Uprising: A Collide Novel Part 21

I glance in the back and double take. I see something I've never seen on these runs before. Actually never seen one in real life before either.

"Cain. What is in the worlds is that doing in here?"

He glances back and smiles.

"A surprise."

"Lily is gonna freak," I said happily, smiling too.

"I know. I can't wait."

Little White Lies

Chapter 6 - Sherry.

"Lillian. You don't have to do that. You just go back in there, rest a little bit. It's ok, I can do it. I don't mind," I insist for the fifth time.

"I want to. I need something to keep my hands busy. Besides, I have nothing else to do, since I didn't go on the run today."

Lillian was being stubborn and insisting on was.h.i.+ng hers and mine and Merrick's clothes as payment for borrowing clothes to sleep in last night.

"Ugh! Fine, but I'm helping."

We had been going at it for almost ten minutes about these dang clothes. Lily was napping soundly in her room. Her cute room, I might add. We let her color on the walls with whatever we could find. She drew ponies, rainbows and b.u.t.terflies. Typical little girl stuff, except for the watermelon. She loves watermelon. She asked me to help too, so I drew a little girl with a doll.

Merrick also got Cain to pick her up a new doll on one of their runs. Miley is now sitting on the shelf in the commons room. Couldn't bare to part with it for good so we stored it for later. She loves the new doll even more I think. She aptly named it Joy.

Cain also picked her up some crayons and coloring books along with Calvin and Frank some more puzzles and an electronic handheld game with rechargeable batteries. Cain is the go-to guy for whatever you need. He can get you just about anything.

So Lily's room is littered with pictures and drawings and full of color. Especially purple, her favorite color. Calvin and Franklin started bunking together to give their parents some privacy and they took their makes.h.i.+ft tent from the second room and placed it in their new room together. Miguel showed them how to make it camouflage with some permanent markers.

It took forever! But they finally got it done and were so proud of themselves. Miguel and Ryan even helped them rig it to stay more securely to the walls and ceiling. They were ecstatic. I don't think we saw them out of their room for two whole days.

"Well, you can help if you like but it's only fair if I pull my weight around here. I don't need any special treatment."

"I wouldn't dream of it. But there's nothing wrong with you just taking a day or two to recuperate. I know it's rough out there with everything that's going on."

"No need. But thank you. You know? I missed you, Sherry."

We walked back into the laundry room with our last armloads of clothes. Lillian grabbed Mitch.e.l.l's clothes, who was in with Max going over some Keeper stuff, from his room to wash as well. Hmmm...that's sweet.

"I missed you too. I hated us having to separate before. It didn't seem right."

"I know. I never had any brothers or sisters growing up. Never had any cousins. My family was really small and private. We stayed home a lot and I went to a small private school so... It was neat to me, for us to all be piled in that bas.e.m.e.nt together. Like now I guess. I know ya'll probably hate it but, it's nice to have so many people to talk to."

"I like it. I mean, the circ.u.mstances suck. But, I didn't have a big family either. But I have one now." I smile thinking about it. "This is a great group. You couldn't ask for better people. I think you're gonna like it here," I say as we begin to place the clothes in the suds in the big utility sink.

So, total, we have Lillian's, mine, Merrick's, Lily's, Mitch.e.l.l's and Cain's clothes to wash. Cain works so much and goes on every run and trip there is so I always do his laundry for him. It only seems fair. When the heck would he have the time to anyway?

"I think so, too. Everyone's been really helpful and considerate."

"I saw you talking to Cain yesterday," I threw out very casually, hoping she wouldn't catch any undertones.

"Yeah, he showed me around. He's really nice."

"Yeah, he is."

"You two seem close. He said you both had been through some stuff together."

"He saved my life."

"Really?" she said, her hands stopping. "What happened?"

"Long story. Short version, Cain and I we were tricked by Lighters into going outside to help someone, got trapped in a cave out behind the store, almost froze to death and we faced a battalion of Lighters and Markers and the Taker himself after he kidnapped Lily and Calvin."

"Uh...whoa."

"Yeah. Anyway, Cain carried me when I broke my leg." I motioned to my walking cast. "He also found the cave we stayed in. Then later on that day, he rescued us after our van when in the river."

She blew out a long loud breath.

"Mitch.e.l.l said ya'll had had some excitement but I had no idea. That sounds terrible. Doesn't look like ya'll had much more luck than us after all."

"We have but, well, unfortunately, all that happened within a one day time span. So...Mitch.e.l.l. How's he? You two seem to be kinda close."

She's rubbing the s.h.i.+rt up and down the grate but staring up at the vents with the clothes blowing in the wind as they dry. She's off somewhere else but she still answers my question. I wonder if where she is in her head is good or bad.

"He's great. He has been a G.o.dsend since Michael died. He was upset, like me when it happened, Michael being a Special, his Special and all. But he has kinda taken back up the Keeper thing with me. He watches out for me. It's nice."

"I see. And now you're doing his clothes for him."

Her eyes snapped back to attention, then focused on me.

"Well, yeah. He's busy and I'm just sitting here so... It doesn't mean anything, Sherry. Honestly. He's my friend and I just like doing things for him."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Besides, aren't you doing Cain's laundry? I promise you, we are just friends."

Mitch.e.l.l took that opportunity, unbeknownst to him that he was being talked about, to walk in.

"Hey, Lil. What are you ladies- Ahh. You didn't have to do that. Thank you, though," he said as his spied his s.h.i.+rt in her hands.

"It's fine. I was already doing mine anyway. I know you're busy with Keeper stuff."

"Not really. There really isn't any Keeper stuff anymore. Max was just showing me how they schedule their runs and things like that. Maybe I can help them next time."

"Or me."

"I already thought you were going today. What happened?"

"Well... I just didn't feel like going."

Lies and Mitch.e.l.l could tell as well.

"Lil," he chastised softly.

Mitch.e.l.l began again and I suddenly realized I might as well have not even be in the room. They were about a foot apart and he was looking down at her and I saw it as all too familiar. I stood still and quiet and let them finish while Mitch.e.l.l continued.

"You didn't go because of me. Right? Because of what I said?"

"Well..."

"Lil." He leaned a little closer and placed his palms on her upper arms. "I wasn't trying to make decisions for you. I just knew I'd worry about you while you were gone. I'm sorry if you thought I'd be upset with you."

"It's not that, I just didn't... If you didn't want me to go, I knew there was a good reason so... I trust you. That's all."

Awkward. I wish I could slip out of the room but I know I'll break the trance. His eyes are fiercely and affectionately locked on hers and his thumbs are moving back and forth over her bare shoulders. She looks endearingly oblivious to what is really going on with Mitch.e.l.l. Does she know how he really feels? How can she not see it?

I try to tip toe out but Lillian is brought back down to earth by my movement.

"Oh, Sherry. I'm sorry. Uh...Mitch.e.l.l, remember, this is Sherry. Sherry, Mitch.e.l.l."

"I remember," Mitch.e.l.l said, reluctantly releasing Lillian's arm and extending a warm hand to me. "I can't tell you how great it is to see you again. All of you. Ya'll have quite the set up here."

This was the first time I'd gotten a really good look at Mitch.e.l.l. His body was about thirty eight or thirty nine I guessed. Quite a bit older than Lillian who, if I remember correctly was only twenty two or three. He had brown hair, was taller than Lillian, who was taller than me. He was pretty slim but nice looking with brown eyes. He looked very easy going with his beard stubble and somewhat s.h.a.ggy hair.

"Yeah, we do. Unfortunately, the people who let us stay here with them are no longer here, except Max. They both died, recently."

"I heard about that. I'm sorry." It sounded like he really meant it. "Well, I wasn't trying to interfere with your work or b.u.t.t in. I just wanted to check on Lil," he looked back at her and his eyes stayed there, "and uh, you know, see how things were going. You don't have to do my laundry, but thank you. I appreciate it."

"Mitch. After all you've done for me, it's the least I can do for you," Lillian said softly.

"Well, thank you." He cleared his throat. "Nice to see you again, Sherry. The guys are about to be back, Max said, so I'm gonna help them get all the vehicles unloaded but, uh, maybe we can talk some later, Lil, after dinner maybe?"

"Yeah, sure," she said and picked up another batch of clothes to start scrubbing, it was a s.h.i.+rt I'd never seen and could only a.s.sume it was also Mitch.e.l.l's.

"Ok. Great. See ya later."

He left but peeked at her once more at the door way before heading into the hall. Wow. That Keepers got it bad.

"Lil? Mitch?" I ask her with a coy smile.

"Yeah. It's what we call- What?" she said incredulously, seeing my look.

"Uhuh. Well, Lil, I think it can safely be said that that Keeper is definitely more than your friend. Or at least he wants to be."

"Really? You think so. See this whole time I just thought he was being nice because of Michael, but when we got here and I saw you and Jeff and Marissa. Well, now I'm starting to wonder if maybe...there was something more there. He is a little touchy feely. I don't know what I'm thinking..." She threw the clothes down in the water, splas.h.i.+ng suds everywhere which just seemed to exasperate her more. "Sorry," she muttered.

"It's ok. This isn't about Michael is it?"

"Shouldn't it be?" she said shrilly.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, he was my husband. He's only been dead not even a year yet and I'm...I'm entertaining the idea of someone else having feelings for me? It's not right. It's not right, Sherry."

"Lillian, there's no time table that tells us when our grieving can end. That's up to you. It doesn't mean you didn't love him if you move on."

"It does though, doesn't it? Especially if I move on with his Keeper. It just feels..."

"Wrong?"

"No. It feels right. That's why it scares me. Not Mitch.e.l.l, per say but... Moving on feels right, I mean. It has to mean something was wrong with Michael and I and I just didn't notice it or...I don't know." She ran her hands through her hair. "I'm so confused. And Mitch.e.l.l has never made a pa.s.s at me. Never tried anything so, maybe I'm misunderstanding the whole thing."

"Michael would want you to be happy so, no, I don't think that's what it means and uh, no. I witnessed Mitch.e.l.l in all his googly eyed glory just now. That Keeper feels something for you."

"You think so? Really?"

"Really."

Her lips twitched as she tried not to smile, but I saw and we both burst out laughing. We finished our laundry and talked about something entirely different. Anything we could think of that didn't involve googly eyed Keepers.

Max was right, all the store trip pairs started to get back within a half an hour later. I always hated this part. Waiting to see when Merrick would come in, if at all. I didn't like thinking like that but I worried so much about him. Him and Cain always went out together, which was the one thing that made me happy. The same teams always worked together, so that they knew how the other worked and handled things.

I would think that Cain and Merrick made a good team. They got along great at home. Better than great actually. Other than me, Merrick was closer to Cain than anyone else, even Danny lately. They hung out and goofed off all the time.

Team after team came home. I unloaded the stuff in the kitchen as they brought it in, pile after pile but most of it went into the hall for future use. I tried hard not to think the worst when Merrick and Cain continued to not be the ones coming through the door. Finally, they were the only ones left out who hadn't returned yet.

It was time to start dinner already. I got Lily up from her nap and Pap and Maggie, along with Lillian entertained her while I started to cook with Marissa and Kay to help me. My nerves were making my stomach knot. They'd been last home before, but not long after everyone else. The last team came home twenty two minutes ago. Twenty two minutes. Am I being nuts? Am I worrying needlessly?

I start to boil the water for the pasta and brew the tea.

Thirty five minutes past.

I set out the silverware and fold paper towels. Marissa says they'll be here soon, for me to stop pacing, they'll be fine.

Forty seven minutes past.

I mix the cheese in with the pasta, get out plates and help Marissa put ice in gla.s.ses.

One hour and thirteen minutes past.