Somewhere in the Trees

ten

We're forced to enter the dining quarters in a single file line. It's a large building with several circular tables and chairs that remind me of our college dining hall. There's a door on the side that Scott tells us leads into the kitchen. I can hear women chatting and laughing inside.

We walk through the empty dining area to a narrow hallway that leads us to another room. Scott opens the door and moves to the side for us. "Go in."

The second I walk in, the scent of food overwhelms me. There are two people standing in the back corners of the room, both armed with a sizable gun in their grips. There's a very long table in the center of the room with a clean, white cheesecloth table runner on it.

There are six plates set up on the table, all plates contain two pieces of lightly toasted bread, some yellow scrambled eggs, and several purple grapes. A glass of orange juice sits next to each plate as well as silverware on a napkin.

Sitting at the head of the table is a well-built, older man. He has short gray hair and stubble peppered along his strong jawline. He is conventionally handsome and exudes confidence. He has very strong, broad shoulders, and his head is held high.

He has not said a single word to us yet his presence dominates the room, as if he's the size of the room itself. I take note of the fact that he is not wearing the blue linen outfit we're all wearing, instead, he is clad in a casual black t-shirt that is form fitted to his biceps and denim jeans. But, he is barefoot like us.

The men in the corners of the room both point their guns at us as we fully walk in. Scott directs us to have a seat and so we do, I sit next to Zoe and I squeeze her hand tightly.

Scott then walks up to the man and bows his head. "Good morning, my Abe."

Abe flashes a smile just as clear and white as Scott's, and says, "Good morning, Scott."

Elsie walks behind Scott and also bows her head to Abe. "Good morning, my Abe," she gushes.

"Good morning dear Elsie," Abe says. He grabs onto her hand and kisses her knuckles. "You look wonderful as always."

Abe then looks at all of us, as we sit awkwardly at the table. I look at Zoe and catch her staring at Abe.

"I am very happy to see you all," Abe says as he takes his napkin and sets it on his lap. "Welcome to our family. You will be loved here, I can assure you that."

The room is silent. I stare down at the plate of food in front of me. The thought of eating anything these people make fills me with dread, but there's a gnawing pain in the pit of my stomach that has me thinking that even a handful of grass ripped fresh from the ground would taste good right now.

"Zoe," Abe looks at Zoe, and I feel her squeeze my hand in surprise. I look at her and I'm surprised to find her cheeks are red as ever.

"Louisa," he says, making me nearly jump out of my skin as I look over at him. His eyes linger on mine for a second, they're a very vibrant shade of blue, and as he maintains eye contact with me, I feel my hands start shaking. He has a strange, magnetic energy that makes me not want to look away from him. "Do you feel okay, Louisa? You're quite pale."

I swallow hard and look around the room. I look at Scott, who's standing up against the wall, his beady eyes fixed on me. I look at the two men holding guns in each back corner of the room, as if they're guarding Buckingham Palace. I've only ever seen guns that large in movies.

"Yes," I choke out. "I feel okay."

I don't look at Abe but I know he's staring at me.

Silence ensues, until a minute or two later, he sharply says, "Alice," and I feel Alice stiffen beside me.