The Bargaining Path

  ***

  “How are you all settling in?”

  Don always “observed the pleasantries,” as Brynna always said. He had done the same to us after we had moved into the house. Alice and I had been exploring all the corridors and open rooms when we had run into him for the first time. I was still miffed about being dragged out of the woods, but Alice was nothing but grateful to be taken in. She had introduced us, shaken his hand, and told him that we loved what we had seen of the house thus far. Though she had later told me that she had been stifling a strong urge to punch him in the face for having us detained the way he had, she never held that against him later.

  I was thankful for all that Don had done, too. It was hard for me to hold grudges against him the way that James did. For some reason, James had never warmed up to him; he saw him as nothing more than a pathetic little man who had been gifted with way too much power by a great man whom James also hated. There had always been contention between Don and Brynna, especially in the last days of living in the house, but something had changed between them since she had returned. Actually, it would have changed shortly before the city burned, as that had to have been when he asked her to be his second-in-command. He had never been particularly fond of her, either, but now, he was seeking her advice and counsel. I didn't trust it, at least not right away.

  And I knew Brynna was only involved with him professionally because of some ulterior motive. He had killed Maura, and if there was one thing I had learned, Brynna's spite was not easily softened. Even though her relationship with Maura had suffered some blows, Brynna had still loved her, and when Brynna loved someone, she would protect them while they were living and avenge them after they died.

  We found that out all too well in later years.

  “We're fine.” James told Don in the brusque tone that he always used when speaking to him. “We know you're settling in just fine. Those parties you throw are probably keeping all your dark little inclinations satisfied.”

  “To what are you referring, James?” Don asked him calmly.

  “You know to what I'm referring. People talk, Don. Everyone knows what you do.”

  “Well, they don't know the half of it. I don't care what people say, as most people don't care what I do. These people have graciously allowed us all to stay here, and they are on par with us in terms of living and letting live. You might want to catch up.”

  “I'm not going to catch up when innocent people are...”

  “Innocent? Innocent? You think I force these people into this? You think these people don't want to do whatever their desires tell them to do? Oh, no...” Don shook his head, “This is why you need to come tonight, so you can hear my side of things.”

  “Gentlemen,” Brynna interrupted them, “I am still very irritable, as I am still in some pain. My stars, you two have been in the same room for under one minute and already, you are in disagreement.”

  “We are always in...” James started.

  “Don, please just get on with your request.”

  “With my request?” Don asked, those hilariously large eyes widening in hilariously pathetic curiosity.

  “I assume you are here because there is something you wish to ask of me.”

  “There is. How are you settling in, Brynna?” He asked, almost as though he was purposely going against her order to get right to the point. “How are you feeling?”

  “That is not what I meant by asking what you wish to ask of me. But alright; I will bite, as they say. I just told you how I am feeling; I am very exhausted and if it were not for the glorious leaves that Dr. Terry prescribed, I would be nearly paralyzed and in terrible pain. I am settling in just fine. In fact, we all are. Penny loves it here, and Violet is content, so I am happy.”

  “Do you want some tea, baby?” James asked her softly, and she shook her head.

  “No, but thank you, honey.” She replied, and I could imagine clearly the look on Don's face. He, unlike everyone else, was still curious about and bewildered by their relationship. Throughout our camp, there were many strange pairings like theirs. There was another girl, a few years older than Brynna, who was dating a man a few years older than James. In fact, that girl wasn't the only one. There were women who were dating younger men; one case that springs to mind was a fifty-something year old widow who actually ended up marrying a man in his late twenties whose wife was killed in the house fire. Don felt no need to gawk at them, or to ask them insensitive, overly nosy questions, but then, Brynna and James were the first strange breed of couple that he had encountered on Pangaea. What was stranger than them being a couple for him, I think, was how readily people accepted it. Nobody questioned anyone in those days, for better or worse. In James and Brynna's case, it was for better. In Don's case, it was for worse.

  “Adam tells me that you are still concerned about Savannah. I really wanted to tell you in person that you needn't be.”

  “Adam told you that?” James asked before she could respond, and when he looked at her, I could see that he was trying hard to mask his anger.

  “I'm sorry, did he not know that...”

  “No, I didn't. But continue.” James interrupted him, his aggression not well hidden.

  But Don did not continue speaking right away. A long, awkward silence ensued, and Nick and I looked at each other, both wearing expressions of sympathetic discomfort for how Brynna must have been feeling.

  “I was going to tell you...”

  “No, you weren't.” James replied quietly but venomously, too. “Don, continue.”

  Don stuttered for a second as he tried to cover the mistake he had made. For a minute, I thought Brynna was going to tell him to leave. But she said nothing. Instead, she just continued to stare pointedly at him, waiting for him to finish his speech.

  “I won't bother her. I'll leave her alone. Things got out of control very quickly, and you and I both know what happened the last time I let myself lose control like that. And I've only apologized once for that, and that's not enough...”

  “Don, I am not going to talk about her.” Brynna told him, and I could see that she was holding the back of her neck now. The tension in the room, which normally would have only aggravated her, was actually making her nervous. I think part of that anxiety was knowing that she and James were going to have a terrible fight after Don left.

  “I know.” Don nodded solemnly, “But I wish I could take that back. I know that you two had problems, but you loved her. And Violet had no issues with her at all. I know that this has devastated her. I know that she hates me for it, and rightfully so.”

  “Yeah. It is rightfully so, Don.” James chimed in, “She…” He gestured at Brynna, “…won't say anything in defense of her, of course, because she can't let go of what happened between them, but I'll say it: Maura didn't know anything. If she had known what they were planning, or if they have gotten other weapons, or where exactly they are, she would have told you. She wasn't a soldier or a spy, Don. When you were putting her in that much pain, if she had been trained by them to infiltrate whatever the hell it is that we have here, she wouldn't have told you. She wouldn't have cried. She wouldn't have begged you to let her go the way she did. You know that now, and you knew it then. You just wanted to hurt her.”

  “You're wrong, James.”

  “Yes, you are wrong. But not about that.” Brynna shot at him furiously. “You are wrong in your suggestion that I will not say anything in defense of her because of what happened with...” She stopped and muttered a name that I didn't catch. “I will not say anything in defense of Maura because the moment I decide to dwell on what he did, that will be the moment that the fragile hold I have on my self-control releases, and then you...” She looked at Don, and I could see that she was trembling with rage, “…will cease to exist. You are lucky that Maura and I had such a troubled past. You are lucky that a part of me always hated her for what happened. Because if I loved her as unconditionally as Violet did, you would be nothing, Don. You would be lo
ng gone by now.”

  “I know.” Don nodded, “I know, Brynna.” After another few minutes of awkward, tense silence, he spoke again, and his voice was barely a whisper. “It scares me, you know. It always has. It scares me because I can't control it. On Earth, I was able to. Somehow, I was able to suppress all of this. It was always there. It was always this nagging voice. There was always this dark desire to do terrible things, and I'd think about it constantly...”

  Nick and I were simultaneously riveted and disgusted. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that his face was contorted into an expression of shock and loathing at all we were hearing. This was certainly not the conversation we had been expecting, and we knew that this was only the introduction, although it was a very strange one, and that the real dirt would be coming soon.

  “Now that we're here, I want to let go of that. I know that I say that we should all be allowed to do whatever we want without being judged, but there has to be a line. I know you agree with that.”

  “Of course I agree with that. There should not be strict rules, but there have to be rules, Don. Otherwise, we are just a band of violent, lusting, anarchist hippies, though our violence puts us in stark opposition to hippies.”

  “What do you suggest? I really want to make all of this clear during the meeting. I want people to know how things are going to be different here.”

  “Well, first of all, the parties every night...”

  “You don't think that we should have them?”

  “I did not say that. I agree with you that people should be able to have a grand time, doing whatever it is that they please, as we lived for many years on Earth under strict rules, most of which were based in a religion that was shoved down our throats by the government, despite the fact that our Constitution clearly...” She stopped, shook her head slightly, and continued. “We are not the Bachums. People should be allowed to do what makes them happy. As much as I am opposed to it, if that means eating enough Peace Fruit to live like a maenad for three weeks, then that is what it means. However, if people get hurt, or worse, murdered, or even worse, if a little girl is forced to rip apart a fully grown man who is trying to attack her in order to cover up his crimes, then the perpetrators of those crimes need to be punished for them. This 'no judging, no punishment' rule is far too idealistic. I understand what you were trying to accomplish, but we are lucky that things have not boiled over completely. We are lucky to have even a smidgeon of control. There has already been violence, plenty of it. But there has not been chaos. That is the first bullet you need to address: People will now pay a price for hurting other people. No restrictions on having a good time, but if other people are hurt while they are engaged in that frivolity, or at any other time, they will suffer consequences.”

  “What kinds of consequences?”

  “Well, women certainly won't be handed off to you, if that's what you're hoping for. You can be damn sure of that.” James cut in coldly.

  “James...” Brynna muttered, “Stop it. Well, obviously it cannot be too over-the-top. The punishment is going to have to fit the crime. Perhaps we should implement a strike policy.”

  “Meaning every time you hurt someone, or violate a rule, then you get a strike.”

  “The only rule is not to hurt people. That encompasses murder, rape, physical assault, thievery... Honestly, Don, I think that is the only rule that truly matters. I could not care less about what people do in their spare time. As long as they are productive members of this group, and they are not harming each other, I do not care how they spend their lives, as long as they are content.”

  “Agreed.” Don nodded. “Do you think that the strike rule should just be for minor things, or for everything? What I'm saying is, should someone who steals someone's crops be treated the same as someone who kills someone else? I'm not naïve, I know that we're not going to live this peacefully forever. So, that question is bound to come up tonight.”

  “Of course not. I personally think murder, rape, and assault should mean banishment. Stealing can be a strike. Do you know what other rule I think is very important?”

  “What?” Don asked.

  She raised her voice.

  “Nosiness should be punishable by death. If two gentlemen named Quinn and Nick who think they are very sneaky but really are not would like to live, they might want to go back outside!”

  We scrambled back outside, not because she had jokingly threatened our lives, but because we would get an earful if we stayed.

  “So, how do you think people are going to take it?” I asked Nick as we walked back down the stairs.

  “Take what? Having rules?”

  “Yeah.”

  “As long as this does not turn into a second Bachum camp, people will be alright with it. Don's way didn't work. Brynna is sensible. People know that. What we heard her say should happen really should happen. People will agree.”

  “Do you think the Pangaean people will agree?”

  “From what I have gathered, Quinn, Brynna and Adam have become one in their thinking. I think that if Brynna says it, Adam will agree, and if Adam agrees, then the rest of them will, too. Pretty soon, Brynna will be more powerful than Don. Just you wait.”

  I thought about that for the rest of our short walk back to where Alice, Violet, Penny, and Elijah were still working. I couldn't disagree, and I couldn't say that the idea didn't make me grin a little bit. As much as she professed to hate people, she certainly knew what they needed. Don, whose idea had been so great but whose execution of that idea had failed miserably, was not going to be leading us for much longer. Soon, Brynna, with the help of Adam, would be calling the shots.

  We would be a hell of a lot more secure, and certainly much happier, once that transition happened.

  “What were they talking about?” Alice asked after I had come back.

  “Rules. We didn't get to hear much, because she realized that we were there, but what we did hear her say was pretty awesome. She knows what she's doing. Considering she's like, twenty years younger than Don, it's funny that she knows what's in the interest of the rest of us better than he does. His whole philosophy about letting people do whatever they want all the time is something you'd expect from a twenty-two year old, not him.”

  “It is.” Her hands were grasping the cross pendant around her neck. She was pulling it up and down the chain at a mild pace, the way she always did when something troubling was on her mind.

  “What is it, babe?” I asked her, and I put the ax that I had only just picked up back down so I could grasp both of her hands.

  “Nothing. I just... It seems too good to be true, you know? Things really seem like they might be shaping up. Brynna's got a hold on Don, so things might not be as crazy as they were at the house.”

  “And I know, you think that means that there's trouble brewing. My girlfriend, the perpetual pessimist. God, where is Brynna? That was an awesome phrase.”

  Alice's laugh was lackluster.

  “I know. I'm always raining on the parade, and I'm sorry.”

  “Don't be.” I told her gently, “You know I'm just kidding. You're probably the more sensible one out of the two of us.”

  “Maybe. I just...” She shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. “How can I not think that good times immediately lead to bad times after everything that's happened? I just don't think that Don is going to let her call the shots for very long. Eventually, he's going to get pissed, and he's going to start doing whatever he wants to do anyway. I just don't want her to get hurt. People are going to listen to her now, because she's the one who stood up for them when he turned his back on the 'weaker' people. There are hundreds of people in our group, and now there are a bunch of Pangaeans. Don loves his power, and slowly but surely, she's going to take it from him. It's not going to be on purpose. It's going to be because people trust her more than they trust him. That's dangerous not just for her but for all of us, Quinn.”

  “Brynna could crush Don, physi
cally and with her power. You don't have to worry about this, baby. Brynna will kill him if he tries to turn on her. She's got this.”

  “What if it's not just him, Quinn?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, “You think he's going to form some sort of posse of Don Abba loyalists?”

  “What I think is that right now, everyone is so focused on the Bachums. But that war isn't going to go on forever, and even if it spans so many years, the way that she said it will, it's not always going to be this heated. During that time, we'll find other ways to fight. There are too many of us; we can't all be on the same side.”

  “Why not?” I asked with a laugh.

  “Because! I know this seems like pessimism, but it's not, Quinn! It's realism! Look at the history of Earth: people always found reasons to fight. If one war wound down, then another started. This is the sad truth about us as human beings: we can't agree. It's kind of like there are too many chiefs and not enough Indians.”

  “I take offense to that saying.” I told her, just to lighten the mood.

  She scowled at me, completely out of patience with my constant joking, before turning to huff back over to Violet and Penny, who were picking large chunks of meat out of the massive deer. I watched as they dropped the bloody pieces into a large bowl, laughing while they did it and grimacing simultaneously. We had grown so self-sufficient over our year there. There were no more grocery stores where we could buy our food. There were no more high-end restaurants where we could have delicious, expensive meals brought to us. There were no more bottles of water, no more cans of vegetables, no more gallons of milk. Everything—all of the nutrients we needed, all of the food we had to eat in order to survive—had to be caught, killed, and cut up by us. There was no easy way to live anymore. Even actual decisions had to be made by us; there were no more politicians, both legitimate and otherwise, to make them for us.

  Of course, towards the end of our days on Earth, certain areas in many formerly well-off countries had been hit hard. But in my town, I had never experienced the hardships that people were suffering through in other states. Alice and I and our families had been fortunate enough to not lose our luxuries while people further west were losing their homes, being subjected to laws we knew next to nothing about, and getting sick from the first blasts and the accidents, all while receiving very little food and clean water. Every night, my parents and Alice's parents had praised God for sparing us. They never prayed for those affected nor did they demand to know why those innocent people had to suffer. They only thanked God for our steak and potatoes, and for the fact that our pilot light was still working.

  And I ask myself sometimes why I had such a problem with devout people...

  Alice was right in all that she had said. I knew that then, and obviously, I know it now. I made jokes and wrote her musings off as just her typical negativity, but I knew she was spot-on in her broad overview on what it meant to be human beings. We were violent, angry creatures who would sooner rip each other apart over our differences in opinion than make the effort to find common ground. Power was the drug of choice for so many, and Brynna knew that especially, considering who her parents were.

  “She'll take care of it.” I muttered to myself.

  Her parents had been power-hungry, evil people. She knew what to look for in Don, Adam, and anyone else who rose to the top of the heap to lead us all.

  “She'll take care of it.”

  Violet

  “It's definitely fair. I agree that the judging system is fair, but we all know what taking that plant has done to us. Fifteen people are dead.”

  “Five by their own hands, Mike. You can't discount that.” Don insisted.

  “And ten by someone else's!”

  The meeting was being held outside, in a large field far off behind the houses. It seemed like every one of our people had shown up, and that every Pangaean had even come to see what would be said. I was in the front row, watching Brynna stand with her arms crossed in front of her. Every couple of seconds, she rolled her eyes at something Don said. He wasn't handling the situation to her liking; I could gather that just by the way she kept sighing and murmuring to James, who was standing beside her, being stonily silent.

  “It shouldn't be allowed. It should be outlawed.” Mike continued. “Brynna, look at what happened with Penny!”

  Brynna walked over to Don and took the megaphone out of his hand.

  “I agree with you wholeheartedly in regards to the Peace Fruit. Yes, it has yielded some tragic results. However, if Don and I say that the Peace Fruit is not allowed, for one thing, many of you will do anything in your power to get it. This is a very well-known fact, but I will state it anyway: During Prohibition, alcohol-consumption was at an all-time high. During the most recent drug war, drug usage ran rampant. During the Health Watch, people were smuggling their drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and all the various banned food items from various sources, most of which were shady at best, and malignant at worst. This is only speaking for the United States, but there were similar motions made in other countries. Once the Health Watch was over, usage of those items dramatically decreased. Do you see the point that I am trying to make here?”

  “I do, but this is different. This is from their world...”

  Don took the microphone back from Brynna.

  “Yes, but we are a part of their world now, Mike. And yes, it has caused some tragedies to occur, but the Peace Fruit and the way people use it is hardly our greatest concern.”

  Brynna took the megaphone back from Don.

  “Yes. Our greatest concern right now is implementing a policy that will guarantee safety for all of us. God or Gods love him, but Don's entire approach to this did not work. I will not point fingers at anyone in particular, as there have been many, but those who steal, vandalize, assault, or murder people will now be held accountable for those actions. We have decided that the best way to make sure that the first two cease to happen immediately is to put into place a 'Strike Rule,' similar to what was used in Florida and California. As we do not have the problem of racial bias, or bias at all, really, this should not make anyone anxious. Any action that is brought to us, and please, do not come to Don or me and tell us that your neighbor's dog is urinating on your lawn, because that will not gain the dog's owner or the dog a strike...”

  There was a spurt of rather strong laughter, and then people were silent, listening to what she would say next.

  “Stealing, vandalizing, or trespassing with the intent to steal or vandalize... That will gain a strike.”

  “What about assault and murder?”

  “Depending on the severity of the former, the accused will be put in the jail that is here, or they will be exiled. By assault, I am referring to two people getting into a fight, or someone has a tantrum while drinking and punches another. I am not referring to rape, which will be treated as seriously as murder. Once, and you are out. Neither Don nor I can make that more clear. There will be no jury. Don, Adam, and I will agree, and you will be packing your things and leaving.”

  “So you will just take the word of the victim? What if they're lying?” Someone shouted, and I thought to myself that I did not envy my sister's job at all.

  “Of course we will hear both sides of the story. In fact, that leads me to another point. Don and I would like to extend an invitation to any interested parties: We are looking for honest, trustworthy people to act as judges for cases exactly like what we are describing right now. Though I said there will be no jury, there will be judges. These judges will not only determine guilt or innocence but also, decide punishment for the former. Though the judges will have final say, any appeals by the 'guilty' party will go to Don, Adam, or me.”

  “Like the Supreme Court?”

  “Essentially.” Brynna and Don replied simultaneously.

  “However, we want to be up front about the process of applying: Your hearts will be read by Don and your mind will be read by me. We alone will make our decisions, confer
with Adam, and then we will decide. If you are interested, please see one or both of us at the end of this meeting.”

  “What about killing in self-defense?!” A woman yelled from the way back of the group.

  “We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Death will not be a punishment for anything, even murder. There is no ‘eye for an eye’ thing here.” Don said into the megaphone. “We all lived out there. We know that aside from the Old Spirits, there are a lot of creatures that mean us harm. You all know that from our long journey to the house. If you are exiled, you will be facing those things alone. You will be fighting to survive on your own. Keep that in mind.”

  “What about work?! Do we still have to do it?!” A boy around my age shouted.

  “Yes.” Brynna and Don replied simultaneously.

  “There is always work to be done, as we all know. There are many links in the chain, if you will, and everyone has something he or she can contribute. This is not like Earth. There are no benefits programs, nor is there anyone who will swoop in and save us if the food runs out, or our clothes get ripped, or our houses start to deteriorate. As you all know, we are completely on our own, and the only reason why we are still alive is because we have all put forth an effort to keep things running smoothly. Jobs will more than likely be determined by what Janna and her people need from us. I certainly hope that we have all been polite to them and thanked them for letting us stay here.”

  Everyone in the crowd actually said “thank you,” and Brynna and Don actually laughed.

  “I did not mean right now.” She told them, and everyone laughed again. I was covering my mouth to hide how hysterically I was laughing; this meeting was part town-hall gathering and part elementary school assembly.

  “Alright, if no one has any questions, I will turn this over to Don. Thank you so much.”

  She handed Don the megaphone and walked off of the platform she had been standing on. She and James sat down on the chairs beside me, and I noticed that she did not grasp his hand, nor did he put his arm around her back. When I looked up at her with my brows furrowed and indicated James with a tilt of my head, she shook hers and stared straight ahead.

  “And actually, I would like to turn the stage over to Janna, who would like to formally introduce herself.”

  A beautiful dark-haired woman gracefully sauntered onto the stage. Her lips were stained red perfectly with berry-colored lipstick, and her large green eyes were accentuated by dark ash around them. In the glow of the sunset, her eyes sparkled against her skin that was whiter than snow. When she smiled, her hand came up to tuck a stray strand of her long, black hair behind her ear and her cheeks flushed to a perfect shade of pink in a show of adorably chagrined modesty.

  “Thank you, Mr. Don.”

  Her accent was just like Adam's, almost British but with a twang of something extra. There was something undeniably regal about them both, and yet I knew beneath the surface of her beauty lurked a woman who could kill with swift, merciless ease. She would not have been the leader of her people if she were unable to protect them.

  Her lips pressed to Don's cheek after he had handed her the microphone, and now, James and Brynna did exchange a knowing glance before diverting their gazes in a furious hurry. Don's entire face was beet red, and he couldn't fight the grin that formed immediately.

  “Hello, I am Janna, reinetrois of Purissimus, reinepremier of Shadow Forest. I am pleased to have all of you here with us. Our greatest privilege has always been housing guests; that is why our village is so large. Please, anything that is needed, do not feel any shame in asking any one of us. Now, Don has just said that your jobs will be determined by what we need. However, I would like to say that I am...” Her perfect face contorted into a perfectly charming grimace of confusion, “What is that expression? It is an Earthean one. Something about suggestions...”

  “Open to suggestions.” Don told her.

  “Yes!” She beamed her brilliant smile. “Open to suggestions. Please, if there is something that you would enjoy doing that is not what I ask, tell me. I, like Don and like Adam, believe that everyone has a purpose. I also believe that if we are going to be here for thousands upon thousands of years, we should be living in harmony with one another and with nature. I will see each and every one of you personally. And please just let me say again, welcome, and I am excited about what we will be able to accomplish together. Thank you.”

  The round of applause that followed her exit from the stage was so deafening that Penny covered her ears and frowned up at Brynna.

  “Why are they clapping so loud?!”

  “Because barking would be rude, sweetheart.”

  Elijah, Quinn, and Nick actually whistled repeatedly until Brynna looked away from Penny, leaned across me, and said loudly and furiously:

  “Yes, let us wolf-whistle at the female leader of an entire group of people. Perhaps we should cat-call after her as well, and ask if she will catch our single dollar bills if we 'make them rain,' as they say!”

  I couldn't help it. None of us could. We laughed from then until the meeting was adjourned.