In alarm, Hannah’s hands flew to the braids coiled tightly around her skull. “Why, what’s wrong with my hair?”
“It’s a very unusual style among the Fallen. It might make you stand out, and we don’t want anybody noticing you.” He helped her loosen the braids. When her hair fell free, he scowled. “This will never do. Your hair is much too long. They’ll spot that right away.” He reached into the glove compartment. “Lucky I thought to bring these.” He showed her a pair of scissors. “Now turn your back to me,” he instructed.
“You won’t cut it all off, will you?” she asked worriedly.
“No, just enough so that you’ll blend in.” He took the rope of hair and deftly removed several inches. It now hung just below her shoulders. Surveying his work, he said, “There, that’s better.”
She glanced at the shorn locks in his hands. “What will you do with that?”
“Get rid of it as soon as I can.”
“Oh,” she said a bit sadly.
“Now let’s get you some clothing.” Daniel drove for about ten minutes more through city streets. She had never seen the like before. Had never, in fact, spent a single moment of her existence outside of one enclosure or another. It was all strange and fascinating. She peered curiously at the faces of people walking along on what were called sidewalks. They didn’t appear terrible or evil to her. In fact, they looked much like the faces that surrounded her at the compound, except that many of them were smiling as they chatted with one another.
“We’re here,” Daniel announced as he cautiously maneuvered the car into a space by the sidewalk.
They had parked in front of a building that bore a sign reading “Salvation Army.”
“You brought me to a military store?” Hannah asked in surprise. “Is this where soldiers buy their supplies?”
Daniel laughed out loud. It was the first time she had ever heard him laugh. The sound seemed to surprise even him. “No, it’s just a name. This is an organization that’s called a ‘charity.’ It’s where people who have a great deal of money give away clothes and other things to people who have less.”
“That’s very nice of them,” she said uncertainly, “but doesn’t their leader provide for everybody’s needs?”
“It doesn’t work that way in the Fallen Lands. They have no Father Abraham to dole out supplies.”
They entered the glass double doors, and Hannah’s eyes immediately traveled to the racks and racks of women’s clothing in every color of the rainbow. “Can I have something in red?” she asked eagerly.
“I don’t think you should.” The scion sounded worried. “Bright colors might attract too much attention to you. It’s better to find something dark and plain.”
They spent an hour while she tried on various garments. She begged him to let her try on a pink blouse just to see what it felt like to wear something so colorful. He indulged her fancy, but eventually she was persuaded to settle on pants called blue jeans and a tan camp shirt with sleeves that rolled up and buttoned. She had never worn long pants before. Women weren’t allowed to do so among the Nephilim. She also selected a nightgown and some shoes made of rubber and cloth. Daniel called them “jogging shoes.”
He paid for the purchases from a thick roll of green paper he kept in his pocket. Then they got back in the car and drove through more city traffic before parking again. This time they got out in front of a red brick building with white columns in front. Daniel told her it was a “Home for Unwed Mothers.”
“But I am lawfully married,” she objected.
“They can’t know that, or they won’t take you in,” he whispered. “Just remember the story we rehearsed, and you’ll be alright. I can’t go inside with you. Nobody must know I helped you escape. If Father sends someone to look for you, there may be questions about who you were with when you arrived here.”
Hannah felt a surge of panic shoot through her. It never occurred to her that Abraham might send someone to the Fallen Lands to find her. “Do you think he will?” she asked in a frightened voice.
Daniel sighed. “I’m quite sure he will.” He tried to give her a confident smile. “But I don’t believe he’ll come to this place. At least not right away. The city is very, very large and there are many such shelters.”
“It’s only a matter of time,” she whispered.
“No, you mustn’t think like that. I deliberately did what I could to throw them off—to buy you more time. Yesterday night I dug a hole by the back fence to make it look as if you’d escaped that way. They’ll be looking for you out in the countryside. That should keep them occupied for some time. Then once the baby comes, you can move away—go wherever you like. It will be much harder to find you then.”
She took him by the hand. “Daniel, why don’t you come with me? Run away too. You know you don’t belong with them anymore either.”
His face turned ashen at her words. “That’s impossible.”
“Why?” she asked plaintively. “We could help each other to make our way through this strange world.”
“I... I’m not ready for such a change,” he protested.
“Is it because of your father’s relic quest? You know you don’t believe in what he’s doing.”
Daniel shook his head sadly. “No, that’s not it. My life inside isn’t as hard as yours has been. I understand why you need to go, but for me it’s different. I’m not ready to turn my back on everything. Not yet anyway.”
“How bad does it have to get before you finally walk away?” she asked quietly.
He didn’t answer and avoided her eyes.
She realized it was useless to argue with him. She let go of his hand.
He reached into his pocket and gave her the entire roll of green paper. “Here. You take all of it. You may need it. I’ll come back
