crunch…shff…crunch…shff…
beep...
crsh-shff-crsh-shff-crsh!
"...sha—'ey... huh..."
BEEP—BEEP—BEEP—
HONK—!
shff—thmp!
SMACK!
shff…
shff…
tap.
stp……stp.shff…
clck.
Blurriness.
She rubbed at her eyes while her face came into view in the mirror
Her unruly hair hung around her cheeks in uneven strands, half-flattened from sleep.
One small patch stuck up the opposite way.
A cowlick.
"Mhm..."
For a few seconds, she just stood there, a heavy fog lingered around her, lingering in her mind.
She reached under the sink counter and pulled out a small paper bag, along with the container tucked beside it.
The pills inside rattled as she set the container on the edge of the sink. Afterwards, she opened the bag and pulled out an auto-injector.
The clear cap came off with a small snap.
Cecilia pressed the end into her thigh.
chk.
A sting bit into her leg.
A few seconds passed before she pulled it away from her skin and dropped it back into the bag.
Then she twisted open the container, tapped a few pills into her palm, and swallowed them dry.
"..."
Cecilia turned on the faucet.
shhh…
She cupped the water in both hands and splashed it over her face once.
Then again.
Cold ran down her cheeks and dripped from her chin into the sink.
She wiped her face with a towel nearby before she grabbed a comb and dragged it through her hair.
shk…shk…
shk…shk…
She set the brush down after a minute or two, picked up her toothbrush, and squeezed a line of paste across it.
The bristles scraped softly against her teeth while the sink kept running.
A minute later, she spat into the sink and rinsed her mouth.
She wiped the corner of her lips with the back of her hand and stepped away from the sink just as the bathroom door slid open.
Ikade slipped in at the same time, rubbing at one eye, still half-asleep.
Cecilia moved around her and crossed into the room before she pulled open one of the wardrobe drawers. She grabbed the first clean set she found and changed without much thought.
Cecilia tilted her head up.
Light.
A soft orange glow washed over her through the skylight, just strong enough to bathe the room.
click.
shhk—
PSSSHHHH…
click.
shhhhh…
"...Something on your mind? You've been staring at the skylight forever."
Cecilia blinked and lowered her gaze.
Ikade stood in front of her now, dressed and watching her with a worried look.
"Huh? I was?"
Cecilia rubbed at her arm, brushing over rough of her forearm.
"Uh...not really. It's just too early to do much of anything, so...I kinda zoned out."
Ikade turned back toward the bathroom.
Cecilia watched her go for a second before following.
Inside, Ikade crouched beneath the sink and pulled out a small box of bandages, then a brown glass bottle with a worn label.
She tucked both against her chest and stood, brushing past Cecilia on her way out.
Cecilia followed her back into the room.
Ikade set the box and bottle on the blanket before sitting on the edge of the bed. After a second, Cecilia lowered herself beside her.
Without a word, Ikade took Cecilia's hand and turned it over in her lap before pulling her sleeves up. The rough along her skin caught the soft orange light from above, dark and uneven.
Ikade twisted the bottle open.
She dabbed a little benzoin over the first one, waited a few seconds, then pressed a band aid over it.
One.
Then another.
Three.
Then another.
"..."
Ikade's mouth kept opening and closing like she was saying something important, but the words never came out.
Dull, and muffled.
The way her ears moved back and forth with every breath.
The little frown she wore before smoothing each band aid down.
The way her eyes shimmered.
Her soul.
Ikade straightened back up the second she pressed the last one down, her touch lingering like the smiles she carried herself with.
Cecilia looked across her littered arms, then at Ikade's hands as they gathered the bottle and box back together.
Her eyes scrunched down to Ikade's ankle while she closed her hand into a ball.
"..."
step…step…
The two of them made their way through the narrow of the room until they reached the front door, a slab of metal.
"See you in a little okay?"
Ikade smiled at her before opening the door and walking away.
Her own footsteps resounded next, the metal under her feet groaned out into the sandy field.
She stopped at the edge of the freighters bed and closed her eyes. Behind her, the open door spilled a thin rectangle of light across her back.
"hff—haaah…"
"Why the long face?"
Cecilia opened her eyes.
Rain sat on the first step of the stairs, a juice pack in hand. One of her knees was propped up, an arm wrapped around.
"Was it that obvious?"
Cecilia stepped down from the doorway.
"Honestly, I was sure you'd stay cooped up after getting yourself handed to you."
"That doesn't count. You started cheating right from the start, you know. Humiliating, really."
"Well, I did tell you I wasn't very strong." Cecilia shifted the backpack on her shoulder. "Or maybe you're just weaker than I thought."
"Anyway." Cecilia glanced farther into the convoy. "Where to?"
"I was thinking we'd—"
"Oh, I just realized something."
Rain blinked.
"What?"
Cecilia looked her up and down.
"You're like that one neighborhood brat I can never seem to shake." They hadn't gone more than a few steps before Cecilia stopped. "One second."
She turned around and climbed back into the freighter.
clng...clng...
She passed the kitchenette and entered the bedroom. Reaching over the nightstand, she picked up the holster and fastened it to her belt beneath her shirt.
click.
Her gaze returned to the pistol resting on the nightstand.
For a second or two, she stared at it in her hand after grabbing it. Then, she slid it into the holster and pulled her shirt back over it.
After patting the fabric flat, she headed outside again.
Rain looked over at her the second she stepped out and down from the freighter.
step...step...
step...
step...
The sand beneath their shoes dampened their steps while the morning breeze drifted through the caravan. The juice box had been crumpled into a rough sphere in Rain's hand.
The horizon, a cocktail of pink, orange and brown.
"...So." Rain rubbed the back of her neck. "...Nice morning we're having...?"
Cecilia glanced at her, her eyes dropping to the sweat dampening Rain's nape.
Rain said something else, her tone full of awkwardness, but none of it registered.
A few minutes later, Rain tried again.
"…what else are you hiding?"
"What?"
Again, Rain rubbed the back of her neck before she suddenly sped up.
step...step...step...
Before long, she turned and began walking backwards a few steps ahead of Cecilia.
"...can I ask you something?"
"I mean, you just did."
"...very funny." Rain huffed then folded her arms behind her head. "So...just who exactly are you? Its not to sudden to ask right?"
"..."
A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Rain's face.
Rain's gaze drifted everywhere except Cecilia's eyes
"…well?"
Cecilia parted her lips then close them, again.
"...I am an orphan."
Rain's awkward smile faded.
"I've never known who my parents were...or rather, I cant remember. The only thing I know is where I'm from."
Cecilia's eyes wandered ahead, hopping from one vehicle to the next as they stretched across the sand, their headlights carving pale streaks.
Rain on the other hand, slowed until they were almost walking side by side.
"...that's..." Rain rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm...sorry."
The corner of Cecilia's mouth lifted.
"...kidding."
"...what?"
"I've never been looking for anyone." Cecilia cracked an eye open. "I'm just curious about my home country."
"...you—"
"I want to know what the cities look like...what they eat over there...what the lands are like." A faint pull touched the corner of her mouth. "And the wildlife too."
"...you should smile more."
Cecilia's gaze drifted back toward the horizon.
"Hm?"
"You know..." Rain smiled sheepishly. "You've actually got a really pretty smile."
pat.
Her hand landed gently on top of Rain's head, who froze like something had pressed paused.
Cecilia gave the blue hair a small ruffle before letting her hand fall away.
"...thanks."
Confusion like fog lingered across Rain's face as they wandered into a small clearing, where a handful of rather interesting people had gathered.
ba—DUMP.
fwsh.
A pair of headlights flickered on, washing the clearing in white.
The smell of grilled food floated between snippets of conversation. Laughter, the chatter of radios, and emotions settled somewhere in her chest.
Her eyes watched the way their expressions changed.
Tiredness, fatigue, curiosity and nervousness.
"…ba-da…sha-la…ya-da…la-ba…"
"…da-la-ba..ya-sha…ba-da-la…"
Then.
"Well, look who finally showed up. How'd you like sleeping down here for a change?"
A voice rose from a smaller group nearby.
Micah.
"Can't you tell by our faces? We're still waking up." Cecilia rubbed lightly beneath one eye. "Compared to what I'm used to, though...I'd say it's pretty good."
"Mhm? Didn't you say you were some small potato?"
"I am. Small potatoes still need somewhere to sleep."
Cecilia yawned before she could say another word, forcing her mouth shut while tears prickled at the corners of her eyes.
He stepped closed and extended a hand, where a cup radiated warmth in soft spirals.
"Chocolate?"
"Uhh...sure why not."
She gestured lightly toward the small crowd with the cup before talking a sip.
"So what's with all this?"
"Nothing much. Top figured we'd get everyone together before we head out. Eat and get some of the awkwardness out of the way."
"You're not the only one who showed up without knowing anybody...but you already know that because...y'know." He coughed into his fist. "Anyway. We're bringing supplies down to the settlements. I say 'we,' but I go back and forth between all these places enough that I don't really count."
"...and there's another one farther but we don't usually—"
His voice slowly folded into everything else around her.
"...ba-da..."
"...Once we reach the end of this run, that's it."
Cecilia followed the voice.
An older woman and two chicos...haven't seen any of them before. Are they the heads of this little caravan?
"Most of us didn't know each other before this, and once the job's done, most of us probably won't see each other again either."
A few conversations around her quieted.
"So don't make it complicated. Enjoy the trip. We'll spend a day or two at each settlement once we get there."
"After that, anyone staying, stays. The rest of us move on. You get your share, shake some hands if you feel like it, and go wherever you're going next."
"Ah, that's my cue. See ya."
She turned just in time to catch Rain shoving Micah's hand off the top of her head.
"Get off!"
Micah pulled his hand back, laughing while Rain hurriedly smoothed down the patch of blue hair he had ruffled out of place.
Her eyes lingered on the faint white steam curling from the top of Rain's head.
More people appeared from between vehicles, carrying a foldable table between them.
clack—!
"Alright, gather around!"
"So, before we start moving..."
People shuffled closer until Cecilia found herself somewhere near the edge, Rain on the other hand, squeezed into whatever space remained beside her.
Small figures dotted the table's surface, arranged into uneven lines of vehicles, freighters, and a few odd shapes. A couple had been pushed off to the sides while others were placed into clusters.
"...the forward group will..."
One of them was noticeably larger than most of the others.
She leaned a little closer, what passed for windows were painted white.
Is this...supposed to be me?
Her eyes moved along its body.
The figure seemed a little more detailed than it had a second ago.
And behind one of those windows—
Herself.
scritch...scritch...
Cecilia scratched something down before lifting the pen from her note pad.
Glad I thought to bring this. Completely forgot about my bracelet.
Next to her, Ikade had the operator's manual pulled up, her eyes moving back and forth across whatever section she had buried herself in.
A low rumble worked through the floor beneath Cecilia's feet.
Then another joined it.
And another.
She reached for the radio and turned through the channels until loud chatter filled the cabin.
"...rear's ready."
"Hold on, we're still waiting on—"
A few more minutes passed before another voice crackled through.
"...all vehicles, hold until lead starts moving."
A few more minutes passed with the engine humming beneath them.
Then after a long idle period, the truck ahead moved, the silhouettes wavering from the rolling heat waves.
She could almost hear the howling of the wind and roaming beast.
With a shake of her head, she eased after the truck, the freighter rocking gently when the tires rolled over the uneven terrain.
FWOOOOSH—FRSSSHHH!
A pair of smaller vehicles shot past Cecilia's window, their tires kicking loose sand behind them.
Cecilia watched they disappear between the larger trucks.
Once they picked up a steady pace, Cecilia switched on the auto-drive and leaned back into her seat.
"I'm so glad I don't have to hold the gas down the entire time."
She glanced at the cabin-view mirror just as Ikade looked up from the manual.
"You say that like we've been driving for hours...besides, we can always switch."
"I'll remember you said that."
Ikade lowered her gaze and began to write something down, her face illuminated by the monitor.
Cecilia's gaze wandered away from her.
Across the cabin.
Along the wall.
Until they settled on the little station she made for herself.
Her chest piece hung alongside her crossbow, right where she had placed them after returning. Everything was laid bare beneath the cabin lights—the cuts, the stands breaking away and the stains.
Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
So why haven't you said anything yet...Kae?
Why...
The chest piece shifted roughly with the movement of the freighter, and the crossbow clattered against the foam backing.
You saw it.
You saw me come back.
So why...
She stared at it a little longer.
Why haven't you asked me?
"..."
Do you not want to know?
Long enough to notice her reflection across the cabin mirror.
...Or are you waiting for me to tell you?
Then Ikade.
Ikade sat on the sofa, watching while Cecilia stood beside the table with her chest piece hanging awkwardly from one arm.
Cecilia tried to place it down without making much of it.
clnk.
But it landed against the table harder than she wanted.
Her hand circled to her other arm, rubbing over her forearm while her eyes wandered everywhere except toward the sofa. She could almost see herself swallowing everything she wanted to say, while strands of hair clung to her face.
Just say something.
No.
Don't.
Her eyes finally wandered toward Ikade.
...Anything.
Sunlight poured through the window, washing the cabin in orange before spilling across Ikade's face until Cecilia could barely make out her expression.
Cecilia's gaze burrowed back down.
Down past the reflection.
Past the gauge .
Until the steering wheel was all she focused on.
"..."
And so they drove.
They drove.
And drove.
And drove some more.
The scenery crawled by outside her window, changing so little that Cecilia eventually stopped paying attention.
Cecilia rested her cheek against one hand, watching the road ahead through half-lidded eyes.
Drive.
Drive.
Drive.
At some point, the sound of the freighter began to shift tones.
HONK—!