2

"Honey, you need to get off the plane; the airport is closing in forty minutes."

Sarah heard the soft female voice every time the lady repeated it, but it had always felt like a dream, immersed deep in her brain instead of shaking it awake. It wasn't until about the ninth time that she could tell it was real and woke up to a concerned face staring down at her.

"Uh, I'm sorry," she said, clearing her throat instinctively, "I should get off now."

Frantic, she jumped out of her seat and swung her backpack over her shoulder in one swift movement.

The woman, whose uniform implies she must be the pilot, responded to her apology with a terse nod.

Out at last, she let herself breathe in the clean air for once, cool and soft on her chest. The sun had already set, and street lights glittered around the airport like fallen stars.

How lucky the Pallids are, Sarah thought. They are the only ones not living in all year camps.

The Separators seemed to have made sure Pallid was polished and up to date; with its malls and hotels, cinemas, bookstores, schools and colleges, everything a modern section should have. Unlike the five others where everyone lived in torn tents and temporary supplies, Pallids had an enjoyable and comfortable life.

Sarah was convinced that this privilege is the reason why everybody else hated Pallid but wished to live in it at the same time, a natural feeling of desire that arises once a nation is ripped off its rights.

The question as to why Pallid, out of all the others, had been granted this privilege remains a mystery. Some would say it had to be because it held the government's bases and headquarters, they had to make sure the place they ruled from was taken care of, the D-ecrus and Onyxes, however, believed it was some sort of disguised extreme racism. Sarah was a fan of both theories, after all, they could be both racists and selfish.

Clutching the straps of her backpack with both hands, Sarah strode out of the airport into the empty streets. She didn't have a destination in mind or any idea where she was going at all. She could be walking straight into a factory or a gang's secret base.

Hopefully not.

Nothing seemed special or welcoming to look at. Although buildings and modern houses were a much better sight than crumpled towers and randomly placed tents, not a single thing amused her or caught her attention. Perhaps it was the mission and heading off to nowhere in particular that was eating off her mind hard enough to let her think of anything else.

Soon after taking random turns, the houses and buildings lessened until she found herself in the woods, still looking for a human to talk to and lead her anywhere. As the trees thickened around her and darkness enveloped her, she knew she had to be extra cautious.

You'll need protection.

She recalled Asli's words, her hand reaching out to hold the gun hung at her belt for comfort as she sped up her gait through the forest now that her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

_______________________________________

Had Sarah had a watch, she would've known she'd been running for no more than 20 minutes, but under that tree where she leaned over to catch her breath, she could've sworn at least an hour must've passed.

Disappointment nagged at her, there was still no sign of anything human, anything living; just the unfriendly darkness, the towering trees, and the smell of wet grass and smoke.

Smoke?

Alert, she sniffed the air, and sure as the truth of death, smoke hit her nose and filled the little place in front of her. And there in the distance, a tiny yellow light flickered much like her dancing hope.

With a hint of excitement, she headed in its direction, watching the light glowing brighter the closer she got until a few feet away, she could see the big picture.

There were about three people sitting around that fire, probably camping as a weekend activity; the thought of which reminded her that she had lost track of days a long time ago.

But upon closer inspection, she no longer thought it was a weekend trip; people of different races wouldn't be camping out together, not anywhere, and especially not in Pallid.

However, eyes don't lie, and hers weren't lying to her either, they seemed to be having a good time, a sight as odd as a sight could be.

"What are you doing over there?" a nearby voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she spun around just to see a dark toned guy towering over her.

"Hey." She managed to say.

"I'm not here for chitchat, what the hell are you doing here?"

She sighed. "I got lost. I was looking for someone to guide me somewhere, but then..." she glanced back at the camp, they seemed so comfortable, the atmosphere was so light; it was something she'd never seen before.

"Then what? You found a bunch of diverse people not killing each other?"

Yes

"No, of course not," she said.

"Whatever, young lady, let me introduce ourselves, we're the rebels."

"The what?"

He rolled his eyes. "The rebels. Anyways, I think we can help you; follow me now, will you?"

In a haze, she nodded and trailed behind the big guy, feeling everyone's stares pierce into her skin, but she shrugged it off and crouched into the tent he entered.

"Kris, we got an outsider here." He announced to the back of a chair.

"Thanks, Cory. Would you leave us alone, now?" she replied, her voice calm and collected.

The moment Cory left the room, the chair turned, revealing a girl of about her age, her eyes blue and welcoming, her hair black and pulled into a high ponytail.

She smiled at the sight of Sarah, "Hello there," she greeted, "What's your name?"

Sarah felt like she could trust everyone here, especially Cory and Kris, but something about them made her uncomfortable.

What if it's all trap? What if they sell me off to the Separators in the morning?

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she lied, "Mary, call me Mary."

"Nice to meet you, Mary. How can I help you?"

"I've come looking for someone who used to live here twelve years ago."

"What's the name?"

"Evran Yildrim, have you heard of her?"

Kris shook her head, "I never did, but if you want, we could go look for her in the morning." She offered.

"Are you sure you can do this? I mean, I don't even know where she used to live."

Kris nodded, "She had to have lived in the derelict buildings on the other side of the woods; we'd look there first. If we don't find anything, we'll have to dive deeper and get some data from the hotels, although I'd pray we don't get to that last resort."

Sarah's face lit up at the offer. "That'd be great, thank you," she said.

"By the way, you're staying in my tent for the night. It's the one just right across, feel free to change into your pyjamas and rest on the bed."

"But what about you? Where will you sleep?"

"Don't worry about me; I've got a sleeping bag."

"Thanks again, Kris."

"Needless, Mary, good night."

Sarah faked a smile and made her way out. Kris had been so nice to her, and yet she lied. Guilt was consuming her already; she should've thought it through before lying about her name.

Once inside Kris's tent, she dropped her backpack on the ground and took off her scarf at last.

Maybe it's for the best at the moment, she thought.

-

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FINALLY AN UPDATE! I know, I know, it had a while since I posted O N E, but here you go!
Updates will be regular starting from the next Friday.

Don't forget to vote and comment your opinions down below. .

Thanks very much!
Have a good day, buddies!

-Eman.