"He just...left?" Mike asks, setting down the canteen. He did notice Zoe had had almost none of her drink.
She nods gravely. "Yeah. Left me to the monsters about to come into the story."
"So he didn't scar you?" Now that her mask was off, Mike couldn't keep his eyes off of the angled scar, trailing it from her nose to chin. She shakes her head, bringing his eyes back up to her dark green ones.
"No. Soldiers did. I..shouldn't tell you the rest of the story. It's graphic." She swallows, setting down the canteen she held. "They did things I would rather not repeat."
Mike finds himself reaching out to touch her hand. She flinches slightly but doesn't remove her hand. He says, "How old were you again?"
"Almost 10. I had a promising future in academics, my teachers all said. And then the war hit, and now academics don't matter."
"Sure they do. You figured out how to ration your food, right? And water."
"I suppose. But now I have to calculate it again since you are here. Unless you have some to contribute."
YOU ARE READING
Twenty-One-Fifty
AdventureThe world is a strange place. At least, in 2150 it is. So futuristic, yet so unpolished. Two teens run into each other while scavenging for food to survive. Being left on your own as a kid definitely does some things to you. He doesn't know who she...
