He had to get going.
He didn't know why or where or anything else, but only that he was needed. There was something he had to do… Something everything depended on… but he had no clue what. It had been weeks since his last dream. He had no more clues or anywhere else to go. Then one brutal thought hit him; Why even keep driving? All he was doing was wasting the little gas he had left?
He would die in this ageless desert. He was sure of it.
He pulled over and stepped out of the car.
His air spectrometer said the air was breathable. So, that was it. It was all over. This was his final destination. He took off his mask and began to pace when something caught his eye – a lone flower – surviving where trees had fallen, living in the utter wilderness. It had such a fragile strength. Like Alexis.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Dillon could hear the sound of a cane all the way down the corridor. It was his first day at the academy, but he already knew who it was.
"Alexis?" He called down the hallway. The tapping suddenly stopped.
"Sky? Where are you? I didn't hear you at all."
"In the corridor behind you. Wait up a second." He took a few brisk steps and turned into her hallway. "Okay, I'm here. What are you doing here? I thought you were going to that technology program at M.T.C. It's such a great opportunity to –"
"To do what?" Alexis turned to him, "To waste the rest of my probably short life living in the bubble my dad's created for me? No thanks."
Dillon was speechless. "Lex – Don't you – It's ridiculous!"
"No," Alexis smirked, "It's ridiculous for him to try to keep me away from the real world. I'm blind, not … I don't even know what. Anyways, he can't keep me away from living out our adventures. We've dreamed about this for years!"
Dillon shook his head. All her dreams had been shattered and it had been too much for her. She couldn't accept it. She was too stubborn. Too foolish to accept the truth.
"I'm staying and that settles it. The admissions board accepted me just like everyone else here. You and my father have no right to keep me out."
Dillon poured out his water on the flower. He liked this Alexis and the flower reminded him of her. He wouldn't let her go.