Chapter 103: 103

NADINE’S P.O.V

The first thing I realized when I woke up was that Rowan wasn’t in bed next to me. I sat up in an instant, cursing when I realized just how bright it was outside.

We had a meeting today, we were to show the rest of the community the files that we’d taken from Trent’s lab. Rowan and I spent the whole of last night poring over them and making sure that we had something substantial. It was no wonder I was so tired.

I searched under the bed, looking for where we’d stashed it but it wasn’t there. I cursed loud and grabbed my knife from the bedside table. I’d barely taken two steps out of the room when I found Amy. She was nursing a cup of what smelled like coffee and she stared at me then the knife in my hands.

“Are you going to use that on me or put it away?” she asked and I reluctantly put it back in the sheath. “If you want some coffee, there are fresh beans on the table and there’s a kettle filled with hot water. Some women came by a few minutes ago and dropped off an entire basket of things.”

“Women?”

She nodded. “They say that’s how they greet new neighbors. They also said that if we were feeling up to it then we could come by the farm and see. I’m thinking of going but Rowan said I had to be here when you wake up.”

“Where is Rowan?”

“He went to the meeting with the girl… Jennifer, I think her name was.” Before I could protest, she cut me off. “He said he wanted you to rest. I offered to go with him but he asked me to stay.”

I cursed, running my hands through my hair in frustration. “Do you know where they are?”

“No, sorry. Joshua went with them though. I think they’re going to be okay.”

I knew that.

I trusted Rowan and to some degree, I knew that Jennifer wouldn’t stab us in the back, but I’d have loved to be there. I didn’t like the idea of Rowan surrounded by enemies. The only person that I knew for certain was on our side was Joshua and he wasn’t the best person to deal with diplomatic issues. He was rash and quick to speak.

“I know you’re worried about them,” Amy began slowly. “But there’s nothing we can do. We either wait for them or…”

“Or?” I probed.”

“We could take the women up on their offer.”

I scoffed. “You want to go to a farm while Rowan and Joshua are gone? They could be in danger.”

“Yes, they could, I get that, okay? But I am going out of my mind sitting here and thinking about it. This community seems to be thriving, Nadine. In a world where everything is falling apart, they are happy. Aren’t you even a little curious?”

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.

I’d been thinking about it right before I fell asleep. How did they manage to survive and live so well without having one clear leader? Even though Solomon spoke to us last night, it was clear he wasn’t in charge. He’d glance over his shoulder a few times, looking at the people beside him.

It was clear they operated on some kind of partnership.

“Fine,” I mumbled. “We’ll go to the farm, but only for observation.”

She grinned. “Deal.”

It felt good to take a proper bath. They had some kind of home-made soap in the bathroom. I felt cleaner than I had in a long time.

I took a sip from the coffee as we left and as much as I hated to admit it, it felt good to have a fresh sip of coffee after what felt like years. Everything here was freshly made. It smelled good and it felt good too.

The farm wasn’t so far from the house. Amy asked directions while I got ready and we made our way over there.

A few people stared at us as we walked. No one was openly hostile, but it was clear they weren’t very comfortable with our- my- presence. They’d smile at Amy, but when it came to me, they were wary, almost watchful. I didn’t blame them, I knew who my father was and the things he’d done.

The farm was large- much larger than what I expected.

There were a bunch of people working. Some planted seeds, some carried baskets of crops into a huge building. I watched them with fascination and rapt attention. They worked in seamless harmony. I’d never seen anything like it before.

“Are you lost, dear?” a woman asked and I turned to her.

She was seated in a chair, peeling potatoes with a sharp knife. She had brown hair that was tied at the base of her neck with a scarf and kind brown eyes. She looked at me warily before turning to Amy.

“Hey, I remember you,” she smiled. “Did you enjoy the coffee?”

Amy nodded. “It was amazing. I just had to come here.”

The woman laughed. “I’m Darla. If you ever need anything, you can come to me, darling.”

“Darla, this is-”

“I know who she is,” she cut Amy off, her smile faltering a little. “You don’t look like your father as much as I thought you would.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that at first, but I shrugged. “I take after my mother.”

“I don’t know her.”

“She died, long before this.”

Darla hummed. “Well, you’re welcome here, Miss. Tyler. We don’t discriminate on anyone based off their parents.”

“You can call me Nadine,” I corrected her.

As long as I carried around the name Tyler, I knew no one here would trust me.

“Well then, Nadine, it’s nice to have you around. Feel free to look around and help yourself to some work.”

She went back to her potatoes, her fingers straining as she struggled to cut them. The knife was much too large for the task she was doing and the way she was going, it was only a matter of time before she nicked her fingers.

“May I?” I asked and she turned to me with furrowed brows. “I know a better way?”

“You?” she asked incredulously. She caught herself before she could say anything else and gave me the knife.

I turned the blade towards myself, peeling slowly. “It’s too big to peel it facing away from yourself. You’ll lose a finger. This way, you have control of the knife and what you’re doing.”

I did it slowly so she could see what I was doing. By the time I was done peeling it, I dropped it into the bowl in front of her and handed her knife back to her.

She stared at me for a moment, her eyes wide with shock and something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I shuffled awkwardly on my feet, not used to people staring at me like that. I was just about to leave when she spoke.

“Thank you,” her voice was soft. “You can stay here and help if you want. It usually takes a while to peel enough to feed the whole community.”

“You feed everyone?”

She nodded. “We cook enough for everyone and give meals three times a day. It’s easier to light one fire than fifty. You don’t have to but-”

“I’ll stay.”

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