Chapter 6:

Amber walked along side Mouse as she gave her a tour of the Eco camp and introduced her to many new members of the Eco tribe. Amber was continually amazed at the size of the group and how large their camp had grown in the time she had been away from them. Though their numbers had grown and their camp had prospered, the spirit of the camp seemed to have changed little.

Mouse had flourished here. She had now been with the Eco's for longer than she had stayed with the Mallrats, and though she still considered the Mallrats her family and her tribe, she had come to find new family and friends here among the Eco's. Hawk, Rain and so many of the others had taken her in, given her a home, taught her their ways and offered her their guidance. During her time here she had grown into a beautiful, competent, caring young woman. Amber glanced down at the girl and was suddenly reminded of Patsy…she was about Mouse's age the last time Amber had seen her. What would have happened if Patsy had had the opportunity to escape the city as Mouse had? Instead Patsy had stayed on with the Mallrats and become lost in the chaos that the Chosen created. They had not seen Patsy again; she was probably gone forever, and at such a young age it was such a tragedy. Thank God that Mouse had had the good sense to get out when she did.

As the reached the shade of a large tree Mouse tugged Amber down to the ground beside her. "You look sad, Amber," the young girl observed. "Are you homesick, being away from the mall? I was homesick for a while, but it got better. You'll get better too, Amber."

"Thank you Mouse, that's sweet, but I'm ok. Not homesick. This is my home now. I want to stay here with the Eco's, if they'll have me. It's just that meeting so many new people, and seeing you again…well, it's made me think of the others."

"Tell me, Amber. What happened?" Mouse queried in a very grown up way.

Amber looked down at Mouse wondering how much she should tell her. She was still young after all and had loved the others as much as Amber had. Tears clouded her vision as she thought of them…"Well, I don't really know where to begin…After Mega was defeated things just sort of began to fall apart. We weren't a tribe anymore, we didn't have anything to unify us, to keep us together. People just started to fade away."

"I know about Sammy, Amber," Mouse stated solemnly.

"Oh…,"Amber paused for a moment and pictured the orange haired boy that had been Mouse's friend. "Well, when he disappeared, we searched and searched, but we never found him…just…well, he left a letter, saying that he couldn't go on. He had nothing to live for…That was after Gel had…ummm…fought…with Ellie over Jack. Gel left the mall, we think she was pregnant, but we were never really sure about that. But without Gel, Sammy was lost, none of us could reach him. I'm so sorry Mouse." Amber said as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

"It's ok…Salene said that he was in a better place now; that maybe he was with his mom and dad."

"Yeah, exactly…Salene said that…when did you see her?" Amber asked.

"Salene came to see me on her way out of the city. She wanted to say goodbye, she said, because she didn't know when or if she would be back. She stayed for a few weeks and we had lots of long talks. When she left I was so upset, we both cried and cried…I made her promise to come back as soon as she could, but she hasn't come back yet, that was a few months ago. Maybe she'll be back soon, do you think so Amber?" Mouse asked hesitantly.

"I don't know Mouse, maybe she will. I know that Salene loved you very much, and if she can make it back, she will." Amber said hopefully. "She left to look for May…None of us knew where she had gone. We woke up one morning and May had packed up her things and left. Salene was beside herself with worry. When she couldn't stand it anymore she packed up her things too and set off after her."

"What about Trudy?" Mouse asked innocently, not knowing what wounds her question would open.

"Trudy…she's fine…" Amber stuttered at first, unable to focus…at last, knowing that Mouse needed to know about her friend, she said the words aloud for the first time, "Trudy's expecting a baby…with Jay. They were very happy when I left." Looking down at Mouse, Amber forced a smile and wiped away another tear.

"Amber…" Hawk's voice interrupted, "I'm sorry to intrude, but I believe we need to speak about something. Do you have time for a talk?" He asked walking towards them.

"Of course, Hawk." Amber answered.

Mouse leaned over and hugged the older girl, "See you later Amber, it's good to have you here with the Eco's. I'm sorry about everything, but it'll be alright. Won't it Hawk?" Mouse asked, climbing to her feet.

"We'll see, little one…You'd better go and help with the chores."

"Ok." She answered obediently, running off to join the other children.

Hawk looked down at Amber and his heart turned over. She looked so helpless sitting there, her face streaked with tears. Even the child had felt her sorrow and offered her reassurance and compassion. But he had come on another mission and he could not afford to offer her solace or comfort now. He reached out a hand to help her to her feet and as she grasped his hand and looked up into his eyes Hawk felt his determination begin to crumble…But no, he told himself, he must be strong. He must keep his wits about him. Amber was not good for this tribe. She would lead them into another war…but war was coming to the Eco's with or without Amber. It would be easier for him without her.

"Hawk, I've been wanting to talk to you since I got here, but there just hasn't been a good time," Amber began, "I want to stay, Hawk. I want to become an Eco again."

"Amber, that's not possible." Hawk said, forcing himself to say the words, even as his heart told him that it was wrong. "We talked about this before Amber…I told you that if you left us, you could never return. I can't allow you to drag more of my tribe into your war in the city. I can't allow you to corrupt them with your talk of freedom and the dream. This place is our haven, our home. I won't go back on my word Amber. You cannot stay."

"But…Hawk..." Amber stuttered, "I never thought that you meant those things. The war with the Technos is over, and I will never go back to the city, I can't. The dream is gone, it's dead. Hawk…I thought we were friends." She said desperately looking up into his eyes.

"We were, Amber. But so many things have changed…Pride's dead, Rain and I are married. We were friends, Amber. But you betrayed that friendship over and over again by involving the Eco's in the fight for your precious city."

"I told you, that's over…I'm never going back there. And Pride's death is something that I regret very deeply, but I didn't force him to stay in the city and I didn't kill him. It was the Techno's who did that…And by the way, you're harboring one here in your camp, did you know that?" Amber asked angrily.

"Amber, Trey is a trusted friend and a very vital part of the Eco tribe." Hawk replied calmly.

Amber shook her head in disbelief and stared up at the man that she had respected and trusted as a friend for many years. She suddenly felt lost and alone in a world that was completely foreign to her.

"I'm sorry, Amber. You cannot stay. You may rest and recover your strength. Then a few of my men will accompany you to the edge of the forests." With that he turned from her and walked away, willing himself not to look back, not to be swayed by the look of utter hopelessness that he had seen in her eyes. He must be strong…he was married…and Amber was not a temptation that he needed in the camp right now. Not when the threat of attack was so near.