Chapter 168: Moon’s plan B.
Moon had not awakened but her hearing was sharper than that of most ordinary people. Perhaps it was a gift she got along with her rebirth or maybe it was an ability slowly awakening, she had no idea.
It was also not stable, coming and going at odd moments. It was not something she could control.
But, she was grateful for it because it could allow her eavesdrop on the private conversations of others when it came at the right moment.
Like now, it arrived just in time to allow her eavesdrop on the rest of the conversation between Leah and her friends. She did not want to make it obvious that she was listening so, she kept laughing and chiming in randomly in the conversations that the women were having.
"Because she doesn’t do it out of kindness," Leah said in response to Edith’s question. Her voice smooth but final. "I can’t help but feel like everything she does is for attention. She wants an audience, not friends. That is how it looks to me so I do not trust her."
The words landed heavy in the air. The circle grew quiet, there was nothing they could say in response to that. The women had known each other for years and they also knew that Leah’s intuition when it came to people was rarely wrong.
She had a natural gift for sniffing out bad characters. It is one of the reasons as to why Dominic also trusted her a great deal.
All the women looked Moon’s way, curious about what it was about her that made her suspicious.
Moon’s hands had stilled meanwhile and the right one clenched around the ugly hat she was knitting. Her heart thundered painfully against her ribs, but she kept her face as neutral as she could, trying hard not to give anything away.
She dared not meet anyone’s gaze or say anything. To speak up in her defense would be foolish, dangerous even. First, they would want to know how she had overheard the conversation.
Secondly, it would only earn her more isolation and suspicion on the base. Leah was loved, respected and feared in equal measure. Confronting her was not an option.
So she swallowed the sting, burying it deep where no one could see. But she promised herself that she would make Leah swallow those words in one way or another.
Attempting to knit was not useful anymore, so she decided to give it up. Moon quietly set the hat aside and slipped out of the room.
The wind struck her cheeks like a slap, but she welcomed it. As she walked, she thought to herself that Leah had dismissed her but soon she would acknowledge her publicly.
When she showed her usefulness, she would make Leah and her friends kneel and beg for her help. Maybe she would slap them first for daring to think that they were above her.
Did they think they were worthy of being her friends? She only wanted to befriend them because they were useful for now. A bitter smile formed on her lips as she walked towards the daycare.
That is where her little friend awaited___Aliana Steward.
Moon was not the type of person to rely on one plan. If one door shut in her face, she would find another or better still use a window maybe even chisel through stone with her bare hands. As long as she could accomplish her goals, she could even squeeze through a doggy door.
Now that Leah’s remarks and coldness had made it abundantly clear that friendship between them would never come easily. She was going to use the doggy door.
Moon sneered. Leah thought she was a fortress. But even fortresses had gates, and Leah’s gate was her daughter Aliana.
She was the only child of Dominic and Leah, five years old and loved on the base like a little princess. Which she sort of was since her father was the leader of Camp Zenith. He adored her so much.
Leah guarded Aliana with the ferocity of a wolf, not allowing her spend time around strangers. Outside of her close friends, other women were not allowed to carry her. Everywhere she went, she was guarded by two superhumans.
Moon intended to wrap herself into the child’s world. If she could become irreplaceable in her eyes, then the parents would be forced to accept her presence. Perhaps not at once, but little by little, affection would creep in where suspicion once stood.
That is why she had volunteered to watch the young children and read them stories.
When she arrived in the day care room, she found the children playing. After ensuring that Aliana was there, Moon whistled.
All the children looked her way, cheering up as she was one of their favorite teachers.
"Miss Moon!" Aliana rushed towards Moon along with ten other children.
Moon mostly ignored the others and smiled down at Aliana. Plan B was going very smoothly.
****
The bunker still smelled of damp steel and smoke from the makeshift stove. The people inside still feared to step out even though the acid rain had stopped weeks ago.
It belonged to the family that had given Fifi Quinn and nurse Cole shelter. Two parents and their two children who were growing more relentless by the day as supplies were running low.
Fifi had promised to take them to Westbrook and they were waiting for her to make a move. However, it seemed like she had not been in a hurry lately.
Suddenly, this morning, she declared that it was time to move. They all moved as one group, eyes wide and hearts thumping as they went to the building across which was luckily empty..
Cole and Fifi had been lucky enough to come across a camping vehicle which they had parked in the warehouse of an old factory near the bunker.
The ware house had survived acid rain, so the camping vehicle survived.
Fifi stopped as they reached the car. "Oh, we forgot the water. We cannot leave it behind, and the flour and dried fish.
We grown ups can afford not to eat but Leo is a child. We should not take risks with him." She took the boy from his parents and carried him.
To the parents she said, "You guys go to the bunker and bring our forgotten supplies. Cole will fix the car, and I will wait right here with Leonard."
"Some wires are rusted, I will need a moment to fix this." Cole said to them as the car refused to start.
The parents didn’t think much of it. They were too worried about the food and water that they went back into the bunker quickly.
Fifi placed Leo down and followed the couple. She found a piece of metal and locked it from the outside.
When she returned, she was alone.
"What are they doing? We need to leave." Nurse Cole asked her as the car started.
"They are not coming with us." Fifi answered.
Leonard could tell something was off and he started crying.
"This kid cut himself a week ago and the wound healed magically. I have been observing him for a while and I think he is superhuman. We don’t need the parents, they are burdens. Lets just take the child." She pushed the boy into the car and ordered him to be quiet.
"I do not think that this is right! This is kidnapping!" Cole gasped. "Why do you even want him? He’s only going to be extra baggage."
Fifi closed the door and yelled at Cole. "Are you just stupid? The kid is valuable. His blood can be sold or we can sell the kid himself. It will depend on what keeps us alive. Don’t you understand this? Survival has no morals. Now drive before we freeze on the road."