Chapter 6: Eagle

A person in a long, wide black dress appeared on the mountain. The 15 years old girl remained standing when she saw Dal sitting there. She said, "Dal?"
This voice seemed to be known to Dal. "That was Ambers voice. But it can't have been your voice. You're dead. I think I'm getting hallucinations," he thought.
The girl asked again, "Dal, are you that?"
But now he realized that this voice wasn't an imagination of him. Scared he turned around and didn't believe who he saw. "Amber, are you really there?"
"Yes, but I'm not Amber anymore, but Eagle, so call me that way."
Dal went up to Eagle and hugged her. "Happy birthday! That's why I'm here. We celebrated together every year. I'm here because I thought you died in the explosion. At least I wanted to go to your grave. How did you survive?"
"When the alarm started and you and Jack were away such a long time I got panic and ran out of the observatory and down the mountain. I think I was unconscious. When I went up again you were away. How are you and the others and where do you live now?"
"We're back in the Mall. Trudy and Brady have been kidnapped by the Chosen. Tai-San and Lex and Salene and Ryan have married."
"Lex married Tai-San? I thought he and Zandra wanted to leave the tribe."
"Zandra died in the explosion. That's her grave." Dal pointed to the grave next to that one he was sitting at.
"That's Zandra's grave? I thought Bray would be buried here. I have gone here every week to bring new flowers."
"Bray's alive. He and Tai-San produced the antidote from plants, but now the virus has gone. Bray's still very sad because he thinks you are dead. He has put your fathers ring under one of the stones. Here it is." Dal gave Eagle the ring, which she put on her finger again. "First Bray wanted to leave the tribe, but then he stayed. He was very alleviated that you made it up before the explosion. We have some new persons in our tribe. Danni uses every opportunity for flirting with Bray, but he doesn't react on this. Eagle, look here! I think the eagle over there is watching us."
Eagle went to the eagle and stretched out her arm. Dal wanted to stop her, but Eagle just said, "Hello Sky, there you sat down. Come here, I want to present you my best friend Dal."
The eagle flew from his higher point and landed softly on her arm. She caressed him the back and went up to Dal. Then she said, "That's my eagle Sky. After running out of the observatory I saw him at the foot of Eagle Mountain and watched him. Then I went up again and saw the two graves. I thought Bray was dead. And because of thinking the tribe would part I didn't want to go back. Then Sky came to me, as he wanted to comfort me. I looked at him more precise and noticed that his wing was injured. He was very young, hardly old enough to know how to fly, and very emaciated. I took him in my arms and went to find someone who could help me cure his wing. In hope of finding my cousin Melody I went to the old farm of my aunt. Melody has founded a tribe with a few persons from other farms around and with some classmates. They're called Gaians. I told Melody what happened on Eagle Mountain and said I wanted to start a new live. For that I needed a new name and called myself Eagle. Besides that Amber was a Mall-Rat and she and Bray were a couple. When I thought he was dead I didn't want to be remembered of the past because of my earlier name. Melody admitted me to her tribe and helped me with Sky. When the wing was healed and Sky was strengthened I wanted to set him free, but he always came back to me. We trained him to transport letters."
"Do you come back to the Mall? I think the others will be as happy as me that you're still alive, especially Bray, Cloe and Patsy. They've been missing you so much."
"I can't go with you. I'm a member of the Gaians. They would be worried, if I didn't come back. They would think a hostile tribe has caught me. And I can't leave Sam (not Sammy from s4!) alone there."
"Then we first go to the Gaians, let them know and then go to the Mall. You can take Sam with you. What shall I say the Mall-Rats otherwise? 'Hi, I was at Ambers grave. By the way, it isn't Amber's grave. Amber's alive. But her name isn't Amber anymore, but Eagle. I wanted to bring her along, but she preferred to stay with her new tribe.' Bray would kill me, if I said that. The last seven month were horrible. Every day I thought of you and I reproached myself that I didn't tell you to go out when the alarm started and Jack and I saw what happened. And I promised Tai-San to come back. The last four weeks I always dreamt of meeting you here and told Tai-San about this."
"And what shall I tell Melody? 'In the grave I went to every week my boyfriend isn't buried, but one of my best friends. Was a nice time here. Now I go back to my old tribe and my old friends. Some time we'll meet again. Perhaps I'll visit you.' I don't know how she would react on this. The Gaians are my new friends."
"I go nowhere without you, Eagle. I don't care, if the others think something happened to me or I've gone or what ever. I go there, where you go to. But it's a pity, if we don't go back to the mall. I would be missing Jack. And Bray is missing you. All the time he tries to distract himself in order not to have to think of you. But he thinks of you again and again and always gets really sad. He still loves you. Do you still love him?"
"Would I go here every week, if I didn't love him anymore? Nevertheless I have to go back to Melody. Come with me. She'll understand that I want to be together with my best friend again. We've known each other for six years. She'll be glad to see you again."
Dal and Eagle set up to the Gaians.