Storm

Chapter Forty

I had trouble sleeping that night.

There was far too much on my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about Mace and January and what they had to be going through at that moment.

Everything seemed to be going all right, but I couldn't help my fear. There were so many ways things could go absolutely wrong with this plan we were crafting.

I'd created the map and handed it in to Ava. She hadn't said a word, just stared at it with a slight nod. Didn't seem horribly unpromising.

And yet, even if we did get their help, could we manage to save everyone? I knew they had tons of super advanced tech that they'd stolen, but would it be enough against the power of the Equator?

Plus...I wasn't sure how I'd react if I saw Mace again. Seeing him once at that dance was far too much.

I sat up on my blue cot and let out a frustrated noise. I couldn't sleep like this.

I pulled my hair back into a loose bun with a hair-tie lent to me by a group of preteen girls. About an hour after we'd been led to the room, they'd come in with bags for each of us, each filled with new clothes, shoes, and a few other necessities. I'd been extraordinarily grateful for the hair tie -- using my shoe lace to keep my hair out of my face wasn't very effective (and, it tended to just get more tangled in my hair).

The only thing I really wanted was a shower -- I hadn't had the chance yet, but they apparently had a few outdoor hoses that they rinsed off using. Didn't sound the nicest, but in a world such as ours, you take what you can get.

I tied my boots up quickly and headed out the classroom door.

The halls were empty. It seemed not many people here stayed up too late. 

As I walked down past the cafeteria and towards the back of the school I began to hear a sound...it sounded like...

"...whisper words of wisdom...mmm..."

Was someone singing?

I tiptoed farther down the hall, following the music. It was definitely a guy, that much I could tell. And the song...I felt like I recognized it, but I was having trouble pinpointing its name. It'd been so long since I'd heard it that it sent a jolt through me.

I turned the corner and saw an open door at the end of the hall. It looked out on the starry night sky, with only a few clouds blocking it. And, sitting on the steps just outside the school's back door was the boy with the black hair -- one of the leaders of the school, along with Ava, Evan, and the red-headed girl. He had a guitar resting on his laps, his fingers quietly strumming as he continued to sing.

I leaned forward, and my foot accidentally hit something -- a lighter -- sending it skidding across the tiled floor loudly. I winced, and immediately started turning away. I didn't want him to think I'd been snooping on what was obviously a private moment.

The music stopped, and I knew I wasn't going to get away undetected.

"Hey...you don't have to go," the boy said, his head turning and eyes squinting as he stared into the darkness.

I stepped forward until I was in the doorway, feeling outrageously awkward. "I'm...I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to be eavesdropping or anything."

The boy just smiled sadly and shook his head. "Don't worry, you weren't. It's fine. Um...do you want to sit?" he asked.

I nodded and took the spot right next to him, my arms hugging my knees. The weather wasn't horrible, either. The night was really perfect. A breeze brushed by, ruffling my plain white t-shirt and cotton pajama pants, both donated by the girls.

"So, you're one of the newbies, huh?" he murmured. His fingers absentmindedly plucked a few strings, playing a quiet melody.

"Yeah...although I don't know how long we'll be staying," I replied.

He nodded his understanding. "We've had a lot of people like you guys. They come and go and don't always stay very long. But we give them shelter if they need it. As long as they don't seem too threatening."

"That's..."

"Sad? Lonely? That's how I view it at least," he commented.

I tilted my head. "I was going to say generous."

"Ah, I guess some would describe it as that, too. To me, helping others in this climate is what's expected. Pun unintended." He began strumming the chords to the song he'd been playing when I'd interrupted him. I watched his fingers move. I used to have a friend who played. He'd never known very many songs, but he'd always put so much emotion behind each note.

"I'm guessing not everyone here agrees with that, though?" I remembered Evan and the kids who'd nearly sentenced us to two weeks trapped in their gym.

"No. I'm the main proponent for that type of living. Evan has always hated helping strangers that come in. He thinks it's endangering our group and that it's pointless since we're all going to die anyway. Ava tends to be quite in the middle though. Sometimes, she feels like being super helpful, other times, she'll leave people out in the cold." He said it with little inflection, as if he'd already come to terms with the frustrating position he was in. I wasn't sure where I would stand on that spectrum. I'd always wanted to help other survivors...like with Jadyn and Alex...but now, after everything I'd been through and the people I'd trusted...

It didn't seem like the best idea.

"Has anyone betrayed you? Any of the people you guys take in?"

"Yes. Definitely a few. Most of the time, they're so desperate to survive that they'll stay for a night and then disappear the next morning with a good portion of our food supply. Or...what they believe is our food supply. We separate the actual supply from a temporary one in case of such situations." He sighed and stopped strumming for a moment. Then, he met my gaze. "I'm hoping you guys aren't going to pull such a thing? I haven't heard much, but I know you need our help."

"Don't worry, we don't really have anywhere else to go...," I said sadly.

He narrowed his eyes in curiosity. "Really? May I ask where you three came from?"

"Well," I started...and paused. I didn't even know how to tell such a story. It was so long and so much had happened since then. "We met a while back in the Northeast area. I'm originally from New York...or what was New York."

"Really? I've heard the worst stories about the Northeast and anything higher. You guys really got the brunt of it, huh?" he lamented. "I actually grew up in Connecticut. It was beautiful...but I have to say I'm glad I left before everything happened. I'm not sure I would've survived."

It was weird to think about -- I'd always thought the entire world was as dead as where I'd struggled my first six months. I'd never even considered the Equator...or the deserts...or places such as this.

He looked up at the sky contemplatively, and I yawned. It was pretty late.

"I'm Ian by the way," he remarked. "Calestia, right?"

"Yeah. It's nice to meet you." He began strumming again and I felt my eyes begin to close. Talking to someone was nice. Just talking as if nothing in the world was wrong. As if the world was still pure and perfect and fixed.

I think that's what I missed the most. Even if there were so many problems it was unfathomable. Even if humanity had been a messy jumble of opinions, violence, war, and disaster. It was still there. It still had existed. There'd still been that connection between all humans, a connection of life and love and hope.

I missed that. And I was glad to find it again, even if it only lasted a night.