Wanderers (1st Draft)

Naperville

Alice

Alice is a lot more comfortable riding horses now. She doesn't grip the saddle as hard. Though she still doesn't ride as fast as the others either. James thinks he's covering up the fact by riding next to her, but she knows.

The land surrounding Chicago is a lot less dry than the rest of the country. Which is due to the Great Lakes and rivers that run through the area. The area is a mixture of green and brown. Green trees cluttered together dot the brown ground.

They ride along a river for most of the trip then veer away north. An hour later Naperville appears on the horizon. The sun is almost directly above them at this point. Even from a distance, Alice can already tell that Naperville is a beautiful town. It is surrounded by green forests and a sparkling river runs through it. James had mentioned earlier that morning that it is one of the few towns that was completely rebuilt after the last war. The people who built it designed it in a way that would allow the remaining forest to thrive.

**

As the gap between them and the town closes, Alice starts to slow her horse down. A few minutes later they are leaving their horses at a stable on the edge of town, and following Rixton into the heart of the town.

As they walk Alice looks around. Red brick buildings line the street, and trees line the sidewalk. People mingle about, going in and out of the shops. A cool breeze ruffles the leaves on the trees, and the sun shines in the clear blue sky. James points out different places from his and Rixton's childhood. A small wooded park, their old school, the street corner where Rixton almost got hit by a car. Alice starts laughing at the last story. Rixton shoots a glare over his shoulder.

Rixton navigates his way through the streets with so much ease, one would think he'd never left the place. As they move deeper into the town, Alice notices that the buildings around them start to look nicer and more expensive. They seem to be headed to the upper class part of town.

They turn down a street and walk past several gated mansions. When they get to the end of the street they stop at a long drive way. Alice follows the gravel path up to a three story, grey brick mansion. After a moment pause Rixton leads the way up to the house. As they get closer Alice has to crane her neck back to see the top of the house. Once they get to the front steps Rixton stops. He pauses again and after a minute he walks up to the front door. The others follow him. They stand on the steps below Rixton. Alice stays at the back of the group.

Rixton pauses a second before knocking on the door. Not even a second later it swings open to reveal a tall, thin girl with long black hair. Once she sees Rixton her face breaks into a huge smile. She lets out a squeal of excitement and leaps into Rixton's arms. He wraps his arms around her and hugs her back.

"You came." The girl says softly. She looks to be a few years older than Rixton.

"Well you asked so nicely." Rixton replies. Alice can hear the smile in his voice.

The girl pulls back and smiles up at Rixton. Alice notices tears in her eyes. She blinks quickly then looks behind Rixton at the others.