Sudden Independents (30 page)

“Are you okay?” Ginger asked.

Molly looked at Ginger huddled in her sweater and smiled. “I’m good. You?”

“I don’t know. I can’t quit thinking about that boy last night. Maybe you were right when you said I wasn’t tough enough for the real world.”

Molly struggled to remember saying something like that to Ginger and then waved a hand at her. “I must have said that when I was evil Molly. I didn’t really believe you weren’t tough enough. You’ve made it this far, haven’t you? That counts for something. You made it this far on your own.”

Ginger nodded. “I did go through a lot on my own. But now I have others to help me.”

“You got more than that.” Molly spread her arms wide and Ginger smiled as she stood and walked over for a hug.

Ginger laid her head on Molly’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

Molly sighed. “Thank you, for never giving up on me.”

They were startled by a sudden crash on the porch. Scout burst through the front door, his breathing hard and ragged. The cold followed him before he slammed the door shut by leaning back against it. His face washed with grief, he slid to the floor, his muddy boots splaying out in front of him.

“They got her!” he cried, pounding the floor. “They got Raven and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it!”

Molly knelt beside him, gripping his arm. “Who got her? What happened?”

Rapidly, Scout relayed the details about Raven’s capture. “I followed them,” he added, “and I know where Chase is. I know where they all are and they have Raven. She looked so scared, but I couldn’t get to her—not alone.”

“Did you see Catherine?” Ginger asked.

“No. But if they have her, she’s there.”

Hunter wandered into the room half-asleep, rubbing the stubble on his head with one hand and carrying his boots in the other. He blinked as he spotted Scout on the floor. “What’s with all the noise?”

Before Molly could respond, Scout pushed himself up. “They got her, man. We got to rescue her now. I need your help.”

“Slow down,” Hunter said. “What happened?”

As Scout retold his story, Molly looked at Ginger. “Go get Jimmy.”

Jimmy was out in under a minute, pulling his sweater down and throwing his hat on. Ginger followed him with water and flatbread for Scout. Scout ate and talked at the same time, eyes wide, describing everything with big gestures.

“They took her to this mansion on a hill by a golf course. I peeked in the windows and saw Chase and Patrick with two other kids just as Kessie led Raven into the room. Chase sent the two kids outside and I had to move because they started looking all over the place. They never saw me.”

“Are you sure?” Jimmy asked.

“I swear they didn’t.” Scout looked from face to face and Molly felt a pang of sorrow when his pleading eyes found hers. She gave him an encouraging nod, and he looked back to Jimmy. “We have to help her.”

Jimmy frowned. “Why did she have to talk to Kessie?”

“Kessie was her best friend. I don’t think she believed Kessie would ever betray her. But Kessie told Raven something bad about Chase that I didn’t hear. She said Chase told everyone if Raven returned she couldn’t be trusted. That’s when they jumped her.”

No one else spoke. The air hummed with tension as they all considered what should happen next. Molly wished she could think of something clever to say, just to relieve some of the stress, but figured the timing would be inappropriate.

“I was about to save her, but Raven looked me off and I hid instead, like a little coward.” Scout’s face turned into a mask of anguish. “I hid behind a bush as they dragged her away.” Scout covered his face with his hands as though he were close to ripping the flesh from his skull.

Molly sat next to him, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing. His body tensed, refusing to be consoled.

Jimmy paced to the window and back. “We have to move to a new hideout,” he said. “Everybody, round up your stuff. We’re leaving in five minutes.”

“What about Raven?”

“We’ll get her. You know where she is. We can get her—and Catherine—tonight.”

“Tonight!” Scout exclaimed. “We can’t wait that long. That dude Chase is evil. He’ll hurt her or worse. She was so scared, Jimmy. Please, we got to help her now.”

“It’s almost daylight now,” Hunter said. “We’ll never get out alive if we mess with these people during the daytime.”

“I’m sorry, Scout,” Jimmy said. “We were going to use surprise as our advantage. We didn’t bring enough people to take them head on. We have to do what’s best for the group.”

“You mean we have to do what’s best for you.” Scout leapt up and headed to the hallway.

“Scout,” Jimmy said. “Going at night is the only way we’ll be able to save them both.”

“I know. I’m going to get our stuff.” He disappeared around the corner.

“What about me?” Hunter asked. “I’m supposed to meet Patrick at breakfast.”

“Not now,” Jimmy said. “We know where they are and they’re sure to know we’re here.”

“Yeah, but we’re moving. Who’s to say they aren’t moving, too? We might lose them again.”

“Damn it,” Jimmy cursed under his breath.

Molly glanced at Hunter who shook his head at her. Jimmy was stressed way out to be cursing. He looked back out the window. “Let’s find a new place first, and then you can hightail it over to that restaurant and scope things out.”

“Hightail?” Hunter asked.

Jimmy scratched underneath the front of his hat. “It’s something Dad used to always say. I think it means to go fast.”

Ginger hurried into the room with her eyes wide and a trace of panic in her voice. “Scout just left through the backdoor!”

The word “hightail” ran through Molly’s mind.

H
unter welcomed the warmth on his back from the rising sun as he led Jimmy, Molly, and Ginger to their new hideout. Tall shadows stretched before them in the crisp morning air, the ground sparkling white from the overnight frost. Hampered by his backpack and sleeping bag, Hunter also shouldered Scout’s stuff while Jimmy hauled Raven’s gear.

“That selfish little fucking shithead,” Jimmy muttered.

Hunter listened for five-blocks as every four-letter word imaginable and compounded spilled from Jimmy like acid on the pavement. Jimmy must have stored up for a big meltdown, and Scout had pushed the red button.

They turned up an alley, passed empty backyards, and entered through a gate to a beige two-story house; Hunter discovered the vacant house a couple days before when he was looking for a back-up hideout, just in case.

Hunter threw Scout’s stuff into a corner of the kitchen as he entered the back door. “What do you want me to do now?”

“Go meet Patrick for breakfast,” Jimmy said.

“What about Scout?” Molly asked.

“What about him?”

Molly frowned. “Shouldn’t we go after him or something?”

Jimmy rubbed the back of his neck. “We don’t even know where to start looking. Only he knew where they were holding Raven, and possibly Catherine. Now we have only one option left, and that’s Hunter meeting with Patrick.”

“Vanessa’s not going to like this,” Molly said.

“Vanessa’s not here!” Jimmy’s hands shook. He shoved them into his pockets and took a deep breath. “And she’d be the first one to punch her little brother if she were.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Hunter said, squeezing Jimmy’s shoulder on his way out.

“Hunter, wait.” Jimmy caught up with him in the backyard, his face tight and strained.

“I need to hurry,” Hunter reminded him.

“I know.” Jimmy’s eyelids fluttered. “Take care of yourself. Don’t do anything risky, all right? If things start going wrong, run back here and we’ll go home.”

Hunter rubbed the pokey stubble on his head. “Go wrong? You mean like now?”

Tears glistened behind the worry in Jimmy’s eyes. “I’m scared, Hunter.” A single tear slid down his cheek.

“I know. I found her before when I wasn’t even looking for her. I’ll find her again, I promise. We’ll have her by tonight.” Hunter held out his hand and Jimmy gripped it firmly. They quickly hugged and patted each other on the back.

Molly lined up behind Jimmy and hugged Hunter as well. She felt warm and soft. Hunter kissed her head and turned to leave. He hustled out of the yard and through the gate, leaving the two people he loved most in the world before things got more emotional.

•  •  •

Hunter ran along the broken sidewalks, reached a knot of kids casually walking in the same direction, and jumped off the curb to pass them.

“Hey, what’s the rush?” a boy asked.

“I’m supposed to meet Patrick at breakfast,” Hunter said over his shoulder. “And I’m running late.”

A gasp rose from the kids. “You better hurry,” the boy said.

Hunter picked up the pace and arrived at the cafeteria just as the doors were opening. All the early birds pushed their way inside, but Patrick was not among them. With time to spare, Hunter slowed his way to the entrance and stood at the back of the crowd.

Inside, he gave his last casino chip to the dirty-faced girl on the stool. Her angry stares from the night before were now sleepy and bored.

After receiving his plate of runny eggs and slightly rotted fruit, Hunter found a table to himself. The eggs tasted a lot better compared to the food he’d eaten last night, and he was surprised this city managed to keep enough chickens around to have eggs. He finished breakfast and waited.

Kids filtered in and out over the next hour. Hunter eavesdropped on a dozen conversations ranging from the quality of sleep, food, and life in general. Several kids contemplated leaving for the California coast now that it was almost springtime. They discussed the possibility of crossing the Rockies and finding Disneyland or even catching some waves in the ocean. A small boy asked what an ocean was and the group broke out in laughter.

“Well, what is it?” he asked again and wiped an indignant hand across his face, spreading a strand of snot over his cheek in the process.

Everyone at the table continued laughing as they gathered their trays and disposed of their trash. They handed their dirty plates over the counter to a thankless dishwasher and left to start their day. The little boy gazed at their backs with sad, hurtful eyes. Then he acknowledged Hunter’s staring interest by smearing snot across the other cheek.