Charlie crept through the old and abandoned high school, memories of the battle a few weeks ago still fresh in her mind. She didn't have any sort of real reason to come here, but since the rest of her family was in Mexico, she was bored. Boredom would suffice as a reason.
As she roamed the darkened hallways, she couldn't help but think of the times before the Blackout. She was young then- only about five. Fifteen years later the school- like her- was still standing. Remnants of people who used to spend their days here littered the halls. Papers, books, pencils, the odd picture- almost everything truly useful had been looted by now.
She wandered until she found what she didn't even know she was looking for- the library. Her old village had a "library," it was more like a glorified bookshelf, but this was something she had to stop and take in. As opposed to the measly few textbooks and classics she grew up with, there were endless books strewn about the shelves.
As she meandered about, clearly distracted, she tripped. she let out a muffled "Shit!" before falling down into a heap on the ground. As she was getting up, she looked down at what had tripped her- a physics textbook. Curiosity got the best of her, and she began to flip through it. Its pages were yellow with age, but its contents amazed her nonetheless. The were hundreds of definitions, with the odd picture throughout. There was a picture of a boat, one of the ocean, a few of planets, and one that stopped her dead (though it wasn't a real shock)- a working computer. As she flipped through the pages, still unsure what she wanted to read about (if anything), she came across a topic she remembered Aaron talking about- Gravity. Eh, why not. It's not like there's anyone waiting up for me right now. She began to read. "A few hundred years ago, people were unfamiliar with things that would be considered second nature today. For example- gravity. They knew there was something holding the planets in place, but they couldn't quite figure out what. Then, Isaac Newton came along. He coined the term 'gravity', and even went on to develop a Newtonian equation particularly for it."
She paused to a second, taking it in. Back then, people were looking to the future to discover things. Now, everyone was scrambling to look at the past. Oh, how times have changed. "Gravity is something that is everywhere." Something gravity and the nanotech have in common. "Every object has its own field of gravity, and, in turn, gravitates towards other objects. It is usually negligible but may, in special cases, be substantial." Everything has its own gravity. It reminds me of family, everyone inexplicably drawn to the others. The familial bond was something with which Charlie was extremely familiar.
Thinking of the bond she shared with each surviving member of her family- and even her surrogate family members- brought a smile to her face (something rare, for her). Each of them followed their own orbit. They would fall away, come back, and even come together. Through it all, though, they never left each other. Must be the gravity. The thought brought a smile to her face.
It was a week after her adventure into the high school. The entire time after, thoughts of her family hadn't left her mind. Miles, and his fatherly protectiveness. Her mother, Rachel, and how she was always doting on her (something she understood but didn't approve of). Aaron, and his reclusive, slightly geeky nature (nothing wrong with that). Bass and that quality to him she couldn't quite understand. He was a newer member of the makeshift family, one she still had her doubts about at times, but they were square. He had saved her countless times, he was Batman of all things, and he had the same protective nature Miles had (with an extra dash of ruthlessness).
She sat on the steps of her porch, staring out at the field. It was the same field that Bass, Miles, and her mother had ridden through when they left for Mexico, and probably the same route Aaron took when he left on his search for answers. She mused about her family for the better part of the morning- all because she could. Things were calm around Willoughby, and she didn't need to worry.
Her focus was broken when she saw a small dust cloud over the hill in the field. Weird. What reason would they have to be back so early? They said this would be a longer trip. She readied her crossbow at her side, and braced herself behind the half wall surrounding her porch. Ten minutes later, the dust grew as she began to hear hoof-steps on the dry grass. Within a minute or so, a horse's head peeked out over the hill's crest. It was followed by two others, and then by people. Miles. Mom. Bass. She dropped her crossbow to her side, and ran to greet them.
"You guys are home early!" Even a patriot ass couldn't keep the smile off her face right now.
"Yeah, we uh..we decided that we like it a little better here." She smiled at the familiar sound of Miles' voice.
"But isn't Bass's kid somewhere in Mexico? Isn't that why you left?" Bass's face fell- it seemed she had accidentally hit a nerve.
Bass sighed, before responding "Yeah, yeah. He was. He's not...anymore." Wait, what? I thought Miles went to protect him?
Rachel saw the look of her confusion on her daughter's face, and went to explain. "We found him Charlie, just...not in the state
we last saw him. He was..he was gone. Overdosed on heroin." Oh.
"Shit, Bass, I'm sorry. I didn't know or I wouldn't have-" Bass cut her off.
"Charlie, don't worry. I barely knew him." She could still hear sadness in his voice. Miles felt the air getting thicker, and sighed.
"Let's all go in, guys. I'm tired from all the riding. Three days on a horse, that shit messes with you." At this, everyone laughed
and followed Charlie into the farmhouse.
Rachel went straight to the living room to lay down, and Miles followed suit. Bass went off by himself, probably upset at having to
remember what happened to his son. Charlie wasn't sure what to do- she could go greet Miles and her mom, or she could go talk to Bass. For the time being, though, she took a minute to pause. She was back with her family. The old farmhouse she had been holed up in felt like home. And the gravity? Its hold over her family only grew stronger.