"So, what's the plan for today?" Charlie asks me.
We've walked only a quarter of the way to Philly, and I am already so tired. I just wish that I could stay home and forget about the Monroe Militia. "I know this is sudden, but I need to go back to Monroe's physical base to save an old friend. We're going to Philly," I say. "You're staying here with Danny and Sterling."
As I speak, Sterling and Danny walk by. "We're going." Sterling says firmly.
At the same time, Danny says, "You can't stop us." I stick my tongue out at them.
"Well, if they're going, I'm going." Charlie says adamantly. I sigh.
Today is the day we're going to leave to save Rachel Matheson. Having Charlie and her growing instability with us would be reckless. But if I don't let her come with us, she'll follow, and possibly ruin our plan.
"Fine." I sigh again. Miles gives me an annoyed look, but I ignore him. "The trip will take a while. Hurry and get packed."
Twenty minutes later, we're on the road. I lent Charlie some of my older sister's clothes. I lied and said they were my mom's. Sterling gave me a knowing look, but I ignored him.
I hang back with Danny. "So Miles never explained why you weren't on a train like I was told."
Danny shrugs. "Monroe's men move fast." I nod, and we walk in silence.
I notice that Aaron and Sterling are up ahead, talking. I can't help but wonder what they're talking about.
Sterling's POV
"Would you mind if I asked you a question?" Aaron asks me.
"No, go on."
"What was Avalon like as a kid?" I smile to myself. To be honest, I'm surprised that nobody else has asked.
"She was really shy." I say. "She was teased a lot when we were in first grade. I was her only friend."
"Really?"
"Yep. After the lights went out, it got worse. Before, girls would just tug on her braids and run away. She had really long hair. But after, it got worse. All of the other parents taught their kids how to defend themselves. But not Avalon's parents. They didn't want her to get hurt, since she already had a loud mouth. They didn't need her to go around, thinking she could beat people up." I pause, gathering my breath. "When we were ten, she started mouthing off to a girl that I liked. She said that the girl didn't deserve to be friends with me. This girl, her name was Sarah, was popular in our little village. She got all of the girls to beat up Avalon. They broke two of her ribs, her nose, and she sprained her thumb trying to punch one of them. After that, she was furious. It took her about a year to completely heal up. But when she did, she went for revenge."
"Revenge?" Aaron asks.
"Yeah. Three broken noses, six black eyes, two broken arms, and one broken toe."
"Just from her alone?"
"Yep. Then one year later, her parents were killed. One more year, she'd joined the militia." I sigh. "Life has not been easy for her."
"It hasn't for anyone." Aaron mumbles, and I nod quietly. I have never heard anything more true.
A few hours later, Avalon calls out to us. "Hey, guys, we should stop. We need to save or energy."
Aaron settles down next to me. "Thank you for telling me about Avalon."
I shrug. "Anytime. She could use more people on her side."
Avalon's POV
I crouch down next to Danny and Nora while we prepare for the night. "So, you know Uncle Miles?" Danny asks Nora.
"Yeah. For a while, now." Nora says. I pretend to busy myself with pitching a tent, but I listen to their conversation.
"How did you two meet?"
"In the militia. We worked a job together, and it took off from there. It was a couple of years ago."
"Did you two date?"
"In a way." Nora responds. I clench my teeth together and stalk over to a nearby stream, stripping out of my clothes.
By the time I return, everyone is asleep. I wrap myself in a blanket and lay down.
I wake up when the sky is still dark. Someone has lit a fire. I barely see two forms, clearly male, sitting next to the flames. I grasp Charlie's bow and an arrow, which lay right above my head, about to fire at the figures. One of them speaks before I can load the arrow.
"I'm really sorry for kissing her, you know." Miles says.
"I know. I'm really sorry for kissing your niece." Nate says back.
They are quiet for a moment, and I relax back into my sleeping bag. "I just want what's best for Avalon." Miles finally says.
"I do, too. And I want her to love me as much as I love her. But now I'm not sure that's going to happen, because of everything going on. We used to never keep secrets from each other. Or at least, I thought, until I found out she'd been seeing you for a few years. Why would she lie to me about that? She didn't lie about Monroe." Nate shifts.
"She didn't tell you about me because she was embarrassed. She told Lida Connors about us, but only because Lida's a girl. I'm sure if you were one too, she would've told you." Miles pokes at the fire.
"Do you still love her?"
Miles is silent once again. "I don't know. But I'm going to back off. She needs some time to sort her own thoughts out."
"I understand what you're saying. I'm scared to back off. I'm scared that if I back off, she won't want me anymore." Miles slaps Nate on the back.
"Somehow, I don't think that's possible. You should get some rest. We have a lot of ground to cover. I'm keep watch." Miles suggests.
"Alright." Nate climbs back into his own sleeping bag. He begins snoring after a few minutes.
"You should get some rest, too, Avalon." Miles whispers. I smile at his back, and turn over, falling into a deep sleep.
"I am exhausted." Aaron whines. "It's almost dusk, don't you think we should stop?" I exchange a glance with Nate.
"What do you think, Nate?" I ask.
Nate looks around us. "I think Aaron's right. We're close enough to the camp site. It'll take maybe an hour to get into the next town. Everyone, let's make camp." We all nod and set our things down.
I bathe quickly and return to camp. I'm still paranoid that I'll be taken when I'm alone. I chose a seat next to the fire in order to dry my damp hair. The fire cracks and waves of heat hit me.
Charlie sits down next to me. "Hey."
"Hey." I smile back faintly at her. She stares at me for a moment. "Did you want to say something?"
"I do. I wanted to say that I'm sorry about Nate's behavior a few days ago." I shake my head. "I just wanted you to know that I never meant for anything to happen between us."
"I know, Charlie. That stunt is very Nate of him. I don't blame you for anything." I notice she is still looking at me funny. "What?"
"Why don't you blame me for everything? If it wasn't for me, you and Nate would still be living happily alone."
"True, things would be a lot better between us." Charlie winces at my bluntness. "But Danny would be dead. You would only have Miles left. You've pieced together what you can of your family, and I'm glad I could help."
"But why? I kissed your boyfriend!" Charlie practically yells.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "Don't make me angry. I'm unusually calm, and I don't want you to fuck it up."
"Sorry." She says quietly.
"Anyways, I'm glad we met because I don't have friends. My one girl friend ran away a few years back, and Monroe got her back. All I had was Miles and Nate. Literally. And now, I have Sterling as well. At least you have Nora. Being on this journey made me realize how much of a monster I was becoming. So thank you, Charlie, for being a pain in my ass. It was the wake up call I needed."
Charlie smiles at me. "I consider you to be my friend."
"You do?" Charlie nods.
"That's part of why I feel so guilty about Nate. I shouldn't do that to friends." I smile at her. "Do you need help with your hair? I could braid it." Charlie offers.
I almost turn her down. "Yeah, could you?" Charlie's deft hands weave my hair into a plain braid down my back. "Thank you, by the way."
"You're welcome. I'm going to bed." Charlie says, and stands up.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
I look up at her. "We're friends now, Charlie. Please don't forget that I'm trying to help you." Charlie nods.
"Of course I won't forget that. Have a good night's rest." I turn back to the fire once she lies down. I close my eyes and reminisce about a time when life wasn't so complicated.