Chapter 8 - Eleanor

Don't get separated from your DADDY.

" A ll Young Ladies and their assigned Daddies are to return to their private quarters, now!" Dorothy, our den mother, shouted over the screams as we were shoved back down into the bunker.

There was so much chaos and confusion, it was only after I reached my room that I realized my Daddy was missing. I ran out into the hall and was stunned to see soldiers I'd never seen before marching down the hall. They wore fatigues but carried their guns.

What was going on? What happened?

"Go back to your room, Eleanor." A cold hand fell on my shoulder. I looked up to see Dorothy glaring down at me.

"I'm scared. My Daddy hasn't come back. Where is he?"

"Go back to your room, Eleanor." She squeezed me so hard I yelped. "You just finished the Young Lady program with the highest ranks. Did we make a mistake?"

"No Ma'am." I slumped my shoulders and turned back, heading into my room. Silent, terrified tears slid down my face as I walked back to my bed, my stomach twisted in knots. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't just shower and go to bed like nothing was wrong. Like there'd been an attack of some sort and people were scattered and tossed onto the bus and no one knew who had gotten back and who hadn't.

Was Milton okay?

My chin quivered and then I broke down, throwing myself onto my pillows and sobbing. The makeup I'd taken so much time doing earlier was now smeared across the pink fabric as I cried into it. All I'd wanted from today was for Milton and I to have our special moment, but it was ruined by those stupid creepies and crawlies up above.

My phone rang loudly suddenly, causing me to stop crying and sit up. I wiped my face and reached for the phone.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Eleanor? Oh thank god. Are you okay?" Nancy cried from the other side. "It was all so fast and we were forced to go to our rooms and--"

"Is your Daddy with you?" I interrupted her. "Did he come back?"

She hesitated. "Yeah, he's in his room. Why? Is yours not there?"

My heart dropped into my stomach. It was as if the world had stopped, and all that existed was the ringing in my ears.

"Eleanor? Are you still there?"

I blinked, and resumed breathing with a gasp. "I'm here. What do you know?"

"Nothing. My Daddy was right behind me. I'm scared. Eleanor, with your rank so high, surely they'd tell you something..."

"No, they didn't. I don't know why you all care so much about rank. Maybe if you stopped wondering what I was doing you'd be better at your duties. They didn't tell me anything either, Nancy. Thanks for nothing." I slammed the phone down and instantly regretted it. I liked Nancy. She was one of the few friends who didn't play both friend and enemy. I sighed and decided that tomorrow, when my Daddy returned, and everything was back the way it was meant to be, I'd call and apologize. But I couldn't right now. I was too distraught.

I stood and paced, going back and forth across my pink carpet, staring at the pink walls, my pink furniture, and my pink stuffed animals. When we'd first arrived, each Young Lady was told to pick between green, purple, yellow, or pink. I chose pink, as it was my favorite color, and then given this room, where everything in it was that perfect shade of red mixed with white. It made me feel like a princess; even more so after I discovered that I was the only one who'd chosen pink.

But now, it all seemed so childish. How could I enjoy my soft bed, my fluffy carpet, and all the wonderful luxuries that came with being a Young Lady when my Daddy was missing? Or maybe he wasn't missing at all. Maybe he'd been tasked with doing something important. Had other Daddies been told to do that? What about the DITs? How many had stayed behind to fight the monsters?

I racked my brain, trying to remember who was all aboard the bus. Harold had driven us back, but with the DITs having to wear masks, I couldn't tell who was who. Had Milton made it back?

I ran to the phone and dialed Nancy. I knew I was at risk of being hung up on, but I needed to know.

"Nancy, do you know if Milton was on the bus?" I rushed out the moment she picked up.

"No, sorry."

Click.

I then called Pearl and got the same response. Then I called Veronica, Helen, Francis, and even jealous, bitter Olive, and they all said the same thing. They didn't know if Milton had been on the bus.

I was going to be sick. I ran to the bathroom where I vomited the punch and treats from this evening into the toilet. This couldn't be. How awful. Both my Daddy and Milton were missing. This couldn't be real. Surely we just weren't being communicated with. How could we lose two men like that? It made no sense.

Once my stomach was empty and I couldn't throw up anymore, I lay on the cold steel floor and sobbed. I brought my knees up and hugged myself as I cried. I never got to say goodbye to either man in my life. The last person I'd talked to was--was Callahan.

The very idea that I'd been talking to Callahan while my Daddy and Milton were being attacked made me feel even worse. I couldn't breathe, my vision grew spotty, and I cried. What if they were still out there?

When the room stopped spinning I stood and wobbled back to my bed, and as I was about to throw myself onto it, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. A pink box with pink ribbon. I bent down and picked it up. There was a spot where the tag had been torn off, but upon turning it upside down, I saw it'd been written on instead.

"To Eleanor, from Milton."

My heart leaped in my chest as I scrambled to unwrap my gift. Oh, Milton! Even when he was busy preparing my after-party party, he managed to find time to slip into my room and leave a gift! I tore at the paper and ribbon, ripping open the box. A sharp cry of utter amazement came from my throat as I opened the lid of the box and peered inside.

He'd gotten me a drawing pad and new charcoal pencils. I pulled them out and examined it all slowly, admiring the quality. This must have cost Milton so many CAFE bucks. I'd eyed these items in the store so many times, but I always put them back for things that would make the other Young Ladies envious, like shoes, or new ribbons for my hair.

Very few people knew how much I liked to draw. I'd tried to express my passion when I'd first arrived but the other Young Ladies and the DITs all made fun of me. Coloring was for babies, they'd laughed. But Milton, poor, sweet Milton, he saw the truth behind my eyes. He must have seen me drawing in class sometime or another. How else would he have known I'd love these?

The momentary distraction calmed me down enough to take off my party dress and slip into a nightgown. I curled up under my comforter and brought along my new notebook and pencils, to draw until my Daddy came through the door. But he didn't.

I drew all through the night, my mind blank as my hands worked, creating lines and shadows and an image so detailed even I was impressed with my own talent once I sat up and admired what I'd created.

I'd been so lost in thought, that I hadn't realized I'd been drawing Milton. My mind had gone back to just the night before when he smiled at me right before shutting the door in my face. We'd both been so optimistic. I'd carry that in my heart as my last memories of him until he returned to the bunkers. He had to. I couldn't bear to consider the other option.

I woke up sometime later, in the afternoon, when my door was opened and Dorothy and the warden came in, their faces grim. I hid my drawing pad under my blankets and brushed my hair out of my face.

"Eleanor, we have something to tell you." The warden said. The blood drained from my face as I knew what was coming. There was no other reason these two would come in here. It wasn't for something good. He cleared his throat and a tear slid down my face as he told me exactly what I'd feared most.

"Your Daddy is dead."