“If we were meant to die, we would have. I wouldn’t be here, and neither would you. Even as beaten as she was, she had the spirit and the strength to give birth to us. How can we ever think of dishonoring her courage and strength by giving up now? She was less than two years old and we are grown-ups. She was alone and we are many. We can’t let her down.”
I never thought of it like that. “Whoa, quite a fighter. That makes me really proud of her.”
“She was, she is, and she will be.” Sky picks up the cocoon and closes the wrap. But not before I take another peek. Maybe I see things—which wouldn’t be unnatural at all and happens all the time—but I think Elizabeth’s cheeks show a tiny rose sheen. A sign of life. I feel like dancing.
Sky returns Elizabeth to her room in the tree house and so do most members of the Tribe. When she comes back her face is serious. And so is mine, I hope. I can’t believe she kept Elizabeth from me, from us. Part of me wants to be angry with her for not trusting us, but I can’t with all this lovey-dovey oxytocin floating around.
“Don’t be angry with me. You have no idea how hard it was to keep Elizabeth’s presence hidden. I didn’t know about her for years. I got a glimpse of her when we saw Miss Marple. Back then our system was a chaotic bunch of alters acting out, acting in, and being all over the place with little awareness of each other. It wasn’t safe to expose Elizabeth to that pandemonium. We’ve come a long way since then.”
I’ve never been able to be angry at Sky, and today isn’t any different. I’m afraid, though, bringing out Elizabeth now is Sky’s last resort to mobilize our resilience. Are we ready to step up our resistance a notch? We need time to think of a cunning plan.
“Going up higher into the mountains is a tricky choice. We don’t have enough provisions, and to be honest, we are not mountaineers. Being fit doesn’t mean we have the knowledge and survival skills for mountain climbing.”
Sky’s reasoning makes sense. I have to curb my anxiety, or I’ll drive us into trouble.
“Before we decide anything, we have to take care of Beth.”
“Beth? I don’t remember much of her.” Luke joins our conversation and pulls his face into a frown.
“I found a text message on our phone she sent to Helen telling her where we were.” Amadeus held up the phone with the text message showing on the screen.
“So that’s how they found out where we were. Now I feel bad for suspecting Scottie. Why would she do that?” I can’t think of any logical explanation of why one of us would tell our archenemy where to find us.
“Even if it’s hard to believe, she means well.” Sky opens the door and steps out of the hut. I know she’s buying time to find the right words to explain why one of us, Beth, betrayed us.
“No kidding.” Luke pulls his forehead into a frown. “Does that mean I hiked up this mountain for nothing, because the moment I turn my back, Beth is broadcasting our new position to the enemy?”
“I hope not. I spoke to Beth. She’s only trying to help.”
“Funny way of doing it.”
“I know, but she’s petrified. Helen and Horace threatened her with hell and brimstone if we don’t do what they want. Beth believes she’s doing us a favor by getting us back into their fold.”
“How could she be that stupid?” Amadeus shakes his head in disbelief.
Sky is glaring at Amadeus. “How can we be so blind and not notice that this is going on for her? Nobody is helping her to see that they have manipulated her. It’s what Miss Marple talked about when she meant paying attention to each other. Beth fell through the gap because none of us wanted to know about the fear the Tribe felt when we were little, and obedience was the only way to minimize the abuse.”
“Are you accusing me?”
“No, Amadeus, we all let her down. But I hope you will take Beth under your wing. Stay at her side as much as possible. Share your strength with her.”
“Why me?”
“Why not? I assume she responds well to powerful people.”
I bite back a smile when I see Amadeus’ expression change from sulky reluctant to pleased. Sky is a master in finding the right words for everyone. And even good old Amadeus likes a bit of flattery.
“Are we now ready to have a planning meeting?” I want to get on with it. I know I won’t be able to sleep unless we decide what our next move will be.
“Yes, we are. Ama will get out the food for supper and then we make plans.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Elise: 4 December 2015, Early Morning, Byron’s Hut
Waking up in an unfamiliar environment is creepy. Although, after familiarizing myself with the Tribe and accepting they make things happen without my knowledge, I’m now no longer wondering about my sanity. Nowadays I wake up and wonder what went on while I was not around.
Though I have to say, I never expected to find myself in a small hut on top of a mountain, surrounded by the majestic, snow-capped Southern Alps, enveloped by a turning night sky drunk with billions of stars, at five o’clock in the morning. I guess it’s five o’clock because I have no watch but the lighter shades of blue and purple in the Eastern sky announce the dawning of the new day.
The cold wind drives me back into the hut. I have no idea where I am. With the door closed, it’s pitch-dark in here. Only a sliver of fading moonlight rests on the black notebook on the small table nudged against the wall underneath the narrow window. The wind howls around the
