Storm Girls (The Juniper Wars Book 4) by Aaron Ritchey (best books to read for students TXT) 📕

leapt out, pressed a big, slobbery face up against the glass and then let out a howl.

“’Teeca!”

I didn’t want her to pull the doors off, so I opened it, and she plucked me out and held me to her cheek. I petted her matted hair.

And I smiled.

Like usual, Pilate had been right. I had been in my funeral shroud, I had been laid in my tomb, alone, and there was the weeping and gnashing of the teeth.

My savior wasn’t Pilate, and it wasn’t Jesus, but it was a messiah.

She was nearly three meters tall, she smelled like hell, and despite our sins, hers and mine, she loved me as much as I loved her.

Her holding me woke me up from my grave. It surprised me, but I found Cavatica Weller inside me, under the numb rage and cold sorrow. I’d been hurt, traumatized, watched horrible, terrible, miserable things happen, but I was still me. I was still there. My heart might be a stick, but the ice was melting and watering me a little greener.

This bad world is full of surprises and smelly, crazy love.

Chapter Twenty

I’m just a poor wayfaring stranger,

Traveling through this world of thorns

Ain’t no sickness, work, or crazy

In that far land to which I go

I’m going there, to see my sister

She said she’d meet me when I come

I’m only going there to see her

’Cause I love her, love her so.

—Renee Crowell

(i)

ALICE STARTED KISSING and hugging everyone, and June Mai stood back and watched, bemused.

“Alice!” I finally had to yell to get her attention. “Alice, didn’t you go coco?”

Alice nodded. “Yeah, I went all coco, but I think of you, ’Teeca. And I slept and ate, and that helped me okay. I talked with friends, and that helped me okay. And I okay for now. And my friends and me came to help. And we met the robots. And we saved you. Beat those other soldier girls back. Lot of Gammas died, but we don’t live long no-how. I miss my friends, but I got my ’Teeca!” Then there was more yelling and more happy.

Like a friendly Labrador retriever, Alice couldn’t help herself. She was happy, howling at the moon, which appeared from out of the clouds diced up by the wind, and swept away to give us a sky, moon, and stars.

Pilate held Wren again, and I was glad for it. If anyone could help Wren, it was Pilate. They spoke some kind of strange broken-souled language, which I was learning. God help me, but I was learning it.

June Mai finally stepped around Alice’s antics and walked up to Sharlotte, who was quiet and wise and kind now.

“Hello, Sharlotte, I’m June Mai Angel. I’m sorry about your mother and your ranch.”

Sharlotte took her hand, gently, and shook it. “And my town,” Shar said. “You should prolly apologize for that.”

June Mai nodded. “And I’m sorry about your town. It’s been taken. One of my lieutenants told me the United States military now occupies Burlington. It is under martial law, and my forces have fallen back to Denver to re-group. Hopefully, once we get the cure to the Sterility Epidemic to the media, I’ll get my time to speak, and we can end this war quickly.”

By Christmas, I thought. That’s what all soldiers think. The war will end, and I’ll be home in time for Christmas.

Sharlotte didn’t know what to say to all that. No one did for a minute.

Then Micaiah spoke softly. “What of the Gammas in Denver? They will not let your army bivouac there unmolested.”

June Mai frowned. “Denver is a big place. And the enemy of our enemy is our friend. The U.S. forces will have ARK backing, and neither side want the Gammas exposed. It would raise far too many questions.”

“But once we get the chalkdrive out of the Juniper, we can go home,” Sharlotte said, quietly. “What’s left of it.”

“Doubtful,” June Mai said. “I’ve been told that the U.S. is forcibly evacuating civilians from the Colorado territory. Others are fleeing of their own accord. Regardless, there will be refugee camps on the borders. And I doubt Hays, Kansas is ready to double in population.”

My mind couldn’t quite grasp it. The U.S. government was forcing people out of the Juniper? That was quite a policy change. But then, the ARK was calling the shots, and I’d seen they were willing to do anything to keep their secrets safe.

Wren walked over, wearing her serape with a wool blanket over it as well. “So, I guess we have more war ahead of us. I’ll be goddamned if I’m giving up on our ranch. That land is all we have left.”

We. Wren had used the word we. And she talked about saving our ranch. It was a change, but then Wren would change even more in the coming days.

My sister nodded as if talking to herself. “But before that, we still have to get the chalkdrive out of the Juniper.”

Wren approached June Mai. June Mai took a step back.

This was Wren Weller. June Mai was smart to be cautious.

My sister looked into her face. “I heard Cavvy socked you. Don’t see the bruises.”

“She did hit me.” June Mai said.

“Did it hurt?” Wren asked.

June Mai nodded.

“Good. Then that’ll be from all of us, I guess. Never liked that house anyway. When we re-build it, we’ll make it better.” Wren retreated back to Pilate’s arms.

Her cussing and being contrary felt good, felt nice, felt like things might go back to normal. Maybe. Prolly not. Wren was as big as Pilate now.

We all returned to our vehicles and started down the road. June Mai drove ahead, lighting the way with the sapropel lanterns on the Cargador. An hour later, the high-pressure sodium lamps along the border blinked like low-hanging stars on the horizon. We’d all been ready to run, to fight, if we saw Kestrel gunships or another armed convoy ready to come after us.

But we didn’t. It was just dark.

We rolled up to the guard tower, a single