On our way back to where we missed the turn, I decide to talk to Athena. I feel sorry for her. She wants this, needs this, more than anybody else here and nobody's taking her seriously.
"Hey."
"Hey," she replies. I can't quite read her expression. Her eyes opened wide when I approached her, but she didn't smile. I definitely wouldn't say it was the look of someone happy to see me.
"I'm really sorry we missed that turn." I pick at a hangnail on my left thumb.
She takes a deep breath and turns to face me. "It's fine, just..." she shakes her head and turns away to continue walking.
"Just what?" I find myself leaning in to see her eyes that are covered with hair.
"You're smart, aren't you?"
"I guess, but-" she doesn't let me finish and stops in her tracks to face me again.
"Then why didn't you know? Why couldn't you have figured this out hours ago?" she scoffs. "I'm sorry if I'm sounding, like, snobbish or whatever, but my life depends on this, Hugo. Between the cop, and the traveling back, and the," she stomps her foot. "Talking in the middle of the trip, what if we can't make it?"
I prepare myself to tell her off, but underneath the crossed arms and harsh tone, there are tears in her eyes. You could only see the glimmer when looking straight at her. Now that I notice, her eyes are a weirdly pretty shade of hazel. But the glimmer isn’t happy, or hopeful, or encouraging. It’s desperate, with a powerful enough stare to make you want to cry.
I begin walking for her to follow. "You know, uh," I struggle to think of a subject. "Wait, do you hear that?"
"Hear what? Wait, yeah, I think I do."
Jedrek chimes in. "Do you guys hear a baby crying or is that just my lack of sleep?" he says for everyone to listen.
"Yeah, I hear it too," replies Brianna.
"I think we should split up. Look for the baby," Emma suggests.
"What if the cops put up a sound system so they'll trap us? You have to think these things through," Jedrek snaps at Emma.
"Do you really think they would've done that? Judging by last night, they aren't that clever," Emma snarks.
"And if they are?” Jedrek questions.
Emma freezes.
"What if it is a baby? Hugo..." she looks at me.
"Yes?"
She lowers her voice and tugs on my shirt. "What if you hadn't picked me up? Then what?"
"I... uh… I don't know what to say.” I do know what to say. That she’s completely right and obviously a much better person than the rest of us, and we should all look for that kid immediately. But I can’t say that. I lower my chin to look her in the eye, then look away before speaking. I'm not strong enough. "I agree with Jedrek. This is a different situation. Remember that thing in the tree hall?"
Brianna interrupts. "I thought it was more of, like, an alley."
"I know, right? Me too! Like a tree-" Athena contributes.
"Both of you, hush," Donna commands.
Emma looks back to me. "What thing?"
"When the cop was so close... what if the baby had started crying?"
She takes a deep breath and pauses for a long moment. "If we're helping Athena, we should help the baby as well."
"Emma? Are you crazy? That's suicide!" Jedrek lightly smacks Emma in the back of her head and Brianna smacks Jedrek hard in return.
Emma turns to face Jedrek, and although being over nine inches shorter than him, manages to stare him down. "The other option's murder."
His face tightens as he looks to Athena and back to Emma. He licks his lips and looks her straight in the eyes, crouching down. "Fine."
He begins walking off track and signaling with two fingers for us to follow. "But we won't split up."
"Hello?" Athena calls out to the baby.
"Sure, like it's gonna answer," Brianna responds from behind her.
Athena shoots her a look capable of turning someone into stone. That look is quickly wiped off by Brianna's witty grin.
"Guys, I think it's this way," Donna points out.
"Oh, look!" Emma runs up to fetch the baby hidden in the bushes. "What do you think their name is?"
"Well, it's a toddler, not so much a baby. Try to get them to speak," annoys Jedrek.
Emma, Athena, and I set the baby, or toddler, on the floor, making loud noises and obnoxious movements. Get it to say something relevant. Anything.
“Their parents might come for them. We should leave them where we found them. We can’t get charged with kidnapping as well,” I reason.
“No parent leaves their kid in a bush and plans to search for them later,” Bree argues.
A rebuttal is useless. There aren’t people living here for miles. I look over to Emma, who’s holding them.
"Is it a girl?" I ask.
Emma lifts them up and checks. "No, it's a boy."
She sets him back down and she and Athena proceed with the noises. They look tired and are about to give up until the toddler grabs Athena's finger and says, "Mama."
Anyone would have responded more calmly than Athena. She jumps back and forcefully shakes her finger from the toddler's hand.
"Well, mommy, wanna name him?" Jedrek says while nudging Athena.
"I'm not her mom! I don't have a kid! Why does he think I'm her mom?" she squeals and shudders.
"Calm down, he's just associating the oldest girl who played with him as his mom. He's little. It's all he can comprehend," I explain to Athena.
"Still... it's just so..."
"Come on, just name the kid, Athena," bugs Jedrek again.
"Fine." She pauses. "Apollo."
Apollo. Greek God of healing, archery, music, and poetry, among other things. I love the name. "Why Apollo?" I ask.
"Well... my mom always said she’d name me that if I was a boy."
"So you don't know anything about Apollo? He's the Greek God of healing, poetry."
"Really?" She looks down at the baby. "Wow. No, I didn’t. I love poetry," she breathes. Which is surprising, I write poems but no one's ever read them. Maybe I could show them to her.
"Well, it's a bad name," Jedrek complains.
"Do you wanna pick the name then?" I argue. Before Jedrek can answer, the toddler points to himself and whispers,
"Apowwo."
"That's it." Athena snaps. " Jedrek, you pick a name." Apollo points to himself again and says a bit louder.
"Apowwo."
"Ugh!" Athena's voice sounds breathy and shrill. "Why me? Why couldn't he decide for Donna to be the mom?"
"Well, he picked you, Athena," I point out.
"Emma would be a lot better at this, she's the one holding the baby!"
"Then why don't you give it a try?" Jedrek's face looks smug and pleased. "He's fussing with Emma." We all look at the baby, occasionally cooing and waving his arms in Emma's.
"Fine." Athena, on the other hand, looks bitter and one “mommy” comment away from slapping Jedrek. Emma hands her the fussing baby.
Apollo sighs and softly says, "Mama." Before comforting himself in Athena's arms and chests.
"Ew. Ew. I'm done. Hugo, take this." She hands the baby to me, holding him by his armpits.
I awkwardly hold him by his arms, leaving his stomach and legs hanging. When he moves his legs, I squirm and almost drop him. "Jedrek, you do it."
"Here." He gestures for me to give him to him, and I practically throw him. He cradles him in his arm and he calms. "Man, didn't you take Emma in? You're supposed to be good at this stuff."
"Yeah, but-"
Apollo begins to fall asleep and clutches Jedrek's arm. "Dada."
Athena smirks. "Dada, huh? Who's laughing now?"
"Still me. I didn't get weirded out by the baby." He continues to rock Apollo back and forth. Athena rolls her eyes.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
