"What happened to all the adults around here?" asked Ethan as everyone sat around a fire that the kids had started in order to cook on.
"They died saving the island," said the boy.
"Josh, just how bad did the Death Grapes get on your island?" asked Diazo who had come down with the others in order to join them.
"On the surface they were nothing, but underground was a different thing, they were all over the place and you could barely move without running into them or the destroyed tissue," said Josh.
"We got here through the underground and we didn't see any signs of damage," said Jess.
"Our families did the best they could," said Josh as he started to cry.
"They got sick from being exposed for so long to the Death Grapes and dead tissue of the island, didn't they?" asked Ethan.
"No one thought about what would happen to them, they just wanted to save the island and went to work," said Josh.
"And without the adults everything around her began to fall apart because none of us knew how to really care for the place," said a teen girl who walked over and sat down next to Josh.
"We're doing our best, Dani," said Josh.
"What would you say to coming back with us?" asked Meridian.
"You mean move away?" asked Josh.
"It's up to you, but the young ones shouldn't live like this so they can come to our island and we will take care of them," said Meridian.
"In the meantime, we'll send some of our people here to help cleanup and repair the village and cut back the forest so you can have some fields and more space around here," said Searcher.
"Can you all really offer us this?" asked Josh.
"Our mayor won't mind taking in some kids in need of help and we grow a lot of food so I'm sure we can keep up with a few extra stomachs to fill," said Ethan.
"I'll need some time to talk to the others, this needs to be a decision we all make," said Josh to which the others agreed.