They had almost reached the edge of the trees surrounding the river when Amber stopped.
"What's wrong?" Jasper asked immediately.
"Nothing, it's just…I need to collect my thoughts. You go on ahead and I'll meet you later to discuss it with the others. I need to stay here for a little bit and clear my head." She smiled.
"If that's what you want." He said and she nodded, so he walked off.
"Where's Amber?" Bray said worriedly as soon as he saw Jasper coming towards them alone.
"It's okay, she wanted to collect her thoughts."
"Where is she?"
"Bray, I really thinks she wants to be alone right now…" Jasper trailed off as he saw that Bray was walking towards the trees. "She's by the river!" he called after Bray.
"Amber, what's wrong?" Bray asked as he walked up to Amber who was sitting on a boulder and staring into the water again. "Jasper said you needed to collect your thoughts or something, it sounds like you've just got a shock. Amber shifted along on the boulder and Bray sat down beside her.
"It's nothing." Amber replied, not looking at him. A tear rolled down her cheek and fell into the water.
"Amber you're crying, and I feel helpless." Bray said. She looked up at him. "Come on, you know you can tell me anything." He urged, and put his arms around her.
"I've…we've worked so hard to get this place working, and now it's all…just gone, and we couldn't do anything to stop it. Jasper and Zandra have decided they want to go back and live in the city; join the Mall Rats if you lot will let them, but they want me to come too." She said, hugging him.
"We always knew we would go back to the mall soon, even if we did like it here, and now I think we need to. What did Jasper think we should do will the rest of the Gaians, I don't think all of them will want to come with us?" Bray comforted her.
"We should give them a choice; they can either come with us or try and rebuild their lives out here, but it will be tough though, almost like starting from scratch all over again."
"We should go now and call a meeting." Bray said.
"Come on then." Amber got up and wiped her face, hoping her eyes didn't look too red.
"Are you sure you're ready?" he said standing up too. Amber kissed him.
"Yes, It'll be better sooner rather than later."
The news had been broken to the rest of the two tribes.
"All those who wish to stay, raise your hands now." Amber instructed. Most of the Gaians raised their hands, as did Dal, Alice and Cloe.
"Cloe, come back to the mall with us, it's our home. Please, I'll miss you." Patsy started to get upset.
"It'll be like the farm, you can see her all the time." Amber said to a rather distraught Patsy.
"Patsy, I want to come back, but I want to stay here in the country for a while first. I promise I'll come and live in the mall again soon." Cloe added.
"Amber, what are you going to do?" Bray asked. He had to go back to the mall with the others, he was their leader, but then again so was Amber once. She felt torn. Both the tribes had had her as a leader. She wanted to stay with her best friend and the little girl she had rescued. She looked at the mall rats and remembered all the good and bad times they had seen each other through. She thought how hard she had fought to keep the Gaians together, but then she realised that in her heart she couldn't leave Bray.
"Ummm…" she trailed off.
Amber looked at Bray and smiled. She gazed at the landscape around her. She remembered coming here, how the tribe had almost immediately accepted her. She remembered the ceremony that made her their leader. She remembered the celebration of Zandra and Jasper's wedding. All these things she would always treasure. But when she looked around now and all she saw were the charred remains of a village and a hopeless looking group of people. This part of her life was over, she had done everything possible with it. When she look at Bray again she knew that she could never leave him. She loved him too much, and the mall was were she belonged. She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand, "I'm going back to the mall."
Bray gave a shout and twirled her around. "We will be so happy." He said joyously and set her down. She smiled, knowing in her heart he spoke the truth.
Zan ran over "Oh Amber, it will be just like old times." She said hugging her.
Amber stiffened in Zandra's embrace and pulled back she looked straight into Zandra's eyes. "No, they won't. We can go back to the mall Zan, but things will never be the same. We can't live in the past. We depart for the mall to start a new phase of life, not to return to an old one." She smiled at Zan who had grown sombre at her speech. "Zandra don't be afraid. We will make life better than it was before." She smiled and hugged her again. Then she turned to the tribes. "We will leave at dawn's first night. For now let us spend one more night together, two tribes united."
"That's right! Let's party!" Jasper shouted from behind her. The group cheered and soon the meadow was filled with the sound of laughing and music. Bray twirled Amber around as they danced and laughed. Zan and Jasper danced next to them and Jack and Ellie soon joined the couples on the "dance floor."
Patsy sat off to the corner talking with Chloe the two in deep conversation. "It will only be for a few weeks, Patsy. I need a change, I promise to come back." Chloe reassured.
Patsy bit her lip and took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too." Chloe said hugging her best friend.
"Hey, I hate to interrupt this touching moment but we were wondering if you guys would like to dance." KC said standing there with Dal.
"Sure boys." They said giggling. And they joined the rest of the couples dancing to music from Jack's CD player that had amazingly survived the blaze.
The party lasted well into the night and by the time they actually got to bed there were only a few hours till dawn. Yet, Amber lay in Bray's arms unable to sleep. As she turned and sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time. Bray raised an eyebrow. "Can't sleep?"
Amber gave him an annoyed look. "What do you think."
"Regretting your decision?" Bray asked.
"No, just ready. Ready to move on we've been in this state of limbo, since the Guardian attack, almost a month. I'm just ready to get back to normal life."
"Normal? Do you remember the mall Amber? It's anything but normal."
She hit him in the chest and he yelped. "You know what I mean. Let's just go back to sleep."
"I wish you would." Zandra called from the other side the small shelter.
"Yeah, that's what we're trying to do!" Jasper called over.
"Shove it!" Amber called throwing a pillow in that general direction, she couldn't really see because of the dark.
"Is that the best you can do?" Jasper taunted. "And this is the remarkable warrior they call Eagle, what do you think Zan."
"I heard she went soft." Zan agreed barely hiding the laughter in her voice. "Some guy came and swept her off her feet, she's more interested in cooking and sewing than leading and fighting."
The only answer was another pillow, this time hitting its target. "Hey, watch it, I got a pregnant wife over here." He launched it back.
"Oh, yeah hide behind you're wife's skirt, coward." Bray called.
"That's it. You're finished lover boy!" Jasper shouted and jumped out of bed and swinging the pillow directly at Bray's head. '
"Now you've done it." Bray laughed and also jumping out of his bed. Jasper took another shot at Bray with the pillow hitting him fully in the chest.
"Hey! Don't hit my boyfriend!" Amber jumped up and hit Jasper with her own pillow.
"And that's my husband you're hitting!" Zandra laughed and leaped up with her pillow, still agile at only two months pregnant. The pillow fight that ensued took the edge off their nervousness and soon both couples were resting up for the quickly nearing journey.
"What's wrong?" Jasper asked immediately.
"Nothing, it's just…I need to collect my thoughts. You go on ahead and I'll meet you later to discuss it with the others. I need to stay here for a little bit and clear my head." She smiled.
"If that's what you want." He said and she nodded, so he walked off.
"Where's Amber?" Bray said worriedly as soon as he saw Jasper coming towards them alone.
"It's okay, she wanted to collect her thoughts."
"Where is she?"
"Bray, I really thinks she wants to be alone right now…" Jasper trailed off as he saw that Bray was walking towards the trees. "She's by the river!" he called after Bray.
"Amber, what's wrong?" Bray asked as he walked up to Amber who was sitting on a boulder and staring into the water again. "Jasper said you needed to collect your thoughts or something, it sounds like you've just got a shock. Amber shifted along on the boulder and Bray sat down beside her.
"It's nothing." Amber replied, not looking at him. A tear rolled down her cheek and fell into the water.
"Amber you're crying, and I feel helpless." Bray said. She looked up at him. "Come on, you know you can tell me anything." He urged, and put his arms around her.
"I've…we've worked so hard to get this place working, and now it's all…just gone, and we couldn't do anything to stop it. Jasper and Zandra have decided they want to go back and live in the city; join the Mall Rats if you lot will let them, but they want me to come too." She said, hugging him.
"We always knew we would go back to the mall soon, even if we did like it here, and now I think we need to. What did Jasper think we should do will the rest of the Gaians, I don't think all of them will want to come with us?" Bray comforted her.
"We should give them a choice; they can either come with us or try and rebuild their lives out here, but it will be tough though, almost like starting from scratch all over again."
"We should go now and call a meeting." Bray said.
"Come on then." Amber got up and wiped her face, hoping her eyes didn't look too red.
"Are you sure you're ready?" he said standing up too. Amber kissed him.
"Yes, It'll be better sooner rather than later."
The news had been broken to the rest of the two tribes.
"All those who wish to stay, raise your hands now." Amber instructed. Most of the Gaians raised their hands, as did Dal, Alice and Cloe.
"Cloe, come back to the mall with us, it's our home. Please, I'll miss you." Patsy started to get upset.
"It'll be like the farm, you can see her all the time." Amber said to a rather distraught Patsy.
"Patsy, I want to come back, but I want to stay here in the country for a while first. I promise I'll come and live in the mall again soon." Cloe added.
"Amber, what are you going to do?" Bray asked. He had to go back to the mall with the others, he was their leader, but then again so was Amber once. She felt torn. Both the tribes had had her as a leader. She wanted to stay with her best friend and the little girl she had rescued. She looked at the mall rats and remembered all the good and bad times they had seen each other through. She thought how hard she had fought to keep the Gaians together, but then she realised that in her heart she couldn't leave Bray.
"Ummm…" she trailed off.
Amber looked at Bray and smiled. She gazed at the landscape around her. She remembered coming here, how the tribe had almost immediately accepted her. She remembered the ceremony that made her their leader. She remembered the celebration of Zandra and Jasper's wedding. All these things she would always treasure. But when she looked around now and all she saw were the charred remains of a village and a hopeless looking group of people. This part of her life was over, she had done everything possible with it. When she look at Bray again she knew that she could never leave him. She loved him too much, and the mall was were she belonged. She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand, "I'm going back to the mall."
Bray gave a shout and twirled her around. "We will be so happy." He said joyously and set her down. She smiled, knowing in her heart he spoke the truth.
Zan ran over "Oh Amber, it will be just like old times." She said hugging her.
Amber stiffened in Zandra's embrace and pulled back she looked straight into Zandra's eyes. "No, they won't. We can go back to the mall Zan, but things will never be the same. We can't live in the past. We depart for the mall to start a new phase of life, not to return to an old one." She smiled at Zan who had grown sombre at her speech. "Zandra don't be afraid. We will make life better than it was before." She smiled and hugged her again. Then she turned to the tribes. "We will leave at dawn's first night. For now let us spend one more night together, two tribes united."
"That's right! Let's party!" Jasper shouted from behind her. The group cheered and soon the meadow was filled with the sound of laughing and music. Bray twirled Amber around as they danced and laughed. Zan and Jasper danced next to them and Jack and Ellie soon joined the couples on the "dance floor."
Patsy sat off to the corner talking with Chloe the two in deep conversation. "It will only be for a few weeks, Patsy. I need a change, I promise to come back." Chloe reassured.
Patsy bit her lip and took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too." Chloe said hugging her best friend.
"Hey, I hate to interrupt this touching moment but we were wondering if you guys would like to dance." KC said standing there with Dal.
"Sure boys." They said giggling. And they joined the rest of the couples dancing to music from Jack's CD player that had amazingly survived the blaze.
The party lasted well into the night and by the time they actually got to bed there were only a few hours till dawn. Yet, Amber lay in Bray's arms unable to sleep. As she turned and sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time. Bray raised an eyebrow. "Can't sleep?"
Amber gave him an annoyed look. "What do you think."
"Regretting your decision?" Bray asked.
"No, just ready. Ready to move on we've been in this state of limbo, since the Guardian attack, almost a month. I'm just ready to get back to normal life."
"Normal? Do you remember the mall Amber? It's anything but normal."
She hit him in the chest and he yelped. "You know what I mean. Let's just go back to sleep."
"I wish you would." Zandra called from the other side the small shelter.
"Yeah, that's what we're trying to do!" Jasper called over.
"Shove it!" Amber called throwing a pillow in that general direction, she couldn't really see because of the dark.
"Is that the best you can do?" Jasper taunted. "And this is the remarkable warrior they call Eagle, what do you think Zan."
"I heard she went soft." Zan agreed barely hiding the laughter in her voice. "Some guy came and swept her off her feet, she's more interested in cooking and sewing than leading and fighting."
The only answer was another pillow, this time hitting its target. "Hey, watch it, I got a pregnant wife over here." He launched it back.
"Oh, yeah hide behind you're wife's skirt, coward." Bray called.
"That's it. You're finished lover boy!" Jasper shouted and jumped out of bed and swinging the pillow directly at Bray's head. '
"Now you've done it." Bray laughed and also jumping out of his bed. Jasper took another shot at Bray with the pillow hitting him fully in the chest.
"Hey! Don't hit my boyfriend!" Amber jumped up and hit Jasper with her own pillow.
"And that's my husband you're hitting!" Zandra laughed and leaped up with her pillow, still agile at only two months pregnant. The pillow fight that ensued took the edge off their nervousness and soon both couples were resting up for the quickly nearing journey.