Fan Fiction ❯ Human Alloy ❯ Rock Bottom ( Chapter 7 )

I don't know what I needed, but I knew I needed it. The cat was a female, I could tell, and oh-so-tempting.

 

“Jalene!” Cale shouted with a loud clap of his hands and suddenly my attention was diverted, my previous thoughts abandoned as the cat thing pivoted and bolted off.

 

“Sorry,” my brother hastily apologized, “but I had to do something.” I stared at him, as if very slowly returning from my trance to a conscious state of mind.

 

“What?” I asked, blushing slightly. “Was something wrong? I thought you hadn't minded the cat thing?” Cale looked as confused as I felt.

 

“The way you were looking. I…I couldn't just…. I mean,” my brother tried to explain, but in a futile attempt. He fell silent.

 

“Well?” I asked, completely back to normal. The thoughts I had dismissed were completely forgotten now.

 

“Nothing.” I didn't press the matter. The fire crackled through the pitch black night. I feared the shadows, seeing another at thing at every chance I got, but when I looked closer, nothing was there. Looking down to my meal, I noticed it was only half eaten and getting cold. I picked at it, but my appetite was gone. My mind drifted off but in no particular direction. I wondered how everyone back at the kidnapper's house was. I was reminded of their betrayal, and in bitterness, I half hoped something terrible had happened too. I almost immediately regretted it. If anything had happened to Yue, or possibly even Kane, then I'd feel nothing but guilty.

 

“If you won't finish, I'll save it for morning, okay?” Cale said, finishing his own meal and cleaning things up. I nodded vaguely in reply. Brother added a half log to the fire, tidying up around the fire before sitting next to me.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked softly. I only stared at the fire. He placed a hand on my shoulder. “What's on your mind?” I shrugged off his touch, moving away and sighing deeply.

 

“I don't know,” I replied with a shake of my head. “A lot I suppose, but I haven't given anything much thought.” He nodded as if he knew.

 

“We should rest some. We have to get up early.” Suddenly I wasn't so sure I wanted to sleep in the same cave as Cale anymore. As if reading my thoughts, he replied, “I'll stay up to pack a few things, you go on.”

 

I eyed my twin warily but didn't protest. He gave me the go ahead, so I left the warmth of the fire to feel my way inside of the cool cave. I located the pile of blankets, avoiding the thought of what they had been through as I straightened them out to sleep on. If I didn't think about it, I supposed I could sleep well enough. Snuggling up against the soft cloth, I felt restless; unable to sleep I lay on my back at the ebony ceiling of stone to contemplate. What on earth were those animals? Is that what the small sheet of paper meant?

 

 

I've seen them more recently today, though I don't know where they come from. They've caused no destruction, and have killed nothing save for what they eat. They remind me of a wolf by the way they move in packs, or even lions, but they all work together. I see no reason to eradicate them. All I can do is see if they'll…..

 

 

They were the same things I had seen on my computer screen, probably the same thing Kane's computer had said with its warning message, and suspiciously the same animal that I had thought I had seen running around untamed throughout R.A.D.A.R. Was it possible these cats had created the mess at the building the other day? Along with that I was confused about not only Cale, but the intentions of R.A.D.A.R., the rebel group and even overall the government. Turning over, I closed my eyes and tried to rest but to no prevail. My mind wandered as I lay there, trying to sleep, and soon Cale came in, sitting along the wall opposite me, shuffling around before he was completely still.

 

I was awake for some time, though I don't know how long. I couldn't tell if Cale was asleep yet either, but fatigue eventually overtook me and I was knocked out.

 

 

************************

 

 

I was being jostled awake.

 

“Wake up Jalene, we need to set out soon,” Cale whispered, though there was no need to.

 

“I'm awake,” I yawned, sitting up before allowing myself to fall back onto the makeshift pillow.

 

“Oh come on! Do you want to get out of here or not?” That offending statement woke me up. “I'll meet you outside, okay?” Cale left the morning glow not even showing through the blanket of night inside the cave. I found out why as I clumsily stretched, heading out to run into….. darkness. Outside it was a stormy grey color, drizzling slightly as the dawn was still sleeping.

 

“What time is it?” I whined, leaning heavily against the vertical mountain's side with a wide yawn.

 

“Just a few moments before dawn. If we make it down to the river, we can catch the sunrise,” Cale replied. I followed his trail of powder white snow, attempting to fix mine along the way as he lead me through the small gathering of trees and to the wide and familiar river.

 

“To the East.” He pointed toward the wall of mountain to our right, nearly parallel to the river. “Watch.” I awaited but for what, I wasn't sure. I waited for several long minutes, shifting my weight and yawning. Finally, a faint light peeked over the tops of the stone grey mountain, growing brighter as it rose. Golden light pierced the forest with beams of warm pale light as it spread over everything, thin at first, but stronger with the moment. The sky above turned a fiery pink that melted from silver gold to a dark purple. Interestingly enough, I noticed for the first time the scattered amount of stars that lined the belt of sky as well.

 

It seemed incredibly endless, and soon the spectacle was over, in mere moments as it was gaining enough altitude to fight back night. Cale was grinning broadly, his eyes twinkling, and that grin melted into a smile at my awe. Regaining my composure as he began to lead me off, I at length found my voice.

 

“How is that possible?” I asked in utter amazement, quickening my pace to catch up with Cale as I had fallen behind to remain watching the sun. “I didn't think you could possibly have something like that in here! I mean, it's like a little world all by itself!” My brother glowed with pride and adoration. He was wearing his leather shoes this time as we crossed the small bridge over the river to the other side.

 

“It's interesting enough. That's something you'd have to ask the creator,” the young boy replied simply, pushing onward, a pack on his shoulders thumping against his back with every step.

 

“Creator? Yue?” Cale thought a moment.

 

“I don't think it was him. This place has been around forever! But I don't know the originator for sure.”

 

“How does this sun work? Anything like Earth's sun?” I inquired, interested to know how one small world could exist like it did. We were passing into the woods now, close to where I had first awoke the other day. Small rodents scurried around the trees with bushy tails, chattering almost as loudly as the birds as the sun warmly greeted the miniature planet.

 

“Well, sort of,” Cale began as he picked is way around a large fall log that had been overtaken by a tangle of brush, “only it's like the other way around. If you can imagine it, the sun moves around earth here. Light can reach hundreds of miles, but because this sun is somewhat modified to radiate heat and light, its source isn't nearly as big, though it is impressive.” He paused before continuing his explanation. “Picture this Earth as being round and flat. The sun rotates is a circle halfway through the entire circumference of this room.

 

“The room itself stretches for miles and miles on end. I'm not even sure how large it is myself, but it's vast. The artificial sun travels at a constant rate, shedding its light. If it's in the center, the rays will reach the farthest wall, this mountain. We're situated as far East as you can possibly get. As the sun moves, it leaves behind it night time. The cycle is certainly interesting, and not always so efficient, but it's dependable enough. I'm not sure how long the sun lasts in its rotation. Not a full twenty-four hours but fairly close I think.” That explained almost nothing. I stayed near Cale, not quite behind him, but not really beside him either. Our footsteps crunched dully. Something small darted off quickly under the brush.

 

“That was a rabbit,” Cale kindly told me, after I had given the thing a questioning look. I had my suspicions about those cat things since last night.

 

“Well, how does the sun itself work? Like how does it generate so much light and heat?” I asked, clumsily making my way through the maze of trees. Cale continued his pace as if he were walking on a smoothly paved road, or better yet on a moving floor.

 

“I'm not a hundred percent sure, but because of the increase in technology, heat has been created strong enough with several appliances, and several factors are inputted for the conditional settings and temperature. The sun itself is actually hundreds of yards in diameter, yet it's up so high it's hard to tell sometimes.

 

“So is this generated light producing the heat too?” I wondered.

 

“Not all of it, but some, yes,” he replied. By now the sun has risen far enough to see exactly where we were going. The light morning drizzle had stopped, but the condensation was somewhat annoying to deal with.

 

“So how doe the sun rise or set exactly?” I brought up. It didn't make sense to me. Cale took a breath, thinking. It looked as if he were doing calculations in his head.

“I think it has to do with the angle the sun is coming. If you got in a perfect line, you could watch it circle around you before disappearing.”

 

“Is there a completely dark spot in the middle where the light doesn't reach? Or is it always light there?” I asked, avoiding a slope in the ground that was obscured by leaves.

 

“It's total darkness. It's been called the Black Halo. No one is certain what's there even. It's as if light can't penetrate it,” Cale said ominously, but he looked startled behind his eyes. That was an interestingly disturbing thought. I shook myself to rid of the images.

 

“I wouldn't worry about it though; it's surrounded by a nearly impenetrable forest with tangles of thorns. There's no reason to go there, so no reason to worry,” my twin reassured me, but it didn't do much to quell my mind. We wandered in silence for a good while, the sun covering ground in its slow rotation. We were trekking terrain I hadn't seen or been through before, and because I had no idea where we were going, I had to stick behind my brother. We passed through the woods and into a plain open field before us. It stretched long into the horizon, the river before us opening up and extending its arm in a great reach to our left as far as we could see. Across the river, the mountainside bent around to lean into the river, making it impossible for us to have climbed over.

 

“We'll stop for now, I'm sure you may be hungry,” Cale said, finding a dry, suitable spot on the ground and beginning to unpack his bag. I hadn't thought about it, but now that I had, I was rather hungry. “You don't mind the rest of last night's dinner, do you? It's cold but if you really want I cold warm it. It'd take a while though.”

 

“No I don't mind,” I replied, crouched down to sit on my heels. He passed me my breakfast with a pair of chopsticks and pulled an apple out for himself. Our dining was once again quiet; Cale stood to look around as he finished his fruit, waiting for me to finish. The food wasn't too bad cold, but it was a lot better warm, but I wasn't complaining. I had eaten a lot worse than cold vegetables.

 

After this adventure I wasn't so sure if I wanted to go back to eating my meals in a box, but I supposed I didn't have a choice. We'd be there soon so I guess there was one thing to look forward to. I finished, full, handing my bowl and chopsticks to Cale as he offered a hand.

 

“Thank you,” he said, rinsing them in the river before putting them back up and swinging the bag onto his back. “Alright, let's get going.” I nodded. As we continued our journey across the stretch of ground, I started to wish I hadn't been wearing boots. The land looked like a great plain, like the ones you used to see in those ancient Native American videos, buffalo shambling on in packs, tamed wolves biting at their hocks.

 

“I don't have a map, but I can tell you where we'll be going to get to the door I know of,” Cale said, glancing to me, trying to strike up a friendly conversation.

 

“Sure,” I grunted, attempting to ignore my aching feet. Heels were not something to wear for a long time. I didn't know how Kane could stand wearing them, but obviously he was used to it.

 

“Well, we have this stretch of plain, before we head South, to our left. We'll reach another large forest and a lake. Behind that wood is a door.”

 

“How far is it?” I asked, relieved that it didn't sound all that complicated.

 

“It's about ten miles across the plain, to the lake, then about three miles through the woods around the lake to the door,” Brother said. I nodded. Thirteen miles. These boots definitely weren't going to make it. Only several more steps were taken before I halted.

 

“Something wrong?” Cale asked me quizzically.

 

“Oh yeah,” I gasped fiercely, pointing to my boots, teeth grit.

 

“Oh,” Cale laughed. “Here, use mine.” He took off his leather shoes and offered them to me.

 

“Are you sure? What about you?” I asked, unwilling to take them, though wishing I could. I wouldn't take them if he really needed them.

 

“I'm sure. I can rough this walk in bare feet. Go on,” Cale urged, so, unlacing my boots, I slipped his moccasins on to find they were rather comfortable.

 

Standing from having to take my black boots off, I held my boots, unsure of whether I should take them or leave them.

 

“Either you or I can carry them,” Cale said, “unless you don't want to keep them, but I'm no so sure I'd just leave them here. I avoid littering if I can.” I nodded.

 

“I'll carry them, you already have the pack.” Cale smiled.

 

“Of course.” We headed forward again, veering to the left as we crossed the dry brown grass. It got taller the farther inward we went. Soon enough it was nearly waist high.

“We don't have enough grazing animals to keep the grass down. Sorry,” Cale apologized.

 

“It's all right,” I reassured him. The grass was long and it sometimes stuck to my clothes, but it was soft and smelled sweet, so it wasn't too bothersome.

 

“You're sure you're okay with no shoes?” I asked skeptically.

 

“I'm fine.”

 

The wind blew softly, gently as we continued, blowing the grass in waves and flustering through our hair. I wondered if my snowy white locks would be nothing but a large knot by the time we reached civilization. The early morning faded into a noonish glow as the sun was shining almost directly above us, to our backs. It was warm, the the cool breeze kept us alive. Cale passed me his water skin.

 

“Drink, so you won't be dehydrated.” I was thirsty, so I stopped to drink as I couldn't very easily drink and walk at the same time. In the distance I saw the thin wavering line of trees. The mountain on my left had stayed to the left, an impassable winding trail that led to nowhere. My gaze trailed along the side of the mountain, the small trees and shrubs dotting the scenery with a different look. Following my eyes, Cale found what I was watching, as we plunged farther and farther into the grass plains.

 

“You know,” my twin began, his words spoken with curiosity and intrigue, “we're really in the bottom land of a plateau.”

 

“A what?” I asked, caught by the fact that I had been zoning out. The cool breeze and warm air did that.

 

“A plateau,” he repeated. “It's like a step of land. Above that high mountain of rock is flat land. Farther back on it there are forests and rivers and lush growth. I've been there a few times; it's really quite breathtaking.”

 

“Stuff lives up there?” I was a little taken aback by the thought, but since I had walked into this world of magic I supposed it was possible. Cale grinned.

 

“Yep. Not just trees and plants, but lots more animals too. A ways back there's jungle. It gets more precipitation and it's humid, but it's wonderful! All the animals and noises, the clear waterfalls and rainbows that accompany them; even the fruit! It amazes me whenever I think about it.” I nodded, unsure of what to say. I had some knowledge of the terrain we had once had on Earth, but since Mecha-Pets had come around, there was no need to create these habitats for them, so most of that knowledge was lost to me.

 

“Of course we also have mountains that reach frozen peaks. The temperatures are kept colder, higher up, so the rain we get turns to snow there,” Cale added thoughtfully.

 

I had never seen snow before. Some of the people in the Media argued that it was because of the pollution, our atmosphere was breaking apart and thinning, allowing more heat to come in from the sun, along with radiation. I shrugged the idea off. Nothing like that could ever happen, so why worry? Anyway, our R.A.D.A.R. building, even in this underground place, was located really far south, thousands of miles below the equator. How on Earth could a North Pole, this far south get snow anyway?

 

“Have you ever seen the ocean?” Cale asked me after a moment's silence, the zephyr's blowing carelessly as they pleased.

 

“Ocean?” That was an obvious no.

 

“Oh you'll have to see it! It's in the opposite direction. If I didn't know any better, I'd have to say Cale looked wistful, but his look was replaced with a kind smile.

 

“What's an ocean?” I asked, feeling somewhat stupid, though curious. I had heard about them all the time, about them shrinking, about them becoming new landfills and whatnot. I always pictured them as a long trench filled with trash. If that was an ocean, I wasn't sure I really wanted to see one.

 

“It's an enormous body of salt water, extending as far as the eye can see, filled with sea mammals and fish and bodies of seaweed and coral reefs. You'd have to go swimming sometime with me in it,” my brother explained, watching me instead of what was in front of him. This was all a little hard to absorb at once, and I was doubtful of whether it really existed or not, but I suppose after seeing some of what I was seeing, it may have been possible.

 

“What else do you have?” I asked, distracted as I watched a flock of white birds fly overhead in a V formation.

 

“What are those?” Cale giggled. I must have seemed like an adventurous little puppy or perhaps a small child just seeing the world for the first time. I was, when you thought about it. At least, I was seeing this dream world for the first time.

 

“Those are cranes,” he replied.

 

“Cranes?” They didn't look anything like the machinery we had.

 

“Not the machine!” Cale laughed. “It's a bird. It's kind of like a stork, only much smaller. Long legs, long neck, white plumage. It's a marsh bird, but some of them live near the swamp.”

 

“Swamp?”

 

“A very wet and muddy forest.”

 

“Birds are they? Are they mean?” I asked, imagining what it might be like to be attacked with their long sharpened beaks.

 

“No, they're harmless. Like any bird, they'll only attack if they feel protectively threatening.” I only hoped we weren't threatening them. They soared out of view, headed in the opposite direction of us.

 

“Where are they going?” I asked, tilting my head far back as they passed, looking over my shoulder to watch them turn into small white specks.

 

“Back to the marsh most likely,” Cale replied.

 

“Where they coming from the forest ahead?” Indeed, the woods before us appeared to be closer. The trees were rising out of the distance to meet us.

 

“Probably. It's in the shade of pines and oaks, so it gets swampy farther back where the precipitation usually stays. It's had nowhere to run, so it became a swamp instead of a dry forest.” Silence pierced the air as the wind whistled through the long stalks.

 

“I'll take you back to all these places one day okay? Even the small desert and the arctic range,” Cale told me, smiling fondly at me. “I promise.”

 

“Well, okay. It seems interesting. I can't believe though. It just seems so… impossible,” I admitted, though I was rather impressed with the thought. I still wished I had the modern conveniences of home. The wilderness made life pretty hard.

 

“Not really. This is what life was like before all the machines and technology. It can be tough sometimes, but I like it better than life outside,” he replied.

 

“It's so weird living without modern amenities though. How do you manage?”

 

“You've seen how I manage.” I shook my head, my mind still wandering over the thought. My eyes took to the mountainside again, traveling over several large stone grey cats, basking in the sun. One sat on a boulder, peering across the terrain before it, its eyes landing on me. They were those same mechanical eyes I had seen twice before. Without thinking, my pace had slowed to a stop.

 

“What is it now?” Cale asked, but noticed those same cat things. “I wouldn't worry so much about those.”

 

“What are they?” The cat on the rock continued to watch us, one below it stretching out and turning its gaze toward us. It seemed creepy. Cale pulled on my arm and reluctantly I followed, tearing my gaze away from the animals. I felt their presence on my back, but when I turned to look, they were watching something else.

 

“I'm not sure what exactly. They aren't natural, but they aren't completely robotic either,” he replied with lack of knowledge.

 

“They are partially mechanical?” I asked, my mind flickering over the image of the cat thing on my computer screen.

 

“I know their structure is, but on the inside they're living breathing animals.” That was another disturbing thought. The trees no longer wavered in the heat, but grew strong and solid before us, the lake coming into view and shimmering a silver color, rippling with the wind. The long grass had thinned out as we neared the swamp. It was hard to believe we had already traveled nearly ten miles, but thinking about it, we had been at a fast pace, and the sun was still passing behind us. My guess was that it was just past noon.

 

“We'll stop under the shade of the trees to rest and get something to eat,” Cale told me. I didn't disagree. My feet hurt from walking so much and the exercise had made me hungry. Walking into the cool shade of the trees, bugs humming and buzzing around us, we stopped at the opening of a trail on a large tree root that was jutting from the ground. The small annoying rodents still chattered in the trees, but bounded away from limb to limb as we approached.

 

“Squirrels,” Cale said in explanation, though I hadn't asked. Sitting down was the best thing I could have asked for. We had a decent view of some the lake, since it was so large, we could barely see the other side. Part of a tree stuck awkwardly out of the water, several bumps sitting on it. It looked unnatural. Leaning forward for a better look, Cale noticed the things I saw. They looked like one of the Mecha-Pets we had structured for the reptile department.

 

“Don't look too hard, they're just turtles,” my brother said blandly, handing me a sandwich. It was like pita bread, stuffed with what looked like the deer we had roasted last night as well as some kind of vegetable or fruit.

 

“They're filled with deer, strawberries, pepper and celery,” I heard Cale say. I asked no questions. Working for R.A.D.A.R. you learned not to question what you were fed. Biting into it, I found it wasn't that bad. It was different, but not bad.

 

My twin passed me milk this time, still cold and frothy. We were finished in minutes, our famine getting the better of us, and so we stretched out to relax. The dip of the root Cale sat on was large enough to rest him comfortably as he leaned back. I had been watching the lake, the turtles never once moving as they soaked up the rays of sun while it was out. I was sitting of course, but a short nap would do me good. I was tired from walking so much after getting up with virtually no sleep at all, so I sidled up beside my brother, making room for myself and resting with him. My eyes were closed but I could feel his smile as we wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

 

“Tired?” he whispered in my ear, making me shiver at his caressing breath. I nodded slightly. “You can rest.” He brushed the hair out of my face. Inwardly I cringed away from him, but I dealt with it. I couldn't hate him forever. It was strange that he looked like me, but I did find that I liked him. He was like a brother to me. He was a brother to me.

 

He was also the only person I felt who actually knew me; he knew more about me than I knew about myself! At least in our younger years he knew more. I dozed off, but I can't say for how long. An inner clock woke me. Something automatically woke me. I hadn't been too used to sleeping with the sun shining down, so my body woke me. I was snuggled against the warmth of Cale's chest, his calmly beating heart soothing me. I blinked, pushing myself up sleepily, he watching me with sparkling eyes, a faint smile tracing his lips. We said nothing as I stood, stretching with a yawn, getting the blood flowing before we picked up our pace again. Cale took ahead of me.

 

“Careful on the trail,” he warned. “If you wander of the path even a little ways, I guarantee you'll get a shoe full of mud and swamp water.”

 

I stayed close behind Cale as he led the way, wondering he wanted his shoed back. I knew I'd switch with him as soon as we got outside. I noticed the blue sky above me as I peered through the trees, quite a few of them bare. They were pressed close together, the trail narrowing here and there, but it was still manageable. It seemed Cale even had a time trying to get through while avoiding the wet bed of fallen leaves and puddles of sulphuric water. A fallen tree barred the way as the trail thinned out.

 

“We'll have to jump from the log,” Cale told me. “The path has narrowed here, so it'll be kind of tricky, be we'll make, whether someone lands in the mud or not.” I swallowed. That wasn't a very nice thought. I noticed a nice pool of soggy leaves beneath the wood we were to climb over. It was deceiving, but I knew it wasn't solid walking land.

 

“I'll take your boots to make it easier,” he said, stealing my boots from me before I could protest and somehow fitting them awkwardly in his back pack. I took a step forward as Cale aptly scrambled across the angled log. The slant wasn't steep and about shoulder height, but the ground below me was soft and started to slip with the pressure I added. I was glad the log was a large one.

 

Cale reached out a hand which I grasped and help pulled me up, helping me clamber ungracefully onto the tree. He stood, but he was well balanced, feet planted firmly as he lifted me off the ground so that I could better reach the tree, one hand under my arm as he helped sit me on the tree. I might as well have been nothing more than a dead body for all the help I had done.

 

“Got it?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” I replied shakily, clutching his hand as I stood on wobbly legs. My nervousness was apparently.

 

“I've got you, no worries.” Cale wrapped a steady arm around my waist and I blushed, mostly out of the fact that I felt so helpless.

 

“Ready? I'll go first so you know where to land. He left my side, making sure I could stand on my own before jumping from the log and landing safely with a bounce. The ground below him was strong and solid, like a packed dirt road. It was cleared so it wouldn't be mistaken for swamp.

 

“Come on,” he coaxed, beckoning me. From where I was it looked like a far jump. It seemed rather high up. I already regretted having to journey through this marsh; I definitely didn't like it one bit. Cale held his arms out, ready to catch me if I should stumble. I heard a low growl behind me. Head whipping around and nearly losing my balance, I saw a large cat thing behind me. It was all sorts of swampy colors, mixes of browns and blacks, light yellowish and grayish colors. It was crouched, ready to pounce, and it looked as if it wanted to share the same spot on the tree that I had. Eyes wide, I had no choice but to jump. Its eyes stared like glowing, unblinking orbs of glass. Electricity was sparking behind them.

 

“Jump!” Cale commanded, glancing from the cat thing under the log to me. The multicolored feline wiggled its back end, tail down, before it sprang up and forward. I jumped. I'm not sure where I jumped but I knew I jumped.

 

My aim was precise but short. Cale ran to catch me, stumbling back and trying not to fall forward with his weight. Instead he let himself fall backward, biting his tongue as he landed on his butt. I was hanging onto him for dear life, but I wasn't sure if I was more afraid of the cat or landing in the swamp. Scared, I looked back to see the cat thing prowl along the edge of the log before sailing clean over us and bounding ahead on the trail. My brother tried to get away from me long enough to breathe.

 

“It's okay, I got you; you're safe. You can let go now,” he said, muffled by my shirt. I was hanging around his neck and head, too shaken to let go. I was breathing hard.

 

“I can't breathe!” he shouted and I loosened my grip. He pulled his face away gasping and looking over my shoulder as I hugged him close again before realizing the world hadn't come to an end.

 

“Are you all right Jalene?” he asked firmly, more concerned.

 

“Y-Yeah,” I breathed, trembling slightly. Cale shifted beneath me, picking me up with him. We were standing on the edge of solid ground. About a meter in front us was the tree with a new set of claw marks embedded in the bark. I blinked away a startled tear as Cale walked us away from the swampy water. He stood, stroking my hair to calm me, kissing the top of my head.

 

“Come on now buddy,” he smiled, holding me at arm's length. Noticing how frightened I was, he seemed startled, but melted at my pitiful sight. I felt bad, mostly for having to show how pitifully weak I was.

 

“Jalene,” he said softly, embracing me again. I was tired and scared, but I had to push that aside. I just wanted to go home. “Let's go now. We're almost there.”

 

He steered me along, one hand around my waist as I stumbled, taking a gulp of air to try to bring back my senses. We walked a short ways before reaching an open door carved into the face of the mountain. The door itself was as long as a thinner part of the mountain. We walked through the shadow of it until we reached the other side. Vast stretches of groves of tress met us, bringing a faintly sweet smell. Cale led me over to a tree bearing apples, taking his pack off and sitting me under it.

 

“We just have to follow the wall until we reach the next door, then we'll be on the outside alright?” he said, leaning me against him, his arm still tight around my waist, his free hand caressing my cheek. “I'm here to take care of you.”

 

He kissed my forehead. I felt annoyed, but I was too exhausted to care much.

 

“Here, we'll take another short break, okay?” I sighed heavily, my head resting on his shoulder. The warm sun beating down, the soothing murmur of Cale's voice and the fragrant scent of fruit calmed me down in only minutes.

 

“You settled now?” Cale asked me.

 

“Yes. We can go,” I replied, still flustered that I had acted how I did. Wearily, I stood, regaining some strength as I did so.

 

“Alright then.” As my brother took to leading the way again, I was able to observe everything in this newly entered room. This room was large but not as large, I thought, as the previous room. Hundreds of fruit trees were scattered all over the place, and beyond or between them, tilled soil, some sprouting whatever was growing, some looking as if it needed something to grow. Then again there were also tangled patches where things were growing without the help of a farmed patch of land.

 

Cale lead me by the hand parallel to the mountain we had passed through. On the left was the mountain, on the right, the orchards. I remember what Yue had told me about a garden and an orchard and forest being beyond the arched door. If there was a garden beyond this orchard, where we were headed, then I knew soon that I'd be reunited with Yue, Kane, and the others. I was going home.

 

“You can let go of me,” I said, pulling my hand away from Cale's grasp. Despite the fact that I appreciated his care, it was getting annoying the way he seemed to baby me.

 

“Sorry,” he apologized, breaking away and stepping a little farther away, giving me some room to breathe.

 

“We'll be coming to the stairs soon, and we won't stop until we reach the top,” Cale told me. At first it seemed as if he weren't speaking to me, but to another person, when I noticed his face was turned away. He wouldn't look at me, and I was unsure why, but I didn't ask. I didn't want to get involved in personal matters, if they weren't my business. If I did, that was just adding weight to the burden on my shoulders.

 

Silence passed, the only thing changing was the type of fruit the trees to our right bared. Finally I noticed the stairwell, crudely cut into the rock on the side of the mountain, leading up into heavens where I couldn't see. It was rather steep in places, and the tumble down would hurt, but not kill; the slope leading down the side was gentle and curving.

 

“We're going up there?” I asked, having second thoughts.

 

“Yep.” Cale chanced a glimpse of me accompanying a smile.

 

“How far up does it go?”

 

“To ground level. It reaches the top of the plateau, but you can continue from there to the top on a separate set of stairs,” Cale replied as we reached the base of the stone cut steps. It looked endless.

 

“The easiest way's getting down,” he added, taking several steps on the uneven surface.

 

“How's that?”

 

“By a rock slide. It's been slicked, but it's better to use something to slide on. There's a wet plunge at the end too, assuming the water isn't frozen or dried up.” I reasoned that it safer going up than down. I never mentioned my fear of heights have I? Some people would laugh, but always seeing how far up I am makes me dizzy and I get afraid of falling. Weakly, I followed Cale, repeating what every person would tell you when swaying over a precariously hanging bridge suspended by two measly ropes on each side over a thousand foot drop: don't look down. It was a little hard not to, but the fact that I only had a gently slope, a rock wall or a butt to look at, I figured two of those could keep me occupied.

 

“You aren't afraid of heights are you?” Cale asked, looking over his shoulder at me. I gave him a pallid smile, one hand staying along the smooth grey rock surface on my left.

 

“You know, phobias usually develop under influences. If you have a bad influence, especially when repeated, you develop a phobia for it,” he told me, his voice muffled as he faced front again. I only remember that I was scared of heights and had been for the longest time. I can't say why though. We continued climbing, a little faster than I liked, but the sooner it was over, the sooner I didn't have to worry about falling to my death on the jagged rocks now nearly fifty feet below me.

 

Silence resounded against the dull rock wall for a moment before Cale added, “You never overcame that fear did you?” I shook my head, eyes wide. My brother paled a shade but gave me an encouraging gesture— a thumbs up.

 

“Well, if you feel too afraid, just grab me okay? Try not to trip me though.” I gulped. The higher up we got, the slower I went. I kept telling myself not to worry, it wasn't anything to be afraid of, but in the back of my mind I still knew the truth: it wasn't. With a slight gasp, I slid to my knees. I couldn't take it. My head was pounding with the rush of blood. Cale stopped, sensing that I wasn't still with him, that only one sound of footsteps falling.

 

“Jalene?” he asked, curiously before concern took over. He joined my side, a warm hand placed reassuringly on my back. “Come on, we're nearly to the top of the plateau.” He lifted my ghostly pale face to his. I was trembling, terrified of how high up we were. We were at least five hundred feet in the air, but it seemed more like five thousand.

 

“Come on,” Cale sighed. I'm not sure if he was just worried or disappointed, but either way made me feel worse. I knew I was started to hyperventilate. It happened every time. I remember once when Kane brought me to the top of R.A.D.A.R.'s tallest building, just to look over the night city. I looked over the railing with him, even though he had convinced me I was safe, and nearly fainted. My hands had cold. Cale slipped his arms under mine, pulling me close to him and wrapping me in a warm embrace. My view of the tiny little trees below me was obscured.

 

“Come on now, Jalene,” he whispered. “It's alright, there's nothing to be afraid of, I promise.” Ha! That's what Kane had told me. I could already feel the drop of my stomach as gravity plummeted me toward the hard packed earth hundreds of feet below.

 

I was getting dizzier now. Soon I knew I'd pass out. At least if I were unconscious, I might not feel anything. I swooned, going completely limp within Cale's strong grasp, fighting between staying conscious and letting myself slip into darkness. My brother pulled my face back so that I was staring into mismatched eyes, my throat exposed, hair trailing as a slight breeze tugged at our vulnerable bodies piercing the mountainside with contrast. My vision was blurry, unfocused, my hands were tingling. I was starting to choke, on my own breath.

 

“It's okay, I've got you,” Cale murmured, though I don't think I actually heard him. I felt his faint touch on my cheek. He kissed me, opening my mouth with his, breathing into me. I coughed, shuddering, my breathing ragged, but I was breathing. He held my face against his chest, against his heartbeat.

 

I blinked, feeling completely drained. Brother rubbed my back getting me to steady my breathing.

 

“Come on, we'll rest at the plateau okay?” he whispered, supporting my back with one hand, running his fingers through my hair with the other. I only stared into space, not really where he was. Cale shifted my body into his arms comfortably, keeping my face against his neck, shielded and unable to see anything around me other than a faint grey of the stairs ahead.

 

“Close your eyes,” he whispered. My eyelids fluttered shut as he stood, getting a better grip on me and continuing up the endless case of stairs. I bounced slightly with every step he took, and for how long I drifted between a cold slumber and consciousness, I can't really say.

 

I opened my eyes once I had stopped moving, gently cradled in my brother's arms. He looked fondly at me.

 

“We're on the plateau,” he said softly, brushing wily bangs away from my face. I closed my eyes again, wishing that everything could just be over. Cale moved an arm, picking something up.

 

“Water?” he offered. I weakly took the water skin and sipped as he propped me up with one strong arm. I nearly choked as I tried to remember how to swallow, but I managed. My reflection caressed my cheek, kissing my forehead, and it still annoyed me that he treated me like he was my mother. I felt helpless, as if I couldn't do anything. I sat up, taking a deep breath to gather my strength, then stood, on wobbly legs, as I slowly regained my composure. Looking around was nothing but grey, flat rock. Somewhere in the distance, it bended around a corner where I'm sure the forests Cale had told me about were.

 

“You sure you want to keep going?” he asked, worried that something like that might happen again. I nodded.

 

“I'll be okay,” I mumbled, still shaking myself off to clear my mind.

 

“You'll go first then. I'll be right behind you.” I blanched at the idea, but agreed. He showed me the steps up. They were narrower than the last steps and the view down was much, much steeper, but there was a cut of stone, about waist high, acting as a rail to keep anyone from falling out. I would have done better had it been taller than I, but I couldn't do anything. Taking several tentative steps, I gained my footing and continued with more confidence. Cale was right behind me, pretty much breathing down my neck.

 

“This stairwell's about twice as long as the last one, but it's a little more enclosed. Just keep walking,” Brother told me. He kept one hand on my shoulder which I uncomfortably tried to shrug off though it remained until it was sure I'd be alright. We climbed in silence, I breathing deep and steadily, though still deathly faint, both hands on a side of wall.

 

My eyes were focused ahead, and soon I became so absorbed in the steps ahead of me that I didn't realize that my right hand was clutching nothing. I stumbled as I tried to put my weight where nothing was there. Cale caught me, as I suddenly got a view of the earth nearly a thousand feet below me. Flailing, eyes wide, I gave a short cry, trying to stumble back to keep from falling. Cale head me back, trying to control me and keep me from knocking myself over.

 

“Stop Jalene!” he commanded, but I wasn't listening. In haste, he threw me against the opposing stone wall, catching my wrists and holding them above my head, pressing his body so close to mine that I couldn't move. I saw the large chuck of empty space where a protective wall should have been. It had crumbled away, wearing smooth with erosion. Beyond that were the faintest traces of green, veins of blue snaking here and there. They were no bigger than a pencil line.

 

Cale's face was inches from mine. I was breathing hard, but he forced me to look at him. Being this close, I noticed his right ginger colored eye did seem to reflect light much deeper than his other one. His other what a stormy grey, a pale lead color mixed with traces of silver. His eyes were beautiful. I had to wonder if people thought the same as mine. I wondered about that for a moment before noticing Cale had loosened his grip on me, and that my breathing was now normal, if not slowed down entirely. Looking into the depths of his eyes was nearly mesmerizing, but I shook the thought from my head as Cale let me up, pushing me past the empty space in the wall, which was occupied only by air. My thoughts now in a haze from that close encounter with my twin, I clambered upward, able to avoid thinking about what was below me.

 

I'm happy to say that there was no trouble and less talk as well as a higher, stronger wall the farther we got up. Before I knew it, we were at the top. The sides by the stairs sloped gently from a good seven feet down to a mere three, allowing a breathtaking view of everything below us. The sun shone high in the distance, its light reaching farther than its heat. It was still warm, but the altitude made it much cooler, especially being surrounded by stone. We stood in the center of a small circular area, not any more than about ten feet in diameter. A very solid door was outlined in the stone, the very same shade of slate grey. A handle jutted out, a keyhole telling me it would have to be unlocked. Cale stood, both hands on the rock ledge, looking out over everything just over two thousand feet below him. We were close to being half a mile up. He was getting an idea, I could tell by that devious grin he was wearing.

 

“Come here Jalene,” he beckoned. I hesitated.

 

“W-Why?” I stammered, my worst thoughts flashing in my mind. Would he honestly bring me all the way up here just to throw me off the side of the mountain? He smiled gently.

 

“I want to tell you something.” He gave me the most sincere smile he could muster. With unsure steps I approached him. I was arm's length away.

 

“Come here,” he urged. “Closer.” I wasn't completely sure of his intentions, and I wanted the chance to run or fight if I could, so I edged closer. He took my hand gently with his and held it. I was tense, bracing myself as he ran a thumb over my fingers.

 

“You're still pale,” he observed, the back drop of golden light setting his hair on fire. I said nothing, only waited.

 

“Come here!” he giggled, bear hugging me. I was sure we were going to fall. He swung me around to the side, until I was against the stone wall with him, eyes wide. Suddenly I had him in a death grip. If I was going to fall, he was coming with me.

 

“It's okay, I've got you,” he soothed for at least the twentieth time today.

 

“I'm so proud of you,” he murmured in my ear, and again I shivered under his soft breath. “Go on, look down. It's outstanding.” I wasn't sure how much I trusted him, but enough to do as he requested. I peeked over my shoulder, cheek to cheek with my brother, clinging to his soft leather shirt as if it were the last thing on Earth protecting me from a painful death, which I felt, it was. As I watched the earth below me, as small as it was, bathed in golden light, birds below and even above us circling here and there, I had to admit it was quite a sight to behold. Cale hugged me tightly, making sure I wouldn't tumble down the side of the mountain.

 

“Ready to get out of here now?” he said after a long minute of silence met only with the breeze. “This may be our last chance to see this place.”

 

“Not since you promised,” I replied without thought. He looked to me, sadness lingering in his eyes as I stood before him. I offered him my courage now, in the form of the smallest smile I had ever managed. Since everything I had been through, it was the best I could do.

 

He laughed and gave me a quick hug.

 

“You're right,” Brother agreed, one hand around my waist as he led me to the door. “We will come back. I can't say how soon, but we will. Ready?” He had fetched the key from a thin chain around his neck that had been obscured by his deerskin shirt. It was poised just above the keyhole. Cale looked to me for confirmation and I nodded. As weary as I was, and as much as I was looking forward to modern conveniences again, I can honestly say I would miss this sanctuary of peace and quiet. Inserting the key, Cale stepped back, twisting the handle and tugging the heavy steel door open. Peering outside, he made sure the coast was clear before gesturing for me to follow. It was dark, the first thing I nodded. He closed the door, locking it behind him and turning the handle just to make sure.

 

“Come on,” he whispered. “We can't let anyone see us.”

 

I followed behind him, being unsure of where he was I grabbed his shirt tail. We backed up, pressed close to a brick wall. Looking out I found we were in a street just outside of R.A.D.A.R.'s building where I worked. The drastic change of scenery was nearly overwhelming and made my mind spin. It was dark out, still either early morning or late night, though I couldn't tell which. We had come from a deserted alley and were now at an empty street. It was one of the back entrances into the building. I heard a crunch of broken glass and simultaneously two identical heads, one being mine, snapped around to see what had caused it. We were on alert, but not prepared for everything. A figure stood in the shadows so close by it paralyzed us; a street lamp nearby flickered as if unsure whether to stay on or blink out, its wire protruding.

 

“I'm seeing double,” the voice of the figure stated. “You know what the penalty for that is, don't you?”