Hiraeth

10.

As the morning progresses, my shadow zips up into my body until its less than a puddle beneath my feet: but as i get closer to the glowing buildings i see it unfurl once more, stretching into the night that is forever. My long black coat dangles upon the wet tarmac and i walk down a deserted street. Somehow it was night time but the city was more bright than ever before. I made sure to keep my head down and keep to myself incase i disturbed the absence of people around me. The town was big and had japanese writing painted all over billboards and huge signs. However, I did not speak japanese. I didn't know where I was, or even who i was. But i just carried on walking. I had music playing in my head. Over and over. The same few lyrics wriggling around in my heavy but still empty mind. I carried nothing me. Nothing but a small black pendant in the shape of a dragon. It hung from my neck and dropped low into my silk dress. I wasn't aware of my surroundings but still i kept walking. I passed a shop window but somehow i had changed. I had black hair and was smaller than usual. I had double eyelids and a long slim nose. But still this didn't bother me. I just looked back up and continued walking. The music in my head was getting louder, and louder, and louder until...

"BANG" A sudden jerk within the sand threw the truck off route and woke me up. I looked round and everyone seemed to be getting to know each other. Of course Akira was flirting and confusingly the new boys were too. Amora seemed to be up front with Marcus and Endymion, and I was sitting in the trunk with a new girl and two new boys. Akira was sat next to me and my head was rested upon her shoulder. "Ahh she's awake," said Akira.

"Hollyo!"
"heyy"
"hello"

Each of them greeted me in a...well a weird way.
The first one, a fragile blonde boy, said 'hollyo' . He seemed very happy and bright and was sitting in the middle of everyone. "hollyo, im Tris" He said. I liked that name. Suited him well. The next boy spoke, "heyy, and im Luke" he seemed sweet two. He was paler than tris and had black cow printed freckles placed on top. He had cimmerian-like hair that was somehow streaked with white and grey. Lastly the girl, I already knew her. She was the girl with the book Mae. We had already seen her when we were in the offshore. She was the one who let us out of the room with no door. She was a bit odd and somehow still had her book clenched tightly in her arms. "And i-i im Mae" but of course I already knew that.

"And you are?"

I laughed as if to say sorry, "Andrette, my names andrette" I rolled up my left sleeve to reveal my tattoo, my name.
"woahhh, when did ya get that?" said tris. But that i didn't know, none of us did. We all had one, everyone had a name.
"we don't know" said Akira. "we all have one, me, Andrette, Amora and Endymion"
"well, what bout the other fella" he asked.
"ahh thats Marcus, he doesn't have one"

We all sat there talking about each other and dishing out compliments. I'm not sure why but it was nice, I guess. Soon it was dark and we were still driving through vast, sandy horizons into more emptiness. The mountains that I could once see back when i first woke up were still visible, in fact they were in exactly the same place. It was like we were driving in a car that wasn't moving. Like the wheels were stuck in cement or like something was attached to us dragging us back. We decided to settle down and all pile up to go to sleep. One of the boys (Luke) pulled out a brass pocket watch and opened it in his big hands. It clicked open but the glass was broken. I could only just make out what it was saying, and where it was pointing too. It wasnt. The red hands were spinning round and around furiously making it difficult to tell the time.

Was there any time at all?