Constant communication between the Affinity camps is necessary to further our goals as a society.
—Internal memorandum from Affinity
Mia was alone in a communal bathroom. She saw cabinets built into the walls and wondered if they were going to assign her one. It was strange to have long hair again; not wanting to wait for it to dry, Mia made a thick braid down her back. She looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing beige linen shorts and a white tank top. Her cut-up feet were secure in a pair of brown sandals.
When she exited the restroom Carter and Zack were waiting outside. They had both changed too. Carter wore a pair of brown shorts and a beige tank top, while Zack had on a similar outfit in shades of brown and beige. Standing next to Carter, Zack could have been his older brother, the two looked so similar.
“I left my clothes in there,” Mia said.
“Someone will take them,” Zack said. “I’m sure there’s some use for the fabric.”
“They’re going to cut it up?” Mia asked.
“We don’t have many formal events down here,” Zack said. “Dina told you about the orientation? Well, I’m pushing that back.”
Mia wasn’t in a rush to have a formal introduction into Affinity.
“I’d rather wait until the four of you are together again,” Zack said. “For now I’ll start with a tour.”
“Can I see Andrew?” Mia asked.
“Not until later,” Zack said. “Doctor’s orders. Here is a set of bathrooms,” he continued. “There are three on the property. You’ll get a locker assigned in one of them, but we share everything.”
Mia noticed there was shampoo and soap, among other toiletries, sitting on the counter. They walked through the thick trees to the other side of the building. There was another steep hill and Zack led the way up the path. Mia was already sweating from the heat.
“You’ll get used to things pretty fast,” Zack said.
“How long did it take you?” Mia asked.
“I was born here,” he said.
Mia had assumed everyone was a refugee. He read the shock on her face.
“My parents escaped America,” Zack said. “They met down here.”
“How many people live here?” Mia asked.
“Two hundred and forty-seven. Affinity has thousands of members across the world,” Zack said. “This is just one of our camps, and not all the people who are active live here. My parents, they live about thirty minutes away on a beach. They’re semiretired.”
“Retired?” Mia asked.
“Means something different down here,” Zack said. “They don’t work full-time for the cause anymore.”
Work for the cause. Mia didn’t know what to take from that. They reached the top of the hill and the trees vanished. Mia stood next to Zack and Carter. They were on the head of a huge valley. Below were multiple cabins—Mia guessed about thirty. Zack pointed to his right. They were level with a giant lodge.
“That’s the mess hall,” Zack said. “You’ll get breakfast, lunch, and dinner there. Also water or snacks. If we have an all-community meeting it’ll be in there.”
“Where is everybody?” Carter asked.
Mia hadn’t noticed before, but the place was deserted.
“Work,” Zack said. “Everyone has a job. We like to keep self-contained as much as possible.”
“What are they doing?” Mia asked.
“All sorts of things,” Zack said. “Some are training, others getting the meals ready—every person here is a part of the bigger picture. To take down the Registry.”
“How do you get electricity up here?” Carter asked.
“Underground wiring,” Zack said. “We’re upgrading our systems, hoping to be fully wireless within the next few years. We may look simple, but all our resources go to more important things.”
“To take down America,” Mia said.
“The people who do the other work are no less important,” Zack said. “Without them our world couldn’t function.”
He passed the mess hall. Another big building came. This was made of cement blocks.
“Bathroom number two,” Zack said. “This is the busiest one since it’s closest to the sleeping areas.”
He continued his walk around the edge of the valley. There was a giant field. Mia thought it must have taken years to clear away the forest.
“This is a recreation area for the most part,” Zack said.
In the distance Mia saw children playing.
“There are children here?” Mia asked.
“This is a full-fledged community,” Zack said. “Our youngest member is six months old.”
Mia thought she saw Carter’s face lighten up. Families were together here. Soon his smile faded though. Mia’s heart broke for him. She’d never had that type of bond with her parents. Mia had hurt terribly when she learned about her sister’s death, but even Corinna and Mia weren’t as close as Rod and Carter had been. She touched his arm, letting him know she was here for him. Zack turned away from the field and started down a path toward the cabins.
“That’s it?” Mia asked.
“For now,” Zack said. “The longer you’re here the more you’ll learn.”
“Where’s S?” Mia said. “I’d like to meet her.”
“She’s probably at work,” Zack said. “Or sleeping if she has the night shift. We’d like you two to join us at dinner. People are waiting to meet you.”
“Will she be there?” Mia asked.
“Almost everyone is there,” Zack said. “We try to eat dinner as a group every night.”
“Then we can see Andrew?”
“As far as I know,” Zack said.
“Where’s the farmery?” Mia asked.
“Infirmary,” Zack corrected. “You’ll see it later.”
He stopped walking at a cabin. It was closest to the footpath that led up to the mess hall. Mia wiped the sweat away from her brow.
“Temporary quarters,” Zack said.
He opened the door. It was cool inside. There was a small machine whining in the corner. One larger bed was on the floor, while one of the walls had three beds built into it. The opposite wall had one set of drawers, a desk, and two more bunks built on top of that.
“Big enough for six people?” Mia asked. “Are all the cabins the same?”
“No,” Zack said. “This is the visitors’ one. Some have families, others are groups of friends living together. Not a lot of privacy, but we make do.”
“Doesn’t seem like enough room to house two hundred fifty people,” Carter said.
“There’s another grouping on the other side of the field,” Zack said. “At full capacity we could have five hundred people living on the premises.”
Mia stopped at the desk. There was the plastic bag she had been carrying, and the queen. She wrapped her hands around the piece.
“We have to keep your gun for now,” Zack said.
She opened the bag. All the documents were still there, including her letter from Riley. The phone was still in the bottom. Mia thought about calling her.
“There’s a scrambler in the area,” Zack said. “If you make a call they can’t trace it.”
“Aren’t you scared we’re going to tell people where we are?” Carter asked.
“No,” Zack said. “You’re not prisoners here. You can leave anytime. Plus we have two of your friends with our doctors. It’s unlikely you’re here to betray us.”
“Thank you,” Mia said.
“I’ll let you two relax,” Zack said. “Dinner is in a few hours.”
Mia felt her stomach gurgle. She hadn’t eaten all day. The door closed and she was left alone with Carter. He sat down on the lowest bunk and hung his head in his hands.
“What do you think, princess?” Carter asked.
Princess. That was Carter’s nickname for her, one she hadn’t heard in some time. She was grateful for whatever was making him comfortable enough to use the term.
“I don’t think we can make any decisions until Andrew’s with us,” Mia said.
Carter didn’t respond. Mia heard him let out a loud sigh.
“How are you doing?” Mia asked.
“I’ve had my brain messed with, I’m who knows where, and my dad is dead,” Carter said. “I’ve been better.”
Mia sat next to him and gave him a hug. She didn’t know what to say.
“We have to look toward the future,” Mia said. “Holding on to the past isn’t going to help us. We still have each other.”
“Do we?” Carter asked.
Mia wasn’t sure what Carter was getting at. There were too many events happening for her to focus on the affection she’d once shared with Carter, or Andrew’s reaction to it.
“I don’t have any closure,” Carter said. “Nothing. Whenever I try to picture the helicopter it hurts. I can’t see anything, just a blank image, and that noise comes in.”
Carter winced and his eyes shut in pain.
“Stop,” Mia said. “There’s a doctor here; maybe she can help you remember.”
“Do I want to remember, though?” Carter asked. “My last memory is the truck flying off the road. Even that is hazy.”
Carter leaned back onto the bed and turned to his side. Not able to offer any additional comfort, Mia leaned back against the bed, ready to listen if Carter wanted to talk.