Fallen Warriors ➢ Bellamy Blake

Chapter Seven: Childhood Memories

Chapter Seven: Childhood Memories

Song: Sweater Weather- Max Schneider and Alyson Stoner Cover

I woke before the sun had risen. I had slept on Finn's chest again, passing out after eventually crying to the point where I physically had no more tears to shed. I slipped out from under his arm that was wrapped tightly around me and tugged on my boots, followed by my jacket. As quietly as I could, I slipped out of the tent, leaving Finn asleep. I watched the rise and fall of his chest before I let the curtain drop, closing the tent.

The camp was silent. The fire had died and was only smoking embers now. Some kids were passed out on the ground, lying on their jackets or sleeping with them draped over their shoulders. It seemed I was the only one awake in the camp as I crept towards the trees surrounding camp. As I did, I stopped at the sound of a quiet plea. "No!" A high pitched voice moaned. I glanced around me, pondering whether or not I had just imagined the little girls desperate cry. "No!" I heard again. This time, convinced I wasn't imagining the sound, I began searching for the source of the noise. My eyes fell upon the sleeping body of a preteen girl, curled into a tight ball. She was alone, isolated, thrashing in her sleep as she screamed, as if she was begging for mercy, like she was being tortured in her dreams.

"Hey." I whispered sensitively as I shook her shoulder gently. "Hey, wake up, sweetheart." I said and her eyelids bounced open, like throwing up shutters. She immediately sat up, scooting away from me as she fought for breath, a terrified expression etched on her face. "It's okay." I told her quietly, sitting on my haunches next to her. "What's your name?" I asked, tucking her matted blonde hair behind her ears.

"Charlotte." She answered tentatively. I shifted and sat next to her.

"I'm Tanner." I introduced kindly. "It's okay to be scared." I told her, seeing the fear still plastered on her face. "Do you wanna know a secret?" I offered. She nodded shyly and I leaned closer to her. "I get scared, too." I whispered. I wrapped my arm around her gaunt shoulders. "Why don't you tell me about your dream?"

"It's about my parents." She began, her voice shaky. "They were floated." She cried. "I see it in my dreams!"

"I understand, sweetheart." I empathized, rubbing her narrow arm. "My Mother was floated when I was just a little older than you." She sniffled and wiped her nose with the sleeve of her jacket. "So how did you end up here?" I asked, looking around at the scenery surrounding us.

"They were taking my parent's things to the redistribution center, and I--" a tear rolled down her fair cheek. "I kind of lost it. They said I assaulted a guard."

"I can't say I blame you." I confessed. I looked up at the night sky. It couldn't have been past one or two in the morning. I spotted a glowing orb in the sky that was just a little bigger and brighter than the rest. "Do you see that star? The one right above that cloud that looks like a leprechaun?" Charlotte giggled at this and nodded, confirming she had spotted the star. "That's the Ark. Right there. And there, orbiting around us, is the rest of our people. Now, I believe that they're gonna come here, and they're gonna save us. Whatever happened, the pain and sadness we've endured, it can be erased. We can start over." I fibbed.

"Do you really believe that?" Charlotte asked quietly.

"I'm trying to." I lied. Charlotte rested her head on my shoulder as I continued to stare into the starry sky.

"Can I tell you a secret?" She whispered.

"Of course." I answered quietly.

"Sometimes I think about running away from here." With this, Charlotte drifted back into a peaceful sleep. I looked to her to beg for answers, but she had fallen into deep sleep.