I'm thirteen years old and my best friend is Gino Weinberg. We've been friends for the longest time and get mistaken for being lovers. We just laugh at that and shake our heads no. We both agreed we would never even try so we wouldn't jeopardize our friendship.

I was walking back to the school grounds to go to Gino's room. When I got there, I walked in and noticed he had company. I laughed because he always had people over. "Can I talk to you for a minute, Gino," I asked. He stared at me and nodded his head, leading me into the kitchen.

"What's wrong, Amber," he asked a bit concerned. I looked anywhere but him. I looked around the kitchen and sighed. "I'm…leaving for a bit," I said softly. I saw his eyes widen. "Why," he practically screamed. I cringed a bit before responding. "I can't tell you," I said looking down. I heard him sigh. "You can't? Or you won't," he asked sternly. I looked up at him. "I won't. I'll be back. I promise you, I will be back. Maybe then I'll explain everything to you," I said looking up at him, pleading him silently for him to understand.

I saw him close his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose. "When are you leaving," he asked softly. My eyes began to tear up. "Today," I whispered. I saw him walk towards me before he engulfed me in a big hug. I held on to him as tight as I could and silently cried. He comforted me and rubbed my back. "Promise me you will stay safe? Don't get into any trouble. And come back in one piece," he whispered in my ear.

I hugged him tighter and nodded my head. "I promise, Gino," I said, looking up at him. He smiled at me and wiped my tears away. I sniffled and hugged him once more. "I'll miss you," I said. He hugged me more and chuckled. "I'll miss you more," he said. I knew he was smiling and giggled.

"Well, I better get going," I said, frowning that I couldn't hug him longer. "My flight leaves in an hour," I said. I felt him stiffen. I hugged him tighter. "Don't worry. I'll be back," I said before pulling away. "I'll call you in a while," he said. I kissed his cheek and walked out of the dorm to my room.

When I got out of his room, my tears flew freely. I packed my stuff and got in my car, before driving away to the airport. I was on my way to England.

I arrived at the airport in England and made my way to my hotel. When I settled in, I made my way outside and rented a car. I drove through dense forests for hours toward my one goal. I arrived at a village and slowly got out of my car.

I slowly walked around and was shocked to see all the little huts burned to the ground. I walked around for a while before trying to put out the fire. "Hello? Is anyone here," I yelled.

I put the fire out and began moving things out of the way, searching for any form of life. Tears began to fall from my eyes as I uncovered burnt bodies of some of the villagers.

How did this happen, I thought. I made my way through the village and my skin burned. I looked around and noticed how badly the village was destroyed.

This is all radiation. That's why my skin burns. I have to hurry, I thought to myself. I ran through all the debris and concluded that everything was in fact, destroyed.

In the distance I heard a noise. I neared the noised and noticed it was someone crying. I quickly ran to the noise. I slowed down to a halt when I was in front of the person crying. I saw one of the villagers, old and horribly injured lying on the ground covered in dirt, cradling a newborn baby. The woman tried to save her child.

Then she was speaking to me in the faintest voice. I had to strain my ears to hear her. She motioned for me to come closer. So I did. "Are you the princess," she choked out. My tears fell to the ground like a waterfall and I nodded my head. "Then please, please, I beg you. Take care of my child, please," she said weakly. My eyes widened and I knew she was going to die soon. She gently laid the crying being in my arms. I felt her arms give away. "Thank…you," she said, and she closed her eyes, never opening them again.

My body convulsed and my eyes were wide as I saw the corpse lying in front of me. I was in a trance until the baby's wailings brought me back. I rocked the baby back and forth, shushing it until it calmed down. I held her close and spoke to her. "It's alright Rima," I whispered softly. That was my favorite name and since her real mother didn't have a chance to tell me her name, I chose one to suit the month old baby.

I quickly made my way back to my car with Rima held close. When I got in, I had to make sure Rima's seat was safe. Once I situated her, I sped off back to town. On my way, I noticed Gino had called and left a message. I sighed. I did not have time for this.

I gently took Rima out of the car and made my way to the store. I bought all the essentials for a baby: diapers, clothes, milk, food, bibs, toys, playpen, etc. I spent almost all my money and loaded it into my car before heading back to my hotel.

I laid Rima in her new playpen and pulled up a chair to watch her. I noticed she was a bit dirty and decided to give her a bath.

After her bath, I dressed her in her new clothes and then set her down in the play pen. I was exhausted and knew I would have to return to the village and try to repair it. I also needed to find if anyone else survived. As much as I would love to raise Rima, I was still only thirteen.