When all my belongings have been gathered from our dorm room, Exodus helps me carry my luggage down the stairs and back to the courtyard. Charlie and the boy are still there, but most of the students have dispersed, either having left for home or gone back to their dorms.
"I'm going to miss you, Cammile," Exodus says, turning to me.
I'm surprised to find that my eyes have begun to water, and I blink away the tears. "Same here," I reply.
Suddenly, Exodus wraps her arms around me in a big hug. I hesitate a second before throwing my arms tightly around her. We stay like this for a few minutes before she finally pulls back. There are tears in her green eyes.
"I hope we can see each other again," I say, trying not to cry. Exodus has been pretty much my only friend my whole life. I don't know what will happen to me now.
Just then, the doors burst open and Ben and Land come sprinting out. They stop in front of us, panting.
"I thought we were going to miss you," Land says, gasping. "How come you didn't tell us?"
I bite my lip, but Exodus answers for me. "She only told me, so don't feel special."
Land narrows his eyes at her, but then laughs.
"Where's Misk?" I ask. Land doesn't usually go anywhere with his girlfriend, since she's always clinging to him.
"I dumped her," he says proudly.
Now it's my turn to laugh, and Exodus does too.
Behind me, Charlie clears her throat and I inhale quickly. "Well, I have to go, guys," I say. I shouldn't keep them waiting long.
"We should all meet up again sometime," Land says.
"Sure," I reply, nodding. He comes forward and wraps me into a bear hug. I smile and pat his back. He pulls back, a huge grin spread across his face.
I turn to Ben, who hasn't spoken at all. I pull him into a side hug, and ruffle his hair. "It's nice to know that I'm still taller than someone," I remark, referencing his short height.
He blushes deeply. "Bye, Frank," he chokes out.
I stand back, my eyes looking over my small group of friends. "I'll miss you all," I say, sadly.
"Don't cry, Frank," Land says. "Just remember how easily you can beat Ben."
I grin. It's true. In our first fight, I pretty much demolished him.
Charlie taps my shoulder, startling me. "Quit stalling. Let's go."
I nod, and then she starts walking back to the helicopter. The boy joins her, and I decide to follow. Charlie pulls open the door, and helps me up. I sit down on the soft seat, next to the boy, who closes the door behind him. I'm now squished between two people I barely know.
Charlie pushes a few buttons that apparently are what start the engine, and the blades begin spinning steadily. I feel my stomach drop as the helicopter lifts off the ground.
"Good-bye, Cammile!" I hear Exodus shout. I lean over and wave back at her. The boy rolls down the window and I shout out a good-bye before he rolls it back up again.
They all keep waving until we are about five hundred feet off the ground and they have become mere flecks of color on the ground. Tears threaten to surface in my eyes, but I furiously blink them away. I might never see them again, but that doesn't mean I can cry. I need to make a good impression on the Diversions.
"So, no pilot?" I question, noting that Charlie is the one flying the helicopter.
She doesn't answer, but the boy leans over and says, "She likes to consider herself an adult."
"I am an adult, Hael," Charlie retaliates, her eyes still on the controls. "I'm 21. That's the age you need to be to become a pilot."
The boy, Hael, raises his eyebrows. "But you don't actually have a pilot's license, do you."
Charlie ignores him.
"So, who are you?" I ask Hael. "I thought it was just girls."
"Charlie's the leader. I'm her assistant," Hael answers proudly.
"No, you're not," Charlie snaps. She turns to me. "He likes to think he is, but he's just a foster boy we picked up. Our base is in Bitter Springs, Arizona, and a few kids have been orphaned there."
"How?" I ask.
"You'll find that out later," she replies.