Earth(70)

"We're going to the top," said Micah.

I groaned. The thing had to be 250 feet tall. "Wouldn't you rather show me the Ferris wheel? Or the carousel?"

"The view is worth the climb," Micah said. We passed the useless elevator and started up the stairs. "Besides, this is where I sleep."

"You do this every night?" I asked.

"And now, so will you." He paused, waiting for me to catch up. He took my hand and pulled me along behind him.

My butt is going to be so sore in the morning.

By the time we made it to the top, my legs were on fire, and I was breathing hard. Another guard greeted us at the round platform. This one I recognized; an Elemental from the Chakra.

"Natasha?" I squealed, lunging for her. I scooped her up in a hug. "You made it! The last I remember you were being chased into the woods by those Fires."

She detached herself from me, smiling.

"I'm sorry I didn't go back for you." I took a step back, looking at Micah. "Why didn't I go back for her?" My mind began reconstructing events from a day I tried not to think about for over a year. It was like racing down a dark tunnel, knowing something bad was waiting at the end.

Micah interrupted my thoughts, "She left for one of the several rally points we agreed upon. Something you should've done, too."

I narrowed my eyes. "I was searching for you. I thought—"

"I know," he cut me off. "I know…" He put his forehead against my own.

We pulled apart when Natalie shuffled by us to leave.

"It is so good to see you!" I called after her.

She turned slightly and nodded.

I looked at Micah, confused. "She didn't say one word. Is she mad at me?"

"She rarely speaks, not since Daybreak," he whispered back. "She has the ability, but she is still suffering from the battle, mentally and…physically."

I looked back. As she turned, descending the first of the stairs, moonlight glinted off one side of her face. Raised, pink scar tissue ran the length of it. Her ear was non-existent, and one nostril almost closed off. Her eye couldn't open all the way.

My hand went to my mouth as tears stung my eyes. "Burn scars." I stepped forward, wanting to hug her all over again.

Micah put his hand on my shoulder. "She doesn't like attention."

I swallowed, hard, and hugged him instead. When Natalie's footsteps faded away, Micah led me around the elevator shaft to the other side of the tower.

"The tower isn't necessarily manned 24-7. Just when we have the time." He pulled back a curtain. A mound of blankets and pillows sat on the other side.

"Oh my God – you have pillows?!" I dove into the pile, and rolled. "They smell so clean."

He sat next to me, taking off each of our shoes and pulling the bedding aside to lay out our dinner. "I was busy last night, getting ready for you."

I cleared my throat, fiddling with the edge of a pillow. Thank God I had managed to borrow a razor from Erika. "So…aren't you worried about being so close to One Less?" I nodded in the direction of the 16th Street Mall.

He handed me the canteen of wine and laid out our wild dog and potatoes. "We were here long before them, and they have yet to venture out of their camps. But…"

"But?" I prodded him, unscrewing the lid to the canteen.

"But it will be a long winter, and they'll probably get restless. We've started moving supplies and personnel to an underground silo, fifty miles east of here. Within a month we'll all be gone."

I paused with the canteen halfway to my mouth. "All of you?"

His lips pressed into a tight line and he rubbed his temple. "Let's talk plans later – now, we feast." He picked up his lettuce-wrap. "Cheers."

We touched lettuce to canteen, and I took a deep swig.

Rich, black fruit flavors danced along my tongue to the back of my throat. The aftertaste held a hint of vanilla. The sweet liquid warmed my entire body as it went down. "That is…so good."

"Picked it up in Virginia; been saving it ever since." His lettuce wrap was halfway gone.

I passed over the canteen and sampled our kill. "What if it had rabies or something?"

"Then you'd probably show signs of it. Was that not dog blood and snot I tasted on your tongue when I kissed you after?"

I laughed, spewing potatoes out of my mouth. "Well, romance is a specialty of mine."

"Oh, there is no doubt." He wiped the corner of my lips with a blanket.

We finished our cold food, washing it down with much better wine.

"Kaitlyn, I want to ask you something…about Lucy," Micah said.

I brought the canteen from my lips, a half smile lighting my face. "Ok."