Fallen

Chapter Fourteen

*Author's Note* Hey! I just wanted to thank everybody who's read this! I'm hoping to update this story a lot more now that Summer has started, but I don't think it will be reguarly.  Also, the chapter's are really short, so there will be a lot of them! :)) Thanks for reading! Please comment, vote, and share! xoxo

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As we eat, we don’t speak.  I thought the hot dogs of the previous night were good, but the bacon doesn’t even compare.  When we’re finished, we feed the remaining piece to Daisy, who accepts it without second thought.  Alex walks over to the duffel bag again and this time pulls out a small plastic bag.  “I usually try to reuse whatever I can,” he explains, “but the grease makes these plates unusable again.  We’ll have to start a trash bag and throw it out when we reach the next town.”

            I shake my head to show I understand.  He sits back down on the log next to me and I drop my plate into the bag.  I look up at him, “Thank you.  You were right: it has been a long time since I had bacon.  So long that I forgot just how good it is.  I wonder why the Society doesn’t offer it very often.”

            “It’s supposed to be pretty bad for your health,” he replies.  “I don’t understand, though, how something so perfect could be so terrible!  It tastes…magical!”

            He looked over at me and chuckled, “Please don’t be mad, but I have to tell you something:  last night while you were sleeping, I decided to read some of those other books you had.  I wasn’t plundering or anything, I promise.  The books were just so good!  I meant to only read part of one and then go to sleep, but I couldn’t stop!  They were all full of these wonderful stories and I felt like they were all true. Like they were-“  Momentarily he stops, and then shakes his head.  “I’m sorry. You probably think I’m stupid or something.”

            “No, of course not,” I smile.  “You’ve just never read a fictional book have you?”

            He shakes his head, “No.  I’ve only ever really read those stupid history books we had to in school.  I was always the one to stay as far away from the library as possible because I thought the only books in there were boring!  If I knew there were books like the ones you have I would’ve been someone who went there constantly!”

            Alex gets up and walks over and into his tent.  It looks identical to mine except the color; his is red.  He steps out with a book in his hands. “I believe this belongs to you,” he says, handing me the book.  Alice in Wonderland is written across the front.

            “This is my favorite,” I whisper.     

             “No wonder,” he comments, “it’s amazing!” I look up at him and see a tiny twinkle in his eye. He really is beautiful. “Anyway,” he says, breaking my trance, “about the ‘surprise’: you should go get ready!  We have a big day to take on!”

            With that, I stand up, and walk over to my tent to grab my bags. “I’ll just go over there so you can get ready,” says Alex. “Call me when you’re done! Oh, and wear something comfy!