Page 62 of Into the Mist

“Right. No tears. Promise.” Mercury wiped quickly at her cheek.

“Changing the subject!” Jenny said firmly after she wiped at her own cheeks. “So, what are you going to tell people about where y’all have been since the bombs?”

“Mercury has that covered,” said Stella. “She’s a good storyteller who should’ve taken those manuscripts out from under her bed and sent them to a publisher.”

“Huh? You write stuff?” Gemma asked.

“I did. Just for fun. And those manuscripts aren’t hidden under my bed. They’re hidden in my computer. Well, they were. But I actually have been thinking about a story we can tell,” said Mercury.

“Told ya so.” Stella grinned cheekily as the group turned expectantly to Mercury.

She drew a deep breath, released it, and then launched into her fiction. “’Kay, well, a foundation in fact helps fiction to be believable.”

Gemma nodded like she was an aged professor. “That actually makes sense.”

“Thanks, but I can’t take credit for it. My creative writing teacher at OSU–Tulsa, Tess Miller, said it—and I’ve never forgotten. So, we were camping at—” She paused and then quickly added, “Uh, I have to check that map and find the name of a campground somewhere around here.”

“Frog Lake,” said Gemma. “Say that. My parents and I have camped there a bunch of times, and we’re tent campers, not glampers.”

“Girl, you can pitch a tent?” Imani looked impressed.

“Totally,” said Gemma.

“Good to know,” said Stella. “So, we were tent camping at Frog Lake.”

“Yep,” continued Mercury. “We’re teachers who take off every spring break and do something together. This break we came here. When the bombs hit, we didn’t know what to do, so we didn’t do anything until it started to snow. Then we knew we had to try to find help—and we ran into Sim on the highway. He sent us to Madras.”

“Good story,” Imani said. “But it doesn’t explain Gemma. She could pass for eighteen, but that’s not old enough to be a teacher.”

“My story is that I live nearby and my family was camping at Frog Lake for spring break. My parents died in the first blast.”

The women were silent as they gazed at Gemma. Mercury was trying to figure out something adult and wise to say when Imani spoke as she put her arm around Gemma. “And then our group found you.”

Gemma looked up at Imani—her eyes bright with unshed tears. “No,Ifoundyou.”

Together the group followed Stella, who led them from the dining room. They paused in the hallway to retrieve the filled backpacks they’d left there. As they picked their way through the foyer, several of the wounded stirred enough to wave goodbye—mostly to Gemma. Marge sat, stopping the teenager so she could hug her, and then thanked Stella again for not leaving her and Nathan to die on the side of the road. Then the teenager approached the doctor and handed her an envelope that had “Mom” written on it. “In case she comes back.”

Gemma was crying silently when they finally stepped outside. Imani took her hand. “It’s okay. Stella says we’ll see them again.”

“She didn’t sayIwould,” Gemma muttered, but she held onto Imani’s hand tightly.

“You will, kid,” Stella said.

“What about my mom?” Gemma asked.

“I’ll only tell you what I know to be the truth, and right now my gut tells me you will see at least some of those people again—Doc Hilary for sure. I’m sorry. I don’t get anything when I think about your mom, which isn’t good or bad.”

“If you do get something about her, will you tell me?”

“Absolutely,” said Stella.

Mercury finally released Jenny’s arm. “Let’s say goodbye here. It’s too damn cold for you to go out to the parking lot.”

Jenny bit her bottom lip and nodded. She turned to Stella first and hugged her quickly. “Keep them safe, okay?”

“I’ll do my best.”

Then she hugged Gemma, Imani, and Karen before returning to Mercury. “I always wished I had an older sister. Someone who would clue me in about important life stuff. Someone I could hang outwith—tell my secrets to—and know she’s always there for me.” Jenny drew a deep breath and cleared her throat before she continued. “You answered my wish. You’ll always be my big sister.”