Poston

Chapter one : Arrival

If there was one thing that Nino was grateful for on that very long bus trip from San Anita to wherever they were going, it was the fact that the windows were closed. The window shades were meant to keep everyone from looking outside to prevent any way of knowing really where they were, but at this point, Nino didn't even care about where he was going. It wasn't home, and any place that wasn't home wasn't worth him worrying about.

Also the fact that it was probably above one hundred degrees outside was helping his skin that the shades were down. No sunlight meant that his skin wouldn't burn. Even though it was stuffy inside the bus crammed with people, Nino preferred that to sunlight any day.

Finally, everyone could feel the bus get off the paved road and start driving on dirt. No one said a word. No one really wanted to anyway. After a few more minutes, the bus stopped altogether and the army soldier who sat in the front row stood up. "Everyone out," he said. "And welcome to Poston."

Slowly, one by one each family got up from their seats with their suitcases and walked to the front of the bus. Nino had to help Mama stand up and walk off the bus because the trip had exhausted her so much. "I'm sorry I'm not much help to you," Natsumi frowned.

"Don't worry," Mama smiled. "You are okay, Natsumi. Hopefully now, we can relax."

Stepping out of the bus was a lot worse than anyone expected. The light blinded him for a second, and it was so hot that Nino immediately thought he was going to be baked like a fry. There wasn't a cloud in the bright blue sky, and the sun wasn't relentless as it brightly shone down on everyone.

So it made a lot of sense when Nino was able to look around where they were. As far as his eyes could see on one side of the road, he saw yellow sand, tumbleweeds, thorns, and cactuses. He was in a desert. It looked like the many pictures he had seen of the deserts in the wild west, only this one was real. Already, everyone was sweating as the dry heat made it unbearable. And of course, on the side of the road where everyone stood, there were black tar barracks all surrounded by wooden guard posts and barbed wire fences.

Nino looked at his mother and sister, who had a look of devastation on their faces as well. "Welcome home," he said bitterly.

Natsumi made her way to the main office and got their cabin block and number. They were in Block 3 Cabin 2B, which gratefully wasn't that far from the camp entrance. The family quickly found their block and cabin, and quickly got in, amazed at what they found.

"It's bigger than I imagined!" Natsumi exclaimed excitedly as she danced around the large twenty-four feet by twenty feet wooden room that smelled of tar and pine. "This is larger than the horse stall we had!"

"At least it's somewhat livable," Nino said as he put his suitcase down. "Once they give us our beds, it will take up some room, but for the most part we can have a really nice living space."

Natsumi smiled. "Now you're getting back to normal a little bit."

"I am not."

"Excuse me?" a female voice called out as she stepped inside with two other people. "I think you might be in our—"

"Ayumi!" Natsumi nearly yelled rushing over to the girl.

The girl looked up and almost let out a scream of excitement herself. "Natsu!" she beamed as they hung onto each other.

Nino only groaned rather loudly. "First we get stuck in a wooden barrack away from home in the middle of nowhere, and now we have to share that barrack with you?"

Ayumi and Natsumi let each other go before smiling at him. "Nice to see you too, Nino," she said. "And how amazing is this! We get to share this place with familiar people around us!"