Title : Abolition
Author(s): Kasei (sugerT) & Kara (AnonymousIceCream)

Full Summary: In the 24th century, time has started to reverse itself. Animals roam major continents, including the USA, which is now the UCLR; or, the United Cities for Lost Refugees. The remaining are Europe, Australia, Africa and half of South America. There's a war going on-- for food and survival. Only 2 million people remain on the earth, though numbers continue to diminish since the fight began.

When Europe bombs one of the refugee camps in California, and a group of teens are left homeless, they learn through the many miles of their trek that not every story has a easy fairytale ending, and sometimes you have to fight for it

This chapter is told from Pandora's P.O.V
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Chapter 6:

June 16th, 2413

I snuggled into the somehow warm and soft ground under me, sighing as the grip of sleep slacked and pulled away. My neck, I could feel without even moving, was incredibly stiff; along with my back, and the arm I was laying on was numb. I shifted my head again, and paused when the ground moved. Or, what I had previously thought was the ground.

"..I'd be careful how you move, chicky. You're awfully close to a certain body part that likes that feeling quite a bit." Aidan voiced above me and when he patted my head, my eyes shot open. It was early morning by the feel and sound of it. The birds' call seemed particularly loud in my ears today and there was a light, low fog hovering over the ground. Everyone seemed to be up and moving; packing one thing or another, and I could see Ethan was cooking something over a low fire.

My head, I realized, was not on the ground, but in fact was using Aidan's lap as a pillow. The rest of my body was on the ground, covered in a sleeping bag, and my arms were wrapped around a still sleeping December, who was tucked against my chest. My face darkened with a blush and I shot up, instantly rousing December from dreamland. I groaned and lifted a hand to my neck, rubbing the sore area.

"I know..I didn't fall asleep like that," I grumbled to Aidan, glancing around the camp to avoid looking at his smiling face. Hazel was knelt beside Ethan, talking lowly to him about what he was cooking, I supposed by the way she kept gesturing to the pan. I sniffed absently, trying to find out what it was. Smelt like eggs, but, I couldn't be sure.

"You didn't," he replied as December muttered softly about being woken up in such a way. I sent her an apologetic look, brushing her bangs from her forehead. "You actually fell asleep sitting up, with your head against my shoulder." His smile widened to a point were I could see the vague dent of dimples on his cheeks. "I woke up about an hour ago..and I knew that your back would hurt if you stayed like that any longer, so..."

I knew what he was implying, and I wondered how he could move December and I both without waking us. I looked at him doubtfully when Hazel spoke up, "Ahh, he did, Pan..I watched him." She said sheepishly, standing up fully. She rubbed the back of her head and smiled. I frowned.

"And you allowed this?"

Her lips pursed in a way that I knew she was trying not to smile, "You looked so peaceful," she cooed, "Smiling in your sleep and whatnot..besides, he's right. Your back would be killing you right now."

It was anyway, actually, but I kept quiet about that and sighed. December moved from my arms to go see what Ethan was fixing and I let the sleeping bag fall from my shoulders. It was a little cooler then I'd originally thought, and goose-bumps rose on my legs under the fishnets, but I refused to bundle back up in the bag.

I moved sit like Aidan; with my legs crossed and my arms in my lap. So, I thought, this was it. Today was the beginning. I could remember what Ethan had said last night about how long this would take, and I tried to keep my expression blank as my stomach twisted with the thought. The feelings of fear and excitement mixed together again as it had been for the past 24 hours and I gulped. Then I realized that my mouth tasted horrible and I was probably hurting for a teeth-brushing.

The blond beside me poked my cheek gently with his finger when I didn't say anything for a few minutes and smiled when I gave him a dry, sidelong glance. "Can I help you?" I muttered.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, "Ah, come on, you can't still be sour about last night. I told you--"

"No, thats not it.." I interrupted him, rolling my shoulders to shake the rigidness away.

"Oh, so, you're mad that I moved you? I didn't want to lay you on the ground, and you looked so cute sleeping in my lap.." His voice took an amorous tone and he pouted his lips at me.

I rolled my eyes, "Ugh, no. Its just--" I paused, not really wanting to tell this strange boy my feelings. I changed course, "Nothing, just thinking. When are we leaving?"

He looked like he was going to push a little harder to get some more information when someone stopped in front of me. I looked up to see Leo's tall frame towering over me. "Here," he said, handing me something. I held my hands out to take the small, chipped plate he passed to me. I peered at its contents, smiling as my guess of eggs was right. Then my expression fell. For once, I really didn't feel like eating.

I pushed the plate back at him before he could move away, "I'm not hungry,"

His look was empty, "You need to eat," I opened my mouth to retort but he beat me to it, "Think of it like this then: This will probably be your only meal until we stop again for the night. You might not have much of an appetite now, but, I suggest you ignore that and consume the food on the plate." I frowned at how he worded everything and looked sullenly at the eggs. "Unless you enjoy the feeling of hunger..?" I pictured walking all day with a grumbling, hollow stomach, and decided..eating right now wasn't such a bad choice. "As I thought," Leo mumbled, his lips curving up slightly as I lowered the plate.

"A fork..?" I asked, squinting as I moved my eyes back up to him. The sun had risen directly behind his red-covered head, and he was nothing but a silhouette for me. But, I could see as he raised his hand and wiggled his fingers. He walked away after that, and when I stuck my tongue out at his back Aidan laughed. Eat with my hands. Pffbt, I could do that. I pulled my hand up and stared at my nails. My long fingernails with mud caked under them. I grimaced.

"Geez," I said under my breath, guessing I'd just have to deal with it. I began to eat as fast as I could, seeing that everyone else was practically done with their meals. All the sleeping bags, save for the one pooled around me, were rolled up and stacked against each other, along with the backpacks filled with our supplies. As I chewed, Ethan began to put out the fire completely.

I was the last to finish, naturally, but my stomach was full and I did feel a little better. I rose and asked Ethan what to do with my plate. "Just leave it," he said, standing up straight and walking over to the bags. "All of the food we have now can be eaten by hand..fruit, mostly." He lifted up a backpack, my own, I noticed, and handed it to me. "We'll eventually come across another camp...and when that time comes we'll be able to re-stock. But, that'll depend on how well-stocked the camp is..and if someone doesn't get there before us."

"I'd rather think that everything will go smoothly and as planned," I said, shouldering the bag.

Ethan gave a close-mouthed chuckle, "Yes, I agree. But, one must always be prepared for the unexpected, of course."

I nodded. "But..eating so much fruit..is that healthy?" I flushed lightly, worried about sounding stupid. I was never taught the proper diet; the right amount of veggies, fruit, or protein per day.

"Ah, well, thats why I decided to fix eggs this morning. They are a good source of protein, so, hopefully they'll give us a good bit of energy to help us through the day. Once we're closer to a lake, we'll get some fish..and I'm sure some days Leo will hunt...he doesn't like fruit too much." Ethan smiled and I laughed gently, trying not to picture Leo attacking a poor, cute little deer with that sharp sword of his.

I jumped when Hazel touched my shoulder, looking over to see her suddenly beside me. The expression on her face confused me slightly. Like she was jealous. I smirked instantly with the thought and crossed my arms. It was rather soon for a crush, considering this was Hazel I was talking about, but...I couldn't blame her; Ethan was a very handsome guy. Then again, Leo and Aidan were terribly attractive also. I could feel that it was wrong, but, I couldn't help but think we lucked out getting to travel with them. Under different circumstances, I would have been elated with such facts, but...how we met, and why we were traveling, dampened the giddy feeling.

Hazel spoke, and it pulled me from my thoughts, "So, which way are we heading?"

Aidan walked up between us, and slung his arms over both of our shoulders. "Believe it or not, we got a map." I could see he was holding a long, at least foot-length, white piece of paper in his right hand. He waved it, "We head south!" Hazel and I shared a look, both of us wondering which way south was...

Leo snatched the paper from Aidan's grip and un-folded it. "No, you twit, we head northwest," he said after a moment of looking over what I supposed was the map. He folded it back up and used it to hit the crown of Aidan's head. The blond faked a wince, "Which means we go that way," He pointed over his shoulder and stuffed the paper in his back pocket. "And we leave in five minutes, so grab what you can."

And we did just that; we each carried one backpack [though Leo held two], save for December and Hazel, who each had the pleasure of carrying one of her siblings. Sam squirmed in Ember's grip, not wanting to be held, but he was too young to make it though the thick brush alone.

"It'll be easier once we find the trail thats shown here," Ethan had said, pointing to a squiggly line on the map that i personally didn't understand, but pretended to. "It should be cleared of tree's and bushes."

But, until then, we were told, we'd have to trek through the thick forest.

~
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~

It didn't take long for us to tire, and by 'us' I solely meant the female part of our group. The males, on the other hand, showed no signs of fatigue. Leo was clearly annoyed by how we were slowing them down, while Ethan and, surprisingly, Aidan were patient with the pace we'd set. That, or they just were more silent in their abhorrence of our inadequacy. I didn't mind walking; in fact, I rather enjoyed it, but, it was hard to stay upright when roots and vines decorated the ground under you and you were carrying a 15 pound [okay, maybe it was more around 10, but still..] backpack.

Hazel wasn't fairing any better then I, though she was more vocal in her distaste of the situation.

"Ugh, I'm already tired," she'd said about 20 minutes into the walk, sweat already dotting her brow. We were hard workers, yes, but we'd never had to walk much. Helping out with camp consisted of some farming, looking after local children while their parents worked the shops, and just generally taking care of ourselves. Shit-loads of walking did not fall into those category's.

Camilia was silent as always, gracefully dodging low branches and hopping over an up-grown root or two. She could take more then I gave her credit for. December was strangely quiet as well, but I could only guess that was due to the fact she didn't want to seem weak or whiny around these strangers. If it'd been just her and me, she'd be begging me to carry her.

Aidan fell back to walk beside me. "I can carry that for you if its getting too heavy?"

"No, I'm fine," I muttered in response, blushing despite myself. Luckily, the tree's overhead formed such a thick canopy that the sun's light was blocked, and my flush was unnoticeable.

He groaned, "Geez, you're stubborn as hell. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"No," I lied, shifting my bag to my other shoulder. "Why don't you carry Hazel's bag?" He frowned and opened his mouth to say something else when Leo spoke up from up ahead.

"She can hold her own bag," He said, glancing at me over his shoulder. "They can carry their own, so don't ask again."

Aidan snorted and crossed his arms. "I didn't ask you. Its up to Pandora if she wants me to carry--"

"I don't."

He pouted and leaned closer to me, "Ahh, come on, you're makin' me look bad."

"You don't need help with that.." I muttered, clutching the bags strap with my hand. I didn't want to appear lazy or needy in front of Leo, who probably already thought I was these things and more. I'd prove his ass wrong. "And, besides, its only been 25 minutes."

"Fine, I'll ask again later."

I clucked my tongue, "Your persistent." He smiled, "A totally unattractive quality." The smiled promptly disappeared.

"You're just trying to hide your growing love for me." He ran a hand through his hair and looked off to the side nonchalantly. "I don't blame you...just don't play hard-to-get for too much longer. That is unattractive."

My cheeks puffed out in annoyance and my skin took on a bright pink hue. "Ugh! Your impossible." I muttered, turning my head away from him. "Just stop harassing me. I have guns, and I know how to use them."

He gave a close mouthed chuckle, "Feisty...you're trying to push me away and yet you keep drawing me closer.." He propped his arm on my shoulders and pulled me into his side. I automatically grabbed onto his shirt to keep from tripping. "Don't fight it any longer, my dear.." he leaned down to brush his lips against my ear, and my complexion turned cherry red.

Leo had paused and turned, his expression stiff. "Aidan," he said, his voice threatening. But, I didn't bother to wait for the blond to respond before I lifted my arm and brought my elbow down harshly on his stomach.

"Ooof!" He grunted as the air rushed from his lungs, immediately pulling his arm back. I tried to control my blush, but, it kept raging. "Ouch," he hissed, straightening his back with a wince. "..that was so not necessary, Pandora.."

I huffed, "I don't like being touched. Try and remember that." I murmured, already feeling bad for hurting him. But, I didn't know him..and waking up in his lap just made being around him all the more uncomfortable. I wasn't good with guys..and the fact that I silently found him attractive made it all the more worse. Falling for someone on this trip was something I wouldn't allow myself to do.

Everyone else had stopped and turned to watch the scene, and that just embarrassed me further. I focused my eyes on the ground as I heard Leo sigh.

"Lets continue on, yes?" He said, and the group resumed moving. The red-head pulled Aidan to the front, away from me, and I was grateful. Until he started walking beside me. I glanced up at him uncertainly as we walked, confused as to why he was so close to me. My arm accidentally brushed against his and I jerked it back, surprised.

His blue eyes moved over to me, confused. I looked away. "Sorry about Aidan," he said gruffly, rolling his shoulders. It sounded as if he didn't apologize often. The tone told me it wasn't sincere, more like he was just saying to be simply be saying it. "We haven't been around woman in the last few months. He's just taking advantage of the situation." My forehead creased. He was actually defending him? Maybe I'd misunderstood his personality. Maybe he did care about the people he was traveling with; the male half, at least.

"How..long have you guy's been friends?" I asked, albeit a bit reluctantly. Everything about them was a mystery. All we really knew were their names. Not their exact age..where they came from [their accents helped tell us where they were born, but not where they had just been before coming to Cali]. We didn't even know their last names..or if they even had one. These days most people just dropped their surnames since either all their family were dead or they were born out of wedlock. Or, most of the time, they never knew their last name in the first place...many are lost to time.

I didn't expect him to reply, so , naturally I was a little shocked when he did. "I've known Aidan about three years, and Ethan six." I nodded, biting my lower lip. I felt this would be one of those rare chances to get some more information out of them. I decided I should go with my most basic, non-evading questions.

"How old are you?"

His eyes moved over to me, and I could see his lips quirk up slightly. "24." He paused for a moment, then continued on, guessing my next inquiry, "Aidan is 22 and Ethan is 20." My eyes bulged in surprised. Aidan was actually older than Ethan? Now that was hard to believe. He barely looked 17...22 was stretching it.

"Are..are you sure?" I asked, my eyes searching for the blond in question. He looked a little on the mopey side, with his arms crossed and head titled downward as his eyes traced the area below his feet. If he kept doing that, I was sure he would run into a tree.

An amused sound came from Leo's lips, and I glanced back over at him. "I myself wonder sometimes if that is his true age, but, if anything, he's a bad liar. For something so unimportant, anyway." I made a face; Aidan, to me, seemed like he would be an excellent liar. The red-head saw my look, "Do not underestimate him, though. He comes through when necessary." He was giving me a look that said 'agree so I can drop this subject', so, I nodded my understanding and his eyes moved forward and away from me.

I fell silent again, mulling over the minuscule amount of information I'd just received. Age and friendship years. I sucked my bottom lip into my mouth and chewed on it lightly, trying to ignore the anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach. I hated to admit I wanted to know more..and I was impatient to wait for the next 'perfect' time to ask more questions. I crossed my arms to hide the way I wanted to bounce on the balls of my feet like a child wanting to ask something, but too scared to.

Leo, of course, noticed this. He was too observant. That, or I wasn't as good as hiding my feelings as I had originally thought. He breathed in through his nose, then sighed. "More questions?" he asked.

I looked to the side to avoid eye contact. "Maybe one or two.."

"Then ask them before I begin feeling less generous."

I let out a small, peevish huff but decided I might as well ask. It felt like one of those 'now or never' moments. "Why did you come to Cali?"

"Thats your question?" His tone sounded stiff for some reason and I had to focus my gaze on him once more. His posture appeared more rigid then what I considered normal, and the hands that held onto the two backpack straps seemed to fist more tightly around the nylon. I muttered a 'yes' in reply, confused by this reaction. "Pass." He said.

"This isn't a game show," I grumbled, guessing I wasn't going to get an answer for that one. Why would he get so uptight over that? It only served to raise my curiosity to dangerous levels. It felt like he was hiding something. Maybe I was just suspicious, but..the reason why they relocated couldn't be so top-secret that he couldn't tell me. It made me wonder if we really could trust them..technically, they should be our enemy. I couldn't understand why I didn't notice that small detail earlier. They came from overseas, that much was apparent..most, if not all, of the refugee cities over there were considered enemy's of the UCLR. Something..didn't feel quite right. The muscles in my stomach tightened and the sick feeling came back.

But, my logical side said, trying to soothe my panic, wouldn't they have killed us by now? They couldn't have been in with the soldiers..I wouldn't think they would kill one of their own. Maybe..they had switched allies? My nerves calmed slightly and I wiped at a bead of sweat that rolled down my temple. It wasn't that it was hot; it was a little on the warm side, yes, but because of the shade the tree's provided it cooled the heat considerably, I'm sure. I blamed my perspiration on my bout of fear a moment ago.

Just for the sake of getting through the rest of the day without a panic-attack, I made myself momentarily believe Leo wouldn't answer my question because he just didn't like people knowing too much about him. I'd ask the same to Aidan later..I was sure his response would be more fulfilling.

"Is that all?" he asked, causing me to jump in surprise. I'd been so immersed in my pondering that'd I'd forgotten he'd been standing so close to me. I looked up with slightly wide eyes and his eyebrow rose in silent confusion.

"A-ah.." I stuttered out just as Hazel moved over closer to me. She leaned heavily against my side, slinging an arm over my shoulder. The grin on her sweat-dotted face reminded me of a mischievous child. Internally, I knew she was about to say something that would place embarrassment solitarily on me. That look was just too familiar to me. I opened my mouth to say something, anything to distract her from her planned words.

I, of course, was too slow. "I'm sure Pan-Pan is wondering if you're single." Leo's eyes expanded slightly and a faint hue of pink hit his freckled cheeks. My cheeks puffed out in annoyance at the flush taking over my own features. "Sooo, are you?"

"What?!" I squeaked, shoved Hazel's side and pushing her away from me. "Shut up," I hissed to her under my breath, my brow crinkling with my angry, mostly uncomfortable, expression. She huffed and turned her chin up, but there was still a smile curving her lips. She felt triumphant, I'm sure. I knew she was just trying to lighten up the uneasy atmosphere, but, still...I hated feeling this way, and I sure as hell didn't want any of these guys to know  found them attractive.

"Oh-ho-ho," She laughed, uncaring of my embarrassment as she linked arms with me. "Calm down, I'm kidding." She poked my cheek, "No need to get so defensive."

"Yeah, well, you'd get the same way if I mentioned your little 'moment' with Ethan last night." I muttered, smiling as she abruptly stopped beside me. I had to pause also, since her arm was still woven through my own. "Oh, yeah, I was awake." What I didn't mention was that I was only half awake..and I thought I was dreaming. It was just a lucky guess on my part that it had actually happened.

"Shut up," she mumbled, her caramel-tinted cheeks turning pink, though with her dark skin tone it looked slightly purple in this light. Everyone else had stopped and turned to stare at us, probably wondering what the delay was. "If I had known you weren't sleeping I would have gone to you."

I pursed my lips and resumed walking, pulling her along until her feet complied with my steps and moved on their own. Everyone else assumed that whatever had stopped us was over, and the walk continued. "Sure, sure."

She poked my side harshly enough to where I knew that my pathetically sensitive skin would bruise. I mentally winced, "I had one of my nightmares," She retorted in her defense

I instantly forgot about poking fun at her. "Another one?" I asked, remembering all the times she woke up screaming during our sleep-overs and back when I lived at the orphanage..she always needed a shoulder to cry on afterward, so, it really was no surprise she'd settled on using Ethan's.

She nodded. "I can hardly believe I did that myself...I'm just glad it was Ethan. I'm sure if I had run to Leo he'd have push me into the dirt," I snickered, thinking that was a pretty accurate guess, "And Aidan would've felt me up, I'm sure."

"Hey!" Aidan whined, listening in on our conversation. "That comes after you've stopped crying." He flashed us the peace sign over his shoulder and smiled. Hazel and I both rolled our eyes.

"You totally ruined my Q&A with Leo, though." I said, nudging her shoulder with my own. "I was making progress."

She snorted, waving her free hand at a bug that flew past her ear. "Yeah..it sounded like you really found out some interesting things." She said sarcastically, "Besides, I'm sure you were wondering if he had a significant other. Though...Leo's 7 years older then you. I know you like them older, but, thats pushing it, isn't it?"

"Pffbt, says the 15 year-old girl who was cuddled up in a 20 year-olds arms." I shot back, though my face flushed. I guess I didn't have to worry about them having any feelings for me, considering I'm probably a child in their eyes.

"A 5 year difference is better then 7." she sing-songed, grinning. She was right..and I failed to find a good comeback. I couldn't help but feel, however, this wasn't the time or place to be having such a talk. The guy's we were conversing about were but a few feet away, and could easily hear every word spoken. I could only imagine what they were thinking [our own group was used to our craziness over the male species]. Probably that we were immature..love-struck children who couldn't stand to be serous for more then 5 minutes. We'd only known them..hell, not even a full 24 hours and we were already having a back-and-forth about who had a crush on who. My face burned with the heat of my blush. "Besides," she continued before I could attempt to change the subject, "Its kinda obvious you like Aidan...I mean, you said he molested you last night, while we were still at camp," She smiled sweetly, "I didn't hear anything else about it...I think you liked it." In font of us, Aidan snickered and I died a little.

"He..he was just playing around," I said in defense, never willing to admit I actually hadn't minded what he'd done. And who would, after all, mind a really cute guy showing an interest in their body, even if it was just something to try and distract me from throwing more fruit at him? "Besides," I continued on, "consider the guy in question. Come on, have a little more faith in me. I have better taste." I heard Aidan scoff.

"You don't have to deny it," He said, butting in our discussion as he looked over his shoulder. He winked at us. "Most girls can't be around me longer then an hour without--"

"Wanting to kill themselves?"

He turned back around, and I watched his spiky hair bounce as he walked. "Psh, no. Without falling in love with me...its almost a curse being so attractive." I opened my mouth to say something, hopefully ego-crushing, when Ethan briefly paused. The rest of us fallowed suit.

"There's an opening up ahead.." He said as Leo passed him something. I heard the rustling of paper as he consulted the map. "Ah, yes," He folded it back up and returned it to Leo. "This is the trail we'll take," he began walking again. "It goes on for about 40 miles..we should pass a small camp in about 30."

"You're kidding me, right?" Hazel whined. I knew she was a hard worker, but, walking just wasn't her forte. It seemed to me as if she'd rather just stop here and rest for the remaining day. We hadn't been walking too long..30-45 minutes, maybe.

"Ah, it's not that bad. For us, I mean." Aidan quipped, looked in my direction with a raised eyebrow. "And as I said before, if you need someone to carry your bag--"

"Touch my bag and I'll castrate you." I snapped. It was starting to irritate me, his supposed generosity. It made me wonder why trying to get at my stuff. Did he want to see if he could snoop around in my personals? Or, was he really just being nice? But then again, Leo did say he could be a good liar. It was hard to tell.

Leo cleared his throat loudly, a warning at Aidan and I both to stop our nonsense tiff. "Can we stop this dawdling? If we hurry it up, we won't have to deal with the heat too long."

Hazel groaned, "Ugh! And this isn't the heat?!" She seemed to be a little annoyed after our little conversation. But, that couldn't just be it..combined with the heat [it wasn't that bad, I could tell standing still, but..walking and working up a sweat, it seemed to intensify] and what little sleep we all got last night..it was a lot of stress for her to handle and she wasn't the type to hide her frustration.

Camilia didn't seem too continent with the situation, either, but it was obvious she was in better condition then Hazel. Her freckled face was flushed and her sandy hair stuck to her cheeks and neck. She ran the back of her hand over her forehead and sighed softly. "Just hang in there, Hazy. We'll make it; We all will." She soothed, walking over to the older girl and patting her shoulder. She smiled and Hazel returned the gesture. I glanced over at the guys. They all seemed so calm..sweat-free and looking as cool as ice. Damn them.

Aidan's eyes seemed wide, though. "...Wait a sec...you can talk?!" He gasped and I rolled my eyes.

Hazel's glare was like fire, "You're stupid, aren't you?" Camilia just blinked, unfazed. "She's been talking, you loser."

"Ohhh," he drawled, nodding to himself. He couldn't have not noticed that, could he? I narrowed my eyes at him and he responded with a cheeky grin.

"Lets get moving, shall we?" Ethan urged, giving his back to us as he started walking. Leo did the same, and the rest of just shared a look, then mirrored their moves. Aidan somehow ended up beside me again.

"You really didn't notice her talking?" I asked him, my voice low. He winked at me and patted my head, ruffling my bangs. I ducked to avoid further contact.

"No, I did. But, I distracted your friend from her momentary meltdown, now didn't I?" He lifted up his arms, stretched, then used his hands to support his head as he walked. I couldn't help but smile. He had done just that. I glanced over at Hazel, who had her arm linked with Cami's and talking to her, and of course the blond wasn't speaking back, but that didn't bother her. She didn't seem too concerned about the heat anymore, only 'soothing' her friend, who surely didn't need it. "I think I deserve a kiss for my effort." He puckered his lips to stress his point.

My face heated up, but I couldn't find it in me to be mean. He had just technically helped my friend. "Maybe later."

He smiled, "I'll hold you to that." And I knew he would.

Ethan was the first to exit the forest, and we all poured out behind him. The temperature difference was clear without the shade of trees, but, at the moment, the ferocious summer sun was hidden behind some clouds. The trail we would take now was about as wide as a one-lane road, clear of the woods' brush, save for a few leaves and twigs. The ground was just dirt, a few sprigs of grass, and rocks. The forest was still present, surrounding us on either side. It was clear no animal made this; it screamed 'man-made'. I stood on my tip-toes, overlooking the heads of my companions as I gazed down the new path. It seemed to stretch on forever and I wondered how long it would take for me to want to puke at the sight of the colors green and brown.

I turned and looked at the path behind us. It as well seemed to go on for ages. "Where does that lead?" I asked, jerking my thumb in the direction behind us.

"The ocean." Leo answered absently, brushing his hair from his forehead. His nose was crinkled slightly and I could tell he was probably sharing Hazel's thoughts.

"I hate the sun," She grumbled, flattening her hand over her brow as she looked at the hidden horizon. "Lets go so we can hurry up and rest.."

I chuckled lightly to myself as our group continued forward. I had a feeling this day was going to be long, boiling hot, and boring as hell.

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