Wilma probably chose this picture because it’s the only one with all seven of us in it.
Returning everything to the bottle, I put the lid back on. Throwing the bottle across the wall was like throwing a football. I stepped back and exploded in a few fast steps, getting my arm fully stretched and sending the bottle flying through the air.
There was something satisfying in seeing the arc and knowing that soon Devina would pick up that same bottle and touch the same papers that I’d just touched.
For a few moments, I stood watching the massive wall, wishing that it would crumble to the ground and leave a view to the other side. I imagined a beautiful woman looking back at me.
What would I say to her?
Shaking my head to clear it of my daydreams, I forced myself to back away and finally turn my back on the wall. I was giving too much thought to a woman I would never meet in real life.
CHAPTER7
Rescue Mission
Devina
The minute my toe touched the cold water, I wanted to give up on my mission.
What was I thinking?
We were only one week away from Wilma’s being auctioned off in a tournament and her letters were getting more and more desperate. Yesterday she had written that she had a hard time sleeping because she couldn’t stop thinking about the tournament, and that she was scared of picking the wrong husband.
Of course, she was scared. Wilma was a child and she shouldn’t have to be forced into this situation.
Goosebumps spread all over my body, but I still took another step out in the cold Pacific Ocean, swallowing my discomfort and fear. If only I could have walked closer to the border wall, but the signs warning of mines made me keep a safe distance.
For a moment I wondered how things had been before the Toxic War. Back then the Northlands had been called Canada and Alaska.
They probably had guards patrolling the area.
It wasn’t unlikely since there had been eight billion people in the world before the war. Now we were down to one point five and the numbers didn’t seem to grow much.
It was twenty minutes past midnight and the downside was that it was dark with only moonlight shining through the clouds. The upside was that it was low tide, which meant less swimming for me. I had to walk out far to have the water cover my chest.
The sooner you get over there, the sooner you can get back.
My hand cramped around the waterproof bag that was tied to my waist and floated next to me. Sucking in a large breath, I slid into the water and began swimming. My skin was screaming with pain from the cold water, but I forced myself to go on.
Getting to the end of the fence that separated our countries was easy since I was carried by the current drifting away from the shore. But once I swam around the fence and began making my way to the beach, it got a lot harder. The bag was now behind me, tethered to the rope around my waist but showing that the current wanted to take us out to sea. I had to use all my strength to move us in the right direction and when I finally made it to land, I was panting with exhaustion.
With my teeth clattering, I picked up my bag and moved away from the water. My hands were shaking as I found a flashlight in the bag and moved it around to see my surroundings. This side of the border was as empty as the other side had been.
Good!
I put on the black clothing that I’d brought and left the bag on the beach before I jogged in the direction of Wilma’s house.
The map she had sent me was in my hands as I moved past several houses trying to make no sound. There were no main roads, which confused me until I’d run for about ten minutes, and a drone flew above me. We had them in the Motherlands, but they were rare, and I’d only seen a few in my lifetime. Crouching down to hide, my heart was pounding in my chest, but the drone flew fast and as soon as it was gone, I stood back up and continued running.
I can do this! I’m saving a young girl from a horrible fate.
After about twenty minutes of running, I finally reached the house on the map with a circle around it.
This is where she lives.
With legs of jelly, I suppressed my fear and snuck closer. I was careful not to shine my flashlight directly at the windows while I assessed which room Wilma was sleeping in.
There!
