Marigold by Heather Manheim (best books for 8th graders .TXT) 📕

of the woods to keep a watch out while she tried to get us food, and I saw a Security Patrol Sargent.” Ana started to rub tears from her eyes and looked down, the first time she hadn’t made eye contact as far as Quinn could remember. “I turned her in. I notified the Patrol Sargent because I thought they might help us. Instead, she got dragged into the town center and shot. I got my mom killed. And my father too. Because they took me to the Everett Center, and he was left alone in the woods.”

The look of shock on Quinn’s face told Davis that she had not known this story, or at least not all of it. But, as was Quinn’s comforting way, she put her arm around Ana’s shoulder and leaned her head against it. “It’s okay; I’m sorry you had to deal with that. You were so young,” she quietly said to Ana. Cricket and Davis nodded in agreement, both now crying. They all realized that sometimes there were just no words to offer comfort or fix a situation.

A mutual understanding seemed to be found by all the ladies, and slowly, silently, they sipped at the wine for a few minutes until the glasses started to empty. There was not much else to say this evening, so the party began to break up, and Quinn and Ana offered to clean up.

Davis started to feel tired but continued to sit there for a few minutes until—and she couldn’t be sure—when she was so sleepy and couldn’t tell if her eyes were open or closed anymore, she thought she saw Ana slip her hand off Quinn’s arm and onto her leg under the table.

September 16, 2056 –

Quinn’s Evening

Quinn felt like she needed a drink of wine. She didn’t drink much, and there were limited bottles in the bunker anyhow. They were for special occasions like birthdays, holidays, “freedom birthdays,” what they called their anniversary of being in the bunker. But, every once in a while, you just need a drink, she thought. And nobody cared if you grabbed a few bottles for those occasions. She also thought it might help her bond with Davis a little if she brought her a glass. Even though she was leaving, she knew it had been a tumultuous time for Davis, and Quinn felt terrible for all she had gone through. Quinn thought it would be nice to put her at ease for her big day tomorrow, and of course, Ringo would let Davis know where the “doorbell” was, should she ever change her mind. A serendipitous event occurred when Davis entered the kitchen right as Quinn thought about bringing the wine to Davis’s room. After acknowledging her, Quinn asked, “Have you ever had wine? I think you need a drink.”

Quinn looked back at Davis’s stunned expression and knew what she thought, that alcohol was outlawed. Quinn quickly explained that it was forbidden for most people. But, if related to President Everett or in the higher ranks of the government, you could pretty much get anything you wanted for exchange of goods, money, favors. Money in the United State was a weird thing. It had lost much of its value now that they were strictly socialist and the government provided all necessities. But some people liked it for the novelty of it, and in fact, Quinn had heard that in some places, the value was far higher than the number printed on it. “I’ll pour you some Riesling to try. It is very appealing. Almost everyone likes it.” Quinn said to Davis. She tried to say it with a smile, in a very casual way.

Quinn handed Davis a wine glass and watched her take her first sip ever of wine. Davis flinched back a little at first, squinted a bit, and looked like she was surprised and a little unnerved. In particular, this was a sweet Riesling that Quinn had poured. Long legs were streaming down the inside of the glass. Quinn watched her take another sip, then another, knowing they were going to be in for an unforgettable night, albeit a fun one. Before Quinn knew it, they were chit-chatting and giggling. She started to feel comfortable around Davis, who was older than her but reminded Quinn of her mother or what Quinn could remember of her mom. Then, without warning, Davis said, “You know, um, you know…you are very nice, you know. What a nice young girl, you girl.”

Quinn suddenly felt warm all over and surprised as well, as she could tell Davis was embarrassed by what she has said. Quinn didn’t want her to feel that way. Before Davis could say the apology that Quinn saw coming, she cut in, offering to get some food and water since Davis wasn’t used to drinking and would need something besides wine in her stomach. Quinn acquired the giggles, which she hoped wasn’t embarrassing to Davis, but it was a little bit funny to see Davis getting so tipsy so quickly.

Quinn went into the kitchen to gather a few snacks; she made up a quick vegetable plate, got a bowl of nuts, and a bowl of potato chips. She also got a large pitcher of water and some water glasses. Piling the whole smorgasbord on a large tray with some napkins, Quinn was just about to go back into the dining room when Cricket came in and asked her what was going on. It was so funny to Quinn that Cricket just asked like it was a regular thing to pop over to another bunker late at night and see what other people were doing. But Quinn thought Cricket seemed harmless enough, so she asked her if she wanted to join in the wine fun. The more, the merrier, she thought.

After Quinn and Cricket came back into the dining room, Quinn set the tray down in the middle of the table, and Davis quickly got some water and snacks.