Moon Angel

Chapter 32: Making Plans

Chapter 32: Making Plans

It was getting late by the time I had finished. I changed into some of the new clothes I had bought and put the old ones into a plastic bag which I threw into the bathroom bin. I looked in the phone book and found that there was a food court a five-minute walk from the motel. I moved the majority of the money from my backpack and hid it at the very bottom of the duffel bag, underneath my clothes and supplies. I left out about $200 and shoved the notes into the back pocket of my jeans. I left everything but the essentials in the duffel bag and hid it under the bed. Taking my jacket and backpack, I left the room, locking the door behind me.

The food court was easy enough to find following the main street towards the centre of town. I ordered a pizza and sat down at one of the tables outside to wait.

I had to wait ten minutes for my pizza so I stood back up and decided to look around. Most of the shops had shut but I was content to look at their window displays. A poster in the window of a Travel Agent's building caught my eye. It pictured a large open field backed by beautiful snowy-topped mountains. It looked perfect. A caption above it read: NEW ZEALAND is a land of immense and diverse landscape. You'll see scenery here that you won't see anywhere else in the world.

I looked down further and another caption sat to one side at the bottom:

NEW ZEALAND has long been recognised for its magnificent scenic attractions with visitors from around the world inspired by the country's incredible natural features, mighty snowcapped peaks, majestic fiords, tranquil lakes, dense forests and lush farmlands all in one small country tucked away in the South Pacific.

I decided that I needed to go there, wherever it was. It looked like paradise. I wondered why I had never heard of it before. I needed to do more research into it, but it seemed like a place that would match me perfectly.

I looked around some more before picking up my pizza and making my way back to the motel to eat it.

***

I was back in a field. It was so familiar, yet I couldn't place where I was. I looked around. Someone sat under a tree behind me. I walked closer and recognised Cyra. She seemed to be in a trance of some sort.

"Cyra," I called out. She didn't seem to respond. "Cyra!"

Her eyes opened, and she turned to face me. She seemed confused, her face blank as if she couldn't see me. Maybe she couldn't. I walked closer, trying to catch her eye but she closed her eyes again, seeming to concentrate harder than before. I felt a desperation building up inside me. I needed her to see me. It had been way too long. I was scared she wouldn't recognise me.

"Cyra!" I shouted again. I was only about a metre away from her now. She still didn't seem to notice me. I slowly reached my hand out to touch her shoulder. I was scared that my arm would pass straight through her again, but my hand made contact, landing on her shoulder. I pulled it back, surprised.

Her eyes flicked open again, looking straight at me.

She could see me now, I realised. She blinked as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Selene?" she asked, sounding sceptical. "Selene?"

I could only nod, tears brimming in my eyes, my voice stuck in my throat. I didn't know why I found this so hard. She stood up. I realised I was her height now.

"It really is you," she said, quietly. "I thought I'd lost you forever."

I just stood there, not knowing what to say, or what to do. It had been too long. I didn't know what I had expected to happen when I saw her again, but I was speechless. It seemed she was too. She pulled me into her arms, and we embraced tightly as if she was scared to let go.

When we broke apart, I finally found my voice.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I've been asking myself that question every day since I lost you," she said. "It was during the day I think. We had been camping out in the forest for a few days after the ship crashed. It was all so strange, and you were sleeping. I was trying to figure out what to do and I guess I drifted off and fell asleep. But when I woke up, you were gone." She looked at me with a deep sadness in her eyes. "I can't imagine what you were feeling. You were so young in such a strange place. I was finding it hard enough."

I was confused. "Did I wander off?" I asked.

"I thought you'd know," Cyra said. "I didn't see you leave." She looked at me for a while, then a look of realisation flashed in her eyes. "You don't know? But you know me?"

I didn't know how to explain what happened. "I couldn't remember anything for years. It was all just black and foggy every time I tried. Everything came in pieces until about two months ago. All the pieces finally came together but after the crash there is still a small foggy patch. I thought I'd hit my head or something and that's why I hadn't been able to remember for so long."

Cyra looked worried. "But both of us came out of the crash fine. There were bumps and bruises but the emergency protocols had protected us from the impact. There was nothing wrong when you went to sleep that morning."

I couldn't help feeling sick inside. "Then what happened to me?"

"I don't know," she said. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, there was still something that was wrong about the whole situation.

Suddenly, something began pulling at me, and Cyra started fading away. "What's happening?" I shouted to her. She moved her lips but I couldn't hear what she said as I was pulled into a sort of darkness.

I woke up, sun shining on to me through the window. I had obviously slept in for a long time. I sat up quickly. I couldn't make sense of what had happened. It felt so real. Somehow I had managed to make contact with Cyra through a dream. Dreams had been so much a part of my life, helping me to connect with my past. It made some sort of sense that I would be able to communicate through them, if that's what I had just done in the dream.

It was obviously late in the day now, though. I had to get moving.

I cleaned the motel room to make sure there was no trace of me left there, just in case.

I found a café that offered free internet and googled 'New Zealand'. What I found just convinced me more that it would be perfect. It was a country with a small population of 4.5 million and wide open spaces that would be convenient for flying. It seemed like a place where Omega would never find me. I could truly disappear. I didn't know where I would stay, but I was sure I would work that out when I got there.

I ate some breakfast at the café before leaving the town. I walked for a few kilometers before I found a secluded place where I could take off without people seeing me. Carrying the two bags while flying was more difficult but I got the hang of it before too long, finding a comfortable position for the long flight ahead.

A/N: Hey everyone, it's taken me a while to write these next few chapters because the writer's block is back. But I'm persevering and I will get there in the end. Hang in there, more chapters will be on their way.

I would gladly here any suggestions or ideas about where the story is heading, or could be heading, in reviews. It might spur me on with new creativity. :)

Thanks to everyone for your support, and to ADFbookworm for reviewing. :)

-Bubbly xx