Page 64 of If They Knew

“We can give everyone some. They would want some too. This isn't fair for us to secretly be eating while everyone else is also hungry.”

“Well, Mary, life isn't fair. If it was, I wouldn’t be stuck on a fucking ship in the middle of the ocean, freezing my ass off looking for baby bottles for my stupid-ass brother-in-law’s bastard kid, but here we are. So, unless you want to cause a full-blown riot, I'd eat the chips now.”

“Okay... I guess that makes sense,” says Mary, handing me the bag. I sit down on the floor and rip it open. The cheesy smell wafts into my nose. It takes everything in me not to grab a handful and cram them all in my mouth at once. Instead, I take out one chip and savor the taste. Mary takes a seat next to me and does the same.

When the bag is empty, we both lick our fingers clean. I toss the bag aside with the rest of the mess and stand up. In the distance, I see a plastic bag. I walk over, pick it up, and notice it's filled with kids' sunscreen, unopened pacifiers, and a few other things. At the bottom of the bag, there are two packs of baby bottles still wrapped in cardboard and plastic. I can't help but laugh because I honestly didn't think we would find it.

“Well, I found a bottle,” I say, while holding up the pack.

“Good, now let’s head back to the medical center, I’m freezing,” Mary says.

The medical center is noisy as everyone discusses ways to stay warm. When we walk in, I hear Theo and Sara disagree with an idea someone has that involves a fire inside. They both say that either the smoke will be deadly or it will cause a fire that would destroy the place. Which is a good point.

Mary and I approach the group as they go on and on with ideas. Mary holds up the pack of baby bottles for everyone to see, “Look what Julie found.”

Kelly is the first to notice and smiles back. Kelly walks over, hugs Mary and me, and thanks us for going to find it. I then walk over to Theo, smile, and kiss him. He pulls back instantly and stares at me, confused. Seeing his reaction, I'm also confused.

“What? Why did you pull away like that?” I murmur.

He doesn't answer me. Instead, he takes a step closer to me. He stares at me, then at my lips.

“Where did you find food?” he whispers in my ear, making sure no one else can hear. My mind races—how in the world could he know we found food? I’ve been standing here, and I know Mary didn’t tell him.

“What are you talking about?” I say, doing my best to look dumb.

“Julie, I'm not stupid. I can taste it on your lips,” he says. Then he lifts his hand and wipes a finger across the corner of my mouth. “You also left proof,” he says, showing me the orange residue he wiped off my mouth. “Why are you lying to me?”

It’s okay. I can fix this. I know exactly what to say. “I'm sorry, babe. We found a small bag of chips in the childcare room. When I found it, I told Mary everyone was hungry, and we should bring it here to share. But she argued that there wouldn’t be enough for everyone and that it could cause a big fight. Then she opened it and suggested we eat it so it wouldn’t go to waste. I was starving and couldn’t resist, so I agreed, and we ate it. I'm so sorry,” I say, my voice trembling as I rest my head on his shoulder. I sniffle a little to make it seem like I’m crying. I look up and see Theo’s eyes fixed on Mary, a scowl on his face. Mary notices and smiles at him. He doesn’t smile back. He just turns away.

“Thank you for letting me know. You didn't do anything wrong. She shouldn't have put you in that situation. I wonder if she has food hidden anywhere else.”

“No, Theo, it's okay. I'm sorry. We're all starving, and it was just sitting there. I don't think she meant anything by it. She didn't want others to get too excited. Please don’t say anything to her. I told her I wouldn’t tell you,” I beg, with a sympathetic look on my face.

“Alright, I'll let this slide. But no one should hide food from others. If it happens again, let me know.”

“Okay, I will. I love you,” I say, giving him another kiss.

“I love you too.”

In the center of the room, Xander jumps up, shouting that he has an idea for heat.

“We have access to a patio out here, but it's too cold to sit around a fire outside,” he explains.

“Right, and we can't have one inside because the smoke will kill us,” says Theo.

“But, this medical center used to be a spa, right?” Xander asks.

“Yes,” responds Mary.

“Okay, good. Most spas have a ton of stones used in their massage rooms. What if we build a fire right outside the medical center on the patio and put the stones in it to heat up, then bring the red-hot stones in for heat and have everyone huddle around them?” Xander says with a huge smile on his face.

“That might actually work, Xander. What a great idea,” Sara says. Grateful smiles and hugs spread across the room in excitement.

“Okay, let's find the stones,” Theo says.

“They are in the back in a bucket on the ground,” shouts Mary, and Xander stands up and rushes over to grab them. After a few moments, he walks out, pulling a heavy bucket filled with shiny black stones.

“What are we going to make a fire out of if there is no more wood in the saunas?” asks Tyler. It’s a great question. I look around the room, and there isn’t any wood or paper to burn.