Chapter 14 (Hide Secrets with Lies)
Chapter 14: Hide Secrets With Lies
Rudolph Alinsky
Estimated, May 2024
About two years after outbreak
California, The Circus
Season 3
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I was walking through the town with Juna and Airianna when I saw Ethan leave The Big Top. He looked angry, and he was talking to himself. I wondered what had happened to make him so upset. Juna and Airianna seemed concerned too.
"Airi, take Juna and go see Dallen."
"No," she refused, "you can't keep pushing me away when something important happens. I'm not a child anymore." I tried not to let a smile creep onto my face. I wanted to be able to take her seriously, but she was still very young.
"The girl turns eleven, and suddenly she's a woman. Fine, Airianna, but try not to say anything that you might regret. Keep Juna close." She nodded, and we went to find where Ethan had gone. It turns out he didn't go too far from The Big Top; he sat on a bench outside the food distribution site. I sat down next to him; he didn't turn to face me. I'm not even sure if he realized I was there.
"What happened in there?" I asked as I pulled Juna onto my lap. Ethan sighed heavily, his gaze fixed on the ground. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke, his voice filled with a mix of frustration and sadness.
"It's really nothing. Just a damn grown man who insists on playing make-believe."
"It's not nothing. Look, I know he upsets you, but there's got to be a reason for it." I could tell something was on Ethan's mind. He either knew something or had something he wanted to tell me, but he didn't. I don't know why, but he didn't.
"I said it's nothing, Rudolph. Just leave it be. We all have shit to do, don't we? So let's just stick to doing what matters." He got up and left. I didn't chase after him, but as he walked off, I couldn't help but say more with his back turned to me.
"Why did we separate when we got to a place that's supposed to bring us together? Ethan, you wanted a home for us, but now we hardly see each other anymore, and now we don't even tell each other anything. Is that what you wanted—for us to become strangers?" The words hung in the air, heavy with unresolved tension. I wondered if he would turn around, if he would acknowledge my words and the pain behind them. But he kept walking, leaving me with unanswered questions and a growing sense of emptiness.
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Ethan Warren
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I was an idiot, a coward, and a selfish asshole for not telling Rudi what I knew about Thomas. He was right in saying that this place was changing us. I think I just didn't want to tell him because trust is something that can fade away, and I wasn't sure if he had lost mine or not.
I don't know why I kept what I knew a secret for so long. I wanted to believe that it wasn't true, I guess. I wanted to make what we had here work, even if I knew what Rudi said was starting to be true. We were becoming distant. I didn't know where Dallen, Khai, Steve, Tai, and Leah even were. Aiden was in prison because of me, and I couldn't even get him out. I was so focused on trying to make sure that we really could be safe here that I was forgetting what was really important.
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Leah Souixer
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"Dallen, open the gate."
"Where are you going?"
"Is that any of your business?"
"Yeah, it is. After what you did to me, I think I deserve more than you just telling me where you're going." He looked at me with anger that I'd never seen in him before, and it made me feel terrible. He didn't deserve the shit I put him through. He deserved much more than some girl playing his heart.
"Dallen, I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have left and avoided you."
"It doesn't matter, but I still need to know where you're going. The Ringmaster told me to write down the destination of anyone who leaves in case they aren't back for a while."
"The Ringmaster?" You're calling him "The Ringmaster" now?" I laughed in disappointment. Dallen's serious expression didn't waver.
"Is that not what he is?"
"No, it's not. Not at all. He's just a crazy old man with childhood trauma, but if you really need to know where I'm going, why don't you come with me?" I suggested.
"Is this your way of apologizing?" He gave me a sad smile.
"You could say that, I guess."
"Well, I appreciate the offer, but I can't leave my post. Maybe another time." He went to sit back down on his chair by the gate. I smiled to myself and pulled up a chair next to him.
"I guess I'll just join you here then."
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Rudolph Alinsky
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Steve and I took a walk when the sun began to set. Airianna stayed at the house watching the neighbor's kids with Piper, and Juna had already gone to sleep.
"I'm worried about Aiden. What do you think they're doing to him?"
"They're probably just trying to figure out why he did it. Wasn't Marcus your friend? Shouldn't you be more mad than worried?"
"He wasn't necessarily my friend, just someone I knew. Aiden means more to me than Marcus ever did. I don't know what I'd do if they end up killing him." I tried to hold myself back from crying, but it was obvious I wanted to. My voice cracked as I continued, "Aiden has always been there for me. I can't bear the thought of losing him." The fear and desperation in my voice hung heavy in the air, leaving an uncomfortable silence between us.
"They won't kill him; that would go against everything they imprisoned him for in the first place. They just need some time; we all do. He'll be okay, Rudi."
"I hope you're right. I just wish I could see him; they won't even let me go visit him. I should talk to Thomas myself. Ethan's doing a shitjob, but I don't even know where to begin."
"Thomas seems like a reasonable man; I'm sure he'd understand if you just talked to him. Everything will work out; this place will be the start of something great. I'm sure of it. Maybe Aiden's case is all we need to begin that.