Chapter 266: The real plan.
Luck had a way of following Moon around, at least that is what she had come to believe. Somehow things always tilted in her favor even in the trickiest situations. It was almost as if the universe wanted her to succeed in her revenge against Leah.
Not only had her mother fit into the cooking team perfectly but she was now one of the real head chefs, leading her own team. Some people had started cozying up to Moon for this reason. They hoped to benefit from her, especially in this cold winter.
As for her plan, the one she had been stitching together for a while, it was finally ready to bloom. It would have taken longer perhaps, if the camp was not already teetering on the edge of tension and chaos that they had no time to pay attention to what she was doing.
The apocalypse was not merciful on Camp Zenith, and the effects of the harsh winter were brutal.
What had been said to be a green zone was turning out to be a hot spot, according to the residents at least because the problems never stopped.
They had suffered from ice storms which froze the air until people’s lungs ached. Work on the base stalled as people were too afraid to leave their houses. Illness plagued them like a ghost haunting an ancient castle.
Then there was trouble with the creatures that came from the mist and crept through the perimeter, considering them to be easy prey.
Sometimes it was mutated animals which pounced from piles of snow and snatched unlucky residents that happened to be outside. Every day was a battle to breath, to survive, to hope that one day this will all be over.
But somehow, amidst all the chaos, the camp endured. The superhumans saw to that, they kept the walls standing and people hopeful. Nonetheless, because of these problems Moon’s life had become easier.
Once again, she rejoined the residents who dared to go out and displayed herself as harmless, a sweet, innocent person. For the old and sickly that could not leave their houses, she delivered food to them with a smile. Of course, she did not forget to display signs of suffering while claiming all was well.
People were eating up her humility and regretting how they had treated her.
It helped that she stayed away from Leah, Dominic and the family. She did not even smile, greet or look in Dominic’s direction. Moon was even acting flirtatious with one of the younger men that awakened, Jimmy Davids, a pyrokinetic.
Nobody doubted her motives anymore.
So, when she volunteered to help her mother in the kitchen, they didn’t think twice about letting her do so. She always smiled through her lashes as she carried big pots and washed hundreds of dishes without complaint.
This, however, she did not do every day, only when they were understaffed, the goal was to earn trust from the cooks.
It worked, the cooks that once scowled at her found themselves softening.
"She is not so bad." They would say when they thought she was not listening.
"The boss lady must have misunderstood her."
"That poor girl was widowed at such a young age, and she is trying to get through it. I can’t believe that none of us knew that."
"There is no way she was after master Dominic. He is older than her. Jimmy is perfect for her."
"It was only a rumor. Someone must have been jealous of all the attention she was getting and spread it."
"All she did was to be friends with a kid, honestly I think everyone overreacted. How was it her fault if the little girl liked her? Since when was it a crime to be friendly with children if you are teacher? Isn’t that the job?"
A tiny smile always appeared on her lips when she heard such whispers. She had them where she wanted them to be.
And she never even had to defend her friendship with Aliana. She just made friends with the children of some of the cooks and passed herself off as someone kids liked. Sometimes, she even volunteered in the kids ward in the hospital and relieved tired parents.
People naturally stepped in and defended her, like the fools they were. It always made Moon laugh every night when she was alone in bed.
This evening, she was helping out in the kitchen again. It was cold, the air was heavy with the scent of roasted herbs and spiced broth. The cooks were in a great mood because they would all be eating meat tonight.
Dominic and his men had fought off a group of mutated cattle. The meat had been found to be edible so the animals which died were being stewed.
Everyone was in such a great mood that they ignored the weather outside which was hostile. Thunder was muttering in the distance. These days, the camp always felt eerie before nightfall as if the sky itself held its breath.
Moon stirred the soup in the very large saucepan, the ladle making slow circles. The cooks chatted with one of the superhumans that had returned from battle.
He shared news about another battle they were not aware of. Wolves had attacked the Eastern barricade.
"Leah fought with the front line, she is an aerokinetic. The man said. "She used her skills to lift them and threw them far away. One of them came right at her and tried to bite her arm. She lifted herself using the wind and shot it right between the eyes."
"Wait what?" Someone screamed.
"When did she awaken?" Another asked.
The man leaned forward. "Apparently she has been a superhuman for a while and she has been secretly training. Dominic was against it because he does not want her stressing her body since she is pregnant."
"She is pregnant!! Why fight in her condition?" One cook asked.
"We needed all the help we can get but....she was not feeling well on our way back. Dominic was probably right." The man shared.
Moon’s lips twitched slightly, anger flashed in her eyes, though she hid it well. Just like others she was just finding out that Leah was superhuman. Maybe she can just die out there and save me the trouble, Moon thought. She hated the fact that they were praising Leah for being outstanding in the battle.
The celebration will not last, wait and see. She swallowed hard like her saliva had turned to vinegar.
"Rowena hurry up, the lady boss will be needing broth to replenish her strength." The head cook said.
Rowena nodded and rushed to get the food flasks. Moon volunteered to help. Her heart was beating steadily not fast, not nervous. She had trained herself for this moment. Calm was also a weapon.
The leader’s meals were packed neatly into metal pales. Moon’s eyes drifted briefly to the ones meant for the ruling family on the base. She slipped a hand into her dress when no one was watching, pulling out a tiny pouch she always carried tucked inside her bra in preparation for this day.
Inside, was a brown powder she had collected from mutated peanuts on the edge of the base. It was hard to tell that they were peanuts at all, so nobody had batted an eye when she picked the flowers of a few and given them to Jimmy. A pinch would awaken a dormant allergy, twisting the body into a panic.
Moon leaned over the soup, sprinkling just a pinch. "Just a little." she muttered. Her fingers trembled slightly, not from fear but excitement.
"Darling? What are you doing? " Rowena asked.
Startling her, the pouch fell and Moon quickly picked it up quickly. "Oh, nothing mother, just making sure that the lid is properly placed." She adjusted the lid and smiled at her mother. "The food is ready." She said sweetly.
Rowena pulled her brows together and shrugged. "Alright."
The flasks were handed over to be delivered.