Two days later, Amber woke up early. Her and Lea had been wandering around the same part of the city the whole of the previous day, and Amber was fed up of having to sleep rough; it didn't feel safe. She looked at Lea, who was still asleep, wrapped up in the same blankets.
"Come on Lea, we're finding somewhere to live." Amber muttered under her breath, praying they could find a safe place to stay. They needed more food, as their supplies were quickly running out. Amber stood up, with Lea in her arms, and looked around. She didn't really have an idea of where they were last night; it was to dark to see things clearly and she was tired. She slung her somewhat lighter bag over her shoulder and started to walk, but soon they came to a signpost that caught Amber's eye.
"Stadium, car park, mall…" she began to read off it. "Mall…" she repeated under her breath, thinking that it would be her best bet for staying in. The arrow next to it on the sign pointed to the right, so she decided to take her chances and follow it. She had been there before, but only once, so she couldn't remember the directions properly, especially walking. She began to think on the way there. What if other people had found the mall and started living there? What if they didn't want her to stay? What if the Loco's were there? She told herself to be more optimistic about it, and carried on walking. She suddenly recognized where she was, and sure enough, when she looked up she saw the mall. She stood in the shadows for a while and wondered what to do, and was just about to make her way to open the door, when she saw two figures walk round the side, and she could hear them talking. She followed them round the corner.
"I can't believe we've been here almost a week. Time's flown by!" said one and the other quickly agreed, before climbing down a manhole.
"Yeah, now we have Brady…" said the other said, but Amber didn't hear the rest of the sentence, as the manhole cover had been moved back into place. Wanting to know who they were, she moved the manhole cover out the way, and carefully maneuvering herself down it, holding onto Lea tightly. She made extra care to make everything look like it was before she had got there. She trod carefully to find a way into the Mall itself, but her bag hit the wall as she turned around. She grimaced as she heard the echo of the metal buckle hitting the wall; it went on and on. A few seconds later she heard hurried footsteps, and three people confronted her.
"Who are you?" said one.
"What do you want?" said one of the others, who she recognized. It was the boy at the grave.
"I'm Amber, and this is Lea my little sister. We're looking for somewhere to stay." She replied, praying they would let her. The others looked at each other, and nodded.
"Well, you've come to the right place. I'm Bray, this is Lex, and this is Ryan." Said the one she recognized, waving his hands in the direction of the other two.
"Hi." She said, somewhat sheepishly.
"Come on in!" Bray said and Lex and Ryan walked off. Bray motioned for Amber to follow them, and he took up the rear, checking the manhole cover first. She walked out into the main part of the mall, and found it in surprisingly good condition; not too much different from how she remembered it.
"Everyone, come down here. There is someone you need to meet!" Lex bellowed up the stairs, and a few seconds later a bunch of people traipsed out of the café and walked down the stairs.
"This is Amber, and her baby sister Lea." Bray explained to the small but interested crowd of people. She had no idea who any of them were, but they seemed kind. There were many murmurs.
"Hi!" said a girl with red hair.
"You'll like it here." smiled a girl with purple hair and a baby in her arms.
"It's perfect!" exclaimed Amber. "Can I stay here?"
"Anyone can, within reason. Some of these guys only came yesterday." explained Bray.
"Thanks." Said Amber.
"Oh, I almost forgot. You already know I'm called Bray, and this is Ryan, and this is Lex. OK, so they are Salene, Trudy, Brady is the baby, Zandra, KC, Cloe, Patsy, Jack, Dal and Tai-San." he recited, pointing to each of them in turn, then smiling at Amber.
"I'll try and remember." She said, feeling herself melting under Bray's smile. She shifted Lea around a little in her arms; she was exhausted from holding her for so long.
"Come on, we'll find a room for you and Lea. Follow me!" said Salene, taking Lea from a grateful Amber. They walked up the stairs, and most of the others followed them. "Ummm, where is there space…I know, here!" Salene thought out loud, and pointed to a room at the top of the stairs.
Amber looked around. It was a pretty basic room, and was quite empty. She vowed that after she had had some sleep and some dinner she would 'decorate' it a little. Lex and Ryan had fetched a cot for Lea, and now the tiny baby was fast asleep again.
"Th…thanks." she said, trying to stop herself from yawning. The others piled out of the room to leave her to rest a while, and she flopped down onto the bed, and fell asleep before she could get under the covers.
The others kept popping their heads round the door; partly to check how she was, partly out of curiosity for this 'new girl' that had just arrived. Amber was so tired that she didn't stir when any of them looked in on her. Some time later, Bray poked his head around the door, and he could see that even though Amber was asleep, she was cold. He fetched some extra blankets and lay them on top of Amber carefully, not wanting to wake her. He checked on Lea too, but she had so many blankets round her it was probably impossible for her to be cold in the slightest. He looked over at Amber again, and smiled. She looked so peaceful; so beautiful.
"Come on Lea, we're finding somewhere to live." Amber muttered under her breath, praying they could find a safe place to stay. They needed more food, as their supplies were quickly running out. Amber stood up, with Lea in her arms, and looked around. She didn't really have an idea of where they were last night; it was to dark to see things clearly and she was tired. She slung her somewhat lighter bag over her shoulder and started to walk, but soon they came to a signpost that caught Amber's eye.
"Stadium, car park, mall…" she began to read off it. "Mall…" she repeated under her breath, thinking that it would be her best bet for staying in. The arrow next to it on the sign pointed to the right, so she decided to take her chances and follow it. She had been there before, but only once, so she couldn't remember the directions properly, especially walking. She began to think on the way there. What if other people had found the mall and started living there? What if they didn't want her to stay? What if the Loco's were there? She told herself to be more optimistic about it, and carried on walking. She suddenly recognized where she was, and sure enough, when she looked up she saw the mall. She stood in the shadows for a while and wondered what to do, and was just about to make her way to open the door, when she saw two figures walk round the side, and she could hear them talking. She followed them round the corner.
"I can't believe we've been here almost a week. Time's flown by!" said one and the other quickly agreed, before climbing down a manhole.
"Yeah, now we have Brady…" said the other said, but Amber didn't hear the rest of the sentence, as the manhole cover had been moved back into place. Wanting to know who they were, she moved the manhole cover out the way, and carefully maneuvering herself down it, holding onto Lea tightly. She made extra care to make everything look like it was before she had got there. She trod carefully to find a way into the Mall itself, but her bag hit the wall as she turned around. She grimaced as she heard the echo of the metal buckle hitting the wall; it went on and on. A few seconds later she heard hurried footsteps, and three people confronted her.
"Who are you?" said one.
"What do you want?" said one of the others, who she recognized. It was the boy at the grave.
"I'm Amber, and this is Lea my little sister. We're looking for somewhere to stay." She replied, praying they would let her. The others looked at each other, and nodded.
"Well, you've come to the right place. I'm Bray, this is Lex, and this is Ryan." Said the one she recognized, waving his hands in the direction of the other two.
"Hi." She said, somewhat sheepishly.
"Come on in!" Bray said and Lex and Ryan walked off. Bray motioned for Amber to follow them, and he took up the rear, checking the manhole cover first. She walked out into the main part of the mall, and found it in surprisingly good condition; not too much different from how she remembered it.
"Everyone, come down here. There is someone you need to meet!" Lex bellowed up the stairs, and a few seconds later a bunch of people traipsed out of the café and walked down the stairs.
"This is Amber, and her baby sister Lea." Bray explained to the small but interested crowd of people. She had no idea who any of them were, but they seemed kind. There were many murmurs.
"Hi!" said a girl with red hair.
"You'll like it here." smiled a girl with purple hair and a baby in her arms.
"It's perfect!" exclaimed Amber. "Can I stay here?"
"Anyone can, within reason. Some of these guys only came yesterday." explained Bray.
"Thanks." Said Amber.
"Oh, I almost forgot. You already know I'm called Bray, and this is Ryan, and this is Lex. OK, so they are Salene, Trudy, Brady is the baby, Zandra, KC, Cloe, Patsy, Jack, Dal and Tai-San." he recited, pointing to each of them in turn, then smiling at Amber.
"I'll try and remember." She said, feeling herself melting under Bray's smile. She shifted Lea around a little in her arms; she was exhausted from holding her for so long.
"Come on, we'll find a room for you and Lea. Follow me!" said Salene, taking Lea from a grateful Amber. They walked up the stairs, and most of the others followed them. "Ummm, where is there space…I know, here!" Salene thought out loud, and pointed to a room at the top of the stairs.
Amber looked around. It was a pretty basic room, and was quite empty. She vowed that after she had had some sleep and some dinner she would 'decorate' it a little. Lex and Ryan had fetched a cot for Lea, and now the tiny baby was fast asleep again.
"Th…thanks." she said, trying to stop herself from yawning. The others piled out of the room to leave her to rest a while, and she flopped down onto the bed, and fell asleep before she could get under the covers.
The others kept popping their heads round the door; partly to check how she was, partly out of curiosity for this 'new girl' that had just arrived. Amber was so tired that she didn't stir when any of them looked in on her. Some time later, Bray poked his head around the door, and he could see that even though Amber was asleep, she was cold. He fetched some extra blankets and lay them on top of Amber carefully, not wanting to wake her. He checked on Lea too, but she had so many blankets round her it was probably impossible for her to be cold in the slightest. He looked over at Amber again, and smiled. She looked so peaceful; so beautiful.
