Cress

Chapter 15

"I suppose it's too much to hope that we landed ourselves 

 near any sort of civilization," Thorne said, tilting his 

head to one side.

Cress picked her way through debris to the nearest window. 

 "I'm not sure we want to be near civilization. 

You're a wanted criminal in three Earthen countries, and 

one of the most recognizable men on Earth."

"I am pretty famous now, aren't I?" 

Grinning, he waved a hand at her.

 "I guess it doesn't matter what we want.

 What do you see out there?"

Standing on tiptoes, 

Cress peered into the brightness.

 As her eyes adjusted to the glare, they widened,

 trying to take it all in.

All at once, it dawned on her.

 She was on earth. 

Or earth.

She'd seen pictures, of course. 

Thousands and thousands of photographs and vids—

cities and lakes and forests and mountains, every

 landscape imaginable.

But she had never thought the sky could be so im-

possibly blue, or that the land could hold so many

 hues of gold, or cold glitter like a sea of diamonds, 

 or could roll and swell like a breathing

 creature.

For one moment, the reality of it all poured into

 her body and overflowed.

"Cress?"

"It's beautiful out there."

A hesitation, before, "Could you be more specific?"

"The sky is this gorgeous, intense blue color." 

 She pressed her fingers to the glass and traced the

 wavy hills on the horizon.

"Oh, good. You've really narrowed it down for me."

"I'm sorry, it's just..." She tried to stamp down the

 rush of emotion. 

"I think we're in a desert."

"Cactuses and tumbleweeds?"

"No.

 Just a lot of sand.

 It's kind of orangish-gold, with hints of pink, and I can

see tiny clouds of it floating above the ground, like ...

 like smoke."

"Piled up in lots of hills?"

"Yes, exactly! And it's beautiful."

Thorne snorted. 

"If this is how you feel about a desert, I can't wait