Endless Winter (Book 2): Rain & Ruin (11 page)

The room erupts with overjoyed conversation at AIRIA’s words. I knew there was a lot of machinery on the lower level but I had no idea what most of it was used for. I can’t help but grin at how happy everyone is and at the thought of being able to rebuild so much faster with all the supplies available to us.

The man across from me with all the farming experience is shaking his head in disbelief. He leans forward to be heard and booms out his question at me.

“Young lady, how exactly did you come to be in the possession of all of this? The bunker, the supplies, this magic computer?”

The smile dims on my face at the reminder that the people who put me here are gone but I push past it to answer his question. Everyone turns their eyes to me to hear my answer and Rex reaches for my hand.

“My father was a soldier in the military. One of his best friends and my godfather is…was, a high ranking general. When my dad first started to get serious about prepping for a major disaster, he looked at buying property out here in the mountains. When my Uncle Bill came for a visit, Dad brought him out for his thoughts on this area. I didn’t find out until after the bombs that Uncle Bill bought the land and had the bunkers built and stocked. Apparently, there is a twin to this bunker somewhere in the east. Dad said that this one was off the books, whatever that means.”

Lance holds up his hand to stop any more questions and turns to me with an alarmed face.

“This place belongs to the government? Where have they been for the last seven years?”

I shrug my shoulders. “Don’t know. Dad said hardly anyone knew about this place. Uncle Bill kept it to himself, Dad and a select few in his inner circle. Dad said it was a backup in case things went bad in the east. So, after seven years, I’d say no one’s coming.”

Lance relaxes and starts to nod. “I’m going to agree with that but, with the east already having clear skies, we might end up being noticed out here. I would suggest that it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. We should get moving on plans like where we are going to start rebuilding and then get as much of the machinery and supplies moved to that location. If anyone from the east does show up, well, it’ll be a done deal.”

I lean back and let the talk flow over me as AIRIA brings up a detail map of the province on the large screen against one wall and people move from their chairs to get a better look.

I try and picture what life will be like living outside. As much as I crave open skies and sun on my face, it will also mean letting go of a lot of things. Things like my home and the security and comfort its given Ben and me all these years. The other thing I’d have to give up is AIRIA. The thought makes me nauseous. She might just be a computer but to me she’s been a lifeline to sanity. After dad died, she was the only thing I had left of him. She answered all my questions as I tried to figure out growing up and parenting at the same time. She might not be a real person but to me, she was the closest thing I had to a parent. I’m not sure I’m ready to walk away from that.

“Hey, you ok in there? You look like you’re a million miles away.” Rex nudges me.

My eyes refocus on what’s happening in the room and I see everyone settling back into their seats. I send him a reassuring smile and focus back into the conversation just as Lance asks me a question.

“Skylar, how do you feel about us having a detailed inventory printed out? It would make planning a lot easier if we knew exactly what was available to us but I want you to be comfortable with that.”

Before I have a chance to say “no problem”, Gordon speaks up.

“Why does it matter what she thinks? Technically, none of this stuff belongs to her. From what she said, it was our tax dollars that built and supplied all of this so it belongs to all of us!”

My whole body goes stiff with tension at the tone he’s using but its Lance that responds with a hand slammed on the table. His face is cold and hard when he slowly rises from his seat and leans over the table in Gordon’s direction. The tone of his voice is so hard that it sends shivers down my spine.

“Technically, the water and shelter of the hotel belonged to everyone but you cowed under Ted’s malicious rule for seven years without doing a thing about it. Technically, I didn’t have to save your ass and bring you or anyone else with my group but I did. Technically, Skylar didn’t have to let you or any of us in but she did. Technically, she didn’t have to offer all of the supplies to us or the supplies we will need to rebuild but she has. So in my books, that girl is BOSS of everything in here and if you can’t get on board and deliver the respect she deserves then you technically, shouldn’t be a part of any future plans. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

He doesn’t yell the last three words but he puts so much force behind them that he might as well have.

Gordon’s shoulders are pinned back against his seat as he tries to get away from the forcefulness of Lance’s words. He starts nodding his head in agreement but only manages to squeak out, “Yes, of course.”

There’s such a deep silence in the room after that I want to just jump up and bolt but Rex’s hand in mine gives me the courage to stay and speak.

“AIRIA, please print out a detailed inventory on all storage contents.”

“Skylar Ross, printing now.”

We all can hear the sound of a printer clicking on in the next room as it starts to spit out sheet after sheet of what we have to work with. It’s Belle that finally breaks the silence.

“I think we should table our expansion plans for now and move on to what’s happening inside.” When she gets relieved nods all around the table she continues.

“Honestly, everything is going amazingly well! Everyone has made themselves available for shifts in maintenance, gardening and cooking.

"The garden received a boost over the last few days as we added shoots and cuttings from Skylar’s garden. We should see some yield within the next few weeks.

"Ethan has added the animals to his duties and is working on increasing the head count there.

"We’ve started up the school sessions for the children but decided to make it half day. We thought it was just as important for them to sit in on the adult agriculture classes as well. We will all need to gain as much knowledge from AIRIA as we can before we leave here.

"So, with everything going so well, some of us thought we should have a party to celebrate.”

Sasha is practically vibrating in her seat at her mom’s words and I have to admit the idea of that sounds kind of exciting but Lance must not feel the same because he’s already shaking his head.

“A party, really? Is that something we really need to be focusing on?”

I smother the laugh that wants to come out when Ethan stretches out his arm and lightly clotheslines Lance forcing him back into his seat.

“Ignore him, Belle. What do you have in mind?”

She’s grinning at his antics when she explains.

“There hasn’t been a whole lot to celebrate for the last seven years with most of the people barely surviving. We now have a safe shelter with enough food to start healing our bodies. Top that with the sky clearing and the weather shifting so we can start planning for a real future and it deserves a…thanksgiving.”

Lance is still shaking his head but a small smile is tugging on his lips when he says, “Its April, wrong month for that!”

But he waves her on when Ethan jabs him in the ribs.

Belle ignores him and keeps going. “No matter what month it is, I think we all have a lot to celebrate and be thankful for. Just the fact that we managed to survive the end of civilization as we knew it and can now start planning for a real future is enough to celebrate. I think it would be good for everyone’s morale.

"So, as I was saying, we could have a feast followed by a dance.” She looks around the table and her smile gets even wider at all of the nods and “yesses” sent her way. “Excellent! Let’s say three days from now. That will give us time to plan and organize it and make a few dresses.”

Lance shoots to his feet and points at Belle with a mock stern look.

“Aha! There’s the real reason right there! You girls just want an excuse to get dressed up!”

The meeting ended there with laughter and chatter about the party ideas. I catch Sasha’s eyes and we both break out laughing at the pure glee in each other’s eyes. It might not be the prom but it’s the closest either one of us will ever come to, so we’re both going to make the most of it.

I don’t understand girls. Seriously, flat out don’t understand. Not that long ago, Skylar and Sasha were total enemies and now they’re almost inseparable, giggling and gushing over fabric and patterns for dresses. I just ran far, far away when they started talking about hairstyles. I’m not sure what happened to the gun wielding bad ass girl that I fell for but I will say that it’s nice to see her so happy.

Belle is a whirlwind of activity and she doesn’t hold back making Marsh and me do her grunt work. While she organizes food preparation and recipes as well as lining up women who are proficient with sewing machines to add more variety to their wardrobes, Marsh and I are stuck with decorating. The empty space that was created in the middle of the barracks when all the bunks were moved around will be our dance floor. Skylar dug out all the Christmas decorations she had on her side and left the boxes for Marsh and me to sort through. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much glitter in my life. We’re both completely clueless when it comes to decorating so when we found the huge tangle of twinkle lights we called it good and just strung them up all around the dance floor.

After congratulating ourselves on a job well done we head to the kitchen to find a well-deserved snack. The place is organized chaos as they put together the feast and the smells are amazing. Belle spots us and starts to wave us out but there’s no way we’re leaving without a taste of something.

“Fine, there’s some spaghetti left from last night that I can warm up for you guys but keep your fingers out of the rest! How’s the decorating coming?” Belle asks as we follow her to a quieter area of the massive kitchen.

“Done.” Marsh announces proudly.

I nod in agreement when she squints her eyes in disbelief. When she just keeps me pinned with her stare, I elaborate.

“Really, we put up a bunch of little Christmas lights all around where you want the dance floor to be!”

“Annnnnd?” she prompts.

Marsh and I look at each other in confusion before he shrugs.

“And what? It’s done. It should look rad if we turn the overhead lights down.”

She puts her hands on her hips and we both take a step back. After seven years we know when Belle’s about to blast us.

“Out of all of those boxes of decorations Skylar gave you, all you could come up with was a few strings of lights? After all these years together, how many birthdays and Christmases have you seen me decorate our space to try and make things special for you all? Even when we were barely hanging on, I still managed to spruce our space up to make it look like a party! Here you are with almost unlimited supplies to make things beautiful for our celebration and all you do is put up some lights? Is that what you’re telling me?”

Marsh is looking around for an escape route so I take the hit for us.

“No, no Belle! That’s just the start. Uh, we knew the lights had to go up first so we got that done and then we, uh, got hungry so we thought we’d get a snack before finishing up with the rest. You’ll see, it’ll be the best decorated party ever, promise!”

Belle gives up the steely eye that has a glint of amusement in it before finally relenting.

“Well then, I guess I'd better get you hard workers some food so you can get back at it.”

As soon as she turns her back to the fridge, Marsh pretends to throttle me before throwing his hands up in a “What are going to do now” gesture. I just shrug my shoulders and plaster a fake smile on my face when Belle turns and hands us both plates of cold spaghetti.

“You don’t need these warmed up do you? I figure you’re both anxious to get back to work.” she says with a smirk and a sharp eye towards Marsh.

“Nope, no this is great Belle. Thanks for the grub. We’ll just take it out into the barracks and get out of your way!” he says cheerfully before snatching the plate and making a beeline for the door.

When I finally catch up with him, he’s already half way through his cold food and I get a glare.

“What the heck, Dude? Since when did you turn into that Martha, uh, housekeeping super woman?”

“I’m not! But how’re we supposed say no to her when she’s right? Don’t you remember how she had Lance and Ethan scavenging attics and basements all over town for holiday decorations? She did that for us, man. We might not have gotten a pile of new toys but she made sure we all had a special day for holidays. We owe her! Besides, when she gets that hands on the hips thing going on, well it just, I mean she’s so…”

Marsh’s shoulders slump when he finishes my sentence. “Like a mom.” At my grateful smile and nod, he waves at my plate. “Alright Martha, shovel it down and lets go prettify the place.”

“Oh Mom!” Sasha breathes out in a soft gasp of wonder when she gets her first look at her finished hair.

I smile in admiration at the soft beautiful red curls that cascade down her back. This day so far has been so much fun and we still have a few hours to go before the feast and dance starts. The teenage girl in me has surfaced in spades and I’m loving every minute of the ritual that I never got to do with my own mom.

We’ve spent the last three days sewing patterns for skirts and dresses along with some of the other ladies in the barracks so that everyone who wants too will have something different to wear for the party. I glance at the dress I’ll be wearing that’s hanging from the back of the door on a hanger and sigh. It’s the only one that wasn’t made from scratch. The day the bombs dropped, my Mom and I had grabbed what we could from our home in the city but dresses weren’t high on the list. The only dress my mother brought was a flowing maternity dress that was an empire cut. Belle had helped me take it apart and refit it to my much slimmer build.

I can’t help but run my hand down the soft, shiny yellow material. I feel my eyes mist as I remember Mom wearing it and how it reminds me of sunshine and love. She might not be here with me today for my first dance but I’m sure she will be in my heart as I wear her dress.

I turn back to Sasha and Belle and see Belle’s eyes are misty too. Her gaze meets mine and she shakes her head and laughs.

“Such a silly thing when so much is more important but oh how I’ve missed a good curling iron! Skylar, I think your mother would be very pleased that you’ve shared her things with us girls.”

I nod in agreement. “Me too. Honestly, I forgot that she had brought some of this stuff with her. Dad had put all her things away after…after she died.”

Sasha tosses her newly curled hair over her shoulder as she studies her reflection in the mirror. “I’m thankful too. I didn’t know my hair could look like this!” She turns away from the mirror to face me. “You wouldn’t happen to have any make up or jewelry would you?” she glances over to her mom. “We had some stuff but it was left outside when the rain started.”

I shake my head wistfully. If there was makeup, Dad must have thrown it out. The only jewellery I have is Mom and Dad’s wedding rings. “No, I couldn’t find anything else. It’s too bad, I’ve always wanted to try mascara. My eye lashes are so blond they barely show up!” We all laugh and talk about girly things that we haven’t had room for in our lives for so long. It’s so nice to be with other females and talk about such silly things.

Belle starts taking out the braids she wove into my damp hair to create rippling waves for a fancier hair style.

“Sasha, can you run over and check on things in the kitchen for me while I do Skylar’s hair? I’m sure it’s all on track but I want things to be perfect for tonight. Tell the boys I said to start getting cleaned up and ready too. Once you’re back, it should be just about time to get changed into our dresses and we can all head over together.”

Sasha has a thoughtful look on her face but she finally nods and with a grin dashes off. I sit patiently as Belle uses small scissors to snip away at the blunt bangs I had chopped into my hair when I cut out the burnt pieces after we were caught out in the rain. I’m so excited to see what she’s doing. I’ve never given any thought to my hair or a style unless it was to get it out of my face. All of this is so new and exciting for me.

I can’t wait for the party and to see how everyone looks. Belle told me she had forced haircuts on all the boys this morning and I smile as I remember the griping and complaining I had heard from Ben and Matty when they came in to play a few video games. There was even more complaining from the two of them when we kicked them out so we could have our makeovers. I finally relented and let them take the gaming console over to the other side so they could keep playing.

When I had decided to finally trust Rex’s group and start integrating both sides of the bunker, I had AIRIA upgrade the authorization for Lance, Ethan, Belle, Sasha and the boys. It just didn’t make sense to only let Rex move back and forth freely through the tunnel. I’m still not ready to give such access to the rest of the people over there but his group can now cross over whenever they need too.

“Did you finish the sandals?” Belle asks, breaking me out of my thoughts.

“Oh, I did! They look so pretty!” The day we came here, it was summer and Mom was wearing a pair of plain black sandals. Other than tough and heavy hiking and work boots stocked in storage, I only had my running shoes to wear. When I sorted through Mom’s belongings that Dad had saved, I found the sandals and thought they would work better with the dress. I had taken some of the yellow fabric we had cut out of the dress and used it to wrap around the black bands on the sandals to match the dress.

“Well good because your hair is done and I want to see the whole package so why don’t you slip on your dress and shoes and we can see the final effect!”

I want nothing more than to look at what she’s done to my hair but I know it will be more fun to see the completed look so I keep my head turned from the mirror and grab my dress from the hanger. Belle steps out so I can change and I’m practically vibrating with excitement as I let the dress fall over my head and strap on the matching sandals. Before I turn to look in the mirror, I lift my head up to the ceiling and close my eyes.

“Mom, Dad, I hope you’re there and I hope you’re both watching down on me and Ben. I know you didn’t want me to trust anyone, Dad, but today for the first time I actually feel like I’m seventeen and I think that’s ok. I’ll still take care of Ben and keep him safe but today, today’s for me…ok?”

I almost choke with tears when the speaker above me comes to life.

“So proud of you, Sky.”

Mom’s soft voice floats down before it cuts to Dad saying
,

“You’re my best girl, Sky.”

For a computer, AIRIA sure knows right what’s needed and when. AIRIA might be nothing more than cold circuit boards but I love her and I don’t know what I’d do without her.

“Thank you, AIRIA.”

“Skylar Ross, it is my pleasure.”

I take a deep breath and turn slowly to look at my transformed self in the mirror. What I see, takes my breath away. It’s like looking at a ray of sunshine. My blond hair is golden ripples with yellow fabric ribbons threaded through it. The summer dress has wide straps that connect to a bodice that tightens just under my chest. The rest of the dress flows out from there and reaches just past my knees. I twist my hips in a quick motion and see the skirt flare out beautifully making me laugh in delight. This isn’t the prom dress of my dreams, its better.

I bounce in the cute redesigned sandals and then rush out the door to show Belle. She steps out of the bathroom at almost the same time and her face says it all. I can’t help but admire the change in her as well. Her deep red hair that matches her daughters has been curled and swept up high on her head so than only a few loose curls float down to touch her shoulders. She looks so much younger than I thought she was.

We both stand there beaming at each other like idiots until the door to the cavern slides open and Ben comes barreling through. He’s already calling out to me before he’s made it half way through the door.

“Sky, I wanna….”

He skids to a stop and his mouth drops open in shock. An amazed whisper gushes from his small mouth.

“Sky, you look like a princess!”

I can’t help the huge grin that spreads across my face at his reaction to my makeover.

“Thank you, Ben. You look pretty handsome too with your new haircut!”

His expression changes from grin to scowl at that reminder and his little hands go to his hips.

“Sky, I wanna go outside!”

I spurt out a laugh at the unexpected demand making his scowl deepen.

“It’s not fair! I’ve never been outside in my whole life. That’s like,
forever
! I’ve only seen pictures and TV outside. I wanna go see the real outside!”

I step over to him shaking my head in amusement of his dramatic seven years of forever life and put my hands on his shoulders.

“Ben, I will take you outside. I promise! We just need to wait for the weather to clear and for it to be safe. Someday soon, all of us will be living outside!”

He shakes his head and stomps his foot in frustration.

“I want to go now not someday! It’s not fair! How come Rex and Sasha can go now but I can’t?” He whines.

I look from Ben’s face over to Belle’s in confusion but her face has gone white and she beats me too it.

“What do you mean, Ben? What are Rex and Sasha doing?” She asks him in a panicked voice.

Ben’s scowl turns to an expression of worry and hesitation at her tone and he looks down at his shoes. I’m still holding his shoulders so I give him a tiny shake, my own concern creeping up on me.

“Ben! What are Rex and Sasha doing?”

He keeps his eyes down but his voice is filled with guilt. “It was supposed to be a surprise for you.”

My heart speeds up and I’m starting to feel scared but I don’t know why so I put all the calm I can into my voice and ask again.

“What are they doing?”

His eyes peek up at me, “They went outside to get the stuff they left out there. Sasha has some make up for you. Sorry I ruined the surprise.”

My hands drop off his shoulders and I my eyes fly to Belle’s. She’s holding her hands up to forestall my panic but I see fear in her own eyes.

“Skylar, I’m sure they’re fine. Rex would have checked with AIRIA first to make sure the weather was safe. Not that I’m not going to kill my daughter for going out there without checking with me first but they’re probably already back inside. We left our stuff just outside the doors, remember?”

She’s right, I’m sure they’re fine but the hairs on the back of my neck are raised and something is nagging at the back of my mind. Something that I heard but then forgot. It’s right there on the edge of a memory but I can’t quite grasp it. That is, until AIRIA’s voice floods the room and then it comes back to me.

Perimeter breach! Exterior door breach attempted! Oh My God! Someone tried to get in! Someone knows we are here!

“Rex Larson authorization level decreased from green to red.”