Revolting

Chapter Ten - Charity Hannah

I moved around the edge of the lawn, and watched the pack house warily. I had just watched the patrol pass and move out down the drive toward the west. My scent was masked, but still I had to be very, very careful. I didn't have a watch to tell the time, but judging by the moon's position in the sky, I guessed it was about 3:00AM. I strained my ears to listen for any sound, but all I heard was the incessant chirping of crickets. I began tiptoeing across the lawn to the gardens. I had an old pillowcase rolled up in my pocket. I wasn't going to take much, just enough to feed us for a couple days, and maybe some strawberries.

I really like strawberries, but getting to them was tedious. They were covered with nets to keep the birds away from the sweet berries. It was complicated to pull back the nets, take my fill, and then replace the nets without leaving any trace of myself.

I eyed their blueberry bushes, but the berries were still green and hard. I was about to make my way over to the zucchini bushes when I noticed a basket set on a small table near the edge of the garden. That was strange. It hadn't been there any of the other times I raided the garden. I approached it cautiously, fearing it was some kind of trap. When I got to it, I saw there was a note taped to the top. It was written in fat magic-marker and it said, "Please don't steal." with a flower doodled next to it. I frowned at the note, as I was pretty sure it was meant for me. I felt my heart shudder in my chest, and looked around me anxiously. Was I being watched? Obviously, they knew I'd been coming, they knew I was stealing. But then, curiosity got the best of me, and I peeled the cover off the basket.

Nestled inside was an assortment of groceries, including some vegetables and fruits from the garden. There was even a loaf of bread, and a jar of peanut butter with jelly. I felt my eyes sting. It had been years since I'd had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I glanced back up at the big old house, but it was still quiet and dark. Why would they do this? Why would they leave a basket of food for a thief? Was it a trap? Was the food poisoned?

I debated with myself for a moment, and the kind-eyed beta came to mind. Was it possible that they were just... nice? "Never trust a pack," I whispered, repeating Heath's mantra. But we were starving, and here was a basket of provisions. And someone had doodled a flower on their note. I don't know why, but that silly little flower put me at ease. I decided to take my chances... I grabbed up the basket and ran.

I never ran straight back to our camp. Instead of a twenty-minute journey, it took me more than an hour, as I took a zig-zagging roundabout route to make sure no one was following me back. Our camp was cold and dark. I didn't dare leave a fire burning through the night, as the smoke and the glowing embers might attract unwanted visitors, like hunters or other rogues. I had my brother half-hidden under some cedar branches. After scouting the area to make sure I hadn't been followed, I crawled into the little lean-to to check on him.

He was still feverish, and moving restlessly under the quilt. I touched my hand to his forehead and cringed at the unnatural heat that was radiating off from him. "Hannah..." he mumbled, half asleep and half delirious.

"Yes, Heath. I'm here. What do you need?" "Thirsty... so thirsty."

I found our canteen and brought it to his cracked lips. He took a few swallows before he laid his head back down. I wanted to tell him about the basket full of food, but I was afraid he would reject it, for all the reasons I had already considered. Maybe it was some kind of trap. Maybe it was poisoned. Never trust a pack.

But I had another mantra. Never turn down a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And if the food was poisoned, I would test it on my self first, before I gave it to my weak and sickly brother. In the dim moonlight I pulled out slices of bread. I used my one spoon with the bent handle to spread a layer of peanut butter on one slice, and then a thick layer of jelly on the other. I patted the two slices together and then brought them up to my nose, just to smell it.

When all you have eaten is game meat and vegetables for years.... peanut butter and jelly smells like heaven. I sank my teeth into it and forced myself to chew slowly. Nothing had ever tasted so good in my life. If it was poisoned... well, they could poison me. It was that good.

I nibbled it slowly, trying to savor every bite, all of the sweet-salty flavor, even the softness of the bread as it stuck to the roof of my mouth. Too soon it was gone. I took a swig of water and waited. I waited to see if my gut was going to clench with pain as poison leached into my system. I waited for my head to swim and consciousness to leave me. But as dawn began to light up the eastern sky... nothing happened.

I stared at the basket suspiciously. Could it really just be... a basket of food... given in the spirit of charity? Could it be that someone knew that a hungry person was stealing from their garden... and decided to feed them? I shook my head, because I didn't really believe in that kind of generosity. Not to me, not to my brother, not to rogues. As the light grew brighter, I poked around in the basket to see what else was there. I felt a hot tear run down my face as I lifted up a canister of salt. Maybe there really was a goddess. There were other treasures in the basket. There were a dozen eggs, a box of instant oatmeal, sugar, even a pound of butter. With excited hands I set about making a fire so that I could make Heath breakfast. A real breakfast, with plenty of calories, fat and protein to give him strength.

I made up my mind that tomorrow night, I would sneak back to the garden... and leave a thank-you.novelbin