The Lost Ones

25 - Lela

We've been driving for about three hours now: Drew is now dishing out the plastic bags to all the kids who are rapidly turning green (trust me, it's more than half); Peri, Mindy and I have been playing a complicated game which I've been told is a mix of 'I Spy' and 'Red Car, Blue Car'. I think everyone's tiptoeing around what happened not four hours ago; desperately trying not to think of the friends we've lost. We're the lost ones now, with no idea where to go and no home except for the winding road. 

"Aha! That's three blue cars I've spotted now, Peri! Beat that!" Mindy laughs, her whole face lighting up. I try to read her expression, wondering if she's thinking along the same lines as me. To me, she just looks happy. Aren't people meant to be happy when they're pregnant? Or is it glowing? Either way, she doesn't seem too scarred from the incident.

Maybe that's because she wasn't in the middle of it all. 

I thank the heavens for Peri and her ridiculous yet fun games, because just trying to comprehend the rules takes my mind off the horrors of the morning. I'm occasionally distracted by the numerous abandoned towns; they all look too tranquil to be part of this world. 

"Lela? Lela! Come on, it's your turn!" Peri shakes my arm playfully, snapping me out of my thoughts. 

"What? Oh, yeah, yeah, I got you. Uhhh.... I spy a car with red stripes, does that count?" 

"Hmm, I think-" She's cut off by the oh-so-familiar crackling of the intercom, and for the first time in what seems like days, Gemma's voice fills the vehicle.

"Uh, hey guys. Well, you might be wondering where we're going to go, as it seems we're officially fugitives now. It looks like our only valid option is to leave the country and head for a place where we can hide out for a bit until this whole thing comes to an end. I've discussed this at length with my fellow leader Drew, and we both agree that this is the safest plan for all of us. We can't carry on running from these people. Look, some of you may be reluctant to leave your homeland, but we need to think of the bigger picture; I'm not having any more.... any more Josephines," She takes a deep breath, as though trying to compose herself, and carries on. "We're by the coast, and there appears to be a port nearby. There, we can get on a boat and finally put this all behind us. Also, I have done some research and the laws on leaving the country are pretty relaxed, so we don't need any documents. We're all set."

There's some mumbling in the background, which gives the others some time to heatedly talk about this turn of events. Gemma clears her throat once again; the bus goes deadly silent.

"I have also been informed that if anyone is injured, they will report to Riaja once we have boarded the boat. There is a medical centre with supplies, so she can tend to anyone who couldn't make it to her earlier today. That is all."

As soon as the intercom crackles off, the bus erupts into lively conversation. Looking at my companions, I have a chance to read their expressions. Mindy looks anxious and has her hands clasped around her stomach protectively while Peri looks a little shocked, but not afraid. I remember that Peri escaped before all of us, that at an even younger age that she is at now she fled the institution that never loved her. 

The highly uncomfortable silence that accompanied our journey earlier today is back; people are shifting uneasily in their seats but the steady and low hum of discussion remains. In the distance, I can see the tall masts of sail boats and a crane lifting wooden crates on to colossal ships. Peri's hands are practically glued to the window, staring at these new and amazing sites. Who could blame her? It's not like the rest of us have seen anything like this before. If we weren't all so scared for our lives this could be considered a fun adventure out into the great wide world.

"Hey there." Adrian slips into the empty seat beside me; he's grinning but his eyes are sad.

"Hi. You feeling better? I saw you on the mat in the back."

"A bit. It's all going so fast. One moment we're just escaping from the hospital, now we're fleeing the country," He sighs, twiddling his thumbs. "I'm glad, though. We're not safe here, nobody is. How are you feeling about it?"

"I.... I don't really know, honestly. It's not like we've got anything here to miss, at least you and I don't. We were raised in the hospital, it's all we've ever known. Maybe a new start in a new place is exactly what we all need."

"I wonder how Gemma feels about it."

"What do you mean? She came up with the idea, after all."

"No, I meant about leaving the place she was born. At least, we can only assume she was born here, I doubt she'd tell any of us that sort of stuff," He frowns, partly to himself. "She buried Josephine back at the house. She can't be feeling nothing towards the place where her late sister's grave is."

"I hadn't thought of that."

A moment silence ensues, then is broken by a collective intake of breath. 

"Wow, so is that what boats look like?" Peri thinks aloud. "D'you think we're going to sail on one of those?"

"Maybe. Imagine if we get to go on a ship, that would be...." Adrian gestures wildly, trying to find the right words.

"Pretty damn cool." I offer, and when we laugh it almost feels like old times.

For the first time in what feels like centuries, the buses come to a grinding halt ("It's lucky as well, we were running out of fuel." I overhear Maisie saying). The doors open with a squeal, and everyone floods out of the bus, cheering and enjoying the sun on their skin. We sit on the hot concrete, just watching passers-by as we wait for Gemma and Drew to return with news as to whether or not we can catch a boat.

I keep forgetting that we're in the middle of summer; I feel so relaxed in the heat of the afternoon, just sitting in the open air, watching the clouds roll past in the pastel blue sky. We eagerly await their return, but it seems like years before we see them again. Finally, they reappear in the distance: Gemma with her usual unreadable expression and Drew smiling like the Cheshire cat.

"They're letting us go! And guess what - we are now the proud owners of a boat!" He laughs, pretending to be a pirate to make the little kids giggle.

"But we don't have any money! How did you guys buy a boat?" Maisie asks disbelievingly.

Gemma's lip curls slightly. "While you lot were laying back and enjoying yourselves, Drew here sold the buses. That, and there was a safe in every one of them. They've let us empty our belongings before they take the vehicles. Get what little things you have and meet us back here in fifteen minutes."

Riaja sprints off with a small group of people to help her patients out; everyone else tries to cram into the buses and retrieve the few items that they do possess. Will eventually manages to herd them into groups - we're in and out in ten minutes. Drew exchanges the buses for a small card while we are lead further into the harbour and we stop outside a large boat that looks so expensive that I can hardly believe it's ours.

"It's called a catamaran," says Gemma proudly. "And this is what's going to take us to our new home."

"I wouldn't mind living in that!" shouts a voice from the back, and laughter erupts from the crowd. As I gaze around at the people I have come to call my friends, I see only radiant smiles.2"

"We'll need to get on it now if we want to get away before Magannor reaches us. Two lines, everybody in pairs to board it." Gemma claps her hands, but someone clears their throat before everyone can rearrange themselves.

"Um, sorry, but who's going to steer the ship?" A girl asks, looking very worried.

"Ah. I, uh, admit I hadn't thought of-" Gemma looks sheepish, but is interrupted by Will, who steps forward confidently.

"I will. I grew up by the sea, I've been trained to drive boats, I can do it."

Gemma seems more relieved than I've ever seen her. "Thank you, Will, you step on board first and prepare yourself for our voyage. Everyone else, organise yourselves. We've got a long journey ahead of us."