The Way Things Used to Be
Proluge
*** "What do you miss most about before the virus?" Sam asked Mandy. "I miss my parents mostly," he told her after she didn't answer.
"I miss my granddad," she said finally. "But not my parents."
"You don't miss them at all?" Sam inquired looking at her sideways.
"Please?" she begged tears streaming down her cheeks.
"No!" he yelled. The woman shook her head.
"You know what? Maybe it'd be better if you just left!" she told her husband, her voice full of pain.
"Fine by me!" he retorted. ***
Amanda put her head back and stared into the semi-dark sky as her eyes filled with tears.
"No, no I don't miss them at all," she told him. "Not at all." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter One
**** The next morning Mandy woke up and looked around her large room. She got up and wandered down the stairs to the kitchen. Sadly, she sat down on one of chairs at the table and stared at the wall. The wood was cold against her legs and back, but not as cold as she felt inside. She stood up again and went to the bathroom where she showered and got dressed. By the time she got back downstairs, her mom was up. She was standing by the counter and pouring herself a glass of something. The bottle was mostly empty. Mandy watched as her mother drank it all at once and shook her tousled hair back. Her mother's eye make up was smeared and her robe hung off one shoulder.
"Mom?" Amanda asked quietly.
"What!?" her mother asked turning towards her drunkly. The bags under her eyes were heavy; she'd obviously been up all night drinking.
"Never mind," she told her shaking her head and going back to her room. ***
Mandy blinked and went back to making breakfast for her tribe. It was her turn that morning. She stirred the cereal as it simmered over the fire. Her memories of pre-virus weren't important. She wouldn't let her old life intrude on her new one.
***Amanda pulled the put a pillow over her ears. She squeezed her eyes tightly closed and curled up into a ball. 'Maybe,' she thought. 'Maybe they'll just disappear. All of them, every single adult. All they do is make my life harder.' ***
Sitting and eating with her tribe, that night returned to her. The night that her mother hadn't come home. The night when she learned her mom had died in a crash. Mrs. Kent had been drunk, again. She thought back and recalled being taken to her father's house.
It was just some condo, nice but nothing near as nice as her three-story house. There had been an ugly peach-colored couch. The carpet was new, but it was a shade of pink she didn't know existed. The whole place looked like some colorblind decorator had designed it. Her dad had looked nervous about her coming in, like he wasn't sure about her anymore. She'd slept that night on the ugly couch.
"Hey Mandy," Kaytlin said as she and Sam sat down. Mandy looked up startled.
"Oh, hi guys," she said turning back to her breakfast.
"What's wro-? OW!" Kay said turning and glaring at Sam. He shook his head at her no.
"It's fine Sam," Amanda told him. "I've just been remembering, stuff, from before."
"Yeah, I do that. I remember my parents, and my big brother, wherever he is," Kay said.
"I remember hating my life. I remember foster homes because my father didn't want me, my mother died, and I had no other relatives," Mandy said darkly before getting up and going to her hut. She ran into someone, Eagle. "I'm sorry," she said.
"Wait Mandy!" Eagle said. Amanda stopped and turned around to face her.
"What?" she asked.
"Do you want to talk?"
"Not especially, Amber," Amanda said.
"I told you not to call me that! I'm not Amber anymore!" Eagle whispered fiercely.
"No, you are Amber, not Eagle." Mandy said. "I can't run from the past. What makes you think you can?"
Eagle opened her mouth like she was going to say something but shook her head and left. Mandy stared after her then continued on her way to her hut where she lie down and went to sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pride finished his breakfast and walked across the camp to find Eagle. 'Eagle,' he thought smiling to himself. Up ahead he saw Amanda. She looked a little upset. Pride decided to just leave her to cool off a bit before he talked to her. He turned his head slightly and saw Eagle walking along towards Amanda. She didn't see Eagle and the collided. Amanda started to walk off but Eagle stopped her. He got closer so he could hear them. Pride crouched listening. He knew he shouldn't be, but he did it anyways.
"Do you want to talk?" he heard Eagle ask Amanda.
"Not especially, Amber," Mandy said. Pride's forehead wrinkled up, Amber?
"I told you not to call me that! I'm not Amber anymore!"
Pride was shocked. What were they talking about?
"No, you are Amber, not Eagle," Amanda told Eagle. "I can't run from the past. What makes you think you can?"
Now he was very confused. Eagle turned and left angrily and Amanda went off to her hut. Pride watched Eagle, Amber, walk away. He started to go after her.
"Eagle!" he called. She turned around to face him.
"Oh, hey Pride," she said smiling tightly. Pride jogged up to her.
"Um, I need to talk to you," he said.
"Really? What about?"
"Well I...," Pride began then shut his mouth. "Never mind." How could he explain to Eagle that he'd been spying?
"Ok then..." Eagle said. "Well I need to go get some stuff done. I'll talk to you later?"
"Yeah, later," Pride repeated.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mandy woke up some time later feeling a bit better. She got up and pulled out a small mirror she had under her sleeping mat and lit a candle. She pinned up some of the blonde hairs that had come loose from her braid and retouched the orange streak of paint on her left cheek before going outside. It was completely dark out. 'I guess I slept pretty long,' she thought.
She saw a light off in the woods near the clearing the camp was in. Mandy focused on the tiny pinprick of yellow. It was starting to grow, or get closer. It bobbed around a bit as it got closer. It wasn't firelight it was artificial. It seemed wrong to see, it shouldn't be there. Nervously, she went off to find out where it was coming from.
Mandy slipped through the woods silently trying to get to that light. The light kept coming closer and closer. When it was nearly to her, she hid behind a thick tree and waited.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Have you seen Mandy?" Sam asked suddenly.
"No, now that I think of it," Kay said. "Not since this morning."
"She's probably in her hut still, she was pretty upset earlier," Sam replied.
"Maybe. I don't know.... I'm kind of worried. She didn't come out all day and she's not out here whining about how awful the food is."
"Let's go find her," Sam said. Kay nodded and they made the way toward Mandy's hut.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Amanda's eyes widened and she sucked in her breath as she saw who it was holding the light.
"Jack!?" she whispered.
Proluge
*** "What do you miss most about before the virus?" Sam asked Mandy. "I miss my parents mostly," he told her after she didn't answer.
"I miss my granddad," she said finally. "But not my parents."
"You don't miss them at all?" Sam inquired looking at her sideways.
"Please?" she begged tears streaming down her cheeks.
"No!" he yelled. The woman shook her head.
"You know what? Maybe it'd be better if you just left!" she told her husband, her voice full of pain.
"Fine by me!" he retorted. ***
Amanda put her head back and stared into the semi-dark sky as her eyes filled with tears.
"No, no I don't miss them at all," she told him. "Not at all." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter One
**** The next morning Mandy woke up and looked around her large room. She got up and wandered down the stairs to the kitchen. Sadly, she sat down on one of chairs at the table and stared at the wall. The wood was cold against her legs and back, but not as cold as she felt inside. She stood up again and went to the bathroom where she showered and got dressed. By the time she got back downstairs, her mom was up. She was standing by the counter and pouring herself a glass of something. The bottle was mostly empty. Mandy watched as her mother drank it all at once and shook her tousled hair back. Her mother's eye make up was smeared and her robe hung off one shoulder.
"Mom?" Amanda asked quietly.
"What!?" her mother asked turning towards her drunkly. The bags under her eyes were heavy; she'd obviously been up all night drinking.
"Never mind," she told her shaking her head and going back to her room. ***
Mandy blinked and went back to making breakfast for her tribe. It was her turn that morning. She stirred the cereal as it simmered over the fire. Her memories of pre-virus weren't important. She wouldn't let her old life intrude on her new one.
***Amanda pulled the put a pillow over her ears. She squeezed her eyes tightly closed and curled up into a ball. 'Maybe,' she thought. 'Maybe they'll just disappear. All of them, every single adult. All they do is make my life harder.' ***
Sitting and eating with her tribe, that night returned to her. The night that her mother hadn't come home. The night when she learned her mom had died in a crash. Mrs. Kent had been drunk, again. She thought back and recalled being taken to her father's house.
It was just some condo, nice but nothing near as nice as her three-story house. There had been an ugly peach-colored couch. The carpet was new, but it was a shade of pink she didn't know existed. The whole place looked like some colorblind decorator had designed it. Her dad had looked nervous about her coming in, like he wasn't sure about her anymore. She'd slept that night on the ugly couch.
"Hey Mandy," Kaytlin said as she and Sam sat down. Mandy looked up startled.
"Oh, hi guys," she said turning back to her breakfast.
"What's wro-? OW!" Kay said turning and glaring at Sam. He shook his head at her no.
"It's fine Sam," Amanda told him. "I've just been remembering, stuff, from before."
"Yeah, I do that. I remember my parents, and my big brother, wherever he is," Kay said.
"I remember hating my life. I remember foster homes because my father didn't want me, my mother died, and I had no other relatives," Mandy said darkly before getting up and going to her hut. She ran into someone, Eagle. "I'm sorry," she said.
"Wait Mandy!" Eagle said. Amanda stopped and turned around to face her.
"What?" she asked.
"Do you want to talk?"
"Not especially, Amber," Amanda said.
"I told you not to call me that! I'm not Amber anymore!" Eagle whispered fiercely.
"No, you are Amber, not Eagle." Mandy said. "I can't run from the past. What makes you think you can?"
Eagle opened her mouth like she was going to say something but shook her head and left. Mandy stared after her then continued on her way to her hut where she lie down and went to sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pride finished his breakfast and walked across the camp to find Eagle. 'Eagle,' he thought smiling to himself. Up ahead he saw Amanda. She looked a little upset. Pride decided to just leave her to cool off a bit before he talked to her. He turned his head slightly and saw Eagle walking along towards Amanda. She didn't see Eagle and the collided. Amanda started to walk off but Eagle stopped her. He got closer so he could hear them. Pride crouched listening. He knew he shouldn't be, but he did it anyways.
"Do you want to talk?" he heard Eagle ask Amanda.
"Not especially, Amber," Mandy said. Pride's forehead wrinkled up, Amber?
"I told you not to call me that! I'm not Amber anymore!"
Pride was shocked. What were they talking about?
"No, you are Amber, not Eagle," Amanda told Eagle. "I can't run from the past. What makes you think you can?"
Now he was very confused. Eagle turned and left angrily and Amanda went off to her hut. Pride watched Eagle, Amber, walk away. He started to go after her.
"Eagle!" he called. She turned around to face him.
"Oh, hey Pride," she said smiling tightly. Pride jogged up to her.
"Um, I need to talk to you," he said.
"Really? What about?"
"Well I...," Pride began then shut his mouth. "Never mind." How could he explain to Eagle that he'd been spying?
"Ok then..." Eagle said. "Well I need to go get some stuff done. I'll talk to you later?"
"Yeah, later," Pride repeated.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mandy woke up some time later feeling a bit better. She got up and pulled out a small mirror she had under her sleeping mat and lit a candle. She pinned up some of the blonde hairs that had come loose from her braid and retouched the orange streak of paint on her left cheek before going outside. It was completely dark out. 'I guess I slept pretty long,' she thought.
She saw a light off in the woods near the clearing the camp was in. Mandy focused on the tiny pinprick of yellow. It was starting to grow, or get closer. It bobbed around a bit as it got closer. It wasn't firelight it was artificial. It seemed wrong to see, it shouldn't be there. Nervously, she went off to find out where it was coming from.
Mandy slipped through the woods silently trying to get to that light. The light kept coming closer and closer. When it was nearly to her, she hid behind a thick tree and waited.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Have you seen Mandy?" Sam asked suddenly.
"No, now that I think of it," Kay said. "Not since this morning."
"She's probably in her hut still, she was pretty upset earlier," Sam replied.
"Maybe. I don't know.... I'm kind of worried. She didn't come out all day and she's not out here whining about how awful the food is."
"Let's go find her," Sam said. Kay nodded and they made the way toward Mandy's hut.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Amanda's eyes widened and she sucked in her breath as she saw who it was holding the light.
"Jack!?" she whispered.