-Storm as in, his name. Whack desition, and rather clitché in every way you see it.-Charlie tried to distract Juniper with his speech, but Juniper didn't turn arround.
She, through her wind blown thick hair, still managed to try and stare into Claire. Such determination could not have been built in a day, but then again, Juniper seemed to know much about them. That scared Charlie, and if there was a thing he disliked was being afraid of things that may not be real.
-Juno, it's rude to stare.
-Claire, what´s the problem with your eye?-Juniper asked against the odds of keeping quiet. She had seen the show for weeks, and she probably knew more about the people at the Program than Charlie, who had on the other hand tried to keep as far away from anything and anyone there as posible.
-It's nothing. Guide the horses.-Claire answered, not uncovering her eye. Yet with only one, it was still clear her eyes were holding back tears.
Charlie barely understoon what happened through Claire's mind. Compared to Juniper, who had talked with him with no hesitation in an instant, Claire barely spoke unless she needed to. So Charlie was as lost as a water drop in a rainstorm. Then the horses stopped in their place.
-Not only do I not have the strength to continue, but now neither do I have the will.- Juniper spoke through a forced smile. She could have seemed like a better friend choice than Claire, but with this expression she wore, Charlie analyzed if it was worth the danger. She looked determined to get her way, and as a girl who had so recently lost her life, Charlie could sense her fierce aura. She organized her actions and words as a whole pride of hungry lions.
-Hungry!- Charlie spoke his thoughts out on nowhere to try and distract the girls.- We're all hungry, aren't we? What do you say we split to search for fruits?
-Why don't we just have Juno create a chicken or something?- Claire protested. If there was something Charlie had learnt from her was that she despised more than anything extra work.
-Raise your hand if you're a vegan.- And both Juniper and Charlie raised their hands.
It looked almoust as if she was doing it to annoy Claire on purpouse when Juniper turned arround and started walking by her own, her horse slowly vanishing into the grass bellow it. Charlie followed, but Claire took his hand.
-Don't leave me alone.
-We're all lonely no matter the compañy. Let's get our food and continue.
When they reached the forest, if it could even be called like that, the group went on different directions to take more area, but the plan didn't work. The trees were what Juniper called 'Bald'. No branches, fallen skin, and to their misfortune, no fruits. Charlie decided to search arround the floor, in case any vegetable was seen, or at least some eddible roots. But there was nothing.
The search made the kids consume even more energy, and no matter how many times Charlie explained they had at least two more days until they could die of dehidration, the girls still got agitated. Perhaps even more than before his comment. Charlie couldn't put his finger on why.
Eventualy they all gave up. They were away from the city, away from the town, away from anyone exept themselves. But there was no panic.
Of course they were scared, it was nobody's wish to embrace death, but it was a calm way to go in Charlie's opinion. He for once started thinking that perhaps all the stories with Storm and other Imaginators were real. They were taken and used until their minds no longer worked. Charlie Imagined if perhaps they were all still in the program. Perhaps if they closed their eyes for a long time, the producers would come and take them to a hospital bed where he could be healed. Even if not many came back from the hospital, Charlie was jealous of the normal people who went to them. They had their problems, but people treated them with no fear. Perhaps many worked hard to be treated with such respect, but not Charlie and not any other he had met had ever even suggested enjoying being treated that way.
Charlie opened his eyes again to see Juniper and Claire hovering their faces over him.
-I told you he was alive. He won't die so easily.
But Charlie's sleepy ears could not make out who was speaking. Once his eyes got accustomed to the place, he noticed they were no longer in the forest. With a violent movement, he sat up. There was no way the people at the Program had gone all the way away from the town to search for them, but the thought still hung over Charlie's mind.
-Where are we?- He asked, but none of his friends managed to answer before a fourth voice sounded.
-Welcome to Ōnāy Kukai. We'll be the judges of your worth.
Comments (0)
See all