The traveling was hard on the four children. Kay was never reluctant to tell the others how tired and sore she was. Rafita was nowhere near Kay and Alessandra's age and yet she complained the least of any in the group. Aless started noticing that Jesus had a twitch she hadn't seen before. Every once and while the muscle in the corner of his eye would twinge. Had it just developed? It seemed to start whenever Kay would open her mouth to whine.
"How do you put up with her?" Jesus growled to Aless.
He rubbed his temples as the took a break one day, three weeks into the journey. "If she was in my family, my mother would have struck her mouth off her face by now."
"I don't know. She's my friend. I just learned when to tune her out. She doesn't mean to be a pain," Aless smiled gently.
Kay panted as she approached. Once again, she had fallen behind and was only now catching up.
"You have the patience of a saint," Jesus smirked.
Kay started complaining that they were going too fast and that she was hot. During the first week out, the group had found out that it was the beginning of the First Sun Month. The temperature was rising fast during the days they traveled and, so far, they had only opened their packs for the food. Sleeping bags were not necessary.
Aless didn't mind sleeping in the fields and forests they traveled through. It was quite nice to be out in such beautiful landscapes. Of course, the territory had become more and more desert like as the days past. Jesus guessed they had or were entering the South Desert, playfully named the Frying Pan.
It was still early in the morning, but Aless already felt her clothes sticking to her skin. The sun was beating down and there was nowhere to find shade.
"We will have to be careful today. It is going to be hot and we only have so much water. Since we don't have any money and the last stream we past was a while back we could get into trouble," Aless sighed.
"I don't see why we don't just go to a town and tell them who we are!" Kay whined.
They had begun walking again and Kay was already panting, trying to keep up.
"Because that is what they expect us to do," Jesus snapped. "I heard the men talking. They already have informants in towns and police stations."
"Police stations?"
"Kayla, do you really think people as powerful as the buyers don't have some sort of political or law-enforcement pull? How do you think they keep from being arrested?"
"I didn't think about it."
"Of course, you didn't."
"What does that mean?"
"Stop it, you two!" Aless barked.
She could feel yet another fight coming on. Jesus and Kayla were always bickering about one thing or another. It gave her a headache and, by the way Rafita rolled her eyes, Aless knew it bothered her too.
"If we find a cactus, we can cut it open for water," Rafita piped up.
She searched the yellow and brown landscape. In the second week of running, they had left the lush green forests and mountains for large hills, rough yellow grass, and desert.
"Great idea, Raf. You are so smart," Alessandra beamed.
Rafita smiled toothily and nodded her head. She had remembered her teacher telling her that in school a couple weeks before she was taken. It almost made her feel important when she could share ideas with Aless and her brother. Kayla didn't matter. It wasn't that she didn't like Kayla. She just didn't care about Kayla.
They traveled in silence for a couple hours before the sun started burning their skin and causing heat waves to appear in the air. Only when Rafita and Kayla started to stumble did they stop to drink a little water. Aless, already irritable from the heat, discovered the canter had slipped to the bottom of the bag under the sleeping bag. Try as she might, Aless could not pull the canter out from under the sleeping bag. Grumbling she pulled the sleeping bag out and grabbed the canter. She tossed it to Kayla, who fumbled and dropped it.
Rolling her eyes, Aless grabbed the sleeping bag and put it back in. Yet, as if it delighted in her irritation, the sleeping bag would not fit back in. Her temper already stretched by the blistering heat, Alessandra started pushing and punching the sleeping bag to get it back in. When she reached her limit of frustration, Aless hit the sleeping bag hard in the center of the roll. Her hand slipped into the center and Aless had to squelch a screech of frustration. However, when Aless clenched her hand, she felt something crumpling in it.
Pausing, Aless moved her hand around and realized there was some sort of paper in the folds of her sleeping bag. Carefully, she pulled her hand out, clasping the paper firmly. When she finally had it out, it was like the sleeping bag had decided its job was done. It slipped seamlessly back into the pack.
Using her bare arm, Aless wiped off her sweating brow as she looked at the paper. It was a white envelope. It was thick with nothing written on the back. Looking at the front for a name, Aless found a line written instead in beautiful calligraphy.
"I have sinned more than the Three-Eyed Cąȶ," the words said.
"Aless," Kayla whispered. "What is it?"
Kay had seen her friend stop moving, studying something closely. Wiping water off her lips, Kay waited for a reply.
"I don't know. I just found this in our sleeping bag."
Kay crept behind Aless and read the script over her shoulder.
"What does that mean?" Kay frowned taking another swig of water.
"I don't know."
"Oh…whatever…what's in it?"
"I don't know. I haven't opened it yet."
Gently Alessandra turned the envelope back around and slid her finger under the brittle seal. The seal broke easily and Aless opened it with Kayla practically leaning all her weight on Aless's shoulder.
"My god!" Kay gasped as they saw a thick stack of bills. "I didn't think they were giving us money!"
"They weren't. Jesus and Rafita didn't get any. They have looked through their whole pack already."
"Maybe it was just a select few. Maybe it's only for the ones who deserve it.'
"What makes us deserve it more than Rafita and Jesus?"
"I don't know, but there must be a reason."
"It doesn't matter. It's just a good thing we are with Jesus and Rafita. We can share with them."
"What? Why?"
"Because they have been helping and sharing with us, Kay. It's only fair."
"If they were supposed to get money than they would have had some in their pack, but they didn't so there is no reason to waste our money on them."
"If you want to go by that, Kay, then it isn't your money either. I was given the pack and it was my choice to share it, so it would be my money, not yours."
"Allllesss! That's not fair!"
"Neither is the asinine thing you said."
Kayla didn't have any response to that, so instead she took another drink of water and pouted. Aless ignored her spoiled friend and called over Jesus and Rafita.
"I found something in my bag, you guys," she told them.
They had noticed Aless and Kay whisper and had decided to see what was going on.
"What?" Jesus asked.
"This."
She handed them the envelope and Jesus's eyes widened. Rafita pulled on her brother's arm so she could see, and Aless heard a small yip escape her lips.
"Where did you find this?"
"It was in the folds of my sleeping bag. I don't know how it got there. It was just there. I found it while trying to put is back in the pack."
"This is a lot of money, Aless."
He took it out and counted it. After he counted it once, Jesus counted it a second time to be sure.
"There is a grand here, plus four hundred and ninety-nine."
"That's a random number."
"Yeah, but it will help us get to South Central at least. We can buy some water and a little food."
"Milkshakes and fries!" Rafita squeaked, jumping up and down.
"We could even take a bus or a train."
"Yeah!"
Kayla said nothing still pouting. The idea of being on a train with real food sounded very appealing, even if she did have to share.
"We just need to get to a place to eat a real meal and work out how to spend the money. The desert region is huge, and we need to be sparing in case of an emergency," Aless sighed.
Taking the money back, Aless put it back in the envelope.
"Ok," the other three echoed smiling.
It was the first good luck they had had since the trip began, besides having no signs of the hunters. They trudged on, feeling a little better. The heat still scorched their skin, but they knew that air conditioning and cool drinks awaited them somewhere soon.
The soon was two days away and by the time they reached the small town, both canters were out of water and Alessandra was seeing spots. Even Kayla had stopped talking because she didn't the energy to form words or the water to keep her mouth moist. Rafita had passed out and Jesus was carrying her, pale with worry.
Rafita, small and young, had been unable to stand the blistering heat. Aless, herself, wished to fall over and just give up. She could not understand who in their right mind would choose to live in the Frying Pan. At the same, Aless kept praying that someone was fool enough to build a home or town out there, so they could find shelter. The intense rays of the pink sun had bleached Alessandra's hair vibrant white, stripping the honey from her hair. Kay's hair, in contrast, was streaked with honey highlights, making it look as if her dark hair had threads of gold weaved in. Rafita's once luxurious hair was fried and frizzed as Jesus's hair was caked and dingy. The only blessing they had was their heavy boots which protected them from the scorching hot earth and sharp rocks that littered the ground.
"Aless," Jesus wheezed.
His lips were cracked and bleeding.
"Yes, Jesus?"
"I'm not sure how much more Rafita can take. She hasn't woken up all day and her breathing is too shallow."
"We will find a place soon."
"I pray to the Deity so."
His arms quivered under the weight of Rafita. Despite having food rations left, they had all stopped eating to help stave off thirst. The heat was draining, and the three teens could barely take a step without stumbling.
"Let me take her for a little bit," Aless offered.
Carefully, she lifted Rafita out of Jesus's arms. Rafita, like all of them, was too light. Her small frame thin from months of captivity and now running.
"These heat waves make everything worse," Jesus cursed. "As if we didn't know it was hot enough, we also have to see the heat."
"Heat waves are a game of the Three-Eyed Cąȶ," Kay said hoarsely.
It was an old children's story that Kay and Aless had been raised with. The Three-Eyed Cąȶ loved playing with the desert people, but there was nothing to hid behind or in or under in the desert, so the Three-Eyed Cąȶ, created heat waves so they could hide in and behind them.
Jesus growled at Kay but said nothing. He was in no mood for Kayla. Kayla was also too tired to even roll her eyes at Jesus. Every part of her body was sweating. Glancing at Aless, Kay saw the flush of her friend's sunburned skin, the sweat that rolled down her cheeks to her jawline, neck then shirt. Between thirst and hunger, Kay could see Aless's cheek bone beginning to jut out, causing her face to lose its round, soft features. Kay forced herself to look away.
"Hey," she croaked.
As she had turned her head away from Aless's face, something had caught her eye. To their right was a hazy image that flickered and danced in the air.
"Hey, guys," she repeated. "There is something over there!"
Raising her voice, Kay felt her throat crack. Coughing, Kay could only point as Jesus and Aless turned to look. Indeed, there was something in the distance. Without trees or other landmarks, they could not gage the distance, but they altered their course and slugged on towards the haze. Painfully slowly, the image began to solidify until they were sure they were looking at a town. Almost in tears, the three pushed their leaden legs harder.
"We are almost there," Aless said.
She continued to repeat the phrase for almost two hours before they broke the town line. The town was very modern and well kept. There appeared to be several large stores, a movie theater, and a couple restaurants filled with people. Relief flooded Aless, who had been secretly worried it was a ghost town. People looked at the decrepit group as they staggered through the town. Aless barely noticed them or the other restaurants on the street. Her eyes were focused on an old-fashioned diner with a neon sign advertising the world's best milkshakes. Rafita had wanted a milkshake.
With a grunt, Aless laid her back against the restaurant door, hoping it swung in and not out. When the door swished open, Aless stumbled in, barely managing to catch herself. Rafita still laid in her arms and she didn't want to drop her.
People stared at them in shock. The world was graying around Aless as a loud buzzing filled her ears. Staggering to a booth, Aless set Rafita down. Jesus collapsed next to his sister, hands visibly shaking as he poured a glass of water from a pitcher on the table. Cool air made Aless's skin prickle with goose flesh, making her feel as if her skin was full of needles. Groaning, Kay made it to the other side of the booth and then her knees gave way. Her body folded, sprawling on the empty side of the booth. Steadying herself by leaning on the table, Aless pulled Kay up by the arms and poured water into her partially open mouth just as Jesus did the same to Rafita.
A sturdy hand fluttered onto Aless's shoulder and she looked up to see the old woman. Her look was kind, but not smiling. She had a sponge and she dipped in the water. Then she pried Rafita's mouth open and squeezed the sponge. Cool water dripped into her mouth and she involuntarily gulped. The old woman repeated this several times until she thought Rafita would respond to the cup. Then she did the same to Kayla.
"I have cots in the back. Let's get them back there in the dark and cool. We can give them more water in a few minutes. Let this water sink in first," the woman said in a hushed voice.
Jesus nodded solemnly and tried to stand. His knees too buckled and he fell, grabbing on to the edge of the table for support. Several men appeared and helped lift Jesus to his feet. Speaking kindly, they helped Jesus walk to the back as another man carried Rafita. The men returned without Jesus. One picked up Kay and carried her in the same direction.
"Mistress, may we help you back there?" Another man offered.
"No…I am fine," she managed to creek.
"You certainly are not," the old woman said sternly. "You obviously have sun poisoning."
"No, I am fine. I must take care of the other three."
Wobbling, Aless made her way to the back room. The men flanked her, ready to grab her when she fell. Somehow she managed to get to the room and took a seat between the cots that held Rafita and Kay. Trembling, Aless grabbed a sponge that had been left and dipped it into water. Copying the old woman, Aless drip the sponge and then drizzled water into her friends' mouths.
"Stop being so stubborn," the old woman scowled.
Gently, the woman took the sponge from her.
"No, I must…"
Black and gray spots ruined Alessandra's vision. She must have hallucinated, because she could have sworn she saw the jungle cat from her dreams prowling in the edge of her vision. Eyes closing, Alessandra tried to open them again but couldn't. Feeling the rush of air against her face, Aless knew she was falling. Then she knew no more.
"Will they be okay, Gregor?" an empathetic voice was saying.
Aless's tightened her eyes. Her skin itched like fighting ants were crawling all over her.
"They have severe sun poisoning and are dangerously dehydrated," a calm voice replied. "They are lucky to have survived. They must have spent days in the Frying Pan to be in this condition."
"What could they have been thinking?"
"I do not know. Do they have an identification in the packs they were wearing?"
"No. There is nothing but small rations and some basic camping gear."
"I think you should call the sheriff, Merry."
"I will wait until I hear their story."
"You know as well as I that something is not right with these children. That one girl has scars on her body and her wrist was repeatedly broken and barely healed."
"I know, but people won't talk honestly to police. There must be a reason they are like this."
Muscle straining, Aless pushed herself into a sitting position. Two people stood near her bed, the old woman and a middle-aged man. Both smiled awkwardly at her as Aless turned her head to check on her friends. All of them, herself included had water stones attached to their bodies. The water stones hummed softly as they always did when they were dispensing their contents.
Approaching, the man and woman's façades possessed shadows of concern.
"Young lady, do you realize how lucky you and your friends are?" the man asked.
For some reason, Aless knew he was a doctor. He wasn't wearing the traditional navy-blue coat with medical symbol sown on the lapel, but she could still tell.
"Very," Aless said.
Her throat stung a little. The old woman, Merry, handed her a glass of water.
"What were you all thinking being out in the Frying Pan during the day?" she scowled.
Without evening thinking, a lie popped into Aless's head.
"We aren't from around here. We were joy riding in my uncle's car, which we borrowed without telling him. It broke down about two days from here and we didn't have our cellphones, so we have been walking. We had planned on camping out, so we luckily had some provisions."
The woman's look faltered. She hadn't been expecting that. Taking a moment, the old woman tried to think of what to ask next."
"What about your parents? Do they know where you are?"
"We just called them from that payphone by the movie theater. Unfortunately, we don't come from very well-off families so they can't come to get us. We told them not to worry. We also have some money with us, so we will be able to pay for these medical costs and take the train home."
The man and the old woman glanced at each other. Both appeared skeptical of her story.
"Girl, I don't like being lied to," the woman said, crossing her arms.
"Ok…ok…we didn't call our parents because…my mother died when I was little, and my dad is always gone on business trips. My friend Kay's parents think she is staying at my house and so does Jesus and Rafita's mom. Kay's parents are gone on a second honeymoon and Jesus's mom doesn't have the money to come get us, so we figured calling her would only worry her. We did come out here to go camping, but we ended up getting lost out there. There were no landmarks or roads or anything. It was really confusing."
"The Frying Pan has confused a lot of hikers and campers before, Merry," the doctor nodded knowingly. "It is the Three-Eyed Cąȶ's playground."
"Fine. I'm going to choose to believe you for the sake of the poor child, but…but…"
She decided not to finish her thought as she gestured to Rafita. Rafita slept soundly, almost peacefully as pale pink and blue water stones covered most of her body.
"My name is Madame Wes. My husband and I own this restaurant," the old woman decided to say.
"Nice to meet you, Madame Wes. My name is Alessandra and they are Jesus and Kayla. The little girl is Rafita."
"That little girl is very sick. You can't move her for at least a couple days," the doctor interjected.
"Yes, I understand. Thank you, sir, for helping us."
"I am Doctor Hao. I have to go attend to some other patients. I will come check on you all tomorrow."
With a bow, Doctor Hao left. Waiting until he left, Madame Wes sat in thought. When they were alone, she spoke again.
"I am going to permit this one lie from you," she said thoughtfully. "But no more. We do not permit lying here. We are Deity fearing people."
"Yes, Madame," Aless said guiltily. "When the doctor gives us the okay, we will find a motel to stay at."
"You will do no such thing. My husband and I have two spare bedrooms. You will stay with us. Aside from sun poisoning, all four of you are near starved to death. And there is your medical bill to think of…"
"We do have money for that…"
Waving her had dismissively, Madame Wes made a sound like resembled a laugh.
"I have already compensated Doctor Hao for his time. Once you all are better, you can pay my husband and I back by working here."
Aless was not sure how to respond. She was not sure if Madame Wes was being kind or if the woman had unpleasant plans for them. Yet Aless was raised never to question an unexpected gift, because it could be from the Three-Eyed Cąȶ.
"Thank you for your kindness," Aless settled on saying.
Standing, Madame Wes smiled. The change the smile made in her face was remarkable. She seemed to lose years as her face softened and rounded. Her countenance became motherly and warm. Throat sticking, Aless blinded rapidly.
"Get some more rest," Madame Wes said.
Lying back down, Aless allowed Madame Wes to tuck the blankets around her. Brushing hair off Aless's forehead, Madame Wes checked for a fever. Finding Aless's skin cool, Madame released a relieved breath. Reaching into a bowl that sat on the small table between Aless and Kay's cots, Madame Wes pulled out a soft gray water stone. It was about half the size of Madame Wes's palm. Delicately, Madame Wes placed it on Aless's forehead. The stone lay there, cold and dry until Aless's body temperature activated the saturated stone. Suctioning to her skin, the stone hummed as it began its work. Eyes fluttering, Aless resisted sleep, but lost as the water stone's hum lulled her to sleep.