Page 9 of Burning Escape (Chasing Fire: Alaska #3)

FOUR

Tori and Orion walked back to the cabin. As soon as they were out of earshot, Tori whispered, “Are we prisoners?”

A muscle in Orion’s jaw ticked. He shut the door and faced her. “We’re at their mercy for the moment. We’ll need to wait a day or two until we heal, but we’ll get out of here one way or another. Even if we have to sneak out.”

“Maybe we can ask around to see if anyone knows where this homestead is.”

“Good idea.”

They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Hannah stood on their porch. “I know you’re hurt, but you, young lady, can still shell peas and help prepare the evening meal. If your husband can help you over to the dining hall, the other women will show you what to do.”

“Is there anything I can help with?” Orion wasn’t sure he wanted to leave Tori exposed and without backup.

“You’re no good to me with that shoulder and a head injury.”

“I can shell peas, at the very least.”

“We don’t believe in a married man, and a stranger no less, mixing with a group of women, many of whom are un married.” Hannah’s scowl did soften a bit. “But it says something that you offer.”

“He could haul water one-handed.” Mara came in through the open door, apparently having heard the last bit of conversation.

“I suppose he could do that.” Hannah sighed. “You here to check on them?”

“Yes, ma’am. I just came from the Hoffs’ place. I wanted to make sure the bleeding has stopped on that head wound and wrap Victoria’s ankle.”

“And the babe?” Hannah asked.

Mara’s brows pinched. “He’s not gaining weight. Joann is distraught.”

“We’ll continue to pray and trust the Lord. I’ll go sit with her a spell.” Hannah turned to the door. “After these two are checked over, take the woman to the dining hall and show the man to the older boys and have them haul water to boil.”

With a nod she was gone.

Mara had a much softer countenance. Hopefully she would be more receptive. Orion and Tori needed an ally here.

“So, what’s the matter with the baby?” Orion asked Mara as she removed the cloth bandage from around his head.

“The baby was born with a…gap, I guess you could call it, in his lip. I’ve never seen it before, and I’ve been at all the births here since I was twelve, but Hannah said she has, in her time before they came here and started our community.”

“A cleft lip?” Tori asked.

“Yes, that’s what Hannah called it. We’ve tried to help Joann feed him, but I don’t think he’s getting enough milk.” Mara studied Orion’s gash. “This is looking better. The bleeding stopped at least.”

Tori sat down on the chair Mara indicated. “Does the baby have a cleft palate too? A gap in the roof of his mouth?”

Mara nodded. She kneeled and removed Tori’s stocking. “We tried expressing milk and feeding it to him through a bottle, but he’s not growing.”

“They have specialty bottles for babies with facial differences. My friend’s daughter was born with a cleft lip and palate. There’s even a surgery that can close the cleft when the child gets older, around eighteen months.”

“Really?” Mara looked up from the ankle. “There’s a certain kind of bottle for it now? He’s only a few weeks old.”

“Yeah, they’re designed especially for them.

Basically, with that cleft in the roof of the mouth, the baby can’t create a vacuum for the suction to work like it would for nursing or typical bottles.

But the specialty bottles use a one-way valve, so the baby just needs to use the tongue to press against the nipple and drink.

There are specialists who she can see. They can help teach?—”

“We don’t leave the Refuge. I’m the only one with any kind of medical training, but I only know the basics.” Mara wrapped the ankle in an ACE bandage.

“If we can get to the Brinks’ homestead, we can get that special bottle ordered at least.” Orion moved to stand by Tori.

“I don’t know if we can wait that long, but I’ll talk to Hannah and Joann.”

“Do you know where that homestead is?” Tori asked her.

“To the east of us a few miles. I’ve never been, but my brother has.”

“Have you lived here your whole life?” Orion asked.

Mara gently released Tori’s wrapped foot onto the seat of another chair. “I think I was four when my parents joined the community.”

Tori gaped. “And you haven’t been away from here since? No trips or school or anything?”

“We school here. I’ve seen a computer and phones. When the Brinks come, sometimes they show us those bits of technology, but everything else I’ve learned from others or from books.”

“Do you like living here? You’re not being held against your will or anything, are you?” Tori asked her.

“Sometimes I dream of going to school to understand medicine more, but I know it’s not possible.

I don’t want to leave my family. And I do love this community.

We all rely on each other. If I were to leave, I would be taking away my knowledge of herbs and medicine.

The Refuge needs me.” Mara smiled at them, then packed the extra bandages in her small basket.

“But what if you could learn more to help them?” Tori was getting fired up now.

Mara sighed. “I don’t know. I’m sure it’s strange to you, but there’s something about depending on God and depending on the people around you that I love about living here. Do you have that where you are? Hannah and Amos talk about how godless modern society is.”

Orion and Tori looked at each other. Tori’s expression said, This one is all you .

“In general, they’re right. But we both work as wildland firefighters. We were separated from our team. We’d really like to get back to them as soon as we can. Will you help us?”

Mara’s gaze shifted to the door and back to them. “I’ll help you heal as quickly as I can. The rest is in the Lord’s hands.”

Tori rested a hand on Mara’s slim shoulder. “Will you tell that mother about the bottles? This baby has every chance at living a healthy, happy life if he can be seen by medical professionals. He doesn’t have to suffer from the long-term effects of his cleft palate and lip.”

“If it were up to me, I’d take baby Josiah there in a heartbeat, even if it meant leaving the Refuge for a time. But it’s not up to me.”

“You’ll tell her though?” Orion asked.

“Yes. But I’d better get you over to the dining hall for dinner prep before Hannah comes after us.” Mara helped Tori stand.

And Orion could hopefully scope out more around the commune as he helped haul water. The rest of the team had to be worried and wondering where they were by now.

* * *

No one would ever call Tori domestic.

She was better suited to rescuing people and battling wildfires.

Or training people at the gym and helping them reach their potential.

Yet here she was, stuck in a weird commune kitchen and surrounded by women who seemed to thrive on homemaking skills.

Skills Tori did not possess. But she refused to be a freeloader, so she was determined to learn.

Tori pried open the green pod and pushed out the peas with her thumb the way the young teen on her right, with freckles and long, dark hair, showed her. Gabby had made it look easy.

Actually, all the women, even the little girls sitting at the table across from them, were helping and much faster than Tori.

“You do this every day, for every meal? Cook for all the men while they get to traipse about?” Tori kept her voice low.

An older woman, Constance, supervised them all from the stove, where she stirred a huge pot, releasing the savory aroma of a fresh vegetable soup.

She didn’t seem the type to appreciate that kind of question.

Gabby just giggled. “They’re not traipsing about. They’re working too. They hunt and fish and provide a lot of our meat. They provide the wood to fuel our boilers, and the water we use. They’re pretty handy to have around. And men like yours sure are nice to look at.”

“Gabby!” Her friend on the other side of her, with curly brown hair and a sweet round face—maybe her name was Rebecca?—blushed bright red. “You shouldn’t talk like that about a married man. Or any man!” She whispered and looked around like she wanted to make sure no one else had heard.

Constance called from the stove, “Back to work, girls.”

Gabby didn’t seem bothered. She swiped another pod and giggled again. “Well, it’s true. Her husband is handsome.”

Rebecca rolled her eyes. “Remember what Hannah said? ‘Handsome is as handsome does.’ And if it weren’t for the whole community doing our part, we’d all suffer.

So yes, to answer your question, us girls and the women do most of the cooking every day for the community supper.

But we do the earlier meals in our own homes, and my dad and brothers help with those. ”

Rebecca continued to diligently work while Tori fumbled to shell the peas. Four more teens stood along the counter of the kitchen area and kneaded bread, which Gabby told her was for tomorrow. Today’s loaves were fresh from the oven and cooling off, releasing a yeasty fragrance.

It certainly smelled better than a squished protein bar or working out in the sweaty gym. So maybe there was something to say for all this domesticity. Still, despite the mouthwatering scents reminding her how hungry she was, she was ready to be back at base camp.

“So, how did you meet Orion?” Gabby didn’t break her shelling rhythm. Rebecca glanced up, a hint of curiosity in her gaze.

But oh, how innocent they both seemed. Had Tori ever been like that?

“Well, we met…” Could she use the word saloon ? Would they even know what that was? “We met at a restaurant. Someone backed into me, and Orion caught me before I could fall. And then later, he asked me to dance.”

Gabby sighed. “How romantic.”

The girl wasn’t wrong. Tori relived the moment more than she would ever admit. Dancing with Orion, she’d somehow felt free and protected at the same time, as if knowing he watched over her meant she could go farther, do more, and not worry. Too bad the real world didn’t work that way all the time.

Before Gabby could ask more questions, a group of guys entered the dining hall. Without being asked, younger boys took benches off the long tables and set them on the floor.

“Guess that’s our cue.” Gabby grinned and pulled Rebecca away. They carried stacks of plates to the tables and, with some of the little girls, began setting places. Gabby immediately started up a conversation with one of the teen boys as she worked.

“That’s good for now.” Constance took the bowl full of fresh green peas from Tori. “You can move to one of the tables and wait for the meal. Do you need help?”

Tori shook her head. She hobbled out of the kitchen area into the dining hall.

She found an out-of-the-way spot and sat while the rest of the dining hall quickly filled.

Everyone pitched in to set food out and ready the space.

The chatter and laughter filled the room. They looked so happy. So peaceful.

Tori, on the other hand, was so out of place. Her family dinners had usually been something her older sisters had thrown together and gobbled down as they dragged her from one sport or after-school activity to another while their father worked.

Jeremiah stared at her from another table. Tori shivered. What was it about that guy that set her on edge? He sat with three other men but didn’t talk much.

Finally, Orion walked in and found her. “You okay?” he asked. And she was grateful for a familiar face.

Her whole body relaxed. “I’m good.”

He sat next to her, and another young couple soon settled across the long table from them.

Amos stood at the head of the table, and the room hushed immediately.

Everyone bowed their head as he prayed. And as soon as he sat, the room buzzed again with conversation.

Tori tried to ignore Jeremiah and his creepy vibes.

The food was a great distraction. Orion passed her a dish of butter, and she slathered it onto the still-warm bread. Tori took a sip of soup just as the woman across the table, with a blue bandanna in her hair, smiled and asked, “Do you two have children?”

Tori almost spit out the soup. Instead, she swallowed it in one gulp, which only burned her tongue and set off a coughing fit.

Orion dropped his spoon. “Uh…no children for us…yet. Haven’t been married long.” He handed Tori a glass of water. “Are you all right, hon?”

She nodded and took a long draw from the glass, trying to stop her throat from seizing. Please, someone change the subject.

“Well, don’t worry. When your time comes and the good Lord blesses you with children, you’ll have your hands full in the best of ways.” The woman beamed at the man next to her.

He nodded. “We have a quiver full, that’s for sure. We outgrew our little cabin and had to build a new one last year.”

“How many kids do you have?” Orion asked.

“Six. And one more on the way.” The woman rubbed her swollen belly. “Those cabins you’re staying in are called honeymoon cabins for a reason. They’re for the newly married and young married couples. You’re in the right place.”

“They’re cozy for more than one reason. You’ll conserve heat and learn how to work together, for sure.” The man slurped his soup.

His wife nodded. “That small bedroom is nice for cuddling on the cold summer nights since we don’t heat the cabins this time of year.”

Orion stilled. “They’re not heated?”

“Not when we can help it. We want to conserve the wood for the winter when we really need it.” The woman took a dainty sip and continued. “There should be plenty of blankets and quilts, but”—she leaned forward and kept her voice low—“we find body warmth is best.”

Her husband chuckled.

That was it. Tori might need to find a place outside to sleep tonight. She shoved a big piece of bread into her mouth.

Tori tried to finish her food quickly. Hannah excused her from helping with the cleanup and suggested Tori and Orion turn in early. Tori would’ve taken off in a dash if she could’ve, but it was rather slow going, leaning on Orion’s good arm to get to their cabin.

“We need to get out of here.” If she sounded like she was grumbling, so be it.

“Easier said than done. You can hardly walk, let alone hike miles and miles.”

Tori huffed. “We don’t belong here. I don’t belong here. If these people knew me at all?—”

“Hey.” Orion stopped, faced her, and rubbed his warm hands down her chilled arms. “We’ll get out of here. And I promise, I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I bet after a good night’s sleep resting that ankle and my shoulder, we’ll be strong enough to leave soon.”

“We better.” Tori looked off into the distance. Strange animal sounds from the dark forest beyond the river only added to the uneasiness setting her on edge.

“We just have to pretend a little longer. Come on, honey .”

Maybe it was the teasing challenge in his voice or the crooked grin, but either way, something settled deep in her bones.

If she had to be stuck anywhere, being stuck with Orion at least made it better.