We stay in the Woodshop until dark. We moved up into the rafters and have been sitting by the hole in the roof.

We can't go back to the Community. We can't stay here either, eventually they'll find us.

I look out the window. Wind is leaning against me, her hand is clasped around mine.

It's dark, we can't see anything. The clouds are always covering the sky. There is no light.

As I'm looking up at the clouds, I notice that they're moving. Suddenly, a circle of white light pierces the sky.

The clouds have been blown away, revealing something I have never seen before.

It lights up the trees. It illuminates the snowflakes that are dancing in the air. It shines on the ice that covers the sea.

I've never seen anything like it before.

Wind moves towards the hole and looks around with her eyes wide. She takes my hand and pulls me towards her.

Shd points at the sea in excitement.

"What is it?"

She points to it again. She starts to move her arms. It takes me a minute to figure out what she's saying.

But then I get it.

Across the sea.

She wants us to go across the sea.

I stare at her in disbelief.

"Wind. It was only a story. There's nothing over there."

Her smile fades.

What if there is?

"There's not." I tell her firmly.
"Put it out of your head."

Wind looks at me. She's not smiling anymore.

Then what will we do?

"I don't know."

I turn away from her and look across the sea. We can't stay here. We can't escape into the woods. We'd eventually come to another Community, a larger one.

A more dangerous one.

I keep looking out across the ice.

What if there is something over there? What if there was a place where we would be safe?

Where we could love each other without fear.

I look at Wind.
Her face is sullen. Any hope she had is gone. Because of me.

I take her hand in mine. She doesn't look at me.

I put my hand on the side of her face and turn it towards me.

"Wind, what do you want to do?"

She looks at me in suprise. She looks back at the sea, and then turns to me.

I want to go across.

I nod. "Okay."

She doesn't smile. She just stares at me. Tears running down her face.

I bring her closer to me and wrap my arms around her. She does the same.

We both know there's probably no chance of us crossing alive. And even if we do, there's no guarantee that we will find a place over there.

But at this point, we have no choice.

And we'd rather take this chance together than spend the rest of our lives alone.