Mortality

Chapter 16: Savannah

I woke up early the next morning. Pierce had begun kicking me in his sleep, and it just wasn’t worth staying in my sleeping bag any longer. I’d never been much of a camper anyway.

I sat up and wiggled my way out of my spot between Pierce and Cole before pulling on my boots. It was only seconds before I began to miss the warmth of lying between two other people. Summer couldn’t come fast enough. I looked over at Cole, who was still fast asleep. His hair was sticking up in every direction, probably a result of the arm he’d flung over his face.

With his lean frame and dark hair, I had to admit he reminded me a bit of Alex. Both guys seemed to be in a perpetually calm mood, except of course when something pissed Alex off. I wondered if Cole had the same temper.

Cole wanted me. He was asking me to do the very thing Alex was determined to make me feel guilty about. Trying to help.

Alex has Marybeth, I thought bitterly. He probably won’t even realize I’m gone.

Cole needs me.

I left the tent, stepping out into the cold spring air. I rubbed my shoulders and wished for my coat as my breath turned to steam in the air. Around me, many of the adults were already up and dismantling their tents, while others carried bags and boxes over to the makeshift parking lot. They were going to leave, and soon.

I knew it would be too much to hope that they would just stay here until I got back, hopefully accompanied by Zack, but I thought they’d at least stay a few days longer.

I spotted Paulson walking with Belle. They were headed toward the cars and I ran to catch up with them.  They both turned and looked at me as I skidded to a halt in the mud beside them.

“Good morning, Savannah,” Paulson said warmly. “Didn’t expect to see you up this early.”

“Pierce doesn’t make a great bunk buddy,” I replied, chuckling.

“Well, lucky for you, we’ll be back in beds in no time.”

“You found somewhere new to go? Already?”

“Yes. Finally things seem to be working in our favor. We’ll leave right after lunch. It’s not as though we never considered the possibility that we would have to leave Ravencrest. We had several carefully thought-out backup plans. There were even backups for our backups.” Paulson’s face looked tired and worn, like the past few days had taken their toll. “The trick was finding somewhere that was still as secure as when we left it. We’ve spent the last two days getting organized and sending out teams to a few different locations, to see what might be a good fit.”

“So where are you going?” I asked. Belle picked up on the fact that I wasn’t including myself in their plans.

“You? You know you can come with us, right?” Belle said, laughing.

“Actually, about that…” I paused and looked up at the kind-faced man who had been calling the shots for the past six months of my life. “I’m leaving. There’s something I have to do.” I bit my lip as I watched Paulson process the information.

“And where exactly is it you’re going?” Paulson asked, his eyebrows raised. The hint of a smile played on his lips, and I suspected he was humoring me.

“I’m not exactly sure. Cole is working on something, and he needs my help. I said I’d go with him.” As I rambled on, Paulson began to look less and less amused. “And he thinks he might be able to at least figure out where Zack is. Then I’ll track you all down again, and maybe we can go get Zack. I won’t be gone too long, I promise.”

“I’m sorry, Savannah, but this doesn’t sound like a very good idea.” Paulson absentmindedly pulled Belle in close to him. Usually she tended to squirm out of these embraces, but this time she let him hug her without complaint. “I’m sure this Cole of yours is nice enough, and I can understand why you’d want a change of pace, but it’s just too dangerous out there for you to go off on your own.”