After Fate Fell

21 • ELLA

1 year, 3 months, and 14 days after it all
•ELLA•
We land in Norfolk at 8:14 AM.
Neither of us have any idea what to do next, because when I contacted John, he seemed so out of it. After telling me that he and Six were in Paradise, he just dropped off, I felt his presence inside my head, but he never answered any of my questions. I still haven't been able to reach Six, so she can't help me either.
I'm worried, because if I can't reach Six, what does that mean? I know she isn't dead, I haven't felt a scar burn across my leg... but I don't know what's wrong. Can she simply not hear me? Is she ignoring me? Or is there something so important going on that she can't worry about responding to my calls out to her? I don't know.
So now we're just stuck in the Norfolk airport, confused and feeling useless, waiting for answers from John or Six. We both agreed that a trip to Paradise would be too much, unless there was some type of emergency that had to be addressed. I've especially been on one too many plane rides, and I know I'll at least have to take one more to somewhere in Africa, where Legacy's energy has been most depleted. So we wait.

After 30 minutes or so of just sitting in silence, Five finally suggests that we should at least leave the airport.
"I agree," I say. "Sitting here's doing us no good at all, so we might as well get up and try to do something."
I realize that if we don't hear from Six and John soon, we may have to leave the states without them. We have to get to southwest Africa soon, because not only do we have to travel there, but we have to find the location of the energy depletion, and then we need to figure out how to destroy whatever is causing it. We can't just sit here waiting for everyone. They'll catch up eventually.
"We should try to contact them again," Five says, reading my mind.
"Okay," I say. "Here goes nothing."

Six, John, can you hear me? Please respond! Five and I are not going to stay in the states much longer. We need you to come with us.

"Okay," I tell Five. "Now we just hope for a response from one of them."
"Why do you think Six isn't responding?" Five asks me.
"I'm not sure," I tell him. "It doesn't make any sense."

After another five minutes of waiting for a response, I give up and we decide to go into the city. Norfolk is right out on the water, and the buildings sprawl out along the coastline. It's a pretty morning to be near the ocean. There are joggers out on the sidewalks and people out walking their dogs in the morning ocean air. The world has quickly recovered from such an event as war. But then I think again and realize that it's probably been well over a year since it all ended. I'd forgotten how much time had passed up on that mountainside.
We walk down the street, shops lining both sides. The sky is the closest to "sky blue" that I've ever seen. The day is just beautiful. If not for the trouble lurking beneath my feet, I would have felt almost at home, almost happy. Almost.

Five walks beside me with newfound confidence. I haven't seen him in such good spirits since...ever. Maybe he's just happy to come out of hiding or maybe he's truly changed from that stubborn boy I knew just a year ago.
The breeze is warm, and it blows ever so slowly through my hair. This place almost reminds me of Mérida, but there's obvious differences. I think that anytime I end up in a place that is nice enough that I would like to call it home, I get attached. Even though I know that I have to move on, that the end goal is Lorien. Lorien is my home.

Ella? It sounds like Nine.

Nine? What is it? I haven't seen or heard from Nine in just a couple days when I was back up on that mountainside, but with all of the plane trips and the constant urgency of everything, time seems to have stretched.

I think we're getting close to Sam. We just arrived in Xigaze.

I'm not really sure where that is, because Legacy just gave me a pinpoint on a map, but I'm sure Nine and Marina know what they're doing.

Amazing guys. Let me know when you find him, I tell Nine.

Okay Ella. And then somehow he does his signature wink...telepathically. I never underestimate Nine's abilities, I guess.
And Ella? He asks.

Yes?

Our home in the mountains is gone. Somebody came and literally dropped fucking fire bombs on it Ella.

I'm so confused by this. What is happening?
Are you guys okay? I ask, because that's all that's important.

Yeah, we're fine. But there's two of us here who want some fuckin' revenge.