Rebuilding Earth

Chapter 25- The Power of Noticing

     As I wake up once again, the sun is shining through the window. It will be another beautiful day. But Caitie is missing.
     "Louis? Are you awake yet?" I whisper, feeling his chest move up and down as he breathes.
     "No, I'm not. Sorry," he replies sleepily.
     I sigh. Well, let's go find someone else to talk to!! Everyone else is sleeping, I suppose I could listen in to someone's dreams, if it was possible, and then I notice Russ. He looks terrible, a lot skinnier then he was when we left the bunker. He's wide awake with dark circles under his eyes.
     "Russ? Are you ok?" I ask.
     "No, I'm not," he replies warily.
     "Have you eaten anything in the past few days? Or slept?"
     "Nope. I'm so worried about Sasha, is she alright or not, I don't know. I think she was absent when the field trip happened, otherwise I would've refused to go without her."
     "Well, we have to look for Caitie today and I guess we can look for Sasha too while we're at it..."
     "Don't go looking for Caitie. She can stop time itself. By now, we probably could've been stopped for 100 years and she could be dead for all we know! But I know how it feels to want to be alone, trust me, don't look for her."
     "Are you sure? I know too and I always would wait until someone would come and find me, in most cases no one did and I felt unwanted."
     "This is a different kind, a kind where you truly do want to be left alone. If she wants to come back, she can."
     "But we're not going to be here forever! Eventually we're all going to stay somewhere else, if this place isn't safe anymore. Or if something happens, or we want to go somewhere. I realize that maybe the power is down in some places, maybe all, but there are still airplanes and trains full of gas and boats and cars too! We could go ANYWHERE in the entire world and not have to pay for it, unless there are more people alive, running everything, setting up new governments."
     "I get that, we can leave a sign or something, but she just wants to be left alone."
     "Alright, I'll trust you as long as you do one thing for me."
     "And what would that be?" 
     "I want you to take care of yourself, if Sasha is out there, she's looking for you or wishing you were there. But she is most definitely not hoping to see you like this. You know she wouldn't want you to be like this, just because she's not there. Now, eat! And get some sleep, please!"
     I go over to my backpack which is still very much loaded with food and grab a cup of applesauce, a plastic spoon, and some crackers. I hand him these items and he eats them, finished every last cracker and drop of applesauce. Then he lays down on his little makeshift bed.
     "Thank you Autumn, for being caring and reminding me that I am better then this, I shouldn't be miserable and starving, I should be full and looking for Sasha, I know I will find her. Thank you" he whispers and dozes off.
     "You're welcome," I whisper and slowly tiptoe to where Louis is finally waking up.
     I grab a glazed donut and shove it in my mouth. I wish I had a Boston Creme donut so bad, we're going to have to raid a donut store soon.
Louis is now sitting up, staring at me with puppy eyes. I throw a chocolate donut in his direction.
"Hey!" he calls out, but then realizing that mostly everyone else was sleeping. May and Marie start to wake up. But not the other two lovebirds. As much as Freddy loves to tease me, I love to make fun of him SOOO much more.
Last night, Kora fell asleep cuddled up to Freddy and he ended up with his arms wrapped around her in a comfortable looking embrace and that's how they are at the moment. They're honestly adorable together.
Speaking of adorable, Mr. Why-did-you-throw-my-donut is now sulking because the donut fell on the ground.
"Ever heard of the 5 second rule?" I say, picking up the donut.
"That's disgusting eww!" he squeals like a girl.
"You're acting like a 3 year old girl!" I say, taking a bite out of the donut.
"Well give the 3 year old her donut!" he whines, reaching for the donut.
"Manners!"
"Can I pleeeeease have my donut now?" he asks, batting his eyelashes.
"Fine, here you go," I say, this time handing him the donut. No temper tantrums allowed.
"So, what happened to your friend, what was her name- ah! Yes, Victoria?" says Louis casually.
I stop everything I'm doing. Victoria. I. Have. To. See. Victoria!
Freddy and Kora finally start to wake up, and I call Freddy over.
"Yeah?" he asks, yawning and rubbing his eyes.
"Have you ever been to Dockerton?" I ask. That's where Victoria lives- or... Lived.
"No... Why?"
"I just know someone who lives there, they're very important to me, that's all..."
"Well, I can try to see if I can teleport there but I don't know if it will work..."
He closes his eyes and concentrates.
"Dockerton," he says out loud. But nothing happens.
"Isn't Pondwood around there? I think it's only a few miles away from there, right?" he asks.
"Wait, did someone say Pondwood?" asks a voice from the corner. That's where Russ was earlier.
"Yeah... Why?" asks Freddy.
"I think that Sasha was somewhere like that when we were on out field trip. Yeah, I'm pretty sure. She said she was visiting her Grandpa, she said he probably wasn't going to make it much longer."
"Well, guys, get packing! I guess we're going to Pondwood next!"
"But what about our pets?" asks May. "We shouldn't leave them,"
     "But think about it, it's already been over a week, they may all be dead, and if they aren't they all probably have ran away by now."
    "Ugh, fine. But how are we all going to get to Pondwood? Can't you only teleport like one person at a time?"
    "Well, I've never tried anymore then that. But we can try. Everyone grab all of your stuff and stand in a circle holding hands with the person next to you. This should work I think,"
     We do as Freddy told us, gathering up all of our things and then standing in a circle with holding hands with one another. On my left is Louis and on my right is Kora, who is holding hands with Freddy.
     "I want us all to go to Pondwood!" says Freddy.
     And the world changes around us. Here we are, Pondwood.

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Hey people! I have decided to do some more different POVs for the next one or two chapters, there will be something featuring Nikki, maybe Russ too at some point. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter!!