The Tenth Year

Chapter 6 - Reegan

We reached the dreaded field an hour before midnight. I was the first one to get out of the back of the truck. I couldn't take the air of despair anymore. I needed to breathe some fresh air immediately. When the oxygen filled my lungs I felt like my old self.

"This is not as bad as I thought it'd be," Zoe muttered as she stood beside me.

The field surrounding us was like a small heaven in the middle of the Nevada dessert, but it sure didn't fool me. This was a place where terrible things happened. People were torn apart from their loved ones. Something we were all about to experience. I shifted my attention back to our crew, because thinking about the inevitable future was making me want to burst into tears.

"Everybody, make yourselves comfortable," Stefan commanded when his feet hit the grass. It wasn't really a command, but someone needed to be in charge of the situation and it surely wasn't going to be me. I couldn't even contemplate the thought of relaxing. My gut feeling was telling me to grab Zoe's hand and run toward the never-ending dessert. I fought it as hard as I could while I made my way to the middle of the field where a few trees provided shelter.

Grayson and Tommy found a place to sit next to me. "What now?" Grayson asked. He was fidgeting to back to his feet but managed to keep himself seated. I knew the feeling. Every second waiting felt like torture. I wish for the angels to get here as soon as possible and get this thing over with.

"We wait, I guess. Do you want to play a game?" Zoe asked us and as I watched her forced smile I wished for the waiting to never end.

***

It had been a few hours when people started to fall asleep. How on earth they could relax enough to do so, especially in a situation like this, was beyond me. I, on the other hand, had started pacing up and down the grassy field and couldn't stop my feet from moving.

When the sun started making its appearance in the grey sky I stopped at my tracks. It wasn't like I hadn't watched a sunrise but it has been so long since the last time. I had spent such a long time locked up unearth the surface that I was captivated by the view.

I felt someone standing beside me, but didn't even blink. The sun moved slowly, making the moment freeze in time. "It's so unfair," I muttered to however was listening.

"What is?"

I jumped surprised to hear Stefan's voice. He wasn't someone I expected to find slacking beside me, staring at the sunrise. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He ran his hand down my back, reassuringly.

I found myself shrugging away from his touch. His surprised look made me feel guilty. But sometimes I surprised myself too, this time being one of them. I didn't know why I didn't want him to touch me. I knew he only wanted to make me feel better about the upcoming disaster but I didn't want him to feel bad for me. I didn't want anyone to feel bad for me. Truthfully, I didn't want to feel bad for myself either. I just wanted this whole thing not to be real.

I took my eyes away from him, pretending to get back to the view, while my eyes were blinded by the million thoughts running through my mind. I couldn't do this. When I stopped feeling sorry and helpless, it was finally clear to me. I couldn't go through this yet another time. I refused to.

Take care of Zoe. The words echoed loudly in my mind.

For the first time ever since I the Curse has fallen upon humankind, I found myself questioning my actions. All this time, I hadn't been taking care of Zoe or myself, for that matter. I had surrendered my life and hopes to the hands of others. People who surely wanted to help, but where going nowhere fast. I hadn't been doing anything. All this time, I was just waiting for the inevitable to happen. If I wanted to be true to my promise, I needed to take action. I needed to take charge of my life.

I smiled at the morning sky and turned on my heels. I only made it a couple of steps away when Stefan's voice reached me. "You never told me what was so unfair."

I turned to him and by his expression, I was sure I looked very serious. "The fact that the angels get to enjoy our world while we have to live unground like mice." I watched as his mouthed slowly moved, failing to find the right words to say. I didn't need any words. Not when the end was so close. I stared at the sun one last time, as it bled orange to the grey morning sky, before I made my mind on what had to be done.

"I'll win out sunrises back," I muttered. I didn't know if Stefan heard me and I honestly didn't care.

I made my way back to where my friends were sleeping. They all looked so peaceful even at a time like this. I took a moment to appreciate how cute Zoe and Grayson looked, with her head lying on top of this chest. I was sure they didn't fall asleep like that, but even though those two never admitted their feeling for each other, their bodies seemed to know all too well where they belonged and that was in each other's arms.

I could feel my heart warming up and I gave them a sweet smile that no one saw before I kicked Grayson with the tip of my boot. He grunted and shifted, which made Zoe's head hit the ground. Her breath was knocked out of her lungs and her eyes flew open. "What the hell?" she yelled, sitting up straight. She couldn't stop rubbing the side of her head.

Grayson was suddenly very awake. He moved closer to Zoe and touched her head gently. "Are you okay?" he asked, the concern so obvious you had to be stupid not to realize he was crazy about her.

I kept on smiling even though I knew it was time to get down to business. I didn't know how much time we had left. "My fault," I muttered and shrugged. "Sorry."

"What is going on, Reegan?" she asked me. "Are they here?" I hated the sound of fear in her voice. It only made me more certain about my plan.

Tommy was awake now, too. His huge white eyes stared blankly at my direction. I tried to keep my smile steady as I knelt in front of my friends. "No, they're not here." I looked at each of them, searching their faces for what I knew was crucial for my plan to work. First they were all relieved, but then sadness overtook them. However, I could see a flicker of hope still burning inside them. But hope wasn't enough. I needed more. "They're not here, yet," I added and then I found what I was looking for. Despair.

I moved closer to them, so that no one would hear what I was about to say and they followed my lead. "And we're not going to be here when they do arrive."

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A/N: So what do you think so far? Which one is your favorite PoV? It's been really fun for me writing from all those different PoVs and getting inside those so different minds.

~Veronica