The Oblivion

the peace

I SAT UP in the darkness with a jolt, as always. I looked around wildly, forgetting where I was. I felt relief as my eyes adjusted to Ariana snoring softly beside me, and Brook fast asleep on her own blankets, while Brian was staring at the forest at the cave entrance, eyes intent, or lost in thoughts. I looked around for Arch.

I don't know if I was imagining, because I assumed he was sleeping. I spotted him, and before the relief could catch up in my chest, I saw his two pairs of fluorescent eyes staring at me. As soon as he caught me looking, I could swear that those two eyes disappeared and closed. I swallowed, feeling absolutely unsafe. Shuddering, I sank back down onto my shallow sheets and closed my eyes to block out those two eyes that pierced my skin.

I hadn't slept after that, but I couldn't be too sure. The thin line between reality and the darkness of nightmares wasn't visible to me. I knew one thing for sure: that wasn't just any dream, it was exotic. Different, I thought— no, I knew, that Arch had something to do with the dream. The next day dragged ahead, and all I could think of was the dream. I didn't feel like explaining it to anyone.

I ran over the dream I had. I wondered why and how I could touch the wall. I went out hunting to clear my head after throwing on a coat, wool pants and a pair of boots onto myself. I only took my knife, and stepped out of the warm depths of the cave into the freezing land of ice, snow and flakes. I gazed around, transfixed by all the white wonders, then moved on. I took big strides to ease the insistence in my legs from being in the cave for so long, and took deep inhales of the fresh breezes. I felt as if I were in another world. All the leaves from the tree's had been taken over by the snow, and their thin claws stretched out without the company of greenery. I felt less claustrophobic, because of all those countless days of seeing trees it was good to find a better difference.

My shoes sank into the deep snow, making it difficult to walk. By the time I was half dead from walking and wheezing, I discovered some more wild strawberries, unsurprisingly ice cold. They were hard, too, but what choice did we have? Even with the support of the food from those campers we were low on food.

By the time I got back, all my companions including Arch were sat on the floor in a circle, as if they were discussing something important. Swallowing the bullet in my throat and expecting the worst, I walked into the cave and joined them. As soon as I sat down, Brook explained what they were talking about.

They were talking about leaving the cave and seeking refuge somewhere else, because we couldn't keep living like this.

I agreed smoothly.

Brian told them that we should go back to Corpsejay, but Ariana shook her head in anticipation, and I said that wasn't an option. Brook and Brian gazed at us in confusion, but said nothing.

It was silent for a long period of time.

"What about Cliffton?" Brook put in.

Cliffton. The word felt familiar, as if I knew it. Suddenly all my memories shifted to the time when Mother suggested that we move to another city after the contradictions between the guards circulation around us occurred. I smiled at the memory for no reason at all. The whole situation wasn't amusing then, but any comical memory now would light up the place.

"Good idea," Brian said.

"Cliffton? Where is that?" Ariana shared the same perplexing look I had.

"It's a very advanced technological city. I don't know much about it, but they must have the tools to help us. Besides, maybe it will get us somewhere. Maybe we share the same feelings of hatred with them against the NG...like we could create rebellion with them." Brook said.

I wondered why she thought some strangers would like us immediately and listen to just some new random citizens.

"What if we're wrong?" I hissed. "What if they're actually with the NG?"

"That, we don't know," Brian admitted.

"But if what Brook said is true then I'm in," Ariana looked at Brook. I felt a tingle of the same hope that they would be friends. Brook returned a friendly expression. No, an approving expression will do.

"Even if all agree to go, how would we get there?" I asked curiously, wondering why they came up with such grandiose plan if we didn't have a clue of where it was.

Brian's face lit up triumphantly and stood up, walked over to one of the bags we picked up from those traveling strangers, and brought out a strange looking, small, metallic and dark device. I stared.

It had a small flat screen in the middle that took up most of the space, and had sharp curt corners of a square.

I got it.

"GPS?" I asked, touching it curiously.

"Right," Ariana confirmed.

I never actually touched or used one before, but my Mother mentioned it before when she was telling us facts about technology. It was supposed to be a source to tell us where to go, like a map. But how could this small, blank device tell us where to go?

Brian fiddled around with it, and then pressed a button at the side of the GPS. To my fascination the blank screen lit up, and colors appeared onto it. A bunch of lines were planted on it, and a small arrow was in the middle. A map.

Ariana gave a squeal of amazement while I just watched Brian set it up.

"I used to learn about mapping with my father. He was a mapping genius, and carried on his legacy with me," Brian said proudly. A small keypad appeared on the screen, and Brian expertly touched the screen with tiny words printed into the rectangle search box: Cliffton.

Then the page returned back to the arrow and the lines, and a standing out blue line was the one we should follow, according to Brian.

"Well, if we do go by any chance, Brian will be the one leading," Brook said.

"How do they even work?" I asked, my mouth watering to find out more.

"Something related to satellites, I don't know," Brook replied.

"Satellites?" I echoed, but no one seemed to hear me.

Ariana picked at her fingernails, and then looked down at them for a while. Then she sat up straight, then tipped her head to the side, as if considering, then spoke up, "Say we get there. Then what? You said that we could start some kind of army against the NG. A: Us girls are just kids. We are going to be new, insubordinate people. B: Guys, Brian told me we're in some kind of testing place. No matter where we go, no one can take us out."

"You're right, but the last statement isn't quite. If we go to Cliffton, the least we can do is get some answers or advice, or just clean ourselves up there. It was never an eternal thing. Can't you see how isolated we are? We're living like wild animals, Ariana." Brook said, then looked at Arch, "And Arch may end up more mature than us if we stay here. We could forget anything. Forget how to talk. Think like the animals we hunt. Turn wild."

So many points were being made, so many ups and downs. But to me, deep inside my instinct told me we need a change.

"I'm in," Brian stepped forward confidently.

"So am I," his sister chipped in.

They looked at me and my sister.

Ariana sighed, rolling her eyes, "I think I'm going to puke if I stay here a day longer."

They look at me, at I know that they need my permission to go on the journey, and I don't hesitate, "I guess I'm outvoted."

"So we're ready?" Brook ran a hand through her silky hair, eyes glowing.

"Wait. Did you forget someone?" Ariana smiled, and looked down at Arch, head down from being left out. He raised his head, curled back his lips at Ariana as if he were smiling.

"Right. Sorry." Brian raised an eyebrow at Brook, but leaned to Arch's eye level. "Do agree to walk amongst us across the border of Cliffton?"

Ariana rolled her eyes, clearing unhumored, but to me it was the closest thing we got for a joke in a while.

Arch barked loudly, loud enough to wake up the whole forest, leaving us laughing in his wake.