Young Writers Society

Evaline nodded, looking back over to the blue ocean as the chilly wind tugged at them again. She brushed her hair behind her ear and sighed through her nose.

"Well, that's all I wanted to show you here," she said when the wind died down. "I hope it was worthwhile. We can go back whenever you're ready."

James took one last look up at the glowing blue ocean. It was a beautiful sight, and one he knew he would not soon forget. His gaze drifted to Evaline, lingering just for a moment.

"We can head back now," he said, cupping his hand around the small bird to shield it from a gust of wind. Elliot tugged a little at the lead rope in James's other hand, like he already understood.

"Thank you, again. For bringing me here."

"It's my pleasure," Evaline said with a slight smile, glancing at James before turning around and leading the same way they came back from, motioning for him to follow. She stayed a bit ahead of him since he had Elliot to lead through the sand, and she had to put on her shoes anyways.

When she reached the base of the hill, she took a few steps back to get a running start, and then ran up the hill, losing speed as she got closer to the top, the sand acting as friction as it tried to push her back down the hill. Eventually she lost her momentum, but she was already at the top.

She gazed down the other end of the beach, seeing how the bioluminescent algae stretched all the way down until it didn't, and she knew that was when the sandy beach started to fade into cliffs again. Maybe they could take the scenic way to Terra instead. It would take a little longer, but it could be worth it, and she thought James would like it too.

Evaline tore her gaze away and then finally sat down next to her boots and socks, brushing away the sand stuck on her feet before putting them on and waiting for James to reach her.

James followed behind Evaline, trudging up the sandy slope with as much speed as he could muster. Elliot seemed to rush ahead of him, kicking up sand in his wake, and James resorted to just holding the small bird loosely in his hand, like a little cage as his fingers curved around it to keep it from getting jostled too much. After a little bit of struggle, he and Elliot made it to the top, and it was all downhill from there.

He met up again at Evaline's side, following her back to the yurt.

"How often do people take this path?" James asked. "From shelter to shelter, I mean."

Evaline slowly began to slide down the hill so that James could keep up with Elliot. She could vaguely see the oil lantern exactly where she left it, but the side opening must have flung open in the wind, because the flame was out. Oh well, it was dark, but with the moon and star's glow, they could at least see what was in front of them. It wasn't a long walk, anyways.

"It depends," she answered him. "Others usually use it for what it's intended for: a temporary place to stay until they get to their destination. A handful of committee members repeatedly take the paths as they travel with refugees. People in the safe zone don't know about the camp sites, but it's not uncommon to find random people using it sometimes too. It's basically open to anyone who wants to use it."

James hummed. It was strange to think that the places were open to anyone who needed them. People were so protective of their own in Nye.

"Has anyone ever... take advantage of it?" he asked.

Evaline had painted the picture in an idealized light, but even with the refugee program, that was far from true. The government spread a lot of propaganda, but they were right about one thing: people living in the ungoverned lands -- including the safe zone -- were generally less peaceful.

"Sometimes," she said. "I know we've been using these shelters a lot, but they really don't get used as often as you think. I'm probably the one who uses them the most, but even then, I've only come across destroyed or robbed campsites after it has happened, and I've only seen it happen a couple of times." She shrugged. "Most people live in towns. It's fairly safe out here, all things considered."

James nodded slowly. So, it wasn't as safe as everyone made it seem. Just like Nye, people were still desperate, selfish, and hungry. People didn't change. Safety was an illusion. Everyone was safe until they weren't.

"Are there a lot of towns?"

It was seemingly a simple question, but he figured he'd start with one, and keep building on it.

The words "a lot" was subjective, and it depended on the size of the town. Some were more villages than towns, and others were more of hideouts. Were they towns? It wasn't like Evaline knew, anyways.

"It's hard to say since only the biggest ones are mapped," she said. "To be honest, I don't go to towns that much," she said. "And if I do, it's only for a select few. But from what I've heard in conversations, there are a good amount. They are more like communities, really. Like Terra."

“How many people live in Terra, on average?”

"I'm not sure," Evaline answered. "Like I said, I haven't been there before."

She actually did have a guess, but she refrained from saying it. Not because she didn't want him to know, but because it might lead him to question some things. She'd rather he find out when they arrived.

"But it's not a big city," she added. "So you don't have to worry about that."

“I was just... trying to picture it is all,” James said in reply.

With the unlit lantern in one hand, Evaline continued down the path, being able to feel the sand melt away and turn back to dirt as the grass started to peek out and brush past her legs. Enough people -- herself included -- had taken this path enough times that a natural trail had already formed.

She knew James just wanted to understand where he was going, but all he needed to know right now was that it was safe, and that it was the place that best fit him.

"We'll be there in two days," she said. "Although... I'm thinking of taking a small detour tomorrow, so we may get there by night, or even by morning three days from now."

James couldn't help but feel like Evaline was intentionally omitting information - either because she didn't think he could handle it, she thought it would overwhelm him, or she thought he might run. It was impossible to tell exactly what her concerns were, but he didn't like being kept in the dark.

That said, he had a feeling if he pressed for answers, he might end up antagonizing his only ally and guide on earth, which would not be in his best interests.

She was also taking him on a detour, which at least told him she wasn't in as much of a hurry as she said she was.

He wondered if it was because she wanted to show him more of the sights of earth. It probably wasn't because she wanted to spend more time with him...

He was just an uncomfortable reminder of all of the things she'd forgotten.

"That's fine with me," he said agreeably. "I'll follow your lead."

Evaline nodded, not having much more to say, so she let the silence sit between them again for a few minutes as she led him through the dark path.

She knew James was going to be different. She was different, after all, and it was normal for people to change after that much time. But she just couldn't figure out what exactly was definitely different since he seemed so inconsistent. First realizing he was on Earth and not Nye couldn't have been easy, but that was the most expressive she had seen him. It seemed that he'd been holding in more and more emotions since then.

Maybe he needed a natural release of it. Was he still writing? His journal came too, right? There were other ways to vent out thoughts and feelings besides writing, though.

The path was widening just a little bit, and Evaline knew they'd reach the yurt soon. Still, she decided to break the silence when a thought floated to her mind.

"If you want, you can join me in my morning activities," she said. "You seem to wake up while I meditate. You are welcome to join me instead of waiting for me to finish, or you can start when I do. I don't mind."