Prepare for the Worst

CHAPTER 2 ROCHELLE

CHAPTER 2ROCHELLE

November 23, 2090

“It would be better for everyone, Kinley.” My aunt Audrie’s voice drifted through the heating vent in Kat’s room. “Something clearly has to change because this arrangement isn’t working.”

“You aren’t listening to me.” My cousin’s voice rose in frustration. The furnace turned on, and the rest of her words vanished into the rumble of hot air.

For a few seconds, I remained on the carpet with my ear pressed to the floor. Kat had left me tucked into my bed ten minutes earlier, promising to be right back with some ice for my eye. I had to know what was happening downstairs. Audrie had arrived an hour earlier and spent all of that time arguing with Kinley. From Kat’s brief explanation, I understood Audrie had called every day I’d been missing, accusing Kinley of being an irresponsible guardian, and no one had seen Keppler since I’d talked to him at the hospital.

Knowing I wouldn’t hear more until the furnace finished its cycle, I sat up and rested my throbbing forehead against the cool wall.

“Rochelle?” My sister’s frantic voice yelled my name. “Rochelle, where are you?”

“In here.” Slowly I lifted my head and faced the doorway where Kat appeared, carrying an ice pack with a towel wrapped around it.

“Why aren’t you in your bed?” My sister rushed into the room and knelt down next to me. “Kinley said you’re supposed to rest.”

“I’m fine.” My eyes drifted to the vent and Kat rolled her eyes before sitting next to me.

“Last night you started crying every time you were alone for a minute. I guess if acting like a three year old is your definition of fine . . . All right, you’ve convinced me.”

“I’m well enough to hold Todd’s hand. That’s all I’m asking.” I had begged my cousin to let me go see Todd, but she countered all of my arguments with You need to rest. “Why can’t Kinley understand that?”

“Rochelle, she has barely eaten or slept all week because she was imagining all the terrible things that could be happening to you.” Kat shook her head. “And you didn’t hear the awful things Audrie said to her on the phone that she’s now down there saying in person. Give her a break.”

Crying with one eye swollen shut should cut the amount of tears in half, but somehow my good eye made up for the impaired function of the other. I felt as if I had been transported to a year earlier, confined to my bed as I struggled to recover from my difficult battle with the fever. It was a battle my grandma and Kinley’s parents and an estimated fifty percent of adults in America had lost. It had forced my cousin to leave her prestigious medical school in Omaha and return to Maibe so Kat and I wouldn’t be sent to a home for children. At the time, I thought that would be the biggest challenge we ever faced.

“I’m sorry. Please don’t cry.” Kat sighed. “Everything is so messed up. I mean, I’m defending Kinley, which is weird, and I’m comforting you. I want to go back to Kinley making me cry and you fixing it, so please get better.”

Sniffling, I dabbed at my face with the sleeve of my shirt. “Believe me, I’m trying.”

“I would believe you more if you were in bed with ice on your eye.” My sister placed her hands under my elbows and helped me to my feet. “Come on. Back to your room.”

My throbbing left eye, the sharp pain in my head, and aching body had me leaning heavily on Kat as we walked across the hall to my room, where she tucked me back into bed.

“I got to the kitchen just in time to get the cinnamon rolls out of the oven.” She refolded the towel around the ice pack and gently held it to my eye. “Alexander and Sid would have just let them burn while they talk football.” Sid was Audrie’s work partner whom I hadn’t met.

Struggling to focus on my sister’s irrelevant chatter, I took her free hand in mine. “Please, Kat. Help me get dressed and sneak out to see Todd.”

My sister lifted my hand to hold my own ice pack. “If I were going to sneak anyone anywhere, it would be me to the grocery store to get the ingredients I need to make a real meal. But Kinley is five minutes from a nervous breakdown and I won’t let either of us push her over the edge.”

Feeling helpless, I sank back into my pillows. There had to be someone in the house who would help me. “Did Alexander find Keppler yet?”

Kat sighed and shook her head. “We have enough problems without worrying about Charlie. He’ll show up when he gets hungry.” Her eyes met mine and the tight muscles in her face relaxed. “Speaking of food, you’ll be happy to know I’m making grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for our Thanksgiving dinner.”

“It’s Thanksgiving?” It was my fault that Kat’s favorite holiday had been ruined and that my family and friends had spent four days worrying nonstop. Any other day, that guilt would have twisted my stomach into a knot, but all I could think about was seeing Todd.

“I won’t disturb her if she’s sleeping.” Audrie’s voice was our only warning before my door opened. “Rochelle, good, you’re awake.” She sat down on the edge of my bed, made to hug me, then saw my bruises and patted my leg. “I heard how brave you were. I couldn’t have handled things better even with all of my training. I’m so proud of you.”

A smile spread over my face. She thought I could handle myself, while Kinley didn’t think I could handle making the smallest decision without her help.

Noticing my cousin standing in the doorway, looking like a child who had been scolded for getting her church clothes dirty, I felt a new power with my aunt present. “It was the only choice I had to help Todd, and now I want to go to the hospital to visit him.”

“We already talked about that, Rochelle.” Kinley spoke before my aunt could, making an effort to keep her voice even. “Neither of you”—she looked from Kat to me—“are leaving this house.”

An unfamiliar annoyance burned through the throbbing in my head. “Quit telling me what to do.” A surge of adrenaline carried me to my feet, making Kat and Audrie rise too. “You’re not always right and you’re not always in charge. I’m going to see Todd.”

Kat squeezed my elbow, warning me I’d gone too far, but I couldn’t back down.

Kinley took a step toward me. “I thought I washed all of the dirt out of your ears last night.” The force of her words sent me tumbling back into Audrie’s arms. “The answer is no, and it’s not going to change. You were missing for four days, you’re hurt, and this is the only way I know how to keep you safe.”

“Take a breath, Kinley. Just calm down.” Audrie stroked my hair while I hid my face against her shoulder and tried not to cry. “She’s been through enough as it is. Maybe we could get her something to eat and then I can take her to the hospital to see her friend.”

“Right, because you know what’s best for them.” My cousin’s voice broke. “Bad things only happen when I’m in charge because I only care about myself.”

Audrie sighed. “Kinley, that’s not what I said.”

“You didn’t have to.” I looked up in time to see Kinley collapse into the chair by my bed. “I do my best, but it’s never good enough.” Her lip quivered and she squeezed her eyes shut.

As fast as it had come, the fire went out of me, doused by my cousin’s attempt to not cry in front of us. “I’m sorry, Kinley. I didn’t mean any of that.” Sliding away from my aunt, I stood on wobbly legs. “I just miss Todd and I don’t feel so well.”

Kinley stood and held her arms open, wrapping them around me when I stumbled into them. “You deserve all of my patience right now but I’m tired and I’m scared and I’m so sorry.” The two of us fell back into the cushioned chair, welded together. “We’re going to figure this all out. I love you and I’m just trying to do what’s best for you.”

“I love you too.” I couldn’t find the strength to lift my forehead from her shoulder. “I’ll listen to you from now on. I won’t talk back.”

“I know. You’re a good kid.” She kissed the top of my head then slid her arms away and lifted my chin. “Now let me see you. How does your head feel?”

“It hurts a little. I don’t really feel like myself.” Kat sat next to Audrie, watching me with the same scrutiny she had when I didn’t know it was Thanksgiving. My aunt stared at her hands folded in her lap. “Is that bad? Am I going to be okay?”

“It’s perfectly normal.” Kinley turned my head to examine my eye. “You’re going to be okay and Todd is going to be okay, but you both need a lot of rest right now.”

“And we’ll take good care of you.” Kat crossed the room with a box of tissues and handed Kinley the ice pack before sitting down beside me.

Squeezed between my sister and my cousin in an armchair meant for one, the burning fears and guilt in my chest were extinguished. I was home, exactly where I wanted to be. Kat dried my face with tissues and Kinley eased the ice pack against my eye.

Audrie watched us and I wondered if she felt left out. “Kinley, about our conversation. I have no doubts that you love your cousins and you would do anything to protect them. My point is you shouldn’t have to do that. You’re nineteen years old, you’re trying to build your own life and your own career, and you should have some fun while you’re young.”

“She’ll be twenty in a few days.” Kat reached across me for Kinley’s hand. “And we have a lot of fun. Right, Kinley?”

“That’s not exactly what I mean.” Audrie looked at Kinley then shifted her eyes to Kat and me. “What Kinley and I have been discussing is the possibility of Rochelle, or maybe even both of you, coming to stay with me in New York. You’d be able to attend a real school, it would get you away from the commotion around here, and Kinley would get a break.” My aunt swallowed hard as she observed the three of us still huddled together. “She would always be your cousin, but I would take over as guardian.”

“You mean you want Kinley to sign those papers?” Kat looked over at our cousin. “To give us up?”

The thought of being away from Kinley again, of leaving Maibe and living more than a thousand miles away from Todd and Max and all of the people I loved, made me nauseous. “Are we really in danger here?” My eyes pleaded with my aunt to give me the answer I wanted. “Will Molly be able to come back?”

“Unfortunately that will always be a possibility, kiddo.” Audrie leaned forward with her elbows on her knees. “The good news is there’s already been a move to secure borders near Defiance territory, and the news of recruiting farther north is only increasing that effort. That being said, we have to be extra careful, so we’re going to make a plan to keep all of you safe for the next few weeks while we work on a long-term solution.”

I nodded as Kat squeezed my hand, silently echoing my own discomfort with the thought of moving away. “That doesn’t have to mean leaving though, right? Kat and I can’t leave Kinley here alone. We all take care of each other. We have to be together.”

Audrie nodded. “I understand this kind of change sounds scary, and I wouldn’t separate you before the holidays, but maybe we could go downstairs and discuss all of this over lunch.”

I nudged my sister, urging her to at least hear Audrie out. After all, she was our aunt and we were the only family she had. Maybe she would be satisfied with just coming to visit more often.

“Okay. It doesn’t hurt to talk about things.” Kat stood and looked back at Kinley. “I can get our gourmet grilled cheese and tomato soup started.”

A relieved smile spread over our aunt’s face. “I’ll help you, kiddo.”

“Rochelle and I will be right down.” Kinley’s hand had been gripping my arm the entire time as if I’d disappear if she let go. “I just need to wash my face and take care of a few of her scrapes.”

“Okay.” Audrie wrapped an arm around my sister, and they made their way out into the hallway.

I turned to my cousin, noticing her ashen complexion and puffy eyes. She’d been with me all night, always there to comfort me when I had a nightmare, and it sounded like she hadn’t slept much before that. “I’m sorry I messed things up so bad. Audrie can’t do anything unless we agree. Right?”

Kinley sighed and forced a smile. “I won’t give you up without a fight. No matter what you do, I will always want you. And Kat . . . and Charlie.”

“He’ll be home soon.” I wasn’t sure about that but hoped I was right. “He probably just needed a little time to himself.”

“He spent the last four days living at Alexander’s. He blamed himself for what happened to you and I didn’t do anything to discredit that.” She shook her head. “Poor kid. As if he didn’t have enough trust issues.”

“He’ll come home. He has to.” A chill crawled up my spine at the thought of him all alone with the pendant, waiting for The Defiance to come for him any minute. I wished I could tell him the TCI was on high alert and securing borders. We would make a plan and, as long as we followed it, everything would be okay again. By not giving up the pendant, we’d won.

“Of course he will.” My cousin looked down at my wrists, scabbed over from days of ropes binding them. “There’s some cream in the bathroom that’ll help those heal. Let’s go get ourselves cleaned up and find out how fast we can convince Audrie to go home.”