After Jeremy stopped looking back out the window, he just started looking at the view straight down. Gradually, the terrain became hilly. Once he got bored looking out the window, he turned and picked up a magazine in a pocket on the wall in front of him. The magazine was published by the airline. Most of the articles were about activities and sightseeing at various locations. Most of these locations were in the RSNA, such as Kansas City, Baltimore, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Detroit, the Black Hills, and Louisville. Some were in states not within the RSNA, such as Chicago and Denver. Others were places in foreign countries, such as Rome, Paris, and London. There was even an article about a place called the Maldives . Jeremy read the article about Louisville with interest. He learned about a horse race there, which touted itself as the most popular horse race in the world, called the Kentucky Derby. Otherwise, he just leafed through the magazine, reading bits and pieces throughout. But mostly, he was trying to avoid eye contact with Corporal Hudson. Jeremy felt nervous about having a military man sitting next to him.
Corporal Hudson finally broke the ice. “Hi! My name is Wes Hudson.” He greeted Jeremy with his arm extended.
Jeremy instinctively shook hands with the corporal and replied, not wanting to reveal too much about himself, “I’m Jeremy.”
“Pleased to meet you. I live in West Des Moines and am going home on furlough.”
“Hi,” replied Jeremy rather curtly.
“Anyway, I always am eager to fly back to Iowa. I haven’t seen my folks in months. And it will be good to see all my old favorite haunts too.”
Jeremy frowned. Here this man was saying he had not seen his parents in months. Jeremy was not sure he would ever see his parents again.
Noticing Jeremy’s discomfort, Wes changed his approach. “Have you ever been to Des Moines?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Well, if you get a chance, there are some good things to see. Try going to the arboretum, Living History Farms, or perhaps the local zoo. You might enjoy going to the state capital and watching the RSNA government in session.”
“Sounds interesting. Is there anything else you like to do there?”
“I think I might go take in a Des Moines Oaks game. Who knows? Maybe some of their players will be in the nationwide professional baseball league that they are starting next year.”
“Do you like baseball?”
“Sure do. I have enjoyed watching all kinds of sports since I was a kid. Played a little baseball in high school. But my favorite sport was football.”
Jeremy could picture this muscular-looking man being a football player. Deciding he was on a safe subject, Jeremy replied, “I am a baseball man myself. I played for my high school’s sophomore baseball team last spring. Hoped to make the varsity team this year.”
“Good for you. What position did you play?”
“Third base more than anything. But our coach liked to shift players around to different positions. So I got to try a little bit of everything.”
“I usually played infield during the pickup games we had when I was in high school. But more often I would be in the weight lifting room, staying in shape for football season.”
“What do you think of the new baseball league that is being formed?”
“I just wish the Chicago Cubs, my old favorite team, was getting in on this league. But the current league rules say only cities in the RSNA may participate. Hopefully, Illinois will join soon. Then maybe the Cubs will be back.”
“I don’t remember anything about another baseball league.”
“It was pretty neat. Teams from all over the country, and even one team in Canada, competed. Those teams formed some big rivalries. The Chicago Cubs were always fierce rivals with the St. Louis Cardinals. Out on the West Coast, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants had a big rivalry. Back east, the rivalry between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox could get really intense.”
“It must have been exciting.”
“It was. Then came the dissolution. When the federal government collapsed, the major professional sports leagues, baseball, football, basketball, hockey, they all folded. In fact, just about all organized sports folded. The high schools and colleges were too tied up trying to keep their operations in line. At least in Iowa, most of them did. By the time I got to high school, varsity sports were becoming popular again.”
“It will probably all be back once the states are reunited.”
Wes agreed. Then the subject switched over to football. Wes told Jeremy about how he had played center for his high school football team. Then they talked about the new RSNA-wide college football arrangement that was being played for the first time this year. Being stationed in Maryland, Wes admitted he was getting caught up in all the hype about Maryland’s football team but that he was really hoping that Drake would win the championship, just so an Iowa school would win. That gave Jeremy an idea of where Drake was located. Though he was starting to like Wes, Jeremy was content to let Wes do most of the talking. Jeremy still felt too nervous to say much.
After a few hours, Jeremy could feel the airplane begin to descend. He knew that they must be getting close to Des Moines. After the plane touched down, it taxied around for a while, making several stops. Then the airplane just stopped, far away from any buildings but alongside several other airplanes. Jeremy soon realized that getting to the gate in Des Moines was taking longer than the takeoff in Baltimore. After about forty-five minutes, the airplane started moving again. Once he finally got a view of the terminal, he realized that this airport was much smaller than Baltimore’s. A flurry of construction at both ends of the terminal indicated that this airport was expanding. Jeremy also noticed that the airplanes were considerably more crowded around the terminal than in Baltimore.
“This kind of thing happens when an airport gets more traffic than it can handle,” sighed Wes as the airplane maneuvered its way toward the terminal. “I’ll be glad when that construction gets done.”
Finally, the plane pulled up to a gate and stopped. The pilot announced over the speaker that they had arrived. Jeremy was glad to get this landing over with. The long wait had made him impatient. He was also anxious to continue with his day. Jeremy felt that the other passengers probably felt the same way.
“Nice meeting you,” said Wes, shaking Jeremy’s hand again as he stood up to deplane. Jeremy just sat and smiled at Wes. At least Wes turned out to be a nice guy who had made this flight a little less boring.
After most of the passengers had left the plane, Yvette appeared from the front cabin. “Let’s go!” she announced with a smile. “There are people outside are waiting for you.”
Jeremy got up. Yvette escorted him out of the airplane, through a tunnel into the terminal, then down a concourse, which Jeremy noticed was much shorter than the concourses in Baltimore. At the end of the concourse, they turned toward the main part of the terminal. Jeremy also noticed a long line of people waiting to get to the concourses. In front of the line, it looked like some people were being inspected. Jeremy wondered what that was all about.
A short distance further, they walked up to two men and two women standing together.
“Hi! This is Jeremy Voorhies, your new guest,” said Yvette as they approached the four people. All four of them smiled at Jeremy.
The person on the right, a man with thinning white hair who was wearing overalls, shook Jeremy’s hand and introduced himself as Bernie Williams. The next person, a gray-haired woman wearing blue jeans and a light beige sweatshirt, shook Jeremy’s hand and told him her name was Mary Riess. The third person, an average-size woman with brown hair that was slightly graying, wearing casual blue pants and a light blue sweater, shook Jeremy’s hand and introduced herself as Connie Peterson. Finally, the leftmost person, a lanky young man with dark brown hair, wearing blue jeans and a blue sweatshirt with the words “Drake Bulldogs” in white lettering, shook Jeremy’s hand. He introduced himself as Don Carpenter.
The four people led Jeremy downstairs toward the terminal exit. Bernie Williams did the most talking, saying that he would be staying in a dormitory-like building until better living arrangements could be found. There were about twenty other people staying there. The majority, like Jeremy, were by themselves, though they had two couples and one family of four. Meals would be provided, along with necessary transportation. Rules were quite lenient, mainly to respect the rights of the other people there and to observe bedtime and wake-up time.
Jeremy asked if there would be any leisure time. Bernie assured Jeremy that he would probably get plenty of leisure time. His main obligations were to attend school, do his homework, and help out around the dormitory. Then Bernie said that the building had a TV room, a music room, an exercise room, and a study room. Snack items were often available in the kitchen.
As they stepped outside, toward the parking garage, Jeremy asked if he would be confined to the premises. Bernie replied that he would certainly not. If Jeremy wanted to use some of his spare time to leave the facilities, he could certainly do so. He pointed out that there was a shopping mall nearby, and he could go over there if he wanted to. If he wanted to work at a job, that would be fine. Or if he just wanted to partake in some activity outside the compound, he could.
The group went up an elevator in the parking garage, then headed out toward the parked cars. Jeremy had never seen so many parked cars packed into one area before. When they got to a bluish-green minivan with three rows of seats, Don got out some keys and unlocked the doors. Don took the driver’s seat, with Connie sitting in the front seat next to him. Bernie and Jeremy took the middle seat, while Mary sat by herself in back.
Meanwhile, Jeremy and Bernie kept talking. Jeremy asked if he could attend a Des Moines Oaks game. Don piped up and said he would gladly take Jeremy. Bernie assured Jeremy that he could attend those games, and yes, Don would be happy to take him. If he wanted to even leave town, he could. If he wanted to have dinner with a friend, that would be fine. He was welcome to participate in any sports or activities at his new school. Bernie pointed out that because he and the rest of the workers at the house were responsible for him, he just needed to keep them informed of what he was doing.
While chatting with Bernie, Jeremy also took notice of the things around him. Don turned right as they exited the airport property and soon came to a road called Army Post Road. When Don turned left on that road, Jeremy became a bit apprehensive. He wondered why this road was called Army Post Road and if that had anything to do with where he was staying.
Jeremy’s apprehensions increased when, after a couple of miles, they came across a compound of buildings surrounded by a hurricane fence. The buildings were mostly red. When they arrived at a gate, Connie got out of the minivan, unlocked the gate, and opened it, enabling the minivan to pass through. Then Connie closed the gate, locked it, and got back in the minivan. Don drove them up to one of the buildings in the middle of the complex. To Jeremy, this hardly seemed like a place where one could come and go as he pleased!
Jeremy began to feel better when they walked through the main door of the building, into the spacious, well-lit TV room. Comfortable easy chairs and a couch were tastefully spaced around the walls, which were decorated with pictures depicting nature scenes such as forests, meadows, and mountains. The royal blue, slightly worn carpet provided another degree of comfort. Two men were seated in chairs watching the TV in the corner of the room. This certainly looked more inviting than the halfway house in Virginia!
Bernie instructed Don to take Jeremy to his room. Don led Jeremy out a door in the back of the TV room. Nearby was a stairway. The two men walked up three flights of stairs and through a door that opened to a long hallway. Doors, about equally spaced, lined both walls. They walked past a few doors, stopping at a door on the left side of the hallway, numbered “407.” Don took three keys out of his pocket, using one to unlock the door.
While the hallway reminded Jeremy somewhat of the halfway house in Richmond, the room was nothing like that awful place. This room was well-lit, with light blue walls and a window on the far wall. Beneath the window was a small, round table with a lamp. On opposite sides of the table were two chairs with blue plastic seats and backs, with steel legs and steel supports for the chair backs. On the right side of the room was a single bed. On the left was a rack nearly full of empty hangers and a brown wooden dresser. Above the dresser was a picture of a deer standing peacefully at the edge of a forest.
Don handed Jeremy the three keys. “This is your room key; this is the key to the back door of the house; and this one is to the back gate,” said Don, holding up each key in turn.
“So that’s how I get to come and go as I please,” thought Jeremy when Don showed him the third key.
Then Don gave Jeremy some more instructions. “The restrooms and showers are just a few more doors down the hallway. Your dresser already has some towels and toiletries. This is the single men’s floor. You can come to this floor or the main floor as much as you like. But do not go onto the second floor or the third floor unless you are with a resident of that floor. The third floor is for single women, the second for families. Do you have any questions?”
“Well, I can think of one right away. What am I supposed to do now?”
“Oh, just come on down and relax. Watch TV, listen to some music, or go to the exercise room. There is a study room if you want to use it. We also have some board games if you are interested. Of course, you are always welcome to help yourself to a snack. Mary will take you out later to buy you some clothes.”
With nothing better to do, Jeremy walked back out of the room with Don, locked the door behind him, and went with him back to the main floor. He joined the two men watching TV while Don left through a different door in the back of the TV room. They were watching a documentary about ancient Roman history. Jeremy knew little about ancient Rome, since most of his history lessons back in Virginia had taught about the United States, particularly about Virginia, from General Krakowski’s viewpoint. Jeremy was impressed that one city could control such a massive empire. He wondered if the success of the Roman Empire had anything to do with delusions like General Krakowski’s.
After about twenty minutes, Mary Riess appeared in the door that Don Carpenter had left through. “We need to get to the thrift shop before it closes,” she told Jeremy. Obediently, Jeremy got up and walked out the front door with Mary, where the minivan was waiting.
Mary took the driver’s seat, while Jeremy got in the front passenger’s seat. Mary drove to the front gate, where she got out of the van, unlocked the gate, got back in, drove through the gate, and then got back out, closing the gate and locking it.
Getting back into the van, Mary turned onto Army Post Road, headed in the direction of the airport. But after going through a few traffic lights, she turned right at a traffic light onto another main road. Mary and Jeremy did not even speak to each other on the brief drive. Soon she pulled into a parking lot for a strip mall and parked in front of an unimposing-looking store.
“Men’s clothes are off to the left,” instructed Mary after she and Jeremy had gotten out of the van and entered the store. The women at the front counter looked like they knew Mary. Jeremy and Mary walked over to the men’s clothes. While they were headed that way, Jeremy looked around the store. He noticed that while clothes were the store’s main items, they also had books, kitchen appliances, and some small decorative items.
Jeremy and Mary picked out several pairs of slacks and jeans, which Jeremy took into a dressing room to try on. Choosing some that fit well and that he liked, he decided to keep them and helped Mary put the others back on the racks. Now that they knew what size fit, they picked out a few more. Jeremy tried those on too. They fit well, and he decided to keep them.
Next, it was over to the shirts. Those proved easier to pick out. Jeremy chose some casual shirts, including a red-plaid flannel one that he thought looked a lot like Gary Kaufman’s shirt. The sweatshirts mostly had writing proclaiming something or other, usually a state. He chose two black sweatshirts that said “Iowa,” a yellow one that said “Iowa State” and a red one that said “Nebraska.” Then he found a blue one that said “Drake.” He decided he wanted that one too.
Finally, they went over to the decorative T-shirts. Jeremy noticed that these often proclaimed the names of places too, but some had witty slogans on them, like “I’m with stupid” with a finger pointing off to the right. He chose four T-shirts, one that advertised a town called Iowa Falls, a green one that said “Michigan State,” a white one that said “Iowa” in black print bordered by yellow, and one proclaiming a place called the Amana Colonies. He had no idea where Iowa Falls and the Amana Colonies were; he just liked the shirts.
Once they were done picking out clothes, Mary and Jeremy walked toward the front counter. Jeremy asked if he could get a small wooden bison that he had noticed among the decorative items. Mary replied that they were only allowed to buy clothes here.
When they got to the front counter, Mary handed one of the women behind the counter a card. The store woman slid the card through a small machine, which in turn printed out a slip of paper. The store woman handed Mary the slip of paper and gave the card back; then Mary and Jeremy exited the store and got back into the minivan.
“I think we have time to make one more stop before dinner,” Mary told Jeremy as they got back into the minivan. Jeremy had already surmised that they would need to go somewhere else because he had not seen any socks or underwear in the store. He had seen some shoes but wondered why they did not buy any.
As they started driving away, Jeremy asked, “Why wasn’t I allowed to get that buffalo?”
“That card charges what we bought to the RSNA. The RSNA has strict rules for its use. It is only supposed to be used for Virginia escapees who did not have sufficient clothing with them. Most Virginia escapees need clothing when they get here. The RSNA wants us to get the clothes as cheaply as possible. That’s why I took you to that store. If I were to use that card for anything but clothing, I could get in trouble.”
Jeremy understood. Then he came up with another question. “Why are clothes cheap at that store?”
“People donate things that they no longer need to that store. That is why the store can sell them so cheaply. The money they raise helps support local charities.”
Mary turned the van back onto Army Post Road, toward the direction of the fenced-in complex. Jeremy was a little puzzled because Mary had said they had someplace else to go. But when they got to the complex, Mary drove past it. They crossed some railroad tracks about a block further, and then, about a block further on, Mary turned right, into a driveway that led to a huge parking lot. At the other end of the parking lot and off to the left was a huge shopping mall. Jeremy had seen a few buildings like this in Virginia, but they were all being used as warehouses.
Mary parked the van a short distance from the front door of a large store on the right side of the parking lot. Once inside the store, Jeremy looked around in amazement. Never had he seen such an abundance of things to buy in his life.
But Jeremy said nothing, just following Mary back into the men’s clothing section, where they got socks, underwear, and handkerchiefs. Mary also helped Jeremy pick out two pairs of shoes, one pair of white tennis shoes and one pair of maroon-colored leather shoes. Then Mary told Jeremy he was going to need a backpack for school. She led him over to a wall that displayed dozens of backpacks. Jeremy chose a large, dark green one. After that, Jeremy and Mary walked up to the registers at the front of the store, where Mary handed the clerk the same card she had used at the other shop. The clerk ran it through another machine, which printed out another slip of paper, then the clerk returned the card to Mary with the slip of paper.
When they got back to the complex, dinner had just started. The dining hall could probably have accommodated over one hundred people, so there were plenty of empty seats. Jeremy sat down next to some other men. Mary sat near some women. Soon Jeremy was served a dinner of chicken over rice with green beans. For dessert, they got canned, sliced pears. For Jeremy, it was another taste of freedom. He was sure the other people in the dining hall felt the same way. Looking around at the other people in the dining hall, Jeremy surmised that, except for the two children of the one family, he was probably the youngest person there. Don, Bernie, and Connie were all there having dinner too.
After dinner, Jeremy and the other diners took their plates and utensils through a door that led to a kitchen. Jeremy saw three workers in kitchen whom he had never seen before, dressed in white. Everyone placed the items near a sink. Then they all left, dispersing to various places.
Jeremy walked back out to the van with Don. Don opened the back hatch, and they gathered up the bags full of Jeremy’s new belongings. Don helped Jeremy take the clothing up to his room. They placed the bags on Jeremy’s bed. Then Jeremy went back down to the TV room. He was hoping to see another history documentary.
There were several other people in the TV room when Jeremy arrived. They were watching an old movie about an awkward, cowardly man who was supposed to explore an abandoned house that was allegedly haunted. At one point, while he was in the house, he was even scared by his own reflection in a mirror. But the plot became spookier when the man heard unexplainable footsteps and some wicked, spooky-sounding laughing. The man threw a book, and suddenly a bookcase pulled back to reveal a staircase. Climbing up the staircase, the man came upon an organ with blood on the keys, presumably from a murder-suicide that had taken place there twenty years before. At the stroke of midnight, the organ suddenly started playing by itself. The man went ballistic and ran back downstairs. There he saw a picture of a woman. Gardening shears were jammed into the picture at the woman’s throat, with blood streaming down from the shears. The cowardly man fainted.
The cowardly man’s experience was published in the local newspaper. The owners of the house sued, claiming that the article was an insult. As the lawsuit progressed, the movie built toward its climax, at which a twenty-year-old murder mystery was solved. The cowardly man was vindicated. He got married in the final scene. In a humorous way to cap it off, the church organ started playing by itself.
Jeremy had not felt so entertained in his life. He hoped more movies like that would be shown on the TV. But he also wanted to learn more about history. So he also hoped there would be more documentaries.
After the movie, Bernie took Jeremy aside. They headed down the main-floor hallway to a room Jeremy had not been in before. Bernie opened the door and turned on the lights. Inside were several square, vinyl-topped tables, with chairs like the ones in his room on each side of each table. Each table had a lamp even though the room seemed perfectly well-lit without them.
“This is our study room,” explained Bernie as he took Jeremy inside and closed the door behind them. “Tomorrow morning you will take a series of tests in this room. The results of these tests will determine which classes you will take at school and how many credits you will need to graduate. On Thursday you will start school.”
“What time do I need to be here for the tests?”
“At eight o’clock tomorrow morning. You will be tested on English, math, science, and social studies. Foreign language tests are optional. Would you like to take a foreign language test?”
Having not taken any foreign language classes back in Virginia, Jeremy replied, “No, thanks.”
“OK, be down here at eight o’clock. Don will drive you to school on Thursday. One more thing. While you are at school, you will be out in public without any of us for the first time since you got here. You must not tell anyone where you are staying.”
“Concerned about Virginia spies, I take it.”
“That’s right. So far, we have had no trouble with Virginia spies out here. But the Virginians could find out that their escapees are being sent out here. If they do find out, the less people know about our place, the better.”
“How soon do you think I’ll be able to see my folks again?”
“A lot of that depends upon how quickly Virginia rejoins the union. Or at least when they get a government that’s less oppressive than General Krakowski.”
“What about my grandparents in Pennsylvania?”
“The Pennsylvania authorities have already been notified. With luck, your grandparents may not have moved any since you last saw them. Then maybe your grandparents have already been found and told of your whereabouts. But if they have moved, they will be harder to trace down.”
With that, Jeremy silently walked up to his room. He put away his clothes, hanging up the pants, casual shirts, and sweatshirts. He put the underwear, socks, casual T-shirts, and handkerchiefs in the dresser. He also found his towels and toiletries. Then he noticed that his room did not have a clock. He wondered how he was supposed to know when to get up and when to be at the study room. He thought about going back out and asking Bernie when suddenly, he heard Don’s voice call out, “It’s ten o’clock, lights out!”
Jeremy got into bed and tried to sleep. Considering he had hardly gotten any sleep last night and everything he had been through the last several days, he felt tired enough to conk out. But too much was on his mind, the same thoughts that had been racing through his head all day. His family and friends in Virginia. His future in Iowa. His grandparents. Not knowing where his grandparents were. Jeremy estimated that his grandparents were in their sixties. Silently he wished to be reunited with them soon.
At six-thirty the next morning, Don’s voice rang out again. “Time to get up!”
Groggily, Jeremy stirred in his bed. Instinctively, he knew he should get up. Doing what he was told was ingrained into him from all those years of living in Virginia. Soon Don knocked at his door. “Time to get up!” he repeated.
Jeremy got out of his bed and fumbled his way to the light switch. Then, unlocking his door and opening it, he stuck his head out. Seeing Don a short distance down the hall, he said, “OK, I’m up. Now what am I supposed to do?”
“Breakfast is in half an hour. You can do what you want in the meantime. Most of the men take showers.”
Jeremy thought that sounded like a good idea. He undressed, wrapped a towel around himself, gathered up his toiletries, and headed down to the showers. Several men were already there. Jeremy was surprised to see Bernie there.
Noticing the welts on Jeremy’s buttocks, Bernie commented, “It looks like someone belted you pretty good. No wonder you wanted to get out of Virginia so badly.”
Jeremy just nodded his head. He could tell the other men were looking at them too. At least these were empathetic people, but Jeremy wondered what would happen if he had to use a men’s shower in another place. He also felt like he was being stared at. That gave Jeremy another big wish: that those welts would lose their color and become less obvious. He doubted that the scars would ever completely heal.
After showering, shaving, brushing his teeth, and putting on underarm deodorant, Jeremy walked back to his room and got dressed. When he got downstairs, a clock on the TV room wall told him that he still had a few minutes until breakfast. Several other people sitting in the room were reading parts of the morning newspaper. Jeremy took a section of newspaper, glanced through it, did not see anything that interested him, and put it back down.
Jeremy made a point of sitting next to Bernie during breakfast. He asked Bernie why he was here so early in the morning. Bernie whispered back that they could talk about it during the afternoon.
After breakfast, Jeremy just waited in the TV room until eight o’clock. Finding the sports section of the local newspaper, he picked it up and started reading. When he found the Iowa Baseball League standings, he studied them carefully. Eastern Division: Grinnell, Davenport, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Iowa City. Western Division: Council Bluffs, Ames, Sioux City, Mason City, Marshalltown, Des Moines. Jeremy’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Back in Virginia, Richmond, the capital city, won every sport every year. In Iowa, the capital city’s team was last in its division.
Most of the rest of the morning was spent taking tests. First came the English tests. They started with being given words and having to choose which of four other words had the most similar meaning. The next problems involved reading groups of four sentences and deciding which was most grammatically correct. Then he had to read several paragraphs and answer questions about what was written in each paragraph. The English portion concluded with writing two short essays, one about a person whom he admired, the other about what he wanted to achieve in life. For the person he admired, Jeremy chose his father. For his achievement, he claimed he wanted to help reunify the states.
Next was the math section. It started out with some simple, basic arithmetic but soon advanced into algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, and even some calculus. Jeremy wondered how anybody could expect a high school junior to know the answers to some of those problems.
The science section started out like the math section, with some basic problems that any high school student should know. Then it advanced into biology, chemistry, geology, and physics. Jeremy felt like he did well with the biology and geology questions. But he knew much less about chemistry and physics.
The morning concluded with the social studies tests. The first questions involved simple geography and map reading. But the advanced geography and American history questions proved more challenging. Granted, except for the English essays, the tests were all multiple choice. Jeremy could tell that on the social studies tests, nearly every question had a response based upon what was taught in Virginia. Surmising that those choices were wrong, Jeremy often found himself having to guess between the remaining choices. Things were even worse when he got to world history and economics. He had no schooling in economics, while his history knowledge had clearly been distorted by his schooling in Virginia. While he could eliminate an answer or two sometimes, most of the time he just randomly guessed.
Upon finishing the tests, Jeremy took the sheaf of papers and walked back out to the TV room. Seeing nobody there, he walked back to the dining room, where he found Mary Riess. Jeremy informed Mary that he was finished with the tests. Mary nodded in acknowledgement and disappeared back down the hallway toward the study room. Bernie soon emerged. Taking the papers from Jeremy, Bernie assured him that the results of the tests would be known before he started school tomorrow.
After giving Bernie the papers, Jeremy just collapsed into one of the TV room chairs, drained from the effort of taking all those tests. He was glad that at least that was over with.
At lunch, Jeremy noticed a much lighter turnout than there had been at the prior two meals he attended here. Besides himself, there were Bernie, Connie, Mary, Don, and four men whom he did not know, though he felt like he had seen two of them before.
After lunch, Bernie took Jeremy back down to the study room. “You asked me this morning why I was here so early in the morning. I felt like I should explain a few things to you when we had some time to talk.”
Jeremy replied with a simple “OK.”
“First of all, this building is a converted army barracks. It served military purposes up until the dissolution, when the Virginia problem started. Then this building was given over to house people who escape from Virginia until they could find permanent homes. There are nine people who work in this building. You have already met me, Connie, Mary, and Don. We also have three cooks in the kitchen and two security guards. All nine of us had to pass security screening tests before we could work here. We all live here. In exchange for our work, we get free room and board, plus a small allowance for things like entertainment.”
“So that means that we could see any of you any time of day, any day of the week.”
“That’s right. All nine of us are here to help you all get settled here in the RSNA. If you need anything, anytime of day, you can tell any one of us. If you have a medical emergency in the middle of the night, you may come down to my room, 401, and I’ll be happy to help. Also, one of the security guards will be on duty at all times. You can come down to the main floor and ask the security guard to help you.”
“Don’t any of you miss your families?”
“None of us are married. Mary and I have children that are grown up and on their own. The rest of us have neither spouses nor children.”
“Don’t you get bored, being confined to this building so much?”
“We do get to go out sometimes. We each get two weeks of vacation every year. We can go out and visit relatives or go touring. If our relatives come here to visit, we must meet them off the premises. Nobody can come onto the premises unless they get clearance. So that means you can’t have friends come over either. Do you have any questions?”
“Just one. My room does not have a clock. Could I get one?”
“We do not provide clocks. We need to be careful about the expenses here. Clocks are items that can too easily be removed from the rooms.”
“How can I get one, then?”
“You’ll have to get a job and raise the money to buy one.”
“That brings up another question. How can I find a job here?”
“Connie can help you get temporary employment. Most of the people here work nights and weekends so they can try to find a more permanent home during the weekdays. In your case, you will be at school during weekdays.”
“What is being done about finding me a permanent place to live?”
“First thing, we will try to find your grandparents. If they cannot be found, we will try to find some other relatives. If none of them can be found, we will have to make other arrangements. But you will not be left high and dry.”
“OK, I understand.”
“Oh, and one more thing. If you have an emergency, it is best not to go to Don for help. He may be kind and helpful, but he is not very bright. So ask me, Connie, Mary, or one of the guards.”
“I have not seen anybody here dressed up like a guard. Could you point them out to me sometime?”
“I’d be happy to. Just think, tomorrow is your first day at a new school. You will be attending Lincoln High School.”
Jeremy’s mouth just about hit the floor. So, this man who was always depicted as a ruthless tyrant in Virginia was so respected here that they named a school after him. Bernie just smiled and let out a light chuckle, understanding Jeremy’s astonishment. “I know that in Virginia, they teach that Abraham Lincoln was a monster. When you take our classes, you will find out what really happened.”
With that, Jeremy just went back out to the TV room. Finding the History Channel, he watched a documentary on the Nazi regime. To him, it sounded so much like General Krakowski and Virginia. After deciding he had seen enough, he went down to the exercise room and lifted weights. Then he went back to the TV room and read some magazines and the daily paper. When he looked through the sports section again, he still could not believe that the Des Moines Oaks were in last place.
That night at dinner, the men seated close to Jeremy started talking about baseball. Most of the discussion centered around the regular season-ending series between Council Bluffs and Ames that weekend. Those two teams had been battling for first place in the West all season. This series would decide which team would win the division and earn the right to play Grinnell in the playoffs.
Jeremy joined in the conversation by asking why Des Moines was not doing any better. “Yeah,” replied one of the men. “The state government does not get involved with the sports here in Iowa the way they do in Virginia.”
Then the men talked about how in Virginia, the government always arranged things so the Richmond teams always got the best talent. And if a team managed to challenge Richmond for the championship, they would always fix things so Richmond would still win. Here, every team gets a fair chance. One man claimed it was interesting that Grinnell, the smallest city participating in the league, had the best record. Another man claimed that somebody in the Grinnell organization must have “a good nose for talent.”
Then the talk switched over to the new major baseball league that would start next year. Eight teams would participate. The idea of having them all compete as one unit had been scratched. Somehow, the teams would be split into two groups, with the winner from each group meeting in a playoff to determine the champion. One proposal would split the teams into Eastern and Western divisions. This would place Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland in the East, with Cincinnati, Detroit, St. Louis, and Kansas City in the West. The other alignment would place each team in its former National or American League affiliation. Under this arrangement, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, and Kansas City would go to the American League, with Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and St. Louis going to the National. Jeremy just listened with interest.
Then they talked about what might happen the first season. The consensus was that even though the various state leagues had revealed some good players, it was still not very clear which ones were the best. The winner would probably be the team that, like Grinnell, had the best “nose for talent.”
Jeremy asked what would happen if another state that had a major league team under the old system joined the RSNA. One of the men told him that such a team would have to wait until next year. They were not sure when Toronto, the only team outside of the United States, would get to join, or what might be done to replace the team from Washington, DC.
Connie approached Jeremy after dinner. She told him that Bernie had told her that he was interested in looking for a job. Jeremy affirmed that he would. Connie invited him to come to the shopping mall with her. They could look for possible employers there.
Out the back door of the building and out the back gate they walked, turning left to go toward the shopping center. On the way there, they passed by a railroad terminal.
“That is where you will board the train if you want to go to a different part of the city,” Connie pointed out. “The fares are pretty reasonable.”
“Can that railroad get me to any part of town?”
“Just about. There are some parts of the Des Moines area that the rail system does not serve, but it goes to just about all of the significant places in town that people want to visit.”
Then another question popped into Jeremy’s mind. “Bernie told me what our building is used for and that it used to be an old army barracks. What are the other buildings in the complex used for?”
“Military purposes. The military won’t tell us what. We see military people go in and out of those buildings occasionally. That really makes us feel safer. If Virginia were to send a bunch of people out here and try to seize our building, we could summon plenty of help pretty quickly.”
“That’s nice to know. But what is the big secrecy all about?”
“If the Virginians find out about our sanctuary, they might try to sneak a spy in and find out which escapees are here. While I don’t think they would try to remove them directly from the compound, they might find out where the escapees are likely to be during the day and arrange for some of their other people to make a snatch. So it is best that you do not pry too much into what the other escapees at our building are doing outside the complex. It could draw suspicion, even though it is obvious to us that you are not a spy.”
After Connie and Jeremy finished walking across a parking lot, they entered a door that opened to a huge department store. Jeremy’s eyes opened wide, and his mouth dropped open. This store was even more impressive than the one where he and Mary had bought his underwear, handkerchiefs, and backpack. Not only were there more clothes, kitchen appliances, and jewelry than any store in Virginia could possibly provide, but it all looked much higher-class. Jeremy was sure that even General Krakowski himself could not possess this kind of opulence.
Connie led Jeremy through the department store, through another door that opened to a huge, spacious hallway that was lined with stores on each side. There were even vendors with booths in the middle of the hallway.
Connie walked him by a pet store. “That store is pretty good about providing jobs to Virginia refugees.”
Soon they passed a shop with a heavy, smoky smell. “That tobacco shop is another good one, but they will want somebody older than you.”
Another store sold only items that were made in Iowa. “That one is really popular with our guests.”
Soon they arrived at an intersection with another huge, spacious hall. To the left, the hall led to an exit. To the right, the hall led to another huge department store. Jeremy also noticed a third large department store at the far end of the hall that he and Connie had been walking down. This new hallway, like the first one, had stores on each side, leading to exits and department stores. In amazement, Jeremy estimated that this mall must have over one hundred different stores.
Connie and Jeremy continued straight through the intersection. Soon a tantalizing, sweet aroma wafted into Jeremy’s nose. Connie gestured in the direction of the scent, saying, “That cookie shop is another good one.”
Before they got to the end of the giant hallway, Connie also suggested a sports shop and a toy store. In the sports shop, Jeremy noticed several sweatshirts, T-shirts, pennants, and other objects that promoted various sports teams. Some of the sweatshirts and T-shirts even resembled those he had gotten at the thrift store.
At the end of the hallway, they turned left at an acute angle, avoiding the department store and walking through a fast-food court. Jeremy was about to ask Connie if she would recommend one of these stores when she said, “You don’t want to work at any of these. There is too much turnover in the management.”
While they were walking through the fast-food area, something else caught Jeremy’s attention. The menu boards at each restaurant had two sets of prices. One set was always headed “IOWA,” while the other was always headed “MICH,” which Jeremy presumed meant Michigan. Not only that, but the Iowa prices were consistently about three times as high as the Michigan prices.
At the end of the fast-food court, they took another sharp left, heading down the same hallway that intersected the first one they walked down. Connie pointed out a few more stores: a game store, a bookstore, and a store called “Store of the States.” This store looked particularly interesting to Jeremy. He browsed around in it. It sold souvenir items such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, shot glasses, coffee mugs, refrigerator magnets, and miniature spoons that all honored a specific state. What impressed Jeremy most was that all fifty states were represented, not just the twelve in the RSNA. That was when the point struck him. The viewpoint out here was that the union still consisted of all fifty states.
After they left the mall, Connie asked Jeremy which stores he would be most interested in working for. Jeremy replied that he would like to work for the “Store of the States.” Connie said she really needed to know his top three choices because the first choice might not have any need for new workers. After thinking briefly, Jeremy informed Connie that his next two choices would be the sports shop and the store where everything was made in Iowa. Connie promised Jeremy that she would contact those three stores for him.
Then Jeremy asked Connie about the menu boards. “Why did the menus in those food places have two sets of prices, and why were Iowa’s so much higher?”
“Because the Michigan dollar is the strongest among all the states. It takes almost three Iowa dollars to buy what one of theirs does.”
“What makes the Michigan dollar so good?”
“I’m not sure. Bernie could answer that question better than I could.”
The next morning at breakfast, Bernie introduced Jeremy to the two security guards. Both were wearing plain clothes. The first was a tall, burly, black-haired man named Jerry Palmer. The other was of more average height, a stocky, red-haired man named Kurt Willis. Jeremy had seen both men before, not realizing they were security guards. Jeremy estimated that both men were in their twenties and that they both possessed considerable strength. He surmised that strength was an essential attribute for a security guard. At least both men seemed friendly. They both smiled when they shook hands with Jeremy and offered to help when needed.
Jeremy was about to ask Bernie about the Michigan dollar when Bernie said, “It is time for you to leave for school. Don is out front, waiting in the van. When you get to school, you are to go to Mr. Brown’s office. He is on the second floor, first door on the right when you get to the top of the stairs.”
Jeremy promptly left. When he got to the van, Don was in the driver’s seat, waiting. Also waiting were the two children, a boy and a girl, from the family that was staying there. First Don drove to a nearby elementary school, where he dropped off the boy and the girl. Then he maneuvered the van down some side streets, making several turns before coming out at a main street. As they turned right on this street, Jeremy deduced that they were headed north.
After several miles, a massive red brick building came into view. Jeremy knew that it was his destination. When Don dropped him off at the school, the first thing Jeremy noticed were the three flags fluttering in the light breeze on the flagpole out front. The top flag had alternating red and white horizontal stripes, with a field of blue in the corner crowded with white stars. Jeremy felt sure he had seen that flag somewhere before. But he certainly was not familiar with the other two. The middle flag was royal blue, with a top view of a white bird in the middle, surrounded by a circle of perhaps a dozen white stars. The bottom flag had three vertical bars, a blue one on the left, a red one on the right, and a white one in the middle that was about as wide as the other two put together. In the middle of the white bar was an eagle with a ribbon in its beak. At the bottom of the white bar was the word “IOWA,” printed in red letters. Jeremy concluded that it must be the flag of Iowa.
The next thing that caught Jeremy’s attention, right after he walked into the building, was a picture of Abraham Lincoln displayed prominently across the hall from the front entrance. But this picture looked nothing like the pictures of Abraham Lincoln he had seen in Virginia. Even though it was obviously the same face, in Virginia he was always depicted with a fiery scowl that made him look like a tyrant. In this picture, he had a calm, dignified look that gave Jeremy the impression that he truly wanted to help people. Jeremy thought to himself that it would certainly be interesting to learn the RSNA’s version of what happened in the War Between the States.
Momentarily, Jeremy felt a gentle tap on his right shoulder. He turned and saw a girl standing next to him, smiling. Her blonde hair, draping back just past her shoulders, looked softer than fine velvet. Her immaculate complexion complemented her cheerful, white-toothed smile. Altogether, she possessed a glow that made her far more appealing than Cynthia Sullivan. A cool, tingly wave swept through Jeremy, head to toe.
“Hi!” The young woman greeted him, still smiling brightly. “You must be new here. You must have just arrived from Virginia.”
“That’s right,” acknowledged Jeremy, speaking softly. “How did you know?”
“By the way you were looking at that picture,” replied the girl. “Only somebody new from Virginia would study that picture so carefully.”
“I guess I’ll have to be more careful,” surmised Jeremy, “and not give myself away.”
“It’s not hard to tell which students came from Virginia,” continued the girl. “They always do things that give themselves away.”
“Shucks!” replied Jeremy. “Now Virginia will find me for sure.”
“Don’t worry,” replied the girl. “You’ll be all right here. By the way, my name is Alicia. Alicia Shelby.”
“Pleased to meet you,” said Jeremy. “My name is Jeremy Voorhies.”
“Is this your first day here?” inquired Alicia. “I don’t think I have seen you before.”
“That’s right,” acknowledged Jeremy. “I have to see Mr. Brown first thing.”
“Let me take you to his office,” Alicia offered, gesturing for Jeremy to follow her.
Jeremy could not take his eyes off Alicia as she led him up a flight of stairs to a landing, then reversed directions to go up another flight of stairs to the second floor. Just like Bernie said, Mr. Brown’s office was just to the right at the top of the stairs.
Alicia knocked on the door, which was promptly answered by a tall, brown-haired man whom Jeremy estimated to be in his late twenties.
“Mr. Brown,” said Alicia, introducing him, “This is Jeremy Voorhies. Jeremy, this is Maxwell Brown.”
Then Alicia, still smiling, shook Jeremy’s hand and left. Jeremy had never before felt such a soft, warm handshake. Another cool, tingly feeling swept from his hand up his arm and through the rest of his body. When Alicia left, Jeremy turned toward Mr. Brown and shook his hand. Mr. Brown closed the door. Jeremy took a seat in a folding chair next to Mr. Brown’s desk, while Mr. Brown sat in his seat behind the desk.
“Jeremy,” began Mr. Brown, “we were very impressed by your test scores. You are obviously a very bright and capable student. Not many students who have just arrived from Virginia perform this well. Most other Virginia transplants even perform behind their class in subjects like math and reading. But you outperformed your grade level in all the subjects except social studies. Transplants from Virginia always score low in social studies. We will help you with that subject. With your intelligence, you will certainly catch on.”
Jeremy shifted a little bit in his seat, feeling slightly more comfortable upon hearing the good review but still quite apprehensive.
Mr. Brown continued, “We have placed you in an advanced curriculum. Here is your schedule.”
Mr. Brown handed Jeremy a blue three-by-five card. Jeremy quickly glanced down the list. English. Math. Geography. Science. Lunch. Then a free period. Room numbers were listed down the right-hand side, except for the word “office” next to the free period.
“The rooms are all pretty easy to find,” Mr. Brown assured him. “Your school supplies are in your English room, where your first class is. For your free period, you are supposed to go to Mr. Curry’s office. It is down at the end of this hallway.” Mr. Brown gestured in the direction past the stairs. “He will tutor you in history.”
“One more thing,” added Mr. Brown, taking a small, light orange card from his desk. He took a rubber stamp and stamped something onto the card. “Use this to get your lunch at the cafeteria. It will show the teacher’s aide that you get a free lunch. Mr. Curry will get you a student ID this afternoon. Then you can show that to get your free lunch.”
Then Mr. Brown stood up, offering Jeremy another handshake. Jeremy likewise stood up. “Welcome to Lincoln High,” Mr. Brown said as they shook hands for the second time. “Your first class has already started. You best get going.”
Jeremy simply nodded his head as he turned and opened the door to leave. Soon he began his first class in the free world of the RSNA.