Tommy was the only passenger sitting in the back of the open mottled jeep. He shivered in the chilly night air. He arms were painfully handcuffed behind his back to a metal bar in the door. He wished he wriggle free from his plastic restraints and jump. It was his promise to Izzy and not his restraints that kept him on this rollercoaster of torture. Every once in awhile the young spindly driver would turn around and laugh maniacally at him. Secretly Tommy wished he were going to Fat Camp or any camp other than Unity Camp. He was no soldier and he wasn't particularly brave. The Book had begun to change him and he did feel differently about things. The mere fact that he was on a rescue mission alone proved it. He laughed to himself. Some rescue mission! My wrists are bleeding and I'm about to perform inhumane circus tricks for Corporal Creep Head.

Corporal Creep Head sat in the front passenger side of the Jeep. He interrupted Tommy's thoughts, "Well kid we're almost at home sweet home. You are gonna love it at Camp Unity. We have all the latest gadgets in torture gear and an obstacle course to die for!"

Tommy was exhausted. It had to be three in the morning. He couldn't lie down, he was starving, plus they forced him to drink some sludge water and now he had to pee. Then he saw it. Unity Camp was on the horizon. It was nothing but some ugly, crudely built buildings, a watchtower and lots and lots of large tent barracks. The camp was surrounded by the cruelest fence Tommy had ever laid eyes on. He was sure it had enough volts to kill you on near-contact.

Again the Corporal seemed to read his mind. "You see that fence kid? I threw a joker into yesterday because he forgot to salute me. He fried on the spot Smelled like chicken!" The Corporal guffawed at his own joke.

Two boys about Tommy's age opened the gate and saluted the officer as he drove past. Corporal Creep Head never even acknowledged them.

—-

X peeked out the door once again. The coast was clear. He tossed Bell over his shoulder and began skipping down the long corridor. Bell prayed to the Author for them to safely make it to the outside. Her heart ached for her friends still trapped in those cages.

Bell hung like a rag doll and whispered, "What about the others?"

X forgot she couldn't hear him and replied, "Others food. Shhh girlie."

"X do you realize if you take me away you can never come back here or they'll kill you?"

X jumped once.

Bell was so proud that he remembered her signal. "Do you have a place for us to hide out? "

X jumped twice.

Great a man without a plan! Bell had to think. She remembered, 'If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask the King, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.' Please King Rophe, give me a bit of your wisdom! I believe!
Bell heard an inner voice say, "Go home." At first she wasn't sure she heard it right but the voice spoke to her heart a second time, "Go home." Twice was enough.

She asked, "X by any chance do you know where the Towering Hills Apartment complex is?"

X jumped once and then spoke a little too loudly, "X mommy there! But mommy dead. She get real skinny like girlie and she no wake up no more. You too skinny, girlie gotta eat or she die like mommy."

Of course Bell never heard a word but the inner voice continued to guide her. "X take us home."

X used the master key he'd hidden under the trash can and rushed out the front door. Miraculously no one saw his enormous body holding a girl in a bright red flowered dress wearing a red curly wig to match. Together they looked like The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Little Orphaned Annie. The sun will come out tomorrow...

—-

The stunned boy sat in silence for the longest time. His appearance had changed from that of a boy raised by wolves to a calm twelve year old boy (with a bad case of bed head!)

Finally he spoke to Izzy, "Thank you. You saved my life."

Izzy sat close to the boy. "No The Book saved your life; I only spoke its words to you."

The wolf-boy looked puzzled, "What book? I don't see any book."

Izzy tried her best to explain, "It's written in my heart and I wear it around my neck."

All of the children peered at her neck and remarked that they didn't see any book necklace. Izzy smiled. She was working with nine blank slates once again. As the children got comfortable she told them about a book unlike any other and about its Author who loved each of them more than life itself. One by one the children fell asleep until finally Izzy joined them. The heavenly food poured down and covered them like a blanket of snow.

The truck hit a large pothole and woke up the former wild boy. As his spotted yellow eyes adjusted to the dark he noticed the strange substance. He pushed Izzy's shoulder. "Pssst, magic girl! What's this white stuff?"

Izzy stirred and mumbled, "I'm not magic girl. My name's Izzy. Go back to sleep."

The boy persisted, "Magic girl look at this stuff?" He held a handful in her sleepy face.

Izzy's eyes adjusted. "Oh good the food's here." She sat up and matter-of-factly said, "Kids wake up it's time to eat."

"You mean this is food? You really are magic!" Wolf-boy stuffed a handful into his mouth. His portion tasted like scrambled eggs and ripe tomatoes. "Amazing!"

Izzy corrected the boy once again. "I'm not magic. This is a gift from the invisible King I was telling you about... What is your name by the way?"

"Mars..." He continued to eat his way across the truck. The other children woke up and followed suit.

"Well Mars your name suits you. You're outta this world!"

"Thanks," Mars said as he ate the food like a wolf.

Izzy continued, "There's more to life than what we see here. You're tasting food from another dimension."

Mars spoke with his mouth full. "Like Mars?"

"No that's another planet. I'm talking about realms here." Izzy enjoyed watching her new friends eat. Even the cranky boy with the cauliflower ears was smiling. It truly is better to give than receive!

Onyx ate slowly. Her shriveled arms slowly moved a bit of puffy white fluff to her toothless mouth. Her digestive system had never worked correctly. She knew if she ate too much she'd vomit and she'd be mortified to do that in front of the other passengers--especially Izzy. She admired her unlike anyone she'd ever met before.

Izzy noticed the aged child wasn't eating much.
"What's wrong Onyx? Don't you like the food?"

"Oh I like it very much... although I've never had anything this sweet and juicy before." She didn't know it but she tasted strawberries and pure cream for the first time in her life.

Izzy was concerned. "Then why are you hardly eating anything?"

Onyx whispered in her ear, "When I eat, I puke and I don't want it to smell in here."

Izzy hugged her special friend. "I guarantee this food will not make you puke. I promise!"

Onyx wanted to trust Izzy. It had been so hard for her to trust anyone. She'd been abandoned by her own father and ridiculed on the street for months. She looked into Izzy's eyes and thought, "She's probably the same age as me and yet so wise."

If Izzy knew what Onyx was thinking she'd bust out laughing. Bell was always the wise one and she the impulsive one. Tentatively the girl began to eat until her small stomach bulged. Only when all the food was gone did the truck finally stop.

One might think it was planned that way!

Babul opened the back hatch and ordered the kids out of the truck. He smelled something peculiar. Usually the truck smelled like vomit or feces but not this time... it had a sweet aroma. He noticed another strange thing; all of the children had looks of contentment on their faces. None of them was screaming or fighting or dead. Often they would claw each other to pieces trying to escape their fate. One by one, they jumped out of the truck and lined up in an orderly fashion. He let his gun drop to his side and led them as a Kindergarten teacher leads her class down an elementary school hallway.

—-

-End of chapter 16-

Authors note: I love naming each chapter. If you have a different name for the above chapter or any chapter comment! I'd love to hear your opinion. Remember commenting in voting helps our stories to grow!