Leaning back I curled up and closed my eyes. I started to doze and roused myself. Evan would never understand if he found me sleeping when I wasn’t pregnant. He’d probably think I was ill.


    My needles and yarn sat in a cupboard in the kitchen. I had watched Christof put them away. Setting back down I started to make a nket. Even though they didn’t really need them, my girls did seem to like things I had made. It made me feel good.


    I was concentrating on what I was doing when the door creaked. I looked up expecting Damien or his Brothers.


    “Did you forget something?” I asked happily as the door openedpletely.


    It wasn’t Damien or the new young family. The men that entered all had shaggy, bulky outfits on. I screamed and reached for my swordying several handspans away.


    One man moved quickly toward me and I scrambled away. Darting away from him was foolish, he was obviously stronger, but I tried as I screamed. He leapt across the room in a surprising burst of speed and grabbed me.


    The man snagged my arm and pulled my back to his chest. Without a second thought I screamed for Damien again. A hand mped hard over my mouth and nose, effectively silencing me.


    The rules, I had to remember the rules. I looked down and quieted myself. These men would not hurt Damien’s property if I acted appropriately. I just had to pray these were honorable men and not bandits.


    “Kev, release your hold, that is too tight for a human. She is silent now,” the man in front of me said.


    The hand on my arm rxed and I felt the feeling flow back into my hand. The man’s grip had been so powerful it had cut off my blood supply. As his hand rxed on my face it felt sore. He might have left a hand shaped bruise over my lips and cheeks.


    “Rachel, we are sorry to have frightened you,” the man in front said. “You do not need to fear us, Kennedy sent us.”


    I looked up into his eyes and he smiled at me. He looked familiar, but it was hard to tell. His face was coated in a fineyer of dirt. He was dressed from head to toe in an outfit the color of thend outside. It was shaggy and made him look slightly like a dirty gori.


    I was reminded suddenly of pictures from the television. Snipers on Earth wore camouge like this. I’d seen pictures on the military shows my uncles watched. Uncle Bob had called them Ghillie suits.


    My eyes travelled across the outfit and took it in. It was very much like the pictures they’d shown on the television. It surprised me to think they had these here, too. This man would be invisible lying outside.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    “We cannot spend long, Rachel,” the man said politely. “Thisnd is not safe for us. We have been waiting for you. Your daugh-ter asked us to bring this package to you. The girls could note themselves. It is important that they appear to be doing as they are supposed to. Both of your offspring travel as the older females demand they do.”


    I nodded and the menughed lightly. Hannah and Kennedy had taught them what that meant. It was good I understood.


    A tall man stepped forward and motioned to the door. “We have to go now,” the man in front said pushing a box into my hands.


    The tall man was sonky. His height was marked even for this ce. It struck me who these men were.


    “You got away,” I said softly.


    This was the first family I’d released from the wall. The man doing the talking had been the first one I’d freed.


    “Of course, we did,” the man said confidently. “The map led us out and the food gave us strength. We are grateful to you, Rachel, be well.”


    The men slipped out the door and dispersed quickly. I turned and watched their backs disappear as the shock settled.


    My first impulse was to pull open the door and see where they’d gone, but I stopped and just pushed it firmly closed. I’d promised Damien I would not do that. Instead I looked down at the box in my hands.


    I smiled as I sat down and looked at it. The box was about the size of a shoebox and it wasshed closed with twine. Damien’s symbol rested proudly on the front.


    Using my sword I sliced through the string closing the box. Gingerly, I lifted the lid and wasn’t surprised at the small bunch of tami leaves inside. They had a pungent aroma, not particrly good or bad as far as I was concerned. Beneath the leaves was my letter.


    This letter wasn’t like thest one the girls sent. It was on paper with no fake cover letter. I opened it and it was very short.


    Mama,


    Hello from Kennedy! My Sisters and I found out you would be near the mountains, so we wanted to give this to you. Our friends that did the delivery were happy to help us. They did it as a ‘thank you’ for saving them.


    The pad enclosed is for you and it is very special. Hannah and I can use it to contact you and leave messages. You can also use it to contact us and leave us messages.


    My Sister, Eve, designed the interface. She’s quite brilliant withputers. We met less than a month after I went out on my own. My other Sister, Dara, attached the camera so you could see us and we could see you when we are in the right ces.


    It will start as soon as youy your palm across the pad. The directions will be spelled out after that.


    Love you!


    Kennedy, Dara, and Eve.


    At the bottom of the box was a small pad about the size of a small notebook. At the top I saw one of those t circles that we knew to be cameras. The contraption was light in weight and I just stared at it for a moment.


    Iid my hand across the face of the pad and it lit up. The imprint of my palm stayed for a moment and then words flew across the screen.


    Do you wish to gain information or to contact someone? the pad asked in English.


    Writing with my finger I wrote the words ‘contact someone’.


    Who do you wish to contact, Kennedy or Hannah?


    Well, now was time for me to feel guilty. Choosing one child over the other felt wrong. I chose Kennedy since she’d been the one to arrange this.


    Kennedy is avable to talk, the pad said. Would you like to talk or send her a letter?


    I wrote the word talk wondering what that meant.