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A Different Path, part 7 The two groups sat inside the storage building that night, the windows covered to hide the lights within, and listened as Alix strummed her guitar and sang a slow song about love. Rachel and Erica sat close together, holding hands as they kept their eyes closed and listened to the song. With the sailboat hidden away in one of the overgrown bays with two men left on board to guard it, they felt fairly safe for the night. They had combined their supplies to make a meal for everyone and felt relaxed, knowing Cierra could very easily appear the next day. Even if she didn't, their numbers were high enough to discourage most troublemakers. If she didn't arrive by noon they planned on doing some salvaging of their own. There were still plenty of buildings nearby that hadn't been searched. The evening ended when people began yawning heavily. The women were given the sleeping bags to sleep in while the men spread out sheets of foam that had been pulled out from the crates. The next morning went slowly as they waited but Cierra didn't arrive. No longer able to sit still, four of them decided to explore the buildings. Erica, Rachel's father, and two of the crewmen from the yacht armed themselves and slung duffle bags over their shoulders to carry anything they might find. They examined the satellite map and decided to begin at the gold course which was furthest away. They would see if the club house had anything then work their way back, searching buildings along the way. One the people noticed was the increase of small wildlife in the now deserted area. Squirrels, rabbits, and birds hunted for food in the areas that were once small landscaped lots. Uncontrolled, weeds and dirt now began covering the parking lots and sidewalks. In a few years the concrete would be crumbled from neglect. Erica carried a stout stick that she had once used when she hiked in the hills. On the butt end was rabbit fur and bells in case of snakes. It also came in handy to pry things up and for protection. The others of the team followed behind her to the golf course. Once there, Erica was pleased to see that the chain and locks were intact on the club house doors. Perhaps no one had gotten into it yet. Of course, the location was on the far southern end of the island and its isolation might have kept it from being ransacked. The chain was cut off and the four people entered the building cautiously. Although a bit dustier, the interior looked as though looked as though the shop was just closed up for the night. "The club restaurant is over that way," Nick said after looking at the signs on the walls. They headed down the hallway, away from the pro shop. A small dining area with round tables came into view. Without a word, the group headed for the kitchen area. Nick tried the light switch but they didn't work. "Ugh, whatever you do, don't open the refrigerators," he warned. Settling on grabbing canned good, they filled their bags and used their flashlights to investigate plastic tubs. One tub contained flour and was tightly sealed with no sign of bugs. They took that as well as a bag of sugar and a cardboard canister of salt. "Here's some coffee," one of the crewmen announced happily. "But how do we brew it?" Erica asked. "Let me worry about that. I can rig almost anything." He began rummaging through drawers and a storage room, collecting metal items. Erica grabbed some utensils while Nick filled his bag with dish towels. He turned to Erica and asked her to see if there was any toilet paper in a storage room elsewhere. The little they had was almost gone. The young woman hit pay dirt. She not only found a supply of decent toilet paper, she also found hand soap and paper towels in the tiny room. She returned to the kitchen where the others were nearly finished collecting things. She opened her bag and shoved in a few more small cans of food then grabbed the stock pot that one of the men pointed to. With their bags and hands full, they headed back towards camp. The four of them were tired at the end of the trip after covering several miles with heavy loads but at least they didn't have to worry about food for a while. They walked into camp and to their surprise, could smell meat cooking over a fire. They dropped their booty in a pile near the fire and tried to figure out was roasting on the spit. "Wayne snared a couple of rabbits," Martha told her daughter. "He's quite handy with fishing line." "Cool. Look what we collected," Erica told her mother, opening up the bags. The others gathered around, almost drooling at the sight of something other than fish and crackers. They had collected cans of vegetables, chili, soups, fruit cocktail, diced tomatoes, and baby onions. Nick pulled out a large jar of minced garlic and spice bottles along with his cans. The crewmen removed the supply of flour and dry ingredients along with the coffee, salad dressing, barbecue sauce, tuna fish, and mayonnaise. One of the teenagers grabbed the chili, trying to claim dibs on it. His mother smacked his hand and made him put it down. Lucy told her boys to find something useful to do while she and Martha fixed lunch. It didn't take long for the group to prepare a small feast after living on a meager diet for so long. With full bellies and warm temperatures in spite of the cooling season, they sat back and relaxed. Now all they had to do was wait. ******** Cierra kept her eyes peeled on their surroundings as they guided the canoe down river. Ever since their experience with the natives she had been nervous on these monthly trips. The narrower part of the river kept her on edge and she didn't relax until it widened as they neared the Napa-Sonoma village. She no longer brought along Kiona or Elu on the trips, preferring that they stay behind where it was safer. Besides, her daughter adored Pam and with a playmate near her own age and lots of willing babysitters, the little girl hardly missed her mother during her trips south. Perhaps it was time to think about having another child. Cierra loved her daughter but admitted that she wouldn't dare approach Kota for another donation. The shaman from the Whitefeather Clan made JP irritable to say the least. Her spouse would welcome another child but not from Kota. The less they had to deal with him the better as far as JP was concerned. Maybe they could approach Jason. The handsome artist would make a good donor and the baby would have a small chance of inheriting his artistic abilities. Yes, she would talk to JP about it later. After lunch, the women from Napa reached the area where the river widened and they relaxed. They would reach the Napa-Sonoma village in a few hours at most and have time to set up their tents before nightfall. Robbie and Tracy remained behind the last four trips but Cyd and Jenny rounded out their group instead. Jenny's attempt at getting pregnant had failed last month but they would try again in a few weeks. Cyd looked forward visiting with Carey. She missed her friend a lot and greedily spent every minute she could with the former survivalist. It helped that Jenny was so understanding about their friendship and didn't express any jealousy over what could be taken wrong by some. The blonde knew that Cyd and Carey felt like sisters, almost like twins in fact. There was nothing to be jealous of. Allowing Cyd to seek companionship outside their own bond wasn't a threat to their relationship at all. So when they arrived at the village, she didn't even blink when Cyd ran to her old friend and hugged her enthusiastically. Jenny shook her head indulgently and greeted her friends and cooed over the new baby boy that the married couple had given birth to. Sammy walked up to Cierra and JP, giving them each a hug and asked how the journey had gone as they walked up towards the barracks. "Hey, you want to see how we set up the new barracks? It's so cool," Sammy commented to the couple. "Sure, let's take a look. Did you design if differently inside?" JP asked. "Oh yeah, the boys gave us all an idea so we went with it. You'll see." The three women went into the recently finished building and noticed right away that the guest quarters were very different than anything they had done before. There was no dividing walls for one other than the water closet. "No privacy?" Cierra asked. "Nope. We figured people would be staying here very little other than sleeping or socializing. If the crew from the WaveDancer wanted privacy for sex they could easily remain on board the ship." JP looked around the large room but saw no beds. "Where do they sleep?" Sammy grinned and reached up, pulling on a chain that was attached to the wall. She lowered something from the ceiling that JP had missed before since it was up in the shadows of the high roof. As if lowered she saw that it was a wooden platform attached to many hemp ropes. Then as it came to eye level she saw that it was padded. It finally came to a stop a few feet off the ground and Sammy hooked the chain into the metal clasp on the wall. "A hanging bed?" "Cool, huh? Go ahead, try it out," Carey's spouse invited. Cierra grinned and slipped between the large gap in the ropes and felt the bed sway. Then JP got in and settled down. the feather stuffed mattress wasn't thick but it seemed comfortable enough. "Ah, no tent for us tonight," she winked. Cierra smiled but looked up, spotting six such beds. Once lowered they would take up most of the room. The wooden furniture of the room was made low so that they wouldn't be in the way of the beds when lowered. It was very practical as long as the roof was made solidly. "What's holding them up besides the chains and ropes?" "Large beams made of hardwood. We figured the walls were plenty strong enough to support them and we used saplings to form the roof and hold the thatch. That's why we have the woven cones over the beds so it won't shed on people." "Nice. But what if you have more than a dozen people?" Sammy shrugged. "There's plenty of benches on the outer walls. They can throw on some blankets and sleep there if they need to. besides, Joseph and his crew are planning an making more silt blocks for more buildings. It's almost a full time job for them any more. The rest of us keep care of the farming and hunting." "The teenagers are helping a lot?" "Yep, they're a big help since they got here. Cameron did most of the rope making and Ben has gotten pretty good at masonry. The other two help Joseph collect materials and mix the mortars." Cierra was happy that the boys had worked out. They certainly were more willing to work hard than Will Silverfox. Carey had admitted during their last visit that she had told him to either stop being a laggard or pack up and leave. Joseph was tired of riding him to get much work from the man. She wondered how that worked out. "Well, let's show Cyd and Jenny the new guest rooms. The sun is going to set soon." "I'm sure you're hungry too. I'll fetch the others while you clean up, okay?" Sammy offered. Carey's spouse would also have some of the others bring in their duffle bags so they wouldn't have to lug them in. "Dinner should be ready soon," she warned them. The visitors already knew that a bell would be rung when the meal was ready. "Thanks, Sammy," both women said, appreciating her kindness. Cierra was two days late and they were beginning to worry. Was the shaman still making monthly visits or had something happened to delay her? Not knowing what was happening had them biting their fingernails and pacing a path into the dirt leading to the channel. "What if she doesn't come?" Cierra asked nervously. Elinor looked up from her breakfast plate and chewed slowly before answering. "Well, I suppose if all else fails, we could have you try and find Mother Earth." "Great, more pressure," Cierra moaned. "No, not pressure, hon. We could always try and settle somewhere and make do if we had to. We're all aware that you haven't had time to learn how to control your abilities. We can't expect you to do everything the other Cierra can." Cierra looked miserable, feeling like she somehow failed everyone. She wished the real Cierra would show up and save her from failing once again. Then it happened. She had no sooner thought that when four women appeared from thin air near the sign. "They're here!" one of the teenage boys shouted. Everyone rushed to the bank, even the boy on the roof keeping watch. He nearly flew down the ladder to get outside where all the excitement was going on. Elinor and Cierra hung back, both wondering how the shaman would react to seeing her living doppelganger. Jenny stood back as Cyd and JP hovered protectively around Cierra until the new people could be determined harmless. She watched the approaching people but noticed two up towards the building didn't seem eager to join the others in greeting Cierra. She squinted in the sunlight then realized the one standing looked familiar. Her mind raced until she recalled where she knew her from. Then it came to her, it was the reporter from the alternative world. But how in hell did she get there? Was it the one they knew or her alternative counterpart? Jenny turned to Cierra. "Cierra, sweetie, doesn't that woman look like Elinor?" she asked, pointing towards the reluctant pair. Both Cierra and JP focused on them, taking a look at the woman. "Yeah, she does-" JP began then gasped. "Oh my God!" Jenny nearly jumped out of skin from the surprised exclamation. "What?" "Look who's next to her," JP whispered, her voice squeaking. The others ignored the happy people gathering around them as their eyes looked towards the sitting person who was almost hidden in the shadows. "No! It can't be!" Jenny said, her hands covering her mouth as her eyes widened. She tore her eyes from the sight and turned to her shaman friend. "It's you!" she hissed. Next Chapter |