Summer Wishes (Desire #1.5) (4 page)

“When’s the last time you ate?” Jocelyn ventured.

Mel glanced at the ceiling, counting. “Three days, if you consider a handful of bitter cherries… eating. And considering the state I’m in, I definitely need more than that.”

“You are excruciatingly thin.”

Melanie gazed at them as she popped a melon ball in her mouth. Her gaze softened. “That’s not really what I was referring to.  When we first left, Jacob and I were floating on a cloud. We were invincible and we desperately wanted to show the world how much we loved each other. Despite the vast wilderness and wastelands, we were able to find a small town when we first left Arcadia. They had a decaying tiny little chapel, but we didn’t care. We were so in love. Then we got married…”

Jocelyn gasped in shock and joy.

“The ceremony was as small and simply as the chapel was.” She waved the back of her hand at them.  “Of course we didn’t have rings. We improvised; Jacob wove us both rings out of scraps of aluminum foil he’d pick up and kept. It was touching and very romantic. But with life so hard out there, the rings didn’t last long.”

She laid her hand over her belly. “And now…”

The gentle rub of her hand over the gentle swell of her belly was enough to answer Jocelyn’s unasked question.

“You’re far too thin to be pregnant.”

“I know.”

“I’ll go fix you a sandwich.” Matthew rose.  “We got to put some protein on those bones.”

Melanie chuckled. “Thanks.”

“We have to find you a safer place to hide.” Jocelyn said, glancing out the window.

Mel brought her gaze to the window.  “If they search the whole neighborhood the Enforcers should be busy for an hour or so.”

“Yeah, well you’ve been out for almost half an hour so that doesn’t leave us much time.”

“I don’t know if I have the strength to move again. These past days have been so demanding.”  Her hand passed over her belly again. “I don’t want to harm the baby.”

Jocelyn joined her hand to Melanie’s hand, warmed by the thought of a life growing inside her womb.

“I’ll go out and distract them, lead them away. I just have to act the slightest bit suspicious and they’ll focus all their energy on me.”

“That’s far too dangerous,” Matthew called from the kitchen.

Melanie smiled. “He’s right.”

“I know how to make my way around here.  It’s dangerous, but we can’t move Melanie right now, not in her condition. We’ll have to get some help…find Jacob.”

Matt returned with a generous plate.

“I’ll lead them to the Opal District and I’ll lead them there.”

“I’m coming with you,” Matthew said.

“No, you need to stay here with Melanie, in case she needs anything.”

“Then you stay with her and I’ll go distract them.”

“Matthew, I’m Jacob’s sister.  They’ll be more inclined to follow me out.”

Matthew nodded.

“Good.” Jocelyn kissed Melanie’s brow, gave her belly a final rub and rose to face Matthew.  “I’ll be back as soon as all is clear.”

“I don’t like this.” He took her into his arms, his breathing heavy with worry.

“Consider this a test. This could show us if we’re meant to go outside Arcadia.”

He squeezed her tight, his lips brushing up her ear. “I love you.”

Jocelyn ran her hand up his smooth cheek.  “I’ll be back before you can even miss me.”

In a flurry of excitement and anxiety, she ran to her room and changed into plain pants and a black t-shirt.  Pulling her hair back into a tight ponytail, she dressed for the most efficient way to flee quickly.  Adding one of Jacob’s old baseball caps made her feel sufficiently conspicuous.

After a final good bye, she hurried out.  Around the corner, she saw the Enforcers in the distance. It wasn’t long before they took notice of her. The moment they did, Jocelyn bolted.

A strong sprinter, she maintained a healthy head as she took the boulevard that led into the Opal District.  Once within the boundaries, she slowed her pace, catching her breath as she allowed the Enforcers to get just close enough.  She led them through the dizzying maze of streets that made up the odd little district.

Designed to keep cars from driving needlessly through the neighborhood, the streets turned in circles, semi-circles and in unpredictable s-curves. Firmly imbedded into the center of the labyrinth, Jocelyn sped up, lost sight of them and headed into a narrow pedestrian lane, hiding among the cedars.

“Nice job.”

Almost jumping out of her skin, Jocelyn turned to the sound of the voice, her fists ready to cause pain.

“Cool it,” Matthew whispered.  “It’s just me.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Did you really think I’d let you run around with those Enforcers alone?”

“Shush!”

They stooped down as several Enforcers approached. 

“You guys stay on her,” the lone woman of the group said.  “Hugh and I will head into the Diamond District to see how things are going there.”

“And what do we do, Vivian?”

“Keep your eyes out for the little sister. If we can get her, we should be able to find Jacob’s pregnant imp.”

Chapter 6

H
idden behind the cedar hedge, Matthew wrapped his arm around Jocelyn’s waist.

Despite the fear and the cold of the early evening, Jocelyn felt warm and secure in his arms.  Could it be a sign of what was to come?  “I’m glad you came,” she whispered.  “I have to admit that following them around on my own was a bit intimidating.”

“And now that they’re splitting up, I’ll really be useful to you,” he said with a teasing grin.

“You’re always of use to me, Matthew.” Jocelyn glanced back and winked.

He rose and pushed back his shoulders.  “Then I’m going to head out and follow Vivian and Hugh, see what they’re up to.”

“I hope they’ll be able to lead you one step closer to Jacob.  I’ll stick around here a while, make sure these guys don’t head back to Ruby.  Those goons look hungry and tired. Once that Viviane woman leaves, I’m sure they’ll crumble and go home.”

Matthew pecked her cheek and rubbed the back of her neck with his fingertips. “Be careful.”

She smiled, warmed by his concern and the hint of hunger in his eyes.  “I will.”

As predicted, the goons quickly grew weary of turning around in circles.  Without their supervisor looking over their shoulders, they hung back and looked up at the darkening skies. After a few moments, they sat on the curb, smoked a few cigarettes and talked shop. Their stories were inane and uninteresting and Jocelyn wondered how long they would stay there.

The answer came barely five minutes later when they rose and unceremoniously sauntered out of the Opal District to head home.

Concerned and worried about Matthew, Jocelyn considered trying to catch up with him, but she had no idea what direction to take. Home, as unsatisfying as it was, turned out to be the best answer for her as she waited for news of Matthew.

**********

Matthew wasted no time, shadowing the Enforcers Vivian and Hugh as they walked out of the Opal District and took to the main boulevard. The night quickly grew dark, making it easier to remain unseen by his prey.

Vivian went on and on, chatting about her latest promotion, while poor Hugh at her side nodded repeatedly, throwing in a vague yes, ahem, or is that right whenever the situation called for it.

There was hardly any need to keep an eye on them.  All Matthew needed to do was follow the sound of Vivian’s voice. 

Barely twenty minutes later, they entered the unknown sanctum of the Diamond District.  Everything about this affluent district was foreign to Matthew.

Sprawling homes, gated mansions, elegant manors and fortified compounds all competed with one another for grandeur, endless space and over the top extravagance. Even the streets themselves were posh and lush. The asphalt was smooth and clean, the sidewalks were wide and lined with pretty flowers and shrubs. Overhead, the lampposts glowed with a warm yellow light from quaint antique posts.

Passing in front of a modern home with two high-powered cars in the drive, Matthew recognized the young woman heading to the door.  Uncertain what to do and fearing being discovered, he froze a moment.  In that frozen moment of time the young girl turned to look straight at him.

“Matthew?” Sarah called in a loud whisper.  She skipped silently to him, her brown shoulder-length hair bouncing up and down, her grin broad and genuine. Sarah looked friendly enough, smiling in a summer green dress that matched the headband on her head, “What brings you to Diamond?”

He shielded his gaze, his eyes narrowing as he hid his fear of her snitching. After all, he had no business being here. No one from the Ruby District really had any business in the Diamond District. Even though Sarah was Kama’s best girlfriend, Matthew wondered if she would rat him out. Both her parents worked for the Committee, but had Sarah’s opinions of the Committee changed since Kama received a Life’s Plan no one expected? Would Sarah help him?

“You okay?” she asked when he didn’t answer.

“Yeah. How are you doing?  I haven’t seen you around lately.”

“Busy. My mom gave me a job at her friend’s office. It’s a great summer job.”

“I haven’t seen the gang much since school let out.”

“Well, you know Kama and Liam are having troubles, right?”

Always quick to keep everyone up on the latest gossip, Sarah didn’t miss a beat.

“Yeah, I heard about that.” He calmed down as the conversation took on a natural and normal tone.  She lacked all suspicion and seemed happy just talking to him.  “How are they handling it?”

Sarah came up to him and stood close as she confided, “Something’s up.”

“Something? Like what?”

“I haven’t seen Kama in a while. I’ve asked my parents about her and they just look at me funny.”

“They’re on the Committee, right?”

“Yeah. They’ve been acting so weird lately.  It’s been going on for a while, but things have worsened since Kama’s Life’s Plan fiasco.”

“Strange? What are they doing that’s so strange?”  He could hear the false tone in his voice and hoped Sarah didn’t notice.  He was more eager to learn of her parents’ strange activities than he was willing to let on. Sounding cool and laid back made his voice sound stiff and unnatural.

“Evasive,” she said without even batting an eye. “They’re vague. Whenever I bring up anything about Life’s Plan or Kama or Liam, they change the subject.  They’ve grown so tense, so stressed lately.  It’s uncomfortable just being around them.”

“Kama was the first in the history of Arcadia to get a blank Life’s Plan. You think that has something to do with your parents’ odd behavior?”

“Kama came over when she first got her Life’s Plan.  I encouraged her to talk to my parents about it.  I thought they could help her out.” She huffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “My parents didn’t even talk to her. They barely glanced at her.  They simply bolted out of the room rambling incoherently. I mean, Kama is my best friend, has been for years, and my parents have always loved her.  They didn’t care that she wasn’t from the Diamond District.  They treated her just as fairly as they had always treated all of my friends. I was stunned… positively stunned by their reaction. They practically treated her like a stranger. I don’t think it had anything to do with which district she was from, either, but something else.”

“I think they knew something had gone wrong.  I think they know something and they don’t want to tell me about it.”

“Have they ever told you what happens to those who are banished and return to Arcadia?  Do you know what happens if they’re caught?”

She shrugged. “Not really. I know it’s a serious crime, and if caught, they would be known as criminals. I mean, my parents used to tell me stories when I was younger… when I’d threaten to ignore my Life’s Plan, but I think it was just meant to keep me in line.”  She stopped suddenly and reached out to grab Matthew’s arm.  “Why?  Did someone get caught?”

“I think so.”

“Who?” Terror widened her eyes.

“Jacob, Jocelyn’s brother.”

“Oh my,” she gasped as she clutched at her heart.  Her face contorted into a grimace.”

“What do you think they’ll do to him?”

“Enforcers,” she muttered.

“Yes,” Matthew said softly. “They’ve already rifled through Jocelyn’s place and they’ve combed through the Ruby District. We think they’re looking for Melanie.”

“He came back with her?  That’s so incredibly risky.  For one person to sneak back in… but two…”

Matthew considered telling her about the others that Jacob had led back into Arcadia, but thought otherwise.

Sarah shook her head as she backed away, her face white and her eyes filling with tears. “Mom used to tell me how angry Enforcers could be. Some of them were crazy, insanely unhinged. They didn’t know the meaning of mercy, of leniency. They laid down the law and enforced it to the fullest degree. The moment a banished citizen was even suspected of returning to Arcadia, they went into action, following every trail, questioning every family member, friend, colleague and acquaintance. It was as though they saved all their pent up hate and anger to be unleashed on anyone who disobeyed the Committee.”