As Kenya and Kane shuffled into Netty’s kitchen followed by the rest of the inseparable group—Chloe, Scotty, Echo, and Barney—Caesar poked his head into the room. Chloe gave him a quick pat on the head as Scotty ran for the ubiquitous tiger’s water dish. All hungry voices waiting for dinner stopped as Kane lowered Kenya with her big belly into a chair that had been specially made for her. Netty and Abby came rushing over. Abby knelt at Kenya’s chair, her arms around the distressed teen, while Netty stood stoically, an unreadable expression in her eyes.
“Oh, you poor sweet child. How in the world did you get to the fields today? I thought we agreed you would stay off your feet? What if something happened? You need to stick close to us.”
Kenya rolled her eyes at Abby, her voice impatient. “I’m about going crazy here, chickey. This baby doesn’t wanta come. And I feel healthy as all get out. I can’t just sit around all day. I’m gunna go nuts. I want to be with my friends if this damn baby is going to give me such a hard time. Have you figured out something to get it out of me yet?” Kenya swiveled her head around to see Netty watching her. She glanced down to see the winged woman quietly wringing her hands.
“What the f’ing Lord is the matter with me? Netty, I know you know something. Why hasn’t my baby come?” A slow rise of hysteria sounded in her voice.
Johno detached himself from his seat at the table next to Crystal, who reached out to drag him back. “Johnny, you know you ain’t gunna be able to do anything. Why do ya even bother?”
Johno gave her a gentle quiet motion with his hands and knelt down in front of the anguished teen. He took her hand in his, calmly stroking in a methodic fashion. “Shhhh. There you go, little Miss Kenya. Now we have all been through this before. Do you think anything has changed since yesterday?” Kenya looked into his impassive eyes, finding a calm reassurance. She took a breath, ready to expel all the pent up emotion from the inconvenience of lugging her big belly around all day. The steady pressure of his stroking soothed her. All that came out of her mouth was a whimper.
“But, I . . .” She sniffed.
“Shhhh, I know. We all know, young lady.” He continued to stroke her arm, not taking his eyes off her face. “Why don’t I have Miss Salina fix up some of that special tea you like?” Kenya’s mouth opened, then glumly closed again. She hung her head and whispered, “I don’t know how much more I can take, Johno. I want to have a normal life.”
Kane’s hand found its way to the back of her neck. Her head fell to the side as she enjoyed the sensation of his work-worn fingers kneading her muscles. She managed to fit in a quick grateful smile, never one not to reward her admirers. Turning, she gave her attention back to Johno, whom she could tell was deadly serious, her histrionics clearly wearing down even the most patient man in the Hive.
“You will take exactly as much as it takes. This baby is the most important thing in the Hive. Apart from the animals,” he added quickly. “It doesn’t help the situation when we spend so much of our time beating up Wil and Netty because you haven’t had the baby yet.”
Kenya rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t gunna say anything.”
Johno hung his head as the rest of the crowd broke out in laughter because they all knew Kenya would do just that. She did it every day and would probably do it again tomorrow. The ritual was common place, but becoming tiresome.
Salina slid a cup of tea toward the teen, agitation on her face. “Johno, don’t be so rough on her. She’s just a baby herself.”
“I ain’t no baby, Miss Salina. Me and my baby can take darn good care of ourselves. And as soon as we get outa this place, Chloe and me are taking the baby and going back to Sarasota.” Kenya’s eyes broadcast the belligerence of youth as she followed Salina’s figure back to a seat next to Clyde, her arm slipping around his with easy familiarity. “And Kane’s coming too, aren’t you, chickey?” She gave him a beguiling smile as Captain Cobby’s voice rang out from his position at the head of a table next to the adoring Karen.
“My son isn’t going anywhere, let alone back to Sarasota. Can somebody talk some sense into this girl? It’s been six months, more or less. We know from Echo and Baby that the Earth is full of poisons now.”
At the mention of their names, Echo and Baby tottered over to Cobby and stroked and prodded his face, their long leathery fingers soft and loving. He reached out to give the two minions quick hugs.
So much had changed in the six months since their hasty flight during the onset of Armageddon. The minions had begun to express themselves to many of the survivors, to their delight. It was considered an honor if Baby or Echo chose to single you out for attention.
*
As Johno tried to calm Kenya out of her daily crying jag over the fact she was still carrying her unborn child in her belly five months after her due date, Netty backed away from the crowd to search for Wil. Joining the animals by the fireplace, she lowered herself to the floor, exchanging a tense glance with Wil, burdened with meaning.
She quickly smiled as Bonnie welcomed her to join Chance and the dogs who were in their usual frolicking abandon, hoping the exuberant young lady hadn’t noticed their exchange.
She pulled a fully grown Barney onto her lap, the happy dog not taking his eyes off Echo, who was working her way over to the fireplace after greeting her favorite people with Baby. Netty scanned the room, noticing the handsome vitality in the crowd.
No longer did the women sport wrinkles or gray hair. No chubby waistlines or ponderous energy levels due to the drain of obesity or chemical-laced food of a progressive population. No diabetes, asthma, allergies or headaches; just buoyant perfect health that they all attributed to the unusual food they ate.
And with perfect health came animal attraction to the other sex. Why not? They were living and working in close quarters. The adults looked younger than they had in ten years. It was only natural and helped pass the time. Many of the new couples had long discarded the secret nature of their budding romances and moved into quarters they could share together, announcing carefully to all that they were a couple.
Netty took in the happy black and white faces of Gloria and Billy, the trucker who no longer toted an inhaler everywhere. Gloria danced her days away, her work a joy, her diabetes gone with the emergence of a strikingly beautiful and youthful figure. And now she had the love of a man who thought she walked on water. What more could she ask for? Even her cache of mice was breeding up a storm, having been relegated to the growing fields to live their lives naturally.
The lean and surly Crystal with her momma pig, Tulip, could be found perpetually nagging at Johno. He, who had fast become a voice of reason in the early days of the frantic adjustments they all were forced to make. Who else could have turned the opinionated and critical Crystal into a quiet and simpering woman in love? Netty acquiesced to the adage that opposites really did attract.
The kids had paired up early. Scotty had Chloe, and Kenya had Kane, although since she had not delivered the baby, Netty could sense Kane’s patience wearing thin. She had not failed to notice the tentative knowing smiles Emma and Kane tossed to each other when they thought no one was in the area. With a sigh, she prayed Kane would continue to support Kenya until she adjusted to her new reality, but knowing of the angry demeanor of Johno’s man, Elias, after having been discarded by Emma, she thought Bonnie’s sister was walking a thin line. It had only been five months since she’d cut him out of her life and he still appeared unwilling to accept the fact. Could be that they had some trouble brewing with the kids.
Ginger Mae had blossomed beyond all anticipation. The scars on her face had completely disappeared. Her bleached hair grew in, disclosing the blonde was really a brunette. When she’d decided to crop the blond ends of her hair, she was adorned with an elegant short pixie that left her closely resembling the old Hollywood movie star, Audrey Hepburn. She had also developed quite a deep bond with the cats and elephants. Netty guessed her favorite must be the matriarch, Tobi. But then the great gray goliath was everyone’s favorite, wasn’t she? Tobi’s sensitive nature and remarkable intuitiveness to all that was animal and human made her a great comfort and distraction.
Netty glanced over to Ginger Mae to see her holding court with her remarkable daughter, Daisy, at her side. Dezi was horsing around with Bonnie, who had slipped over to join the hilarity coming from their table.
What surprising buddies they had turned out to be; bonding tightly with the responsibility of caring for the little piglet, Chance, who would have perished without their loving care. Who knew the irrepressible and cocky smart alec would develop into such a reliable caretaker of a piglet?
Chance was the only one of the litter that was allowed to come into the kitchen. He followed Bonnie around as if she were his mother. And if you tried to separate Chance from Dezi, the piglet made such a squalling that no one could bear it. Caesar was none too fond of the noisy piglet himself. So trying to tether him in the corridor with the big tiger had not been a solution. Besides, Chance clearly preferred the company of Echo, Baby and the dogs at dinner time.
“Yikes, let go of my arm, Dezi.” Bonnie choked on her laughter as Dezi got her in a headlock.
“Are you going to sweep the floors in the men’s dorm like you promised?”
“I don’t remember saying that.” Bonnie reached under his arms to try to tickle her way to a release.
“You don’t remember the deal we made for my spice loaf in exchange for the chore? Babe, I’m gunna have to spank you. Maybe it will help you remember.”
Turning the tables on her, Dezi reached down to tickle her, getting a shriek for his efforts. Daisy reached over to join the melee.
Netty turned her attention back to Wil, who was watching the elephant keepers arm wrestle at their table. Abby scurried around them, her arms stacked with plates as she attempted to finish setting the tables for dinner. Her tail accidentally brushed one of the wrestlers, causing him to lose his concentration and inadvertently bump a dish to the floor with a clatter. The entire room broke out with laughter and claps. Kimir stood on his chair to watch the unlucky victim of Salina’s anger at the broken plate cringe under her admonishing glare.
“Gentlemen, if you insist on behaving like boys, I will have to send you to bed without dinner. One more broken plate and I will . . . I’ll . . . hmmm.” Her unlined face lit up. “I will make you wash the ladies’ laundry for a week.” The men booed and hissed at the offending keeper who had broken the plate.
“Wil,” Netty whispered to get his attention away from the good-natured brawl that was sure to develop between the keepers and Salina. She heard a shriek as one of them picked Salina up off her feet and swung her around, depositing her on the counter near the sink.
Wil turned his attention back to Netty, the smile in his eyes disappearing as he sobered at the fright in her expression.
“Don’t worry so much, Netty. It’s going to be okay.”
“I don’t know how you can say that.” Exasperation spat her hisses out like a gun shot. “We need to have a plan, an explanation that will keep them all calm.”
Wil reached for her hands. Looking straight into her eyes he asked, “Why don’t we just give them the truth?”
She recoiled at the suggestion, jerking her hands from his to worry over her flaxen hair that had tangled in her wing. “You know we can’t do that. How do you tell that to Kenya? The poor girl is frightened and upset enough as it is. Some women might consider killing themselves when they hear news like that. You don’t understand, Wil. We need to do this in small doses.” Her voice became more than a whisper, drawing the attention of Baby by the fireplace. As he joined them, his aura pierced their mind.
“Sister, Brother, change is coming.” From afar, Echo called to Barney, her aura lapping over Baby’s. Barney ran to Echo who wrapped her arms around her furry love.
Scotty looked up at Netty and Wil, as if he had also heard Baby’s pronouncement. From the corner of the room, Peter sat alone, watching and saying nothing as the innocent survivors, oblivious in their pleasure with one another and the good health they enjoyed, happily played on.