River, Sun, Freedom

9: Jo; the soldier

Chapter Nine: Jo; the soldier

                “You did what?!” cried Alice.

                Three weeks after Jodi had left most of the groups who had left had returned Alice, Richard, and Samuel with them. After a hearty welcome and distribution of many goods that had been brought, the inevitable question came up of Jodi.

“You chased one of our most valuable assets away?” Alice was outraged, as she looked around at the group of humans around her. Their faces were a mixture of emotions; sheepishness, guilt, defensiveness.

“You should be glad we did!” Nate said. “She was that damned professor’s daughter!”

Alice looked at him in disgust making Nate unwillingly flinch. “And who told you that, ey?”

“I did” Jonas stepped out. “And it is nothing but the truth.”

“And who are you?” she snarled.

“I am Professor Jonas –“

“No I mean who are you to know these things? That photograph, how did you get it?”

Jonas stepped back speechless as every pair of eyes in the group turned to look at him. “Well, I ...uh”

“You got it somehow. Where’s the photo?”

“Jodi took it with her,” Nate replied, but his eyes were on Jonas, full of suspicion. “How did you get that photo? How was it that you recognised Jodi?” Nate’s eye widened. “And Jake? Jake wasn’t in the photo, it only had her pregnant mother. How did you recognise Jake?”

“That is...what I mean to say is...”

  “Spit it out professor” said Alice dangerously, looking all the more dangerous when the great bulk of Richard stood behind her, glaring over her shoulder at him.

Before Jonas could say anything it was Jake who stepped out. “Don’t bother asking him. He won’t tell you. But I can” Jake was holding a piece of paper in his hand. It was a photograph, another one. This time it was a picture of two men, shaking hands and smiling into the camera. One of them, with salt and pepper hair, was clearly Dr Matthews but the other had long grey hair and an upright figure.

                “Jonas!” Nate gasped.

“That’s not all” said Jake. “Read what’s on the back.”

On the back was a message in scrawled handwriting: Jonas, have a very happy birthday my friend, from your best friend and partner of twenty years, River.

“You were his partner!” Alice gasped.

“Where did you get this?” Jonas asked Jake.

“It was in Grandma’s sewing kit. Jodi took the wrong rucksack when she left. She took mine”

“Which means she knew that you were her partner” Richard said.

“But why didn’t she tell me?” hissed Nate.

“It probably never occurred to her after the shock of being kicked out by her loved ones.” Alice growled. Nate was shocked to see her like this, the usually kind and gentle Alice was showing her aggressive side. But what she spoke was the truth; he had been too harsh in judging her. Intense guilt was welling up in her.

“You condemned a six year old, when you should have been condemning another”

“She didn’t stop me – she didn’t deny it!” shouted Nate