Til the Sun Dies

Chapter 1

In a society where all adventure has been destroyed, the only adventure left is to destroy that society

"I saved your life!"

"You pushed me off a bridge!"

" Well you're alive, aren't you?"

I glared at Victoria and made sure to give her my famous eye roll just in case she hadn't already sensed my annoyance. I sighed, wringing out my long brown hair, still soaking wet from just a half hour earlier. "You're lucky I know how to swim."

"No," Victoria started, "You're lucky you know how to swim." She picked up her bag and handed me a towel.

I wrapped my hair up in the towel, creating a twisty hat on top of my head. "Thanks," I replied, though I wouldn't have been wet in the first place if she hadn't pushed me into a lake. At least we all got away, and we're all alive, right?

Victoria smiled and sat down on the floor of the tent. "So, are you gonna tell me why the government people are after you - again?"

By habit, I quickly pulled the left sleeve of my t-shirt down as far as it would go. "Um, I stole a candy bar and a camera a couple days ago. I thought I had covered up my tracks but I guess they found out somehow. It was really no big deal. I don't know why the government has to send out so many people and search dogs to go after a girl who took one candy bar."

"Oh my goodness, Lia. At least try to be more careful next time," Victoria scolded.

"What are you, my mother?" I asked.

"No, I'm just trying to keep you- both of us out of trouble." She shivered as a gust of wind sauntered into our paper-thin tent. Okay, technically it wasn't ours, but I felt no guilt in taking it from whoever left it sitting by that lake. No real camper would ever leave a tent with food in it unguarded. Plus, this tent looked and felt like it was purchased from a dollar store. It was easily replaceable.

"You know stealing can get you jail time even if you're still a minor." Vanessa furrowed her eyebrows at me and then took a big bite of her ham and cheese sandwich.

"Then it's a good thing you and Jay were there to help me. Where is Jayden anyway?"

"Probably out looking at the stars, hoping that it spells out your names nice and bright," she said in a really fake dreamy kinda way.

"Shut up," I said, popping the 'p'.

"What? I know he likes you, and you know it too. The way he looks at you when you're not looking, the way he leans in a little when you talk, it's so obvious! Did you know that he's afraid of water yet he still dove into that lake to help you out? Like how romantic is that?"

"Considering that we all almost died, I would say not that romantic. Plus we can never be together. Our death marks are making sure of that."

"What?"

Whoops, I've said too much. "Nothing," I replied. "I just mean that the government is always going to be hunting us, so neither of us have time for a relationship."

She finished her sandwich and then lay down on the hard ground, using her balled up jacket as a pillow. "Whatever. But when he asks you out, you owe me twenty bucks, and I get to say I told you so."

"Fine," I gave in. "Why don't we just get some sleep because we've got to be up with the sun tomorrow." I sat down on the hard ground and listened to the music of the night. The crickets chirped and the wind blew like it was just a normal day, like we hadn't just jumped off a bridge. I definitely couldn't go to sleep yet since my hair was still wet- it was a pet peeve of mine. Instead, I sat there thinking and processing all of what had happened today. It was like my world was turned upside down and I couldn't deal with it. But I had to. I had to for Annabelle. Sweet little Annabelle.