"What if it's a trap?" I questioned Mike.
"They had every opportunity to rob us and they didn't." Mike argued.
"That's exactly why. What if it's a trap?"
"Then our integration into any community will be impossible."
I know there was logic in Mike's argument. He really had that social desire of joining a community, whereas I had my reservations. We were both right on some points and wrong on others, and that was what made the others so torn between us. Blaine, by now, was naturally at my side. The others had many doubts.
"They got a system to recreate society without walls!" Mike emphasized.
"Yes, in the best Nazi style!"
"Since when do you have a moral or ethical problem with killing a reaper?"
"I don't know these people, Mike." I tried to argue one more time. "To me it seems a very fragile system to make a sound trap and burn reapers like Jews were during the Nazi era. Still, nobody goes out at night, because there must be a curfew or something. We know reapers aren't completely dumb. There's something strange about that."
"We'll only know if we check there."
"The thing is, I'm not willing to lose everything again, for free. You cannot repeat the same mistakes twice." It was unbelievable that I needed to remind Mike that his mistake had led us into a trap before. One in which we lost Hugo. Did he still remember Father Hugo?
"Maybe… and please don't kill me with that idea… but maybe we could split up." Rachel suggested.
"What?" Mike and I spoke at the same time.
"I understand why Santana doesn't want to just walk into this community with no guarantees that it really is what they say it is. As well as I understand Mike, because I get anxious about security. Besides, I'm in pain and I just want to stay still. So why would one of us go to this community to check things out while the rest are on hold?"
"Rachel Berry, the moderator." I mocked.
"I'm serious, Santana."
"It's not a bad idea." Quinn weighed in and stood between Mike and me. "Let's settle down somewhere close to here and wait. Volunteers go to Wellsville and check if the community is really interesting for us to stay. I think 48 hours is enough time, right?"
Quinn being reasonable was also unexpected.
"I agree." I said and glared at Mike.
"I also agree. I go to this town to check if they are decent."
"Pair rule, Mike." Rachel warned. "Someone needs to go with you."
"I go with him." Tina was ready.
"You don't." Blaine was adamant. "Mike needs a reason to come back whether things go right or wrong."
"Then I go." I volunteered even against my will.
"You can't go either." Mike was adamant about it. "Because I need someone to protect Tina and the others while we're apart, or in case something happens to me."
"Then, Blaine will go with you." I determined.
"Why me?" He was a bit confused at that minute.
"Because if you're convinced that Wellsville is a good place, then I'm going to believe that it is." I say with simple logic.
Mike was right not to want me there, because the group would be without a lead if shit happens. I'm not saying that Quinn, Rachel and the other guys were helpless and dependent. What I argue here is that the dynamics of the group were very solid in relation to the roles that each one played, and that was very important for our survival in a given environment. The group's ability to reconfigure itself in the face of casualties like mine and Mike's is what would determine death or survival for everyone. As we were in a situation where everything seemed to be an emergency, having to reorganize could be a complicating factor. That's why Blaine was the one.
We looked at the area map because we needed to stay somewhere close to Wellsville. We saw that a few meters from that village there was a fork in the road to a secondary road to another village called Scio. We decided to check out this village before actually checking out the main town in that neighborhood.
We said goodbye to John and the others. John smiled at us, wishing us luck in Wellsville, promising he would visit us there soon. We took the road and about five minutes later we reached the fork. About 15 minutes later we entered Scio which, to our complete surprise, was apparently abandoned. We walked around the village, whose biggest structure there was a school. Everything else was made up of houses and small businesses, and everything was abandoned. Some zombies roamed around. From the movement and stage of decomposition, I'd say they were relatively two to three month old zombies, which meant that they were still active and dangerous. Many were still dressed, indicating that the demise of that city was recent, since the zombies tended to stay close to the spaces in which they died and only migrated when stimulated by an event, such as the pursuit of a person or animal. And if the zombies were clothed, it was because people died in reaper attacks and didn't go through the beast-mutant stage.
We chose a house to be located away from the main avenues of the city, at the end of a neighborhood already close to the river that passed nearby. Mike, Blaine and I went into the house to check for reapers, and the place was cleared of pests. Unfortunately, we had to use up some of our ammunition to stop the zombies that followed us, even with Sam's support manning the spear. Even Rachel helped by shooting the pistol with her right and good hand. We eliminated 16 stray bodies, parked the trucks, and unloaded the older truck, because that was where Blaine and Mike were going to Wellsville.
Blaine hugged me goodbye.
"You will be all right, my friend." I tried to encourage him. "But if you notice anything wrong, don't hesitate to come back, don't wait the 48 hours."
Mike and Tina also said goodbye with wet kisses and possible vows of love. After that, Mike walked in my direction.
"Don't be too optimistic, Mike. Be critical because our lives are at stake. It's your child's life at stake."
"I know San. Take care of my bride."
"Bride?" I smiled. "Did you finally propose to her?"
"Yes, and as soon as we settle down again, I will officially marry her."
"It's just going to be hard to get a priest, and a license, and everything else."
"It doesn't matter anymore since it's apocalypse. You can officialise our wedding."
"Oh no, I'm good at making long speeches with petty words. We have here at your disposal, Quinn, the most hypocritical Christian I know, but at least she knows something of the sacred words and knows how to make meaningless prayers off the cuff. It's either her, or it's Rachel, in case she wants a more Jewish and dazzled tone in your ceremony."
"I'll think about it." Mike hugged me. "If anything happens to me, take care of Tina for me."
"I'm not going to make that promise because it might sound like a final farewell. I know we haven't come to an agreement these last few days, but I know it's because we only think about the best for our family. Our visions are not aligned right now, but that will never change what I think about you. You're like my brother... my older pedantic and irritating brother."
"I also see you as my mean tantrum sister." He laughed.
"What?"
"It's just that you always complain that Rachel talks too much, when you're the one who usually says the monologues. Especially when you're pissed off. You use too many words, Lopez!"
"No shit!"
"Oh yeah."
"Okay." I smile too. "So I'll keep it simple: be careful."
"Thanks." Mike hugged me. "San..."
"What?"
"Happy birthday."
Mike got into the truck. We didn't have much time to say goodbye. We had to get the bodies of the zombies away from the house, pack the things inside, make everything safe and get ready to spend at least two days in that small city. Sam, Brittany and I take care of the zombie bodies. We put on our rubber gloves and piled the bodies in the middle of the asphalt on one of the tracks. We put some wood that we found nearby, threw some kerosene on top and set it on fire. This had to be done since we were aiming to stay for a while, however short, or the smell would be overpowering. Two zombies appeared while we were doing the job. These looked older, giving us time to pick up the spear and eliminate them with relative ease. We take advantage of the already lit fire if we throw them on the pile of bodies.
Meanwhile, Tina and Quinn were sealing the windows with nails while Rachel just watched from the couch. The house was dirty with dust, as was the general condition of all the other houses we broke into. There was nothing extraordinary about that place. The family that lived there didn't seem to have fled, as the clothes were still in the closet, there were photos in framed pictures, the food was still in the closet. That house belonged to a white couple, overweight, with a seven or eight-year-old son, approximately. The boy was a fan of Marvel and Mario Bross, and there was an Avengers poster in the room, in addition to many action figures. There were no guns in the house, but there was a picture of the husband with a rifle in his hand showing a dead deer. They had a garage, but not a car. It was likely that they left with no intention of fleeing and never returned. The family was also Christian, as there was a crucifix next to the main door, and an image of Jesus Christ in the living room.
We took the guns, our backpacks, and the sleeping bags from the trucks. We decided to consume the food from that house that was still good to save our stock.
"We're all going to sleep on the second floor. Any problems, there is an escape route through the roof." I determined after surveying everything. "At five o'clock we'll barricade the doors and you know the routine. Only this time we're going to take shifts from nine p.m onwards."
I said nine o'clock at night because that was the time we got used to go sleep in the bunker. Between eight and nine o'clock at night, everyone was already in bed and asleep. That's what happens when you have activities all day and no entertainment at night except board games and reading. We only communicated by sign after six in the afternoon. It was natural to sleep early.
"Do you know what I found in the bathroom?" Quinn said excitedly. "Antibiotic!"
"Seriously?" Rachel frowned. "Do you think I still need it?"
"If I'm not mistaken, this antibiotic for a sore throat, but we can use it, Rachel." Quinn placed her hand on Rachel's forehead. "You don't have a fever and your wound is dry enough. We will keep the anti-inflammatory for two more days and the paracetamol. If you present any worsening, we will start with the antibiotic." Quinn said it as if she were a senior doctor in a hospital emergency room. My father talked a lot in that imperative tone, as if he knew everything, both at the hospital and at home.
"We have running water." Tina cheered.
"Cool. I'm going to do a tour in the city. I'll try to find clues as to what might have happened here. Sam, will you come with me?"
Sam nodded. I reloaded my revolver and placed it in my waist holster. I also took a rifle. Sam had a pistol and the spear. We left cautiously, as we always did. The grass was tall between the houses, and the sign of abandonment was general. On the other hand, I was intrigued by the fact that there were so few zombies. It was like we'd killed almost all the zombies in town when we pulled up with the cars.
"There are no signs of gunshots like in Logan." I said in sign language to Sam as we walked through the streets.
"The houses are very far from each other." Sam responded in signs. "Few people."
As everything was very quiet, we let our guard down a bit and walked relatively normally to the main avenue where the school was located. Before the school there was a small shop, with a gas station: all spread out from each other. I looked into the market while Sam tested the gas pump. I saw that there were still products inside and that the door was unlocked. That's when I saw a reflection through the glass. I turned around already aiming my rifle. I was startled to find two teenagers, a boy and a girl, who couldn't have been more than 15 years old, pointing a rifle at me and Sam.
"You cannot steal my city." The boy who aimed the rifle said with determination. I continued with my rifle also pointed at him, but I already had a little more experience in complicated situations and I saw that this kid didn't seem to have a bad nature. So I decided to negotiate, but without showing weakness.
"I don't want to sack your city, buddy. I'm just passing through with my family to rest after a long trip."
The boy seemed to hesitate.
"Look, neither me nor my friend want to hurt you. But that zombie that's running over here won't hear us."
When the boy was distracted to look back, I stepped forward, grabbed the barrel of his rifle, taking the sights away from my body, and kicked him in the balls as hard as I could. The girl pointed the gun at me. She shot and missed. But then it was Sam who stepped in and punched her in the face before disarming her.
"As I was saying..." I pointed the gun at the boy. "I'm not here to sack your city. I'm just passing through with my family and honestly I don't give a shit about you or your girlfriend."
"She is my sister. Don't hurt her."
"I don't want to hurt anyone and I'm not going to hurt anyone unless you do something stupid. In that case, I'm going to kill you, and I don't care if you're just a kid. Listen, why don't you get up and tell us what happened here?"
"Why do you want to know? Aren't you just passing by?"
"Because I have two friends who went to Wellsville because they told us there is a community rebuilding the city. If you live here, with your sister, you must know something about that city. Why are you still living here?"
"Your friends could be in danger." The girl said still with her hand on her face, feeling the weight of Sam's fist.
"I need to know why." I lowered my gun but didn't hand the kid's rifle back.
This time, a zombie actually approached us. Sam advanced on him and finished him off with the spear. I turned back to the boys and redid the offer.
"Let's talk?"
The brothers pointed to some benches beside the market. Sam and I agreed to talk there. We sat down, and the two brothers faced us.
"My name is Santana and I'm from Ohio. This is Sam Evans."
"My name is Owen… and this is my sister Kate."
"How old are you?" I asked.
"I am 16… Kate is 13." Kate nudged Owen, as if he'd given away too much information.
"Are you alone in this town?" They nodded. "Why? What happened to your parents?"
"They are in Wellsville." Kate replied with hesitation
"Did they leave you here?"
"No..."
"Owen… Kate, what the hell happened here?"
"My father didn't pay taxes."
"What?"
"The head of Wellsville… his name is Mr Banks. He collects taxes to keep the region safe. If the city doesn't produce anything, it needs to let people work there in the steel factory or in the mines."
"Steel factory?"
"Yes..."
"Is there still electricity here?"
"Not here, but in Olean there's a power plant, I think... what I do know is that Mr Banks runs this steel factory and this mining company. They charge taxes for energy and security."
"How do they provide security?"
"They kill the beasts." Kate said. "We thought those things that happened in New York City wouldn't make it here. But they came. So Mr Banks invented a way to kill the beasts and started charging for the security service. That was it: security and electricity. My father was a community leader here. When he failed to meet the demands, the power was cut. The second time... they released beasts here and a lot of people died. Then, they took the remaining people, including my parents. Only us are left."
"Shit!" I raged. "Mike and Blaine..."
"We have to get them out of there, Santana." Sam said urgently.
"We will wait for the deadline. Because they might still be safe, and if we show up, it could put them in a mess. If they don't come back, we're going to have to come up with a rescue plan."
"Can you rescue our parents too?" Kate asked hopefully.
"I don't know, Kate. I don't even know Wellsville.
"I know." Owen said with conviction. "I can help you."
"We'll wait until tomorrow. If my friends don't come back, I'll come back here and ask for your help. Could it be?" Owen and Kate nodded. "Excellent!" I pointed to the clock. "It's four-fifty in the afternoon. Time to back home." We got up from the porch bench and handed back the boys' guns. "Be careful, okay?"
"Not many beasts walk here at night." Kate assured us.
"Even so, we cannot neglect."
Sam and I returned to the house we occupied. My mind was racing: what if Mike and Blaine walked into a trap? What if they are arrested and sentenced to work as slaves in a steel factory or a mining company? Worse: how would I break the news to others?
"What do we do?" Sam asked me. "Do you really think we should wait until tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because we don't have time to act today, and because we're complete outsiders here. We're going to have to trust Mike and Blaine, and hope this gang isn't psychotic. The plan is maintained. 48 hours on holding."
When we came back to our temporary house, I came across an unusual scene. The table was set and there was a luxurious meal by our standards. Tina, Brittany, Quinn and Rachel were waiting for us.
"Happy birthday, babe." Brittany welcomed me with a warm kiss on my lips. I very good one, I need to say.
"But..." I was stunned because even I though they all but Mike had forgotten it was my birthday.
"Rachel insisted we should make something for you." Tina said without much humor and got a clear nudge from Quinn.
"Rachel... guys... you really didn't need to do this."
"Yes, we did." Rachel hugged me with her good arm. "I would do something better, if I could, under better circumstances. But if there's one thing we've learned throughout all this time living in this post-apocalyptic world, it's that we need to celebrate whenever we can, even without tense or adverse circumstances. If tomorrow is not guaranteed, in these strange times it is more than certain do our best in every moment we have."
"Thanks, Rachel." I hugged her again and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you, girls. But I have something to tell." I looked at Sam and he waved his face away so I would spill the beans about what the kids said. I know it would ruin the little party, but it was my role as leader. "We found two teenagers surviving in this village, and they don't have nice things to say about Wellsville. I'm not saying that's going to happen with Mike and Blaine, but apparently there is slave labor in town."
"Oh no." Tina sat down on the chair.
"We must wait for the deadline, do exactly as agreed so we don't miss each other. But if the boys don't come back, we're going to need to make some difficult decisions."
Alright, I was my own birthday's buzzkill. We sat at the table and ate the meal in silence using our flashlights because of the anticlimax and because of the hour. When it was time to retire, Quinn volunteered to take the first watch shift. I walked into the couple's room and was ready to crawl into my sleeping bag, but Rachel stopped me.
"You're going to sleep in the other room with Brittany." She said in sign language. "It's a birthday present."
"Thanks."
"But… beware of the noise."
I smiled and kissed Rachel's cheek again. Then I looked at my girlfriend and she held my hand, leading me to the other room of the house, which once belonged to a boy, and which had a single bed with a very soft mattress.
"I love you." Brittany whispered to me before kissing my lips and starting to take my clothes off. It was the first time I had made love to my girlfriend in the comfort of a bed since we had to flee Indian Lake over six months ago. It was absolutely unbelievable, even having to make love while suppressing every single moan.
...
I woke up so good that I thought I slept on top of a cloud. I took advantage of the fact that the boy's room was also a suite, just like the couple's room. Brittany and I took a quick shower together before getting dressed. But when it was time to leave the bedroom, I hesitated.
"What is it, my love?" Brittany put her hand on my shoulder and gently pulled me to face her.
"Did you know that Mike proposed to Tina?"
"I know, because she told us yesterday while you and Sam were hanging around town."
"Makes sense… Tina…"
"... She's a tremendous gossip girl." Brittany finished my sentence.
"When Mike told me before he left, I felt jealous."
"Why?"
"Because he had the idea and the guts to do it before I did."
"Really?" Brittany smiled. "It helps that Tina is pregnant… whereas we cannot by ourselves."
"True. But the thing is, Britt, I'd like to do the same. You know? When we find a place where we can stabilize ourselves, I want to have a party with our family. I want to see you dressed in white, I want to walk you down the aisle and have a wedding ceremony, even if it's formalised by the fucking Lucy Quinn Fabray. I want to put a ring on your finger and I want you to be called Brittany Susan Pierce-Lopez. I want to live the rest of my life sleeping next to you, and if that's not too much to ask, I want to raise a baby with you, whether it's adopted or if we ask Sam or Blaine or another nice guy to masturbate into a potty. I want all of that, Brittany, because you're my favorite person in this whole world, and you were always my favorite person right before this goddamn apocalypse, when there were a lot of human beings around us. I love you for always insisting that I should be myself, because my flaws and my qualities together make me an awesome person... your words, not mine. And as much as I am flattered by that, I know that I am not capable of getting to your feet, because Brittany Susan Pierce, you are the most amazing person on this planet."
"San… are you asking me to marry you?" She clapped her hand over her mouth in astonishment.
"I think I am." I knelt down in front of Brittany and held her hand. "Brittany Susan Pierce, I don't have a ring to put on your finger right now, but will you marry me in this damned world?"
"Of course I will!" She laughed, kissed me and hugged me so tight I thought she was going to crush me. I loved it all. "Are we really engaged?"
"Definitely."
"Can I tell the girls?"
"I don't mind at all."
Brittany kissed me one more time. She was really happy, and when we walked out of the room hand in hand, she announced it to everyone in the house.
"People! Santana and I are getting married!"
The girls and Sam ran to hug and greet us. The last one was Rachel, who was trying to pretend that she was happy when in fact she was a little annoyed and even embarrassed. She hugged Brittany and then hugged me when we were on a more reserved spot of the house.
"Congratulations, San." Rachel said in a restrained voice.
I don't think she was regretting my engagement because she became attracted to me. I think she was longing for what she had with Finn. I remember well that the two of them were engaged when it all happened. I don't know if Rachel and Finn would have ended up happily married if the world had followed the normal course of history, but they were very much together, playing house in Lakeview. Suddenly, the couples in our family decided to step forward, at least in an official way, in the most official way we could have in this new world, which was something Rachel had wanted for a long time and had never been able to have. Yes, there really was a good reason for her to be melancholy.
"Thank you and I'm sorry."
"Why?"
"Because maybe this is not news you want to hear right now."
"Everything is fine. I am fully aware that the person you love is her. I want you to be happy."
"I want you to be happy too, Rachel. I wish he were alive. We'd have a great party together. You and Finn, Brittany and me, Mike and Tina."
"It would be quite a party, wouldn't it?"
"Yes, it would."
"But things won't be like that anymore, at least not for me."
"I don't think so, Rach. I mean it when I say that I want you to find someone and be very happy."
"I will. Maybe not today, but I'll be happy. What matters now is that I'm happy for you."
"Thank you. It means a lot to me."
I didn't want to prolong this type of conversation with Rachel, because in the fragile emotional and physical state she was in, it would be like torture. I didn't know how deeply in love Rachel had fallen. I didn't know if this was just a crush or something deeper. I remember back in high school when Rachel was a little pushy about hooking up with Finn Hudson, and she didn't hesitate to boycott every occasion Finn and Quinn were together for even a second. But I didn't see her acting the same way with me. I wasn't sure if it was because she was fully aware that Brittany and I had a very solid and loving relationship. Sometimes I think Rachel's feelings for me was because she made some associations between me and Finn Hudson that really didn't make any sense, or the reason was really lack of options. The fact that Rachel became depressed after Finn's death certainly contributed. I know that wasn't my problem, but that didn't mean I didn't care about her.
There really wasn't much to do but wait anxiously for Mike and Blaine. So I spent part of the morning going through the wardrobe and the couple's bedroom in that house looking for jewelry because I wanted to find a ring for Brittany. I found on the floor of the wardrobe a wooden box with a key, and it was locked. I also found a bunch of jewelry that showed how tacky the woman who lived in that house was. First I used my lock picking skills and, you know what, that box wasn't much of a challenge. But instead of jewelry, I found something that seemed to be much more valuable to the woman who lived there.
Inside the box there were photos, a diary, and some objects that certainly had great sentimental value. The photos had assorted people, but one was of a handsome man with a dedication on the back to Sissy, with love. I opened the diary and read a few pages. The woman's name was Cecilia Maldovick, or Sissy. The guy in the photo was apparently her brother, and that brother died, but she didn't say how. He was special because he was the only one in the family who supported her after she ran off with the boyfriend her parents disapproved of. The following pages revealed that the boyfriend she ran away with abandoned her after their child was born. Then she met Leonard Brown and married him. Wow!
"What are you doing?" Quinn walked into the room and caught me reading Sissy's diary.
"I'm entertaining myself by reading the diary of someone I don't know."
"Santana, this is abuse, an invasion of privacy."
"More than entering her house, abusing all spaces, including having sex in her son's room? Sissy must be dead anyway. Either that, or she became a slave. So I'm honoring her by knowing her story and trying not to criticize the abysmal spelling mistakes. Did you know that she married a guy who assumed the child she had with another man, and that she fantasized about the neighbor? There are passages here that suggest that she had certain incestuous dalliances with her brother."
"Oh my God!" Quinn took the diary from my hands. "Where did you find this?"
"Locked in that box."
"If it was locked, it was for a good reason." Quinn put the diary back in the box. "You need to come downstairs anyway."
"Why."
"Because the kids you and Sam met yesterday are wanting to talk to you."
Quinn helped me up off the bedroom floor and we headed downstairs. Owen and Kate were at the front of the house, guns drawn and expressions that they were there solely to do business.
"You can come in, but the guns stay with Sam." I said.
"We don't want to go in. Talking out here is fine." Owen demanded.
"OK for me." I put my revolver in my waist holster and faced those kids. Sam stayed by my side, as did Rachel.
"This is the Brown's house." Owen said. "Mr. Brown worked in Wellsville, and Mrs. Brown owned the restaurant. She made pizzas and pies."
"Do you know what happened to the people in that house?" Rachel asked.
"Not exactly."
"Are you hungry?" Tina asked. The kids said that they weren't. Even so, Tina took a packet of cookies that she had in that house and handed them to Kate.
"We came here to find out if you would go to the city and see what is happening." Owen said in a very imperative tone.
"Sorry Owen, but that's not how it works. We have an itinerary, a particular plan, and we're not going to run things over. Even though something really bad is happening in Wellsville, we didn't come here to do it justice. This is not a movie where we are heroes. We are not John Wick or any of those gangs that go out on a rampage. People can die, and most importantly, people from my family can die."
"And what are you going to do here then?"
"Like I said, it's just one stop. We are not staying."
"But our parents are there, like your friends!"
"That's not our problem. We are as much survivors as you are. The most we can do is invite you two to come with us when we leave. You are too young to be alone here. But at the same time, you are siblings, you are a family, and it is up to you to decide what you are going to do."
"You are nothing but a coward." Owen raged.
"I may be so, but the thing is, I don't know you, I don't know your parents, and I don't even owe you anything. I'm not going to do anything crazy that puts the lives of those people who are my family at risk. We've already lost people who are important to us when we try to be nice."
"This is you. What about the others?" Owen challenged me.
"Does anyone here offer to help free their parents from the slave city?"
As was to be expected, no one came forward. It's not that I didn't sympathize with the kids. I had just learned valuable lessons, how being selfless is only possible to a certain extent in a world like that. Owen was furious and went back to his house, but Kate said in a broken voice.
"My brother thinks that if you just point a gun, people will fall to their knees in fear. Yesterday you and Sam gave us a reality check. Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for the cookies."
"Wait one sec." Brittany said. "How long have you been alone in this town?"
"I think it's about three months."
"Do you have food?" Tina asked.
"There is still food on the market, but we are saving."
"And after the food from the market or the houses runs out?" Tina continued to question. "Do you have any plans?" Kate just signed not knowing. "Do you know how to grow crops? Do you know how to hunt? Are you going to town to volunteer for work?" Kate nodded no, and all I thought was that those kids were doomed. "Santana, when Mike and Blaine arrive, we have to talk about how to help these kids."
It was very strange to be in that leadership position. Yesterday was my 20th birthday, and in a normal world, I would be in college, doing college nonsense, or working while trying to find my place in the sun. Above all, even though I was legally an adult, I was still very young. Maybe I wouldn't even think about marrying Brittany yet. How did I grow up so fast? Either way, I agreed with Tina. I was convinced that I wouldn't set foot in Wellsville if the kids' story was really true, unless it was extremely necessary. I saw Kate leaving, and I really worried about them. But I couldn't lose focus.