- I lose track of days -

I awoke to a multitude of excited voices in the cavern outside my room. Confused, I threw on one of the shirts (a large, striped, button-down, collared shirt with white and blue stripes) that Chad (I shuddered, recalling last nights… event) so generously donated. I poked my head quizzically around the edge of my door to see what all the hubbub was about. A crowd of twenty or twenty-five people was standing before Chad, who had dragged in a makeshift podium. Kira stood closest to him, staring up adoringly. I grimaced, and walked out.
“What’s going on? I asked a near bystander, whose name I thought to be Nik.
“It’s our first run in a while, and Chad’s assembling a group,” he responded, obviously overjoyed at the possibility that he may finally get to do something exciting for a change. I smiled, amused, and made my way to Kira, who was edging closer to Chad and another boy with dark skin and black hair.
“Kira. WHAT did you DO last night?” I asked, remembering the door.
“Ah-ha-ha-hawwwh…” she laughed nervously. “You, ah, saw that did you? That wasn’t anything.” I smiled coyly.
“Damn girl! He likes you!”
“No, no, we’re just good friends. Promise.” She said sourly. “And that’s all we’ll ever be.” I thought I detected a sour note in her voice. I smiled.
“Hokay… I’ll be, just, going now, then, if, really, that’s what you want?” I almost smiled at my garbled English.
“He’s the most amazing, honest, talented person I’ve ever met. I’ve only felt this way once before, and it didn’t turn out well, which is why I can’t fall in love with him but I think I already have and oh Delia, what do I do?” She inhaled sharply, and I realized that that had all been in one deep breath.
“Breathe, first,” I said, handing her a paper bag. She looked at me, a serious expression on her face.
“Delia. I’m 18. He’s 19. You’re 15. How can you even understand this?”
“Kira! I’ve been in love. I was, once, in love with josh. But that was long ago. Now, listen to me. We live in too serious a society in the caverns to make mistakes. Don’t do anything rash.”
“Oh, Delia. If only you knew.”
“I know much, much more than I get credit for.” I looked at her, but her icy blue eyes could not meet mine. I wondered, then, what she was hiding. I wanted so badly to know, but I was afraid of the secrets I’d uncover.

My breath clouded in the cold night air of an Olympic June. I looped my last tent pole onto its peg in the ground, and dragged my sleeping bag inside, along with my bag of large sweaters and pants. The mountains tended to be cold still in June, and I would hate to trudge through the snow in a tee, pulling lichen out of my hair. So I came prepared for the run. My tent mate, Phoebee, had also come prepared for the notoriously bad weather on the Peninsula. She crawled in, and rolled out her sleeping bag.
“Why’d I have to go on the damn run? I went on the last damn run. OH MY DAMN!” she muttered to herself testily.
“I hate the cold!” a male voice yelled outside.
“Then go lament to Phoebee!” someone else replied. A tall, dark skinned boy burst through the door flap. He looked familiar, and I realized I’d seen him talking to Chad some days before. We’d been on the run for three or so days now, and the not knowing was killing me. My phone had died, so I had no way of keeping track of anything anymore. I tuned in on Noah and Phoebee’s conversation”
“Too much to ask, apparently,” Phoebee said irritably.
“Of course. Last time this was so much easier,” Noah said.
“Yes. I’m just going to hope it’ll be warmer tomorrow,” she said, her tone indicating that he should leave.
“Well, night.” Noah said.
“Yeah.” And then Noah left. I slipped into my sleeping bag, wishing it weren’t so cold out. Before I knew, I’d fallen into a deep sleep. Shivering in the cold night air, I dreamed”

I walk with Zion across a street. We go into a small café near my old school. We both need to get back, me to my science meet, him to his rehearsal. I order a coffee, and walk over to lean on a table while I wait. He orders a malt on my tab, and walks over to me. He holds me to him, and I lean into his chest, staring at our faces in the mirror. We looked like the perfect couple, the happy one that everyone loves to hate. Why couldn’t we be? He says he loves me, all the time, so why?
“Just because there are no teachers here,” he whispers into my ear, his hands sliding down my back…
We’re in front of the school, and he’s looking down at me, smiling.
“Please don’t go,” he pleads.
“Sorry, but I can’t stay.” Oh, okay, I’ll stay, I’ll stay with you forever, I think, but I go to leave, and I feel his hands around my waist.
“I love you,” he says, looking down at me with his big blue eyes. How I wish it is true…

I woke up in a cold sweat, and when my hands reached my face, I realized I was crying. I hear a scratching on the door flap of my tent. I stood, and, stepping over Phoebee, walked to the door. As quietly as possible, I opened the door. Zion stepped back, smiling.
“Ah. So I did wake you up,” he said.
“Yes. Yes you did. But this isn’t the first time I’ve seen you tonight.”
“Oh?” he asked, puzzled.
“You, my friend, have been hanging around in my dreams quite a bit,” I said, not bothering to mention that he actually STARRED in them.
“ah.” He said, smugly.
“Oh no, no. not like that. Don’t let it go to your head.”
“I wasn’t. I was just thinking how beautiful you are in the moonlight. It’s strange, but you look just like… Kira.”
“Oh. So that’s what this is about. It has nothing to do with me, does it?”
“What?”
“Okay, Zion. Whatever.”
“No, Delia! Listen! Something’s weird back at the caves. There’s been hostility towards a few of us since you came. Kira’s been there for a year or so, but we can tell that you two are too similar to deny the likeness. You two could be sisters or… something.” I nodded. I had noticed a similarity.
“It’s just weird.” He concluded awkwardly. “Awh. Delia no, don’t cry. Awh shit.” I hadn’t even realized I’d been crying until he pointed it out. I quickly wiped my eyes with the ball of my hand. He put his arm around my shoulder.
“hey.” He said, quietly, “It’s not about Kira. This is just about you.” He turned me to face him, his face leaning in closer to mine. I could feel his warm breath on my cheeks. I could see it too, in the crisp night air. I closed my eyes and leaned towards him, up on my toes.
“ZION!” someone yelled from the other side of our camp. “ZION! THERE’S A BLIZZARD COMING! WE NEED TO MOVE OUT!”
“shit.” He murmured under his breath. “Delia, I have to go, but…” he smiled “… we’ll finish our conversation later.” He took a few steps back before running off toward the voice and the situation. I sighed, and then began to walk to ward the spot where a crowd was beginning to gather.
“What’s going on?” Aubrey asked.
“Okay, okay, calm down. Noah was on radio duty, watching the weather, and they announced a blizzard alert. We need to pick up, pack up, and get to Base One as soon as Possible.”
“OR WE ALL DIE!” a girl named Stephie screamed.
“Spaz.” Someone murmured.
“HEY! AM NOOOOT!” she yelled, clearly amused. I rolled my eyes. Behind me, Noah was trying not to laugh. I shook my head, sighing. At this rate, it would be a long night.

By the time we’d finished packing, the storm had hit full force. I had to strain to make out Zion’s outline, three feet away. I hauled my bag onto my shoulder, and we began the perilous descent down the mountain. Unfortunately, there were only three pickaxes for all ten of us, which posed a problem. As I carefully picked my way across a ledge, I heard a scream to my left. I turned to see Caity, with her feet scratching against the mountain side, scrambling to find a foothold. I laughed. If she fell, it would be from her own carelessness, not because the trail was treacherous. Zion came up behind me, and put his arms around my waist, and I laced my fingers through his.
“This is gonna be a long trip,” he sighed, and we picked up our bags. We needed to get home before we got buried. It was now or never. And so we began, Zion and I, the long journey to Base One.