The Color of Knowledge

Chapter Twelve (pt. 3)

After breaking down the camp, the group of three were on their way again. It seemed as though everyone was at peace this time around. They walked in silence at a nice pace.

"Break time?" Yani gasped after a good amount of time.

"Only if it's absolutely essential," said Ivy. "There's no saying when we'll make it to the cave."

"I—need—water," Yani sputtered slowly, "just as much as I need air right now."

The older lady sat on the ground in fatigue.

"Give it to her, Ivy," Zari whispered. "She needs it more than we do."

Ivy herself had developed a headache from the lack of water her body needed to function properly. She licked her dry, cracked lips in thought as Yani looked up at her with pleading eyes.

"This is our last bottle," Ivy said feebly, handing it to Yani. "We should each take a third of it now."

"Are you sure?" Yani asked, holding their last supply in her hand.

"I'm sure."

Yani untwisted the cap and drank, stopping every few seconds to make sure she did not exceed her limit. She then handed the bottle to Zari who did the same.

When it got to Ivy, she swished the remaining liquid around inside, sure it would be the last she would ever see such a thing. As the last drop fell into her open mouth she naturally wished for more.

"Let's get going," she said after they had time to mourn. "The faster we get there, the better."

Before long, the sun was on the rise again and the cave, their only hope, was nowhere in sight.

Zari threw down the bag she had been carrying, which landed with a thud. "We're never going to get there," she muttered in angst.

Ivy wanted to tell her not to talk that way, but even she was beginning to doubt they would reach their destination. They set up the tent in silence and clear frustration. When it was Ivy's turn to guard, she thought of nothing else but the ice-cold lemonade she had left on President Khamar's desk, untouched. Why had she not at least taken a sip?

Darkness fell as they traveled again, much, much slower than anytime previously.

"I can't go any further," Yani cried out.

They all stopped.

"What's the point? If we get there and you're wrong, Ivy, what will we do then? I just want to be with my sister..." Yani trailed off.

"And I would love to be with my mother," said Zari. "I think about it all the time, but then I think of what she would want for me. She would want me to stay alive. We can't give up just yet. I know our bodies are weak, our lips are cracked, and our heads are pounding, but we can't give up."

Tears started to roll down Ivy's dirty face. She had to will herself to stop crying before it made her headache even worse.

"Let's go."

They marched westward with new purpose. If only they had better bodies, for they moved slower than ever under the moon.

"Was that there before?" Zari asked after a few minutes.

In the distance was a faint, twinkling glow.

"It can't be the moon. The moon's right there," said Yani pointing up towards the sky. "It sort of looks like a star, right on the horizon."

"Homosato," Ivy whispered, remembering the conversation she had held with Tima about the plant. "C'mon, we're almost there!"