The Lost Ones

19 - Lela

Unsurprisingly, over two hundred kids and teens aren't allowed into the town hall all at the same time. So we decide that as our designated leaders, Drew and Gemma should go and represent our little 'organisation'.

"I mean, you guys are pretty much the head honchos, so you should talk to them. That, and none of us actually want to go." Maisie grins.

"Thanks for that. Oh well, we'll tell you what happened when we get back. See you!" Drew said, then they left the lodging house.

It was a pretty relaxed morning, despite all the packing up we had to go for the day after tomorrow. Well, I say 'all the packing up', whereas in fact none of us have many possessions to pack. Nevertheless, the kids pack what they can. Jane gives Peri a hand-sewn doll that she made when she was pregnant with her son. It even looked a little like Josephine, which must have been why Peri wiped a tear from her eye. Sometimes I forgot that Peri was like another sister to Josephine.

"Yes, I used to run a handmade crafts stall in the market on Saturdays. It was quite popular, especially with the tourists. I was so sure our Russell would be a little girl. Oh well, never mind!" She said cheerily.

"Thank you very much. She'll be a reminder of my time here." Peri said with a smile.

"I'll miss you kids. Remember, you are always welcome back here, no matter how many of you there are." Jane gives some of us a quick, warm hug.

We spend the majority of the day doing nothing much at all. I don't really expect anything big to happen, until Adrian grabs my arm after lunch with an urgent look in his eyes.

"Wait until they're gone. We need to talk about something."

So we wait until the last trails of kids and staff have left the dining room. Adrian checks our surroundings for any stragglers who could overhear our conversation; when nobody's there, he turns back to me.

"Last night, I heard Alan and Claire talking in his room while I was going to the dormitory." He blurted out, an anxious tone in his voice.

"You just happened to overhear their conversation?" I raise an eyebrow and smile, but Adrian's face looks even more pained.

"Lela, I- this is serious! Claire's....." My smile drops immediately. Something's really wrong and I need to find out what.

"Claire's what? You can tell me."

Adrian, my funny best friend who manages to make the best out of any situation no matter how dire it may seem, takes a deep breath. "She's pregnant. With Alan's baby. And he's just going to send her away."

I think about this for a moment. So I was right, there was something going on with Alan. But with Claire? Claire, of all people, the little maid who never said a word. Then I think of something.

"Why don't we take her with us?"

"Claire? But - but she's pregnant! In her condition.... just think of what might happen to her...." Adrian wrings his hands in dismay. I've never seen him like this, not even back at the hospital.

"Mindy's pregnant too, yet she was one of the first. I think Claire could manage it too, if we're careful." I try to sound confident and brave, but inside all the terrible possibilities are just running like a horror film in my head. I'm hoping Adrian doesn't notice the fear behind my false bravado.

"Lela, that is one of the most stupid ideas I have ever heard. And believe me, I know what stupid ideas sound like. But.... it could work, I guess," He still sounds uncertain. "I think maybe you should talk to her. It would sound a bit creepy and stalkerish coming from me."

"No, really? Just walking down the corridor and eavesdropping on their conversation in a bedroom? Not creepy at all." I say sarcastically.

"Just go tell her, okay?" He says, smiles, and walks away, leaving me alone in the dining room to think up a plan.

I think up a strategy to talk to Claire in privacy, then realize that she'll be cleaning the rooms around this time. I check to see if anyone's in the dormitory, but it's all clear. Except for Claire, scrubbing furiously at a window.

"Claire?" I say tentatively, hoping this will end well. She whips around quickly, looking almost surprised that I'm here and want to talk to her.

"Oh, Lela, it's you. Did you want anything from here? I can come back later..." She looks down at the ground shyly.

"Um, no, actually I wanted to come and talk to you. If that's okay." I add quickly, not wanting to offend her. She seems almost as worried as I am, but she nods to say it's fine.

"Claire....I know you're pregnant," She gasps in shock, one hand flying to her mouth, the other to her stomach. "It's okay, don't worry! I promise not to tell anyone. I was just wondering.... would you like to come with us? Travelling? We'd keep you safe."

Claire looks like she's about to faint.

"It's perfectly fine if you don't want to. I understand-" I say in a rush, but Claire composes herself and shakes her head.

"No.... I have nowhere else to go. I'm no use to anyone here, not any more. I can't do anything to help my family now. If they knew what had happened...," Claire sounds tearful now, but stays calm. "Yes. I'll go with you. You have a healer of sorts, don't you?"

"Yeah, Riaja. She's really good, don't worry.... sorry, I keep saying that. You're probably worrying more with every word."

"Actually, it's comforting. Right now, it's like the most dangerous place for me is here. I'll tell Jane I'm going. She's probably won't be happy, but... sometimes there are risks you have to take."

"Great. I guess... I guess I'll see you pretty soon." I say slightly awkwardly; I'm not really sure how to say goodbye in this kind of conversation.

But then she pulls me in to a grateful hug, and I realize that I need it. I really do. Not just for her sake, but because I am pretty much a mix of bottled-up emotions and quite suddenly I feel like breaking down and crying on to Claire's shoulder. It's just that I feel that there's nothing left of me to break. I need to stay strong, to be brave if only for a little while. There are others much braver than me, those who died so that we could get this far, people who have sacrificed more than I ever could just so that we could have a chance at a real future, one that didn't involve us losing our humanity and becoming objects. Experiments. We are so much more than that. We're warriors, survivors of a world torn apart. So, for Josephine and Mitchell and so many others, I am going to be brave. Like Claire said, there are risks you have to take.

But I don't mention any of this to Claire. We share a smile, then I leave the room with a sigh. To my surprise, Adrian's waiting outside the dormitory. He looks up and grins nervously when he sees me.

"How'd it go?" He asks, scuffing the carpet with one shoe.

"Claire's going with us." At this new piece of information Adrian looks up and this time he looks genuinely happy.

"That's my Lela."