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"You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending."
-C.S. Lewis
It must have been past midnight by the time I dragged Lyle into the camp and I had never been happier to see these familiar faces. I only made it a few feet through the gate before I was enveloped in several sets of arms.
"Oh my god," Trudy pulled me down so she could look me in the eye, "We thought you were dead." Her eyes widened when she saw Lyle on my back, "Why is that mother-"
"I'm not going to have this conversation with you right now, Trudy," I muttered and my eyes began to droop.
"Not going to-" Trudy scoffed, "you go out there and disappear for hours after the battle until most of the survivors have already shown up and you think I'm just going to let you off without you telling me what happened?"
"Yes," I dropped Lyle's unconscious body on the ground and pushed passed her. "Make sure he doesn't get away; I want to have a little chat with him in the morning."
Jake was the next person I came across on my way to my bed.
"Save it, Jake," I held up my hands to stop him from berating me as well, "I've already heard it from Trudy."
He quickly shut his mouth, but he pulled me into his arms, "I'm glad you're okay."
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, patting him on the back, "Ain't it a wonderful day."
"Get some sleep," Jake voice was strained and contradicted the smile on his face, "it seems as though you have lost your wits."
I said nothing but gave him a brief nod before walking away. The camp was noticeably quiet, even for this time of night. There were no late night wanders and those who were awake were tending to the wounded. Children dared not make a sound for fear of upsetting the peace that had settled over the camp.
It was a strange and disturbing atmosphere, and I was grateful to hide in the confinements of my tent. The familiarity was welcome; almost as welcoming as my bed.
I was filled with the utmost disappointment when I woke up in the Link pod instead of drifting off to a beautiful dreamland. The cold plastic pressed against my bare legs and goosebumps crawled up the back of my neck. The injuries that I sustained during the fight did not transmit to my human body, but the exhaustion still plagued my mind.
My hand blindly reached up to push the lid of the Link up, and when I lifted it, I nearly dropped it once again because light poured into my eyes. The hand that wasn't holding up the lid covered my eyes as they adjusted.
