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He turned down the alley behind the bakery but stopped out of range of her camera. He pulled the basket toward him and lifted the piece of material laying inside. There lay a note on a piece of notebook paper. It was the paper he’d given her. A small five by three-inch pocket notebook and a pen he’d left in the basket for her last week. He’d noticed she had to write notes on whatever she could find so he bought these for her. His heart swelled that she’d used it.
His fingers shook slightly as he unfolded the piece of paper. “Be careful. They’ll be watching for you. They want to bring you to Craig if you’re caught. E.”
ChapterFour
After leaving her basket under the winter creeper where she’d been leaving notes for Aidyn, she swished along the edge of the mountain to the nearest road so if she was seen, it would look as though she’d come from a different direction. She’d promised her mom she’d be careful, and she would be.
She found some mushrooms she’d hidden just for this purpose and put them in the sack which her mom had made for her many years ago. She took good care of it and only used it when she needed to keep her hands free as it had a strap to hang on her shoulder.
The darkness made it impossible to find other plants, but she had something to account for her wanderings should any of Craig’s men question her. Usually they left her alone. They needed her and her mother. They were the only two people who knew the recipe for the elixir. It had been handed down from her mother’s mother, her grandmother. When Everett Howard was their president and his father before him, they left them alone to select the plants and roots needed for the elixir. Craig was an unknown entity and things were changing quickly under his command. It set her on edge more often than not.
Finding the road, she began walking up the edge toward her cabin. Rustling leaves to her right stopped her as she waited to see who was watching. It wasn’t an animal, they were quieter than this. Finally, Kent stepped out and stood in the middle of the road.
“What are you doing out here?”
She inhaled and pointed to her sack. “I’m gathering plants for the elixir.”
“We’re not brewing right now.”
“No, we aren’t. But I gather all year long. Many of the plants we use have to be dried or propagated and replanted before I use them. You know that, Kent.”
He shrugged. “Yeah. I just wanted to see what you said.”
Her brows furrowed. “Why?”
“Craig wants us watching everyone right now. He’s making some changes and he wants to know what’s happening and when.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
She started walking toward the cabin once again, but Kent stepped in front of her. “Why are you collecting at night?”
“I didn’t have time today to get these mushrooms I found. I had to get back and make supper for my mom. I came out here so these wouldn’t freeze or wilt.”
He stared into her eyes. She stared back. They stood that way for a long time, but she didn’t show fear and she didn’t look away, even though her heart beat heavily in her chest.
Kent finally stepped aside, though not far enough that she could walk past without stepping off the road into the brush.
“Watch yourself Elena. I’d suggest not leaving your cabin at night anymore.”
“Are we being put on a curfew?”
“Not necessarily a curfew. But it’s probably not good for you to be wandering about just the same.”
Her lips turned down slightly, but she continued trudging up the hill toward home. It seemed to be a more difficult walk just now. Dread and sadness weighed her shoulders down. What would happen when her mom passed? She’d be at the mercy of this group, and she’d be alone.
She swallowed the large lump that grew in her throat and chided herself on being morose.Just do what you need to do to survive and maybe what you can do to leave here.
As she stepped near the edge of the clearing, she saw some activity in the middle. Some of their people gathered around the fire in the evenings to talk or sing. She’d always avoided that because sometimes drama ensued. But now, she might need to join in, at least once in a while, if only for her own protection.
She skirted the first two cabins and neared hers as she heard the singing begin. When they began singing she did enjoy it. There were a few who had beautiful singing voices. Smiling slightly, she opened her cabin door and stepped inside.
The warmth of her little place and the aroma of the soup she’d made earlier lingered in the air. She felt more at home and comfortable than she’d been earlier. It was true what they said: “There’s no place like home.”
“Is that you, Elena?”
“Yes, Mama.”
She set her sack on the table near the washbowl and treaded lightly to her mom’s bed. Her mom’s sunken eyes stared up at her. The vibrant green they used to be now faded into a milky green. She’d gained weight, though ate very little. She didn’t know what was wrong with her mom. Everett had refused to let Elena take her down the hill to a doctor, and even if Craig would now allow it, she had no way to pay for it. The mayor in Glen Hollow refused to let the townspeople trade for elixir and she had nothing else to offer. The medicine woman they had up here, Elenor, had said her mom’s heart was weakened. The elixir worked for some heart ailments, but for some reason, didn’t work on her mom’s.
