I throw my hands up in front of me, letting her know I don’t want her coming any closer to me. What is this?
“Wait a minute, what is going on here?” I ask. “I want Jake, and I want him now!”
“What? Wait who is Jake sweetie?”
“Please, don’t, Mom. Did Robert tell you who he is? That he is the reason Shae might be dead.”
“Who is Shae? You’re not making any sense.”
The woman once my mother now stands in front of me. I used to stand by her cooking and doing the dishes. I helped her with my sisters, and now she doesn’t know who I am.
“Wait! Where is Lydia?” I ask.
I look at R. J. rather than my mom. Right now, I trust him more than her. I don’t know who to trust.
“She has been integrated,” he answers with a smile.
“She’s here?”
“Yes, Liz, she and your mother have been here for two months and five days. We rescued them after your father, well Robert,” he corrects himself, “came into the R9 with some story about The Elected. She didn’t trust him but came with him, nonetheless. He told her that he would help her find you and your brother and sister.”
“So, why are they here?” I demand.
“We raided a small pocket of Voyagers the month before last. Robert was being held their hostage for being a member of The Elected. He had tried to trade Lydia and your mother to them in exchange for their silence. He now is a traitor of The Elected, making him an enemy of ours. We have nothing against your mother and sister.”
“Is this true?” I ask, looking at her a bit softer this time.
“It is,” she responds with tears in her eyes.
“How am I going to believe any of this! All I wanted to do was save my sisters and stop this stupid war and get on with our lives,” I begin to rant. “Now, I am back somewhere that supports the people we hate the most.”
I tell her everything from how our names are not the same, about us taking Syl in. I tell her about the Methrodine and all the people with us, including Jake and our love for each other. Finally, I tell her that Shae and Syl have been taken by The Elected, and our plans to save them, which makes it clear to her our hatred of The Elected and anything associated with them.
She sits in stunned silence, listening while I tell the accounts of the past months.
“Oh, Liz,” she says, as she puts a hand to my cheek. Hearing her say my new name makes me feel like there is some chance that things will be okay. “You have grown into such a strong young woman,” she smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
I can’t help but think she looks several years older than when I last saw her. “Thanks, Mom.”
“I didn’t think I would ever see you again,” she says. “I want to see Elious… Eli and Mar and Zac too. I want to meet this Jake.” She smiles. “Magi, Shawn, Leah, and Samantha too, once she gets out.”
“Mom,” I say, blushing. “Jake means the world to me. After all of this is over, he and I are going to be together forever.”
She looks at me with a mix of happy and sad. I know I must sound like some love-sick kid, but I know that deep down, Jake and I will always need each other to survive.
“Let us go, then,” R. J. joins in.
He motions to one of the guards to open the door. When we walk out of the room, the remaining guards outside join us. As a last thought, I turn towards the president.
“Now that I have seen what you want me to see, and you know our distaste for The Elected, when can we leave?”
“What do you mean, my dear?” he says, calmly. “I don’t think you will be leaving The Facility anytime soon. Those who enter in, very seldom leave, unless it has been bargained with me ahead of time. Nonetheless, you are too precious a prize to let go of.”
I choose to stay quiet. If this man thinks that we will be sticking around very long, he has got to be kidding. Jake wouldn’t allow it. Who am I kidding? I wouldn’t allow it either.
We are walked to a staircase leading us down into the giant white room.
“This is where we part for now,” R. J. says. “I have a meeting with the board of souls in a moment to discuss your friend.”
“Please try,” I say. “Don’t let my feelings of The Elected play on your decision.”
“I promise.” He nods his head as my mother, and I begin our decent down the stairs and into the huge white room below.
“Elizabeth!” a voice calls out from my right the very second, I hit the main floor.
I look over my shoulder to see my five-year old sister running in my direction. Lydia may never understand why I will no longer go by that name, so for now, I will let her call me whatever she wants to call me.
I let her crash into me as I hoist her into the air, swinging her in circles like I would have back at home.
When I sit her down, she looks at me with sad eyes. Her little face turns back and forth patrolling for her other siblings.
“Where are they?” she asks with a whimper.
“Elious is here,” I say, “and Maria and Isaac.” I try to smile, but I know the pain shows on my face.
“Shaywee?” she asks.
I shake my head as I let a tear trail down my cheek.
Her head drops.
“Is she…dead?”
I kneel in front of her, trying to steady
