What Happened Next

"We should go straight back to the city." Amber said firmly. Bray nodded, looking around at the other members of the tribe. Most of them agreed.

"I agree. We should definitely hurry." Ebony said. Bray frowned as a rumbling sound filled the room.

"Can you hear that?" he asked, turning towards Amber.

She wasn't there.

"Amber? Amb, where are you?" Suddenly the observatory exploded beneath him, and all he could hear was Lex saying over and over, "She's gone. She's gone. She's gone."

"NOOOO!!" Bray bolted upright, gasping for breath.

"Bray?" A familiar voice called him.

"Amber?" There was a brief pause.

"No—Caitlyn. Are you all right?" He sank back down, memories hitting him hard. Eagle Mountain—Amber was dead.

"I'm fine." he said tiredly.

"You're not fine. That's the third time this week you've woken like that. You're scaring the little ones."

"Well, I'm sorry I can't get over this, all right! Would you like me to forget all about her? That'd do it, wouldn't it." She sobbed faintly, but her voice was steady.

"Bray, you're depressed. You need to talk about this. You don't have to talk to me, but you need to talk to someone. Anyone. Talk to Lex if you want. He'd understand. Talk to Trudy. Just...get over this." She padded away from his room. Shaking his head, he scrambled out and went after her.

"Caitlyn, I'm sorry. This is bad for you too, I know." She fixed him with a glare.

"You have no idea what this is like for me. Amber is dead. But not only that, we now have Ebony living with us. Do you know the things she did to me? Do you? And, not only that, but everyone expects me to step into Amber's shoes and be Den Mother. I can't, and I don't want to. I won't be her replacement."

"No one is trying to replace Amber."

"Yes they are. Leave me alone, Bray. I mean it." With that she ran back to her room.

Next morning, when she didn't turn up for breakfast, Bray went looking for her.

"Caitlyn?" he called, looking into her room. She was sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Do you know I can't even wear my hair differently any more?" she asked rhetorically. "I tried about a week ago, and I sent Patsy into hysterics."

"That's what upset her." Bray murmured. He'd had the fun job of trying to calm her down again afterwards.

"Yeah. I wasn't even wearing those Zulu knots, just half-way."

"She wasn't ready then. Caitlyn, everyone knows you're not Amber."

"I don't think so. Half the time they call me Amber."

"Everyone makes mistakes."

"I dream, sometimes, that she's alive. That she's somewhere out there, maybe with another Tribe. I don't believe she's dead, you know."

"Truthfully? Me either. But the others have grieved for her, and we can't upset them now."

"Bray?" Danni came to the door. "Oh—I'm sorry."

"It's ok, Danni." Caitlyn said, getting up. "We're done." She slipped out of the room.

"Is she all right?" Danni asked, coming in.

"No." Bray answered, watching her leave. "No, she's not."

Caitlyn stared up at the Mall. For a moment she thought she could see Bray on the roof, then the figure vanished, and she turned away.

"Caitlyn?" Salene called. "Are you in here?" Caitlyn was nowhere to be found, but there was a note on her pillow. Salene picked it up and read it.

The Mallrats,

I'm sorry to do this, but I can't stay anymore. I'm not what you need. Tell Bray I'm chasing my dreams. When I've found them, I'll come back.

Vios cons Dias.

Caitlyn.

"Bray!"

"We could still find her. She can't be gone very long." Trudy said.

"No. Let her go. She wasn't happy here." Bray said.

"What does she mean, she's chasing her dreams?" Salene asked.

"She's been dreaming that Amber's alive somewhere. She can't let go."

"She's looking for Amber?"

"No..just peace."

High on a mountain, miles away from the city, a figure called Eagle waited and watched….