The Salvation

Chapter 19

|Venelope|

A fortnight ago, Andrew led Craig and Nikolai away on some secret mission together. Venelope honestly felt lost without Nikolai by her side for so long. Felicia however took no time to befriend the teenage girl and set her to work. Venelope was moved into Andrew's shed out the back of their house. Felicia made sure that the shed was comfortable for the time being, removing the old tools in the sturdy shed and placing a bed inside. Venelope was cold at nights, but she wouldn't complain to Felicia. Felicia planned to extend hers and Andrew's house with an extra room for Venelope, taking her on as the closest thing she could to another daughter. Venelope considered Felicia a sister, she'd never had one before but she was sure this was what having a sister would be like.

Felicia tore through Glade and concreted herself as the person in charge. She didn't call herself mayor or any title, but when something was wrong everyone went to Felicia. At first they wouldn't do as she said, now whenever she issued a command they did as they were told quickly as possible. The settlers spread to the surrounding towns. They were now a hundred strong and with a vast trading network in place for crops. The mutated plants grew faster and bigger than any of the plants in the old world. One crop of potatoes grew in barely a week with about ten potatoes to one root, and many roots to go around.

Three days after the others left, it was Venelope's seventeenth birthday. She didn't tell Felicia, but she'd guessed when she noticed Venelope acting off. Felicia couldn't do much, but she did hold a sort of barbecue in her yard with cooked crows. Most of the people there only attended for the meat. But Venelope didn't mind. Shale snuggled up to her that night and acted as an extra, fluffier and fatter blanket.

On the day people counted as the hundredth day of the wasteland, Jane came knocking frantically on Felicia's door. The thin woman was ready to burst. Her belly was large and she walked funny with it sticking out. Felicia let her in, sat her down and gave her water and asked what the problem was.

"I woke up an hour ago, pain rocked me damn body like a concert..." Jane winced after her sentence. Venelope watched her curiously. She had a lovely voice and her British accent made her sound as beautiful as she was (after a good wash if you asked Venelope, but she didn't dare say that around Jane and risk a broken bone). If only Jane was nicer... Or nice in general. She was an angry, foul mouthed and slightly violent woman. "Not sure if they're contractions, so thought I'd ask..."

Felicia looked her up and down curiously. Venelope wasn't sure if Felicia liked Jane, but she was just generally a nicer person than the woman across the road who never went outside. "I'd love to help Jane, and I appreciate that you came to me... But I'm no doctor, best I can do is mend a scratch not see if you're ready to push a baby out..."

"They could be." Venelope said. Felicia turned and gave Venelope a questioning look. "Oh, they could be contractions."

"And you know this how...?" Felicia asked. "I mean, I've had two kids before but I can't tell if your having contractions or a headache..."

"It's definitely not a fucking headache!" Jane snapped.

Venelope sighed. "I researched a lot of odd things, child birth was a phase I went through for a bit." Venelope answered casually.

"Let the girl speak..." Jane said before Felicia could reply. "You know if I'm giving birth here?"

Venelope fixed herself up in her seat. "Well, you're not giving birth right now... But you could be going into labour... At
least I think..."

"Venelope, do you have any idea what we should do?" Felicia asked.

"You're the one who's had twins before!"