Note: Edited by Zia Westerman 7/4/2017

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Many Earth years ago ...

Planet: Everotorn

Location: Blacken Wood Forest  

"Now, hatchlings, can anyone tell me the most important thing you will need to know about this forest?" Sir Patrus, our royal expert in training survivalist questioned, leading us deeper into the forest.

I walked along side him, his dark blue hair shining in the great light above. "I know the answer."

"Of course, you do," one of the hatchlings muttered behind me, her voice full of sarcasm. "You know everything."

"I must know everything if I am to become que—"

"You will never be our queen, you are a spoilt brat! You do not know how to lead!" This makes me spin around to face her.

Her arms were crossed and her pink eyes stared into mine. "You will not speak to me in such a way. Apologise!"

"Never."

"Enough! Mary-Tangie, you will apologise to our princess or I will leave you here to defend for yourself." Patrus narrowed his eyes at her.

She swallowed hard. "You would not leave me here? No one can last a night here."

"That is not true," I turned to face her, slightly smiling. "I spent two sun cycles out here by myself." I always had a heart for discovering new things, so living off the forest alone was an amazing experience for me.

"Mary-Tangie, what is the most important thing you need to know about the forest?" Patrus leaned against a blue tree as its red leaves fall around us. "Tell me."

"I do not know." She dropped her head in shame and stepped behind the group.

"Patrus, sir, the most important thing is knowing how to survive, being one with the world around you. Treat it as you want to be treated, do not abuse it."

"And?"

I looked at Patrus and said, "All things come to an end."

******

Current Earth time ...

Planet: Earth

Location: Camp Jameson

"She can sleep with me," James said to Jeremy who frowned. "You know I have the biggest hut, she can sleep in mine."

"But you don't have another bed," Jeremy argued, folding his arms across his chest.

James stood beside me, we were currently in some building that is for meetings. "So? She can sleep in mine."

"With you?" Jeremy laughed, shaking his head. "No way, I won't have her sleeping in the same bed as you, James, not with your past."

"It was in the past! Why does everyone keep bringing it up?"

"Because of what you did to Lucy." Jeremy tried to speak softer so that I could not hear but I do. "She still hasn't got over it, so no, I won't allow any girl to sleep in the same hut as you."

James slammed his hand on a wooden table in front of him. "I've changed!"

"I don't believe you, maybe she can sleep with—"

"Hell, no! She's not staying with you," James spat now leaning on the table.

Jeremy sighed pulling a chair out and sits down. "What other option is there? She can't sleep in one of our—"

"I am right here, I can lay where I wish." I told them, my voice strong, staring at both men. "I wish to sleep with James."

"Do you know how wrong that sounds?"

We all turned our heads to find Lucy standing in the doorway, "I have a better idea, Jewels can stay with me."

"No way!" James yelled at the same time Jeremy said, "That's a great idea."

"What's wrong, James? Scared she might find out about you?" Lucy teased James, who scoffed. Her eyes fell on me then on Jeremy. "But that's not what I came here for, Tom's running out of supplies and Nikkie is due to give birth soon."

"Ugh, guess we need to raid."

"Where, though?" Jeremy opens a draw and pulls out a large map. "The only place we haven't raided for a while," his fingers run along the paper but I could not see what was on it, "is here." He pointed to whatever was beneath his finger.

"The city? Are you mad?" Lucy stood next to him. "Jeremy, that would be a suicide raid."

"What other choice do we have?" James said, agreeing with Jeremy.

"We can go without food for a while, Lucy, but we can't go without medical supplies. And besides, we need to find out some information on the nomads." Jeremy nodded at James, who begins to walk to the door.

I followed James and asked, "What are nomads?"

"A large group of people, they used to travel a lot, raiding other camps. But now they control the city." James opened the door and we exit the building, it was already dark outside. "We leave first light tomorrow."

"We?"

"Yes, you, Mick and I," he simply answered, and takes a step away but I grab his wrist. "What, Jewels?"

"I have no place to lay for the night."

"Stay with Lucy." He pulled his hand from my grip. "I'm sure you're dying to know everything about my past."

"I do not want to lay with her, I want to lay with you." I did not know if it was what I said, or how I said it, but it caused a smile to break out on his face followed by laughter. "Did I say a joke?"

He coughed to stop himself from laughing, but the smile never left his lips. "No, and if you really want to sleep in my hut then you can. But we have to share a bed."

"I have shared a—what you call it—a bed before. Mother use to always let me lay—"

"Please, stop saying lay, we call it sleep," he cuts me off, still smiling. "Laying here, has a double meaning but let's not talk about that, you can share my bed."

I followed close behind him through the camp, the streets were empty apart from the guards walking down them. James lead me to a building that was different from the rest; it only had one window, the front door was made from a thick steel, and the building itself was larger than the other buildings in the area. It was black yet it had some brown marks on the walls.

James unlocked the door and opened it. "Well, in you go then."

I walked in behind him, there seemed to be only two rooms. The first one where we stood had a round wooden table in the centre with three chairs around it and a desk on the far side.

"In here." James pulled back a curtain revealing the second room, which we entered. "The bed's not very big, but if you feel uncomfortable I can sleep on the sofa." He pointed to a brown thing I am guessing was the sofa.

It did not look like a great place to lay so I looked at James and shake my head. "It is fine, I do not mind lay—sleeping with you."

"Alright, then, but I warn you, I snore." He chuckled but it was really hard to see his face in the dark.

James and I soon found ourselves on the bed, he was on the far side and I on the other. Neither of us spoke and let the darkness take us.

I was woken up by the sound of someone knocking on the door, I felt James shift beside me. It was strange, when I glanced at him we both had moved closer to each other in our sleep.

His eyes snapped open when the knocking became louder, he grumbled something sitting up then rolled off the bed without saying a word to me.

"What?" I heard him yell, followed by the opening of the door. "Yes, she's here, no I didn't try anything! Geez, calm down—what? Now? Ugh ... fine, yeah let me get her up."

Turned out we had to leave earlier than expected. We left as the bright light began to rise over the trees. James took—what humans called it—a vehicle or a truck. Mick and I rode on horse back, Mick was worried I did not know how to ride a horse, but back home we had similar creatures.

******

It took a while for us to arrive at the city.

James stopped the truck on the side of the road leading into the city. He covered it with tree branches before saying, "We take one horse to carry the supplies, if we find any."

"I don't think that's a good idea, they'll hear us before they see us." Mick swung his large gun, I had learnt was a rifle, over his shoulder. "We should just go in the truck and leave it somewhere on the outskirts."

James thought for a moment and watched me as I jumped down from the horse. "Alright, then."

After James and Mick uncovered the truck, we climbed in and Mick started driving towards the city, but all I could see were trees.

"Why are there no people in the city?" I asked James, who had his own rifle laying across his lap.

"The city is abandoned if that's what you mean." He looked out of the window and pointed out of it. "You'll see it when we clear the forest."

He was right, the road became wider as we emerged from the forest, and what lay in front of us were the ruins of a city. Buildings had been destroyed and were covered in vines with trees and bushes growing them.

"There, see that carpark? Stop in there, Mick." I followed James's eyes to this so-called carpark.

In front of us was a tall building with a road leading under it. Mick turned the truck down the road and we parked near the entrance.

"Do you think anyone saw us come in?" Mick asked, locking the truck's doors once we were all out.

James picked up some bags and his rifle, then said, "I'm sure someone noticed or heard us."

"Great, I've been wanting some excitement!" Mick rubbed his hands together, causing James to laugh. "What about Jewels? Does she get a—"

"No," James said a bit too fast. "Let's get moving, we don't want nomads knowing our—"

He was cut off by voices just outside of the carpark, one says, "Are you sure it went this way?"

Another one replied with, "Yes! I'm not bloody blind! I saw them drive down this street, two men and one girl."

"Oh! A girl, we can have some fun with her."

"Gotta kill the two men first," a third voice sounded closer than the first two.

I felt James take my hand in his, and whispered, "Mick, we don't want to shoot anyone, it'll give away our location."

"Um, James, I think it already is." Mick's eyes were wide and his mouth was open.

James and I turned to where his eyes were looking, I felt James stiffen beside me.

"Welcome to the city, Camp Jameson."

***

Because it's my birthday I did a longer update.

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