It was strange, walking with the boys and the dog. No one spoke, the tension thick in the air. Even Luke noticed, the poor dog walking behind John, tail between legs. Clayton stayed behind me, while John led the way.
We were headed to Doc's. Aparently, there we would get some type of device that would make our trip much easier after that. I wasn't sure why we were going anywhere to begin with, but I knew I was the reason why.
Every now and then Clayton would try to start up a conversation, which fell through moments after. I wouldn't respond to anything he said, even if it was directed at me. John gave one worded answers or grunts. Luke, obviously, couldn't talk. He also didn't acknowledge Clayton at all during the entire trip.
We stopped once for lunch, which consisted of another strange meal. I didn't like how this one tasted, and judging by John's face, neither did he. Clayton, on the other hand, absolutely loved it. He ended up eating the rest of my dish.
After that we continued walking until finally, something started to changed. The trees around us started to grow less. Finally, John stopped, putting a hand out for the rest of us to stop also. A faint humming noise sounded up, one like a fridge was running, but louder.
Luke backed up slightly, cowering behind me. John motioned for us to stay back as he moved forward, peeking out behind the last of the trees. He pulled back, nodding to us to follow.
As quietly as we could, we followed John around the last of the trees. In the distance, I could make out a small dome resting on the ground. The land leading up to that dome was dead. Dried dirt stretched as far as the eye could see, well past the dome.
"Alright," John said as we walked towards the dome. "Clayton, you take the girl and the dog and hide. Doc can not see you three"
"Got it" Clayton said
"Girl, you better not make a sound. If you mess this up, and we get caught, I will personally inflict more pain that you've ever felt on you"
I nodded.
"Keep the mutt quiet" John hissed once more "I'm going to distract Doc while you hide. Clayton, once I give the signal, knock him out. You got the cream?"
Clayton nodded, pulling out a tub from the leather bag. A purple-ish blue cream filling the small container. John nodded back at him before saying, "I'm going to go get Doc. Hide"
John took off running. I watched as his figure shrunk as he gained distance. A few moments later, Clayton tugged on my arm. He nodded to the right. I glanced back at John, who had reached the dome.
He was quick.
I followed Clayton, motioning for Luke to join. Together, the three of us ran to find somewhere to hide. I wasn't sure where Clayton planned on hiding, considering there was absolutely no place to hide.
I found out where we were hiding a few minutes later, once we reached the other side of the dome. The dome was glass, the entire way around. Along the bottom was a cement-like, two foot high wall, which must've been the most protection the dome had. Clayton crouched down so that he was hidden by the protection, motioning for me to do the same. Luke was half the size of the wall, not needing to do anything. Nonetheless, he laid down on his belly.
I held back a smile as Clayton peaked over the edge. I followed his lead, raising my head just enough to see. I could see John standing in a doorway, facing us. A man with his back to us stood talking to John. I assumed that was Doc.
John glanced over Doc's shoulder, giving a slight nod to Clayton. To Doc, it would've looked like he was paying attention to the conversation intently. Clayton crouched back down, sneaking around the side of the dome.
I followed with Luke on my trail.
Sure enough, John and Doc were standing out side. John reached up, scratching his cheek casually. I knew from that moment that that was the signal he was talking about. Clayton took off, hitting Doc in the head with his hand. Doc looked around for a second, entirely confused. He glanced at Clayton, then me before his eyes rolled back in his head and he hit the ground.
I gasped, running forward "Oh my gosh, is he ok?"
I looked up at the boys, fear in my eyes.
John gave me a look before stepping over the man on the ground and entering the house without a word.
"He's fine" Clayton answered "He's just asleep"
I nodded, still worried for his safety. He hit the ground pretty hard.
John stepped out a few minutes later, a satisfied look on his face.
"Well?" Clayton asked curiously.
"We're going to see the Nerd tomorrow"
Clayton looked over, grinning at me. I smiled back, a little confused as to what was going on.
"How are we getting there?" Clayton asked.
John smirked, holding up a neon green stick. It looked like one of those glow-sticks. The only difference was this one was jagged in some spots, while straight in others. Much like a key.
"We aren't" Clayton grinned. He was acting like a little boy on Christmas day.
"Oh we are" John grinned devilishly.
"You are amazing" Clayton laughed. John laughed at him, before motioning us to follow. Hesitantly, Luke and I followed the boys as they led us through the house and out a back door.
I pulled Clayton aside "What's going on?"
"We're going to the Nerd's place" Clayton explained.
"Who is the Nerd and what's the stick thing John had?" I whispered.
"First off, the 'stick thing' John had is the key to our Craft" Clayton explained, not helping in any way. "Second off, the Nerd is the smartest man on the Boy's Side. He has the most connections and pretty much can do anything he wants. We're going to him to see if he can get you over to the Girl's Side safely"
"What's a Craft?" I asked
He frowned, trying to think of how to explain it "Didn't you guys have... shoot, what were they called... Ah-toe-muh-bells?"
I held back a giggle "Automobiles?"
"Whatever" he said, embarassed at his mistake "That's not important. A Craft is like that, sort of, except this thing hovers at a much faster speed"
"You mean it flies?" I asked "Like, its a Hover-craft?!"
He grinned "Exactly like that."
I gasped, shock filling me "You mean to say, that you have actually inventedHover-crafts?!"
"Well, we just call them Crafts now, but yeah, pretty much" He laughed, clearly happy that I was so excited about this.
I hesitated "Can I... see it?"
"Well, we're going to it now" He grabbed my wrist, pulling me along.
John stood waiting for us next to a dark, black, circular platform. If I hadn't been looking hard, I wouldn't have noticed the slight reflection of light, hinting there was a clear covering over top. You could see into it, a chair sitting, facing to our right and a comfy-looking bench facing the same way. The bench formed a circle around the edge of the platform, stopping halfway around.
John did something, and suddenly, I saw a clear panel move upwards. I followed Clayton onto the platform, Luke just behind me. John took a seat in the chair, pressing the stick into the ground. A beep sounded before a control screen appeared in front of John, who reached out, touching it. I stared, fascinated by it.
Clayton simply laughed, pulling me onto the bench next to him. Luke jumped up next to me, resting his head on my leg. I petted his head gently as he closed his eyes, quickly falling to sleep.
"Alright, here we go" John grinned, obviously liking this.
Clayton leaned in, whispering in my ear "This is a very expensive type of Craft. John's always wanted one like this and he's a little excited about getting to use it"
I nodded, yawning slightly.
"You tired?" He asked
"Just a little bit"
"Go to sleep if you want"
I shook my head, "No I'll be fine."
"Ellie" he said sternly
I rolled my eyes, moving Luke so that I could stretch my legs out. I laid down on my sit, my head next to Clayton's leg. I closed my eyes, feeling tired already.
Clayton chuckled "Yeah, I thought you were tired"
I playfully nudged his leg, letting him know I could still hear him. He laughed once more before he silenced.
The last thing I felt were his fingers brushing away the hair from my face before I fell into a deep sleep.