If she's six then
it's
much
easier.” He tried to make light of the situation. “Any word
about the other two survivors from Thena?”

I sighed and put my fork down, having lost my appetite
completely. “Not good news,” I remarked, glancing back at Adelaide. She sat on
the sofa, turning the page of a novel she seemed to be reading.

I felt Joshua's hand come to rest atop mine. “We'll look
after her,” he assured me. “Between the two of us, we can handle it.” I wasn't
sure we could. We spent most days training, preparing for an uprising. What
would we do with Adelaide when we went off to war? I couldn't stay home and be
a mother, raise a child and live my life on the sidelines. I knew it was
probably the most selfish feeling in the world but I didn’t feel ready to give
it all up just yet. “Relax.” He squeezed my hand. “We can teach her basic
skills training. She'll be prepared for whatever awaits us.” I hoped it could
be that easy.

Only a few days had passed since Adelaide had come into
our home. The community of Shadow had come together to help in any way it
could. Adelaide was the youngest of Shadow. It was rare a child came into the
town and everyone wanted to be a part of her upbringing. Some had stitched
clothes for Adelaide to wear. Others had sewn together stuffed animals for
Adelaide so she could have companions. I felt terrible knowing Adelaide would
have no friends her own age to play with. Shadow had no swing sets or
playgrounds like Genesis had provided. The only school that existed was the
recruit center, training in weaponry and survival skills. As important as they
were for Adelaide, there was so much more for her to learn about our world and
about what was going on in it.

Aidan brought books about our history and about the
history of the world to teach Adelaide. I wasn't sure how much to share with
such a young child. Incredibly bright, she was still a child. Shouldn't she be
allowed some freedoms until she grew older? Freedom from fear, for instance.
Although I knew she'd never have such a luxury. Her family had died. Her home
had been destroyed. We were lucky the drones hadn't come back but I knew one
day they would, and I would protect her like I had Hazel, no matter the cost.

“Olivia, do we have to do this again?” Adelaide whined as
she lifted the Bo Staff in her arms. Aidan had crafted it himself, making sure
it was the perfect size for Adelaide. It was light but sturdy. I didn't want to
hand her anything she could injure herself with. We were trying to train her to
defend herself. Joshua and I had seen soldiers come in on foot while in Haven.
It was possible with time they'd travel as far west as Shadow. We needed to be
ready.

“Yes.” I smiled. “We can take a break first,” I offered
as she shook her head no.

“Let's get on with it.”

I laughed hearing her words and helped her practice. We
spent twenty minutes at it before I heard a familiar voice. “Need a hand?”
Hazel asked. I was glad to see she was doing better since our last encounter.