Lifeboat

16. Erica

Dante helped me up onto my unsteady feet. His rolled up shirt sleeves showing the muscles in his forearm flexing. Having him that close gave me the courage to face the truth of my awful revelation.

"So, I'm remembering the Repatriation at last."

Dante's expression was one of anger and frustration. He hissed his words.
"Yes. It would seem that way."

I suddenly wanted to take it back. To take it all back and pretend that the dream and the pain had never happened. Anything to stop him from looking like that. I tried to smile but failed miserably, probably giving off the impression of having smelt something bad rather than reassuring him. He pushed past me and opened the door just wide enough to allow a slit of daylight in to blind us.

"Are you sure you can walk?"

He kept his back to me as he searched through the gap. I tenderly took a few steps, preparing myself for any hits of discomfort, but all had passed.

"Yes, I think it's okay now."

Without looking back he gestured for me to come closer. I hastily gathered our jackets and the backpack before joining him at the door.

Once outside, he grabbed the backpack and his jacket, restoring them to their rightful place upon his back. His dark eyes flickered at me while he watched me bend to tighten the magnetic straps on my sneakers. I became certain he was checking for any signs of weakness. Perhaps he'd consider dumping me off in the shack back down the field with Marco?

He studied me for a while and then threw me off balance with a warm smile, bursting with sincerity.

"Thank goodness for that. Now, let's go."

He took me by the wrist and more or less dragged me across the remaining part of the outskirts of the settlement. Once we'd got away from the barns and food storage, we entered a circular area of well-constructed modern buildings. Each of various dimensions and height, but oddly lacking in windows. I spotted only one or two for each structure, no matter what the height.

I was about to push him for more information on the man with grey-blue eyes when Dante's hand twisted harder on my arm, causing me to gasp.
"Don't say a word, Poll."

Sharp and quick. An order I already understood to follow. I peeked from my position behind Dante to see what had caused the alarm.

A young girl approached us from round the bend in the circular road. The hem of her long, plain grey dress kicking up the dust from the gravel track, her feet bare and dirty. She was a little older than I, with dark hair shaved closely to her scalp. As she came closer, her face revealed itself to be serene and elongated. Almond eyes shining against her dark skin.

Dante's body stiffened as he prepared himself to meet whomever this was. I sensed his apprehension and, without knowing why, I played my fingers over his hand, which still gripped my wrist. His posture relaxed somewhat and he cleared his throat in readiness of the greeting.

The young woman spoke first, her gaze shifting from Dante to me then to our hands.

"I would like to say welcome back, but I'm not convinced of it being the truth, Dante."

I couldn't help myself.
"Come again?"

She looked uninterested at my intrusion and continued to address the man in front of me with no further glances my way.

"Why, pray tell, have you returned?"

Dante didn't release his grasp on my arm.
"I have new information for scientific research. Very important and extremely sensitive. I have to get a moment with the Committee to show them."

Then, in a display of what I can only describe as a disgraceful attempt to charm the young lady, my handsome, proud companion, turned into a smarmy worm, something I'd never thought to see the likes of in him, ever.

"Oh, but my... my beautiful and, and courageous Erica. How long has it been now? Since I had the opportunity to look so fondly on such a glowing young woman? A young woman, might I say, who grows more attractive and lithe every time I see her? Oh, don't be shy my lovely one, I have so much to say to you, alone, once I have taken the research to your father, I mean, the Committee."

I snorted, desperate to give him a piece of my mind about all his snivelling, but was silenced by his big foot ramming into my shin.

I let out a yelp and began hopping on one foot. The girl was nonperturbed by my actions. In fact, I swore I saw a smile creep upon her sensual lips.
"Dante, it has been too long."

Grimacing, I allowed myself to be led limping by my attacker, while he followed like a lamb to the slaughter behind the girl in the long dress.

Erica.

Dante's grip on my arm began to get uncomfortable. A bit too tight for my liking. I made this known by shaking myself free from his hand and slapping him hard between the shoulder blades.

His breath burst from his body under the blow, more in surprise than hurt. He whipped his head round and glared at me, daring me to say something.

The girl was watching us. I noticed her face full of interest and amusement. So she wasn't such a sucker after all. When she spoke, her voice sounded flat and unemotional.
"Don't do that in the Committee. They will not give you the time of day."

She looked me up and down, sizing me up as a rival I supposed.

"This one gives me the impression of trouble, Dante. Why did you saddle yourself to that?"

Burning with indignity for my shin as well as my pride, I snapped back without thinking.
"He knows a good thing when he sees it, lady."

A groan from Dante told me I was in the wrong, again.

"She is only tagging along, Erica."

He was trying to bring her back with his initial crawling self. It made me sick.

"There's no need to waste any of your precious and valuable time thinking of her, my dearest, sweet Erica. Can we continue?"

Apparently, Erica was easily satisfied and she turned away to lead us along the pathway. We followed in silence for a few minutes, my blood continued to seethe with the injustice thrust upon me. Eventually we arrived outside a two-storey building with one large round window on the second floor and a thin metal door on the first.

Erica spun on the spot and waved her slender hand at the door.

"Go through, Dante, you know where to go."

She clicked her fingers together, the sharp red nails cracking at the same time.

"I would watch how she speaks. She's going to give you problems, Dante."

Dante, the new, creep version of him before me, bowed his head and giggled while shoving me towards the door. Once Erica had drifted away, he pulled down on the handle and threw the door wide open, growling in my ear.

"Get in there!"

"Wait, don't I get a 'oh, you're so lovely? Oh, you're so beautiful and sweet and..."

I wanted to make him suffer. Just for a little while.

"Shut up, Tyke, needs must and all that."

"Oh, I'm not letting this one go. Uh huh. You really deserve all the teasing possible for that disgusting behaviour. How can you live with yourself?"

"Keep your voice down. These people don't play around, Erica especially, she could have snapped your neck in half with a click of her fingers. This isn't a game. Now follow my lead and for the sake of all things holy, shut that mouth of yours for the next few minutes."

Rather than argue, I conceded to store away the rebuke I had simmering and leave it on the back burner for the next opportunity I would surely be given.

He stomped ahead of me, along a narrow corridor until we came to another metal door. He prepared to turn the handle, fixing me with a hard stare.

"I mean it, Tyke. This is not a game. Watch me."

He opened the door.