I feel betrayed. Stupid. Tricked.
People are scared. They want a cure for the Plague. If they beat Amon for stealing an apple, what would they do to me to get Thieves Oil? What would they do to my family? Now, I understand why I have been getting suspicious looks around town. People are trying to unravel if I’m the girl from the spice shop. The daughter who might know the truth about an oil that can cure the Plague. Lem bragged about the oil to the wrong people. Of course, he did! And now they will be after me. After my new family. After the Thieves Oil.
Even if I did give it to the city officials or the scavengers it would not be enough. The bottle in my pocket is almost empty. The last bottle is buried in the dirt under the bridge. That’s not enough for the whole city. How did I not see all of this?
“Leave and don’t ever, ever come back,” I thunder to the two boys.
Amon and Clove move to stand next to me. We three are joined against the two of them.
Cal relaxes his body to show he is no threat.
“When that’s all ash and charcoal,” Cal says to Amon, pointing at the fire, “dig a deep hole, push all that in with your boot, and cover it with dirt.”
“Got it,” Amon nods. He answers as if he’s been reprimanded for something. As if he is the one in trouble.
“Then we’ll be going, just as the lady asks,” says Cal. He looks me up and down. For a moment, it looks like he wants to apologize. But he doesn’t. He and Cinn turn and walk up the hill, away from us and our bridge.
I walk back down to the riverbank and throw a rock in the water. Clove comes down and sits on a rock. She continues to hold the cloth over her face. After a while, Amon joins us.
“The fire?” I ask while watching the river.
“It’s dead out now,” Amon says. “I dug a hole and put it deep in just like he told me.”
“Then wash your hands.”
Amon takes some Shanty Town ash and washes his hands in the river.
“Have you seen Lem?” I ask.
“No. Haven’t seen him,” he responds.
“Tell me the truth, Amon.”
“On my grave.” He raises his hand in the air to swear. “I haven’t seen Lem since you and he was at our shack for trading.”
His eyes are true. I believe him. Amon does not have the capacity to lie.
“What’s a Searcher?” I ask.
“Don’t know,” Amon replies.
Again, Amon speaks the truth.
Over the next week we do not see Cal or Cinn. I take Clove with me to beg on the church steps. I keep my head down and my hand out. We “borrow” a fishing rod from a fisherman at the docks for Amon. He catches us fish. Amon takes the fish to Shanty Town and has people cook it for us over their fires. In exchange, we give them a portion of our catch. Clove throws sticks for Dodger to fetch.
I am haunted. The idea of Lem being out there somewhere in the world bothers me. All the days and nights I worried about him. Fearing him to be arrested. Wounded. Dead. How could he not come back? He knew I was here. He knew I needed him. He promised he would take care of me. How could he desert me?
One afternoon at the church, someone whistles at me. It’s Cinn’s whistle. I look down the street and see him leaning against a building. He holds up his hand waving hello. I ignore him. He walks toward me.
“I come in peace,” he says.
“Go away,” I snarl.
“Please Rose, we feel bad,” he says.
“You feel bad?” I snort.
“Listen, we weren’t sure you were Lem’s sister. We weren’t sure about the oil. We just, kind of, thought you might be because you look alike. You’ve got to believe me. You saved me and Cal at the docks. You saved Cal in the street fight. We owe you. We wouldn’t give you to the scavengers,” he says.
“Hi, Cinn,” Clove whispers.
“Ignore him,” I command her.
“But could you really ignore me?” he protests with a sly smile. He is trying to tease us back into friendship.
“Yep,” I say.
“I don’t know,” he says, trying to make us laugh. “Clove, could you ignore this face?”
He sticks out his tongue and scrunches up his eyes. Clove squeals and giggles.
I don’t laugh.
“C’mon, Rose,” he says, walking closer.
“You knew my brother and didn’t tell me. You think that doesn’t hurt?” I protest.
“What hurts less?” Cinn asks. “Thinking he’s dead or knowing he’s alive but not coming back to you?”
Cinn looks sorry for me. “Sometimes it’s better just to think somebody’s dead than to know they left you. I know this for a fact.”
He doesn’t expand on the topic. Now it’s me feeling sorry for him. Cinn has a kind heart. I should remember that, I think to myself. I believe he wouldn’t hurt me.
“What do you want from me?” I ask.
“Nothing. We want nothing. It’s just, it’s better when you are around, Rose.”
“You like my company that much?” I ask.
“Cal and I … we’ve been on our own for a long time now. And we talked about it … when it was the two of us, we could live day to day … but for some reason when we are with you … good things happen. It feels like we might just survive the Plague.”
I roll my eyes at him. He’s trying to get back on my good side with compliments.
“You have to admit, Rose, we are stronger if we are a group,” Cinn says.
I take a minute and size Cinn up. He isn’t wrong. We can protect each other. Feed each other. A group makes sense. He’s not trying to get on my good side. He’s speaking the truth. We just might survive better if we all stick together.
“Come to the bridge tonight,” I say. “Bring food.”
Cinn smiles at this. “We will be there.”
At nightfall, Cinn and Cal walk down the hill under our bridge.
“Hello,” Cal says humbly.
“Hiya,” Amon responds.
“Boys!” Clove squeals and runs to give them a hug. Cinn spins Clove in the air. Cal accepts a hug, although he looks uncomfortable.
“We bring ale and vegetables,” Cal offers.
“Where did you get this?” Amon asks as he takes the vegetables from Cal. There are carrots, potatoes, and a leek.
“Stole them from the docks,” Cinn says. “Nobody will miss them.”
I nod my head, once, in thanks to the boys. Cal nods back. I will not trust them just yet. Cal understands.
“Let’s cut these up,” I say to Clove. I take a sharp rock we have been using as a knife and start to hack the potatoes. Amon takes the carrots and snaps them in two with his big hands. Cal leans down and takes the sharp rock from my hands.
“C’mon, Amon, let’s prep the fire,” says Cinn. Regular-size Cinn and giant Amon walk along the riverbank, collecting twigs and dry grass.
“Let me do the cutting,” Cal offers.
“I can do it,” I say.
“Allow me,” he says. “Please.”
He is looking to make amends. He does not wish to fight with me. I relent and give him the sharp rock.
Cinn and Amon dump their twigs and grass on the ground. They put a circle of rocks around the mound. Then, on top, they place a large flat stone they found in the river. When they have a suitable pile, Cal takes the two rocks from his pocket and strikes them together. Sparks fly. Soon the wood catches fire. The flat stone dries quickly with the heat of the fire. Cal puts the vegetables on the stone and uses it as a cooktop for the food.
“Come on, Dodger. Come here, boy!” Clove calls. Cinn whistles for him. Dodger runs up the hill. “Good boy,” Amon says when Dodger is by his side.
We all sit in a circle by the fire. Watching our supper cook. I have a question I’m dying to have answered.
“Lem is a Searcher?” I ask Cal.
Amon and Clove look as interested as I am.
“I think so,” Cal responds as he pokes the food to ensure it doesn’t burn.
“What’s a Searcher?” I ask.
“Searchers go into plague houses and check to see if people are dead,” Cal says.
“What makes you think Lem is a Searcher?”
“I heard rumors on the streets,” Cal says, embarrassed. “Before you and I, well, before we all met.”
“Why would he be a Searcher?”
“Lem?” Cal says. “I suppose, if the scavengers brushed him off because he’s out of that fancy oil, well, he wouldn’t have many choices of how to survive on the streets.”
“Why wouldn’t he come back for me?”
“That, I don’t know.”
“Tell me something you do know,” I say.
“I know we are all hungry,” he says. “And I know having that bottle of oil in your pocket puts you in danger. People will do anything to survive the Plague.”