Eden's Root (27 page)

Aliyah prompted him, “Perpetrated.” He nodded.

“Perpetrated,” he said carefully, “against a Family Member by another Member, ever.” He stopped and took a breath. “Rule Five – Any violation of the above rules may result in permanent expulsion from the Family. You will be given no ration and will be taken far from our border under blindfold so that you may not return.” Aldy finished and handed the paper back to his mother.

“All new Members,” she said, “must swear to follow these rules in full view of all existing Members of the Family. All new Members will also be on a probation period of one month. During this period any violation or concern by existing Members could be cause for permanent expulsion.” She stopped and took a breath. “Newcomers, do you understand and recognize these Family Rules?” she asked.

Sarge and Lydia nodded and said, “Aye.” Aliyah bowed her head in acknowledgement.

“Now you may take time to deliberate if you wish. You may also ask a question if you have any.”

Lydia spoke up, “I have one.” Sarge turned to her, curious. “What are the Family Food Laws?” Aliyah proceeded to explain the order of rations delineated in the Family Food Laws. Lydia’s brow knit together. “Grandpa,” she whispered. “You will barely get to eat,” her tone was worried. “You could die of starvation if we stay.” The others watched them carefully. Sarge touched Lydia’s cheek.

“All I wanted in the end was your safety honey, and Charlie’s safety. I’m no different than Ms. Maggie or Miss Rachel. They understand the need for the Rules and I do too. We’ll get by ok.” His tone was reassuring. “Let me make the decision for you,” he said and turned to Aliyah.

“Is this the part where we give our vote on joining you all?” he asked. “Because we vote ‘aye’!” Aliyah nodded at Lydia.

“She must vote for herself.” Lydia nodded.

“Yes,” she agreed and dropped her blonde head. “It’s a great honor to join your family. I vote Aye.” At that moment Charlie burst out with a loud giggle in the silence.

“Charlie votes Aye as well!” Sarge roared and the room erupted in gales of laughter.

“Congratulations!” their new Family Members greeted them, standing up to hug each other and to meet and hold Charlie. Sarge chatted with Doc Ron and Aliyah and then turned to Fi.

“Little lady,” he said in a gruff voice, the tears welling in his eyes, “I will never be able to repay you for this kindness. Thank you for saving my family.” She smiled and tears filled her eyes at his expression.

“You’re going to fit right in Sarge. It’s your Family now.” And then Fi did something that Sarge would later tell her convinced him that he’d follow her to the ends of the earth. She threw her arms around him and squeezed.

Surviving the Winter

----------- Fi -----------

Snow fell throughout New Year’s Eve and gained feet of depth at a time. The outdoor landscape transformed as winter dropped her frigid skirts. Between the icy air and the deep snow, all outdoor chores became difficult and heavy labor. Tiring in her work, Fi grunted, her breath forming nearly solid puffs as she secured the new bundle of sticks to her pack.

“I think that is all I can do on this load guys,” she called to the others. Sean, John, and Doc all approached, their breath streaming from their noses. Thank goodness Sean had found all that winter stuff on their last raid, she thought gratefully. Otherwise, they would all have been sharing two pairs of gloves and three hats.

Fi’s breath was short and she put her hands on her knees, taking deep, gasping draughts of air. It was hard work tromping through deep snow. The icy air stung her lungs and made her cough. Ugh, how she hated the cold! The only good thing about the heavy snowfall was that it had drifted against their house, which ironically created insulation from the whistling winds in the Dead Zone. And they no longer had to hike to the stream to get water. That was another positive. Other than that, she thought, flexing her numb extremities, she preferred drowning in the summer thunderstorms.

“Let’s go guys,” she said, standing up. “We can’t use any more calories. This is good.” The snorting figures nodded like horses. They turned to trudge back through the path they had created on the way out, back toward their home. When they arrived, Fi stomped up the porch stairs and happily dumped her load of firewood by the fireplace. Now she was done, she thought and smiled, taking off her wet gear to dry by the fire. Today she didn’t have to do anything else unless she wanted to because today was her fifteenth birthday. The whole Family was planning nice things for her, but the best of all was Maggie’s gift. Maggie was going to help her to take a warm bath. Now that, she thought, was really exciting.

Maggie smiled when she entered. “Are you ready to let us get you all dolled up now lovie?” Fi grinned.

A strong fire burned behind Maggie, the water buckets for Fi’s bath tucked just inside. Before it became truly cold, the Family had avoided making fires during the day for fear that the smoke could bring trouble. But now it was so cold that they had no choice, and today Fi was thankful. She smiled as she noticed her tangerine silk ‘Birthday Dress’ draped over the back of a chair in the dining room. The washtub sat on the dining room floor and a sheet hung pinned across the doorway to create privacy. Yes, it was going to be a good day, she thought. She would refuse to worry today. Today she was just a teenaged girl.

She turned to Maggie with a smile. Now it was her turn to be warm and toasty. Leaving her jacket and gear, Fi pulled her hair free and tiptoed barefoot across the cold wooden floor to the dining room. Maggie beckoned and smiled as she passed, dropping the sheet behind her.

“I’m sorry that the room is still kind of chilly,” she apologized. That was when Fi noticed that Maggie had placed wrapped, heated bricks on the floor in an attempt to warm the air. Not only did this extra effort touch her, it also worked. The area beside the tub was a little warmer than the rest of the room.

“Thanks Mama,” Fi reached out to hug Maggie. “I know it’s going to feel awesome.” Maggie nodded and left to get the first bucket of water from the fireplace. She poured the hot water into the washtub and Fi touched it with her frigid toes. The heat made them burn. Fi smiled and Maggie went to retrieve the second bucket.

“Ok,” Maggie nodded as she poured the next round of hot water, “Don’t be shy, get in while it’s warm,” she urged. “I will keep you in hot refills, don’t worry.” Giving a little salute, Maggie slipped past the sheet and Fi shed her clothing, grabbing the soft rag her mother had left for her. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the metal washtub and the heat soaked deep into her bones. If it was possible to sigh inside your own head, then that had to be what Fi felt at that moment. It had cooled just enough, Fi thought, enjoying the luxury of warmth. She dipped her rag into the warm water and squeezed it over her shoulders, shivering as the water ran over her body.

“Knock, knock,” Maggie joked and Fi called her in. Fi had helped Maggie to bathe last week. They both talked and decided that they could get over modesty in the name of a warm bath and Maggie had gone first. Of course Maggie offered to return the favor on Fi’s birthday. Maggie added more warm water to the bath and Fi sighed. Though she wished it could last forever, she worked quickly with the rag, making sure she actually took the opportunity to cleanse herself.

Too soon, the water cooled and Fi had to step out. She dried off quickly and reached for her dress. As her fingertips grasped the tangerine silk, she marveled at its beauty. The dress had never emerged from her pack until today, and tonight she would actually wear it. The fabric was a heavy weight for silk, which was fortunate considering the temperature. Even so, Fi would still have to wear a sweater and stay next to the fireplace if she was to wear her dress without shivering all night.

Fi opened the neckline with care and pulled the dress on over her head, sliding the bottom half over her hips. It felt phenomenal against her skin, she realized. It had been nearly a year since she had worn anything besides sport and outdoor gear. When she had grabbed this dress, she never could have imagined how much she would appreciate it in this moment. It had short cap sleeves with a v-neck. It fell close to her body beneath the bustline and hugged her body through the hip, and then flared into a fluid skirt that ended halfway down her thigh. Fi shivered and wrapped her towel around her shoulders for warmth. Pulling aside the sheet, she emerged from the temporary bathroom and found Maggie and Aliyah maneuvering buckets and pots around the fireplace.

“Let’s see it Fi,” Aliyah said with excitement. Fi dropped her towel and both Aliyah and Maggie sighed. Fi laughed and did a little twirl at their request. With all the oooohs and aaaahs there was enough noise that Lydia and the kids emerged from their ‘school’ in the kitchen.

“Oh Fi,” Rachel breathed. “You look amazing.” She walked toward Fi to hug her and touch the dress. “It’s beautiful Fi.”

“Thanks Rach, that means a lot to me.” Fi hugged her back. “I always did love your taste.” The other children and Lydia all chimed in with their compliments.

“That’s it everyone,” Lydia said gaily, “I think that in honor of Fi’s birthday we should declare a half day of school.” Her words were met with cheers despite the fact that the kids mostly enjoyed school with Lydia. It was just part of the special feeling of the day, Fi thought. It was a good day. Maggie approached Fi and held her by both hands.

“You look like a young woman now,” she said, her eyes welling up. From beside the fire she grabbed a heavy, nubbly blue cardigan. “Here,” she said, handing it to a shivering Fi. “I know it’s not the right accessory,” she joked, “but it will keep you warm.” Leading her by the hand, Maggie pulled Fi back into the dining room. “I’m stealing her for a moment,” Maggie told the rest of the Family. “This beautiful girl needs to see herself.” Fi walked behind her with her hand over her eyes as Maggie instructed.

“Ok,” Maggie breathed, “Open your eyes.” Fi opened her eyes and then gasped. Maggie had led her to stand before the large horizontal mirror opposite the windows. Her expression made Maggie chuckle. “When was the last time you even looked into the mirror my lovie?” Fi thought about it and realized that she couldn’t really remember.

“I don’t think I have since the first month that we lived here,” she admitted, still shocked that the reflection in the mirror formed the words as she spoke them. The girl in the mirror couldn’t possibly be her, Fi thought, turning and watching the reflection turn with her. Even in the hazy light she could see that the dress did indeed look lovely on her. She shed the sweater, Maggie holding it for her so she could admire herself.

Her hair had grown very long. She hadn’t cut it since they’d escaped in the spring. It cascaded over her shoulders in long coppery coils, the shorter pieces curling into chin length springs around her face. Examining her reflection, she realized that the most pronounced difference was in her body. When she’d had to add a belt to her cargo pants to keep them on, she knew that she was dropping weight. Though she hadn’t been a curvy girl to begin with, she was not thrilled to be stick thin. She sighed.

“Mama, there was a time when I thought it would be great to be this thin,” she half-joked. “Now I wish I filled out the dress the way it was cut.” Maggie nodded, helping Fi to put the sweater back on.

“Well, it suits you Fi,” she said. “It’s the color, it lights up your eyes and makes them look green,” she said, peering closely at Fi’s face. “You look wonderful to me.” Fi knew that was true. And she knew that she looked better than she ever did in her outdoor and military clothes. Ugh, she must really look like a boy in that stuff, she thought with chagrin. Fi returned to the warm living room and sat by the fireplace. Kiara moved from her spot on the other side of the fire and came to sit next to her. Her eyes were wide.

“What is it baby? What’s wrong?” Fi asked, suddenly concerned.

“You look like a princess Fi.” Her tone was reverent and Fi laughed, her concern alleviated.

“A barefoot princess in a cardigan sweater,” she joked, but Kiara would not be discouraged.

“Zoe thinks so too, don’t you Zo?” Kiara asked, leaning out from her perch to peer around Aliyah. Fi leaned out too and saw Zoe nod. Suddenly a frigid breeze blew through the room.

“I have to agree Fi,” Sean said, the cold pouring off of his clothes. “You definitely look like a princess.” His grin widened as he stared at her. His expression was so intense, Fi thought, suddenly uncomfortable. Shivering, she pulled the sweater back onto her shoulders and turned her cold half to face the heat.

The return of the men served as the official start to the party. Sean had snared two squirrels and had even found the stash of nuts one had hidden. Both were a welcome source of fat. Aliyah quickly broke down the squirrels and the pine that Sean brought to add to the broth she already had simmering with venison jerky. Ensuring that they got some green vegetable with their meal, she opened one can of peas to add to the broth as well. After a few minutes, the room filled with a wonderful smell as the squirrel began to cook. Fi’s stomach growled and everyone grew excited to eat.

Birthdays were given an exemption from the Food Rules, so long as the Family had enough to eat. They all shared a taste of the squirrel and venison stew. At the end of the meal John and Lucy ceremoniously opened a can of fruit and everyone sang to Fi and then split it. It made for only one tiny sweet morsel, but it was wonderful. Since they’d run out of their dried apples and winter had claimed all the berries, fruit had become a difficult commodity to find.

Rachel provided the entertainment, singing songs by request for an hour until she grew tired. The Family sometimes sang along and sometimes simply listened to her strong, clear, high voice fill the room. As Fi watched, she felt her usual concern. Rachel’s voice had become the biggest thing about her. The food rules already limited her food and she insisted on living by them, but it mattered little since she no appetite. None of the Family would have denied her food, if she had been able to eat.