• The months that I stayed with Jack, his mother, and the few survivors I had met after greeting Jack's mother, were tiresome and long. I knew I had to leave and decided I would immediatly leave, the moment the sun rose. When I told Jack and his mother, they begged me not to go. So did the survivor I had found out to be named as Branden. He wanted me to stay simply because it was dangerous outside the areas they were walking. Sure, it made me uneasy to hear those words, but, I quickly explained to them that I couldn't stay a any longer after the next sunrise. Today was my last day here. My heart wanted to say I could say, but, I really wanted to find mother and that desire was much stronger than that of which I wanted to stay.

    "Why would you leave us!?" Jack cried at me," Why after all this time you have spent with us!?" I sighed at him. Careful not to hurt his feelings, I shook my head and shrugged.


    "I'm sorry, Jack, I have to, my mom's life depends on it," I explained sullenly. An inquisitive look apeared on his mother's face. Everyone was silent. The only sound was Jack's sniffles and sobs, eventually, even that died out.


    "Who might your mother be?" His mother asked me, depressed.


    "Her name is Barbra, the last time I saw her, she promised me she'd wait for me in a marsh that's only a little bit northeast from here. I swear she's out there, I heard of this marsh just before I came out here and I am sure it's the one!"


    "What if you are wrong?" Branden finally stepped in.


    "I AM NOT WRONG!" I yelled at him loudly," You stay out of my buisiness!" Jack cried some more. With another sigh, I stood. Looking ahead instead of behind me at my adopted family, I ran away from them. My footsteps were not mimicked, I was not being followed. Tears flowed from my eyes. They blinded me and I tripped, hitting my head on a rock. The last thing I saw, before my eyes closed, was a trickle of blood run over onto the rock that I lay in front of.


    ~


    I awoke. The room was empty and I was lying in a bed made of leaves and sticks. Quite uncomfortable. In the room it smelled like dust and rain. Footsteps were approaching. I tried to stop breathing, tried to hear everything. I person, not just a person, a person who found me in the desert was coming, to check on me, or, to kill me. Sucking in a breath, I coughed. The cough made my rescuer jump. Whoever it was, their feet made a click when they hit the ground. I turned my head to see who it was. A boy, about my age, was looking right at me. He has long hair, kept up in a ponytail. It reached the middle of his back. The hair was black. His eyes, hazel it appeared, looked down on me harshly. His chest was wrapped in bandages and the bandages were slightly bloody. His pants, though black, appeared dirty and dusty. Like he'd been out in the desert for a while.

    "Who are you?" I choked out, barely, I might add.


    " I won't answer that until you tell me who you are!" He said angrily.


    "My name is Cayli, answer me!" I croaked.


    "My name, is Blair Aarons. I found you half-dead in the middle of the mountains," he replied sourly.


    "Well, thanks a lot, I gotta go though," I said, sitting up. The sudden pain that hit me knocked me back down.


    "Your head isn't the only thing you hit," He added, once again, sourly.


    "I noticed," I snapped, holding my knee. It too, was wrapped like his chest,"What did you do right there," I made a motion twords his chest.


    "I was holding a knife and fell down."


    "Seriously? Ha! I thought I was clumsy! Ha!" This made him much angrier and very impatient with me. Thank the lord. He walked to me, raised his hand. I closed my eyes in fear that he'd hit me. He put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me up to him. Movement made my knee hurt, but, I liked it. The one thing I didn't like was him helping. Slowly, we worked our way outside. Each of our steps matched perfectly. I faded into a deep sleep. It was like a buch of nothingness.