Part 14: Hope

The Promised Land:
(Part 14) Hope 

An empty battery blinked in the corner of the screen before it went black. Eden sighed and put her phone away. She was still in the room with Shiloh. In truth, she didn’t really feel like leaving him alone in his uncertain condition. She was starting to wonder where Caden wandered off to when Sunshine walked into the room.

“Oh, hello again,” the girl in the yellow dress said with a happy smile. “We were never properly introduced. My name is Hope.”

“I’m Eden.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Hope stepped aside as the woman in the wheelchair entered. “This is my mother, Grace. I’m sorry to interrupt, but she would like to continue healing Shiloh. If you don’t mind, of course.”

Eden stood up and pulled her chair out of the way. “Not at all. He hasn’t woken up yet, so I was starting worry. You sure he’s going to be ok?”

Grace wheeled next to the bed and pulled back Shiloh’s sheets, his bloodstained shirt recently replaced with a faded blue one. “It’s going to be a while before he wakes, dear,” the elderly woman said as her hands hovered over the wounded area. “His body has a lot of blood to make up in addition to the repairs.”

Eden stepped away from the bed and tilted her head. “Why not just get Caden to donate his blood? They’re twins, right? So they should be the same blood type.”

Grace gave a soft laugh. “That would make this easier, dear, but I’m afraid that won’t work. Although they were identical, the infection altered their DNA. As it stands, Caden’s blood would only harm Shiloh.”

“Oh, sorry,” Eden replied, unsure of how to respond. Her eyes widened in surprise when Grace’s hands started glowing blue. “Whoa. That’s cool.”

“We should leave them,” Hope whispered. With a nod, Eden followed Hope out of the room and down the hall. “I’m sorry for rushing you out. My mother’s power takes a lot of concentration.”

“No problem. My mom’s a doctor so I know what that’s like. Sort of,” Eden replied with a smile dimmed by memory.  She stopped in the middle of the hall and rubbed the back of her neck. Hope paused as well in patient curiosity.

“Um, I hate to bother you about this,” Eden started, “but I kind of need a shower and some new clothes. You think you might have some jeans that’ll fit me?”

Eden watched realization kick into Hope’s facial expression. “Oh! Of course! I’m sure we have something for you somewhere. Come with me!”

As if being granted new purpose, Sunshine bounced down the halls with a mission. She led Eden to a room lined with shelves and filled with boxes. Each wooden shelf had different sizes printed in black across the side. Hope pulled down a couple boxes and opened them. “This is the storage room. You might find something in here.”

Eden wasn’t sure how the frail-looking girl managed to haul the boxes around. They were at least two times bigger than her. One thing Eden never noticed before now was how she didn’t see a single strand of hair from under the girl’s white hat. Poking into one of the boxes, Eden pulled out a large shirt that was neither her style nor size. The cloud of dust the blouse brought sent her and Hope both into a coughing fit.

“Maybe not that one,” Hope said between coughs. She pulled out a trunk and unlatched the hinges. “Try this one.”

Eden pulled out a few articles that looked as though they might fit. Though she’d much rather have an outfit that was both clean, new, and fashionable, she’d have to make do with what was available, especially if she was going to be here a while.

“Find something?” Hope asked.

Eden nodded with a hum.

“That’s good.” Her host pointed out the doorway. “The showers are just around the corner on your left. I’ll have lunch ready for you when you’re done.”

~*~

Caden huffed and wiped the dirty sweat from his brow. With a confident smirk and narrow dark eyes, he sprinted toward his target. Caden swung his leg at the spinning orb. As soon as his foot made contact, he realized a drastic mistake in his calculation: the running back. The two boys crashed into each other before either one could slow down. Thankfully, neither player was seriously injured. Caden laughed in relief as he rubbed his sore leg. It had been far too long since he played any sort of sport for enjoyment. It reminded him of a time when things were different, a time that only existed ages ago. The children continued their game without Caden and he was just fine with that. Lying on the brown grass, he took some time to catch his breath. A cool breeze washed over the field, refreshing the worn-out teen.

“Having fun?” a familiar voice matched an equally familiar silhouette. Caden quickly stood up and brushed off his cargo pants.

“Course not,” Caden replied with a lighter tone in his signature sarcasm. When he looked back at the ongoing game, Hope giggled and brushed the dried grass off his back.

“Hah, thanks,” he said with a smile.

Hope tilted her head, the pink butterfly on her hat shimmering. “You should smile more often, Cay. A real smile, I mean. Not that one you get when you think you’re winning.”

Caden chuckled as he tried to think of a good comeback.

“That’s the one!” Hope exclaimed. “The one you’ve been hiding.”

Cay’s grin diminished as he ran a hand through his hair. "I can’t always afford to smile when the world’s at stake.”

“Good thing it’s free.” Hope’s light tone turned uncharacteristically somber. “The fate of the world isn’t your responsibility, you know.”

“Yes it is. I lived,” Caden thought to himself, but he didn’t tell her that. How could he? He survived the illness and recovered with abilities beyond that of an average human his age. Not only that, but he and Shiloh now possessed something that might be the key to saving people around the globe, a key he could not afford to let fall back into enemy hands. A phrase his father often said snaked through Caden’s thoughts, “Take every chance you get to help someone.” As long as he had that key, the world WAS his responsibility. He had a duty to save others, especially those he cared about.

“Cay.” Concern flooded Hope’s voice. “You can’t help everyone who needs you.”

“I know, but I need to try.”

“Even if you try, you have to let go of those you can’t save.”

Caden looked straight into her brown eyes. “I’ll never let you go.”

After a second of surprise, Hope started crying.

“Uh-oh, what did I say?” he thought.

“I-I’m sorry,” the confused and slightly panicked lad stammered. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.” Hope lowered her head and hid her tears under the brim of her hat, though Caden could still see them trickle down her fluorescent red cheeks.

Attempting to fix the situation, he pulled out a light pink bandana from his pant leg pocket and handed it to Hope. “T-this is for you.”

“What is it?” Hope asked as she took it and studied the white butterfly print.

Caden jammed both hands into his pockets and muttered. “I saw it in Smyrna so I got it for you. If you don’t like it, you can give it to-”

“It’s beautiful!” Hope exclaimed as she threw her arms around him in a big hug. “Thank you.” After taking a few moments to quit crying, she let go and wiped her tears. “I have a gift for you too, remember? Come with me!”