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Jason awoke the next morning with a start. As his eyes opened and he realized that the torches had been lit and people were moving around the cave, he panicked at the thought of Mu-Monk being discovered, but the monkey was nowhere to be found.
Had it been a crazy dream brought on by the high stress of the past week? It certainly had a dreamlike quality, especially the frustration he'd felt when Mu-Monk had refused to leave his side. The thought of it having been only a dream left him feeling more depressed than before until he sat up and found a few coarse hairs clinging to his shirt where Mu-Monk had slept. He brushed the hairs off before anyone saw them. He glanced around to see if he could find Mu-Monk's hiding place, but other than the hair, there was no sign of his late night visitor.
Knowing that his little friend was hiding out there in the dark shadows of the Pipes gave a renewed glow to the day. Jason found an extra spring to this step as he stood up and began his morning ritual of jogging in place and stretching. He had started the routine the day after being moved. He figured if he didn't do something to stay in shape, he would be useless to himself when the opportunity to escape came around. Several of the kids teased him the first couple of days, but he ignored their comments. By now, it had become as much a part of the family's morning routine as the lighting of the torches and fetching water from the large storage vat for the strong hot brew everyone drank with their morning gruel.
Jason was on his second set of push-ups when he found himself looking at the only other pair of adult feet around. He followed the feet up past the slim ankles, by the gentle curves of muscular calves and thighs that blended into the trim, shapely waist. It was as far as he could see without straining his neck, so he stopped his push-ups and moved to a kneeling position.
"You seem in good spirits this morning," Seattle said as she handed him a cup of the steaming brew.
"Yes, I guess I am," Jason replied as he took the cup from her and blew across its surface.
"Any particular reason?" Seattle asked.
"No, not really. I just had a good night’s sleep." Jason sipped on the hot liquid and tried not to make a face. As Seattle turned to leave, he lowered the cup and asked, "Could we talk for a minute?"
Seattle returned to just outside the perimeter of the semi-circle and sat down, hugging her knees close to her. "About anything in particular?" she asked.
"No, not really. I just feel like talking," Jason replied, then added, "Any idea what you're going to do with me?"
"Do with you?" Seattle repeated, a confused look on her face. "What's there to do?"
"You mean this is it?" Jason said, dismayed by the thought that he might be doomed to a life of dish washing and nothing else.
"Well, yes, what else would you suggest?" Seattle replied.
"I don't know. It's just..." Jason stopped, not sure what else to say. After a moment, he decided to try a different approach. "Why don't you tell me a little more about your little group here. How did you all come together, and what do you do all day long?"
Seattle pondered the questions for several seconds before answering. "As the mother of this family, I do have the right to answer your questions, but I'm not sure I can trust you with the information."
Jason chuckled as he held out his right arm with the thick chain hanging from his wrist. "What's there to trust? Who could I possibly tell?"
Seattle nodded. "Good point. I guess there's no harm in telling you a little about us. We come from different places, but our origins are pretty similar. Each of us is the product of parents who attempted to have their own children and raise them without the Patriarchy's or the ULC's knowledge or interference and found out how nearly impossible it is to do. One by one, they heard stories about the children of the Pipes. Most of the parents didn't know if the stories were true or merely myths fabricated over the years to give such parents hope.
"Eventually, when life became too hard or the Patriarchy was about to find out about their illegal child, they would come to the borders of the Pipes. Some were brought only by their mother; others remember both of their parents bringing them. Sometimes the two parents argued, torn by their love for their child, yet unable to see any other way to save them."
Seattle paused, tears glistening in her eyes. After a moment, she took a deep breath and continued. "For some, they were left at an age too young to remember. Others remember being abandoned. Those memories are permanently etched in their minds. No doubt you've heard some of the children cry out during the night as they relive those nightmares."
She paused again, hugging her knees as though they were one of her kids. She looked into Jason's eyes and smiled, but the look on her face was one of sadness. "A part of what we spend our days doing is traveling around the border of the Pipes looking for abandoned children. We have to do it often to have any chance of finding them alive. Wild animals, monstrously large rats, wild dog and cats, and wild animals of the two-legged variety also hunt for the abandoned children."
The two of them stared at each other, lost in their own thoughts. As Jason studied the fine lines of Seattle's face, he saw his captor in a new light. What an extraordinary woman, he thought. I've never met anyone like her. Certainly, not anyone since his own mother, who was no more than a sliver of a memory all but lost through the years.
Strange, he thought. It's almost an honor to be held captive by such a person. He found the thought disorienting and confusing. Mad, really. She was holding him against his will, threatening his life if he tried to escape, feeding him the barest of sustenance. True enough, another voice replied, but it's the same sustenance that she and her entire family eats. They are sharing their meager resources with you openly. Who on the surface would do the same?
But I'm being held against my will, he countered. That's inhumane. It's...
She's protecting what is most important to her, the voice interrupted—her family. She's been able to save this small band of kids. I wonder how many more she found too late, their bodies ravaged by wild animals or abused by the cruelty of other men. Would you not do whatever was necessary to protect those that you've fought so hard to save? Jason had no answer to the question. He couldn't think of anything in his life for which he had fought so hard or anyone who was that important to him.
He reached out and gently touched Seattle's hand where she rested it on her leg. She flinched at his touch but didn't move away.
––––––––
LATER IN THE EVENING, shortly before lights out, Seattle returned, again bringing Jason a cup of water. She sat outside the circle and didn't speak for several minutes as Jason sipped on his nightcap, wishing for some of Casey's Ambrosia.
"Your earring," Seattle suddenly said, startling Jason so that he spilled some of his water.
"Yes?" Jason prompted when she didn't say anything else.
"Tinker finds it interesting. He told me about it. Tinker loves anything mechanical or technical."
"I would hardly call an earring either of those," Jason replied.
Seattle shrugged. "Could I see it for a moment? It does come off, doesn't it?"
Jason nodded. Putting the cup down, he reached up and undid the clasp, then threaded the gold stud through the flesh of his earlobe until the earring dropped into his hand.
"Some people find them uncomfortable to sleep in so they take them off at night. You're not supposed to but people do it anyway," Jason said as he handed it to Seattle. "I rarely take mine of. It's just become a part of my body."
Taking a small flashlight out of the pouch she wore around her waist, she examined the earring closely, finally asking, "Would you mind if I borrowed it overnight? I promise to return it in the morning."
It was Jason's turn to shrug. "Be my guest. I wouldn't try wearing it to the surface though. The first time you try to pass through a public conveyance or enter a public building, they'll run a data match to confirm ownership. When it doesn't match, you'll be tagged within seconds, and the boys in gray will be paying you a visit.”
Seattle nodded. "Yes, I understand, but don't worry. I'm not planning to use it. I just want Tinker to take a closer look at it. He'll be very careful." She started to rise, then stopped. "Thanks." She stood up and walked away, disappearing behind the brightly colored drapes. In a few minutes, one of the kids fetched Tinker, who joined her in her private area.
Jason continued to stare in that direction until he finally fell asleep. He awoke later in the evening to find Mu-Monk curled up beside him. Jason rubbed behind the monkey's ear, then fell back to sleep.