Revolutionary Love (The Revolution Series Book 1) (8 page)

I pressed my lips together to smother a smile. "I don't think that's what Abraham meant went he talked about equality."

Mare wasn't having it. She flipped her blond hair behind her shoulder and rolled her eyes. "People used to leave the blacks outside in thunder storms and leave them in chains. You’re too skinny." She pinched my arm and frowned. "You need some meat in those tiny bones. When was the last time you ate a turkey?"

Mare seemed unbothered by the cold and the mud staining her dress. She just sat and waited for me to answer.

Someone opened the front door. "Mary?" It was the women from earlier, Susan. She peered into the pouring rain and looked all around. When her eyes landed on her daughter, sitting right next to me, she looked livid. "Get away from her!" Susan ran down the porch steps and to the flimsy tree that was giving us shelter. She grabbed Mare roughly by her arms and dragged her into the house.

The entire way there I could hear Mare screaming about equality and inhumane punishment. I dropped my head back against the tree trunk and let the rain slide over my face.

Only a few minutes went by before Adam came outside. He didn't make any eye contact with me when he unchained me from the tree. I clamped my mouth shut, refusing to talk. I was mad at him. I don't know why. I wanted to bash his head into the tree and scream at him.

Adam led me into the house by the elbow. Warmth embraced me when we stepped inside. We were in a kitchen. The smell of freshly cooked food made my stomach growl. I couldn't remember the last time I ate.

We walked through the dining room. Chantel, Bret, Susan, Mr. Walker, Mitchel, and Mare all sat at the dining table. Every one of them stared at me as we passed. Mare shot me a wink and started eating her mashed potatoes.

I followed Adam up the stairs. Water was dripping off of me making the floor wet and slippery.

"Shower. Here are a change of clothes." Adam put something in my hand and left.

I slid into the bathroom and closed the door. I almost screamed when I saw myself. It did not look like me in the mirror. My brown hair was in complete tangles and knots. I looked like I was trying to pull of dreadlocks. The entire right side of my face was bruised, scraped, and swollen. I hit my face a lot harder than I thought in the blast. My blue eyes looked dull. Lifeless. Dark circles were under my eyes.

When I finished showering, I put on the pile of clothes by the sink. I was relieved at what I saw. Pale brown cotton pants and a thick black sweater. This was something I would have worn before I woke up here. The clothes smelt like warm vanilla and laundry detergent.

After I left the bathroom, I wasn't sure what to do. Was I supposed to go back outside into the rain? I loved the rain, but I didn't want to get drenched again.

I could hear everyone talking downstairs. They were arguing. The atmosphere was tense. As quietly as I could, I walked to the stairs and listened.

"I do not want that monster eating our food! We worked hard for the food here. We work hard to provide for our family, then she comes in expecting perfect hospitality. You don't see her feeding the people and providing them shelter. They all just let the citizens starve and freeze to death." Susan slammed her hand down on something.

Bret, always the calm one, spoke. "We are not them. We will not go down to their level. We are the ones with humanity, not greed."

"Abraham Lincoln wants everyone to be free."

I smiled at Mare's soft, innocent voice.

"Now she knows we have history books here too! Mary went and blabbed to her about what we taught her."

"I did not blab." I could picture the little girl stomping her feet.

"I say we shoot her." That was Chantel's voice. "She is the reason why Seth and Matt are dead."

I sat on the stairs and dropped my head in my hand. I was causing too much of a burden here. This was another family I was tearing apart. Everywhere I went, people got hurt. Whether it be physically or emotionally.

"That is not an option. We need her alive right now. The news said we have her hostage. They are offering a reward for her return, so we can use her to get to them." Adam, the leader said.

"She broke her brother out. I think it is pretty obvious she didn't get taken hostage." That voice was an unfamiliar voice. It must have been Mitchel's.

Except I was taken hostage now.

"They don't know that. Seth is dead. They don't know that he helped her get out. All those soldiers are wounded and dead. I don't think Stephan even knows what happened. He just knows people are dead, there was a riot, Rugter and Evelyn are gone." Adam sounded frustrated. He was on edge.

"That is all speculation. We go by facts, not theories." Susan sounded like a teacher. She talked like she was talking to a classroom of children.

"Now Evelyn, why don’t you stop ease dropping and come on down here." Mr. Walker said.

The room got quiet. I lifted my head to see the old man at the base of the stairs looking right at me, shotgun in hand. Slowly, I rose and walked down the stairs. All eyes were on me. I wasn't sure what to do with myself. Everyone was sitting around a coffee table. Chantel sat on the floor by the fire place, a lost look in her eyes. Mitchel and Bret were leaned back on a love seat. Susan stood at the front of the room. The only spot left was next to Adam.

I sat by him, and he stiffened. He stared straight forward at Susan. He acted like I wasn't even there. Mare crawled over to me and sat between my bouncing legs. Susan's lips tightened at the sight. Anxiety filled my stomach. Mr. Walker stood by Susan, and just watched me. He was like a hawk watching a mouse, waiting for the moment to strike.

I folded my hands in my lap and looked down. I didn't belong here.

"So explain to us why you broke your brother out." Although Mr. Walker had a fragile, old body his voice was sturdy and strong. He was a man I would never want to cross.

"I wanted to right a wrong." I barely spoke above a whisper.

Chantel scoffed. "Oh, setting your brother free will definitely right all your wrongs. Good job, princess. All you did was get Seth killed."

Mitchel rubbed his hands over his eyes. "Please, stop bringing him up so harshly. We get it, Chantel. Your boyfriend is dead, but that was Adams and Bret's brother."

I stared at Adam, jaw hanging to the floor. Seth was his brother?

Seth was Adam's brother. They looked nothing alike but so much like each other. I had no idea how I missed it. I felt like I just got slapped in the face. Hard. Seth was Chantel's boyfriend. But Seth was my fiancé. No, Evelyn's fiancé. It was a political move of Stephan's. Things were not what they seemed.

Chantel gave me a satisfied look. "That's right, bitch. You were engaged to my man. He was mine!" Her voice was protective, and it broke.

I felt horrified. He was Evelyn's fiancé, yet he was dating Chantel.

Adam's back went rigid. I stared at his face. His face was blank, empty and in that moment I knew. I just knew that's what he did when he was in emotional pain. He hid it well. I swallowed. My throat felt tight. Nobody spoke for a few moments. I wondered if they were reminiscing on times with Seth. Good memories. Bad memories.

"It was a political move of Stephan's." I don't know what overcame me. I don’t know why I felt like defending the situation, but I did.

Chantel gave a startled, hysterical laugh. "It was your idea! You drafted him knowing he rolled with the rebels, made him join The Unit, and then told your father you wanted to marry him. You did it so citizens would trust The Monarchy. You knew they would let their guard down if you married someone from the lowest end of the food chain. Don't pull that bull with me!"

Evelyn sure was something else. I felt a flush of shame fill my cheeks on her behalf. How could she do something like that? Stephan made it seem like it was his idea and he did it for his best interest.

"Sorry." I muttered, knowing it wouldn't make anything better. Of all the life’s I could have led here, why did it have to be Evelyn’s?

"I say we call it a night." Mr. Walker lowered the shotgun and gave me a satisfied look. If he was looking for answers from me, he found it without having to talk to me. "Adam you know what to do with her."

Adam rose. Mare blew me a kiss and ran up the stairs. Susan followed behind her. I looked at Adam. What did Mr. Walker mean when he said you know what to do with her? Adam took me by my elbow and led me down the hallway. Picture frames covered the entire wall. It was full of pictures of happy people. Laughing people. Smiling people. I guess they still felt joy here.

We went inside a bedroom and when he closed the door and locked it, my stomach plummeted. Fight or flight took over. My body tensed, waiting for conflict and I backed up. I bumped into a dresser and something fell off of it crashing to the floor.

Adam grabbed me by my shoulders and by reflex I went to knee him in the groin. He must have been expecting it because he easily dodged it. "Evelyn. Relax. What are you doing?"

I wasn't paying attention to his words. I was panicked. I was scared. I was tired. I was hungry. I was emotionally exhausted. I jabbed Adam in his ribs with my elbows and went to run across the room. He recovered easily and grabbed onto my shoulders holding me in place. I kicked behind me, but only felt air. I tried to twist out of his grasp, but his grip was firm.

"I am not going to hurt you. I would never hurt you." The broken sound in Adam's voice made me freeze. "See, everything is going to be okay. Breathe in. Breathe out. Trust me."

The bedroom was silent now. My muscles relaxed under his touch. Something about him was familiar. The soft voice, the soft touch, his presence. Tears filled my eyes and slipped silently down my cheeks. I was so sad. My emotions were out of control. I was unsure of what I was feeling and why I was feeling it. The moonlight casted a light glow outside. The storm had ended. I hadn't even noticed.

I turned around and looked at Adam. His green eyes glowed from the lighting from the moon. I don’t know why I thought he was going to hurt me. In an odd way, he seemed almost protective of me. When Mr. Walker came out with a shotgun Adam had stepped in front of me. When we were in the tunnel, he had helped me calm down. When we were in the forest, he didn’t let Chantel shoot me. Although, he did try and blow Evelyn up. I was so confused.

Adam reached out and took my hand. “Come here.” He led me to the bed and pushed me backwards on it. Nothing was sexual about his movements. He was getting me to lay down.

“Why the change of heart?” He knew what I meant. I wanted to know why I was let inside. Why they let me shower and change into clean clothes. Why they were giving me hospitality.

Adam plopped down next to me. He thought for a few seconds. “I think even though Susan wanted you to suffer out there in the rain seeing you shivering tugged at her heart. She hates you, but at the end of the day, she is still a mom. Plus, Mare saw you out there and wouldn’t stop talking about Abraham Lincoln.”

“Oh…’’ I trailed off. Rolling on my side, I just looked at him. “So you and I are sleeping in here?”

“Mr. Walker gave me an option. Leave you in the barn, or have you sleep in here with me where I can keep an eye on you. I had a feeling you would have rather been in here.”

His feeling was right. My eyes slid shut. “I didn’t know Seth was your brother.”

I felt Adam tense. I don’t know why I brought his brother up. He was dead because of me.  "Yeah, Seth and Bret are my older brothers. I'm the youngest child."

I smiled. "What’s that like? I've always been an only child."

I felt Adam stare at me. "Have you already forgotten about Rugter?"

I missed that mistake. Reopening my eyes, I watched Adam watch me. I was raised as an only child. Evelyn was raised with a brother. I sighed, thinking of a lie. I was tired of lying. "Well ever since Rugter got sent to jail, I've felt like an only child." Even though it was Evelyn's fault.

"When we were kids you used to always say you wanted to be an only child." Adam whispered.

I sat up. "Did you just say when we were kids?" He knew Evelyn when she was a kid. They talked to each other before?

Adam sat up too. He rubbed his hands over his face and sighed. "I'm tired. I messed up when I was talking."

I didn't believe him. I knew he was lying. Something told me he was lying. He knew Evelyn. Evelyn must have known them if she chose to draft Seth and marry him. Why would she do something like that?

"Why did she chose to draft Seth and marry him? Of all the guys she could have picked, why did she pick him?"

"You mean you?" Adam touched my arm.

I had messed up again. I was being careless with my word choices. "Yes. Sorry, I just view the old me as not me and this new me as me." How many lies was I going to tell?

"You sure are different now."

I looked down. "Yeah, so I have been told. Anyways, you just made it obvious you lied to me about not knowing me before. You had to have known me if you know I'm different now."

Adam wasn't fazed by my words. "Nobody has to know you personally to know you're different. The old Evelyn would not have put those cotton pants on." He gave me a faint smile.

I laughed. "Hey, what's wrong with these pants? I like them. They are so comfortable and cozy." To prove my point of my comfortability, I snuggled into my sweater. "You're not answering any of my questions." I pointed out.

"What do you think? We're friends now?" His tone was teasing. He treated me differently behind closed doors.

"Seriously? I'm not an idiot. You're distracting me."

"No. You're not cool enough to be my friend."

The atmosphere was relaxed. I felt relaxed and light hearted. I didn't know the last time I felt this way. Seth left my mind. Death left my mind. The war left my mind. The only thing on my mind was this mystery boy sitting side by side with me.

I could feel the heat from his body radiating towards me. An urge to hug him overcame me. I wanted human contact. I wanted to feel like someone out there actually cared about my well-being. I wanted to feel like I mattered.

Adam moved and got underneath the covers. I suddenly felt awkward. I didn't know what to do with myself. Was I supposed to sleep on the floor? It would be strange to just get underneath the covers with him.

When I stood up to move to the floor, Adams arm shot out and stopped me. "This is one of the ways your different. The old you would have either demanded me to sleep on the floor so you could have the bed, or not cared at all and slept on the bed too. Lay down. My body is too sore to sleep on a hard floor tonight and I know yours is too."

With stiff movements, I scooted backwards and laid down. I was over the covers, lying on my back, with my hands folded on my stomach. I looked like a dead body in a casket. I wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Would he try something? No. I may not know him well, but he was honorable.

"We were friends when you were four." Adam twisted onto his side to face me. "You used to always sneak off of your dad's property and come to my house. We would play in the woods. You used to find the biggest sticks and pretend it was a sword and we would fight with them. You never wanted to be a princess. You wanted to be a warrior. You wanted to be the one to save the people of the word. You wanted to stop the hunger, diseases, and you wanted everyone to have a warm home. You used to declare your love for everyone. It didn't matter if you met them that day. When you parted with them, you would give them a hug and tell them you loved them. “Adams’ voice was soft. I could barely hear him. "You were brilliant. By the age of eight you could read huge text books. You taught my brothers and myself how to read. You talked about how you wanted freedom for everyone after you got ahold of the ten amendments. My parents couldn't afford to send us to school, but you taught us all everything you learned. You said people needed to fight back with knowledge, not violence."

He thought he was talking to Evelyn, but he was talking to me. That broke my heart. I didn't move a muscle. "What changed?"

"Your father caught on to what you were doing when you turned twelve. He took you away. He made a new law that anyone who had historical documents would be punished by death. He said it was poison to our brains. One night after he sent you away, our house got raided. We had history textbooks. My parents were executed." His voice was full of sorrow. "You came back when you were sixteen. You were different. You represented everything your father was. You saw things the same as him. You started being on the news a lot. It's ironic, isn't it? Everyone always thought you being Stephan’s daughter would help bring redemption to the country. You ended up ruining it even more."

It was Evelyn's fault his parents were dead, yet he was willing to lay here and talk to her. I wanted all of this guilt to go away. I felt terrible. He lost both of his parents to an unjust law. Seth too. How could Seth bare to look at me?

Is this why they didn't kill me in the woods? Is this why Adam didn't kill me in the tunnel when he had the chance? Did he still cling to the memories of Evelyn as a child? The girl she used to be? I flipped over and faced him. I no longer felt awkward on this bed with him.

Hesitantly, I placed my hand over his. His skin was warm. I closed my eyes when he laced his fingers with mine. In a word full of chaos, I had a moment of peace. Sleep overcame me.

Something slammed into my body. Opening my eyes, I was staring into sky blue orbs. Mare was smiling at me. She was missing two bottom teeth.

"Morning sunshine." Her voice was happy. Such happiness radiate from her face.

I looked around. Adam wasn't here.

"Are you looking for Uncle Adam?" She gave me a cute smile.

"No." My tone was defensive and her smile got bigger.

"He's making breakfast. Mama says he woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. He's extra cranky." She giggled, jumped off of me and ran out the bedroom door.

I rubbed my eyes and climbed out of the bed. My stomach growled when I smelt eggs and bacon. I didn't even like eggs or bacon, but I was so hungry the scent was mouthwatering.

I felt uncomfortable. Did I go down stairs? Was I invited to eat with them? Did I stay here? Or did I go back to that tree?

I stood awkwardly in the bedroom unsure what to do with myself.

Bret stopped by the door and looked at me. His eyes were knowing. "Adam and Susan made breakfast if you’re hungry."

Hearing Susan's name made me not want to eat. Who was I to just come in her house and eat her food? "I'm not hungry." I lied. At that moment, my stomach decides to speak for itself. A flush filled my face.

Bret lifted both of his eyebrows. "I think your stomach disagrees. Come on."

I followed him down the stairs. The old wooden steps creaked with every step we took. Mare was sitting at the kitchen table playing with silver wear. Her face lit up when she saw me.

"I thought you were going to stay up there forever!" She beamed at me.

I smiled back at her. I looked to Adam. He was setting plates on the kitchen table. He didn't glance my way at all. I don't know what I expected from him after last night, but I didn't expect him to ignore my presence.

Mr. Walker watched me watch Adam. "Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to take a seat?"

I hadn't even noticed Bret left my side and sat down. I scurried to the chair across from Mare and sat down.

Mitchel glanced my way then at Adam. Things were uncomfortable. Was it because Adam and I slept in the same room last night? Did they think something went on between us?