Chapter Three

The sun had just begun to melt behind the misty peaks of Eagle Mountain when Chaise returned to the small camp he and Patsy had set up less than an hour before. Patsy already had a fire going and was simmering the leftover stew from last night in the large kettle they had traded Patsy’s leather vest for. After setting up camp Chaise had gone to see if he would be as lucky as he had been the night before when he captured and killed a small rabbit for their dinner using only the slingshot he had fashioned. Unfortunately he was not.

“Hey.” Patsy smiled in greeting as he neared the camp, her eyes shining brightly in the last remaining light. She had taken her hair down, allowing it to fall in thick chestnut waves to the middle of her back, accented here and there with the violet hair dye she was so fond of. “No luck, huh?”

Chaise shook his head slowly, mentally checking his emotions. He and Patsy had been a team for nearly six months now, traipsing about the southern countryside in search of the different Chosen nurseries. They worked well together and had become fast friends. Chaise was not about to put that friendship in jeopardy because of some strange crush that had sprang up out of nowhere.

“Ah well.” Patsy brushed off the disappointment as if it were nothing. “We have more than enough stew for tonight and maybe tomorrow when we go out we can find some wild growing vegetables or something.”

“Maybe.” Chaise took comfort in her optimism as he flashed her a wide smile, exposing two rows of perfectly straight and amazingly white teeth. “I thought I remembered Abby telling us that there was a river near here, but I didn’t see any signs of one.”

“There is a river around here.” Patsy agreed as she brushed a lock of hair away from her face and deftly tucked it behind her ear. She reached for one of the earthenware bowls they had found in an abandoned farmhouse and began to dish out the stew, passing Chaise his portion before she took any for herself. “It’s the same river that flows by the mall in the city. Or it is if I remember my geography correctly.”

“I think you’re right. Just wish I could find it. Then we could be feasting on fish tonight. I’m quite the fisherman you know.” He quipped, his eyes twinkling. They both remembered all too well his first attempt at catching a fish less than three months ago. He had wound up in the river, soaking wet while Patsy stood on the shore barely able to control her laughter.

Silence fell between the two companions as they made short work of their sparse meal. It would have been better with bread, but bread was scarce and it had been six days since he and Patsy had been at their base camp, an old abandoned summer home that was near the trade routes. They had found it shortly after they had discovered the first Chosen nursery and the strange headset.

“Chaise,” Patsy said suddenly, looking up, her eyes catching the light from the fire, illuminating their green depths and causing Chaise to catch his breath.

“Hum? What is it?” He squeaked out as naturally as possible, part of him wishing that Patsy was as ugly as Cinderella’s two step-sisters. It would make it a lot easier not to fall for her, though Chaise had never been one to be too hung on up appearances.

“I was thinking about what Abby told us. You know, about the Chosen.” Patsy referred to the last Chosen nursemaid they spoken to well over a week ago. She had been quite young, younger than Patsy even. At first Abby had been of no use to them, so terrified that they had come to kill her. But after a long while they had finally managed to calm her down and gain much valuable information from her, including the possible locations of half a dozen Chosen nurseries.

“What about them?” Chaise was careful not to meet her gaze, focusing intently on the broth in his bowl.

“Do you think they’re really finished?” She inquired, her voice soft and sweet, just like he imagined her skin was. “Do you think the Mall Rats really overthrew the Guardian?”

Chaise waited for several seconds before he answered her, looking everywhere except her face. “I hope so.” He said at last, knowing that Patsy still did not trust him completely, especially when it came to the Chosen. After all, he had once been one of them. “The Guardian was a madman. Cruel and heartless. He didn’t give a second thought to manipulating people to do what he wanted. Just look what he did with you and me, and Trudy too. He used her the same way.”

Patsy made a face, reminding Chaise that she had still not completely forgiven the Supreme Mother for her past sins, even though the young mother’s circumstances had been eerily similar to those of his and her own. “It wasn’t the Guardian who manipulated me.” Patsy stated, her tone flat. “It was that b@stard, Luke.”

He grimaced, well remembering the blue-haired lieutenant who seemed to be the one controlling the Guardian’s strings on many occasions. “Don’t fret about them, Patsy. If what Abby tells us is true than its nothing but sunshine and rainbows up ahead, right?”

“Right.” Patsy chuckled, rolling her eyes. “Sunshine and rainbows. Honestly, though, Chaise. I don’t need sunshine and rainbows. All I want is a little peace. Ever since the Virus broke out the world has been in chaos. Almost as if it’s afraid that if it ever stops even for one moment it will fall apart. I hate to think that its only tragedy that’s holding this world together.”

Tearing his eyes away from his thin soup, Chaise met Patsy’s gaze, reading the depths of pain in her vast green eyes and causing his heart to melt. Her heart was so tender and gentle, not yet scarred by the terrible world she lived in. “Patsy,” He whispered, his voice husky as his heart began to take control instead of his head, “I—“

Before Chaise has opportunity to finish the words that were written on his heart, however, a loud rustling came from the bushes directly to their left. “What was that?” Patsy demanded, her eyes widening and her face turning as white as a sheet.

“I don’t know.” Chaise reached for the small leather thong that had brought down the rabbit the night before. It would not be much good against a larger beast. “Some kind of wild animal I suppose. Get behind me Patsy. Maybe our fire will scare it away.”

Patsy immediately obeyed, ducking behind his larger frame. She placed her hands on his shoulders and he could feel her face pressed between his shoulder blades, almost as if she felt that ifs he couldn’t see whatever it was it couldn’t see her. A childish tactic, but Chaise was really hoping it proved true for once.

They waited, breath held as the rustling grew louder. At last when Chaise felt he could not wait another second without firing a small stone into the brush two figures emerged – humans. A man and a woman, though they were covered in dirt and grim and their clothes were designed to blend in with their surroundings.

“Please,” the man spoke softly, his voice gentle yet commanding. “Don’t shoot. We’re friends.”

Chaise lowered his slingshot slowly as he felt Patsy’s fingers relax their grip. “Who are you?” Chaise demanded, still fingering the stone between his fingers. “And how do we know you’re friends.”

“My name is Hawk and this is my girlfriend Fawn.” Hawk gestured to the long haired young woman beside him. She was watching Chaise and Patsy curiously, her brow knitted together. “We are part of a tribe calling ourselves the Gaians. We live out here, in the woods, but our tribe was savagely attacked. We were the only ones to escape.”

Chaise nodded, satisfied by their story. He had heard of the Gaians before. They were a thorn in the Chosen’s side, and any thorn in his enemies’ side meant they were his friends. “Chaise is my name and behind me is my friend Patsy. We’re wanderers.”

“Patsy?” The woman echoed, her blue eyes widening. “Patsy is that really you?”

Patsy slowly moved out from behind Chaise, eyeing the couple suspiciously. She obviously did not recognize the blue haired woman or her long haired companion. “I’m sorry, but I think you’ve got the wrong Patsy.” Patsy said at last, frowning.

A wide smile broke across Fawn’s face as she slowly shook her head. “No, it’s you alright. You don’t remember me, but I remember you.” She whispered, her voice soft and melodic. “’I know what that is. That’s a baby.’”

Patsy started at Fawn’s words, her face paling once again. “Wh-who are you?”

“Look into my eyes, Patsy.” Fawn approached, stopping only a few feet from where Chaise and Patsy stood. “Look into my eyes and you tell me who I am.”

Patsy did as she was told, studying the woman carefully for several long minutes before realization dawn on her. “Zandra?” She whispered the name almost reverently. “Is it really you?”

“Yeah, it is.” A smile quirked up on the woman’s lips. “It’s me Patsy.”

“But you were dead. We buried you.” Patsy protested, stammering slightly.

“Not me, Patsy.” Zandra shook her head, causing the long waves of curly sapphire blue hair to cascade down her shoulders. “I’m not exactly sure what happened on Eagle Mountain all those years ago. All I know is that I did not die.”

“Do the others know?” Pasty inquired, referring to the Mall Rats back in the city.

Zandra nodded her head. “Actually, yes they do. It’s really a rather complicated story, Patsy. One I’ll have to tell you someday, but right now we really don’t have the time. What Hawk said earlier was true. Our tribe was attacked and everyone taken. I don’t think the invaders will be back, but we cannot stay in the area. Hawk and I were on our way to the city to warn the others. Will you come?”

Patsy and Chaise exchanged glances, both of them well recalling their conversation only moments before as the yearned for peace. Apparently their peace would not be coming any time soon. “I…” Chaise trailed off, thinking immediately of his sister lost somewhere out there. He couldn’t just leave her, but he could see the desire in Patsy’s eyes to return to her friends, to her family. Especially now that they were in need.

“We can’t.” Patsy stated firmly. “Chaise and I have a mission of our own. We are searching for his little sister amongst the Chosen nurseries. She was taken from him by the Chosen and he was manipulated into working for them. But we’ve broken free of them now and have been searching for her for the past six months.”

“Chosen nurseries?” Hawk whispered the world, his voice catching in his throat. “You mean the Chosen took the babies away from their mothers?”

Patsy nodded slowly. “Though Chaise’s sister is a bit older. They took all the young children though, and the babies. The Guardian said Zoot wanted to be the father of all, though I think it was just a scheme to brainwash them when they were young.”

“Hawk, Katrina… She might be with them.” Zandra murmured quietly at his side, looking up into his eyes. “Her mother might have—“

“I know.” Hawk nodded, agony clear in his eyes. “But we can’t leave the city to that tribe, without any warning. They have to know.”

“Then I’ll go.” Zandra informed him. “You go with Patsy and Chaise, find your daughter and I will go to the city and warn them about the invaders.”

“You’ll never make it on your own, Zandra.” Hawk’s voice was strained now, his expression grim.

“I’m strong, Hawk. I can make it.” Zandra assured him, her blue eyes glowing with a passionate light. “And when you find Katrina you can return to me. I’ll be waiting for you in the city.”

Hawk hesitated for a long moment and Chaise and Patsy stood in uncomfortable silence, sensing that there was a bond between these two individuals stronger than any distance could break.

At last Hawk gave a long sigh, dropping his head in defeat. “Alright, Zandra. Go. Warn the city. I will travel with Chaise and Patsy… That is if you’ll have me?” He looked up, questioning in his eyes.

“Of course.” Chaise said without a moment’s hesitation. “But what if your daughter was at one of the nurseries that Patsy and I have already been to?”

“We can check the logs, Chaise.” Patsy stated, always thinking logically. “The ones I’ve been keeping track of. It should have her name if she’s amongst those already freed.”

Chaise nodded and Patsy disappeared to fetch the precious document where they had recorded all the names of the children that had been at the Chosen nurseries they had been to. Where the name was not known they wrote down any distinguishing features the child had well knowing the information would prove to be invaluable to a frantic mother or father, sister or brother.

Moments later Patsy returned with the thick bundle of papers, passing it to Hawk as she exchanged a smile with Zandra. “Here.” Patsy said as she handed him the papers. “I don’t remember the name Katrina, so she’s probably still out there someplace. We have a list of locations of Chosen nurseries, though the girl who gave it to us wasn’t sure if all of them had been put to use. Several that we’ve been to were abandoned, but we’ve found a few nurseries.”

Hawk nodded and took the sheets of paper. He and Zandra quickly skimmed through the long list of names, reading the descriptions that Patsy had meticulously kept track of. At last Hawk looked up, shaking his head slowly. “She’s not listed.” He said at last. “She’s still out there.”

“Then we know what we must do.” Zandra took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Go with Chaise and Patsy. We will be reunited soon.”

Hawk nodded as he tenderly brushed his fingers against Zandra’s cheek, a strange sense of jealously filling Chaise. How many nights had he yearned to do the exact same movement to Patsy, to brush her cheek, to test her skin to see if it was as smooth and delicate as he imagined.

Hawk and Zandra melted together in a kiss, causing both Chaise and Patsy to look away uncomfortably. When they at last parted Zandra said her goodbyes to Patsy and promised that she would let everyone know she was alright when she returned to the city.

“May Gaia guide your steps.” Hawk murmured as Zandra disappeared into the night. “And protect you until we meet again.”

~*~*~

Amber felt all color drain from her face as she burst out of the darkened shop where the remnant of Mall Rats hid. Her eyes immediately found the source of Pride’s cry of alarm, the young pink haired Mozzie named Dee and her burden, an unconscious Lex she was barely able to hold up. Pride moved quickly to relieve the young woman of her burden as Amber felt the rest of the able Mall Rats come up behind her.

“What happened, Dee?” Ebony inquired, once again taking charge of the situation. “Is he dead?”

She said the words without emotion, completely detached almost as if she had forgotten what a cherished ally Lex had become over the past several months. Amber barely recognized her friend anymore. “Please, Dee. Is he alright?” She whispered, barely able to control the tears that threatened to spill over her cheeks.

“Dead, no. Alright, I really don’t know.” Dee stated sympathetically, her eyes finding Amber’s. “He was shot by the Technos.”

“The Technos? Is that what they’re calling themselves?” Pride frowned.

Dee nodded slowly. “That’s what I’ve been able to gather.” She then turned her attention to Ebony, her expression set. “Ebony, the city is in chaos. Everyone’s afraid to come out of their homes. Their friends have been taken and now they’re scared they will be to. What are you going to do about it?”

Amber wanted to snap at Dee, ask her why it was suddenly thrust upon Ebony to figure out what to do, but she held her tongue. Dee was right. The city would be looking to Ebony for answers now. Amber just prayed Ebony would have them. Rather than deal with that issue, however, Amber beckoned to Pride to carry Lex to his room where hopefully she would be able to ascertain just what sort of damage had been caused to the raven-haired Mall Rat.

“Thank you Pride.” Amber murmured quietly as the taller Gaian set Lex on his bed, positioning the plush pillows under his head so that Lex would be as comfortable as possible. They others had surprisingly not followed amber inside the room and after Pride nodded in acknowledgement to her thanks, he ducked out, leaving them alone for the first time in a very long time.

Without hesitation, Amber crossed the room and dropped down to the floor next to Lex’s bed. She took his hand in her own, trying not to be alarmed by how cool it felt to the touch. She could still feel his pulse, strong and steady, and was comforted by that fact, though only a little.

As much as Amber hated to admit it to herself, somehow during the past several months of struggle and hardship Lex had found a place in her heart, a place that both Bray and Pride had been battling over for ownership of. She had struggled with the feelings, pushed them aside, told herself that times were far too uncertain and dangerous to even think about falling in love, but even with the strength of her resolution she had not been able to resist Lex’s disarming eyes, his charming smile and the way he murmured her name, so softly and sweet.

A low groan escaped Amber’s lips as she squeezed his hand a little tighter, praying that somehow he would wake up and put an end to all her grief and anxiety. He would wake up and she could go back to pretending that she didn’t care for him. She could go back to avoiding him, making sure that whenever he came into the same room as she did, she could find an excuse to leave abruptly.

Yet no matter how ‘safe’ her behavior the past several weeks had made her heart, Amber knew she could never return to the cold indifference she had feigned for so long. She cared for Lex. She really and truly cared for him, more than she had cared for anyone for a very long time. She was tempted to say the word love, but that word was far too dangerous to even think of uttering yet.

“Mfph.” A soft sound escaped past Lex’s lips as the unconscious man turned slightly in his sleep, pulling his hand out of Amber’s grasp. “Tai-San?” The name was barely discernable, but Amber managed to make it out.

“No, Lex. It’s me. Amber.” Amber took his hand again and pressed her lips gently against his knuckles. “I’m here for you.”

“I’m sorry.” He murmured, speaking in his sleep, “I tried to stop them. I tried to save you, Tai-San, but there were too many of them. I-I tried…”

“Hush now.” Amber comforted him as she brushed a lock of his silky black hair away from his forehead. “I’m sure Tai-San understands. She knows you tried to save her. She knows you’re only human.”

“You were right,” He continued to speak, barely coherent. “I don’t love you anymore. There’s someone else…”

Amber’s heart leaped in her chest as she eavesdropped on Lex’s conversation in his sleep. Could it be? Could her deepest heart’s desire actually be true? She waited with bated breath, listening carefully for any words that might slip past the barrier of unconsciousness Lex was trapped behind.

“Zandra.”

The name was said so quietly that Amber couldn’t be sure she had heard Lex correctly, and yet it was burned into her heart the second it slipped past. He spoke her name so tenderly, so lovingly. His first wife. His first love. The woman who was to bear him a child. Of course it was Zandra Lex called out to in his sleep. Of course it was Zandra that he loved, not her. How could she have been so foolish to think?

The tears fell then, harsh and uncontrollable. She felt so selfish and so silly all at the same time. She wanted to run out of the room, hide her tears in her own pillow, but Lex’s hand was held fast onto her own, no doubt thinking it was his once believed dead wife holding his hand, sitting by his side.

“Oh why.” She whimpered, her heart feeling as if had shriveled up and died inside her. She had allowed herself to fall, allowed herself to love and this is what her got her. Nothing but heartache once again.

~*~*~

He had been going straight all day, not once stopping for a break, his pace never slowing as he continued on his journey due south. Occasionally he would pause for half a moment, look up at the sky to check the sun’s position, then trudge forward, not even giving Grieco, who had struggled to catch up with him in the first place, a chance to catch her breath.

The sun had completely vanished in the western horizon, making the paths treacherous and following Bray extremely difficult when the former leader of the Mall Rats finally hesitated, glanced around stopped. It was so sudden that Grieco could barely believe her eyes. She had been certain Bray was going to continue heading south without a break until either he reached his brother or he dropped dead from exhaustion.

She watched carefully from her position behind a dense thicket as Bray settled in for the night, taking the pack he had on his back and removing a blanket of some sort out as well as what looked to be some tinned cans of food and a kettle. He had been prepared for this – long before he even had the slightly hint that he might be banished. The thought chilled her.

After waiting well over half an hour to make sure Bray was bedding down for the night, Grieco allowed herself to relax. Though she did not have a blanket or provisions like Bray did, she was resourceful and had spent many nights with only the stars for a blanket. Making sure she was still hidden by the dense unbrush, Grieco settled herself down, her eyelids becoming heavier and heavier with every passing moment, her last conscious thought of Ebony and how the young city leader’s intentions had been well placed but by banishing Bray she had only assured that her worst fears would come to pass.

~*~*~

Siva folded her arms against her chest and smirked in an almost mirror fashion as her older sister, Java, who flanked Ram on his other side. Their ‘husband’ was in a good mood. He had taken over the city in a matter of hours, had been able to set up his virtual reality chamber in the old stadium and had each and every one of his Techno troops that had gone out to collect Virts had filled their quota.

Yet no matter how good Ram’s mood was, he would not pass up a perfectly good opportunity to rib one of his favorite Technos, especially not Ved. Ram had summoned Ved to his new renovated office the moment he heard Ved’s patrol was back, Virt in tow.

“So what you’re telling me, Ved,” Ram said carefully, never letting on whether he was being serious or not to Ved, always keeping him on his toes, “Is that you think this little Virt, this Cloe, might be of some use?”

Ved nodded, his arms folded against his chest. “Yes, I do.” He answered confidently. Siva had to grudgingly admit she was impressed by Ved’s display. He never once wavered in his thinking that the Virt he picked up would be of use to them, no matter how much Ram, Java or herself mocked and teased him for it.

“How?” Ram smirked as he reached for a disinfectant cloth.

“She’s in tight with the city leader. She could possibly act as a go between for us.” Ved stated simply, not at all intimidated by the wheelchair bound young man.

“A go between?” Java scoffed flicking her dark braids over her shoulder haughtily. “And just why would we be needing a go between, Ved? This city’s been defeated. Just take a look around you.”

“Settle, settle, Java.” Ram smiled over at his wife and Siva was grateful the attention was for once not on herself. “Let Ved speak. If he believes this Virt could be of use to us, that we need a go between for us then I’m inclined to listen to him.”

“Thank you.” Ved shot a dark look in Java’s direction which she pointedly ignored. “From what I understand the city is pretty much at a boiling point. Yes, we have a good number of their friends and family in our camps, but many more are still out there.” He gestured towards the city with his hand. “And they’ll cause trouble. Their city leader is someone they elected, someone they actually respect and trust. If we could win her, we could quite possibly win the city’s cooperation.”

“Cooperation. I like that.” Ram nodded in approval. “What do you think Siva my pet?”

Siva quickly masked her disgust at Ram’s familiarity and flashed him a smile that did not touch her eyes. “I really don’t see the need for a go between, Ram.” She spoke carefully, knowing that Ram had probably already made a decision on the matter.

“Java?” Ram turned his attention to Siva’s older sister.

“I agree with Siva.” Java folded her arms against her ample chest and shot Ved a triumphant smirk. “We don’t need a go between. These Virts can’t possibly stand up against us. And if they do we can always shoot them with these babies.”

Ram nodded slowly as if he were still contemplating the issue. Then, smiling apologetically at Ved he shook his head slowly. “Very sorry Ved, but you heard the girls. We don’t need a go between. Your little Virt friend must go off to the camps with the rest of those filthy creatures.”

Ved stared at him, not in disbelief but in thinly veiled disgust. “Fine.” Ved said at last. “Have it your way. You’re going to regret this though. I can promise you that.”

“Ooooo… Is that a threat, Ved?” Ram challenged.

“No. It’s not.” Ved returned coolly.

“It sounds like it to me.” Ram’s mood seemed to darken instantly.

“Well, it’s not.” Ved stated, pausing dramatically as he looked back and forth between Java and Siva. “It’s a promise. You will regret sending Cloe away as soon as you learn who this city’s leader is.”

“Oh? And who is he?” Java taunted.

“Not he. She.” Ved glared at her.

“Fine. Then who is she?” Java rolled her eyes.

“Your sister. Ebony.”   

~*~*~

It was definitely not the ideal base for the Technos, but it would have to do until they found something better inside the city. The stadium was huge and spacious, each of the Technos could have their own office if they’d like and Ram had taken an almost perverse pleasure in knocking out the walls of four of the luxury suites so he could have one extremely long and slightly rounded office that he also used for his personal use.

Though the company of Technos that landed the plane with Ram had already set up a flawless security grid around the stadium, Jay found himself patrolling anyway. He had never been satisfied with anything unless he checked it himself. That was part of the reason Ram favored him – he was thorough, even more so than the somewhat eccentric leader of the Technos was.

Jay was mildly worried about Ravenscroft’s strange disappearance earlier that afternoon. He had reported back that there was no activity at the barn and yet he had vanished. When Jay along with several reinforcements had gone to check out the barn they could not find the missing Techno, though they did come across a discarded Techno communicator and mask. No weapon however.

There was much speculation as to the whereabouts of Ravenscroft. Many of the Technos believed Ravenscroft had been taken prisoner by Virts, that they had hidden someplace and ambushed him when they thought they had the chance to bring him down. They had realized the mask and the communicator weren’t of much use to them but kept the zapper. Perhaps Ravenscroft had tried shooting them and that was how they learned of its use.

Jay had another theory, a theory that he was not about to voice to anyone, not even to his brother should Ved ask. While the rest of his company had investigated the outside of the barn, Jay had performed a thorough search of the inside, finding basically nothing save for the mask and communicator that looked as if they were almost deliberately left.

What Jay found, however, was what wasn’t there. Jay well remembered his days out on the Lewis’ ranch, how the hay in the barn always looked like it had been there for a month, rotting and growing old even if it had just been laid less than an hour before. It settled quickly and hay that had been undisturbed for over two years should not have looked the way the hay in the barn looked.

Jay knew he was assuming much, but he had a hunch that Ravenscroft had found someone in the barn, perhaps someone he knew or perhaps just someone who reminded him what it felt like not to belong to someone, not to have to report back, to obey orders. Ravenscroft was a free spirit. He had never belonged to the Technos, no matter how desperately they needed a natural leader like him.

No, Ravenscroft belonged to someone else. Jay had quickly picked up on that after just one conversation with the other man. He had only said her name once, but once was more than enough for Jay. He recognized the way Ravenscroft breathed it out, almost reverently as if she were a precious jewel that if was discovered would spoil half its beauty. Danni. He was in love with a woman named Danni and she was the only person Ravenscroft could ever belong to.

A heavy sigh escaped Jay’s lips as the memory of his conversation with Ravenscroft swept over him. He wasn’t sure whether it was hearing the love in Ravenscroft’s voice that reminded him of her or if it was perhaps the bad pizza, but for some reason Jay had dreamt of her that night. Her laughing green eyes, her curving smiling lips, her clear flawless skin. She was life to him and that night he had remembered just how essential she was to him.

He closed his eyes, his heart hammering in his chest uncontrollably as he allowed himself to remember those beautiful months they had spent together. It was as if nothing could touch them back then, that they were together and deeply in love. Yet it was love that had torn them apart. Jay’s love for Ved, Ved’s love for Ebony and Ebony’s love for neither of them.

Jay’s expression hardened at the memory, the sting of her rejection, of how she mocked him, flaunting Kevin in front of his face. She had never wanted him. She made that abundantly clear. He should never have listened to Ved, but back then he had been young and gullible. He had believed in love, but no longer. Love was dead to him, just as Ebony was.

Jay opened his eyes, unknowingly searching the brilliant night sky for the star they had picked out together that hot summer night. There. Four stars above the North star and six over. The last glowing testimony of the love that had once existed between the naïve young rancher and the manipulative and cold-hearted city girl who  didn’t give him a second thought before she ran back to her city love.

~*~*~

It had grown dark quickly, too quickly for Ebony’s liking. She knew that soon she should be heading inside for the night, to her room to battle against the nightmares that plagued her every sleeping moment these days. They had been growing worse over the past few days and though she hoped banishing Bray had also banished the nightmares, something deep inside her told her it would only serve to make them worse.

Ebony was terrified to fall asleep that night, terrified that perhaps the nightmare of Bray blowing up the mall would return, that maybe instead of stopping it from coming to pass by banishing Bray she had only ensured that it would pass from nightmare into reality. The though horrified her, yet she would not know for sure until she at last surrendered to sleep and learned the truth.

Crossing her arms against her body Ebony began to scan the heavens searching for that one special place in the night sky that always seemed to give her comfort. Her star, or rather, her and Jay’s star. She could remember when they found it together, twinkling so brightly against the inky black darkness that hot summer night. They swore that if they were ever separated they would look to that star and know the other was thinking of them, loving them always.

Tears began to well up in Ebony’s eyes as she found the star. It was no longer a comfort to her, only a painful reminder of what she had lost. Lost to circumstance, lost to stupidity. If she had known back then what she knew now she would never have played her silly childish games. She would have come straight out and told Jay how much she loved him, how much she needed him in her life. He was essential to her very existence, even more than he could ever know.

“Oh Jay…” She murmured, squeezing her eyes shut and allowing the tears to slip down her smooth cheeks. “What I wouldn’t give to have you back in my life, in any way. Even if we never spoke, if we only saw each other. I would give anything just to know you were alive, that maybe, just maybe you are looking into the sky and thinking of me, remembering me. That maybe, just maybe you still love me. Love me like I love you.”

~*~*~

“Get up!” The loud and demanding voice cut into Grieco’s restless sleep. She felt the toe of a boot in her side and instantly knew she had slept too long. Mentally kicking herself for making such a foolish mistake, Grieco’s eyelids fluttered open, not even having to look at the face of the man who woke her to know who it was.

“Good morning, Bray.” She greeted him, pulling herself into a sitting position then ran her fingers through her tangled locks. “Sleep well?”

Bray’s expression did not soften, his eyes icy and cold. “Why have you been following me?” He demanded, his lips drawn together in a grim line that made him look forty not eighteen.

“Who says I’ve been following you?” Grieco challenged, quickly deciding that she would be far more intimidating if she were on her feet and meeting his gaze rather than having him look down at her. Couldn’t let him feel superior, not even for a minute.

“I do.” He stated coldly, folding his arms against his chest. “You’ve been following me since about a kilometer outside of the city. What I want to know is why?”

He had her there and they both knew it. “Alright,” She drew out a long sigh, looking away from his face that reminded her far too much of Zoot’s when all the angry makeup had been washed away. “I admit it. I’ve been following you. I followed Lex and Pride and then I started following you. I watched when Danni met up with you and then you abandoned her in the barn to give birth on her own. A pretty sleazy thing to do, don’t you think?” She quickly turned the tables on him.

“I had no choice.” Bray stated through gritted teeth. “Besides, Danni knew the risks when she followed me out of the city. I never asked her to.”

“Right, right.” Grieco couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “And that limits your responsibility how? For goodness sake, Bray, you got the girl pregnant. You could have at least sat with her through the labor. Helped her through.”

“And then what? Leave her and a newborn baby?” Bray scowled as he ran his fingers through his unwashed hair. “I couldn’t do that.”

“Why? Because you couldn’t stand to leave your own child?” Grieco spat coldly.

Bray said nothing, his gaze shifting. “Look,” He spoke at last, his tone no less annoyed than it had been when he had woken her. “Why are you following me? I want to know. Did Ebony send you to kill me or something? She wasn’t satisfied with banishing me?”

“Not hardly.” Grieco let out a soft laugh. “No one knows that I’m following you.”

“Then if Ebony didn’t send you, why?”

Grieco pursed her lips, contemplating telling him a lie. It would be easy enough. She had always been an expert at masking the truth, but something inside her told her she would get further with this young man if she was honest and upfront with him from the beginning.

“I’m not really sure why I’ve come, Bray.” She said finally, meeting his eyes and locking gazes with him so that he could not look away even if he wanted to. “It was something that I knew I needed to do. But before you think I’m jumping into this completely clueless as to where you’re going, you’re wrong. In fact, I know more of where you’re going than you do.”

“Oh you do, do you?” He smirked so confident he was in her ignorance.

“You’re going to find your brother.” Grieco said quietly, her eyes sparking with intensity. “You’re going to find Zoot.”