The Prophet's Daughter (9 page)

“Okay.” He turned his gaze away, puffing out his lips and sighing. “Might be a miracle to find a working car that hasn’t been salvaged for parts, finding gas won’t be easy, either…” He trailed off, shaking his head and sighing.

“It’ll be a fast way to get up north, thou
gh, and if not, then we’ll walk. It’s not like we haven’t walked anywhere before,” I murmured, heaving a sigh.

“There’s an old impound lot, I think, not too far from where we’ll be getting you off. Might be some old cars there you can see about getting up
and running, if you’re lucky,” Andy started, walking up to me and holding up an unlit lantern. “Sorry, overheard you’re conversation and thought I would pitch in. Got a replacement, ready to go?”

“I am, are you ready to go, Isaac?” I looked up at Isaac and
he lifted his head as if my voice had taken him out of thought.

“Yeah, yeah I’m ready.” He moved away from the door, walking over to one of the piles of boxes – he pressed hard on them, testing them, before climbing up onto the lot of them and leaning aga
inst the corner, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. Andy and I followed suit, and I dragged the pillows and supplies over to the lantern, sitting closer to the two.

“Where’s your little cat friend, little miss?” Andy asked, looking around for Jum
per with a slight disappointed look in his gaze.

“Took off, I guess.” I shrugged, feeling my own sense of disappointment. I’d liked the little guy, but he wasn’t mine – he’d just hung around for the ride. It was as I spoke that the little kitten poked his
head out from behind a box, scuttling over to Andy and crawling into his lap, purring. He laughed his face lighting up as he began to run his fingers through the kittens’ fur.

“Isaac?” I said, turning to look up at Isaac.

“Hum?” He grunted, opening a green eye to look down at me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing, just thinking about some things Pete and I talked about.” He shrugged in response, his gesture trying to brush me off – it wasn’t going to be that easy. He didn’t know me very well yet, that was obvious.

“What did you talk about?” I persisted.

“Nothing much, to be honest,” he lied, closing his eyes and turning his head away, rolling his shoulders.

“Oh, okay,” I whispered then, looking down at me feet, unsure of
where else to look. If he didn’t want to talk, fine, but I didn’t want to have to deal with him being upset the entire ride.

The light streaming in from the open door disappeared inch by inch as Andy tugged the door closed, grunting with the effort.

“You should leave it open, leave the lanterns for late at night,” I suggested, tapping the unlit lantern sitting in front of me. He paused and stared at me for a moment before he nodded, an impressed look crossing his face as he dawdled back over to his.

“Well
,” Andy began, patting the metal wall behind him as the train roared to life. “Looks like I just made it back here in time, eh?” He chuckled, heading over to the lantern and tucking them both inside of a box. “Hey, either of you played Go Fish or Hearts before?” Andy asked, his gaze shifting between the two of us, dangling his hand in front of Jumper’s face to let the kitten bat at it for entertainment. I raised an eyebrow, waiting to see if Isaac would respond, but he didn’t even acknowledge being spoken to.

“No, what is it?” I responded after a moment, narrowing my eyes at the sullen boy, a bolt of anger shooting through me. Why was he being so rude all of a sudden?

“By God, you ain’t played Go Fish or Hearts? Have you played any card games?” Andy said, putting a hand across his heart and shaking his head, eyes wide, appearing to be taken aback by my words.

“I haven’t,” I said, forcing back a smile at his expression.

“That is an abomination! We must change that within the next five hours – who knows, you might even beat me once by the time we finish!” He jumped up and scuttled off into the darkness, followed by a curious Jumper, the sound of boxes being shuffled around and rifled through echoing around the car. Andy returned with a sly grin on his face and a small box in his hands.

“It’ll pass the time.” I shrugged, turning my gaze from Isaac and watching as Andy set down a small plastic box with red designs, pulling out a large deck of thick papers, placing them on the ground.

“So are you ready to rumble, newbie?” He said, clapping his hands together.

“Let’s do this.” I laughed, pushing Isaac out of my mind; he could sit and be miserable. I was going to enjoy at least some part of my life, even if it was a few hours with a bunch of flimsy paper cards and a s
mall kitten causing a disturbance.

Time seemed to speed by as the train rumbled along the track, taking us to our destination faster than we could ever have hoped for. Isaac remained in his corner, but Andy and I had enjoyed a few games of Heart
s before the first three hours had chugged by, and he had even managed to teach me how to play Go Fish, which was my favorite of the two. It was simple, competitive and fun, more than could be said for Hearts, with its rules and regulations that had to be followed.

I leaned back and pumped my fists into the air, a smug expression on my face. I threw my cards at the game, swaying side to side and mimicking a fake cheer.

“Well I’ll be, girlie.” Andy gave a breathy chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief. “Only took you a few rounds and you managed to beat me, and I’m one of the best players there is!” Andy said grinning and tapping his fingers on his knee cap, creating a slow rhythmic beat.

“Who’s the woman?” I chanted, laughing, picking up my cards and shoving
them into the deck.

“You’re the woman, but don’t get too cocky. How ‘bout we raise these stakes?” He raised an eyebrow. I crossed my arms and mimicked his expression. It was at his words that Isaac stirred, rolling over to face us for a moment.

“What do you mean?” He asked, and I jumped in surprise at his voice.

“Arin here wins and I give her this deck of cards,” he began, glancing up at Isaac and then back at me. “However, if I win, she’ll have to give me some kind of food or something that isn’t jerky.”

“I think you’re on,” I said, reaching my hand to his. He grabbed it and shook, smiling. Isaac rolled back over.

“Hey, boy, you should join in,” Andy mentioned, settling back in his seat.

“You should,” I lifted my gaze to Isaac, smiling up at him. “It’s fun, I think you might smile if you play it.”

“I’m good,” he grunted in return, shifting where he lay so that his back was to us and the light didn’t shine on his face.

“Lighten up, boy! Have some fun before you get out there and have to deal with the real world again,” Andy sighed, moving to pat Isaac on the back.

“I said I’m good, now screw off,” Isaac snapped, lifting his head and glowering at Andy for a moment, grabbi
ng his hand in midair.

“You’ll watch your tone on my train boy; I ain’t against throwing you off,” Andy spat, narrowing his eyes, yanking his hand free from the boy, moving to stand up.

“Do it, then. Throw me out and kill me, then I won’t have to do it myself!” Isaac responded, his voice raising as he leaped off the box, hands balled into fists.

“Pardon me?” I gasped, shaking my head and raising my eyebrows. I looked between the two, feeling my gut twist at his words.
“Pardon me?”
I repeated my voice like air.

“Are you deaf?” Isaac spat. “I told him to kill me, I don’t care.”

“Isaac!” I yelled, slamming my fists against the floor, all signs of excitement and happiness in the area long gone and replaced with the feeling of shock, rage and sadness.

“Arin, w
hy even bother? There’s no point to living. We die in the end anyway and with the way this hell of a world is? We will never live a happy life,” Isaac began, throwing his hands up.

“Bu-”

“No buts, ifs, ands, ors, or whatever you can think of. We’re living for no reason,” the boy interrupted, his voice suddenly soft.

“Isaac, that’s not true. We’re living for the sake of living,” I began, frowning with my arms crossed. “I was taught that life is a gift and yeah, the world may suck at the moment, but that does
n’t mean you can just jump ship because it's not all sunshine and roses! There are so many small things worth living for even if the big picture isn’t enough.” I stood up and seized Isaac’s arm, squeezing it in my grip, digging my nails into the flesh of his forearm. I stared deep into his eyes, noticing the golden flecks around his pupils that I had never noticed before and the thick, dark circles beneath his eyes that had always seemed to be less severe than they were up close.

“What are those small thing
s, Arin?” Isaac grunted, narrowing his eyes at me and struggling to free himself from my grip.

“Card games and adrenaline rushes,” I began.

“The taste o’ peaches, helping others when they need it,” Andy chimed in, “this little guy,” he gestured to the slumbering ball of fur that was Jumper.

“That too,” I said. “All the little things like that bird, remember? That bird is living because he has a chance at life. He is alive to keep his race alive, for survival, Isaac, like us. Maybe one day the world won’t su
ck so much, maybe it’ll be better; and when it is.. when all of us are old and we have families or other friends, they will have those chances that we never got, because we kept surviving and we gave ourselves a chance and gave them a chance,” I breathed, squeezing Isaac’s arm tighter and blinking back the tears that began to line my eyes, grinding my teeth.

“No one needs me now, no one ever will,” Isaac mumbled.

“Nothing I do will help anyone.”

“That’s a lie.
I
need you. I know we just met, but I don’t have anyone else and I need you to help me survive like you need your father and like I needed my parents,” I whispered, letting go of his arm and dropping to the ground, glowering up at him.

“This is getting emotional, so I’m going to go and stand in a corn
er and let you to talk,” Andy piped up, pointing with his thumb behind him, glancing at me and Isaac. He then backed up into the shadows until he was out of sight, where he began to hum a soft tune. I smiled at him, watching as he disappeared before returning my gaze to Isaac, who remained with his back to me.

Silence echoed throughout the boxcar, the loud grumbling of the train moving along the train tracks echoing and the light cast from outside began to grow brighter. Isaac shifted on the boxes and I wat
ched as he settled down, sitting by the cards and crossing his legs.

“To Cobalt?” I whispered after a few more moments, shifting to sit beside him.

“To Cobalt,” he sighed, reaching towards me and grabbing my hand. I smiled at him, squeezing his hand, and for the first time, he smiled back – a true, wholehearted smile. I could see it in his eyes.

Two hours flew by as we waited for the moment we would arrive in Ottawa, and as the sun set and we let the lanterns, time seemed to
go by even faster. Before long, the brakes let off their ear-splitting screech as the train pulled to a stop and the three of us looked up from our hand of cards, emitting a low groan. Andy just chuckled, clapping his hands together,

“We’re here,” Andy sig
hed, clasping his hands together in a fist.

“And I have the highest score, so how about that food?”

“What do you want?” I whined in a playful manner, glancing over at Isaac, wondering what I was allowed to give him. Isaac shrugged and I nodded – I’d give him whatever he wanted.

“Got any peaches?” He asked, grinning. “Or is this little guy up for dibs?” He pointed to Jumper, scooping him into his arms.

“An old can, I think. I don’t know if they’re still good, though,” I muttered heading over to our bags and rummaging through them, pulling out a small yellow can labeled ‘Canned Peaches.’ “And yes, he’s not mine. I love the little guy but he goes where he wants as far as I’m concerned.”

“Peaches are peaches, kid.” He licked his lips, eyes sparkling. “Haven’t ha
d any of them for years. Used to have peach cobbler at least once a week, peach juice every day for lunch,” He continued, closing his eyes. “God I miss those days.”

“Here,” I said, grabbing a second can and tossing it over to him. “Take it as a thank you f
or saving my hide. And make sure you can keep that cat fed.”

“Aw, shucks, I’m glad I saved your butt. It belongs to a nice, young lady,” Andy said, beaming at me as he cuddled up to Jumper, who meowed in protest, standing up and tossing the box of cards at
me. “Take these.”

I caught the box and looked at him, staring at him with a questioning gaze. “Why? You won the game.”

“You made this ride a little bit of fun and reminded me why I don’t throw myself off this thing. ‘Sides, I’m sure you’ll have loads of fun with them. More than I could.” He shrugged.

“Thanks, Andy,” I said, struggling with an idea of what else to say as I tucked the cards into my bag. “Are you sure, though?”

“I have another pack somewhere, I’m sure. Worse comes to worse I’ll just make my own set.” Andy patted me on the back, flashing his yellow-toothed grin. “Always remember that there’s a reason, by the way, remember the fun you had today. There’s always a reason to fight, always a reason to live.” His green gaze landed on Isaac, eyebrow raised as he repeated his words.

“Yeah,” Isaac muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets, his bag dangling from his shoulder.

“You keep this girl safe, boy.” Andy’s voice was stern and I looked between the two of them, glowering.

“I can take care of myself
, thank you very much!” I protested, crossing my arms and stomping one of my feet. “You take care of that cat, or I’ll hunt you down,” I joked, crossing my arms.

“We know,” the duo responded at the same time, staring at me with smug grins on their faces. I
couldn’t help but smile back at them, sighing as a light laugh escaped me. It was reassuring to know that I wasn’t going to have to keep going alone, that I had Isaac with me. I had spent so much time focusing on being with someone, making sure I wouldn’t be alone, that I hadn’t realized that I had found a companion in Isaac. Our worlds were similar, surreal as we went on each day expecting to see our parents. It was hard, but we could do it - I had faith in Isaac, in myself.

“Take care, Andy,” Isaac grunt
ed as he leaped out of the boxcar and stretched, arching his back and raising his arms high above his head. It was dark out and there was very little light, but the moon light was far stronger outside than the weak flame in the lantern. He hopped down from the boxcar and I passed out or stuff to him, hopping out after everything was accounted for. Andy leaned against the entrance, shaking his head.

“No promises, kids. See you on the flip-side, eh?” Andy winked. “Safe travels.”

“Safe travels,” Isaac and I mimicked, watching as he pulled the boxcar door shut. The two of us took a few steps away from the train until we were about five feet or so away, watching as it began to gurgle and roar to life. It shook the ground and threw me into discomfort, the vibrations rattling within my chest, as it roared off and then it was gone within seconds, disappeared as if it had never existed.

“Carry on,” I sighed, glancing up at Isaac. He glanced back down at me, grabbing my hand and nodding, “my wayward son.”

“Yup,” Isaac responded, smacking his lips together. “Where are we headed?”

“Main roads, try and find a car if we can,” I stated, observing the surrounding area, my eyes darting from ceiling to floor. We stood on a gray cement platform, covered in crawling vines and pla
nts, the winds soft and chilling, small snowflakes around us. There was a large line of pillars with a caved in, crumbled roof in front of us, the entrance to a large building a few quick steps to our backs. Above us stood a tall structure with a variety of large and smile tiles. Lights hung from the center of the smaller tiles, none of them with a single gleam of light flickering. Most of them looked to be hanging from a thread, and there was even a few smashed on the platform.

“I wonder what this place was like before..” Isaac murmured, kicking his foot against the platform. “Before everything died.”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged, hopping off the cement platform and spinning around. There were so many directions to go, and I had no idea where it was we should first head. What were the main roads? I hadn’t been in Ottawa before. “It’s cold.”

“Right, so we’re headed to the main road. Got any clue where that might be?” Isaac asked, stepping up beside me. “Jacket, Arin. They exist for a
reason.” He dragged his fingers along my duffle bag.

“Not a clue,” I murmured, rummaging through my back and pulling out a pair of black mittens. They were thin and full of holes and wouldn’t be any use when the weather became colder and the world became
a sheet of ice and snow, but they would do. “Want yours?”

“We’re off to a great start,” Isaac sighed, shaking his head.

“You’re telling me,” I chuckled, grabbing Isaac by the arm, deciding then I would drag him in the first direction I thought to. I turned first east, then west and started off that way while he stumbled along behind me.

“Are we just guessing where we’re headed?” He said, yanking his arm from my grip and plodding along beside me.

“Got a better idea?” I pointed.

“Not unless you have a map.” I
saac shrugged, his shoulders lifting and falling limp – it was a bit of an over-dramatic gesture in the moment, and he looked over at me with puppy dog eyes.

“Wait,” I blurted, pausing mid step. I grabbed my bag off my back and began digging through it aga
in, adjusting everything and throwing it onto the ground.

“What?” Isaac gasped, pausing beside me and staring at the stuff I was dumping onto the ground. “You’re getting the clothes dirty!”