Battle Scars

Chapter Six; Spencer

I pack my thick notebook safely into my backpack. The notebook is packed full of all the information I have related to any person I've ever met. It holds anything I know or have found relating to people ranging from Nova, all the way to my parents. "You ready?" Asks Nova, in casual wear made for travel.

"Yup" I zip up the backpack and fling it over my left shoulder. "Let's go" we walk downstairs to find Nova's dad by the door. "You're not coming?" I ask her dad.

"Well I'm too old to go on a grand adventure. Besides, if everyone leaves, the house will be taken by gangs, and we wouldn't have anywhere to return to."

"Thanks dad, we won't be longer than a month, and that's exaggerating" Nova says, walking out the door, me on her tail. Filos is already sitting in the middle seat of the truck. I clamber in ready to take the long trip to LA, California.

The car engine roars to life as Nova starts the ignition. We set off along the damp weathered road in complete silence. I'm not really sure whether it is a comfortable or an on edge one, possibly a mixture of both. About ten miles down the road, Nova pipes up, "we don't know where we're going, we should stop for a map."

"No" I command "this place is too dangerous to stop, we need to get out as soon as possible. Plus, I have a map in my bag." I pull the old tattered map from my bag, and Filos helps me read it while we confuse Nova. Once we figure out how to get to LA, and wrote down the directions, I pull my note book out. I turn to the page labeled 'FILOS' and begin to work. My practiced hands work meticulously, recreating the chiseled features of his tanned face. Every once in a while I glance over at him, in order to perfect the sketch for his 'profile page' in my all knowing journal of people I've met.

"What?" He asks in frustration, breaking the silence, startling Nova.

"Nothing. Stay out of my business" I say giving him a death glare while nova looks at me curiously. "NOVA, EYES ON THE ROAD!" I exclaim. "The Suns starting to set, don't turn on your headlights"

"Why?" She asks in refusal.

"Because it will save energy, keep us from being tracked, and there won't be any other cars anyway. Your eyes will adjust yeesh." I explain closing my book and putting it in my bag. We talk a little, making fatal attempts at conversation, finally letting the conversation drop to silence a little while later.

It's been about an three hours of strait driving in silence before we all start to nod off. We are a few miles from the boarder when we decide to stop at a small abandoned motel. "It's too dangerous for us all to sleep. We should take watch shifts" I suggest.

"Alright, your idea, you go first" replys Filos, taking his spot on the couch. There is only one bed in this motel, and he knows if he tried to get that bed I'll send him to hell.

"Gladly" I retort plopping myself in my spot in front of the door. I take strict notice of Nova's disapproving look at our quarreling, but she doesn't know what I know.

I've sat now, for two hours, nearly my time to hand off the shift. My PPS in hand, doing what I do every restless night. Search information on my parents. I've done this for three years now, I should know I'm getting nowhere, but still I keep looking. Finding only what I've found before. Their names. Cora N. And Jason B. Wallis. I shut off the tablet, not wanting to endure any more torment than I've already inflicted upon myself. I wake Nova and take her spot on the bed, "your shift". She groggily gets up heading for the door. I hadn't realized how tired I acctually was until my head hit the pillow, but I sleep lightly so this shouldn't be a problem.

I wake to a sound asleep Nova draped lazily across the arm chair, and Filos slumped uncomfortably on the floor next to the door. I figure I should let them rest, after all, their not me. I rise to get a look outside, only to find it's almost noon. I hurry over to Nova and shake her awake. "It's almost noon, we need to get up" I shout at them as they both wave me off sleepily. Wow, they really do belong together. "We've lost FIVE HOURS of travle time. GET UP!" I finally yell, waking them both now with irritated looks. I smirk and gather my things.

Now in the car Nova insisted on playing the alphabet game, even though Filos and I both protested. The only letters for miles are the ones on street signs. We get to z twice before we get to the state line, and we finally manage to perswade her to not play the game annymore. Then she insists on someone else driving, so I take the wheel. After an hour of playing Mad-Libs from that reached book she brought, she falls asleep, leaning on Filos's shoulder. He's eyes are wide open, physically are of the death glare I'm sending him.

We drive past Disney land, now in the suburbs of LA. We pass empty homes and offices. Nearly everyone who lived here left to the central states. The ones who stayed are likly all in refugee camps like ucla. We decide to stay in a big three story house we found, figuring that no one would bother to look up all three stories, and if they did we could get out by then. "Let's all go to sleep" I say. I lye down on the love seat in the living room, but as normal I can't sleep. I decide on not searching the web tonight, I don't need the chance of drawing any extra attention to us.

I've nearly drifted off by the time I here the faint hum of fighter jets. It takes me roughly a minute to put two and two together. I panic. It's been ages since I've been in one of these. I wake Nova and Filos as fast as possible. "We need to get out now" I scream.

"Why?" Asks Nova, in complete bewilderment. Then she hears it too. "Oh" she wishers, picking up her small duffle-bag-thing. We rush outside into the quiet, stale air. The only sound for miles is us and the planes.

"The shed" I say, and we sprint for shelter.

"How long do you think it will take to drop?" Asks Nova.

"Any second now" mergers Filos. You could here a pin drop. Calm before the storm is all I have time to think before my thoughts are shaken from the shock wave, and the loud boom of the explosive.