Part 25: Somewhere I Belong

The Promised Land:

(Part 25) Somewhere I Belong

They exited the building and walked down the street until they came to a full parking lot. Lifting up a set of keys, Caden pressed the remote button and one of the cars lit up with a small honk. Making his way toward the black car, he tossed the keys to Eden. “You wanted to drive, right?”

Catching the keys, Eden stared at them in confusion. “Sure, I guess. I don’t know where we’re going though.”

“Shy will tell you,” was all he said as he threw his backpack into the backseat and got in.

With Eden in the driver’s seat and Shiloh navigating, they drove out of the parking lot. For a few seconds, all was quiet.

Then an explosion went off behind them, causing Eden to jump and nearly swerve into a fire hydrant. Slamming on the brakes, the car screeched to a halt and Eden turned around in her seat. “What was that?!”

Smoke floated up between the buildings outside the back window.

“Just a security precaution,” Caden muttered in agitation, picking himself off the car floor after the sudden stop. “You mind watching the brakes?”

“Put a seatbelt on.” Eden glared at Caden. With an irritated huff, he buckled the middle seatbelt before lying across the seat. Hearing another click, Eden realized Shiloh hadn’t been buckled this whole time either. Quickly shooting a glare at Shy, she directed her question to Caden. “What do you mean by security? Why did you just blow up a building?”

“Like I said, it’s just a precaution,” he defended. “The less evidence, the better. I’m just glad we got there before Hunter or the Atari.”

“Why didn’t we go there in the first place?”

Caden ignored her, pulled the backpack under his head, and tried to go to sleep. Putting the vehicle in park, Eden turned around and smacked Caden on the shoulder.

“Ow! What was tha-”

“Quit ignoring me!” Eden demanded. “You act like I’m invisible! Or worse yet, like I’m too ignorant to understand anything!”

He blinked a couple times before responding with, “Aren’t you?”

Shiloh’s face immediately fell into his palm.

“That’s it!” Eden got out of the car and opened Caden’s door. “Get out. We’re settling this right now!”

“I don’t think now’s the best ti-”

“Get out.”

With a deep sigh, the teen did as instructed. “Do we really need to do this now?” he asked as he leaned against the car and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets.

“Yes, now.” Eden put her hands on her hips then crossed her arms instead. “You need to apologize!”

“For what?”

“Treating me like I don’t belong.”

Caden tilted his head. “You don’t. You’ll never belong.”

Eden’s hands turned into fists. “I can try! At least until I find my way back.”

“You’re useless,” Caden muttered as he leaned forward and started walking around to the front of the car.

“DON’T say that about me!” Eden shouted, stopping Caden entirely.

Turning around with his dark eyebrows knit together and his mouth in the shape of a frown, he walked toward her.

“Why not? It’s true. You can’t do anything out here. You can’t protect yourself. You can’t survive on your own. You can’t even drive ten feet.” His voice grew steadily louder. “You’re totally helpless! If it weren’t for Shy, you might not even be here! He almost died saving you!” As he motioned back to the car, Shiloh’s head poked out, cautiously watching the confrontation from inside the vehicle with a nervous look.

“You think I don’t know that?! I’m not blind!” Tears stung Eden’s eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

“You’re oblivious. It’s the same thing.” Caden stopped three feet in front of her, dark brown eyes narrowed. “You want to help. I get that, but until you know what you’re doing, you’re a danger to those around you. Especially to Shy and he’s the reason you’re still alive. You’re lost. You’re helpless. And you’re completely useless.” He turned around and started walking back to the car.

Eden’s tears could no longer be held back. Looking around for something, anything, she spotted a block of two by four wood amid a pile of rubble. Without thinking, she snatched up the block of wood and smacked it against the back of Caden’s head.

THWACK.

Cay found himself sprawled on the ground, wide-eyed and dazed. “Wha-”

Eden threw away the piece of wood and knelt to his level. “Don’t call me useless,” she said, her face just a few inches away from his. 

“Get out of my face!” He rose up on his elbows before Eden cut him off.

“Not until after you sit down and listen to what I have to say.” Her commanding calmness caught him off guard.

“I’m tired of the way you treat me,” she continued. “I may not be the smartest or the most athletic. I don’t know how to use an AK47 and I can’t cook. But let me tell you what I CAN do.”

Her voice never rose, nor did it betray any of the fury she unleashed earlier. Instead, she spoke as though she were revealing something she had grown tired of holding back. “I can live. I can sing. I can give broken people hope. I can show the lost where to turn. I can give a hug to the lonely. If I can’t help, I’ll find someone who can. I can choose to get up and do something instead of nothing.” She pulled away and sat on the ground. The tears flowed down her cheeks, but she wasn’t quite finished yet. Her watery eyes drifted from Caden to the ground, as if she spoke more to herself than anyone else. “I might be terrified of this future, but I can choose to stand up and keep going when I feel like giving in to the fear. I can learn. I can change.” Looking back at Cay, she added, “And I can still be your friend, even if you hate me.”

Caden sat thunderstruck for a very long time. His expression went from complete surprise to confusion and back. His mouth hung open only to close then open again. Even his eyes kept switching from dark brown to red and back, as if he didn’t know what to believe any more. He looked back at Shiloh for help, but his twin only offered a tiny smile. Caden looked back at Eden and stared for a long time before finally asking, “Why?”

“What?”

“Why would you do that? If you’re so convinced… why am I your friend?”

Eden shrugged as she stared back at the ground. “Sometimes, the ones that are hardest to love are the ones who need it most. Back home… I was never the kind of friend I needed to be. I like being on my own. It wasn’t until after I got here that I realized friends protect each other. I have a second chance.”