An Inch Of Infinity (Short Version)

CHAPTER 62- Kari Returns

In Emma's room, all the carpeting and furniture was taken out as evidence, and never got put back in. All she had was her bed, a box full of plants, and a small nightstand. When I walked in she hugged me.

"Kari! I'm so glad you are OK!" She exclaimed. I hugged her back. She started crying and I held her close. My blouse was soon soaked in her tears and snot. When she pulled away, she saw the stains.

"Sorry, " she says. I smile.

"It's fine, I'm just glad to be here,"I reply. She looks at my blouse.

"Some people have been getting new clothing." she says."In the mornings, they call out names and the people come back with new shirts, pants, everything." she says. I smile. I was only gone for two days, and already so much has changed.

"Have you gotten your new clothes?" I ask. She shakes her head.

"No, they are still in the 'C' group, unless maybe they ended with the last 'C' yesterday, In that case they're in the 'D' group. There were probably thirty girls named Bethany and at least fifty people named Brian." she says exasperated. I laugh.

"They did call your name though." She says.

"Maybe we can go together when your name is called?" I ask Emma. She agrees and we go our seperate ways to our rooms.

That night Coral and her come to my room, and with Faith, Zoey, and even Emily, we throw a little party, not too big, more like a get together. We eat and listen to music, and goof off all night and then we all pass out from exhaustion in the early morning. It feels good. I feel alive. I woke up to an announcement. I've not been this tired since the new years party.

"Charlotte 18, Charlotte 19, Charlotte 20, Charlotte Anuimsfulve, Charlotte 21," the long and painful list of Charlotte's were called to a building on the shore, and soon a rhythmic thumping of feet sluggishly walking through the hall, sprinkled with a few confident steps pulled me back to sleep.

Three hours later

"Elsa 3, Emma 1, Emma 2, Emma 3, Emma 4, Emma Richfield, Emma Wilde, Emma Zein Emma Rivoily , Emanuel 1, Emanuel 2,Emmett Boyce, Emmett 1, Emmet 2, Esmerelda 1, Esmerelda Darklight, and Ezra 1. That is all for today, thank you." the voice says. Emma and I walk down the hall. On the way I buy a chocolate bar and hand it to her. She follows me to a building outside. It wasn't there before I left, and still has no roof.We plan on making it into a mall one day, so its huge. I don't know why we are building so much. The majority of us are leaving.

Inside there are lots of people. There are signs labeling where to find the shirts and the pants and the shoes and other things. I follow the flow of body and find myself at a table with everyone grabbing neatly labeled packages. I searched for one with my name. Then my eyes fall on a plain package with my name written in cursive, saying Akari 1, in dark writing. I grab it, as Emma searches for hers and moves on. Then I get a pair of dark blue running shoes with light blue tops, a black line between the dark and light blue fabric, complete with white laces. Then I end up in a line. When I reach the front, A women hands me a card with three small circles on it. I wander around. People are getting their cards stamped and then get a package, as if it's a form of payment, which I assume is the case. I go to a table selling jackets, but I don't need the card, I get a package with my name on it.

Then I wander to a table with no crowds. There are packages of berets, watched by a rather bored young women, maybe 20. She perks up when I arrive. I already learned my hair is too short to pull into a ponytail, so I get one package of disguised berets, that look like hair, almost the exact shade of my hair. I hand her my card and she stamps it. I move on. Next I get a large, sturdy, dark green and black backpack. I use it to put my Stuff in. there are several pockets in it, and I neatly place my stuff in an appropriate place. Then I search for anything else I need. I find bandannas, blankets, hats, bags, wedding gowns, tuxedos, I find everything! I receive a free blanket, and I choose a patchwork quilt. It has a warm underside, a thick top, and has stuffing in the middle. The patches are made of dark colors, deep blues like the ocean, greens so dark they are almost black, oranges like the sunset, red like roses, the list goes on.I think I got the best one there. I fold it up into a rectangle then roll it into a cylinder. It barely fits in my backpack. I keep searching for something else. I pass a makeup station and a temporary hair salon. Then I find the best station around. A bookstore. It has a sign hanging on the side of every shelf.

ONE STAMP= 15 BOOKS

There are other prices, but I don't have anything else they were willing to trade. I get a botany book for Emma, a crafting book for Emily, Coral doesn't like to read so I don't get her one, I get three parenting books for Lilly, and I get the rest of the books for me. I got myself a wide range of books, from classics, to journals, to new books. When I get to the front desk, I drop my mountain of books onto the table. The man behind the desk jumps and closes the book he was reading. He counts them. 16 books. I put the smallest parenting book back.

"I, uh, you, can have uh, twenty if you like, I can tell you would treat them well." he says. He is older and must be happy that 'young folks' are interested in books. I grab the parenting book and then I walk into the maze of shelfs. There seemed to only be a few dozen shelves from the outside, but it seems to be more vast once you walk in them. I pull three more books off the shelves for me, and one graphic novel for Coral, then I walk back to the counter. He stamps my card and helps to shove as many books as we could into my bulging backpack. I still have to carry some. Hugging my books to my chest I walk back to our boat, taking the scenic route. I listen to the sawing and banging of construction, the sound of children playing, birds calling, the ocean gently bumping the boats together, the lapping of the waves against the shore and the wind whispering between the trees. Even the island seems happy.

I go to my room and put my new blanket on the bed, Emily has one to. She also has a large plate of food on a new table next to her. She snores loudly. Besides her, the room is empty. I hang the backpack by its straps on the post on my bed. Then I unload my books. I decide to stack them on my bed and deal with them later. I grab Lilly and Corals books and head towards their cabins. I walk into Lilly and Tyler's cabin. Tyler and Lilly are gone, so I put their books on the bed. Then I jogged to Corals cabin. Two rights, climb down a latter, through a door, down a hall, last door on the left. I knock on the door.

"Come in," calls a voice. When I walk in, Coral is still in bed, wearing her shaggy pajamas. I frown.

"Are you O.K.? " I ask. She nods and sits up. The other beds are empty, so her twin roommates are gone. I sit on the edge of her bed. When I feel her forehead, I quickly pull away. She's burning up. I hand her the book. She groans and hands it back.

"I. Hate. Reading!" She moans. I open it and start the book. Soon she is laying down listening. It's actually a really long book. At the end of chapter two she falls asleep, so I put the book down, open with the cover up to hold our page and leave the room. I stop at a medical tent and tell the nurse about Corals condition.

"It's probably nothing," he says and returns to his clipboard. I still get pills to bring down a fever. When I go back, she seems worse. Her eyes have dark bags under them, she is covered in little patches of red rashes. Her eyes themselves are red and puffy, and her lips are so dry they crack and bleed when she smiles. I give her the pills and a glass of water, then use chapstick on her lips. Then I fill a water bottle with warm water, and bring it back, and place it on her stomach, then I place a damp, cold wash rag on her forehead.

I tell the nurse again and he gives me ointment to help the rash, and sleeping pills to help her sleep and said he would help if it gets worse, but it's probably just a cold. I walk in and rub her rashes with the ointment, but when she eats the pills, it reminds me of something. I wash my hands and tell her I will be right back. I sprint to the asylum and demand to see the Keeper, and after a lot of negotiating, they let me in with a dozen guards. Keepers are dangerous. He is cuffed, with a cell almost exactly like mine. When I walk in, he smiles.