Mike Mullin - Ashen Winter

“Welcome to Camp Maquoketa,” the kid said. The name of the camp rocketed through my mind. My parents might be here. How would I find them amid this multitude? “You need to go to The Principal’s office, girlie.”

“The principal?”

The kid gave me an annoyed look. “Not you, her. She’s so hot I can warm my hands off her.” He held out his gloved hands and rubbed them as if he were in front of a campfire.

I started to step between him and Alyssa, but she held me back with a hand on my arm.

“That’s so sweet,” Alyssa said in a syrupy voice. “What’s your name?”

“Flash, The. Shaken and stirred. At your service, girlie.”

Alyssa took one of his hands in hers. “Nice to meet you, Flash. My name’s Alyssa. What do you mean, the principal’s office?”

I eyed Flash. He didn’t seem to be a threat, but maybe he was working with someone else. Ben was completely absorbed in watching the two guards as they patrolled outside the fence. He was mumbling something too quietly for me to understand.

Flash had a goofy grin on his face. The hand Alyssa held was visibly shaking with excitement. He still hadn’t answered her question.

“Who’s the principal?” she said.

“She looks after all the pretty girls. So they don’t disappear. Well, mostly they don’t.”

“Disappear?” I asked.

“Come with me,” Flash said, still addressing Alyssa. “I’ll show you around. Make introductions, as they say.” He was totally butchering a James Bond accent. He started pulling on her hand, leading her toward the center of the camp.

Alyssa and I followed him for about ten feet and then she stopped, pulling Flash to a halt as well. Ben hadn’t moved. “Ben! Come on!” she yelled.

He didn’t hear-or wouldn’t respond-still absorbed in watching the guards.

“Will you get him, please?” she asked me.

I trotted back to him and reached out to touch him, pulling my hand back at the last moment. “Ben, Alyssa needs you.”

“The Sister Unit needs me,” he replied. “The rule is that when the Sister Unit needs help, Ben helps. I will observe the guards later.” He turned to follow me.

Flash led Alyssa toward the middle of the camp. I hung back, watching, wary of an ambush. We crossed a wide cleared area, within which three rings of tents were pitched concentrically, like layers of an onion. At the center of these tents there was an open plaza, maybe sixty or seventy feet in diameter.

The center area was packed with girls. Some were as young as eight or nine. Some were older, women really, but none looked older than thirty. They gathered in clusters, talking through the tent flaps, some of them huddled together for warmth.

“What is-”

“Ask The Principal,” Flash said.

He pointed to the back of a woman kneeling in the doorway of one of the tents. She was easily the oldest person in view-her black hair halfway to steely gray. She looked like. . she couldn’t be. Or could she?

“Principal,” Flash said, “the guards caught some fresh fish.”

The woman turned, “Welc-”

Her word died as her eyes locked on mine.

“Alex?” she breathed.

“Mom.”

My world lit up despite the dim light-fired into Technicolor brilliance by my joy. The last time I’d seen Mom, more than ten months ago, we’d had a terrible fight. Sometimes, in my old life, I used to hate her. Now I couldn’t imagine anything better than the elation coursing through me. She was alive! And I’d found her!

Mom charged me, wrapping me in a hug so exuberant we were both knocked to our knees. The snow couldn’t chill me-I was alight with the joy of seeing my mother again after ten long months. I cried as we embraced. Neither of us could get out any words.

Mom dragged her fingers across my face, like a blind woman might-trying to feel my features. Her fingertips slid easily on my teary skin. I clutched at her back, balling a fold of her coat up in my fist, holding on as if to prevent her from ever slipping away again.

“Principal?” Flash said. “You okay?”

Mom took a deep breath. “Yes, Lester, I’m better than okay.”

“I told you, don’t call me Lester. The name is Flash.”

“This is Alex.” She said my name as if it were an ineffable secret. “He’s my son.”

“Principal?” I asked her.

“That’s just what they call me here,” Mom hugged me even more tightly, hurting my injured shoulder. I must have let out a moan, because she said, “You okay, Alex?”

“Fine. It’s just my shoulder.”

She loosened her grip. “What happened?”

“A little truck accident. It’s fine, really.”

“Let me see.”

I held her tightly as she tried to pull away. I never wanted to let go, despite the pain the embrace was causing me.

“Alex, I need to know you’re all right.”

“I’m fine,” I said, but I loosened my grip on her, anyway. Now that she was worried, I knew she wouldn’t relax until she’d seen the damage for herself. She started stripping off my jacket and shirts.

I thought about protesting but really couldn’t summon the energy. I was still in a happy daze. And truth be told, I kind of liked the mothering attention.

“You look different. Thinner. And stronger.”

I shrugged. “You, too.” I realized she hadn’t said anything about Dad. I was scared to ask-afraid of what the answer might be. But I had to know. “Um, Mom. Is Dad-?”

“Oh my gosh, I completely forgot. Lester, would you go get Doug?”

“It’s Flash!” he yelled as he flitted away.

By then Mom had me stripped to the waist. The icy air made goose bumps rise all over my chest and arms. My right side was a beauty. Green, yellow, and purple bruises were splashed from my waist to neck, covering my side and arm.

“Good God. .” Mom whispered.

“I’m okay.”

“Who was driving?”

I couldn’t think of an answer that would help. I just wanted to end the inquisition and get my clothing back on-I was freezing. “Um, I was on top of the truck the first time it crashed.”

“You were-”

“The other two crashes, well, I was driving.”

She was momentarily speechless. “You are not allowed to drive on a learner’s permit without me or Dad in the car, Alex.”

I gave her my best what-the-hell look. Like anyone cared about driver’s licenses in the midst of all this chaos? “I think I lost my learner’s permit when our house burned, Mom.”

“Our house? Never mind, what’re those?” She pointed at the spots on my arm and belly where I’d been shot. It looked like they were healing okay-a bit puffy and red, but scabbed over nicely.

“Oh. That’s where I got shot.”

“Shot? You got-?”

“Look, Mom. A lot of stuff has happened since Darla and I set out to find you. Don’t stress about it. I’m okay. And I found you, thank God.”

“Who’s Darla?”

“My girlfriend.”

“Ah.” She nodded, accepting that bit of information way more easily than the three truck wrecks or the fact that I’d been shot. “Pleased to meet you.” She held her hand out to Alyssa.

Alyssa took her hand. “Pleased to meet you, too. But I’m not-”

Dad rounded the corner of a nearby tent at a run, Flash trailing behind him. “Alex, you’re-!” He crashed into me with a bear hug that forced tears from my eyes-both from my joy at seeing him and the pain of his embrace. Neither of us could speak.

“Doug,” Mom said, “he’s hurt.”

Dad pulled back and looked at me. “Jesus. You look like you lost a fight with a grizzly.”

“No, just a truck.” I pulled him back into a hug with one arm, and drew my mother against us with the other. I wanted to stay there, to squeeze them both until they’d soaked into me and could never leave again. Even the stale scent of their sweat smelled heavenly.