Exposing ELE (ELE Series #3) (13 page)

We come to a place where we have to climb a small ways. Tony turns around and gives me his hand to help me up the steep hill. I accept and he helps me to the top with ease. When we are safe at the top of the hill, he says, “I think that's a wise idea. We definitely need to help the others. I can only hope that the death of Dr. Hastings could be the end of whatever evil motives he may have had.”

“I hope so too.” I don't have a great feeling about it though.

We run the rest of the way to the safe house in silence. We arrive right as dinner preparations are being made. We go straight to my father's room first. I knock on the door and when he opens it, he pulls me into a strong hug.

“Willow!” he says in such relief that you can hear the worry melting away. He pulls back, keeping his hands on my shoulders to examine me and make sure I'm intact.

“Yes, I told you I'd come back.” I try to smile but I can't. The look of sadness and pain is still etched across his features. He looks like he hasn't eaten since I left. His eyes are bloodshot from crying.

“That you did,” he says, pulling me into one last hug. He lets me go and turns to Tony, holding out his hand. Tony shakes his hand and my dad tells him, “Thank you, son. Thank you for bringing my daughter back home safely.”

“Your daughter is a very strong woman. I don't deserve much credit in bringing her home safely. She actually saved my life,” Tony tells my dad.

“Is that so?” My dad turns his attention on me.

I don't answer, so Tony speaks for me. “We ran into Dr. Hastings...” My dad tenses up hearing that name. “One of his guards came in behind Willow. I took him out but Dr. Hastings made a move and Willow proved to be much faster than him. She shot him. He's dead.”

My dad runs his hand through his greying hair. “He's dead?” he asks shakily.

“Yes sir,” Tony tells him.

My dad stares at his feet silently for several seconds. I start to worry that maybe he's mad or disappointed that I took a life.
He finally looks up at me and says, “Thank you, Willow.”

My eyes water in response to those words and my shoulders drop. “I don't think I should be thanked for killing a man.”

My dad puts his hands on my shoulders and forces me to look him in the eyes. “Dr. Hastings was a very bad man. He took more lives than just your mother’s. Back in the shelter, we are confident that he was experimenting on some of the lower class. Many people turned up missing but none of the officials would acknowledge anything. That was the driving force of the rebellion that was beginning inside the shelter...” My father's face starts turning red. “Then, what he did to us in that clearing and in the prison... that man was a monster. He deserved to die!” He takes a deep breath then apologizes for raising his voice. “You did the right thing. You had no choice. It was either his life or Tony's.”

I look from my dad to Tony and I know deep down that I wouldn't hesitate to do it again if need be. “I love you, Dad.”

“I love you too.” He gives me another hug.

“How is Sebastian?” I ask him.

“He's coping. He's so young so I don't think he fully understands what this means to his little world. Thankfully, children are pretty resilient. I think he'll make it through this,” my dad says.

I put my hands on my dad's shoulders and make him look at me just like he did earlier, when the roles were reversed. “And you? How are you doing?”

He takes a shaky breath and his eyes water. He tries to blink back the tears but a few escape. I hate seeing such a strong man cry. I wait patiently for his response. “I'm trying, Willow. It's just so hard. Sometimes I feel like I can't take it. I feel like my heart is going to give out on me, and part of me wishes it would, so I can be with her again,” he admits honestly. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him bare his soul before.

“I feel the same way sometimes.” I pull him into a hug.

He sniffs and says, “We’ll get through this.”

“I know, Dad, I know.” I give him a gentle squeeze and let him go.

“You should go see your brother. He’ll be happy that you're back,” he says.

“I will. Is he still in class?” I ask, since Sebastian has been sharing a room with my dad and he's obviously not here.

“Yes, he should be downstairs with the teachers in the small conference room.”

I give my dad another hug. Tony and my dad say goodbye and we leave the room in search of Sabby.

I find Sabby hunched up in a corner of the classroom. He’s curled into a ball and far away from any of his other classmates. My heart goes out to him and Tony puts his arm around me. I’m not sure what to say or do so I just knock softly on the door and let myself in.

Sebastian doesn’t look up from the far corner.
I smile kindly at the teachers and they give me a sympathetic smile back. I walk over and crouch down low next to him. “Sabby,” I whisper and touch his arm. There are tearstains running down his delicate skin.

He slowly brings his head up and as soon as he sees it’s me he wraps his arms firmly around my middle, burying his head in my chest.
I caress his soft curls with my hand comforting him.

“I missed you, Wello,” Sabby says.
He always knows what to say to bring a smile to my lips.

“I missed you too, Sabby,” I say back to him.
“How about we go and get something sweet from the kitchen?”

His face perks up and he nods his head.
I take his hand in mine… his soft pudgy hand. My heart breaks knowing he’s going through losing our mother at such a young age. He didn’t get near the amount of time I got with her. For some reason this makes me feel guilty, like I did something wrong.

I walk Sebastian over to one of the teachers and tell her I’m going to be taking him for a little bit.
She pats me on the shoulder and tells us to take our time.

As I leave through the main exit, Tony is perched against a wall waiting.
I crouch down to Sebastian’s level. “You remember Tony, don’t you?” I introduce them.

Sebastian nods his head.

“Tony’s a very good friend of mine and he’s going to go with us to find something sweet, okay?”

He ponders this for a moment.
“Is he a very good friend like Alec is a very good friend?”

My eyes go wide with shock and my mouth falls open.

Tony snickers beside me.
“You could say that,” he replies for me.

I can’t help but let out a small giggle.

The three of us walk to the kitchen, which is deserted except for us. I’m thankful for the emptiness. It seems like every other time I’ve been here it’s been bustling. We begin rummaging through the cabinets and come up with a jar of honey and some spoons.

“I guess this’ll have to work,” I tell him.
I sit Sabby on the counter and Tony and I jump up with him. We dip our spoons into the honey and eat it lick by lick, savoring the sweetness.

“Mommy liked honey,” Sabby says, breaking the silence.

“She sure did.
You know what else mommy liked?” I ask him giving him a small poke in his side.

He laughs.
“Wello! What else do mommy like?”

“Mommy liked things that were bright and beautiful music.
She liked seeing the wind blow through the trees. She loved watching us play when we built tent houses back home. She liked to cook a big meal, even if it was only for the four of us and it was burnt to a crisp. And you know what she liked most of all?” I ask him.

He shakes his head as a drop of honey lands on his knee.

“She liked it when you smiled.
It was her favorite thing in the world!” His eyes get really big.

“Weally?” he asks me.

I nod my head.
“Uh-huh! She always said that you were what gave her the sparkle in her eyes.”

His head drops.
“I miss mommy,” he says quietly.

I wrap my arm around him. “I know, Sabby, I know.
I miss her too.” We sit in quiet for a few moments. “But, you know what? Mommy isn’t really gone. We just can’t see her for a while. In fact, she’s here with us right now, sitting by our side. And someday, when it’s our time to go too, we’ll get to see mommy again in a place where there is no more pain and no more sadness or tears.” I give him a moment to let his four-year-old mind wrap around it.

His dimples show themselves as he puts a smile on his face.
“I’m so happy that someday I can see mommy again,” he says stumbling over his words.

“Me too, kiddo, me too.”

I get Sabby cleaned up and take him back to school. He doesn’t return to the corner and yet, he doesn’t join the other kids right away either. One of the teachers sees him and offers to hold him. He gladly accepts and is picked up into her arms. Together they go sit down in a rocking chair and she reads him a story.

I give the room a once over before leaving. There are so many children, at least sixty in this room alone. I notice a headful of long red hair at one of the tables. Her face is set in a serious concentrating expression as she searches for the perfect piece. Lily looks like she's going to be okay. I wasn't sure how hard it would be for her to cope with her ability. It's a hard one to understand and turn off. Feeling another person's emotions is intense. I'm just glad to see her up an about since the last time I saw her she was passed out.

I look back over at Tony. He stands beside me, watching the teacher read to Sabby.

I say to him, “I hope what I said to my brother made a difference.”

He touches my cheek softly. “You made all the difference in the world.”

I let out a small smile, one that doesn’t quite reach my eyes.
“I hope so,” I say as we leave. 

Tony stops outside in the hall. “I need to go find Lee. We need to attempt to rescue the prisoners again... before it's too late.”

“I agree.” It makes me feel good knowing that we are on the same page.

“Do you want to go with me?” he asks.

I shake my head. “No, I need to take care of a few things.”

“Okay.” He gives me a hug that lasts a few seconds too long… not that I’m complaining, and we part ways for the afternoon.

My first stop, find Alec.

I find him in his room reading a book. His door has been left open a few inches. I knock a few times and open it a little bit more.
He gives me a comforting smile and invites me in. He places his book down, tepee style, on his bed.

I walk over to a chair in the corner of his room by his bed.
“Mind if I sit?” I ask.

He shakes his head.
“No, of course not.”

I sit down and the comfort and familiarity of being around him warms me. I don't know exactly why I wanted to seek out Alec, so I sit there in silence for a few moments.

Alec breaks the quiet moment by asking, “How are you doing, Willow?”

“I'm fine...” I say, looking down at my hands.

Alec sits up and leans closer to me. He grabs my hands in his and looks me in the eyes. “No you aren't.” He pushes my hair from my face and my heart melts in response. My eyes water and I try my best to blink the tears away. “Hey, it's okay, Willow. I know you're strong, but things have to be tough for you right now.” He pulls me into a hug.

Being in his arms feels comfortable and normal. Nothing has seemed right these past few days but being in his arms brings back that normalcy I've been craving. I let out a few tears, then take a deep breath and back away. “You're right. Things are kind of messed up right now.” I sit back down.

Alec sits at the edge of his bed so that he's still within arm’s reach of me. “I know. I'm so sorry. I hate this, Willow! I hate that I wasn't the one to comfort you when you needed me. It's been eating me alive. I am such a fool. I should have understood that you needed to help your parents. I should have trusted that what you felt for me was real. I let the insecurities dig in deep. I...”

I put my hand on his arm to stop him from his deep confessions. Knowing that Alec has been feeling this guilty these past two days hurts. “Don't be sorry Alec. I understand now. I know I lied and I don't know why I didn't trust you or take you along. In a way, I was trying to protect you and there's also something deep down that tells me there was another motive. I'm not in touch with myself enough right now to fully understand that motive but I know that it hurt you. I'm so sorry.”

He inches closer to me and puts his hand on my knee. “No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have broken up with you. Not like that. You just lost your parents and your... your friend.” His hand clenches a little but he forces it to relax again. “I was just upset and I didn't really think everything through. I just reacted. When I heard you calling for him in your sleep, I couldn't take it and I snapped. It was wrong.”

I look away. What can I say to that? “You weren't wrong. Please don't be sorry,” I whisper.

He gently guides my chin with his fingers until I'm facing him again. “Please let me help you. I want to be there for you this time.”

A stray tear falls down my cheek and he wipes it away gently. He leans in and places his lips on mine. I close my eyes and try to pretend like I'm back in the shelter. That things are normal and my life isn't broken. That both my parents are still alive.