Contained (Virus Book 3) Read online

  Shonda’s mouth tightened, and she put a hand on Elaan’s shoulder. “Sweetheart,” she said. “I need you to stop this, alright? Alex was misguided, but he wasn’t trying to hurt you. He’s a good person.”

  “Good people don’t tell daughters their father is dead if they know it might not be true.”

  Shonda slid her hand from Elaan’s shoulder. “Let’s just stop talking about this for the moment, please. Let’s talk about something else.”

  Something else? She didn’t get where her mother was coming from. “Why are you so protective of him? Why don’t you care that he came here and tried to hurt me, to make me think my father was dead, when he knew it’s likely some type of scare tactic?”

  Shonda was trembling now. “I care,” she said, her voice strained. “You have no idea how much I care about what’s happening here. But this is not the battle you want to have, Elaan. Alex is in a tenuous position and we can’t push him. He’s a good person.”

  “Who told me something you’d clearly asked him not to. You were mad when you came in, but you’ve fizzled. Why?”

  “We can be mad at people we care about and still think they’re good people.”

  Elaan’s mouth dropped open. “People you care about. You care about him?”

  Shonda swallowed, looked down at her hands, then back up at Elaan. “Of course I do. If you and Josh didn’t see each other for twenty years, and then you came across each other again, you don’t think you’d still care.”

  “That’s not a fair comparison,” Elaan said.

  “Why not?”

  “Because you don’t get to care in the same way when you’re married to someone else.”

  Shonda put a hand on top of her daughter’s. “I care for him, but what I feel for him is very different than what I feel for your father. It’s not the same. I’m just saying he’s being helpful to us, and I want you to stop taking that for granted. I’ll talk to him. I promise. But from now on, just try to be grateful. He could’ve turned you over to Thoreaux the second we got here. He didn’t. Just because you don’t understand everything happening doesn’t mean that what’s happening is bad or mistrustful.” With this, Shonda stood. “I need to go back to the lab.”

  Elaan frowned. “Why do you get to leave?”

  “Because Shonda Woodson is dead and buried, but Jenny Rhodes, a transfer tech from Region 6, isn’t. I need to work on what we came here for, but I also need to know that you’re safe. Stay here. I’ll talk to Alex, but know that he’s your friend, not your enemy.”

  With that her mother left, and Elaan sat there, stunned. She wondered briefly if Alex had done something to her mother. Had he drugged her or something? Even in private, she seemed to want to defend him. But then she wondered. Were they in private? Perhaps this room wasn’t as private as she thought.

  Chapter 14 - Lijah

  He’d managed to intimate to both Josh and Amadu that his mother thought they were being monitored. It wasn’t a bad assumption, though no one had seen any overt signs of listening devices or cameras.

  Without talk of escape to occupy their time, they’d slept or discussed random and unrelated topics. Everything from game theory to movies to what restaurant they wished they could go to, if the world were back to normal again. Amadu was a big fan of the good old Mickey D’s.

  “We gotta get the world back on track so we can show you some better food options,” Josh had joked.

  “Greasy is good,” Amadu retorted.

  The door opened. It was six o’clock. Probably Natalie with their food. Lijah was pretty hungry. The dinner ration of the night before had been fairly large, so he’d saved part of it for today. But a bag of trail mix was no substitute for a real meal.

  Natalie entered, this time with two brown paper bags. She handed one to Josh and one to Amadu. Then she looked at Lijah. “You get to come with me.”

  Lijah glanced between Josh and Amadu, the shock of what Natalie was saying settling in. “Where?” he asked.

  “Dinner with Dr. Rhodes,” she said, and started toward the door.

  “What about them?” Lijah asked.

  She looked at them. “They stay. They get dinner here. You’re not going far, and you’ll be back. Come on,” she said. “Your mother is waiting.”

  His mother? And then he remembered his mother’s fake name: Jenny Rhodes. She was going by that now. He supposed Shonda Woodson was dead, so Jenny Rhodes was the best cover they were going to get. He left the room, abandoning Josh and Amadu, following Natalie into the corridor through a few zig zags and ending up in another room. This one was also labeled Quarantine, but it had a table in it with food on it. His mother was sitting there already. Natalie closed the door, leaving him there.

  “Are you alright?” Shonda asked, walking over to him. She looked him over. It seemed she was searching for physical signs of an answer, rather than waiting for him to speak.

  “What’s going on? Elaan was upset when she came to see us the other night.”

  Shonda shook her head, subtly. A cue that there could be no real communication here. “Elaan is just upset that Alex is an old friend. It’s nothing to worry about.”

  He nodded, then walked to the table and sat. There was a bowl of what looked to be beef stew. Lijah started eating. He was hungry. A basket with three rolls sat at the center of the table. He took two. If what Elaan said was true, Alex wouldn’t let his mother starve. She watched as he ate, saying nothing. When he finished, he noticed she hadn’t touched her food. “Not hungry?”

  She pushed her bowl of stew toward him. “You can have it.”

  He nodded, took it and ate that, too. He felt a tad guilty about having so much. Especially when Josh and Amadu simply had the paper bags. He wondered if it was the same meal as last night. Jerky, peanut butter sandwich, dried fruit, trail mix, and a bottle of water.

  “So, why dinner?” Lijah asked.

  “I wanted to see you,” she said. “I was worried.”

  “We’re fine, physically, but it’s boring as hell, and I worry about my sister,” he said. Then, remembering they might have an audience, he added, “And you, too.”

  “I’m fine,” she said. “But I need your help. When Elaan comes down tonight to talk to you. Just tell her to curb her doubts. She’ll listen to you.”

  He didn’t respond. Just crossed his hands over his now-full belly.

  “You’ll do that for me?” She looked hopeful.

  “Sure,” he said. “But I don’t think she cares about my opinion.”

  “She does,” Shonda said. “More than you know.”

  He doubted that very seriously, but it probably sounded good to Dr. Caldwell, if he was listening. “When can we get out of the quarantine? How’d our labs go?”

  She smiled. “Excellent,” she said. “I rushed yours, and you’re fine. No signs of exposure. You’ve managed to steer clear of anyone who has been actively infected. So that means you’re fine. I think my vaccine fix will work. But it will probably take a bit more time.”

  “If our bloodwork is good, then we can leave quarantine?”

  Shonda shook her head. “No. Alex needs a place to put you. He’s not supposed to really bring in new people unless they’re immune. And really, immunes are supposed to be sent to Virginia.”

  Lijah sat up straight in his chair. “I guess that is a dilemma,” he said. “Do you know how he plans to fix it?”

  Shonda closed her eyes. “There are some options, but not the greatest. I’m working with him on how to resolve it. It would help, however, if Elaan were more generous in spirit to him.”

  He stared at her, not sure what she was getting at. Elaan was not going to like that guy, no matter what. Not when she thought he was angling to displace their father. Was the guy really that prickly over whether Elaan liked him or not? As he noted the strain on his mother’s face, he surmised the guy must be. No wonder it hadn’t worked out. His mother didn’t like primadonnas. “Alright, I’ll talk to her.”

  Ch
apter 15 - Elaan

  It had been two days since the “your father is dead” fiasco, and she’d seen Lijah and Josh once. Lijah had told her to get along with Alex, leaving her to spend the bulk of her visit on Josh’s bunk talking quietly to him and ignoring her brother. She felt no remorse about that. It was enough that her mother lectured her. She didn’t need Lijah doing it, too.

  Her days had been quiet. Natalie was almost never there and always locked her bedroom door. She’d been granted a laptop to noodle around on, but there was no internet access. She could watch DVDs or play games. Fun enough, but tiresome after a bit.

  Her mother had not visited her since the other day. She wondered why. If she was right that the room was monitored, there wasn’t a whole lot she and her mother could actually discuss. But it still would have been nice to see her. At least she would’ve known her mother was alright.

  What if Alex had gotten mad and done something to hurt her? Though, that seemed unlikely, as obsessed as he seemed to be.

  There was a knock on the door, and Elaan turned. She would have gone over to open it, but the door didn’t open for her. She’d tried to sneak out, only to find she was locked in. She wasn’t sure how her mother, Natalie, and Alex got in and out so easily. Whatever they were doing, she wasn’t. Perhaps they had an infrared keycard or something. She’d read about tech that let you swipe your access fob from a few feet away to access privileges.

  When the door opened, her mother was standing there. She wore a lab coat and held a camouflage ball cap in her hand. She walked straight over to Elaan and didn’t say much. “I need to talk to you, but not here,” she said. She handed Elaan the cap. “Put this on and tuck your head. You’re not supposed to be out, but you look enough like that girl that I don’t think anyone will think you look out of place if you keep your face down. Come on.”

  Elaan’s instinct was to ask where they were going. Why now? But she wanted out, and asking questions seemed like it could only delay that. She put on the hat, clamped her lips shut, and followed her mother.

  Elaan was more than disappointed when they arrived back where she’d begun on her first day here: Alex’s suite. Her mother let her in, and it looked much the same. She headed over to the sofa to sit, but Shonda shook her head and motioned Elaan to follow her.

  Down the hallway she went, stopping at the first bedroom, waving something in front of the door, and then opening it. Elaan stepped inside after her mother. There was a large queen-size bed in the center and two night tables. On the left side night table, she noticed her mother’s hairbrush. She swallowed, her chest tightening. “Is this your room?” she asked.

  Her mother didn’t answer. Instead, she’d gone over to the closet and opened its louver door. She knelt and picked something up. When she turned around, she had some type of tablet viewing device. She walked over to Elaan, grabbed her hand, and pulled her back to the closet. She pointed to a spot on the floor. “It goes face down, there,” she said. “As soon as you finish with it, press this button once. It puts it to sleep.” Shonda pointed to the button. “Then put it back face down. Do you understand?”

  She’d heard what her mother said and she understood, but her mother had ignored the first question Elaan had asked. “Is this your room?”

  “You know it’s Alex’s,” she said, and looked Elaan dead in the eye. “Just because my Boxcar Willie isn’t dirty and smelly doesn’t mean he’s not a Boxcar Willie. The thing is, it’s best not to deal with such people, because they don’t keep their word.”

  Elaan staggered back as the weight of what her mother was saying settled in on her. She turned back to the brush on the nightstand, and then looked at her mother. “Why are you telling me this? What’s changed?”

  “He’s sending you to Charlottesville. Tonight.”

  “What?” Elaan said, standing. “I have to leave. I have to get out.”

  Shonda shook her head. “Don’t you think I’d do that, if I could? I don’t have access to the outside. I can’t get you out, or Josh. But it’s OK. Watch. I’ll try to get you as much information as I can. Enough to help you while you’re there. This is all I can do right now.”

  Shonda shoved the tablet in Elaan’s hand and headed toward the door. “Just pull it shut and go to the back bedroom when you’re done.”

  Shonda closed the door and walked out. When Elaan was done? What the hell did that even mean? She looked down on the screen of the tablet. It was a video feed. A video feed from a unit in the SPU. Not just any unit, but the unit Elaan had been staying in. Her eyes were fixed to the screen. She was still a little mystified that she’d been watched while she was there.

  Then she heard sound, the sound of the door opening. She looked to the door in her room. It was still. She realized it was the door of her SPU. The one on the screen. It was picture and sound. The door opened and Alex walked in and called her name. On the screen, he disappeared from view as he walked down the hallway. At least the cameras didn’t seem to monitor her bedroom. Then the camera switched, and a moment later it showed him enter her bedroom. He looked around and frowned. The camera switched back to the main room. It was her mother entering.

  “Alex,” Shonda called. “Are you here?”

  Alex hurried into view, staring at her mother, his lips forming a grim line, his eyes tight. “What did you do with her?” he asked, his voice a low growl.

  Her mother didn’t flinch. “I took her to our suite because I wanted to spend time with her.”

  His face relaxed, and he walked over and put a hand on Shonda’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I know you’re unhappy with this, and I tried, but I think this is the best option here.”

  She shook her head and then went to the sofa and dropped down. “I don’t understand why you didn’t at least try my suggestion.”

  “There wasn’t time,” he said, joining her on the sofa, putting a hand on her knee.

  Shonda bit her lower lip, looked him in the eye. “I feel like this is less about the fact that your people can’t keep their mouth shut than the fact that she never warmed to you. And you didn’t even really give her a chance.”

  “I’m not that petty, Shonda,” he said.

  Her mother didn’t respond, but she didn’t look like she believed him. “If you had just let Josh out, let them have a unit together, I would’ve played the bad guy. I would’ve pretended I didn’t like the idea, and she would have adored you for sticking up for her, for treating her like she’s an adult. She would’ve sung your praises, Alex. She’s seventeen and in love, and she would’ve been so happy to be treated as an adult that we could’ve gotten everything we wanted to accomplished. I don’t understand why you ignored that.”

  “I didn’t ignore you, Shonda,” he retorted. “I told you I couldn’t introduce Josh into a unit without first knowing that he was safe. Plus, he’s an instigator. He was encouraging your boy to try to mount an escape. He was trying to manipulate one of my most loyal people. I couldn’t let him out to be with her. He was too much of a risk.”

  Shonda closed her eyes, put her hand to her temple. “Fine, Josh was too much of a risk, but why did you tell her Jim was dead? I could’ve gotten her to trust you if you’d just not done that.”

  “She hates me because she doesn’t want me to be with you. I just thought if she realized her father was gone that she’d be more willing to accept. I told you this before. You’re not a nagging rehasher, Shonda. Why are you starting this now?”

  Shonda breathed out, looked deep into his eyes, and then started to cry, just full-on tears. He seemed to feel guilty, his face crumpling just a bit. He pulled Shonda into his arms. “I’m sorry,” he said again.

  “I just didn’t want this, alright,” Shonda finally said, stifling her tears. “You keep saying she’s going to be safe there, but I don’t trust it. Why do you think that?”

  Shonda was still in his arms. He gave her a squeeze and said, “They keep the immunes safe. They want them safe. She’ll be in a nice place w
ith other immunes.”

  “What about the rumors that they’re forced to marry, to breed? What about the rumors of the religious indoctrination?”

  “I don’t think it’s true. Plus she’ll have an ally. The Wells boy, if he feels as strongly about her as she does about him, will protect her. Kingston Wells may think I’m ruthless, but I know for a fact he’s a little Machiavelli. He’ll help his son protect the girl.”

  Shonda shook her head. “Kingston hates Elaan.” At this Elaan tensed. Sure, Kingston wasn’t fond of her, but hate seemed like a strong word.

  Alex patted Shonda’s shoulder. “I’m sure he doesn’t hate her.”

  Shonda took in a deep breath and then stared right into Alex’s eyes. “He blames her for Josh leaving the compound. He feels like he could’ve gotten safety for Josh if his son hadn’t left with my daughter. He hates her. He will not help her, and you’re sending her there.” Shonda put her head in her hands and seemed to be weeping again.

  Alex patted Shonda’s back and said, “I think you’re working yourself up about this. Your daughter will be fine. We’ve talked about this. It’s the better option. I told you my men couldn’t keep quiet about this. I need to divulge something. Surely, you didn’t want me to turn over your son. He’s to be killed.”

  Shonda sat up. “I don’t like how you keep pitting this as a choice between my son’s life or my daughter’s. I love both my children. I want them both happy and healthy.”

  “Well, this gives you that for both of them,” he said. Alex placed a hand under her chin, and she looked up at him. “Remember when you were brought here?”

  “Yes,” Shonda said. “You whispered, ‘Be with me and I’ll keep you and your children safe.’”

  “This keeps them safe, Shonda. If Thoreaux were to find out they were here on his own, there would be massive” — his face contorted as he searched for the word — “repercussions. This way, Lijah will stay here under my protection. No one will know. Elaan, Josh, and that other boy will go to Virginia.”