The Wastelands

Chapter 52 - 16

Headmistress's Office

"Have you heard from Statson yet?" Headmistress Maria Weatherly asked Miss Andres, as the young woman brought in her coffee.

"No, Ma'am, I can't get through to Towa at all," Miss Andres answered.

"Hmm," the Headmistress tapping her finger. "it's concerning, but not unexpected."

Miss Andres nodded her head. "True, Ma'am communicating with any City is a trial in-a-half, but…"

Maria waved her hand in dismissal. "There's nothing we can do about it now. For better or worse, they're on their own." When Miss Andres still looked concerned. "Look, don't tell him this, but I trust Mr. Statson to get my kids out if any trouble arises." Because she did a throughout background check, Maria never leaves anything to chance especially if it concerns her kids.

"That's not what concerns me," Miss Andres whispered. "May I speak frankly, Ma'am?"

"Hmm, go ahead."

"Miss Spencer and the twin are not here either. You're doing, right?"

"No, but it works out." Maria smiled, though it never reached her eyes. "With Miss Spencer on the trials, I do not doubt that those Tower children would be well protected." She chuckled, a little bittersweet. The Tower children being on her compound, let alone in the Wastelands, was a liability. A lot of things could go wrong, and she would be the one who would be blamed. Her hands were tied, though, but if she couldn't make a negative into a positive, then she would have been terrible at her job. "With that child's bad habit of jumping into danger, might be of use in this case, and if it teaches her restraint all the better."

'Hopefully, with the twins there, they are enough to pull her back if things go awry.' Maria thought with bemus.e.m.e.nt. 'However, the twins come with their own set of problems.'

"They are going in blind, Ma'am, and with Miss Spencer's injury..."

"That what trials are there for, to learn," Maria stated. "And as for Miss Spencer's injuries, that's a Lumeye problem which she needs to solve herself. She knows that more than anyone else." When Miss Andres was still hesitating. "What are you really trying to say?"

"Your safety is compromised."

"My safety?" Maria Weatherly asked, her voice rising.

"Yes, Ma'am." The young woman swallowed. "I'm worried that we don't have enough people. With the caravan and the trials…"

"Exactly." Maria interrupted. "Neither of us have time for idle chatter. Now get back to work." When Miss Andres hadn't moved fast enough. "Now!"

"Yes, Ma'am." Miss Andres bowed before promptly walked out the door.

"Miss Spencer, I hope you'll find the means to heal yourself, otherwise…" Maria shook her head, thinking about what happened with her assistant. Maria got up, drinking her cup of coffee looking out the window. She wouldn't lie; she felt a small sliver of guilt treating Miss Andres' like that. She knew that her assistant's reasoning was sound, but she had more pressing concerns that weighed on her. "Let's see how this plays out, shall we." Maria felt a smile on her face, and it was predatory.

***

Wastelands

"Ha, watch it, a guy with a bum leg over here." Conner cried out as Lilia and Danial tried to work around him as they cleaned up the camp.

"That didn't seem to bother you last night," Daniel remarked, rubbing the bruise on his face.

"Hmph" the boy looked away in defiance. "I should have returned the favour and pushed you off."

Daniel opened his mouth to argue when Katy came by, putting her hand on his shoulder, shaking her head, before turning to Conner. "Now, no arguing," Katy said, as she pushed some dishes into Conner's hands. "Here, wash these dishes. I don't want to see a speck on them."

Conner g.r.o.a.n.e.d. "Don't you have a wash-bot to take care of this?"

"Yes, you, City boy, now get to work!" Katy gave the boy a stern look.

"I should have stayed on the compound," Conner mumbled, but he complied and began to wash the dishes.

Lilia wanted to ask why he didn't, but then she had to actually to Conner. She

Katy approached Lilia. "The Captain said that we're moving out in a couple of hours, and he wants you to scout beforehand."

"So, hurry up, huh," Lilia stated.

"Yes, please."

"Fine." Lilia g.r.o.a.n.e.d in frustration; her head was killing her, and she just wanted to get some sleep. Even so, there was no use complaining about it. Let's get this done, and she could at least spend some time away from all these people.

Lilia began to hum underneath her breath as she worked. She needed the distraction more than anything else, but she felt someone staring at her after a while.

She looked up and met Conner's eyes, annoyed. "Can you stop?"

"Nope," he said, with a knowing smirk. "You know, I thought you looked familiar, but I would never have guessed that you were so famous."

That made Lilia paused, but only for a moment as she began to load supplies on the sled. 'That was a waste of time. Is he trying to get a rise out of me, then he picked the wrong thing to needle me.'

'I'm used to it already.'

"Ha, did you hear me?" Conner taunted. "You must be her, right. The child musician who went insane, right? Lee was it? There're rumours that Lee was one of the students at Compound 8. You playing the flute threw me off a bit, but there's no mistaking those eyes."

'Yep; her eyes were always a big giveaway.

"What's your problem." Daniel confronted Conner. "She saved your life."

"Ha, can't you take a joke?" Conner's eyes said that he wasn't joking at all. "Answer me!"

Lilia gritted her, but she tried to ignore him for the most part. Though she deeply regrets saving the kid.

"Stop it now." Katy warned, "You're going too far."

"Come on, who can feel safe with a lunatic like her around," Conner smirked, turning to Lilia. "I wonder why you're here, huh? How long, hmm? It can't be long after that incident. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised that your parents threw you away like a broken toy you are, or maybe they sold you off. How much does a high MI child go for hmm?"

Suddenly her hands were around his throat. "Don't talk about my mother like that, you asshole," Lilia growled in his face.

Then Lilia felt hands covering her eyes. "Shh, calm down, he's not worth it," Heather whispered in her ear. "Watch your eyes."

Lilia breathed in and out, trying to calm herself down, before letting go of Conner. "You're right." Heather's arms fell down to Lilia's shoulders, giving her a hug. Lilia patted Heather's arm in reassurance.

As soon as she let go, Conner scrambled away. "You saw that, right? She's a f.u.c.k.i.n.g monster."

"You were provoking her! Jerk face!" Heather's snide back, sticking her tongue at him.

"You…"

"ATTENTION!" Captain Terrance's baritone voice was overpowering, and Lilia's body automatically complied.

Conner began to say, "Sir, Lilia attacked…"

He held up his hand. "No need to explain. I heard everything." Captain Terrance turned to Lilia. "Take a walk."

"Sir?" Lilia asked, bewildered. Wasn't he going to yell at her?

"You have Scouting duties. Go!" Captain Terrance ordered.

"Yes, Sir." Lilia squeezed Heather's hand before heading toward the treeline.

"Ha, what are you doing," Conner shouted.

"As I said, Mr. Tanners, I heard everything, and I would have beaten yours for far less." The Captain sneered. "You not only disrespected a teammate but the Compound who welcomed you. Quite frankly, I'm tired of your bullshit."

She passed Terran and Tessa on the way, with that boy Tyson not far behind. Tessa looked scared, holding onto Terran's arm. Terran's face looked apologetic. The scene was like one of those corny romance books that she read once because she was bored.

She couldn't help but laugh bittersweetly as she picked up the pace, running deeper into the woods. She only stopped when she couldn't sense the camp anymore.

Lilia leaned against a tree. She wanted to kick and scream, but not at Conner, not at anyone really. Just at herself. She lost control; she shouldn't have lost control like that.

Looking down at hands, "Why didn't I tore through his throat?"

*Because you didn't.* Sil voice echoed in her mind. *Lose control, I mean.*

*Yes, but with your strength, you could have easily torn through his throat like tissue paper, but you didn't,* Sil replied. *You might not realize it yet, but you did good.*

*It's not just that,* Lilia argued, covering her eyes. *My eyes changed.*

*And Heather was there to help. Like she was there when you saved Conner. Like Terran was there afterwards. Like you are for them.* Sil advised. *You're not alone.*

*I don't know,* Lilia whispered. *I don't know anymore. I can't think. My mind is all over the place. Maybe I'm just wrong.* Wrong about something not right, wrong that there might be another Lumeye hiding close by. She feels that she wasn't of sound of mind to make any decisions at all.

*Silly girl.* Sil scoffed, then he croaked his head to the side. *Wait, there's something…*

Lilia opened her mouth to respond, but she stepped to the side, just as someone tried to stab her in the back. The man, covered from head to toe, unrecognizable, but Lilia's nose twitched. His scent was all too familiar. He bounced back and sliced at her again. She grabbed his arm and flipped him onto his back, disarming the knife as soon as he hit the ground. Lilia slammed her foot into his c.h.e.s.t as he tried to get back up again.

The clothe around his head became undone on impact.

Tyson looked up at her, not making a sound; Lilia could only laugh. "Really? You too? I don't need this right now."

*Well, at least life's not boring,* Sil remarked, but he too didn't seem to think it was funny.

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