Sudden Independents

Molly flinched at the word “fix.” She experienced one of those “miracle fixes” that Catherine performed in her short time with them. Fixing Hunter’s broken arm and stopping Vanessa from bleeding to death were medical fixes, physical healings. But Molly’s so-called healing still left a bad taste in her mouth. She knew now that she’d been screwed up. At least she thought she did. Her memories were fuzzy around the edges, like a dream that quickly fades when your head leaves the pillow. She remembered being angry all the time. And normal people usually don’t burn down houses. But since Catherine did whatever she did, Molly just wanted what was best for everyone else. Was that her cure? She didn’t know. All she knew was she was happy now, people included her in things and she counted a lot of them as her friends. The best part was Hunter being there for her after everything she had put him through.

Besides all that, she’d patched up things with Ginger. Ginger was easy and that wasn’t an insult. She was truly easy because she was so open and friendly and accepting of others. Molly was lucky. She almost made a real mess of things before the “fix.”

She thought about this stuff a lot now, especially therapy and how she might be able to help others. She had found her true calling without realizing she needed one.

“Are you okay?” Ginger asked.

Molly looked at Ginger huddled in her sweater and smiled. “I’m good. You?”

“I don’t know. I can’t quit thinking about that boy last night. Maybe you were right when you said I wasn’t tough enough for the real world.”

Molly struggled to remember saying something like that to Ginger and then waved a hand at her. “I must have said that when I was evil Molly. I didn’t really believe you weren’t tough enough. You’ve made it this far, haven’t you? That counts for something. You made it this far on your own.”

Ginger nodded. “I did go through a lot on my own. But now I have others to help me.”

“You got more than that.” Molly spread her arms wide and Ginger smiled as she stood and walked over for a hug.

Ginger laid her head on Molly’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

Molly sighed. “Thank you, for never giving up on me.”

They were startled by a sudden crash on the porch. Scout burst through the front door, his breathing hard and ragged. The cold followed him before he slammed the door shut by leaning back against it. His face washed with grief, he slid to the floor, his muddy boots splaying out in front of him.

“They got her!” he cried, pounding the floor. “They got Raven and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it!”

Molly knelt beside him, gripping his arm. “Who got her? What happened?”

Rapidly, Scout relayed the details about Raven’s capture. “I followed them,” he added, “and I know where Chase is. I know where they all are and they have Raven. She looked so scared, but I couldn’t get to her-not alone.”

“Did you see Catherine?” Ginger asked.

“No. But if they have her, she’s there.”

Hunter wandered into the room half-asleep, rubbing the stubble on his head with one hand and carrying his boots in the other. He blinked as he spotted Scout on the floor. “What’s with all the noise?”

Before Molly could respond, Scout pushed himself up. “They got her, man. We got to rescue her now. I need your help.”

“Slow down,” Hunter said. “What happened?”

As Scout retold his story, Molly looked at Ginger. “Go get Jimmy.”

Jimmy was out in under a minute, pulling his sweater down and throwing his hat on. Ginger followed him with water and flatbread for Scout. Scout ate and talked at the same time, eyes wide, describing everything with big gestures.

“They took her to this mansion on a hill by a golf course. I peeked in the windows and saw Chase and Patrick with two other kids just as Kessie led Raven into the room. Chase sent the two kids outside and I had to move because they started looking all over the place. They never saw me.”

“Are you sure?” Jimmy asked.

“I swear they didn’t.” Scout looked from face to face and Molly felt a pang of sorrow when his pleading eyes found hers. She gave him an encouraging nod, and he looked back to Jimmy. “We have to help her.”

Jimmy frowned. “Why did she have to talk to Kessie?”

“Kessie was her best friend. I don’t think she believed Kessie would ever betray her. But Kessie told Raven something bad about Chase that I didn’t hear. She said Chase told everyone if Raven returned she couldn’t be trusted. That’s when they jumped her.”

No one else spoke. The air hummed with tension as they all considered what should happen next. Molly wished she could think of something clever to say, just to relieve some of the stress, but figured the timing would be inappropriate.

“I was about to save her, but Raven looked me off and I hid instead, like a little coward.” Scout’s face turned into a mask of anguish. “I hid behind a bush as they dragged her away.” Scout covered his face with his hands as though he were close to ripping the flesh from his skull.