“It’s alright,” I said, a little shy. It was unnerving to be singled out this way, but I suspected I’d have to get used to it. Besides, I was probably the first new person that this young girl had seen in a long, long time.
John and Kimmy launched into introductions again, and though the other Armstrongs greeted us politely, the air was thick with tension. Sarah and Bruce exchanged worried looks, and the older children looked to their parents for cues on how to react to the news.
“This is…a lot to take in,” Bruce said. “We need to rally support now. I’m going to notify Abby so she can call a council meeting. Matt, can you round up the Hardings? Maisie, you should go to the McNeils.”
Both of the older children nodded, and all three departed.
“What’s going to happen now?” I asked John in a hushed voice.
He stroked the back of my hand. “One of the chairpersons has to call the meeting. Abby’s the chairwoman, and a damn sight more pleasant than Jameson, so Bruce will go to her. She was a friend of Granny’s.”
“It’ll likely go to a vote,” Sarah said. “That’s why we need to rallysupport.”
“A vote on if we can stay?” I asked. “Just like that?”
Asha blew out a disapproving breath. Sarah looked uneasy and told Allie to leave the room. Allie huffed but obeyed.
“It’ll be okay,” John soothed once Allie was out of earshot, giving my hand a squeeze. “I promise.”
“How can you know?” I replied, panic creeping into my voice. “What if they hurt us? Or decide to kill us? We know the secret now, so even if we leave, they’ll think—”
“We won’t let that happen,” Kimmy cut in. “People will be wary, but most of them will listen to reason. And anyway, they’d have to go through us first.”
I took a deep breath to steady myself. John kissed my cheek, then stood.
“I have something to take care of before everyone gets here,” he said to Sarah. “Keep an eye on these three while I’m gone.”
Sarah raised an eyebrow but nodded. I followed John to the foyer.
“Where are you going?” I whispered urgently. “Don’t leave me here.”
He took my face in his hands and kissed me, slow and gentle. His touch calmed me, but that made me want him to stay even more. He was my anchor in this strange new place.
“I’ll be back soon,” he replied, tucking my hair behind my ear. “I just have to go to Summerhurst to check on things. You’re safe with the Armstrongs; I wouldn’t leave otherwise.”
I sighed. “Alright. Just be careful…and please hurry back.”
“I will.”
Chapter 19
Claire
John was gone for most of the afternoon. We stayed in the kitchen with Sarah, who pushed more food on us, until I couldn’t have eaten another bite if I tried. My stomach had probably shrunk to the size of a walnut. While Kimmy chatted amiably with Sarah, I took the opportunity to talk quietly with Asha.
“What do you think so far?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Honestly, it doesn’t feel real. Probably won’t till we find out whether we’re getting thrown out or not.”
I bit my lip, thinking. “We could offer to help them with their teacher problem.”
Asha made a face. “I don’t think so, Claire.”
“Why not? I know they’ll be suspicious, but we could offer it as a trade. Something useful that they need. They could even have someone supervise us if they want.”
“Seriously?” she said in a low voice, glancing at Sarah to make sure she was busy talking to Kimmy. “First of all, if these kids are anything like average Wastelanders, they’re so far behind that it’ll take a minormiracle to even teach them to read. Tiring, and ultimately pointless, since they’ll consider anything you teach them to be useless anyway.”
Useless.The word hit me like a punch in the gut. That was how I’d felt for so long. When Sarah had said they needed a teacher, I’d finally felt like there might be a void I could fill. But maybe I was kidding myself.
