AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Ten
Eponym
Icheckedmynew watch for the hundredth time. It glowed a pale yellow in the darkness of our cabin, telling me I had two hours before I reported for work. Someone had left it in the center of the bed, along with fresh bandages, toiletries, and schoolbooks for BeLew. The boys had shoved them to the floor and gone to sleep when we’d returned from our horrible day.
After the event with the six, we had moved to the edge of the deck, waiting for a break in the crowd. The journey back would be just as challenging for Sam. Passengers at our heels would only make it harder. Dean walked through the crowd, and his face had spoken volumes. I was to stay put and stay in line. Betrayal meant death.
BeLew had remained silent, and I had no words for them. My sister would have known how to comfort them. Instead, they sat on either side of Sam as we waited, their faces nuzzled underneath his arms. Dean passed us and grabbed my elbow briefly as he walked away, another silent signal he was watching me.
“It won’t be us, Row,” Sam mumbled into my ear as he held me that night. He knew what filled my thoughts, and it had to be on his mind, too. “It’s one year. We can make it.” His arm tightened around me as he spoke.
“It won’t be us,” I vowed, not sure if I was reassuring myself or Sam. I pulled his hand up to my lips and kissed his palm. “Dean won’t let it happen.” He stiffened at the sound of Dean’s name.
“We won’t let it happen,” Sam corrected. He nuzzled into my neck, pulled me closer, and went to sleep. Will Dean protect us? I felt I had no choice but to board this ship, but now it trapped me here, under Dean’s thumb, again. Should I have stayed in his shelter?
I slept in bursts, terrified to dream. Not dreaming wouldn’t stop the things to come, but I preferred to stay oblivious. I had seen the bodies in the water without the use of their hands before it happened. I had felt their panic while they sank into darkness.
The premonitions were with me here, on this vessel, in this bed.
After another hour, I roused Sam and told him I had to shower. We agreed to take the boys to school together on their first day, even after I protested, arguing he should rest instead.
“It looks normal for Dad to see them off, don’t you think?” Sam had countered. I’d agreed, but the setback with his injury worried me. His leg still bled through the sheets at night.
I showered in a haze and returned to find everyone ready for breakfast. The boys seemed better today, with faint smiles. Eager to see Lori, and to thank her for taking care of the boys, I helped Sam to his feet.
The thought of us all together healed my soul a bit. We would never forget yesterday’s events, but we had to move on and pretend to be normal. We had to act like we had nothing to worry about.
I am Ashley Rowan Lawson, and these are my sons and husband. We belong here. It was the answer I’d give to each question about our existence.
Sam did his best to hide his pain during our walk, and when we found a spot to sit, I took Beau with me to get plates for us all. It was oatmeal or oatmeal, so I was back with the food in no time. Sam ran his hand down my thigh under the table, and I let him. He was my husband, after all. When I saw Lori cross the mess hall, dragging a cart of trays behind her, I excused myself to speak with her.
“Need any help?” I asked from behind her overflowing cart.
Lori turned and wrapped me in a hug. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” I lied. “What about you?”
“I’ll be blunt. I expected what happened yesterday, or some form of it. I just thought it would be six months down the line. Or the crime to be something much worse to create that pirate show, like breaking a law or, I don’t know, something unforgivable.” Her eyes drifted to her shoes, and she frowned. “I caught them - stealing the food. I reported it.”
”As you should have. Resources are limited. The food they stole was basically out of your sons’ mouths. That’s breaking a law. I’m not saying the punishment was just, but you aren’t to blame.”
“That’s kind of you to say.”
“That’s reality, Lori. That’s our life now.”
She looked up and studied me for a moment and gave a sharp nod to the kitchen. I followed her and she led me to a pantry in the back, pushing the door closed behind us. It smelled of metal and flour, and dim lighting cast over her dismal face.
“I heard they found over two hundred stowaways,” she confessed.
My eyes grew wide. “Okay, so they killed six. What about the rest?”
“I heard…” Lori paused, fidgeting with her hands. “I heard they transferred them to agriculture. Dean pledged he would put them to work and said we needed the hands. They’ve moved them to the lower levels. They sleep on nets down there, but the alternative is the bottom of the ocean, so who could argue?” Lori shifted her weight from side to side, waiting for my response.
“Okay, well, that’s true. They should help us grow the food that they’re eating. It makes sense. Everything will be fine. You did the right thing.” I presumed Lori had more to say, but she wasn’t ready, so I changed the subject. “How are your boys?”
“The boys are acting tough, but they watched the whole thing yesterday. They know there is no chance for that to happen to us, but it’s frightening. Will you walk them to school with BeLew? I’m buried here with all the extra shifts today.”
“Of course. Thank you for telling me about the two hundred others. I won’t say anything, Lori.”
