It’s too dark for a proper tour, but Kitty points out the highlights. The Hollow is completely self-sustaining and houses a shocking number of people. Kitty says the population was more than four hundred at last count. It has dozens of cabins, a dug well, solar power and a generator, even a septic system.
When I ask how long they’ve been here, she shocks me again by saying nearly two years. It’s unusual for the Faithful to set up permanent camps. They’re nomads, sometimes by choice, but most times because they’re trying to stay two steps ahead of the Command, abandoning camp at a moment’s notice if needed.
I realize Jasper has a lot to do with the fact that nobody knows of the existence of this place. He’s the only one who’s ever been here. And now us.
The voices in the distance get louder as we approach, and the smell of campfire smoke wafts in the air.
“You came on a good night,” Kitty admits, grinning slightly. “Celebration’s still going.”
Jasper slings his arm around her shoulder. “What are we celebrating?”
“We just had a baby,” she answers, which summons a wink from him.
“Well, shit. We did? How did that happen?”
“It’s Piper and Omar’s. But if you want a repeat of the last time youwere here, Jas, all you have to do is ask.” Kitty rolls her eyes and keeps walking, and we hurry to match her brisk pace. “This is our gathering place,” she says when we emerge from the path to find a party in full swing.
There’s a large firepit enclosed by low stone walls, with people milling around it while others move through the large flat clearing that looks human-made rather than natural. Trees have been cut down and cleared away, their stumps now serving as makeshift seating. Chairs circle the fire, and blankets are spread out across the ground. Boisterous laughter and loud voices rise over the live music courtesy of a small band featuring a guitarist, a guy with two handheld drums, and a young man playing the harmonica.
It’s rare to hear live music in the wards. We had a band that played in Hamlett sometimes, but they always performed Company-approved songs, and the same melodies get old after a while. This song, though, I’ve never heard before.
There are no uniforms. No military structure. Just people living in the moment, getting boozed and laughing and…ah…doing other things. It’s hard not to notice the various intimate moments playing out in the shadows.
“I want to say hi to Aurora,” Jasper says before sauntering off.
He looks right at home here, people greeting him as he walks, slapping his arm, his shoulders. He stops to chat with a small group, and a woman with curly dark hair flings her arms around him. I don’t miss the way Xavier’s eyes zero in on her ass in her tight jeans.
The three of us chat with Kitty, who studies Gray suspiciously. “So what’s the Uprising planning these days?”
He smiles at her. “Well, funny you should ask…Because we’d love to include you in our plans.”
She snorts. “We politely decline.”
“Come on, Kitty. Just hear us out.”
“I need a drink. I’ll give you five minutes to make your pitch before I pick my warm body for the night.”
“I volunteer to be the warm body,” Xavier calls as they walk away.
“I’ll think about it,” is Kitty’s sultry response.
I can’t lie—the atmosphere here is sort of intoxicating. There areclearly no rules. No expectations. All around me are bodies, pressed close together, limbs tangled, faces flushed. The air feels charged, delirious, reckless.
Xavier leans closer to me. “I’m pretty sure that woman over there is sucking that guy’s—”
“Yes, well aware,” I cut in, then grab his chin and forcibly twist his head so he’s not staring at them. The couple is shrouded in the shadows, sprawled on a plaid-patterned blanket, the man’s hands tangled in the woman’s long hair.
“Can I move here?” he begs. “Please?”
Jasper comes back into view, juggling three tin cups in his hands. As he pauses to greet a pair of young men, the charisma drips off him. He seems to effortlessly draw people into his orbit.
“There’s your best friend,” I say.
Xavier grins. “Jealous?”
“No, I just don’t get it. You two are like old friends and you’ve known each other for like five seconds.”
“It’s called being charming, Darlington. It’s a useful skill. You should try it sometime.”
