The Box People

Which way?

Morning came quickly, and soon we were constructing a compass out of a bowl of water and a needle. We got the bowl, a styrofoam one, from Corey's backpack. And we got the water from a bottle of water which came from Aria's sack. The needle was from Sev's bag.

South. That's where we were heading. But if Sev was right about this disaster thing, we needed to split up fast.

I suggested this to the group, and this time I was with Aria and Corey.

I felt a bit of a ripping feeling in my heart as I watched Sydney walk off talking to Sev. But it's no big deal, she's only thirteen, what could she possibly do? It's not like they'll start going out together or something. She's way too young. Right?

Why was I even caring anyways? It's not like I had a crush on Sev. Even if I did it was probably because I needed someone right now more than anything. I mean really, this is the most stressful thing I've gone through ever. Family is dead, and I'm expected to save the world with a twelve year old, thirteen, fifteen and sixteen year old.

Okay, five teenagers saving the world. Totally possible!

I turned around me, I had that feeling that I was being watched. I didn't see anything, so I shook it off. We walked on for about ten minutes when I got bored and tried to start up a conversation. . . The most random thing came out of my mouth. Probably because it's what I had been thinking about.

"So do you guys like anyone?"

As soon the words came out I clamped my hand over my mouth. "I mean. . ."

Corey and Aria laughed at me.

"No it's fine! Because I like nobody! Well. . . Nobody that's alive."

Aria's voice was cheerful at first, the last remnant of a laugh, but when she said 'nobody that's alive' her voice dwindled down to a squeak as she stopped walking and stared at the sand on the ground.

"Aria?" I thought she meant one of her ghost people at first. But I realized that she meant something else.

Aria took a deep breath and closed her eyes, then she opened them and started walking with us again.

"He was in my grade this past year, and I had been crushing on him for a long time. . . But one day he didn't come to school. I just shook it off and tried to get through the day without him."

Aria sighed, took another deep breath, and began the next sentence with her voice almost breaking. "He didn't come for another month. Then fifty seven days after the first of his absence, our study hall teacher broke the news to our class. He was dead. He got cancer and left school on that day, but he didn't make it."

Aria buried her face in her hands and wiped away any visible tears. I gave her a look, it told her that I was so so sorry and to be strong. She nodded back in an understanding response.

"I see him every night. He talks to me like my grandpa used to. But this night, he didn't come. Do you think it was them? Do you think they knew?" Her voice got more angry when she said Them.

"I don't know." I said, in a defeated voice.

"We should keep walking." Corey's confident voice broke in.

He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled, I did the same.

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We walked for a few more hours, and met up with Sydney and Sev at a gigantic, hollow wooden log. We decided that it was big enough to sleep in.

It's hard to give you a picture, but I'd you put about three school buses on top of each other, and five next to each other, you have a log like this one. This time I slept on the end of the line, me next to Sev, who was next to Corey, Sydney, then Aria.