Behind the Stars Page 3

  More than that, I needed Jackson. I needed to know he was alive, waiting for me or better yet, searching for me. I needed to know we’d survive this and have our farm. My life was supposed to get better once I graduated high school. I’d counted every day waiting for it to happen. It was all I had, and I wouldn’t give up on it.

  Tears stung my eyes, but I fought them back. I had to believe. I’d trust Cleve, and we’d work together. We’d get everybody back to where the only thing we had to worry about was beating the Mississippi heat. We’d watch and think and make a plan. And I guessed praying about it couldn’t hurt.

  Chapter 3

  Jackson’s hands covered mine. “Hold it like this, Pip.”

  It was a blazing-hot August day. The air rested on us like a wet rag, and Jackson’s arms braced mine straight as he positioned my grip around the shiny silver pistol. He sneaked it out of his daddy’s truck, and we were by ourselves in the woods past the backfields.

  “It’s too loud, and it’s gonna kick me.” My back pressed against his chest, and my heart beat hard.

  “There’ll be a little kick, but I’ll hold you the first time.”

  Every muscle in my body tensed, and two beads of sweat tickled down my sides where our bodies met. I wanted to go back to the house, grab a Coke, and flop out in the air conditioning, not shoot some stupid handgun as big as my head.

  “Why is this so important to you?”

  His arms relaxed, and he stepped back. Sweat pasted his light brown hair to his forehead. “There’s all kind of reasons for you to know how to use a gun.”

  “Name one.” I turned to face him, the heavy pistol hanging loose at my side.

  “Panthers? Heck, you’re the one always talking about our farm. You think wild animals don’t come onto farms?”

  “I don’t think I’d go after a panther with a gun like this.” I pushed the flyaway pieces of hair that always slipped out of my ponytail from my face.

  “Besides, it’s fun.” Jackson smiled, reaching for my waist and pulling me back against his chest again. “Like them other things you’re too scared to try.”

  His voice was low and his breath tickled my neck, causing a tingle to move across my stomach. He meant us sleeping together for real, but I was still saying No to that.

  “I’m not scared. I’m just not ready.”

  “Well, get ready.” He lifted my arms and held my hands around the gun. “It’s loud. And it kicks. And you’re gonna love it.”

  My jaw clenched. “I’ve got to get to Dr. Green’s.”

  I could feel his excitement as he kissed my ear. “Ready?”

  Eyes squeezed shut, bracing, our fingers slowly pulled the trigger...

  * * *

  “I am Shubuta, your team leader,” the woman in the dark-green uniform said.

  After our silent breakfast of steak and eggs, we’d been led into the yard and made to stand side by side in a line. I hadn’t seen Cleve again—they’d separated us into two groups based on gender.

  A female guard dressed in lighter-green coveralls handed out straw hats and baskets, and I decided the darker colors must be for the leaders, light was for their assistants. Gray was for us.

  “Each morning, I will give you your work assignments,” Shubuta said. “They will primarily be tending the crops. In the afternoons, you will rest in the shade. Please stay hydrated so you do not become ill.”

  Farming was second-nature to me, but as I glanced around the group, I could tell most of the girls were new to it. Finishing by early afternoon was a typical farm schedule, but on the farm you rose before dawn. And you didn’t eat steak at every meal. I couldn’t figure out that part. Maybe they thought that’s how Americans always ate? Our average body size would support such a notion.

  Flora Magee was here. I’d found her last night before as we were led to the showers, a metal two-serve building where we were issued yellow, lemon-scented soap and then guarded as we went back and forth in pairs. The two of us kept close together now.

  Flora and me’d been friends since we were little. Her presence comforted me, but it also worried me. She had pernicious anemia. It was pretty rare and not deadly anymore—not since she got regular vitamin injections. I wasn’t sure what to expect in captivity.

  I told her I’d look out for her, and for whatever reason her weakness made me feel strong, like I couldn’t give up on saving us, no matter what my brother said.

  I looked back at the camp. The guys, who comprised Team Two, now entered the dining hall. I didn’t see Cleve, but that didn’t mean anything. Team Two was the most heavily guarded. A fair-haired man led them, and the pale general-woman briefly spoke to him before heading in our direction. Her face was anxious, and she walked quickly.

  Shubuta helped her assistant give us bottles of water as the general woman arrived where we all stood. She stopped and addressed us.

  “Team One, thank you for your cooperation during this time.” Her voice still held that superior tone. “We appreciate the difficulty of this situation and promise not to prolong your stay.”

  I didn’t understand what she hell she was talking about “prolonging our stay,” but I studied her face. It was too perfect somehow, and her movements were too fluid, like the air moved around her instead of her moving through it. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but in addition to her pale-blue eyes, something was different about her. Maybe it was what made her the leader.

  “Thank you, Shubuta,” she said. “Please carry on.”

  “Now you will begin your work,” Shubuta said. “There is much to be done to keep our farm in operation.”

  The general turned and strode out of the garden. I watched her walk away a moment longer before I turned my attention back to our leader. We were in a large field of long rows containing different varieties of plants, short and tall. I recognized tall corn and low cabbage and lettuce plants. I wondered whose garden this was and what had happened to the owner.

  Beyond the garden was a big, open barn where four cows stared at us over the gates. Their huge, brown eyes comforted me, and for a moment, I wished I could go and rest my head against one of their giant bellies. After nine months with Dr. Green, I knew what to expect from cows. What I faced now was something else entirely.

  Shubuta walked to the head of a long row. “This is a potato,” she said holding up a brown spud.

  I frowned at Flora, wondering what planet this leader thought we were from that we wouldn’t know a potato when we saw one.

  “You will use the small shovels in your baskets to dig these from the earth. Watch as I demonstrate.” She bent down and began pecking at the ground.

  Flora leaned to me and whispered. “I’ve actually never seen anyone dig up a potato.”

  “Nothing to it,” I whispered back.

  Shubuta straightened and held up the result of her digging for us to see. “This will be your job for this morning. Please begin.”

  I looked up in time to see the general-woman enter the barn. Another assistant-type approached her and did a slight bow. Then the olive-clad woman began speaking and holding out her hands, palms up as if she were apologizing for something. The pale leader frowned and looked at a nearby cow, then back at the soldier.

  Shubuta went to them, and I went to a spot on the row. Potatoes. They wanted us to dig potatoes. I shrugged and dropped to my knees, sticking my little hand-shovel into the dirt.

  A few stabs in the loose soil, and I pulled a root out of the ground and wiped the grime off its skin. Cows. Potatoes. My hair was twisted back in a ponytail and I unzipped the top of my coveralls, tying the arms around my waist, exposing my white tank top underneath. By mid-morning, I was slick with sweat and my top was brown with dirt.

  Glancing up, I took a break and evaluated the chicken wire fence that lined the perimeter. A few brown-uniformed soldiers were dotted here and there. I wasn’t as sluggish today, but I still wasn’t back to normal. My drive was gone, like even though I didn’t care for our situation, I c
ouldn’t summon the motivation to do anything about it. It all felt too big for one small person.

  I shook that away. I would do something about it. Flora was counting on me now, and I wouldn’t let her down. I’d meet up with Cleve after lunch. Maybe introduce him to D’Lo, and the three of us would save our friends.

  * * *

  After lunch, we were all released into the yard. D’Lo leaned against the same shed as yesterday, only today he seemed more alert. Maybe the hangover we’d all had really was remnants of the kidnapping, whatever they’d used to keep us unconscious. Lord knows I’d gotten three doses. Hope tickled in my chest.

  Cleve stood by the barn, and I started toward him, thinking I’d tell him about including Jackson’s best friend and see if he’d gotten any new ideas since yesterday. I’d almost reached him when a guard stepped around the corner.

  “You,” he barked. Cleve straightened and pointed to his chest. “Help is needed loading crates. Come with me.”

  My chin ducked and I circled back toward Dee’s location. Why they didn’t recruit him for hauling I couldn’t figure out, but I’d take the opportunity to get him onboard with planning our escape.

  When he saw me coming, his eyebrows rose. “Prentiss.”

  He smiled and pulled me into a bear hug, and relief hit me so hard, I almost collapsed.

  “Thank God!” I fought tears. “I tried to talk to you yesterday, but you kept falling asleep.”

  Nodding, he touched his stomach. “Feels like something... Like the flu or something.”

  I studied his face for any signs of illness. His dark complexion gave me no clues, so I pressed my hand against his neck.

  “Nope,” I said. “No fever.”

  “It’ll pass.”

  We turned and leaned against the shed, facing the yard. One question had been burning in my brain for two days, but now that he was coherent enough for me to ask it, I almost couldn’t.

  “Dee?” I took a moment to swallow my emotions. “When you were picked up. Was Jackson with you?”

  He blinked a few times then shook his head. “I was working in the shop when the lights went out. Next thing I knew, I was in the back of a truck trying to focus. Others were there. Braxton—”

  “Do you have any idea where he is? Did you hear anything?”

  “He was working in the back fields. He might’ve got away if he saw them coming.”

  “He must’ve. I’m sure he did.” Determination tightened my chest. “If anyone could get away, it’s Jackson.”

  The fair-haired soldier—the one who’d led Team Two—emerged near the dining hall and stared at us. His thin lips pressed into a tight smile like he could hear what I’d said. Like he knew the answer to my question. His eyes made my blood run cold and my knees quiver.

  Just then the general-woman appeared, and he straightened up. She motioned for him to follow her, and they walked around the corner in the direction of the smaller cabins. The blonde woman’s face was lined, and as he went with her, he touched her arm in what seemed a comforting way. He was disturbing and sinister with us, but it evaporated in her presence.

  “Wonder what that’s about,” I muttered.

  D’Lo glanced in their direction. “Wonder what any of this is about.”

  “Did you get a shot in your arm?”

  He nodded, pulling at his coveralls. Then he motioned toward the male soldier who’d just left.

  “It wasn’t a shot. That one told our group they put a tracking device under our skin. Said if we tried to escape, they’d activate it. Said it’d fry our brains like an egg in our skulls, no matter how far away we were.” He snapped his thick, dark fingers. “Dead on the spot.”

  My eyes widened. Fry our brains? What the hell? Fear whooshed the air from my lungs, and I bent forward, inhaling, exhaling. Get a grip, Prentiss. Slow down. I had to dissect this new information and not let it beat me.

  “Activate it? Like pushing a button or something?”

  “Don’t know. That dude talks a lot. I think he wants one of us to run just so he can test it.”

  Breathing regulated, I straightened my back and instinctively touched the spot on my arm. How would we escape now? What had Cleve thought of this new obstacle?

  I rubbed the spot wondering if we could dig it out. Next time I was in the shower, I’d try to examine it. How deep was it implanted? We didn’t have any sharps. I could use a stick—or Cleve could—but what about infection? It could be days before we’d be near antibiotics...

  An assistant-guard began walking to where we stood. He frowned, and even though I hadn’t got a chance to tell D’Lo everything, I decided to move on for now. The soldier wore an expression that said he knew we weren’t discussing the harvest or how we liked our steak, and as much as they said they wanted us to be comfortable, I wasn’t about to test our captors, especially with that Band-Aid stinging my skin again.

  Without a word, I walked toward the barn, and D’Lo moved in the opposite direction, toward our dormitory. My hands shoved in my pockets, and I didn’t paying attention to where I was going. When I looked up, I was at the corner of the building, and the general woman and the pale soldier were around the side still talking.

  “You don’t have to worry,” he said. “We’ve collected them all.”

  “Good.” Her voice was low and urgent. “Bury them. Deep.”

  “Soso’s leading the group working on it now.”

  I tried not to breathe, not to interrupt their conversation. What were they talking about? Bury what? Or who? Noises of someone pacing were followed by the woman’s strained voice.

  “This is not how it was supposed to happen. We are not prepared for a prolonged stay.”

  “Please relax, my lady. Everything is under control. The initial protocol is working, and I will handle anything that might arise.”

  “Yes, and how long before we’re discovered? This location is remote, but it’s not cut off. Someone’s bound to check.”

  “At this point, we’ve detected no signs of concern. It’s a shockingly secluded place, and we’ve had no difficulty covering our tracks.”

  “I want Gallatin here.” Her voice cracked. “I can’t hear him. I don’t know if he’s safe... he must be protected.”

  “Relax your mind, quiet your fears. When your thoughts toward him are calm, you’ll hear him. Meditation will help, and time—”

  “We don’t have time, Ovett! Where is he?”

  The male soldier Ovett’s voice continued to soothe. “Our sources say he’s close. Less than a day away. They’re moving him at night, so as not to draw attention.”

  “We must use extreme caution. And for now you should only call me Cato.”

  “Forgive me, madam. It’s difficult to address you by your name. It seems—”

  “Cato is all I am to you here.”

  “You will always be more than that to me. Anywhere.”

  My eyebrows rose. Was this guy in love with her?

  “We’re keeping the humans calm at least.” Her voice was less anxious. “I haven’t received confirmation, but it seems the desert hold is also going smoothly. Of course they have a fraction of our number.”

  “The Guard will have the shield in place in a matter of days. Try to rest.”

  I heard Cato sigh, and the noise of pacing continued. “I won’t rest until Gallatin is here and the ships are ready to depart. If Acona moves, we must drop everything and leave at once. The humans can sort it out as they will.”

  My head drew back. Ships? What did that mean? I took a backward step and hit the barn door, with a loud slam and a creak. Their voices stopped, and Ovett stepped around the corner. His white-blue eyes locked on mine, and my heart slammed against my ribs.

  “You seem lost, little one.” His smile didn’t meet his eyes, and I fought back a shriek.

  My whole body shook under my coveralls as everything flooded my mind. Cleve’s knowledge I was trying to escape. D’Lo’s warning about testing them. Was I about to be t
he example of what they did to rebels?

  “Go back to your friends,” he ordered. Then he took Cato’s arm and escorted her away from me. I watched them go, but I heard him mutter. “Don’t be alarmed. The aggression centers are suppressed.”

  The further away they got, the less I trembled, but my head was dizzy as I tried to process all I’d heard. She’d called us “the humans.” Was she trying to say... Were these people not humans? Sliding down to a sitting position, I tried not to pass out. This was some kind of mind game, another trick to control us. It had to be. I had to find Cleve.

  Chapter 4

  D’Lo laughed as we walked down the trail toward the creek.

  “You are one crazy redneck, Jax.”

  “Why? Cause I’m not scared of you?” Jackson held my hand on one side and carried his fishing pole in the other.

  Dabb Creek was named after the best fishing hole in a twenty-mile radius, and that hot August day, the week before senior year began, it was the only place to be.

  “You’d better be scared of me,” D’Lo said. “I’ll break your puny-ass first play of the game.”

  I agreed. Jackson’s sudden desire to play football was the wildest idea he’d had to date. Mississippi was football country, and players here were born to dominate, averaging six-two, two hundred pounds each—even the white boys.

  Dee’s words gave me a chill, and I instinctively pulled closer. Jackson glanced at me and smiled, squeezing my hand.

  “Not if I’m faster than you,” he said. “Not if I’ve got good blockers who cover for me, and I can get a pass off in time.”

  D’Lo blew air through his thick lips and rolled his eyes. “Boy, you are asking for it.”

  “Besides, you’re going to be on my side,” Jackson continued. “I just might see about getting you on the offensive line. Center.”

  We were at the creek, and I walked down the bank to sit in the shade and lower my feet into the frigid water. Jackson pulled off his shirt and stripped down to his boxers before wading out and then diving into the bone-chilling current. I watched him swim while D’Lo strolled up the bank and out of sight to try his luck fishing.