Above

40

Estelle
The camp was pretty easy to find, mostly because we found a notebook, and we could do the whole location spell thing. 
It was true, they packed up the entire camp and were preparing to leave when we walked into the clearing. 
They were all caught up in throwing things in trunks or talking to even see us. 
"Hey!" Leeciy yells. "You guys weren't planning to leave without us, right?" 
Everyone simultaneously turned at his voice, eyes wide. 
I guess Cirus didn't spread the news that we were alive. 
September was the first to leave the group, sprinting as fast as he can to me. 
Luca followed close behind. 
Cirus ran to Leeciy, her hand in Logan's. 
Two half-grown men slammed into me at the same time, knocking me over. 
"You're okay!" Luca exclaims, pure joy in his voice. 
I nod. "I'm fine." 
September just clung to me like I was the only thing tethering him to humanity.
"Hey." I run a hand through his curls. "I'm fine." 
His grip tightens. 
"I'm gonna go say hi to Leeciy." Luca says. 
I nod, letting him get off me. 
September disconnects himself from me, standing up, walking off. 
I stand up and follow him. 
"You're awake for not even an hour and a half and you get kidnapped." September says, seriously. "I thought you were gone, and my last words to you would be: 'Hey, you're awake!'"
"I'm sorry."
He shakes his head. "You're the only family I have left, you're the mother I never had, you can't just disappear like that."
"I didn't know I'd get captured." I defend myself. 
He turns around angrily. "You weren't even supposed to leave camp! It's dangerous! Do you know how many mutated creatures could be out there?" 
I stay silent, shocked. 
"You got taken and nobody knew where you were, not me, not Titanios, not even Nigel!" He says. "We all thought that you died, Estelle, and that would've broken me." 
I open my mouth to talk. 
He just holds his hand up, walking away. 
I sigh, closing my eyes and trying to hush out the thought of me getting killed and leaving September an orphan.
*** 
Entering the US again was simple, since they shut down the border control at the Canadian border, since all the people wanting to enter were presumed dead. 
We drove to a town called Northern Ridge, which was apparently the northern-most town in North Dakota. 
The people were welcoming and didn't seem to know who I was because they don't get any satellite radio, television, or telephone reception because after the Canadian bombing, they really lost all connection to the rest of the world. 
A few older people let us stay in their homes, as a welcome. 
I set my bag next to the closet of the small room that I was offered. 
The room was small, with a twin sized bed pushed into a corner with a nightstand next to it. 
The closet had some one-size fits all clothes, and the night stand held a few water bottles and a Bible. 
I stretch my arms and walk to the tiny bathroom connected to my room. 
It had a shower, a sink and a toilet, which was nice because all I wanted to do was scrub off the past days' happenings. 
Annaliesee was staying in this house too, hopefully in a bigger room. 
I walk back to my room and grab a change of clothes from the closet, which was just joggers and a white tee. 
I walk back to the bathroom, switch on the shower, and get in. 
***
I got out of my shower and got dressed in the soft, clean, clothes, a harsh contrast to my clothes which were dirty and gritty. 
The woman whose house I'm staying in knocks on the bedroom door. 
I walk out, combing my fingers through my hair. "Come in." 
She walks in, adjusting her glasses. "It's suppertime." 
I nod, walking out the door, following her downstairs. 
"We're having a feast of welcome." She says. "It's in the fire hall." 
I nod, slipping on some random shoes. 
She opens the door for me and we start walking. 
"Your younger friend already left." She says.
We walk for not even two minutes and we arrive. 
"I'll help you prepare your plate." She says, placing an aged hand on the small of my back. 
We walk through the line and she chooses my entire meal, packing at least two pounds of food on the tray. 
She hands it to me. "Go on and sit with your friends, I'll be right over there if you need me. 
I walk over to the table where the rest of the Pangaeans - along with Nigel, Logan, Luca, and September - are sitting. 
I place my tray down and sit next to Logan, who also looked showered and cleaned. 
Logan takes a bite of food before setting down her fork. "I've been thinking." She announces to the table. 
"Don't hurt yourself." Leeciy interjects playfully. 
She shoots him a mock stink-eye before going on. "Do you guys believe in aliens?" 
I furrow my brows. "That's an odd question." 
"I've always believed in aliens." Leeciy says. "I mean, we exist, and that seems more unlikely than aliens." 
"Good point." Annaliesee says. "I believe." 
"What's an alien?" Cirus asks.
September starts quietly explaining it to her. 
"Well, the galaxy is so big, and even humans existing is kind of a feat, so I don't see why aliens wouldn't exist." Nigel says, all science-y. 
"Nerd." Luca says. "I don't think so, it seems too weird." 
"We're weird." I say. 
"But you exist, aliens don't." Luca says. 
"You don't know that." Nigel disagrees. 
Luca and Nigel launch into an intense debate, sometimes people adding to support aliens. 
I take a bite of my food, which was gravy soaked mashed potatoes and corn.
"Oh!" Cirus says after September finished explaining. 
She giggles. "I think aliens exist." 
"How so?" Luca says. 
"Because we're aliens!" She laughs as if she's hilarious. 
Everyone seems confused, but that's okay, because even though we're confused, we're safe.