A middle-aged man softy approached our table and offered us apple juice. Two smiley women presented us with piles of neatly folded clothing. The flurry of gifts and the hopeful feeling from their presenters confused me. These people really didn't intend to harm us.
Noah returned to the ceremonious line of young men that kidnapped us. He looked around the room, watching the elders chat with the new girls. He was obviously looking around for something. I was seated in a dimly lit area of the room, so I turned my chair into the light and caught his eye.
Noah looked relieved to see me. Crowd blindness was added to his list of weaknesses. I motioned for him to come over and talk to me. Noah slowly shook his head no and glanced at the floor. He stood tall next to the line of young men and crossed his arms along his chest.
“What a cowardly turd,” I whispered.
Blue followed my silent conversation with Noah and put her hand on the inside of my elbow. “Just sit still and shut up, Kar.”
“No, something is not right,” I insisted.
“Look around you, idiot. These are simple people. They have no intention of harming us.” I pushed Blue's hand off my arm and rose from the table.
My fingers were tipped with sugar, and my apple juice was almost gone. I brushed the sugar off my hands and finished my juice. Noah never took his eyes off me. Blue tried to coax me back into my seat, but I had to figure out what was going on.
The man who brought the apple juice stood alone by the wall of the tent. He watched everyone from a distance. This man was my best target.
As I approached the man, I smiled and extended my hand. “Hello, I'm Karine. Thank you for the apple juice. I've never tasted anything like it before. Not made from modified fruit?” I asked cheerfully.
“Abraham pleased to meet you. We don't have much here made from modified anything, Miss.” The man was polite and shook my hand softly as if I was something to be handled with care.
“Your dark blue eye color is the same as Noah's,” I pointed at the line of young men. “Are you from the same clan?”
“Yes, the boy is my youngest sister's son, my nephew. We are farmers by trade. Noah was right. You are an observant one.” Abraham pulled at his mustache and shifted his weight. He seemed to be relaxed.
“What do you and your people plan to do with us four topsiders?”
Abraham put his hand on my shoulder and lightly coaxed me towards the wall. “We need new bloodlines, new women to marry our men and bear children. With everything going on, the meteor and population thinning, we hoped to save a few young women from your people.”
I nodded my head in agreement and folded my hands together in front of me. “Did Noah mention how many he and his friends killed to bring us here?” A hush came over the space near me. Several people were eavesdropping on our conversation.
“Yes, Ma'am, Noah also mentioned you were making trouble on the way back.” Abraham pointed limply at my neck and folded his arms across his chest.
“If Noah can't control his anger, we have programs available to help him topside.” A fire flicked in Abraham's eyes. I found his button. He was not a fan of the re-education programs. “I'm not what should concern you. The quiet one at the table with the white-blonde hair, the Tilley, her family provides our local military with armaments.
“A clean tidy word, armament. I've heard it my entire life, but I never considered what it truly meant until now. In our situation here, it means fire, destruction, and death.”
Abraham took a deep breath and shook his head. “The topsiders won't launch an attack to retrieve four women. They never have in the past, and they won't start now. You're safe here. All you need worry about is picking a family to join and starting your new life,” he proclaimed cheerfully.
“Abraham, respectfully, I disagree with you. Our population already voted to remove the Red encampments by our borders. Our citizens don't consider women breeding stock. Blue Bell and I need to leave tonight.” I felt terrible, excluding the other two girls, but they weren't going to get us killed.
“You must have noticed the main families marrying off themselves and their children recently. Getting the original family blood off the continent is their only concern.” Abraham released his folded his arms, letting them drop to his pockets and smiled confidently.
“If this meteor is such a huge problem, how do you and your people plan to escape?” I asked.
“We will all relocate beyond the ring of fire, past the old Hawaii mountain range, and wait out the storm. God provides even for those who don't believe in him.” Abraham had complete faith in what he was saying. The problem was already resolved in his mind.
“How can you be so sure of your plan and so calm about relocating all these people?” I pulled at a thread fluttering at the hem of my shirt. I caught sight of several people staring in my direction.
“Faith in my God and myself, I suppose. Faith in my clan and my community of clans. We can give you a family and that family can give you faith. You just accept it in your heart, and your mind will follow.”
I nodded my head in agreement. “My grandmother was a woman of faith, even though it is forbidden. She had a favorite poem, something about walking alone with no fear because you have a rod and a staff comforting you.
“I'm a
