Back When the Lights Shined

Chapter Four

In the morning, I wake up in the basket of the tree, panicked. I’ve momentarily forgotten where I am, worried about being late because my alarm didn’t go off. Then, it all comes back to me. I spent the previous night on the other side of the border, associating with a confirmed Crazy. There’s no alarm here to wake me, no comfort of being home with my warm bed and fresh clothes. What time is it? People could be lining up now. I’m going to be late!

            I sit up and look around. The fresh blanket of snow is gone, already melted by the shining sun. The ground is absolutely saturated. I look up to the branch above me, where the boy¾Ashton, was it?¾ had slept the night before. It’s empty now, and I have been left all alone with no clue how to get back to the border. Panicked, I look around some more. He’s not by the pile of ashes, or anywhere near the clearing at all. I look the other way, farther up the mountain, and to my relief, he’s there. Just a few feet away from the tree, he leans against another, sharpening a pocket knife. I’ve never been so thankful to see a Crazy.

            “What time is it,” I ask. He looks up at me, startled, then up to the sun. I follow his gaze, wondering how he could possibly tell the time by staring at the sky like that.

            “Time for you to go. People should be lining up,” he says. Carefully, I scoot to the edge of the nature-made basket, then carefully jump down. Dead leaves make a loud crunch beneath my feet when I land. I brush myself off, then look around.

            “Which way?”

            “Straight to your right,” he says, pointing in the general direction. I take a few steps towards my escape, happier than ever to be leaving for good. Like I said, I’m never returning here. Not in this lifetime.

            Suddenly, he appears behind me and grabs my arm firmly. The boy pulls me back to face him. I let out a little cry, since his grip hurts a little more than he intended it to. He loosens his grip as soon as I do so, but his facial expression is still intense. I look up, annoyed and nervous.

            “You can’t tell anyone anything,” he says. I give him a look of pure disgust. As if I would actually want to let people know I spent the night with this person.

            “I don’t plan on it.”

            Being known for associating with Crazies isn’t something I’m interested in. I’m not the type who looks for trouble like that. I don’t believe that anyone living in Circum is. We have it good, and we know it. Question any of it, you’ll end up like a Crazy. You’d have to be crazy to question it. There’s no reason to.

            “I’m serious,” he continues, with the most somber expression he could muster. “You don’t tell anyone. Not about me. Not about this place. Not about anything you’ve seen or heard. If you tell them, you’ll end up dead.”

            “The CTs aren’t murderers, and neither is our president.” I shake him off and step away.

            “Zena, listen to me. You cannot tell them. I could not possibly stress how important that is. They will kill you. Me too, for that matter. And chances are, your family will be punished for it as well. You can’t tell anyone, you understand?” I back away again.

            “Alright,” I snap, getting more and more anxious to get out of here. I turn around and head towards the border.

            The air is frigid. The forest is quiet. The walk is long and eerie. I feel like a little kid who had wandered into the neighborhood haunted house. It is uncomfortable walking alone. I can feel eyes on me at all times. Finally, I just can’t take the creepy feeling of being watched any longer. I sprint the rest of the way to the border.