“I didn’t…” Jason started.
“If you utter another word,” Rein interrupted, “I’ll finish the job.”
Jason snapped his mouth shut.
“I’ll catch you up to speed,” Rein said to Eric as he poured water from the basin Ellyssa had used into a bucket. Rein’s low voice carried over as he mopped up the blood off the stony ground with Eric.
Mathew approached Ellyssa. “Let me have a look at your injury,” he said.
Ellyssa blinked in surprise. She’d forgotten all about Jason sticking her.
“What? You didn’t think I’d noticed?” He took her by the back of her arm and led her over to his chair. He pulled apart the ripped fabric, exposing a small gash.
“I had forgotten about it.”
“It’s not deep.” Mathew swabbed ointment on it and applied a bandage. “I want to apologize,” he said, patting her knee.
“No need.”
“No, there is. You’re my friend, and I doubted what happened. I’m sorry.”
“I understand.”
“That doesn’t excuse my behavior,” Mathew stated, moving toward Candy. He pulled a penlight from his pocket and shone the light into Candy’s eye.
“Hey! What the hell,” she said, her voice drawn and tired. “I was sleeping.” She batted his hand away.
“I have to make sure you don’t have a concussion.” He repeated the process, against her objections. “Good,” he said, smiling. “You’re going to be fine, but in the morning, you’ll have a headache.”
Candy grumbled something and turned to her side.
“It’s a mistake that won’t happen again,” Mathew said to Ellyssa, slipping the penlight back into his pocket. “Why don’t you help Rein?”
On the way to where Rein and Eric knelt, sopping up blood, Ellyssa grabbed a small pail and filled it with fresh water. She squatted next to them. “Here.”
“It’ll be days before the stain wears away,” Rein said, dipping the rag into the clean water.
Ellyssa glanced at the pool of red that Rein and Eric had managed to smear around. She didn’t want to have to look at the stain for the remaining time she slept there; it would remind her of all that’d transpired, remind her how fragile friendships were. “Yes, I know.”
Then, she thought about Jordan. Neither Rein nor Mathew knew about their beloved leader. Should she tell them?
After a quick debate, she leaned back onto her heels. “I have something to tell you and Mathew.”
“Doc already knows,” Eric stated.
Rein looked from him to Mathew. “Knows what?”
Mathew’s face fell. “I was coming to tell you, when…” He swept his hand in an arc.
“Knows what?” Rein repeated.
“Jordan.” He didn’t elaborate. The look of sadness told the story.
Rein glanced at Ellyssa, his face questioning.
Ellyssa’s stared back at him. What were the right words to tell someone when a loved one died? What was she supposed to do? Comfort? She knew Woody had made her feel better, but her feelings for the dead leader were nothing compared to Rein’s, who’d been raised by Jordan. Something told her she should try though, that the response was right, but instead, she sat there, stupidly. The words were all wrong. She swallowed the consolations down and nodded instead.
The towel Rein had been holding dropped to the floor. Unshed tears glistening in his eyes, he stood and left the room without a word.
As the padding of his shoes disappeared down the passageway, Mathew pulled her close, circling his arm around her shoulder. “Go, talk to him,” he said.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“There are no right words. Just be there for him. That’s all you can do. Woody told me that’s what you did for him.”
“Woody?” she asked, surprised. “He was the one who helped me.”
“Did he?”
She thought he’d helped her with feeling her first true loss, the profound sadness, but maybe they had helped each other. A moment shared between two people who had needed comfort.
She went after Rein.
Holding the music box, Rein sat in silence inside Jordan’s holey. He watched as the little dancers twirled to the harmony, forever caught in an eternal embrace. No threat of blond police coming to destroy the only home they’d ever known. No death.
He envied the figurines.
His chest felt hollow. He wanted to scream in anger, bash things, break stuff. He wanted to cry. Nothing came. Empty, he was drowning in a sea of loss.
The emptiness lessened when he thought of Ellyssa. Her soft skin, the scent of her hair. He filled with warmth and yearning…and with love. Then guilt followed for his mind wandering from Jordan.
A vicious cycle feeding itself.
“Can I come in?” Woody asked, pushing the tattered curtain aside.
Rein preferred to be alone, but he scooted over, affording the room. Woody crawled inside and sat with his back toward the entrance.
“I never had the chance to say goodbye,” Rein said.
Woody patted his shoulder. “He knew how you felt.”
“I know.” Tears stung his eyes; he blinked. “It’s just, without his guidance…” He glanced at Woody. “I guess Doc told you guys.”
“About the search parties? Yes.”
“We’ll have to prepare the group.” He sighed, looking down at the whirling figurines. He wished he knew the right steps to take. “What’re we going to do?”
“Survive. Just like we’ve always done.” Woody lowered his head to catch Rein’s attention. “Hey. You know what to do; we both do.”
“Did the others—you know—take it well?”
“They knew it was coming.”
Rein nodded, understanding. Jordan’s failing health hadn’t been a secret. “What about you? How are you doing?”
“I said my goodbye.”
“Our little family keeps getting smaller and smaller.”
Woody reached over and folded Rein’s fingers around the music box. “He would want you to have that.”
“But…”
“You always appreciated it more than I did.”
Finally, the tears stinging Rein’s eyes slid down his cheeks. “Thank you.”
“Rein?”
Ellyssa’s soft voice surprised him. He hadn’t heard the echo of footsteps down the rocky path. Her prowess as a soldier, he was sure.
Woody gave him a sad smile, before he flipped over. “Here, let me out.”
Ellyssa stepped back and Woody crawled into the tunnel. Before he left, he ducked down, eye level with Rein. “We’ll be fine.”
“I know.” Rein said the words, but didn’t really believe them. All that lay before his little community—his family—was an undetermined future. It was up to him to make sure they were all safe. His responsibility, because he was the one who had led the enemy to their door. “Would you call together a council meeting for tomorrow, after lunch?”
“Of course.” Woody squeezed Ellyssa’s hand once before leaving. Apparently, she and his best friend had reached an understanding.
Ellyssa hovered outside of the holey, as Woody’s shoes scraped across moist rock. The sight of her warmed his heart; her hair reflected yellow from the fluorescent bulbs, her sky-blue eyes wide with concern, her face saddened.
Rein wiped away the tears and offered her a sad smile. “Please, come in.”
Ellyssa crawled into the cramped space and sat on her heels. For a few moments, neither of them said anything as the figures danced within their glass dome. Finally, the music slowed, then stopped.
“What’s that?”
“Jordan’s music box.”
Her full lips shaped a small O. “It’s beautiful.”
Despite the sorrow weighing in his chest like an anchor, he grinned at the wonder on her face. “Yes, it is. It belonged to Jordan’s mother. The only thing she brought that wasn’t an essential. It’s Mozart, but he can’t remember the piece.”