Who We Really are

Chapter 6

*A.N. I don't think this quote fits the chapter this much but I really like it so here: "I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced be it." - Maya Angelou

Chapter 6

Walking back to camp, I dried my tears and I thought about how I was going to explain my plan. It makes sense to me, but I'm really good at making things more confusing then they already are. As we were walking back Kennan told me that I was the bravest girl he'd ever met.

"Kennan, Their are no easy answers but their are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what is morally right."

"Did you get that out of a book?"

"No, Ronald Reagan 40th president."

"It's funny how you still know all of Americas history."

"Hilarious." I said and he wrapped his arm around my waist as we walked back to our camp.

"So your grandfather is the head of the Cloud?" I didn't respond. He knew the answer as well as I did. Then he asked another question. "Rehyn who are we? We didn't even know what are own parents did for a living. You didn't know who you grandad was until tonight." I thought about this. Then I realized we knew nothing about ourselves or are family.

"Who we really are, we are sick, cheating, lying humans. Who we really are, we are lovable, caring, nice, respectful people. I guess who we really are depends on who we want to be." And we left it at that.

*****

"Where the hell where you guys!? you can't just leave me like that!" Jessica yelled when she finally saw us.

"Calm down Jess. Kennan had to show me something."

"New rule ok. You don't go anywhere without me. I can talk my way out of any situation because of my job with Them."

"Well we didn't run into any patrols. And I thought you said you were the only one roaming around." I rolled my eyes at her. She doesn't have the right to think that I can't fend for myself. I mean I've been doing it for five years.

"But what if you did?" She said.

"What?"

"Rehyn since you opened that message there has been many more people like me."

"Yea and how'd you find that out."

"A guy I work with found me. While you were gone. He's on our side so you don't have to worry. But he told me that almost all the people they are sending out have stations apart about every half a mile or so in every direction."

"Great." Kennan said sitting down. Guess he thought we'd be stuck here forever. Way to be hopeful. Following his lead I sat down. Then Jessica followed.

"Anyway," Jess said facing toward me more. "Look he also told me of a way to get out."

"What are you talking about."

"He called it the Seam. No one knows about it not even the people closest to your grandfather."

"Then how does your friend know about this?"

"Ryan, that's his name. Not my friend."

"Wait so he's not your friend." Kennan said being dumber than ever.

"Shut up Kennan." We both said simultaneously. When we said that to him he sat back and let us talk. I felt horrible though.

"Ok so he knows about it because he over heard Torrent, your grandfather talking about it." Torrent. Sounds like torment. Ironic how fitting the name is.

"Wait who was he talking to?"

"Ryan doesn't know, he said when he walked past the room it was open a crack but he didn't see anyone in their. He says he thinks it was a video call. Who he was calling we don't know and have know idea who he would call."

"Well can this Ryan dude be trusted?"

"Ok course he can!" she yelled at me. I didn't know why she yelled it at me but she did.

"Ok no need to yell."

"Sorry," she said and blushed. Then I realize that her and Ryan have or had a relationship with each other. Not just friends but more like a romantic relationship.

"So I had a plan but, now that I know about the Seam I have to reconfigure."

"Well before you make any new plans I want you to know that Torrent was lying about the whole oxygen running out."

"What do you mean? Kennan and me both saw people suffocate right in front of our very own eyes and they were on the other side of the Dome."

"Look Ryan, knows a lot of things he shouldn't and that's just because he can sneak around pretty well," That makes me wonder how trustworthy he is. But I trust Jessica so I'll try to trust Ryan. "He knows that the dome has been around since the first night of the apocalypse. Those people you saw probably ate some bad meat or a poisonous plant, they didn't suffocate."

"What are you saying."

"We can run. It will be ok Rehyn we can get away from all of this. All of it and no one is stopping us."

"Jessica everything is stopping us."

"What?"

"Well first off like you said there are patrols every half a mile. I'm guessing the seam isn't anywhere near here," we were probably right smack dab in the middle of everything. "Second people are going to die because of me."

"People have already died because of you. What makes this different?"

"I know about this now. I don't want to run if that means everyone else who are unfortunately stuck underneath the Dome and do not know about the Seam, will die," if I could save a hundred lives knowing that I'm going to die. I'd gladly do it. "And lastly as long as I'm alive the Cloud will always be looking for me. After awhile they'll figure out that I'm alive and outside and then they'll find me and my punishment will be worse." Jessica shut up after that.

We just sat there for a while saying nothing. While sitting their I realized that their was a small fire going. I also realized scars I had never noticed before that covered Jessica. When I first met her she had on leather pants and a leather jacket with a tank top underneath and her hood was up on another thin jacket underneath her leather one.

When I first met her she hid the side of her face and her arms by wearing that black leather jacket, but she wasn't wearing any of her jackets and just had a plain black tank top on. I could really see her face.

On the left side of her face on her ear she had a scar running all the way from the top of her ear to the top of her shoulder. Then on her wrists she had lots of burn marks like from shackles or something along those lines. What had the Cloud done to her?

She also had a few red marks around her neck like someone had tried to suffocate her recently. She noticed me looking at her and then she said, "To you it may seem that the worst thing the Cloud has done to this world is cause the worlds death. But they are much, much worse than that." At that moment I heard a howl. It wasn't quite a wolfs howl it was more like a bear/ wolf/ lion howl. "Time to go." Jessica said. She didn't have time to explain so we grabbed our bags and put out the small fire, erasing the memory that we were ever here.