“When are we able to leave?” I ask, acting like I had no clue.
“A half an hour or less, if you both feel well enough,” Barb says as she comes into the room.
Mar looks at me and smiles again. I am happy that she can be pain free enough to keep that happy look on her face. We both know that soon enough we can be back with Eli, Jake, and the others.
“I hope Zac and the others are back by now,” Mar says.
“Me too,” I say absentmindedly.
I can’t help but think about the fact that Rae still must talk to us about something. I have the thought in the back of my mind what she has got to talk to us about isn’t going to be good.
After putting our boots back on and walking around the room for twenty minutes, Barb and Rodge sign our dismissal papers. As we walk towards the door, a guard comes in towards us.
“Rae has asked me to escort you ladies to the showers to get cleaned up and then meet her and the others in the meeting room.”
We both silently walk with the guard to the bathroom where we are given back our bags with soap, shampoo, and hairbrushes. The packs have our names written on them this time. It’s nice to know they keep the things you have used for you for a later time.
Mar and I help each other shower, trying to avoid her stitches. It takes much longer for us to get finished up, dried off, and dressed than it did before.
After feeling somewhat refreshed, but a bit stiffer than before, she and I follow the same guard to the meeting room that we have been called to.
We are the first to arrive, allowing us time to stretch and rest before the others come in. Eventually, our family walk into the room ,surprised to see us sitting there.
“What happened with you two?” Samantha asks.
“It was amazing,” Mar says. “They had so many medical supplies, I had never seen so much stuff.”
“Oh, well now I wish I would have gone with you,” Magi groans. “Did they have proper medical tools.”
“On little wheelie carts,” I tease.
Her eyes grow huge in mock enthusiasm.
“It really was amazing, though,” Mar says.
“Maybe I can take a tour at some point,” Magi says.
“Or break a rib,” I laugh.
I allow myself to get lost in the excitement of Magi’s joy. The only problem is, my own happiness is cut short when I realize that Cara, Baxley, Zac, Leah, Shawn, and Dia are nowhere around. Maybe they’re not back yet.
Magi is still ranting about the hospital when Mar realizes the same thing that I have.
“Where’s my brother?” Mar asks seriously.
“We don’t know,” Jake answers.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” I shout.
“They haven’t come back yet,” Eli says. “Rae sent a team out for them, but I don’t know what they have found out.”
Our conversation is cut short when the door swings open and Levi and Rae walk in. They both take a seat side by side at the table. They both look like they are exhausted, but neither one complains about it.
“What’s going on?” I break the silence.
“I don’t know how to tell you all this…” she begins.
“We told them they aren’t back yet, so, just get to it,” Samantha says sternly.
“Our team that we sent out to retrieve Baxley and the other members of your family came back empty handed.”
“What do you mean?” Mar yells.
“She means that Baxley and the others weren’t there,” Levi answers.
“Where are they?” Jake asks.
Rae slides over a piece of paper towards Jake and me. My heart is pounding too hard to look at it, but Jake picks it up to look. He sits there, staring at the paper for the longest time. Longer than I think my patience can handle.
“What is it?” I burst out.
Jake lowers the paper to the table with a look of sickness on his face.
“They were taken…by The Elected,” Jake sighs.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The entire room falls silent for a while. We are all in such disbelief that no one knows what to say or do. After a while of silence, the room erupts in tears, outbursts of anger, and cursing under people’s breaths. I, however, sit numbly as the chaos goes on around us.
“People!” Levi shouts across us. No one stops their expressions of anger. “People,” he lifts his voice, standing up this time.
Everyone falls silent, Magi and Mar crying, while Jake, Samantha, and Eli clench their fists. I still don’t feel anything but disbelief.
“How could this have happened?” Samantha demands the answer. “This cabin was supposed to be safe.”
“Nowhere is safe,” Levi begins.
“Don’t give me that garbage.” Eli scowls.
“The letter is self-explanatory,” Rae begins. “The Elected are quite clear that they want you to know that they exist and will stop at nothing to stop you. Allowing yourselves to fall apart is a sure-fire way to do that isn’t it?”
“You’re right,” I say. “If they know who we are, then they want us to fall apart.”
“They know who we are, Liz,” Jake says, “My dad, your dad, the captain, they are all a part of this.”
“You guys should take some time to regroup and figure out what you want to do,” Levi says.
“We could really use you guys on our side, and fighting next to us, but if you feel you have to go find your family, that is alright too.” Rae smiles weakly.
