24 Dreams Of You And Me

11) Since You've Been Gone

"The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are never said and never explained."

***

"So what else do you know?" Levi asked as Alyssa followed him.

"Just that we're trapped in our memories. This lake is one of both our memories. Those kids were us." She answered while looking where to step.

"We hardly have any memories together that I remember." Levi commented.

Thank God for that, Alyssa thought.

"It's not just memories that we lived. Any dream your physical body dreamt whenever you weren't travelling are stored in your mind too. Those may play as well."

"So how do we get out of this place?" Levi turned a little to look over Alyssa.

She shrugged. "Beats me. I think we should just keep walking. It's our memory so maybe the rest of the world is like our memory too."

"So you're saying that we're on Earth but in our memory? How does that make sense?"

"It does, just requires a good enough brain to perceive it." She huffed.

"Says the girl who missed a f*cking alive plant amongst dead ones." He retorted.

"Just shut up. Don't talk to me unless it's about the ingredients."

"Gladly."

The rest of the walk was spent in silence.

Levi was feeling uncomfortable. He hadn't imagined Alyssa to be so cold. In all his memories, she was so warm and sweet.

Alyssa, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with Levi. He was a leader of another tribe. It was like a brutal joke.

Her aunt married another tribe's leader, crushing her dad. Richard and Levi separated from the tribe, crushing her dad.

No matter how much she hated the restrictions her parents had her in, she still loved them with everything she had.

Levi was the bane of her existence. She couldn't believe she had to team up with him. She regretted not listening to Bella, John and Ruby.

Every fiber of her being wanted to put as much distance between him and her as she possibly could.

After some time, they got out of the forest and reached the main road.

"What do we do? We don't even know where to go. Are there the same places as Earth here?" Levi wondered.

"Logic says yes." Alyssa reluctantly answered. "Our memory while on Earth."

"Then there must be people too?"

"There was us. I don't know the rest. But we can't trust anyone, who knows they might be Aradia's soldiers?"

Levi sighed and looked up at the morning sky with narrowed eyes. "You're right. We should stay low."

They both silently prayed and prayed but they knew Angels won't come. Aradia has them blocked out. It was a miracle Alice was able to maintain a long enough link.

Levi was worried for her. Who knows what consequences Alice had to deal with for talking to them?

Alyssa kicked a few stones and leaves and pushed her hands in her pockets.

Levi watched her walking aimlessly in circles and decided to make conversation.

"So.. um, how has everything been?"