Chapter 13

The television in the living room had been on the same channel for the past three hours. The images that flashed on the screen alternated between the two empty podiums and the news anchors filling in the time with their own predictions of how the debate would occur.

Two men and two women, with enough makeup on to hide any sign of age or blemish, went back and forth on the issues at hand. A blonde woman whose hair remained in place no matter how she moved was arguing with an older gentleman whose teeth were as white as his hair.

“You really think that we can sustain a war right now on our own turf against an enemy that has nothing to lose?”

“We have to play to our strengths, and despite the decline in our military, we still have the best fighters in the world.”

“What about Brazil? Their water supplies have made them incredibly wealthy. They could start investing that money in weapons. And China has been a threat for years.”

“China’s massive population is causing too much of a problem for them to be able to focus on us. Their people are turning on them, and Brazil is a decade away from posing any kind of military threat. It would do us well to set up an alliance with the Brazilians now.”

The other male on the program chimed in. “You mentioned China’s population turning on its government. What’s to say that can’t happen here?”

The old man smiled. “Hasn’t it already? Have you not seen the news? The rioting about the exile of the Southwest? The water shortages? The war with Mexico? I would say we’re already on the verge of that.”

The blonde woman shook her head. “Those are symptoms. Symptoms of a much larger problem. This debate tonight is not about water or the war or the exile. It’s about the fundamental process of what our country was built on and the preservation of that. Congressman Smith has done everything to try and bring us back from the edge, and all he’s gotten in return are ludicrous allegations of treason, which he was of course cleared of.”

The other woman on the program raised her hands, trying to bring the tension down. “All right, guys. We’re approaching the beginning of the debate. It’s time for predictions. Bob?”

The old man clapped his hands together and rubbed them thoroughly. “I think Smith has an uphill battle. The treason charges really worked against him, and I don’t know if the American people trust him anymore. I’m going Jones.”

“Tim?”

“Jones is too much of a seasoned veteran. He’s been around Washington for a very long time. This guy doesn’t lose.”

“Kathy?”

“Smith. I think he’ll be prepared, and the American people will forgive him once they see the type of plan he has laid out. Jones doesn’t stand a chance.”

“Well, there you have it. No matter who our experts are rooting for, it’s going to be a heated debate, and from what I’ve heard so far, it’s going to be close.”

The panel of experts was replaced by an advertisement that pictured a family picnicking in a green field of grass. The scene was sunny, with blue skies, and each face was smiling. In the center of the picnic sat a jug of water, from which the son of the make-believe family poured himself a crystal-clear glass. The boy took a sip and smiled. Then the words “Keeping your family’s water safe for over one hundred years” appeared on the screen. The logo of the Strydent Chemical Company flashed on the screen, then the television switched to another commercial.

All of the color from Amy’s face had drained away. Her hands wouldn’t stop fidgeting in her lap. Her eyes were glued to the television. Brooke took her hand and placed it over her sister’s. Amy looked up at her and tried to smile.

“Have you heard from Daniel?” Brooke asked.

“No.”

Amy spoke softly. Brooke thought that her sister’s voice would break if she spoke too loud. Brooke squeezed Amy’s hand.

“It’s going to be okay,” Brooke said. “Smith is going to wipe the floor with this guy, and afterward, everyone will see what this Jones character really is.”

“Right.”

A few thumps sounded from above, followed by laughs and giggles.

“Hey, be careful up there,” Brooke yelled.

A unified “sorry” echoed from Brooke and Amy’s daughters. Amy continued to watch the commercials with focused concentration.

“I’m going to check on the boys,” Brooke said.

Amy nodded, and Brooke gave her sister a kiss on the side of her head. “I love you.” The only response Brooke received was a faint sniffle. She walked toward the back of the house, where John and Kevin had disappeared. Through the back-door window, she could see the two of them in the yard with their backs turned to her. Both their heads were down, looking at something.

“Hey,” Brooke said, opening the door. “What are you two doing?”

John and Kevin turned around a little too quickly. John kept his hands behind his back.

“Nothing,” John answered.

“What do you have, John?” Brooke asked. The two of them looked like deer frozen in headlights. “C’mon. Give it here,” Brooke said.

John pulled his hand from behind his back and opened his palm, which held Brooke’s loaded revolver. Brooke stepped forward and grabbed the pistol carefully out of John’s hand.

“What are you doing with this?” Brooke asked harshly. “This isn’t a toy!”

“Kevin had never seen one. We weren’t going to shoot it,” John answered.

“Don’t tell my mom,” Kevin said, quickly.

“Your mother has enough on her plate without having to worry about this. Now go back inside and check on her. The debate’s starting soon anyway,” Brooke said.

Kevin headed back inside with his head down, shuffling his feet. John attempted to sneak away with him, but Brooke grabbed his arm. “You hold up a minute.”

“Mom, look, I’m sorry, okay? I told you we weren’t going to shoot it.”

“John, you shouldn’t have shown your cousin this.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s younger than you are, and he’s never had any firearm training. And you’re no expert yourself, either.”

“I know how to use it. You don’t think I can handle it? What have I been doing for the past week, Mom? Have I not been able to keep it together?”

John’s voice rose. His face flushed red. He seemed taller to Brooke. She hadn’t noticed it until now, but it seemed like he’d shot up a few inches out of nowhere. She felt like she was looking up at him.

“You’re right,” Brooke answered. “I’m sorry. It’s just… with everything that’s happened, I don’t want you to lose the part of yourself that is most important. You’ve grown up a lot, and I just don’t want it to happen too fast. You’ve got a lot ahead of you, so just cool it with the guns. Try talking about girls for a bit.”

“Mom,” John responded, a little exasperated.

Brooke laughed. “Go inside. Make sure Eric’s still alive.”

Brooke gave John a push as he headed back inside. She watched him disappear down the hallway through the back-door window and then turn to climb the stairs. Once John was out of sight, she looked back down at the revolver in her hand. Brooke knew things would be different moving forward, regardless of what happened with everything else. No matter what road they traveled down, she couldn’t make John unsee everything that had happened.

One of her biggest fears would be to have John experience the same foreign feeling that Brooke felt in that house. She didn’t want him to be like her. She didn’t want him to feel like there wasn’t any safe place left. She didn’t want him to have his guard up all the time. He needed to be a teenager, not a fugitive in hiding. Brooke just wasn’t sure if she’d be able to join her family in that normalcy.