Summer Ends

19

The day was extremely hot when we finally stepped outside the house. It was difficult to leave this all behind. Peyton had left our formal clothes displayed on the beds as some sort of memorial for whoever would return to this house one day. There was more stuff that I had wanted to take with me, but Becca and I had been so careful with what we took. The backpack on my back really was less heavy and I could already feel it in my body. My legs didn't tremble with every step I took and if I had to, I could carry more.

We stood in a line, facing away from the house. We took each other's hands in our own and we gave the house one more glance before we started making our way towards the highway that was ahead of us. The morning skin burned on all the places where my skin was revealed. I couldn't imagine wearing long sleeves or pants right now. It was almost too hot to even wear anything.
Becca wore a linen playsuit that she had found in the beach store. The color was beautiful against her dark skin and it was a shame to know that her clothes would probably be ruined after just one day. I had put on a black top and light jeans shorts, they would give me enough space to move in, but also feel secure. I looked at my still clean Doctor Martens and wondered how long it would take before they were ruined. We all wore matching Doc Martens and it warmed my heart every time I saw them. We had something that was ours. A symbol of our friendship. Even if it were just shoes.

After an hour or so we reached the beginning of the highway and looking at it, was like looking at hell. It looked like a maze made of roads. They went under and over each other. We had to walk on the one that was the highest. It looked out over all the others going underneath it. I peered over the railing that reached my middle and I gasped at the abyss beneath me.
"Be careful before someone pushes you over." Peyton joked. I turned around and gave her my most deadly stare.

"If looks could kill, we'd all be dead." Kai snorted. I smacked his arm and started following them again. The concrete beneath our feet was so hot and you could see that it was even melting in some spots. This had to have been one of the hottest summers ever. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and wiped my hands on my even sweatier legs. I asked Becca if she had any spear hair ties so I could get that mess of a hair out of my face. My hair was so extremely hot that I was scared my fingers would burn as I dragged them through my blonde locks.

Hardin touched my arm slightly to ask for attention. I looked up at him beside me and he held a dark red bandana in his hand. I had seen it around his wrist before, but I had never really seen him wear it.

"You should put it around your head." It was more a demand than a request, but I still took it and tied it around my head. The edges were already a bit worn off, but that kind of gave it character. I thanked him and focused back on our walk.

We made up a plan of when we would take breaks and when we could drink so we wouldn't run out of water too soon. We were already past the half of the highway and when I looked around the nature had changed so much since the last time that I had really looked. Mountains peered up around us. Bright green trees covered them fully, except the tops were just grass. They were absolutely stunning. Looking at them made me want to run over them and jump from one to another. We were surrounded by these big things that could threaten you, but I just felt embraced. The more I looked the more I kept seeing. Waterfalls poured out and over the stones. The sound was mesmerizing and it almost felt like we had entered some sort of fairy world.

"I have never seen anything so beautiful." Becca looked around like she was a little kid in a candy store, I think we all felt like that. I looked in each of their eyes and something twinkled in all of them. It was like pure magic.

"If I could, I would never leave. This is the true life." I saw tears slipping over Kai's cheek and it made my heart skip a beat. I hadn't seen such joy in so long. Even Hardin was amazed by all this beauty. He folded his arms in front of his chest and gripped his arms tight. He had goosebumps and I was sure it was not because of the cold, but because this was why earth needed to be saved. Because it carried so much beauty. Peyton closed in by my side and she put her head on my shoulder, I gave her one glance before I admired the masterpiece around us again.

"If only we could photograph this." I felt her voice vibrating through my shoulder as if this place had heightened my senses.

"Nothing could ever capture this beauty, so we shouldn't even try." I didn't dare say it too loud, because it was like I was scared that if we made one wrong noise, the beauty would crumble away around us as if it was all just an illusion created to give false hope.

"I know, but just imagine if you could post this on Instagram. All the likes you would get." I rolled my eyes at Peyton and let out a disappointing laugh.

"That's what you think about when you see this? Instagram?" We all let out a laugh and decided we should get moving again. It was already after midday and we shouldn't waste time even if it was for something like this. We had a goal and sadly this wasn't it.