The Extraction List Read online

  I noticed a locket around her neck, gold and sparkly, with a little engraving of a flower on it. It almost looked like the same one that graced both her thumbnails. “That’s pretty! Can I see?” She nodded. I gently grabbed the locket in between my fingers. Not thinking, I opened the locket without asking her first. A picture of a little girl, who looked about five, stared back at me. I realized that I shouldn’t have invaded her privacy, but it was too late. I shut the locket. “Oh gosh, I’m sorry.”

  “Oh no, dear, I don’t mind. I wear it so I can keep her with me always. Gives me at least a little comfort. It’s how I try to stay close to her.”

  The question flew out of my mouth before I could stop it. “What happened to her?”

  Hannah sighed. “Eviction.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Her fingers kept working as she spoke. “My daughter Mira got evicted from her apartment. Just like everywhere else, jobs were in short supply and she hadn’t been able to find another one since she got laid off from a pizza restaurant downtown. She hadn’t even passed the one-year unemployment mark.” Hannah reopened the locket and looked at her granddaughter as she told the story. “We told the Taskforce that my daughter and her daughter…Abby’s her name…could live with us, were on their way to moving in. Packed and everything. But they wouldn’t listen. Their paperwork said that Mira was homeless and couldn’t provide for her child. So they took Abby anyway.”

  Tears slid down my face when the brave old woman glanced up at me with glossy eyes. “That’s not fair! She would have been fine just living with you! I don’t get it.”

  “You and me both, dear. The paperwork said no. And that’s all they seem to care about now.”

  I bit my lip, afraid to ask my next question. “Where’s your daughter now?”

  “Gone. We lost her to the depression. After they took Abby, she never recovered. We tried to argue with the Taskforce, but by the end of the year they said Abby…oh, how did they put it…’had become acclimated to her new circumstances’ and if we kept arguing with them we would be prosecuted. Mira ended her own life one year to the day after they took Abby away.”

  I had absolutely no idea what to say. The poor lady had been through so much. I couldn’t believe she and Charlie were still helping us. She couldn’t possibly know who my mother was.

  I was wrong.

  As if she read my mind, Hannah spoke again. “I don’t hate your mother. I truly don’t. Or Bo. Cain told us Bo works with her, but no matter. I know what they were trying to do. What’s that old saying? The road to Hell is paved with good intentions and whatnot? We’ve all paved our way there at some point or another. But God always helps us find our way back. All of us.”

  I just looked at her. There was no bitterness in her eyes, no anger, just sadness. I bet if she kept smiling constantly every day for the rest of her life, that sadness would still never leave her eyes.

  “Ironically enough, the bill actually helped our other grandchild.”

  “Who?”

  “We have a son. Gregory. Always a troubled kid. He made a baby with a woman who was in and out of jail only slightly more than he was, so he got custody. Couldn’t be bothered to take care of his child, so the Taskforce came in. He was older than Mira, so it happened during the time that the law still had ways to give the children to family members instead of the boarding schools if they could find a relative that matched the law’s parental criteria…before they believed that the family tree was poisoned all the way through if there was one bad branch. So we took him into our home and straightened him out. Had him for quite a while, ‘til he got into a fellowship program in Australia for real smart kids. Doing great. Keeps begging us to move there to be close to him, but we just can’t leave our home.”

  I smiled weakly, not knowing what else to do. I wished I’d never opened that locket. “I’m glad your grandson’s doing good… I’m going to go find my mom. Thank you.” I gave an awkward wave. I had no idea what I was thanking her for, but it seemed the polite response. Thank you for not cursing my mother’s existence? Thank you for letting me out of such a super awkward conversation? It was probably a little of both. I looked back over my shoulder and saw that Charlie had come over to his wife and put his hands on her shoulders. She looked up and placed her hand on one of his. Both their wedding rings seemed to twinkle at me.

  Though I told Hannah that I had gone to find my mom, I really wanted to go find Cain and continue my lessons. The lesson from the night before had left me with an aching to feel that way again, like I could take care of myself, that I was more powerful than before, and I could actually navigate through all this mess with my body and my sanity still intact.

  I ended up finding both of them sitting on the edge of the deck. Bo was nowhere to be seen. I guessed he was taking an extra-long bath. Maybe he was trying to scrub away the guilt. I guessed he would need more than a little soap and water for that job.

  When I got closer, I realized that Mom and Cain were playing tic-tac-toe in the dirt, using a twig to draw the x’s and o’s. Mom won.

  “You won again! How do you do that?” Cain said as Mom gave him a playful shove.

  I answered for her. “Mom and I used to play that for hours. It was my favorite game when I was little.” I smiled and sat down next to her. “She always beat me too.”

  Mom gave me a quick hug. “Sorry, Cain, you’re dealing with the master!” she laughed.

  “Well maybe I better get to something I’m actually good at. Riley? You ready?”

  I nodded.

  We stood in the middle of the yard, facing each other. My skin tingled and I wondered what I was in for now. I think Cain could sense it and his eyes shone. At least it was daytime.

  By the end of my lesson, I wanted to go back to playing hide and seek in the pitch black night like the first lesson. For lesson three I had to learn how to use the movement of others against them. Apparently, in order to learn that, I had to experience it firsthand, and Cain ended up throwing me to the ground over and over again. He made me come at him as if I meant to hurt him, and he used the force of my own movement to throw me away. I winced as my body hit the hard earth, and my jeans were covered with wet grass stains by the time we were done. After I pulled myself up from the ground following each pretend attack, he came at me instead to see if I had learned anything. I found myself on the ground once more.

  I kept looking at my mom, thinking that she would jump in and save me. She didn’t. She just sat there and watched me get pushed into the dirt, dust flying in my wake.

  And seeing her sit there made me realize I no longer wanted to be saved. I wanted to save myself.

  At the very end, I had him. I didn’t know if it was that I was actually learning or if my body just decided it would do anything to make the pain stop, but the last time he came at me I rolled over the side of his body and pushed him forward. Though he didn’t fall, he lost his footing for a moment. As he recovered from his stumble, he smiled at me. So did my mother.

  At the end of our lesson, Bo finally came out of the woods. His hair wasn’t wet. “What took you so long? Your hair’s dried,” Mom half-asked, half-scolded.

  Bo came up and embraced her and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Yeah, I guess after washing up I just hung out there for a while. Longer than I thought if my hair dried.” He spit out an awkward laugh.

  “My turn! Finally!” Jordyn emerged from the house, rolling her eyes, which had become her usual response for every time Bo spoke about, well, anything really. “You know, you’re not the only one who wants to have a bath today. Geez.” She slugged Bo in the arm as she passed, and her body disappeared into the trees.

  I felt a tug on my shirt and turned around. Xander looked up at me. “You’re Riley, right?”

  “Yeah…hi.” I smiled at him. His big brown doe eyes were so much like Jordyn’s it was almost creepy. “Wanna play tic-tac-toe?” I knew he had wanted to play his board game, but he didn’t seem to mind putting it on ho
ld. And besides, seeing Mom play had made me miss the game.

  He grinned, nodding his head like a bobble-head doll, short and fast.

  The afternoon rolled by, quickly and wonderfully ordinary. Mom and Bo spent the day with their arms wrapped around each other in the living room. Cain, Jordyn, Xander, and I played freeze tag outside. The only thing that reminded us of our situation was the silence. We had to play freeze tag without the normal squealing and giggling—too much risk of getting caught. I never thought that our country would be in such a state that children’s laughter could have gotten us all thrown in jail or worse. But we still managed to enjoy ourselves as we hissed the word ‘tag’ and pointed dramatically at each other. After the game, we went back inside the house, covered with dirt and happy.

  A knock at the door took it away in an instant.

  “Everyone! Hide!” Charlie hissed.

  I ducked behind the kitchen counter, between Mom and Jordyn. Hannah hid on the stairwell across from us while Charlie went to the door. Cain stood behind him, out of sight. He only revealed himself after the stranger spoke.

  “George? George, what are you doing here?” Cain grabbed him and shut the door.

  “I came to warn you. Somebody figured out you’re here!”

  We all came out of our hiding spots. “Who?”

  “I don’t know. Somebody called the store and told me that police folks knew where you were headed. They’re on their way now! I got here as quick as I could, but since I was so far away, you don’t got much time! Get yourselves together and get out!”

  Cain embraced him. “How did you know it was legit?”

  George shrugged. “Didn’t. But I had to tell you. Known you kids for too long. Now get outta here!”

  Cain nodded. George left as quickly as he came, speeding away in a car I hadn’t seen when we were at his shop. Cain turned to face us, all the peace we had experienced earlier erased from his expression. “You heard him. We have to go. Now.”

  Everyone scrambled, throwing our supplies into our truck. Suddenly I heard shouting. “No, Hannah, Charlie, please! You have to come! They know you’re running a safe house. They’ll arrest you. Or kill you! Please!” It was Mom.

  Cain spoke next. “She’s right, you can’t stay here. It’s too dangerous.”

  Hannah grabbed Mom’s shoulders. “Thank you, dear, but like we said before, this is our home. And besides, we’ll just slow you down. We aren’t exactly built for runnin’. This place is where we belong.”

  Mom reached for Hannah as she pulled away and headed toward the living room where Charlie already sat on the couch waiting for her.

  “Take care of that baby of yours, Claire. There’s no blessing like a daughter. She needs you.”

  Mom started to go after them when Bo grabbed her. “Claire, we have to go.” He wrapped his arms around her and flung her over his shoulder. Mom flailed and kicked at him, screaming Hannah and Charlie’s names. She reminded me of every classmate I had seen being taken by the Taskforce, kicking at anyone and everything they could hit as the Taskforce carried them away from their family forever.

  “NO! No, please don’t do this! Please! Bo, put me down! Please!” I didn’t know how Bo was able to hang onto her. Her body contorted in half and back again in his arms. Her curls stuck to her face with sweat.

  Tears streamed down my face and I couldn’t see. Jordyn had to guide me and Xander to the truck. Bo didn’t risk putting my mom down to let her walk when we got outside, probably afraid she’d run right back in the house again.

  We had just made it to the truck when we heard the sirens.

  Mom kept desperately calling for Hannah and Charlie, but Bo held her tight, covering her mouth. Xander tried to shout at them too, but Jordyn placed her hand over his mouth too. Cain sat in the driver’s seat, sank down so only his eyes peeked over the steering wheel. My limbs froze and I prayed that each breath entered my lungs silently and I didn’t reveal us.

  From the back of the truck we could see through the window into the entryway. I wanted to turn away, but my limbs still wouldn’t move. I was afraid that any creak of the truck would tip them off and it would all be over. What happened next would add to my collection of nightmares.

  Charlie and Hannah stood in front of two Taskforce Officers. It looked like a normal conversation, until one slapped Hannah hard across the face. Charlie looked like he was going to take a swing at the man, but Hannah gently lowered Charlie’s hand with her own. That was when one of the policemen raised his gun.

  Cain’s hand was on the door handle of the truck when the gun went off. Twice.

  Hannah and Charlie died holding hands.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  All our bodies shook with the gun blasts. Bo continued to keep his hand glued to Mom’s mouth, and her tears ran down his hand in little rivers. Watching Hannah and Charlie die made Xander pass out, and he lay quiet in Jordyn’s arms.

  We only stirred when we were sure that the police officers had driven off. They could have very easily looked out the back window of the house and seen our truck sitting there, but they hadn’t—a complete miracle. We exhaled.

  Jordyn and Cain immediately leaped out of the car and ran inside toward Hannah and Charlie. Bo followed. Mom and I just sat and cried, with Xander lying beside us, letting the sound we had stifled for what seemed like years pierce through the silence.

  Shouting shook us back to reality. “We have to GO! What is wrong with you? They’re dead and we’re not and if you want to keep it that way we need to GO!” Bo shouted at Jordyn and Cain as the three of them re-entered the backyard.

  Jordyn and Cain had collected their lifeless bodies and gently put them down in the same spot where we had played tag a short time ago. “We are BURYING our friends, you son of a bitch. There’s no way we’re leaving them here to rot.” Cain’s face was inches from Bo’s.

  He was about to bring his knives to Bo’s throat, but Jordyn stepped in. “Hey, hey, hey, now. While I agree he is definitely a son of a bitch, YOU have the keys to the truck.”

  Cain stepped back.

  Jordyn turned her attention to Bo. “And you! If you help us, this would go a lot faster. Now shut up and grab us some shovels.”

  Mom wiped the tears from her eyes as she hopped out of the truck. Xander was still out, so she told me to stay with him in case he woke up. None of us wanted him to open his eyes and be alone. She ducked inside the garage and reemerged with several shovels. Jordyn gave her a grateful nod.

  • • •

  Cain always said not to travel at night, but since we were so behind, he decided to make an exception. As soon as Hannah and Charlie were buried in the backyard of the house they loved so much, with two of my handmade crosses stuck in the earth looking over them, we went back on the road, heading toward the port to meet the boat that would take us to our new home.

  The silence was worse than the shouting. All I could hear was the wheels of the truck rolling over the road and the back window rattling against the metal body. I gazed outside, wondering what other people were doing right then. I hoped that most were sitting at home, eating a normal dinner, having normal family conversation. Maybe someone had a nice ham, sitting dead center in the middle of their dining room table, surrounded by mashed potatoes and brown sugar carrots like Mom used to make. Maybe that someone had a dad at the table too who smiled and asked how everyone’s days went. I hoped that those people didn’t have to discuss burying bodies and the best method of not getting killed.

  Olivia had been sitting quietly in the back of my mind ever since I found her picture in the file. Well, actually, she was there long before that, but my mind now raced with new questions. I wanted her to be with us. I wanted to tell her what just happened, about how those men shot two people without a second thought, as if they didn’t mean anything. But I couldn’t.

  She was in Italy. I had no idea where or how long she’d been there, but I had somewhere to go. And when I could find a way, I would travel there an
d find her. I tried to think of some pleasant job she could be doing. Picturing a pretty little European sewing shop, I hoped some nice dressmaker had hired her to help make clothes. I pictured Olivia dressing the mannequins and helping the dressmaker pick out just the right fabric. Maybe the dressmaker would always laugh because Olivia always picked a green fabric, her favorite color. Maybe the dressmaker scolded her, shaking her finger and saying, “Olivia, if it were up to you, the entirety of Italy would be dressed in green!” And they would laugh.

  What was more likely, though, was that she was sitting in a hot, dark room, sweating on a hard metal stool making shoes or preparing vegetables to be packaged. Someone was probably yelling at her to go faster even though her fingers were already blistered. The supervisor would give her water, but it would never be enough. Then she would go to sleep in some run-down boarding house with other children who were alone and scared and wondering if anyone would ever find them.

  I closed my eyes and concentrated, hoping somehow she could hear me. Liv, hold on, I’m coming for you.

  We were moving just fine along the back roads when suddenly the truck started struggling to go on. The chugging threw the bed up and down with every inch of movement, and we hit the bottom of the truck bed hard with each bump. “What’s going on?” Mom asked.

  Cain struggled to keep the truck straight. “I don’t know.” He pushed the wheel of the truck to the right, pulling it over on the side of the road. “I’ll have to take a look. Jordyn, sit on the top of the truck and keep watch.”

  “You got it.” Jordyn climbed on top of the truck and sat cross-legged with gun drawn. Mom, Bo, and I got out too. Xander stayed in the truck, struggling to get some sleep.

  “Can I help?” I asked. Jordyn smiled and threw her hand to me, pulling me up. I proudly sat down next to her.

  Bo stood next to Cain as he prepared to inspect the truck. “I think you better let me take a look. I’ve worked on cars before.”

  Cain started sliding under the truck anyway. “I got it.” Cain was halfway under when Bo grabbed him by the shoulders. Cain flipped to his feet and pushed Bo in the chest. “What the hell, man?”