Vanya x Five: Jump with me?

Chapter 2: Stuck in a wasteland alone

Vanya

Why did Five have to be so mean? Didn't he care that our siblings were dead? Like, I always knew he was all logical and stuff and that he could be nice sometimes but sometimes that logic was what made me annoyed.

After getting away from Five, I saw a bright pink poster under some wooden planks that said, 'Happy New Year, 2019'. 2019, huh? Well, that's definitely a long way from home. There was hardly any shelter in all this rubble but I managed to find some big cardboard boxes. That would work for the night at least. It was getting cold. The smog in the air was still suffocating but the wind was strong. I realised that we didn't go far. It was only a few miles from the academy but it felt like a long time. I still couldn't find a water source and food was scarce too.

I wasn't angry with Five anymore. Dad was right, annoyingly. I hoped Five was safe. I took off my blazer and tried to use it as a blanket. It was still cold but whatever.

Five

After Vanya ran off, I tried to find basic needs, water, food and shelter but it was certainly a challenge. I wasn't going to go look for her, she ran off for a reason. I walked, collecting junk on the way something that might remind me of home. From my junk collection, I got to know that it was March 10 2019.

I thought about what she said earlier, about how she liked me. Well, I didn't really know how I felt about her not that this was important during an apocalypse but at least it distracted me from scarier things. I didn't realise I was afraid of roaches, for example. If you don't see them often, you just don't think about them.

My blazer didn't keep me warm. For one, it was still wet from when Vanya cried on it but it was comforting. I didn't think it would get so cold at night. I should have at least planned for one night but I thought it would be a day trip. No use thinking about that now, I guess.

Vanya

What was I thinking? It rained at night so a bunch of cardboard boxes weren't  enough. When I woke up, I was soaked. I took off my blazer and vest  and hung them on a dead tree to dry. I didn't know what to do about my other clothes because I couldn't walk around naked even if it was just me and Five. He was still a guy. I decided to walk around in the sunlight when I saw Five.

"Hey," Five said, approaching me. "What? You wanna taunt me again? Say, I told you so?" I said, annoyed with him. "God, nothing like that. I just wanted to know if you've had your breakfast," "I haven't. There isn't any food here," I said, ashamed. Why did I have to explode so early in the morning? "If you want something to eat... I've got some food," Five said, awkwardly. "Thanks," I replied. I couldn't stay mad at him for long. He was still my brother.

Five led me to his little makeshift shelter which was better than mine. He managed to arrange some wooden planks that he found with some corrugated iron. "Your house, it's nice," I said, looking around. "Thanks," he said rummaging through a pile of junk. "Do you want canned tuna or sardines? I'm not too sure about the soup. You might wanna avoid that," he said as he tried to clean up the mess. "You can sit there, " he said pointing towards a cleaner spot.

"Why are you being so nice?" I asked. "It's basic courtesy to make breakfast for your sister," Five said rolling his eyes. "Do you mind not having coffee?" I asked. "Of course, I mind. To be honest, I can barely function today," he laughed.

"So, I'm gonna be straightforward and ask," Five said looking at the canned tuna in his lap. I looked up feeling a bit tense. "What?" I asked. "What do you mean when you said that you don't even know why you liked me?" He asked. I hesitated, "Uh, I mean it's normal to like your brother cuz I like live with you and stuff.." "Huh," Five said, not really satisfied with my answer.