Flicker by Anya Monroe Page A

as the hours slowly pass. Charlie tells us we’re headed to a dock where we’d have to wait for The Light to meet us. He says it could be a few hours, but he’s heard of some people waiting a week for them to come to shore.
    I don’t ask any questions, I just want to get there. Traveling is hard, and I haven’t had a chance to recover from my fainting spell. My body hasn’t stopped in days. The night air sets in and the temperature drops, and just as I’m ready to ask to stop for a rest, I see it again.
    The sound, with sun glinting off the water making a patchwork of color, just like the kaleidoscope I see when I close my eyes tight, takes all the weariness of travel away in one fell swoop. The oranges and purples of the setting sun trump the greens and blues of the deep sea. My breath catches as I pull Lucky to a stop, wanting this moment to last.
    I think of my embroidery hoop, how my thread-woven sun pales in comparison to this splendor. Charlie stops near Lucky and me. I have a sudden urge to let go of the reins and grab a hold of his hand, longing to share this moment with someone.
    I look back towards the sun and see at the bottom of the steep hill, a single boat rocking at the waters edge.
    “Look,” I say, pointing. “Is that them?” I turn to Charlie, not wanting him to confirm that our journey is over.
    “Yeah, that’s one of their boats. You guys need to get to them, quick, before they leave.” I swear there’s a hint of disappointment in his voice, but he doesn’t say anymore.
    “You won’t go down with us?” Mom asks.
    “I don’t mix well with them.”
    Mom doesn’t wait, she hoists her bag high on her shoulders, ready to run down to the boat. “We’re going, now . Lucy, come on, we need to hurry.”
    Mom sets her eyes with resolve, and I know she believes this is the best choice.
    “I know, Mom. I know.” Charlie may have another way, but it isn’t the way I’m going, I’m following my mother.
    “Thank you, Charlie.” Mom pats his hand. “I know I haven’t said much, but I am grateful. You saved us when you didn’t have to. I didn’t know if I could trust you, but I can see you’re a man of your word.” She starts walking down the hill, not wasting another second to get to The Light.
    Charlie reaches out his hand to help me get off Lucky. I don’t resist, I take hold of him and jump down. My heart falls as our fingers touch. I don’t want to let go, not with his calloused hand wrapped around mine tight, holding onto me in a way no one else ever has.
    “Be safe, Lucy,” he whispers.
                  I’m scared to breathe, scared to let go, because then I’ll have to follow Mom into the unknown. I haven’t known Charlie longer than three days, but it feels like I know him more than the people I spent sixteen years with on the compound.
    He laces his fingers with mine and I wonder if this is the moment I’d been unknowingly waiting for. A cowboy coming to save me from myself. I look down at our hands, knowing I can’t indulge in this fantasy any longer. I have to follow Mom. She saved me from the death my father chose for me. I owe her my life.
    “If you ever get a chance, come find me. Our group is just a few miles from here.” He points east. “If you go that way, there are markers along the trail. You’ll find us. Just ask for me at Safe House Four .”
                  I nod my head, committing his words to memory, wondering what he sees in me, but knowing it doesn’t matter because I’m leaving. “Good-bye, Charlie.” I let go of his hand.
    “I think you’re right, I think you’re supposed to go there.”
    I squint, confused, wanting to ask why, but Mom calls for me again, and I know she is the one I must follow. I’m all she has left.             
                  “I have to go,” I say, turning away, telling myself to not look back.
                  I run down the hill as the sun fades past