Tested

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

The next morning, Parker ignored me, but his grandfather looked much better.

“I feel strong,” Sunny declared over breakfast. “And as we’re going to the same place, we should stick together. We know where to go, after all.”

Parker looked up from his food. “Granddad, I don’t think—”

“You know where the boats are leaving?” Dad asked.

“We’ve seen them,” Sunny said. “We passed them. We tried to reach my daughter, Park’s mother, to bring her with us, but…” He shook his head, his eyes full of pain. “We soon realised we wouldn’t make it to her. I promised her I would keep Park safe, and that’s what I’ll do. What I’ll keep doing. If that means leaving the country until everything settles down, then so be it. But I believe we’ll have more safety in numbers.”

Dad hesitated.

“They’re afraid of the fire,” Sunny said softly. “Park has protected me all this time. They haven’t come close to us. I think you and your daughter need to feel safe for a time. If you come with us, perhaps that will happen.”

Dad nodded, shocking me. “We’ll travel with you, but if the boy is dangerous, if he loses control, we’re leaving you. Understood?”

“He’s a good boy.”

“I’m sure he is, but I don’t want him near my daughter. She doesn’t always have the best judgement.”

“Dad!”

He ignored me. Mortification! I caught Parker’s eye and regretted it. He looked mildly horrified at best as he turned his head away. I covered my burning cheeks. Okay, so my mistake with Dace had been pretty epic, but I thought I had proven myself by making it back to Dad and, you know, freeing him from captivity. Obviously, Dad’s thoughts ran on a different track.

Ignoring my discomfort, Dad began to make plans with Sunny.

“When will you be fit to travel?” he asked. “We need to start preparing. None of us are used to travelling with… others.”

“I know,” Sunny said. “It will be an adjustment for all of us. I feel so much better that I think I could leave today.” He coughed. “If I have to.”

“Granddad, no,” Parker protested. “You’re not ready yet.”

“Two days?” Dad asked Sunny, treating Parker the way he treated me—as if his opinion didn’t count.

“That will be time enough.” Sunny bowed his head politely, but he looked to Parker. “What do you think?”

Parker squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them, he looked straight at Dad. “We’ll scout for supplies first. We can look for a vehicle for when he’s ready.”

“Petrol doesn’t last long without a supplier,” Dad said.

“True,” Parker said, “but there’s a bus station near by. There has to be something we can scrounge in there. The less time my grandfather spends walking around on the streets, the better. Besides, we came through a ton of farmland. We’ll find something to siphon on the way, I’ll bet.”

Dad considered this. “It depends on the route we take. If there are any blockades or attacks or—”

“I already planned our route,” Sunny said.

Dad hauled out the maps again, and the three of them pored over the route we would take. I sat by the window, feeling invisible.

“If this route is safe, it’ll cut our journey significantly.” Dad frowned. “I wish we could end up on the east coast. It would be easier to pass farther into Europe from there.”