“They are going to be so mad they were arrested. The women and children are going to be so confused.”
“It will be okay. I’ll be there soon.”
A knock sounded on the door. “Someone is here.”
“It might be Remi. I ran into Kevlar before I called and told him about the raid.”
She checked the peephole and saw Remi standing outside. She opened the door, relieved to see a friendly face.
“I’m going to let you go,” Q said. “I’ll text you when I leave the base.”
“Thank you.” She ended the call, and Remi pulled her into a hug.
“Kevlar called. I flipped on the TV long enough to see what they were doing.”
“I have it on. Come in. Do you want anything to drink? I have fresh coffee, though it’s cut with half decaf.”
“Sure, I’ll take some. Do you recognize the place?”
“Yes. It’s where I grew up. I know the people. I feel bad, but I don’t think there is anything I can do.”
“No, I don’t think there is. The men will be held, and the women will go to a shelter.”
A shiver slid through her. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“I’m sure it’s scary, but those women are being held prisoner. Some of them will want to go back to their prisons, but they should be allowed to make that decision on their own.”
Flora nodded. “I get that. I wonder if they know it was me.”
“Maybe, but I wouldn’t worry about that right now. They don’t know where you are. You didn’t go anywhere predictable. It won’t be easy to find you.”
She nodded as she stared at the screen, seeing the community where she’d grown up. When Q arrived home, Remi took off. She was sitting on the couch, watching the coverage, learning things like the history of the community. The land had been purchased by a wealthy man forty years ago, and the leaders of the community cut off contact with family. By the time she’d been born, the community was twenty years old, and they no longer allowed discussions about the past. The community was supposed to be a self-sustaining, self-governed community that would inspire others to abandon new technology and embrace traditional livelihoods.
Flora turned to Q, shaking her head. “So it was all just some experiment by some rich dude?”
“It sounds like it. So the older adults knew the lies they told you were lies.”
“I can’t believe it. I mean, I can because I lived it, but the community was only started forty years ago. How is that even possible?”
He squeezed her hand. “I don’t know. The people who ran the community did a great disservice to you all.”
She blew out a breath. “I’m sure glad you had me go to The Refuge for two weeks. I gained tools I can use to help me deal with this. I probably need to find a therapist here, but I’m okayright now. If this had happened before I gained those tools, I would be crying in a ball.”
“I’m proud of you. You did the work and have the tools necessary to deal with this. It might get worse before it gets better.”
“How so?”
“If they have the FBI there, they probably found something illegal, and they’ll want to talk to you. You might have to answer questions about the place.”
She nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know what would have been illegal, but I’m sure there was something they were doing that wasn’t on the up and up.”
“I’m here for you, and if I’m on a mission, your friends will be with you.”
Before running away, she never expected anyone to have her back. It just wasn’t an option for women. If you screwed up, everyone would make sure that information was spread far and wide. With Q and his friends, now her friends, she knew they would help her.
Now they just had to wait for the social services person to get back with her so she could get her identification paperwork completed and then she could try to find work. Q was being very nice paying for so much stuff, but she wanted to pitch in and help with money.
The people at The Refuge had been very nice when she asked about money. That conversation had opened her eyes.
