The Future of Eden

Chapter 10

(Rowan's pov)

I watch as Lark desperately runs out of the forest, people coming to her aid instantly. My heart pounds. The Earth still trembles heavily as people crowd around one another in a field far away from anything that could fall on them. I'm watching my mother herding people to safety when the image seems to suddenly glitch out. I look around as the other images that have surrounded me for... for however long I've been here, I don't really have a concept of time. Then, out of nowhere the whole room goes dark. I can't see anything. "What the hell is going on?" I yell into the darkness. "No! No, no, no!" I hear Aaron scream. "Come on... Come on!" he beckons. A bright light flashes across my face for a split second as Aaron curses in the distance.

Then it hits me. The earthquake, the malfunctions... the EcoPan is temporarily down. It seems like just when I realize this, something grabs hold of my mind. I see flickers of light as the force pulling me begins to lose control. I begin to fade into blinding light. Is this it? I'm I free?

Am I free?

My heart races and my breath is shallow, I feel like I'm in rapid free fall. I hear Aaron bellowing furiously but his voice is muffled and lost in the abyss. What the hell is happening? I can't help but fear the answer.

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I gasp for breath and open my eyes to the dimly lit control room beneath Mira's garden. For a moment I panic as I remember the glass encasement, but as soon as I start pounding on it, it slides open. I try to sit up, but tiny wires burrowed in my skin hold me down painfully. Without a second thought, I rip them out, wincing as tiny dots of blood mark where they left. I sit up fully and gasp. The wall of buttons and switches has gone completely dark. I look around, I literally don't believe my eyes. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a few scattered buttons light up on the wall. Bikk! The EcoPan is turning back on.

I scramble out of the coffin, smashing to the floor. My legs are completely numb. I lay back on the cold floor. It's cold! I can feel it... I can feel! I smile to myself. I laugh with excitement. How long has it been since I joined the EcoPan, I wonder. I didn't feel like long, maybe a few weeks even? I think of my friends when they see me again. I can't wait to hold them again. A moment later I pull myself to my feet, nearling falling again. I want to run and scream and... just enjoy being a human again.

I steady myself on the wall as I storm up the staircase to Mira's beautiful garden. Oh, I can't wait to see her again. To see everyone again. I feel the smallest sense of guilt as I realize that I now have to face the two people I love. I immediately push all negative emotion aside as I swing open the garden door and exit into a beautiful star lit forest. I'm mesmerized all over again. I gently touch the leaves of a fern on the ground. I stroke the coarse bark of a pine tree. Suddenly, a figure emerges from the darkness. "Hey! Are you alright? We're searching the forest for people trapped from the earthquake," a man's voice calls out, shattering the breathtaking silence. I look up.

It's Zander.

I couldn't care less that he tried to make my life a living hell all the time, or that he literally tried to kill me a few days ago. Days? Weeks? Doesn't matter. I know him. I run to him, hugging him so tightly I fear I've knocked the wind out of him. Zander instantly throws me off him. "What the hell?" he yells, dusting the dirt off himself. Finally, he looks up. "Wait..." I just smile at him, waiting for his reaction. "Oh my Earth it's you!" he says. I go to hug him quickly. It's amazing, the sheep and wolf embracing one another. Zander steps back, examining my face. "How did you... They said you were dead! Everyone thinks you're dead! Rowan, you're alive!" he laughs. "I know! Isn't it amazing?" I say, wondering if he's just too shocked to see a supposedly dead girl walking around to remember that he hates my guts. "Wait until the others see you!" he says. "I'm sorry for everything I did to you back then. I was such an ass to you and your mother. You didn't deserve that," he chuckles.

Zander starts jogging into the forest, beckoning me to follow. Panic begins to set in. "Wait, er... how long... how long have I been gone?" I ask nervously. Zander looks confused. "Um, I think...like... seven months maybe, why?" he answers. I shake my head and run ahead of him as we race to Harmonia.

Author's note: Ah, now that we have that whole issue out the way, things can actually get interesting, am I right? XD