I Am Margaret (47 page)

Cold food or ending up back on the gurney.

“I’m not complaining.”

“Didn’t think you would be.”

I spooned slowly, almost too tired to chew the mush, listening to Sarah chattering to Jon about the fascinating forest.

“Squirrel... you hear, Jon? Squirrel said ‘chitter’. You hear it?”

“Yes, I did. Was it a big squirrel?”

“Very big. Very furry tail. And it said ‘chitter’. And ran off. Can I have a pet squirrel, Jon?”

“Not right now. Perhaps if you work hard and save up you can get a hamster.”

“Sarah will work hard! What work?”

I tuned out again. Sarah had a future now. She would have a job of her own, that she could take pride in...

Well, providing we got out of the EuroBloc...

...It was almost entirely dark now. Bane still didn’t seem to have moved, bless him. Jon was sitting nearby, his head slightly on one side as though he was listening hard to the sounds of the Fellest around us. Jane and Sarah must have rejoined the other girls.

“Awake, Margo?” he said.

“Umm.”

“Are you feeling better? I’m, uh, sorry I was so cross before.”

I peered at him in the dim light. His expression was rather… closed and his voice had an odd reserve in it. And

a touch of sadness. Oh. For the best part of four months

I’d cried on his shoulder, sought comfort in his arms and told him my every fear and worry. And waking, earlier,

I’d screamed for Bane and not even remembered Jon’s existence until the third time I woke up—not ‘til I saw him. Suddenly I felt awful.

“I’m… fine. I’m feeling better.” I had to say something, but it was hard to find the words. “Um… I think I… leaned on you rather hard in there. More than was fair. I’m… I’m sorry.”

He snorted, but his head turned away slightly.

“Don’t apologize. We leaned on each other. That’s… that’s what friends are for, huh?”

What more could I say?
I’m afraid you’re in love with me and I’m sorry?

“Well, I’m glad you looked out for each other.” There was only a faint edge to Bane’s voice, though his arms tightened around me.

“You’re welcome.” Jon’s voice was rather flat. “Well, I think I’m going to turn in.”

He took up a shiny silver square and began to unfold it with a lot of rustling. And unfold it. And unfold it. It was quite hypnotic watching it become a blanket. Rustle. Rustle. Rustle…

...Full dark, now. Where was Bane! He no longer loomed over me…
where
? Oh… there. Lying beside me. I was still tucked in his arms. I relaxed, my breathing steadying.

“Okay, Margo?”

He’d felt my flinch, or he’d been awake.

“Fine. You’re here. It’s all fine.”

I lay and thought about the clever plan he’d laid out to me, for getting the best part of fifty reAssignees to the other side of the continent. A school group. Yes, it was probably the only way. But… My thoughts ground on and my heart began to sink. I swallowed hard.
Oh Lord, I don’t feel like being brave right now, or strong, or doing the right thing. I just want to hide in Bane’s arms for about a million years…

“Bane?”

“Yes, Margo?” He sounded resigned.

“You… you do realize we can’t possibly go with the others, don’t you?”

“Why’s that, Margo?”

“Because… I don’t think I’m being arrogant when I say that my picture is probably going to be on the front page of every newspaper in the EuroBloc.”

“Too late. It already is.”

“
Well, then.
I
certainly can’t go with them. They’ve got a good chance of getting through, on their own.”

Bane sighed.

“I know. It’s all arranged.”

“It is?”

“Yes. We’ll be going separately.”

“Oh. Why didn’t you say before?”

“Because…” His arm tightened around me, protectively. “Because I’m a lot more selfish than you, Margo, and if you hadn’t said anything, I wasn’t going to either. Because I reckon our chances of making it are a heck of a lot higher with the others. But… I knew you’d probably point out their chances were lower and refuse to go, so… I made other arrangements.”

“Which are?”

“Don’t freak out, okay? But… we’ll be posing as New Adults backpacking before university.”

It took a moment for it to sink in.

“
Walking?
We’re
walking
all the way across the Euro-Bloc! I’ve no skin on my thighs, Bane!”

“It’s okay. Father Mark says you’ll heal quite quickly. I’ll carry you to York, then we’ll go with them on the bus across the Channel bridge and split off from them on the other side. Pitch camp for a few days or however long and then start ambling in easy stages until you’re all better. It’ll be fine.”

“
Carry
me? All that way? And how will we get
food
on the continent? We won’t be able to buy from shops, we can’t scan our IDs at the cash registers…”

“Calm down, Margo. It’s going to be all right, okay?”

Maybe, maybe not. But I didn’t seem to have the energy to argue about it right now.

Someone lying nearby rolled over with a rustle of foil blanket and Jon’s voice came from the gloom.

“
And what are you planning to do with
me
, Bane? I can’t go with the others either. I’m far too recognizable. And wherever you leave me, they’ll know you’ve been there and bang goes the idea we’re all with those trucks. I told you you should’ve left me outside the Facility.”

“Well, you’re coming with us, aren’t you?” I said. “Bane?”

Bane’s hesitation was only momentary.

“Yes, Jon’s coming with us.”

“You’ve got what he needs?”

“Yes, I got stuff for three. Since I had a feeling you’d manage to drag him out of there and there’s a whole list of reasons why we can’t leave him behind.”

“You seriously intend to haul a blind person all the way across the EuroBloc?” said Jon. “Doesn’t sound like a good plan to me.”

“
Oh, don’t give me that
poor little blind boy
rubbish,” retorted Bane. “One of us to guide you, and you’ll be fine. Anyone would think you
wanted
to be back in the Facility waiting to die!”

There was silence for a moment.

“Good night,” said Jon stiffly, and rustled over onto his other side again.

I lay quietly for a while, my cheek resting on Bane’s arm.

“Listen!” I said after a while. Wolf song came floating over the forest’s blackness.

“Great. Just. Bloody. Great.” From the rustling sound, Jon had pulled his blanket over his head.

“They’re not going to bother us,” I said sleepily, and lay listening to the wild music…

Then Doctor Richard was bending over me, the eye scooping instrument in his hand.

“
Such beautiful green eyes. Just what we need.”

Major Everington walked into the Lab, head bowed, hair hiding his face.

“
You said you forgave me, young lady,” he whispered hoarsely. His hands were covered in blood. “You said you forgave me! Why did you let them do it?”

“
Don’t fret, sir,” said Doctor Richard. “I’m taking care of it…”

“
You can’t fix things,” said the Major, still not looking at me. Blood was dripping from his fair hair. “No one can fix things.”

Doctor Richard reached out with the scoops and the Major turned his face to me at last. Empty eye sockets stared bloodily from his white face.

“
But it’s
my
eyes I want…” he said.

“
These are close enough.” And Doctor Richard plunged the instrument into my eye.

I screamed…

“Margo, Margo, wake up, it’s all right. It’s all right!”

I opened my eyes—my intact, undamaged eyes—and found myself looking up into Bane’s face, glowing golden in the first light of dawn.

“Bane!”

“It’s all right! Wherever you were, you’re not, you’re here, you’re all right! …Did that make any sense?”

I let out a long breath and huddled to him.

“Enough.” But after a moment spent drawing in his calming scent, I said, “The Resistance helped you and Father Mark get back in to get me, didn’t they? Was anyone killed?”

“
Resistance? Who cares, they asked for it. Blowing up that damn helicopter while you were all just underneath! Wouldn’t listen to me, wouldn’t
wait
…!” He was literally snarling and it was his turn to take a calming breath… “
Sorry
. I was just so mad at them after that.”

“It wasn’t the brightest thing to do but, I meant, guards?”

Bane gave a helpless shrug.

“
I don’t know, Margo. I
honestly
don’t. Most of the psychos had to stay outside in command positions, if it makes you feel better. The helicopter pilot bought it,
God,
I was so angry… Though…” His voice was suddenly almost inaudible, “S’pose I can’t throw stones now…”

Oh.
That
. We needed to talk about
That
, I needed to see if he was all right. But… not right now, not yet, I just couldn’t…

He was silent for another moment, then went on

firmly, “Anyway, no one was boasting about killing anyone, after, ‘cept one guy who claimed he’d shot the Facility Commandant or something, only everyone else reckoned this Major chap had ducked and wasn’t hurt at all, so who knows. But they actually weren’t there for killing, Margo, they really were after some good press and everything.”

“Hmm.” I didn’t want to dwell on what he’d told me, couldn’t dwell on it. Doctor Richard still lurked over me with his instruments and I shuddered, then flinched in pain from the shudder. The agony was swamping me again.

“It’s all right, Margo, it’s all right.” He kissed my forehead, beside the cuts, stroking my hair. “You can have some more pills now, Father Mark put them ready, before he went on watch…”

He fed me pills again, pill, sip, pill, sip, pill, sip… Drew me close.

“Just rest, Margo, you’re safe now.”

I was dozing off again, but…

“It’s not like you to lie to me, Bane.”

“I was speaking comparatively,” he murmured into my hair.

“Oh. That’s all right, then.” Oh yes, I could accept some ‘comparatively’ just now.

“Rest. You’re safe. You’re safe.”

He’d drawn me so close my head rested on his chest again and his heart drummed me to sleep. Safe-safe. Safe-safe. Safe-safe. For how long? No, safe. Right now, safe. It was enough.

Deo gratias.
Thank you, Lord.

###

DON’T MISS BOOK 2

THE

THREE MOST

WANTED

3 New Adults

2000 kilometres

A EuroBloc-wide manhunt

Safe?

Not even comparatively...

COMING SOON!

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SNEAK PEAK
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Paperback: ISBN 978-1-910806-08-1

ePub: ISBN 978-1-910806-09-8

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