The City Of Death

Chapter Ten- Macy

"I'll be looking forward to it," I respond as Gemma starts going through my bag. She pulls out my water bottles and asks if I would rather have a canteen, something I say no to. Not yet, anyway. She nods and puts the bottles on one side of her. She then pulls out my hairbrush and ties and sets them next to the bottles. So that's the side of things I'm keeping if I had to guess. My compass goes in that pile, too. It's only when she gets to my clothes that she falters, not sure what side to put them on. "Am I allowed to keep those?"

"I suppose, but you'll stick out like a sore thumb," Gemma tells me, and I sigh. As much as I hate to give up my City clothes, I want to blend in. If I stick out for wearing clothes from inside the City, it will be harder for people to trust me, and if people don't trust me, I'll never get the information I need. I'll never get close enough to Atlas to find out what happened to Skye. So, with a heavy heart, I tell Gemma that I don't want the clothes. She puts them on the opposite side of her, giving me a small smile. "If it makes you feel better, they won't go to waste."

"No?"

"No. I'll dye them and use the fabric for other projects. Or, if you want, I can just dye them and give them back to you," Gemma offers, and I look over the clothes that I had brought. None of them are particularly special to me. Only my Doctor's coat had any sort of emotional value, and that's long gone. And besides, all three were dresses, and I'm not particularly fond of those. I only wore them in the City because the Childminder who raised me told me I was supposed to. She was a bit old-fashioned, but now I'm free to pick out whatever style I want to wear.

"No, you can keep them. Do what you will with them," I respond, and she nods, before digging back into the backpack. She pulls out my blanket and immediately sets it in the "keep" pile, not seeming to care about the color. I suppose blankets are a little more private, something that will be kept in my tent. Something that wouldn't make me stand out. She continues to dig, but if I remember correctly, there's only one more thing in the backpack. My palms slick with sweat, and I try to inconspicuously wipe them on my pants.

She pulls out my pictures, looking at them for a moment. When I was first given my mission, one of the first things I packed was my pictures. I didn't want something to happen to them while I was in the Outside. To keep them safe, I brought them with me. And, to that note, those pictures of Skye will keep my mind on my mission. I just have to complete my mission and I'll finally know what happened to Skye and why. After a moment, Gemma puts them with the rest of the things I'm keeping, not seeming to really care about them.

"You'll have to keep those safe," she says, looking at the rest of the pile. "Maybe you can put them in one of the water bottles to keep them safe from the elements."

"I... hadn't thought of that. Thank you for the advice," I say, and she nods. Truth be told, I wasn't sure how I was going to keep them safe out here, but Gemma's idea is solid. If the water bottles can keep water in, then surely they can keep it out, too. I'll just have to check on the pictures every now and again to make sure they're safe. Carefully, she slips them between folds in the blanket and starts to pack everything into the backpack.

"You have most everything. Clothes and shelter are the big things you'll need. While I go gather things for your new tent, you can go see if any of those clothes strike your fancy. They're right over there," Gemma says, pointing to one of the corners. "I'd pick out two or three. If you only like one, let me know and I can work on making more. If I'm not in the fields, I'm usually here sewing."

"Thank you. I'll go look right now," I say, and Gemma waves me off as she gracefully gets up from the ground and walks to another corner of the tent. I do as she suggests and walk over to the corner she pointed to, seeing several outfits hanging from the ceiling. There are some that are clearly made with men in mind. The shoulders are wider, the waistlines higher and narrower, the pant legs longer. I look over them, before moving on. Sure, I could wear them. Women can wear the same clothes as men, and vice versa. But there are physical differences in men's and women's bodies, and those outfits were designed to cater to those differences. They simply wouldn't fit me.