If We Survive

Chapter 17

"You know, the one the man had." I reply, figuring that it's just slipped my mother's memory. It happens to her, sometimes. 

"I didn't see a dog, Cass." She says, continuing on. She's using that you-are-wrong-and-I-am-right voice that I know rather well. Usually, she's right. 

But I know I saw a dog. Or a wolf. It was kinda hard to tell, because I wasn't paying attention. Looking back, now, I think it was a wolf- not that I've seen either in reality. They're pretty alike, though, right? 

"Cassidy, are you ok?" Use of full name- she's clearly concerned. 

"Yeah, mom, I'm fine." I reply. "Just a bit shaken, that's all." 

She finishes up brushing my hair, which seems unnartuarly soft. I have like magical hair, which I will admit isn't a burden at all. Just in case any particularly attractive boys come around. 

Don't I have a boyfriend? 

End-of-the-world problems. 

The rest of the day is most nearly uneventful- my brother complains about not having anything to drink, and I just barely stop myself from telling him that we're not even of legal drinking age. It doesn't matter.

The next morning, we're up bright and early to get out of the tree cover. I begin to recignize trees, which is an encoraging sign. 

We get into the valley around evening. 

In the darkening light, I know the cabin is about three miles off in a small copse of trees. I can almost smell of dinner cooking...

With a short rest, I lead on, competely renewed. Everyone else appears to be dragging behind. I can't understand why they're so tired- I'm usually the one at the back of the pack, dragging my feet. 

When it comes into veiw, I nearly cry. 

A second later, Shelly, who is sitting on the front porch shouts, "Cassy!" She drops her rifle, and comes running for me. 

"We thought you were DEAD!" She says, nearly suffocating me in a bear hug. I thought I was dead, too. 

Out comes all of them: Ahilles, Greg, Steph, and Zack, oh God, Zack. 

There are ligitaminte tears in my eyes. 

And you don't see that one too often. 

I can't say I've ever been more happy to see a single group of people- including my family. That makes, me pause for a second. Why am I so happy to see them? Sure, it's great to know that you're not an orphan, but... There people were pretty much my family after the change. 

And also, I saw my family three months out of the year, because of school.

Or maybe I'm just pathological. 

Really, it could be any of the above. 

"Who are they?" Asks Achilles loudly. I forgot that they don't know each other- Steph and Zack probubly know my brother, and definitely know my mother (she worked in the camp's kitchen and isn't a very forgettable person). 

"This is my family." I sigh out smiling. 

Ten minutes later, we stand around the kitchen table- there aren't nearly enough chairs for the nine of us, and Shelly's all for equality. 

Isn't that part of communisem? Everybody getting the same? In this world, that actually kind of would work. We all pretty much do the same amount of work. 

Actually, isn't the average domestic house a form of communisem? No matter how much work you do over the day, your parents still give you dinner and a warm bed.

And everybody thinks it's just such a terrible thing. 

Shelly makes us tea, which is like the best thing ever. She's figured out how to use mint leaves, and well, there isn't much of better therepy than tea. Well, maybe coffee, but we havn't had that since like August. 

I tell them what happened to me after I got Stephen's message, as much as I can remeber. They're sympathetic, and happy to see me. It sort of makes me feel good inside, like I'm needed. 

Maybe I just never held myself in high esteem, or something, but the whole end of the world thing is kind of working out well for me. I have a sort-of-boyfriend, which wouldn't have ever happened in the time before, I have good friends, which I didn't really have before, and... Well, I have most of my family. 

For the first time, I remeber that if Jacob and I's hypothosis about the zap is correct, then my dad survived. But he was with a whole bunch of teenager, who probubly changed, and my dad isn't as spry as he used to be.

But her had the nine mil, didn't he? But dad was-is- whatever it may be- a good guy. He wouldn't kill a kid, no matter how cannabilistic. 

My dad and I, we never got along. 

He wanted my brother to be this, or that, or whatever, and I always tried to do that, for him. 

It was not always appreciated. 

Because the one time that I screwed up, he went a-wall. on me. 

There was this party, ok? I wasn't caught at it, so nothing on my offical record, but I felt it would be best if I 'fessed up. 

I mean, it wasn't like I was drinking, or doing anything remotely illegal, but I'm pretty sure it was something along the lines of accesroy to the crime, so, yeah, not so good. 

So, anyway, I told him about it, expecting for him to go along the lines of "Oh you told the truth, which should be rewarded," thing. I got a three-hour lecture that went in circles. I mean, I get it, I was 15, it's not exactly my brain is anywere near finished developing and there was no way that I knew what was best for me, dispite what my pride tells me. 

But honestly, my dad was insanely crazy about it. It sort of bothered me, because that was so... Anti-my-dad. 

But I forgot about it, for a while.

But now, I would trade those three lecturing hours with my dad for the rest of my life. That might not be a very long time, really. 

"Cassy?" Says Shelly, pulling me out of my world of rimenicence. 

"Wha-?" I ask, looking up at her. Everyone is staring at me, ackwardly. Everybody else talks, and I fill in the ackard silences. 

"Just wondering if you were still with us." Comments Zack, eyes sparkling. I shy him a smile. I'm sure we'll have a very happy reunion later. 

"We were exchanging stories. I do not, belive, you have told us your's." Says Greg. There's something in his look that ells me, in basics, that he knows something, something I really don't want him to know. 

"Oh, I uh- I was hiking up with the faster kids at camp, when it happened. One of them went crazy on the spot, and started to... eat someone. I hightailed it out of there. Zack and Steph and I scavenged out of the parking lot. We got seperated and I ended up here." There's another look in Greg's eyes that really bothers me- what have I just said?