The Wanderers

Ch. 18 Changes

I know I haven't posted anything in a really long time, but I've been working on a new story, trying to finish the first few chapters, make a cover, name it, ect...I really didn't mean to abandon this one. : ( But I'm back and with me is chapter 18! Vote, Comment, Fan. I'll love you forever if you do!

_________________________________________________________________________

A week later, Jay and I were back to the way we had been before the Suppressors kidnapped me: best friends. I rose earlier than the rest of them to start the fire and boil water as usual. I chopped wood as the morning sun rose and then dragged it back. I winced as the stitches of my most recent wounds tugged. I had fallen out of a tree when scouting last week.

I rested against a rock as the water for coffee boiled and the eggs and bacon sizzled. It was weird for me to be put to such backbreaking labor. The Suppressors always had machines, and I was at the top. I was always expected to train, kill, and go to parties, not cook or clean.

It was humbling, and I actually enjoyed it. I kneeled over the fire, holding my hair back as I scrambled the eggs. The flames warmed my face in the crisp morning air, and I sighed contentedly. When I was still drowsy and the world was filled with peace, I never thought about my group. It was as if there was nothing worse to worry about than burning breakfast.

I wasn’t even snapped out of my sleepy daze by the crunching of boots on the dead grass. Jay knelt beside me and wrapped an arm around me. I turned to hug him good morning. He buried his face in my hair, and I nuzzled myself into his familiar arms.

I knew them as well as I knew Coby’s. It was a while before either of us pulled away. He smiled and patted the ground beside him. We leaned against a log and he asked in a whisper, “Can I help you cook?”

I turned my face up to him and returned his smile. “I’d love that.” It was strange how one day we were acquainted because we had to be, and the next he was my best friend.

He made pancakes while I finished the coffee, eggs, and bacon. We were leaning into the fire cooking, our faces close, and whispering softly when the first Outcasts emerged from their tents with yawns and groans.

Neither of us moved away from each other. We had no reason to be embarrassed. We were just two friends hanging out. To them though, it must have been shocking. They gawked from across the fire, but no one spoke. Jay seemed to be high ranking compared to a lot. Almost in the position I had been in as a Suppressor. I had power and a lot of it, but I still wasn’t at the top.

We finished up and let breakfast cool. Jay let me lean against him while the other Outcasts chatted and dared to eat the scorching pancakes. As a boy, familiar enough for me to recognize, but not enough that I knew his name approached Jay, his arm tightened around me protectively.

He wasn’t being defensive; it was just an old habit that had resurfaced with our memories. I liked this older, tougher Jay. He possessed the same softness he once had, but it was combined with his new, muscular, bad boy self. If I saw him as anything else but a friend, I would’ve been dazed by his looks.

His dirty blonde hair was ear length and sexy. He had a chiseled jaw and a muscular build. He had about the same build as Coby: a six pack and biceps, but was not nearly as strong. Neither boy was disgustingly ripped. They were both just right.

The boy that came to talk to Jay shot me a confused look, and he asked, “Do you two know each other?”

Jay grinned at me and muttered, “You could say that.”

The guy’s eyes widened. “But she’s that Suppressor girl.”

My eyes flashed dangerously, and I growled, “I’m an Outcast.”

He just rolled his eyes, but Jay jumped in again, “We have known each other since we were little kids. Her real name is Zoey, not Teig.”

The boy raised his eyebrows and uttered quietly, “Neat,” even though I was sure he didn’t think so. “Anyways Jay, Isaac just called. He wants us in London by tomorrow. Ben, Charlie, Lily, and the two of us are going. He wants you to put a long term member in charge.” He glanced pointedly at me as if to say Not her.

Jay shrugged, “Ok I will. Oh and Zoey is going too. She’s my date.”

The boy narrowed his eyes and mumbled, “I thought Charlie was your date.”

Jay seemed to recognize the challenge in his eyes because he stood and pushed me slightly behind him. “No, like I said before, Zoey is my date. If you have a problem with it, then I’d advise you to mind your own…” He stopped himself from swearing with a glance at me and continued, “Dang business.”

I gripped his arm, not wanting a fight. To my surprise though, the boy backed off quickly. He shot me a contemptuous glare and stalked away. Jay turned to me shaking his head, “Sorry about that. You wanna eat?”

I glanced at the food, feeling my stomach growl, but knew I couldn’t. I wasn’t allowed to eat until after all my morning work was done. I shook my head and muttered, “I have chores. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Let me help you,” He offered.

I shook my head again, “No, you should stay here. You have your own stuff to worry about.” Really, I just didn’t want to draw much more attention, and as much as I loved Jay, I really wanted to be alone.

I hurried off to wash clothes and supplies. I bent over the stream, pausing for a second to take in my tangled red locks, dirt stained clothes, and misty eyes. I plunged a shirt into the frigid water. I created ripples, shattering my reflection just as a single tear slipped from them. The thoughts about my group were back.