Ten
The village is a ramshackle of mismatched buildings that look as if they were pieced together with spare parts liberated from other buildings. I take in the sight, surprised at all the variation in the simple structures. Towards the middle of town, larger buildings that look like the ones from the city, complete with the dark mold growing on their sides. We had followed a road to get here, so I assume that this was something once, another place where people lived who must have been tied to the labs somehow though it's a bit of a distance away.
Wild patches of brightly colored plants grow in the yards of small houses on the outskirts of town. People buzz around, and I watch them closely as they do. Unlike in the city where the people eyed us suspiciously as we passed, these people don't watch us at all. They each go about their day, talking with neighbors in the street, or walking with purpose. These people aren't scared. They're comfortable. And for the first time I can breathe a sigh of relief myself.
The road we walk on is still patchy. After I nearly trip in a pothole, Brandon tells me that they're working on either patching the road or getting rid of it all together.
We walk along the edge of town until we get to a dirt road. At the end sits a building that looks like it was built from scratch out of rocks. In the back a simple wooden fence with enough space between the slats that flowering plants, grass, and weeds pour over the rails as if reaching out to greet us.
He doesn't tell me where we're going, and I don't think to ask. As we step in the door, Brandon in the lead, air from inside the building slips past Brandon and tickles me with warm tendrils. Right away I catch the scent of a stew and it makes me hungry even though we had breakfast not that long ago.
I stop right after entering. The heavy door shuts itself behind me. The room is warm with bodies, a low murmur rising from the spot furthest away from the door. These people are relaxed and at ease, each nursing a drink. They see us, and some of them call out to Brandon with a smile. I notice Maria and that tall quiet guy from the other night right away. She even gives me a nod when she notices me.
On the other side of the room are the bar and a small counter with bar stools made of wood that look hand crafted. One man sits at the counter, chatting with the dark skinned woman who pours his drink. Her smile is so warm it's easy to believe that she's the source of the temperature in the room and not the stew cooking on the stove behind her.
Then she sees Brandon. Her warm smile spreads across her face, brightening her eyes and plumping up her cheeks. I catch a flash of her pink tongue as her mouth drops open in sheer happiness. She steps out from behind the counter and over to us quickly scooping Brandon's face up in both of her hands though she has to reach a bit above her head to get him. "Brandon! It's so good to see you!"
Some of the others in the back snicker, but there's no maliciousness to it. I catch Maria's grin and get a sense that this happens regularly. Brandon isn't ashamed. He doesn't move her hands, just lifts his and places them on top of hers.
"You're looking at me like I've grown."
She laughs. "No, I'm just surprised at how old I am." She takes a step back from him, removing her hands, then catches sight of me standing a little behind Brandon. I'm no mind reader, but even I can guess the question on her thoughts.
"Rita," he says as he takes a step to the side leaving me exposed. "This is my little sister, Paula."
She looks from me back to him. "Sister?"
"Henri's."
Rita nods as if that's all she needs to know. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, dear." If she knows what I am or where I'm from, it doesn't seem to stop that smile of hers from reappearing. I'm not quite sure what to say to her, and so I stand still, frozen by her warmth and genuine kindness. "Well, I know why you're here. They're both out back tending to the garden."
I hadn't seen anyone out in the back when we walked up, but Brandon thanks her anyway and heads towards the back of the bar with me following after him. We walk through a door that leads to a stairwell with one staircase going down into a dark cellar and another going up to a room filled with natural light. Past the stairs there's another door and Brandon opens this one out into the garden.
The plants I'd been admiring on the walk in are nothing compared to the entire garden. The space by the door is clear, but everywhere else there are plants growing, flowers blooming, and some with fruits dangling. Worn paths lead out from the door to the plants and all the spaces between. It's wild, but tamed by the hands that work on it.
There's a loud screech a second before Brandon is attacked by a little girl who jumps at him hard enough to knock the breath from his chest.
A woman steps over to us with a hand on her hip. "I know that screech. The whole village probably knows it by now." She has the same dark skin as the woman inside and looks very much like her, but she's younger. And instead of a warm smile, she looks mildly annoyed.
The little girl in Brandon's arms shoots words out so quickly that I wonder if he can even understand her. She ignores the annoyed woman and carries on distracting Brandon so that he doesn't hear either. The woman sighs. The muscles in her face relax ever so slightly as if she might dare to smile while Brandon and the little girl are distracted, but then she sees me.
I haven't got much else to do other than to introduce myself. "Uh, I'm Paula. I'm his sister." The words are difficult to say and I hesitate as I say them, trying them on out loud for the first time.
The woman looks from Brandon to me before she introduces herself. "I'm Patrice, or Pat. That is Melissa."
At the mention of her name, the little girl stops and looks at us. Her skin is tanned, her hair a light brown almost blond from the sunlight, and her eyes are blue. A very pale blue that stands out against her skin and hair. She grins and I have the very distinct feeling that I've seen that grin before.
Brandon smiles and that seems to jog my memory. Side by side, the small bit of resemblance is uncanny. The eyes and the smile are bits of him in miniature, hints of what he might have looked like at the same age. But the rest of her face obviously belongs to the woman standing nearby.
"Can Brandon stay?" The little girl says, the words so practiced that they come out of her mouth perfectly.
Pat's eyes flitter up to Brandon. "I don't think so, honey, he has things he probably needs to do."
Melissa lets out a very long sigh of disappointment that makes Brandon laugh. It's awkward for me to stand here, and I'm not quite sure why Brandon brought me. Pat quietly moves close to Brandon without touching him as she tries to coax Melissa back into her arms but Melissa won't have any of it. She smiles as she refuses as if aware of her own charm. Then she wraps her arms around Brandon's shoulders and laughs. She hasn't called him "father" but maybe that's just a thing here because their relationship is clear. The little girl loves him, and he obviously loves her. He holds her protectively, close to his torso, his arms around her firmly the same way she holds onto him.
Pat puts her hands on her hips again with a shake of her head. "Trying to pull you two apart is impossible."
I have to look away, staring at a tree heavy with little blooming flowers covering every branch as I tell myself that this is an important time for Brandon with this girl. He couldn't miss it, even with me in tow, and that's the only reason I'm here now. This wasn't something he did intentionally to hurt me. Maybe he even intended to show me that I have more family.
The back door opens and the three of us turn to look as Maria pokes her head out. At all three of us staring at her, she grins widely and then looks at me. "So, hey, can I show her around the village?"
Brandon glances at me, his brow furrowed just a bit as if he worries that I won't feel comfortable alone with her. It is strange that she's come now to take me on a tour of the village when she only met me last night and I don't know what to make of it. But if she was up to anything, I doubt she'd talk to Brandon.
Brandon leaves the choice in my hands. "If she wants."
I wasn't fully expecting that. It probably comes partially from our talk this morning. If I think I'm ready to hear the truth, then I'm ready to make my own choices. And I do think about it.
"Sure."
Maria steps out and grabs me by the arm as Brandon warns her not to take me to The Edge because he wants to. Maria huffs, “Fine. We'll come back in a bit and we can go together.”