In Between Seasons (The Fall) (21 page)

“Now
that smells great,
” Hunter commented
,
coming into the kitchen
and
pulling off his sweaty t-
shirt.

I rolled
my eyes trying to concentrate on
the tomato I was cutting,
“My cooking always smells great.”

“Do I have time
for a quick shower?” Hunter asked
as he threw
his shirt over his shoulder.

I turned to look at him,
“Of course, oh shirtless wonder.
”

He winked at me as he left the room. When he came back into the kitchen he was still shirtless.

“It’s bad enough I have to slee
p in the same bed with you half-naked,” I commented,
stirring the rice
and
pointing the spoon at him.

“I can’t
help that you like it,” he tease
d
as he took
a cucumber from the salad
and
popped
it in his mouth.

I rolled my eyes and sighed.

He raised an eyebrow, “What’s wrong?”

“I was thinking about Mara
and
Rob.”

“Yes?” h
e said
,
sitting down
and
stretching his arms over his head.

“They’re kind of strange,” I replied as I put
the food on the plates.

“I thought
Mara was your
friend?” h
e asked
,
leaning forward as I put his plate in front of him.

“She is—I mean she really loves Rob. You can tell he loves her too
,
but
everyone else here—”

“Hates each other,” he interrupted as he took
a bite of the salmon.

“It’s like a leech feeding on a leech.”

“That
’s a good comparison,
” Hunter commented
,
pointing his finger at me.

“So what’s different about them?”
I asked
.

Hunter shr
ugged as he took a sip of water,
“What’s different about us?”

“Everything,
”
I responded
,
moving my rice around my plate.

“Let’s say you’re not
the only runway I’ve taken in,” Hunter explained.

“You kidnapped them?”

“No,” he furrowed
his eyebrows in amusement, “They really were runaways…I was young.
The n
ewly appointed g
eneral
,
but
not hardened like I am now. They were a package deal.”

“So you found them together?”
I pried
.

“Their parents were government
and
were
killed in the final riots. They somehow managed to find each other. Maybe I didn’t ask enough questions then
,
but
my instinct told me to
help them. I snuck them in—my d
ad never even noticed. Back then we didn’t have head counts. It wa
s all about strength in numbers
not skills. There wasn’t anyone spying on someone else either.”

“You’re not
suspicious of them?” I questioned
,
watching his eyes.

“Are you?”
he asked, studying me just as intently as I was studying him
.

“Not really—I just
felt like there was something more to the story.”

“It’s been a very long
time
and
they were teenagers then. If they had some sort of plan to destroy us I think they would have already.”

“I don’t think they would hurt either of us now
,
but
I’ve been wrong before,” I replied
with a sigh.

“It’s like Victoria
and
Craig. I’m never sure if someone is on someone else’s side. It could have been a mistake that got us all killed back then. I know better now
,
but
I can’t punish them now,
especially not now,” h
e replied
,
tapping his hand against the table.

“If I had been a real runaway wha
t would have happened?” I asked,
looking into his eyes.

“I would have looked at you
and
seen the same thing
and
done the same thing.”

“Risked it all because of one look?”
I asked
.

Hunter nodded his head.

“What will happen to them when the shit hits the fan here?”
I asked, and I wanted to know what he truly thought, and if there was any way to protect them.

“I don’t know
,
but
I hope they run in the opposite direction of us.
Then we can all be safe,
”
Hunter replied
as he pursed his lips.

I took a deep breath
and
he reached his hand across the table
to squeeze
mine. I really w
anted them to make it out alive.
No
matter
whom
they really were.

Losing track of time was something I was becoming very good at. At my parent’s tribe it had been easy to lose myself in whatever I was doing, but I always knew what day, what year, and what time it was. Here everything blurred together, one day into the next, one hour into the next. It was all a matter of waiting. We were constantly waiting for something, but there were times when it all came to a standstill. When I walked into the common room and Mara practically tackled me I realized today was going to be one of those days.

“Kate, finally you ca
me to join us!” Mara exclaimed
.

“Am I missing something?” I asked
as she dragged me into the living room.

“She’s here
,
now we can go,” Mara yelled
to the crowd of displeased women.

Amy stood
up
from the couch,
“Yippee, let’s get on with it then.”

“Wh
at’s going on?” I asked, and
Mara linked her arm in mine
. She marched
me out the front door
and
down the steps with the other women trailing us.

“It’s time to p
ick the Christmas tree,” s
he replied
,
and
I found myself stopped in my tracks.

“What?”

“Christmas tree—don’t look so upset. We just mark it with this little ribbon here
,
and
then Hunter
and
the boys go
and
get it
and
bring it in for
us to decorate later,
” Mara explained
,
dangling the ribbon in my face.

“Yeah, sounds fun.”

“I think now I’ve missed
something,
”
Mara squeezed
my arm
and
pulled
me forward as the group wove around us.

“
No, you’re not missing anything,” I tried to reassure her as I steadied
my voice.

She sighed
,
but
didn’t press the subject. I went through the movements with them
,
but
I
didn’t feel like I was all there. It was just a tree. That’s what I kept reminding myself as Mara put the bow on the tree that the women had finally agreed on. As soon as we got back to the house I excused myself to go up stairs
and
freshen up
,
but
what I ended up doing was sitting on the bed
and
staring at the wall.

“The tree’s up,” Hunter announced as he walked
in the door.

“Great,
”
I responde
d
,
jumping at the sound of his voice.

“Are you
coming down to decor
ate it?” Hunter asked
,
his vein in his head beginning to show he was picking up on my mood.

“Of course,
” I answered
, and I flashed him
a brill
iant smile. He wasn’t convinced
,
but
followed me out the door anyways.

“Right in here—
the tree
replaces a pool table or tw
o for a bit
,
but
it’s worth it,” Hunter explained
as we walked in the door to the common room.

When I saw the tree in the room already strung with lights I realized I couldn’t handle it. I turned
and
raced out the door past Hunter into the woods. I didn’t stop until I found myself looking up at the wall that led out of the base.

“Kate, what the hell?
” Hunter demanded
when he caught
up to me
with
his hands on his knees.

My hands were in my hair
and
my breath
was coming out in heavy puffs,
“I can’t do it.”

“
C
an’t do what Kate?” Hunter stood
and
pointed at the house,
“It sure as hell looks like you’re running away…that you would have kept running if that wall wasn’t there.”

“I’m sorry,
”
I
whispered.

“Why are you running from me all of a sudden?”
he asked, and his voice was broken.

“I
’m not running from you,
” I replied
,
turning
and
putting my fists on the wall.

“What are you running from the
n—a Christmas tree?” Hunter retorted as his voice cracked
with anger or hurt. I wasn’t sure which.

“Yes,” I managed to say.
It was silly, but it was so much more than a stupid tree.

“We’re already playing in the fire Kate…you have to explain to me what
this is about,” Hunter demanded as he reached
out
and
touched
between my shoulders.

I turned to him my
face stained with silent tears,
“It’s almost Christmas.”

“You miss your family?” h
e asked
,
his voice a whisper against the rustling of the trees in the wind.

“No—it’s hard to explain.”

“I need you to.”

“If it’s
almost Christmas, it’s almost
New Year’s
,
”
I tried to explain
.

“2012 already passed
,
so
what are you so afra
id of?” h
e continued
,
putting his hands on either side of my head
on the cold stone wall
as I leaned against
it
.

“Another year in the fire.
”

“I don’t get what you’re saying, Kate
and
it’s r
eally starting to freak me out,” Hunter replied, and his voice showed the sentiment.

“My birthday—it’s
New Year’s
Day.
”

Hunter turned his face
into his shoulder as he laughed,
“You’re afr
aid of being another year older?
”

“Another year older
and
no closer to the truth the
n the last year…and no more less trapped.”

Hunter swallowed,
“So I make you feel trapped?”

“Don
’t
you feel trapped? With this g
od damned wall,
” I replied
as I pounded
my fists against it.

“No, when I’m with you I don’t feel trapped. I feel like I know the truth
,
and
I
thought it was the same for you,” he retorted, turning and walking away from me.

“
Hunter, that’s not what I meant,
” I said
,
starting after him.

He put his hand up
,
but
didn’t tur
n ar
ound,
“If I’m not enough the
n scale that wall. The truth without me is just as irrelevant as the truth with me.”

I wanted to tell him that he was everything
,
but
I just wanted out of the things that reminded me of my past life.

“I’m scared Hunter, okay? Every day we get closer to
G
od knows what
. I hadn’t realized how long we had been here until n
ow. I remember what I asked my d
ad for last Christmas,” I
sigh
ed
,
“
I’m still dealing with that—the fact that
my family desperately wants me dead.”

“Why couldn’t you just say that?”
Hunter asked
,
turning to face me once more.

“I don’t want you to think I want to go back. I don’t want you to think t
hat I loved them better,
” I replied
with a shrug.

“What did you ask for?”

“It was silly,
”
I answered.

“Yeah?”
Hunter pressed
.

“I wanted something that no one else had…something that made me feel different—special. Jewelr
y,” I took
a deep breath,
“No
one had any jewelry
except my m
om. I always liked the
pictures in some of the few
magazin
es my d
ad let us see.”

“What kind of jewelry?”

“Some sort of necklace—I think I would break a b
racelet or lose a ring,
” I explained
,
“It doesn’t seem like anyone has any jewelry here besides their wedding rings—so I guess they don’t make stuff like that anymore.”

“And what did your father say to that request?”
Hunter asked
as he ran
his hand through his hair
,
deep in thought.

“If I had it
than
everyone would want it
and
he would have to get it for everyone else—that there wasn’t enough to go around in the first place.”

“He was right. Most metal went into f
orging ammunition,” Hunter explained,
holding his hand out.

“Figures…war,” I put my hand in his.

“No more running?” h
e asked
into my ear.

“I’ll never run from you Hunter—not without wanting you to come after me.”

“Good, now can you handle the tree?”

“I’ll do my best,” I replied with a laugh. It was a bit ridiculous.

“So
,
a
New Year’s
birthday girl, huh?”

“I guess the year went out with a bang.”

“
I should tell you that Christmas
and
New Year’s
is
a pretty big thing around here,” Hunter commented
as we began walking back to the house.

“Really? Why?”

“Most of us still remember what Christmas use
d
to be like. My d
ad thinks it’s important to bring people together at this time of year
,
so there is always a big party here with all the bases. Those that still have parents that are alive get to see them
and
catch up,
”
Hunter explained
.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if that
was the only time you saw your d
ad?”

“It would be…
It seems everyone
gets excited for the party. My d
ad usually does something special for everyone like gettin
g nice outfits for all the women
,” Hunter knocked
his shoulder
s against mine,
“I’m sure you’
ll enjoy that.”

“How does he know what the women
like?”

“Don’t ask me—I don’t
understand that man in any way,
”
He commented
as he smiled down at me.

“How far are
we away from the house?” I asked
as I tripped
over a branch.

“About another mile
and
a half.
”

“How did I manage to run that far without fall
ing straight on my face?” I wondered
,
grabbing a
tree as I stumbled over a
root.

Hunter’s laugh echoed a
gainst the silence of the night,
“Don’t ask me. I never understood how you could dance
and
fight as well as you can when you can barely walk without hurting yourself.”

I took a deep breath and ignored his comment,
“So what was Christmas like for you—before all this?”

“Most of the memories I have are of my mother. She really meant the world to me…she understood
me the best. My d
ad
dress
ed up like Santa, which I’
m glad he doesn’t do anymore. Can you imagine how scary that would be?”
Hunte
r joked
.