Quinn and Bailey were in the van with me. Even hours into the drive I didn’t quite believe it. I’d reached across Mason to touch Quinn to make sure she was real. That’s when I realized she was sleeping. The fact that she was sleeping said so much. She was truly exhausted. Bailey looked okay, at least physically. But sometimes the worst kind of wounds were those you couldn’t see.

She was sleeping too, first in the arms of Maverick, and then even more soundly when she was back with her mother. What a brave little girl. I wondered if I would have held up as well as a child in her position. I’d never been alone. Even after my mother’s death I had my father, brother, and sister. I had never truly appreciated just how lucky I was until now.

“I missed you.” Mason brushed his lips against my cheek once the van had fallen back into silence.

“I missed you too.” I had, and I knew now I’d always miss him if we ever were apart again.

“Promise me something.” There was a real and primal urgency in his voice.

“Yes?” I owed Mason so much. He had brought Denver with him, and somehow Denver knew how to get everyone out of Central.

“Promise me no matter what crazy plan you hatch, you trust me enough to keep me a part of it.”

“I never hatch crazy plans.” I shoved his side.

“Yes you do. Sneaking into Central was a crazy plan.”

“But I didn’t really have a plan.” I still couldn’t quite believe what I’d done. It had been reckless, but it had also been necessary.

“And you don’t think breaking into Central without a plan was crazy?” He raised an eyebrow. “Because I can assure you it was. Extremely crazy.”

“But it wasn’t a crazy idea.” I crossed my arms.

“You don’t like being proven wrong.”

“Who does?”

“You have an exceptionally hard time with it.”

“Is that a problem?” I leaned back against the seat, which meant I was leaning back against his arm. He’d kept it draped around me for most of the drive.

“No.”

“Good.” Something had changed. There was an ease between Mason and me that hadn’t been there before. I could be myself with him in a way I couldn’t before even though we’d been intimate. I could joke—I could be vulnerable with him. The only other non-family member I’d ever been that way with was Ethan, but that had been as a child. This was completely different.

“Denver?” I called to the front.

“Yes?” he said as part of a yawn.

“Are you ready to tell us where we’re going yet?”

“Nothing I can tell you will prepare you. None of you have ever been there before.”

“Still, you could give us some information so we don’t go in completely blind.” I tried to swallow down my annoyance. I was exhausted and hungry. Of course I was relieved to be reunited with Quinn and Bailey, but now I had to keep moving forward. Finding and breaking them out was only the first step.

“It might be better if you go in completely blind.”

“How? It’s important to be prepared.” I’d been stumbling around without preparation since leaving the Rurals, and I had grown tired of it. I needed to return to my comfortable world of strategy and planning.

“And this might be a trap.” Quinn spoke out loud a fear brewing in the back of my mind.

“It’s not a trap.” Denver didn’t glance back.

“Then where are we going?” Mason rested his free hand on his lap. “You can give us something. You must understand their apprehension.”

“Very well.” Denver turned onto another dirt road. “We are going to a community unlike any others I know of. It is secret in every way, and I am risking each and every member’s life by bringing you in.”

“What kind of community are we talking about?” He was talking in evasive terms, and that made me even more nervous.

“The good kind.”

“Is there such a thing as a good kind?” Quinn was spot on with her questions. I was surprised by how much she was speaking up. Usually Quinn sat back and let me do the arguing.

Denver laughed. “I shouldn’t find that amusing but I do. Might as well laugh because you can’t cry all the time.”

“How do you know it’s safe?” Quinn pressed further. “What do you really know about this community?”

“I know it’s safe because I know the people running it. I know the founders well.”

“How well?” I jumped in.

“As well as I know myself because I helped found it.”

“Yet you were living in the city?” Maverick asked. “Explain that.”

“Because others needed me.”

“Are you ready to tell us who you really are?” Maverick pressed his hand up against the window.

“It’s not a matter of who I am.” Denver slowed down and for a second I thought we were stopping, instead he turned onto another road that was surrounded on all sides by trees. They curved above us, effectively creating a tunnel. “Focus on other things.”

“But shouldn’t we know more about you before we blindly follow you?” The trees sent us back into darkness and frayed my nerves further.

“You’ve already followed me.”

“True, but we are out of Central now. We could split up.” As if we could run from this van into the dead of night with nothing. Mason and I had done it before, but that time we had an ultimate destination. Now that we had Quinn and Bailey I was at a loss for where to go next.

“That would be ill advised. You’d be on the run again.” The engine revved and made a strange clicking sound.

“And we won’t be on the run in this community?” I listened to the clicking engine, hoping it didn’t die and leave us all stranded. I tried not to focus too much on it, but it was easier to worry about something like an engine. That was here right before me. It would either stall or not. Worrying about the future, about how to protect my family, was far more complicated.

“No. You will be safe. That’s not to say that you will never face danger again, but that time it will be your choice. Everyone deserves choices.” We drove out of the trees, and the moon lit our way again.

“I agree.” Addison turned in her spot in the front seat. “Everyone deserves to make their own choices, no matter who they are.”

“And we will have choices in this community?” This place sounded too good to be true. And in my experience that generally meant it was.

“Yes, as long as you don’t step on the choices of others. You will also have food, shelter, clothing. You will want for nothing.”

“Sounds like paradise.” Addison turned back to look out the front.

Denver briefly glanced over at her before returning his eyes to the road. “But that doesn’t mean you should forget about what’s happening out here. What we just left behind. As I said, there will be choices.”

“I’m going back.” I didn’t realize the words had slipped out until I felt Mason’s arm tighten around me.

He pulled me close. “You don’t have to decide on anything yet.”

I was relieved he didn’t outright shoot down the idea, but I knew he’d want to. He couldn’t stop me from doing what I wanted to do, but also I didn’t want to disappoint him. I didn’t ever want to have leave him again. But either way, I only had one real choice. Once I knew for sure Quinn and Bailey were safe, I had to think about all the others back in Central. I knew I could never turn my back on those in need.

“Mason is correct. No one needs to decide on any of this yet.” Denver sounded more relaxed now. He hadn’t snapped at us to be quiet for quite some time.

“Are you sure we will be welcome?” Maverick asked. “Even those of us with questionable backgrounds.”

“Yes.” Denver didn’t hesitate with his answer. “You will all be welcome.”

“Because three of us are women?” Addison chimed in. “Is that why?”

“You will all be welcome because you are on the right side of the only fight that matters.” He stepped on the gas, and we hurtled forward at a much faster speed.

“There will no forced…” Quinn trailed off.

“Of course not.” Denver jerked the car to the side. I grabbed hold of my seat to hold on. “That would not be a safe place. You will be safe in every way. Your child will be safe too. I promise.”

“You can’t promise that.” Quinn gritted her teeth. “No one can promise us safety.”

“I can’t know what will be in store far in the future, but for the time being your daughter, as well as everyone else, will be safe. And no one inside this community will hurt any of you.”

“Do they know we’re coming?” That seemed like a very important question.

“In some ways.”

“What does that mean?” I sighed. Couldn’t anything be straight forward with this guy?

“It means they will not be surprised by your sudden appearance.”

“Why do you always speak in riddles?” Addison asked what we’d all been thinking. I wasn’t sure how many hours had passed since we left Central, but during that time I was no closer to understanding what was in store for us. The perfect community talk did nothing to enlighten me.

“Not always.”

“But often. You never say things straight forward.” Addison wasn’t going to drop it, and I’d let her handle him. She seemed to have some sort of kinship with the man. Maybe her time in Sray had taught her how to deal with difficult men.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Denver laughed.

“Fun? I don’t even know what that word means.” Addison slumped down in her seat.

“We’ll have to change that.”

“How can we have fun when so many others are suffering?” Addison’s words reflected exactly what I was feeling.

“Enjoying yourself does not mean turning your back. You owe it to yourself to recharge. You are worthless to anyone if you are not healthy and strong.” Denver flexed his arm to show off his muscles.

I laughed. I laughed harder than I’d laughed in what felt like forever. It released so much tension I couldn’t stop, and it seemed to be contagious. Before long the entire car, including Denver, was laughing. It lasted for at least three or four minutes, and by the time I finally returned to normal there were tears streaming down my face.

No one said anything for several minutes until Quinn broke the silence. “When we get there, Bailey will stay with me. I am not separating from her again.”

With the return of spoken words came the return of reality. The car was back to its somber state.

Denver nodded. “I wouldn’t suggest you separate. There should still be ample housing options.”

Mason pulled me close. “You’re staying close by.”

“I know.” I rested my head on his shoulder. “As long as I’m close to Quinn and Bailey too.”

He rubbed my neck. I was far more tense than I’d realized. “How much further is this place?”

“Another few hours,” Denver turned once more. I had no idea how he was driving in only faint moonlight, but I assumed turning the lights on would be risky.

“I might rest.” I curled into Mason’s side more.

“You should.” He released my neck, and instead started to run his hand down my back.

“What about you?” I grabbed hold of his shirt to pull myself closer to him.

“I’ll rest tonight.”

“We can sleep at the same time you know.”

“It might take me awhile before I stop worrying.” He kissed the top of my head. He did that a lot. It almost seemed like a reflex reaction when he was worrying about me.

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s more than you slipping out, although that definitely doesn’t help.”

“You said we could trust him…” Suddenly sleeping didn’t sound so good.

“We can, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to worry.”

“There’s never going to be a time when you don’t worry.” I spoke the truth.

“Maybe one day.” The wistful note in his voice wasn’t lost on me.

“Maybe one day… yes. We always talk about one day.” That seemed to be the mantra of our lives now. We were always hoping to get somewhere one day. Sometimes I wondered if it was code for after we died.

I looked out the window at the landscape whizzing by. It was mostly trees until once in awhile you’d see the outline of a house or building taken over completely by ivy and other growth. Instead of sleeping I passed the time wondering about the people who used to live and frequent those buildings. Where were they now? Were any of them still around? Hiding amongst the trees the way we’d hid out in the farmland?

I was about to pull my eyes from the window when I saw an old swing set, next to a large building. It was a school. An old school. I tried to imagine a time when kids would actually get to play outside. To spend their days learning away from home with peers. That would only happen in a world with lots of children. It wouldn’t occur during Bailey’s time. I wouldn’t even pretend that was a possibility, but maybe for the next generation. Maybe one day. If there was ever an overused phrase, that was it.

The drive wore on, and I was once again contemplating sleep when Denver slowed and turned off the dirt road we were traveling on.

“What’s going on?” Mason tensed.

“We’re almost there.” Denver shot over his shoulder. “Looks like we’ll make it just as the sun comes up.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” I glanced out and saw the faint lines of the rising sun.

“It means you’ll get to take a look at the place.”

He turned onto another road, and we drove across a bridge that looked like it could barely hold the weight of the car. A wooden sign hung at the side, but the only letters I could make out were CAM.

“What’s Cam?” I asked when we safely reached the far side of the bridge.

“Nothing. But Camp is a word. This place was an old camp.”

“A camp? Like a work camp?” I shuddered. I’d heard about those before.

“No.” He shook his head. “A summer camp. For children.”

He continued the slow drive onto a dirt road with tree roots all over. He swerved back and forth to avoid hitting any of the largest roots.

“A summer camp for children?” I tried to understand the meaning. “What are you talking about?”

He groaned. “You people know nothing of history.”

“We’re lucky we can read.” Quinn adjusted Bailey in her lap so she was facing forward. Bailey yawned and rubbed her eyes. “We can only do that because our parents took the time to teach us.”

“I wasn’t referring to you and your sister specifically. The others are just as bad.”

“Oh.” Quinn stretched one arm above her head.

“There was a time when parents would send their children to camp in the summer to build independence, make friends, do lots of activities they couldn’t do at home,” Denver explained.

“Sounds like fun.” Addison said in a sleepy voice as if she’d just woken up.

“That was the point.”

“And this community is built at one of these places?” Maverick in contrast to the rest of us sounded wide awake.

“Yes. We have worked to make it inhabitable again.”

An orange glow from the sun lit the sky as we pulled into a clearing, and Denver stopped the van, parking on the grass. A large wood and brick building was to one side, and off to the other side was a circle of wooden cabins with triangle shaped roofs.

“That building over there,” Denver gestured to the large one. “That’s the mess hall, the cafeteria, if you will. The smaller buildings are cabins. These were the girls’ cabins at this camp I believe. There’s another circle just like this a way down, but we haven’t been able to restore those quite as well. We’ll end up tearing them down, reusing the wood, and building new ones.”

He turned off the engine, and no one moved for a few moments.

“Stay calm,” Denver directed. “They know we’re here.” He pushed open his door, and as if taking our cue, the rest of us scrambled out into the early morning light.

Once on the grass I took an inventory of our group. Most importantly I looked over at where Quinn stood holding Bailey tightly in her arms. I’d barely seen Quinn in the darkness, and now that I could I was saddened by what I saw. She was thin, far thinner than she’d been weeks before, nearly skin and bones. She noticed me staring at her and raised her chin. That was her way of telling me to stop judging. “Why are you reminding us to stay calm? You said everyone here was friendly.”

“They are, but they don’t know who you are. Give them a minute to assess the situation.” Denver looked far more alert than I expected, but he was nervous. That in itself made me nervous.

“Would you like me to hold her?” Maverick made his way over to Quinn’s side.

“No thank you. I have her.” Quinn glanced over at me, and I tried to send her a look to apology if my earlier appraisal insulted her. I was worried about her. That was all.

We waited for someone to come over, and after a few minutes a figure appeared. I expected weapons. I expected men in uniform. What we got was something entirely different.

“Hello, Ramona.” Denver nodded to an older woman who hobbled over to us with the help of a cane.

She smiled broadly as she reached our small circle. “Denver, I see you brought some new friends.”

“Yes. I assured them they would all be safe here.” He hugged her in a familiar way.

“Of course.” She stepped back from the embrace and looked over all of us. She nodded before walking straight toward Quinn.

Quinn froze, and panic marred her face.

“No reason to worry, child. I only wanted to introduce myself to you and your daughter first.” Ramona touched Quinn’s arm. “My name is Ramona, and I can assure you that you and your companions will be safe here.”

Quinn visibly relaxed. “I’m Quinn, and this is Bailey. My sister Kayla is over there.” She nodded toward me.

Ramona looked me over and smiled. “Ah yes, I see the resemblance.”

“And this is Addison.” Denver pointed to where she stood with her arms crossed over her chest. She’d seemed pretty relaxed in the van, but now she was uptight. I didn’t blame her.

Ramona smiled and walked over to her. “Hello, Addison. Thank you for joining us.”

I wondered why she skipped over me and went right to Addison. Maybe she noticed her nervousness.

“Thank you for having us.” Addison crossed her legs at the ankles.

“You don’t have to be nervous here. You’re safe.” Ramona’s voice was tired yet soothing. She had the voice of a storyteller, and I wondered if we’d get to hear her tell us any stories while we were there. It was rare to meet anyone over seventy. Life expectancy had fallen over the last several decades.

“The more you tell us that, the more worried I become.” Addison brushed some of her dark hair off her shoulder. “If it’s safe you shouldn’t need to tell us.”

“Fair enough.” Ramona nodded.

Denver exchanged an unreadable glance with Ramona. “Where’s Jeeves?”

“He’s down by the lake.” Ramona pointed down the steep grass hill.

“There’s a lake here?” Maverick asked looking in the direction Ramona pointed.

“Yes.” She nodded. “It’s safe for swimming. The pool is empty, and we will not be filling that up.”

“Lake? Pool?” Denver wasn’t exaggerating about this place. There must have been far more of it than we’d seen already.

“There is so much more to show you.” Ramona smiled warmly. “Come, come. Breakfast will be ready soon.”

“Breakfast.” Quinn closed her eyes for a moment. “Sounds good.”

“Maybe you’ll eat here?” Maverick asked with what appeared to be genuine concern. I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed her physical condition.

Quinn frowned. “You can’t blame me for choosing not to eat when I was a prisoner. It was hard to have an appetite when I needed to constantly worry about Bailey.”

“You won’t have to worry here.” Ramona either forgot or chose to ignore Addison’s earlier protest. I agreed with her. There was something unnerving about being told not to worry. It reminded me of the fairy tales with the witch in the woods or something. But Denver had helped us so far—at least I thought he had.

Mason seemed to sense my unease and wrapped his arm around me. “I will protect you all.”

“I can take care of myself and them.”

“But I can help too. You can never have too much protection.” He smiled.

“You’re trying really hard to avoid angering me.”

“I like you better when you aren’t mad at me.” His tone was unexpectedly playful.

“I like myself better that way too.”

Maverick was still right by Quinn’s side. I didn’t know the doctor well, but based on our conversation back at Central, I knew he cared for her—had it been just a few nights? My sense of time was all over the place.

“You need to try to stay calm for their sake.” He didn’t need to say who he meant.

“I know.” I watched as Quinn tentatively set Bailey down on the ground.

“But it’s okay if inside you don’t want to be calm.”

“Who are you, and what did you do with my Mason?” I looked up at him.

“Your Mason?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.” I felt a moment of doubt. Was that the wrong thing to say?

“You’ve never said that before.” He smiled. “I like it.”

“I’ve heard you call me your Kayla.”

“I have, and to be perfectly honest, I know I always will.” He wrapped his hand around mine.