Sorry it took so long. But don't say I didn't warn you when I posted this story :)


Hope was really going to kill David when she saw him next.

"Listen, Mason is probably up at his house, " Doc Church said, pointing to a house above her and slightly to her left. The house had been built on the side of a crater, so many wooden pillars stood underneath it to hold it straight. "Just follow that path next to it and it leads right to his front door." He then grabbed her shoulder and turned her so she was looking up at him. "Listen, that boy paid 300 caps for me to take care of you, so you shouldn't go up there and be rude, alright?"

"What are 'caps'?" She asked, confused. The man had referred to 'caps' as if it was a form of money. Didn't they have bills?

"'Caps' are Nuka-cola caps. So many people collected them before the bombs fell that more of them survived than actual money, so we use them instead. Three-hundred caps is a lot to come by in the Wasteland, so if that boy was willing to pay that much, you must mean something to him."

"But, why use something like caps? What happened to money? Dollar bills and whatnot?"

Doc laughed. "Destroyed, most likely. Scavengers will find a small pile of them every once in a while, but they aren't worth anything anymore. Just isn't enough of them to make a difference."

She nodded, not really understanding, but not wanting to ask anymore questions. Her head was really starting to hurt.

"Well, thank you, very much, for taking care of me." She turned and started to walk up the hill, but stopped. "And since you took care of me, I'd thought you should know that you should really clean yourself better. Taking care of sick people while your skin is so dirty could just make them sicker."

Doc looked at her for a long few moments. For a moment, Hope was sure that he was going to get mad. But, he suddenly threw his head back and laughed. And he kept laughing, long after she got scared and ran up the top of the hill. He was still laughing when he walked back inside the small building, because his laughing was suddenly cut off by a slamming door.

Hope walked up to the door of the building Doc had said belonged to Mason. Would he be in there? She raised her hand to knock on the door, when the door opened by itself, her hand still in mid-knock.

"Oh! You're awake!"

Hope blinked a few times, before realizing that Mason was standing in the doorway, a pack over his shoulder, clearly on his way out.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you!"

"It's alright, really," He said, opening the door wider and motioning her to come in.

Hope tried her best not to look too disgusted, but the look on her face must have been too obvious.

"Yeah, it's a little dirty, but nothing is clean anymore since the bombs fell."

It was an understatement. She was so used to sparkling white walls with beautiful portraits and furniture, that the dirt covered walls (made from the same deteriorated metal as Doc's small hospital) and clearly old and falling apart furniture made her cringe. How could people live like this?

"I've noticed," She finally said, after turning to look at him. "Even the people are dirty. Don't you ever take baths?"

Mason blinked at her, and then smiled.

"Kinda hard when there isn't clean water readily available to wash with. Why do you say that? I'm I really so dirty?"

Hope examined him closely.

His skin was dirty, though not clearly as dirty as Doc's had been. His hair was black, and his eyes were a deep brown. There was dirt lining the small wrinkles on his face, although she couldn't help but notice that he was handsome, despite. He appeared to be not much older than herself. But why did he have those little wrinkles? He looked much to young to have them!

As she examined him, he set his strong jaw and his almond-eyes glittered with amusement.

"Well?" He asked.

"Well, your skin is so dirty! I mean, everyone's is! And Doc is the worst by far! I mean, really! How much neglect does it take to make your skin appear black!"

Mason looked at her, similarly to how Doc had a few minutes before. He then laughed.

"His skin isn't dirty! Well, yes it is, but his skin is black! He's African American!"

Hope started. "African American? What is that? And what do you mean his skin is black? His skin is the same color as mine, silly! He just needs a bath!"

Mason blinked and then set his bag down. He then looked at her with genuine concern.

"You mean to say, that where you come from, everyone is white? No one of color lives in your 'Home'?"

"What do you mean by 'white' and 'color'? Everyone looks like me, just different hair colors, of course!"

Mason put his hand to his forehead. "Wow. Now this is something I've never heard of!"

"What do you mean?"

"Okay, listen. Where you come from, everyone's skin is white, but out here, everyone has a different color of skin. Mine is a deep olive, Doc's is black, and there are skin colors of all sorts in between."

Hope was now really confused. Skin that was a different color?

"See, look." Mason pulled out another one of those strange water bottles, and poured a small amount on his outstretched arm. He then scrubbed at it. She watched as the water dirtied, but his skin didn't get lighter. It stayed that strange, brown color.

"The dirt isn't coming off...?"

"It's not dirt. That is the color of my skin."

"But... I've never heard of skin that isn't like mine..."

"Because the place you come from is clearly messed up."

"So, this...this wasteland...it's real?" Even she wasn't dumb enough to think that David could have pulled something like this off. He just wasn't that creative, or smart for that matter.

Mason sighed, though it sounded like a noise of relief rather than frustration. "Yes. That's what I've been trying to tell you."

She suddenly felt very light headed.

"Whoa, careful, there," Mason said, reaching out and catching her just as she felt herself stumble. He turned her and set her down on the filthy, pink couch.

"But, how is this possible?"

Mason didn't say anything. Instead, she watched him as he went and picked up his pack.

"Listen, I know you've just woken up and all, but I really need to go check on something. Are you okay with staying here? My robot butler, Wadsworth, will be here to get you anything you need."

Hope looked up, surprised to see that she recognized the type of robot Mason had gestured to. There had been many like him back at The Home.

"Oh, I know them! There were many of those back home!"

Mason shook his head, clearly confused as well. "Nice to see they weren't completely crazy."

Hope jumped up when she realized that he was walking out of the still open door. "Wait! Don't leave!"

He started. "I'll be back by tomorrow morning."

"No, let me go with you!" She said, bending down and grabbing an empty pack on the floor, ready to pack it with supplies.

"No, sorry, I can't let you come."

"You can't just leave me here! I want to see what the world is really like! Obviously, the things we were taught at home were lies, and I want to know the truth!"

That seemed to make Mason consider. He set down his pack and tapped his chin, thinking.

"Alright," He finally said. "But what I'm going to do isn't going to be easy." He stopped tapping his chin. "Actually, it might be a good idea for you to come."

"Okay, what is it you're going to do?"

He looked at her and then began to load her empty pack. "There is a Vault not too far from here that I want to explore. You can come with me, if you want..."

She didn't even hesitate. "Of course!"


Sorry it's a little short. Hope it turned out good :)