Fading Shadows, page 3
She flashed me a sideways glance. “Whatever makes you feel better.”
A low chuff met my ears, and Elle and I both glanced toward the edge of the woods, down by the river. Honey Bear, otherwise known as Bear, named by Thea, poked his head out from the trees in all of his grizzly bear glory. His black, wet nose shimmered in the sunlight, no doubt looking for Beau or food as he ventured closer. He sniffed the air, chuffing again, then took a step closer.
“He’s not here, Bear,” Elle called without lifting her head from the lounge chair cushion. It was as if she was telling one of the neighbor kids that Beau couldn’t come out to play.
Bear’s furry brown head turned in our direction, and slobber dripped from his mouth. He made what sounded like a whimper before he turned back into the woods.
Elle took another sip of her wine and closed her eyes with a sigh. “It’s like I live with Dr. Dolittle,” she muttered, and as soon as the words rolled from her tongue, we both laughed.
I held up my wine glass. “It could be worse. You could be living with the Pied Piper or something.”
She grimaced and clicked her glass to mine. “I’ll drink to that.”
THREE
ROSS
I broke off a piece of cornbread to mix into my chili. It was Kat’s recipe, one she’d picked up from her squad leader when she lived on Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage. There was just enough chili powder to give it an unexpected kick, which I appreciated.
“So,” I said, glancing up from my bowl. “Any word from Del and the gang since they went home to air out the old house?” I looked around the table; first at Woody and Stanley, who sat across from each other, down by the kids; then at Alex and Sophie as they eyed one another in a private moment; and finally, to Elle and Kat. With all of us running around in different directions, family dinners seemed to be the only time we really got a full update on everything.
Elle’s gaze flicked to mine, and she set her spoon down. “They’re already taking full advantage of spring,” she said. “Jade mentioned getting a head start on her teas this year while Took and Del were caribou hunting.” Elle’s eyes crinkled in the corners, and she smiled. “I think she might finally listen to you and trade some of them at the summit this autumn.”
I grinned and felt a slight satisfaction in that. It was one thing for us to strive to live a life similar to what we’d been used to before the outbreak, but for a family like the Ranskins, it was different. While Del had a ranch out west before moving to Alaska, Jade and Took had lived off the land their whole lives. Them embracing electricity was a milestone in itself; and now, Jade was carving out a niche for herself in the new world we’d all been working so tirelessly for, and it made me feel an unexpected sense of pride.
“Maybe we’ll turn them into city folks yet,” Kat said with a smirk, and she scooped another spoonful of chili into her mouth.
“Jade said coming here is like a vacation,” Elle said, and wiped the corner of her mouth with her napkin. She dropped it into her bowl. “I think the running water is what did it.” She winked at Thea, whose brown eyes darted between us as she licked her lips.
“I’m just glad they are actually coming back in the winter,” Beau muttered, and he glared at Aria. “Bear scared the crap out of them last time.”
Aria glowered back at him. “Don’t look at me. You’re the one who keeps pushing him away and won’t be his human.”
“His name is Honey Bear,” Thea interjected. “Not Bear.”
“That’s a stupid name,” Beau grumbled.
“No, it’s not,” Thea countered with more sass than I’d heard in a while. Her nose scrunched and she glowered at him. “You wouldn’t name him, so I did.”
Elle sighed heavily, and she rubbed her forehead like she knew where their conversation was headed.
“He’s not my bear to name,” Beau said, staring accusingly at Aria.
“Well, he’s not mine!”
“Yes, he is. I have the wolves—”
“God, you’re so annoying,” Aria huffed.
Beau rolled his eyes at her. “Whatever. He’s only around because of you.”
“And he only gets into trouble because of you—”
“Okay, you two,” Woody grumbled, setting his spoon in his bowl with a clank. “That’s enough. We’re at the dinner table.”
I looked from Woody and Stanley, to Elle, wondering if Beau and Aria would ever grow out of their blame game phase. None of us could send the bear away, and neither of the animal whisperers would. Bear wasn’t dangerous, so much as acting out, like a teenager seeking attention from his divorced parents. Aria might’ve been his mother’s human, but Coco was gone. She went away, to do whatever grizzly bears do, the moment Bear was old enough to fend for himself. Only he never really went on his own, and without a human, I had a feeling the three-hundred-pound bear cub was struggling, and as confused as Beau and Aria were.
“You could at least act like you care about him,” Aria muttered under her breath, and I took a hearty gulp of iced tea. I wasn’t touching their ongoing animal telepathy argument with a ten-foot pole.
“It doesn’t matter,” Sophie said, less delicately than usual. “We have more important things to worry about than Bear. In fact, maybe having him around will be useful.” Concern etched her forehead as she pushed her half-eaten bowl of chili further away.
Elle glanced from Sophie to the kids. Each of them seemed to be an inch taller every time I saw them, but they were still personalities apart.
Deftly, Stanley lured them into a conversation about Bear’s wild nature and how pushing boundaries was what children did, which in essence was what Bear was.
“How do you mean, Soph?” Elle asked, and I had a feeling I knew what Sophie was going to say before she continued.
“Whitehorse won’t be much of a vacation destination if we can’t figure out how to keep everyone safe.” Alex scooted her bowl toward himself to finish what remained, and she sat back in her chair. “What did you find out about Edmonton?” she asked, looking from Woody to Kat. “That ambush Jackson and the team had to deal with last time hasn’t been the only one, has it.” It wasn’t really a question, which meant she’d been talking to someone.
Kat and I looked at each other. “Christine,” we both muttered at the same time. As a part of the city council, she was privy to information we didn’t openly share with the entire town, not until we’d thought it through a little bit more. But Christine had a hard time keeping her mouth shut, which made her the townspeople’s favorite person when they couldn’t put their curious minds to rest.
Tucking her loose, strawberry blonde hair behind her ear, Sophie crossed her arms on the table, waiting for an answer.
Woody ensured that Aria, Beau, and Thea were lost in their own conversation before he answered. “The groups, or gangs, if you want to call them that,” he said quietly, “aren’t isolated incidents, no. There’s been word of a few of them in Washington, and the Midwest too, from what Huck’s been told. There are rumors of violence, and they’ve left burned towns in their wake, almost like they want to prove a point.”
“Or,” I added, “it’s more malicious, and they want to make it more difficult for survivors on the move to find shelter.”
“Well, it’s no wonder these teenagers are getting so comfortable,” Elle said, then took a sip of her water. “There are hundreds of miles of nothing so they can do whatever they want and go unchecked.”
“It’s their Abilities I’m worried about,” Sophie said. “Many of them are much stronger than us.” It was part of the genetic makeup of the younger generation. They grew up with the Virus in their blood; they wielded it better and more freely than those of us whose bodies had passed maturation before the outbreak.
“Huck wants to establish a patrol of some sort,” Kat added, and while her words were meant to put Sophie at ease, I hoped that Kat realized it was unrealistic.
“There are thousands of miles of wilderness between what refuges are established. I’m not sure how possible that will be,” Sophie told her, echoing my very thoughts. Some Abilities could help us cover that amount of space more easily, but we had a city and people to protect, and the woods were more like no-man’s-land, surrounding us in all directions from here to Hartley Bay, and even up through Anchorage.
“I say we block the bridges,” I told them. “We focus on home, first. Prince Rupert could manage that easily enough—there’s only the one bridge in and out. Same with us. Riverdale has the one road in and out, and a wall or barricade would be a deterrent.”
“What about those of us outside of Riverdale? It’s only a neighborhood in the grand scheme of things,” Alex said. “What about the rest of Whitehorse—the hydro plant, the homestead here, even the prison? They wouldn’t be protected.” He wrapped his arm around Sophie’s shoulder, and she leaned into him. I wasn’t sure if Elle noticed, but I got the feeling there was something more than teen gangs that creased Sophie’s brow with worry.
“It was a risk Jackson and I knew we’d be taking by settling out here,” Elle said, her voice low and thoughtful. “But Ross is right—Riverdale would be easy enough to close off, and these teens seem to be going for the communities that have easy access.”
“It’s an option,” Kat agreed. “But only until we outgrow Riverdale.”
“We’ve got some time for that yet,” I told them, and took another swig of my iced tea. “Either way, something needs to be done. I’ve already talked to Jackson about it.”
There was a lot I missed about my life before the Virus, like falling asleep with Kelsey beside me, and the smell of her skin, fresh out of the shower. I missed her gentle sneezes when she vacuumed the house, which happened a lot because she was more obsessive-compulsive than she ever would’ve admitted. I missed the structure of the every day and knowing what to expect, like football Sunday at Jackson’s house, and gorging myself on Hannah’s famous lasagna. I missed so much of my old life, but not the late-night patrols on desolate, backcountry roads. Not the sound of my radio clicking on for a final call before I ended my shift, wondering if it might be my last. Over the past few years, we’d only had a few run-ins with Crazies during scavenging trips. We were vigilant and prepared. I didn’t want these unruly teens to ruin that.
“There’s plenty we can do here to prepare for whatever comes next, before we start sending folks off to patrol the unknown.” I glanced at Woody. “I’d thought this could wait until tomorrow, since you’ve only just returned, but we better put together a town meeting before Christine scares the shit out of everyone else with the news, if she hasn’t already.”
“—itchy ass.”
We all paused and peered down the table at Beau.
“Whatever,” Thea said, rolling her eyes at her brother. “You’re lying.”
Beau shrugged and threw his hands up in annoyance, but I could see the amusement creasing the corners of his eyes. “I didn’t make it up. Ask Jackson when he comes home.”
“Yeah, right,” Thea muttered, but her gaze lingered on her brother, trying to decide if he was tricking her. At eleven, Thea was old enough to know better when it came to believing everything Beau told her, but I could tell she still found it hard not to wonder sometimes. He was her older brother, after all. When I was thirteen, I was protective of Hannah, but I enjoyed teasing her, just as much as Beau seemed to enjoy screwing with Thea.
“What’s this?” Elle asked, turning in her chair to face them. “It doesn’t sound like appropriate dinner conversation.” She eyed Beau sharply.
With wide, knowing eyes, Beau shrugged. “I was just repeating what Jackson said.”
“Which is?”
“Thea found a hair in her chili, and Jackson said if you eat a caribou hair, you’ll get an itchy ass.”
Elle frowned. “First of all, that’s not true.” She examined the hair, wiped on Thea’s napkin. “And that’s a Luna-hair,” Elle told her. “See . . . it’s black. I bet if you stopped sneaking her in under the table, you wouldn’t have that problem.” She leveled her gaze on Beau again. “Stop teasing your sister.”
Beau rolled his eyes.
“It was an old Yup’ik saying,” Alex added. “Jackson didn’t say it was true.”
“Whatever,” Beau muttered, and dropped his spoon into his bowl of chili. “Can I be finished?”
Elle nodded into the kitchen. “Only if you take your dirty dishes to the sink and rinse them.”
Beau took his sister’s empty bowl, then Aria’s, and stacked them in his without being told. Then he stood and reached across the table to collect Stanley’s and Elle’s. Even if he liked to grumble and groan and act like the world was against him, Beau was a good kid; his heart was always in the right place. He’d wanted to go with Jackson and help, and I understood that.
I wondered if Elle and Jackson still saw Beau as the little kid he used to be, with his feet barely touching the floor when he sat at the table, or if they realized he was a young man in need of a purpose.
“Hey, Beau?” I said.
He stopped halfway to the kitchen and turned around to look at me.
“Phil’s gone, and I could use some backup during my rounds tomorrow. Are you and Luna interested?”
Beau’s eyes widened ever so slightly, and I could tell he really wanted to, even if he wouldn’t allow himself to show it. “Can I?” he asked Elle.
A small smile tugged at her lips. “You can,” she said, “but,”—Beau’s brow crumpled a little—“you have to do everything Ross tells you. You have to listen to him.”
“I will,” Beau said, his voice more eager. “I promise.” He made his way into the kitchen with a little more pep in his step.
“Speaking of work,” Kat said, pushing out her chair. “It’s getting late. I’m going to get Puck ready to leave.”
Thea jumped to her feet. “Can I help saddle him?”
“Of course,” Kat said with a smirk.
“Come on, Aria, you can help too.” Thea waved for Aria to follow, her single ponytail swinging, and they both hurried behind Kat, toward the door.
“Thanks for cooking tonight, Kat,” Elle said.
Kat looked over her shoulder, at the empty wine bottle in the center of the dining table. “No problem.” She winked, like the two of them had a secret, then she waved the girls out the sliding glass door to ready the horse.
“We’ll clean up,” Sophie said, and she and Alex scooted their chairs out.
“I’ll get all these,” I told them, and collected the water pitcher and a couple of empty glasses. Sophie and Alex cleared the leftover chili and what was left of the cornbread off the table.
Elle tucked the empty wine bottle under her arm and gathered her and Kat’s empty wine glasses. If I hadn’t known any better, I’d have guessed that the rosiness of Elle’s cheeks was from a few glasses of wine, not the warmth of the house.
“Now that Kat’s taking Puck back,” she said, following me into the kitchen, “Thea wants another horse.”
“Oh, so Big Red doesn’t count anymore, huh?” I slid the water pitcher into the fridge.
“She wants a proper horse, one she can ride.”
“Oh, a proper horse. Got it.”
Elle chuckled and shrugged, as if dealing with the whims of preteens had become second nature. After nearly five years of all of them together, I guessed it would be.
“Come on, I’ll walk you out.” Elle headed for the sliding door.
“Thanks for dinner,” I said, patting my stomach. “Spicy and delicious.”
“And that was all Kat,” she countered. “But of course, you’re welcome. I’m glad you came. I know you’re short-handed right now.”
“You’ll let me know what I can do, won’t you, Ross?” Alex said, brushing the crumbs off the kitchen table. “With the wall?”
Even if my inclination was to say yes, I hesitated. Alex had a house to finish building, and whatever had Sophie so distracted was disconcerting too. But as Alex straightened, waiting for my answer, I nodded. “You got it.” Elle was right, I was short-handed, and Alex’s Ability to amplify other Abilities would cut the time it would take us to make the barricades in half. “And once the barricades are up, I’ll help you finish that cabin.”
“Deal.” Alex glanced into the kitchen with a concerned look on his face.
“Uh, see ya, Soph,” I called.
“Bye, Ross!”
I opened the sliding door for Elle, and we stepped outside.
It was dark out, but the pasture was lit up like a football stadium on game night. I glanced down at Kat and Thea as they brushed Puck at the pasture fence.
“Let’s see how long it takes Thea to ask me if she can have a horse,” Elle muttered and we walked toward the deck steps.
“You mean, how long before you actually get one for her? Because we both know that’s going to happen.” The night air was brisk, and I could barely see the pale light of dusk behind the mountains.
“Correction—Jackson will get it for her. I don’t need another animal to take care of. That’s why we gave Beauty to the Ranskins, to begin with.”
I wondered if it wasn’t the only reason they took Jenny’s horse to the Ranskins, but also that Beauty reminded Elle of Jenny, which was too painful at times, and perhaps why Kat hadn’t stopped her.
“What do you think about this business of Kat moving into town?” I asked her, knowing that, especially with the gangs on the move, Elle would feel more comfortable if Kat stayed closer.
“Oh, well, I think it’s great,” she said, shocking the shit out of me.
I stopped on the top step and peered down at her as she reached the bottom. “You do?”
When Elle realized I wasn’t behind her, she glanced up at me. “Yes. Why wouldn’t I? Kat needs her own life, just like you do, and Bert, and the Ranskins . . . and being cooped up here with me and the kids isn’t going to get her out there, dating or meeting new people, and having a life.”
“Dating?” I asked. Elle’s eyes rounded, fixed, and studied me, and I shook my head. “I mean, that’s all fine, but that’s not the point. She chose the worst time to leave the farm. Her house is on the outermost part of Riverdale, and now there’s the issue of these damn gangs.” I glanced at Thea and Kat as Aria headed into the barn, Big Red following behind her, likely expecting some treats. Kat lugged Puck’s saddle onto his back effortlessly while Thea watched, riveted.
