Relle, Cedar, and Sage collected wood and piled it into one of the rest stop's grills. Within minutes they had the meat cooking over a fire they built on the grill.
"Cedar," Relle said, "will you watch this? I'm going to go grab some potatoes and carrots."
Cedar nodded and Relle ran over to where the RV was parked. Arlo was on the roof of the RV adjusting the solar panels in a desperate attempt to charge the batteries faster.
Relle walked inside to find Madd laying dramatically on the couch, smoking a cigarette. She said nothing to him as she found her bag and pulled out potatoes, carrots, and tinfoil.
"You know, I'm pretty sure Arlo wants to trade me for you," Madd said.
"He's just...upset about the batteries," Relle said, not wanting to have this conversation. "I'm sure he'll lighten up."
"I don't think you know him very well," Madd said.
"Probably not," Relle paused what she was doing and looked at Madd. "Why don't you come out and help us with food." She wasn't entirely sure what to say, but she knew he needed to get out of the RV and focus on something else.
Together, Madd and Relle walked back to where the rabbit was cooking. Relle cut up the vegetables and placed them in tinfoil and then added them to the grill. It wasn't much longer until their meal was ready. Relle sent Cedar to go find Arlo.
Despite the obvious animosity between Arlo and Madd, the mood between the two lightened as they all ate together. It was the first time in months that Arlo and Madd ate something other than an instant-meal.
Cedar and Sage were excited by the food, it made them feel like they were back home on the farm. Relle ate quietly, enjoying the fresh food.
In the late afternoon, the dark clouds above them began to rain. It started off as a sprinkle but soon became something much stronger. As the rain poured, Madd, Arlo, Cedar, Sage, and Relle found cover in the RV.
Like the night before, rain pelted the roof of the camper, creating a loud sound within. In a way, it reminded Relle of the rain falling on their farmhouse. The old tin roof was just as loud as the camper's roof.
The rain brought a darkness that forced them to light a few candles in the camper so that they could see. Arlo sat on the couch with the map on his lap. Cedar sat beside him pointing out different parts of the map and asking what they were. Madd, Sage, and Relle sat at the table playing cards.
"Is it gonna be rainy all night?" Sage asked as she looked out the window.
"I'm not sure," Relle answered.
"It was scary last night," she said, still watching the rain.
"If it rains again," Madd said. "We can play cards again."
Sage gave a smile at this. "Okay."
"How late were you two up?" Relle asked.
"Not sure, Sage fell asleep in the middle of a game, and I fell asleep right after," he said. "The storm was pretty wild; I can't believe Sage and I were the only ones to hear it."
"I was pretty tired," Relle admitted. "Going into all those stores and...it just tired me out." She thought about the strange man who attacked her in Walmart. "I'm glad we left Billings with you and Arlo," she said after a moment.
"I'm glad you did too," Madd said as he shuffled the cards in his hands. "I hope we get sun tomorrow. It'd be nice if Arlo can forget about the fact I drained his batteries."
Relle laughed, "I'm sure he will."
The rest of the day was filled with rain. Most of the time was spent inside the camper. Later in the evening Arlo made his infamous bland assortment of an instant meal and canned beans warmed on the stove.
Relle, Sage, and Cedar thanked him for the food, but Relle secretly wished she spent the time to go hunt down more rabbits. The meal was some type of rice dish that tasted faintly of cheese and chicken, although there was no actual cheese or chicken to be found.
After dinner they played a few rounds of cards. Arlo was the first to go to sleep, escaping back into the bed at the far end of the camper. Close behind him, Cedar and Sage fell asleep.
Madd and Relle moved their conversation to the couch so that Cedar and Sage could continue their night's sleep on the booth benches at the table. Relle found two blankets and covered her siblings with them.
"Wanna go outside? We've been stuck in here all day?" Madd said suddenly just as Relle was beginning to feel tired.
"It's raining pretty hard," she said.
"So?"
Relle looked out the nearest window. Rain was still coming down in heavy sheets. Going outside was just about the last thing she wanted to do.
"C'mon, all we've been doing is sitting around. Don't you want to have some fun?"
"It looks freezing."
Madd let out a long sigh, "prove to me that you're not boring."
That comment sparked a bit of anger in her. "You still think I'm boring."
"You have the hobbies of an old man, yes...I still think you're boring."
"Fine," she said. She didn't like the idea that he found her boring. Maybe she was practical but didn't want him to think she couldn't have fun.
Madd took off his baggy jean jacket and ran out the door barefoot. Relle took her own socks off as well as her sweatshirt. She ran outside, letting the door close softly behind her.
Cold rain slapped her face and arms. She shivered but enjoyed the feeling of the water on her skin.
Madd ran through the parking lot with the same excitement that Sage or Cedar might have had, if they were awake. Relle held out her arms and looked up at the skies, watching the rain fall down onto her cheeks and face. Madd turned to watch her, giving a small laugh.
He kicked the flat soccer ball towards Relle's feet. "Do you play?"
She looked down at the ball at her feet. She did play. In fact, Relle loved soccer growing up. She had played it for as long as she could before her parents decided that she needed to be helping with the farm instead of playing soccer.
She looked up towards Madd, "I do." Relle combed her wet, curly hair into an even messier ponytail at her neck and smirked as she kicked the ball to herself.
In the pouring rain, Relle and Madd played a makeshift, two-person, soccer game. One goal was between two trees in front of the rest stop building and the other was two cement poles in the parking lot.
Relle found the game as fun as she remembered. Madd however, was not as talented at it as she was. He mostly ran back and forth across the parking lot attempting to stop Relle from scoring.
After nearly an hour of playing, Madd stopped running and put his hands up in defeat. He grinned wildly at her in the rain.
"You win," he laughed. "Hell, had I known you actually knew what you were doing, I wouldn't have offered to play."
Relle laughed, kicking the ball lazily through the 'goal' one last time. "It's been a while, but that was really fun."
"Maybe for you," he joked. "You must have played in high school."
"I wanted to," she said, "but once I turned thirteen my parents wanted me to work on the farm. I wasn't really allowed to do any activities after school after that."
"Ouch," he said as he attempted to light a cigarette in the rain. "I thought Arlo was strict."
"Arlo can't be all that bad, I had a good time hunting with him," Relle offered.
Madd rolled his eyes, "that's because he enjoys hunting. It's something he understands."
He walked to the RV and climbed up the ladder in the back, finding a seat on a section of the roof that had no solar panels on it. Relle followed him up and sat beside him on the RV's roof. Rain continued to soak through her hair and clothing, but she didn't care.
"I'm not a hunter though, I don't know a bunch about survival and living off the land, like he does." Madd continued.
"What do you like?" Relle asked, realizing that up until now, she knew very little about what Madd enjoyed.
"I like...well, a lot of things that are gone now," he paused. "But what I really like is music and literature. I used to be in a band, you know, when I was in San Francisco with my mom."
"Really?" Relle asked.
"Yeah, I love playing guitar...I actually wanted to bring mine along but Arlo said that it was 'not practical'." He let out a long sigh. "I really wish I had it."
"I'm sorry," Relle said. "I suppose that is pretty strict of him."
"Not like your parents apparently," he gave a small laugh. "They really didn't let you play any sports? My mom would have loved it if I joined a sport."
Relle shook her head and dangled her feet off the edge of the RV. "When I wasn't helping with the farm, I was helping watch Sage and Cedar."
Madd nodded. "I have to ask you, what does that note say, anyway?"
"What note?"
"The one you keep touching in your pocket." Madd pointed out, "is it a confession of love?" He joked.
"Kinda the opposite," Relle said with a sigh. For a moment she considered telling Madd about the note. She hadn't told anyone about it. Hell, she hardly admitted to herself what was in it.
Relle looked over and met Madd's dark eyes. There was a kindness there that hadn't been there before.
"My parents left the farm two weeks before the bombs were dropped. The morning they went, they left a letter." She paused. "Before they left...they were struggling...with the house...with the farm...with each other...but mostly with us."
"What did it say?"
"It said...it said that they were headed to Billings to have a weekend together. They claimed that they had things to think about...whatever that means. They said they would return. Two weeks passed and they never came back...then the bombs came." Relle could feel hot tears building behind her eyes. She was suddenly thankful for the rain.
"I'm...sorry..." Madd said, falling quiet. Eventually, he looked over to her. "I take it Cedar and Sage don't know."
"No, and don't tell them."
He put his cigarette out on the top of the RV. "I'm sorry."
Despite her tears, Relle shrugged. "Maybe it's for the best, if they really had gone to Billings with the thought of returning...maybe we'd still be at the farmhouse. Maybe we'd still be waiting."
Madd nodded. "If I had never gone to see Arlo, I would be very dead," he said. "I didn't want to go but..."
"I'm glad you did," she said.