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  "Ok, sorry," Calvin replied as Frank sputtered behind him. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay here with you, especially after what they did to you." He stopped and grazed the toe of his shoe over the concrete floor over and over before looking up to my gaze again. "What did they do to you in that place, Sherry?"

  "Nuhuh," I answered. "Come on, guys." I gripped their arms and pulled them with me down the hall again. I was the shortest of the bunch but I held in my sigh about it. "Why don't we stop all the heavy questions and get a snack, huh?"

  "Sure," Calvin agreed. "What do we got?"

  "I'm sure we can find something."

  We made it to the kitchen just as the meeting in the back was over with. The plan must be in place...crap.

  Ryan walked right to us and said, "Well, it looks like you'll have a chaperone, Sherry. Me." He grinned and ruffled Calvin's hair. "I'm staying behind."

  "But why would you want that?" Calvin asked in a disgusted voice.

  "Well, the people I care about most are going to be here so, I volunteered to stay behind. I didn't want to leave you here, kid."

  "Oh," Calvin sang and crossed his scrawny arms, "I see. You didn't want to leave Ellie." He grinned at Ryan's shocked expression. "It's ok. I get it. She's cute."

  "She is not," Ryan countered but stopped. "I mean, she is, but that's not why I-"

  "Ryan," I interrupted, "you're playing right into his hands."

  He glanced between us in an attempt to understand before he smiled a little and rubbed his neck as he said, "Oh, I see. You're joking with me."

  "Speak for yourself, Sherry," Calvin called and then took off grinning as he ran with Franklin. "Ryan and Ellie sitting in a tree. K-i-s-s-i-n-g!"

  "I didn't kiss her," Ryan told me like he'd gotten caught in the act or something.

  "It's ok," I soothed. "He's just joking. It's a nursery rhyme.....sort of." I laughed but stopped once I saw how intrigued Ryan looked. "It would be ok if you kissed her, Ryan. I mean, if she wanted you to. You like her don't you?"

  "I don't even know what that means," he told me and leaned back against the wall as if he'd fall over.

  "Hey, Sherry," Josh called eagerly and slung his arm over my shoulder. "What's up? Ryan, dude, you look green," he observed.

  "I don't know how to like someone," Ryan said as if Josh hadn't come up at all.

  "You don't have to know how, Ryan," I told him. "It's not a job or something."

  "Isn't it?"

  "What?" Josh asked but then a look of understanding passed over his face. "Ah. This is about that tasty morsel, Ellie."

  "Josh!" I chastised through my laugh.

  "Lady troubles, man. I've been there," Josh said wisely and nodded making me laugh more. "Let me give you some advice. I know you're an alien or whatever," he kept going, ignoring Ryan's scowl, "but the rules are the same for you. Number one, chicks dig it when you touch 'em. A little touch on the hand here, a little grazing your arm against hers there." Ryan's face took on an expression of revelation and Josh grinned. "Uhuh, see! You're already ahead of the game."

  I just sat back and watched. I felt like I was getting a backstage pass into a guy's psyche and though I already had myself a man, it was still extremely fascinating. So I kept quiet and hoped my eavesdropping into why men acted the way they did wasn't noticed and I wouldn't be tossed out of enemy lines.

  "So, number two, whether she is actually right or not, whatever she says, she's right. You got me?" I smirked and liked that one a lot . "And number three, and most important rule ever… respect, man. It's all about the respect."

  Ryan nodded and rubbed his lip and chin in contemplation. I smiled at them both as we watched Ryan soak up the knowledge. Finally after a minute or so he said, "Ok, I understand all but one of those. I'm not sure what you mean by respect. I respect her, but why is that one the most important?"

  Josh leaned forward and whispered something into Ryan's ear. His eyes bulged after a few seconds and he refuted whatever Josh had said, "No, I could never do that."

  "I guarantee you, bro, in that body, you can."

  "But I wouldn't-"

  "Ok," I interrupted and pushed between them, "that's my cue."

  I heard Josh laugh behind me, but Ryan was still in a tizzy. I laughed to myself as I made my way to my two loves, both of whom were waiting patiently for me.

  "Lily bug," I crooned and she plopped into my lap as I sat on the floor beside them. "How was school?"

  "5+4=9," she said and beamed.

  "That's right. Very good."

  "And I also know that I'm an ant!"

  "What?" I laughed. "Well, you are kind of like an ant."

  "Yep, I am."

  I laughed again and looked at Merrick who'd been very quiet. He was waiting for me to freak out, I knew. I was going to try very hard to not do that, for his sake and mine.

  "I'm ok," I told him. "When do you leave?"

  "In the morning," he said solemnly. "We're going to pull out at different times and come back at different time so we're not attracting too much attention." He paused, but it was for stalling not effect. "Danny, me, Miguel, Celeste and Josh are on a team."

  "Celeste is going?" I said, shocked.

  "Yep," he answered but didn't seem like he was happy with it. "She wanted to go and convinced Danny that she would be useful with her gift. He didn't want to leave her behind."

  "And Marissa is going too, right?" He nodded, but I already figured that she was going with Jeff.

  "We'll only be gone three days the first time."

  I gulped. Three days…

  "Ok, well I guess I'll go get some supply kits started."

  "How are the pantries looking?"

  "Good. All nine are full," I announced. "I think we'll be fine for a while. Just focus on getting there and back not about anything else."

  "I would help, but I promised Lily we'd do a puzzle or something tonight before supper," he said and looked down at her as she moved from my lap to his.

  "It's ok. I can manage. You should spend some time with her before you go. Besides, I get you tonight, right?" I replied and dared him to refute my words.

  "You couldn't beat me off with a stick," he said but it was soft and sad, the funny didn't even make itself known. I nodded and started to go but he grabbed my arm to stop me. He pulled me down roughly and kissed me, his urgency tangible and painful. I pushed back a little to look at him and he was almost shaking in his fury. I knew it wasn't directed at me. It just sucked that we had to deal with any of this. He didn't want to leave me and I didn't want him to risk his life. But neither could be avoided.

  I kissed him once more before getting up. I grabbed a couple burlap bags from Mrs. Trudy's canning cabinet and made my way down the hall back to the pantry. I began to fill the bags with food enough for five people for three days, plus a little extra just in case.

  I made sure to put the things I knew they liked most in the bags; creamed corn, spam, green beans. We would eat the beets here. I wanted them as happy and comfortable as they could be. My family would be out there in the thick of the Lighter's territory on a mission to save others. My hand shook thinking of the danger they'd be in. I gripped my fist tightly and refused to give into it, even for a second. I'd be strong, if for no one else but Merrick. He needed to know I was going to be ok without him so he could focus.

  He needed to keep his eyes and mind on himself, on Danny and Celeste and the rest of them. He needed to bring them all home alive.

  I'm A Wanderer

  Chapter 10 - Cain

  "So, like I was saying, it's really easy, you can just give them some math problems and sentences to practice with. That should be fine."

  Marissa was explaining to Lillian about the school stuff for the kids. Marissa was coming with us and Lillian wasn't. And boy, she was not happy about it either.

  "Ok, that's fine. I'm sure I can come up with something," Lillian answered, and though she was pissed at me, she was warm to Marissa.

  "G
reat. Thank you so much for doing this. It'll be so much easier on the kids than having to play catch up when I get back."

  "No problem."

  We watched Marissa walk away and I waited for it as we stood in the alcove of darkness by the stairs. There it was; the glare.

  "You, sir, don't get off so easy."

  "Lovely," I crooned to get on her good side, but it was a no-go. I decided to change tactics. "Listen to me and listen good," I told her, all games aside. "I will never, ever put you in a dangerous situation that isn't needed. I know I took you to the club with me before, but that was a public place and I knew nothing bad would happen with all those people there to witness it. They were trying so hard to sway the human vote. This is different and I don't care if the Keepers said you could go with me or not, I wouldn't let you."

  Her glare intensified as she said, "I'm so glad that you get to decide and dictate my actions for me."

  "Lillian-"

  "It's not fair that you have to go off and put yourself in danger just because you're a guy."

  "It's not because I'm a guy, it's because I can handle myself. I was in the military. I've done things way worse than this, princess."

  "Don't call me that," she sulked.

  "And for the record, to further prove we aren't being sexists, Marissa and Celeste are coming too."

  "Then why can't I?" she yelled.

  "Because you don't have a gift to help protect yourself!" I bellowed back, but quickly backpedaled and turned her so she'd be against the wall and I was on the outside. "Baby," I sighed and wished with everything in me that she would understand without my having to say the words. "I already told you," I said softly, "nothing is going to happen to me. I'll be fine. I'm not trying to boast or anything, but I can take down more Lighters than anyone in this joint put together," I said boastfully and grinned.

  She smiled up at me and I was shocked at how easy she relented with, "Ok, fine." I must've been gawking because she added, "You would have thought it was odd for me to not put up some kind of fight, right?"

  "Yep, I would have," I agreed with a relieved smile.

  "I understand. Even though I may want to go with you, this is different, I know that. I want you to be completely focused on your trip. It sucks but…this whole thing sucks, so why should this be any different?"

  "You," I bent and spoke into the skin of her neck, "are being pretty awesome right now." I kissed her collar bone. "I thought we were going to spend our whole last night together fighting."

  "Not unless you want to," she goaded.

  "I don't want to."

  "Then who needs supper," she said flippantly and grabbed my hand to drag me with her.

  "Where are we going?"

  "I want to spend all my time with you before you leave."

  I pulled her to a stop as her innuendo smacked me in the thinking part of my brain. "Whoa, hold the phone."

  She laughed and yanked me forward again.

  "I said I wanted to spend time with you, Cain, I didn't say that we were doing anything specific," she replied with a smirk.

  "Ok, as long as we're clear."

  She giggled some more and closed the door as we entered. I wasn't sure what I expected her to do now that we were there, but I didn't expect the sweet, tight, loving hug that she swept me into. She whispered her heavy words against my chest.

  "Promise me you'll be careful."

  "Of course."

  "Say it," she commanded in her still whisper.

  "I promise that I'll be careful and nothing will happen. I'll come back in three days."

  "I know you will," she said with conviction and pulled me down to the floor with her. "Don't wake me up in the morning when you leave, ok?"

  "Ok…but why?"

  "Because I don't want to cry before you go," she admitted.

  I lifted her chin to look into her face. She looked back at me and the unashamed look of love on her face hit me full force. Did she love me too? I tucked her hair behind her ear just like the way she'd done a million times before. She rubbed her thumb over my lip ring before kissing me.

  I had been worried before that she was going to try to do something rash with me because I was leaving. I would never have let her because it would have felt too much like a 'goodbye' instead of a 'come back'. But I should have known that she just wanted to be a snuggle bunny. I almost laughed, but I felt so…caught up in the sweetness of her.

  I lay down with her, never breaking our lips. I hadn't slept in my room since…a long time. Since we got back from the club that time, I realized.

  She needed me then and it felt like I needed her now. I needed to know she wasn't angry and she would be here, safe and warm and alive, when I returned. I'd never felt much like a soldier before. I was a machine. I didn't feel, I just operated. But with precious things at home waiting for me, it was harder to go. I'd never let her see that though. So I kissed her, and kissed her, and pressed her to me to feel her for the real thing she was. I kicked the door to tell them to shove off when someone knocked and said it was time for supper.

  When someone came by later to tell us supper was done, I growled at them, making L laugh and press her lips together.

  "Don't worry. Food is the last thing on my mind right now, Cain," she said sweetly and softly. Then she pulled me back down to her and I tried with every fiber in me to remember where my hands could travel.

  Don't Cry Over Spilled Secrets

  Chapter 11 - Lillian

  I woke still snuggled against Cain. I looked at him closely, feeling strangely sentimental for such a time of day. He was a Neanderthal, a chauvinist, a gorilla when it came to me and my decisions. I smiled at the thought. Someone who was so adamant about my safety couldn’t be all bad, right?

  It had been a crazy few days. We had gotten Sherry back and gained a newbie, Ellie, who was just now starting to come back around to the land of the living. Margo had been dealt with, with surprisingly awe inspiring results. Merrick told us all about it, about how incredible it was. Danny and Celeste had retired right after understandably and not come out until afternoon the next day. They seemed fine now, though Celeste seemed less like her normal self and more like someone hell bent on revenge.

  In times like this, I guess you needed that kind of drive sometimes.

  Last night, Cain was relentless in his need to show me his affections, but not push me. I told him last night not to wake me up for his departure this morning, but I was wide awake. It was like my body knew he was leaving and there was no way it was going to miss it.

  I crept out easily and smiled when he grabbed my pillow and said my name. Well, the nickname he made up for me, L. I loved it when he called me that.

  I finger brushed my hair as I went down the hall and tried not to think about what was coming. Miguel met me as he burst from his door in a rush. I smiled at his eagerness to crack heads.

  "The Lighters aren't going anywhere, Miguel. There's plenty of time."

  He looked confused, but then laughed. Even his laugh had an accent. "Yeah, I admit I'm ready for some action. This sitting at home stuff isn't for me."

  "Me either, but here I sit."

  "I'm glad you'll be here," he replied. "At least I'll know you're safe and sound." He looked away at his admission. I stopped him and smiled, a friendly smile.

  "Come back safe, ok? I'd hate it if we couldn't meet in the halls like this every day."

  "Will do. You can't keep a good Aussie down," he joked. I laughed and hugged him. He accepted it easily, then released me and left with a wink in typical Miguel fashion.

  Polly and Piper were friends again it seemed as they looked evil enough, no doubt plotting on the couch. They didn't even look my way as I passed them. They would be staying here with us. They couldn’t be trusted to go out on the run. It was sad really.

  In the kitchen, Sherry was up and making bottles of water. I decided to help since Merrick was nowhere to be seen yet. I wouldn't want to interrupt their goodbye.

&
nbsp; "Need help?"

  "I'm just finishing up actually, but thank you," she answered and when she turned I saw a bruise on her collar bone.

  "Sherry, what happened?" I moved to touch the mark as she looked down at it, but then she flushed and covered it quickly.

  "It's nothing," she insisted and her cheeks got even pinker as I understood and chuckled. She laughed too, pressing her lips together to stop the smile. "Merrick…gets a little carried away sometimes."

  "No explanation needed." I waved a hand in flippancy. "I'm glad you guys had a…good time your last night."

  She swatted me with a dish towel on my arm laughing and then smiled brightly as Merrick came up behind her.

  "What's so funny?" he said to us, but he spoke low into her ear. I felt like I was eavesdropping so I turned to go. Neither one cared about me at all. I laughed as I watched her turn and he practically devoured her mouth right there in the middle of the kitchen as he lifted her up.

  I sighed as I started back to my room. Cain needed to get up so he could get his things ready too, but when I got there he was gone. I peeked in the hall and decided I would try his room. He was there, bent over stuffing some clothes into a green duffel bag.

  "Hey."

  "Hey," he answered and stood up to tower over me. "I was about to come get you."

  "You were?" I said suddenly solemn, knowing we had only minutes until he was leaving, and my voice practically gave that away.

  "Yeah," he answered softly as he grabbed my hand and gently toyed with my fingers. "Don't be mad at me, ok? I wanted to do this another time, but seeing as how we escaped death at the facility, and know all of each other’s secrets, and I'm leaving, it seems to fit the situation.” I looked at him puzzled at what he was getting at. He didn’t waste any time. He let my fingers go, held my face gently and spoke softly, but with conviction. “I am so crazy about you, L.”

  “Cain,” I sighed his name and felt all my breath leave my body.

  “I love you." He let me absorb that for a few torturous, silent seconds before going on. "Just know that I’m saying something to you that I’ve never said to another living soul. Not my parents, not my fiancé, nobody.”