Page 31 of Before Their After

It made sense. My family had been vacationing in Monterey for years. The sea otters and whales captivated my mother’s heart. I no longer had a place to call home. No longer had a family. But it seemed as if my mother had set me up to find a new one in her absence.

A New Normal

TOMOE

I had needed some air.The buzzing tavern room was closing in on me, my tolerance for my new environment wavering. I’d arrived at The Compound early this morning, having taken advantage of sunrise to make my final five-mile trek here. There’d been soldiers on patrol on the borders of their lands, letting me pass through after checking my belongings and questioning me several times.

They seemed unsure in their orders, constantly looking at one another, double checking with their comrades out of the corner of their eyes.So much for safety. While they’d appeared new to their positions, they were far from untrained. Eyes had been on me through each checkpoint all the way to the front door.

Walking toward the gates with confidence, I demanded to speak with the person behind the only name my vision had provided. Prescott. He towered over me, deciding not to take a seat as he questioned me in some cookie-cutter intake room.

His face was kind, intentions seeming honest. Fidgeted a lot, but for the most part, put together. I sat through a million questions before he pointed me toward a place to stay, stating he’d check in with me a week from now to figure out a job.

So I spent the day exploring. Taking in the beauty of what Prescott and his people had built, the different cultures reflected throughout the infrastructure and overall design. Outside of these walls was an ugly, cruel world. Yet the people inside were filled with smiles, joy brightening their faces as they went through their daily responsibilities. Moving with calm purpose, very different from the hustle you saw even when traveling throughout Transient Nation.

Evening came, and I found myself following the crowd. Not wanting to miss out on the bustle of the night, the familiar feeling of inclusiveness in a group activity sending thrills throughout my body. It was Thursday, according to someone gathered along the street. And I guess Thursdays around here were a call to the weekend.

A tavern had been far down my list of where I’d expected to end my night. Was pushing my limits of being in an enclosed space with people I didn’t know, but the excitement in the air fed my curiosity until the room felt so small, I could no longer take it.

The people. The music. The musky scent filtering through the air. The stickiness of the floor beneath my shoes. It’d been too much. I wasn’t ready to leave—just needed a second. Stepping out onto the steps, I practically gasped at the relief from the cool evening air.

My head swiveled at the familiar skunky sweet scent filtering in through my nostrils. A girl around my age stood at the bottom of the steps, staring up at me. Large curls framed her pointed face, bouncing as she took in my appearance, mirroring my own movements.

The sight of her jean shorts and cropped top were still jarring, though I too now sported clean,normalclothes. I kept myself still under her gaze, though every bit of me wanted to squirm, feeling exposed without the layers I’d grown accustomed to.

A wild grin pulled across her smooth brown skin. “You look like you could use a pick-me-up.”

Part Six

THE FAMILY

Feels Like Home

Amaia

“Hell of a day,Pops. You have another speech in you, or can we all relax now?” I asked Prescott, grinning widely at the beautiful woman next to him.

I adored Luna. She was good for him. Was practical enough to keep him from getting lost in daydreams but tender enough to dream with him. Between him and Jax, someone had to help me bring them down to earth. Today had been fun, though. Long, but fun and certainly worth the food.

It had been a year since war had erupted around us. Put us at the center of chaos and destruction. In our year of peace, came a heavy weight on our souls. Peace was not free. It came at a cost. A high price of no longer recognizing who you had to become to survive. The sacrifices we’d all paid to ensure we could keep all that we’d built—all that we’d hoped to achieve. It was time to celebrate—the people here deserved it.

While this place had become home for me years ago, it was finally beginning to feel like it. The people that surrounded me day in and day out had become something of a family to me. I’dbeen an only child, never experienced the smothering joy of the large family I’d grown up wishing for. This, the two sisters and brothers at my side, Jax, Prescott, and Luna—it all seemed so … right. Comfortable. Their presence was a breath of fresh air that made me think I was safe enough to rest.

Luna’s arm wrapped around the back of Prescott’s neck and he looked at her like a lovesick puppy. She shook her head, speaking softly into his ear with a childlike giggle.

Reina gagged off to the side. “Bleh, y’all please keep those feelings to yourself.”

“What, old people can’t have sex?” Tomoe smirked as she bit into her sandwich.

Her humor hit home as Seth coughed a laugh, a matching glimmer in his sea-blue eyes as he met her stare. She glanced down nervously, fixing her posture under his watch. Reina’s face lit up with joy as our eyes landed on each other, picking up on the same cues we all had since Tomoe had joined the group a few months ago. The crush those two had on each other was juvenile, at best. Fun to watch at a distance since they both didn’t appear intent on acting on it anytime soon.

“Actually.” Prescott cleared his throat, the red finally fading from his cheeks and neck. “We thought you and Jax could make the closing speech.”

Jax kissed the corner of my mouth, whispering he’d be right back. I glared at the back of his head, then over to Prescott, before settling on Riley for a plea of help. He fought off a grin, the words of defense forming on his lips as Prescott held up a hand to stop him. Riley shrugged, nodding toward Jax in amusement. His auburn hair blew in the wind as he took off toward the building, ducking underneath some kids playing frisbee. They chased after him and I watched on with a smile at the chase. The group weaved in and out of families sprawled across the lawn, the kids' little legs trying to tag him to no avail.

“It’ll be good for morale. There will be a day where I won’t be here anymore and someone has to take care of this place?—”

“Yeah. A million years from now and after an election,” I interrupted Prescott. Public speaking made me queasy. Becoming the general of the damn place was already a lot. Easier than Prescott’s job given soldiers had to do everything I said no matter what, but still overwhelming.

---