Chasing the Stars

Lost and Found

Sketchbook in my rucksack, I drifted back to camp. The fire had been put out, and the embers were floating off through the trees, creating a scene of a thousand fireflies. I stood there for a while as they flew past, sometimes fluttering onto my skin.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" I heard a voice from the other side of the fire, "They were burning so bright in the flame, all together, passion, love, hope, and now it's all gone, and they are all supposed to make their own way back, alone, and some die straight away, killed by the blast, and the others are left, fighting, but in the end they all die, just like we all will, and those are the lucky ones." I finally recognized the girl speaking, it was Susan. She was sitting at the base of the fire, hands fiddling with the burnt coal, black smeared across skin. Her long brown hair was hanging limply over her eyes, and in that moment she looked equally weak and psychotic.

It was then that the sound of a loud hoot echoed through the night.

"Lights off! They're coming!" What's happening? I looked around frantically, trying to understand where the noise and shout came from, and felt the sudden darkness washed over me as the inhabitants of the tents switched their torches off. Someone drops down right behind me, spewing leaves into the air, causing me to jump up in fright.

"Don't worry" the voice reassured. I turned around to see Carmilla. "The bombers are coming for Berlin. Just safety precautions. We wouldn't them haphazardly bombing us instead, would we?" She said, the snark clear in her voice, as she brushed past me, whispering something to Susan before walking off.

"This happens often, the most we've ever felt is repercussions, no need to look so worried" Lizzy said, coming over from the tents, "I was actually wondering if you were ever coming back, you seemed to disappear. Good you're back though; I'll help with your tent." Grabbing my bag, she sprinted to the campsite.

Comfily wrapped up in my sleeping blanket, fatigue overcoming me, I tried to sleep. The simple task being nearly impossible, knowing that just outside you could still see the bombs falling down, slowly creeping closer and closer, but that was hardly the biggest dilemma. I was lying here, shuffling around, overcome by this feeling of betrayal, like a cloud clogging my throat, and knives scrabbling at my heart. I shouldn't be here enjoying the company of others, when I have my family to find. Yet even the loneliest people enjoy company sometime, and it feels so new, so nice, to have people around, who speak when they want, do what they want, it's so different, and I never knew I could want something like this. It feels nice to sleep to the sound of chatter and snoring, instead of shouting, even if the bombing repercussions could still be heard. Yet I feel guilty for even thinking that, my parents gave me life, food, a roof to live under, how dare I disrespect them.

All of a sudden I heard a commotion from outside my tent. Shouting. Running. I stuck my head out of the tent to come face to face with someone's leg, Lizzy's.

"What's happening?" I asked, voice trembling,

"Luke is missing." Lizzy answered. She said, grabbing my arm to pull me up.

"Isn't he the one who always runs away, but comes back in the end?" I stuttered, confused by the hectic uproar.

"Yeah, but he's always back by now, and he's only six, and storm clouds are coming in." Her head was whipping around, frantic eyes searching everywhere. "I am going to look after camp; you go help the others find him."

I stood up, and ran. I left the forest, entering the field again, noticing the storm clouds overhead, blocking out the stars light, and making me regret not taking a torch with me. I kept running, eyes searching back and forth. Entering the trees again, the branches whipping against my skin, I started to feel dizzy. I had to find him. I couldn't let someone die without trying to save them. Not again! My feet were getting heavy, my side aching. I couldn't do this. It had only been a minute but it was getting too much. I collapsed, to be caught in a set of arms.

"Hey, no need to injure yourself as well." He said, placing me on my feet before jerking away. As well? Is Luke injured?

"Is he okay?" I said, frantically trying to see him in the dark forest, but only coming to face with more and more trees.

"Yeah. He's fine. Don't see why you should care though. He found some abandoned jeep in the forest. He's running back to camp now." he said, frown visible in his voice. It's then I noticed who it was. The ginger-haired boy from earlier, Evan. He took off, a strong limp in his step.

"Hey, you're injured." I shouted after him.

"I know. But I'm not a weakling like you." He snapped back.

"You're not weak for admitting you're in pain." I counter argued. He swivelled around, and walked back to me.

"Well, what if you're always in pain? If each step hurts, everyday? Should I just constantly complain and let it bring me down, or should I fight it, ignore it, cope with it? Life isn't easy, Rebecca, sometimes it will knock you down, and you have two choices. You either get up and fight it, or crawl away and die alone a coward. And I am never choosing the latter, no matter what life throws at me. So listen to me, this is nothing. I did what I had to do to find Luke. Now I'll cope with my leg."

"I understand." I said, stepping back because he'd gotten so close to me in his speech that I could feel his laboured breath against my skin. I really did understand, I wasn't in the middle of these woods for nothing was I.

"Do you? Because I just see a small, frail girl, who's lost in this big, wide world and decided to complicate our camp to save her little life. Why are you even out here? Did Carm finally see that you're just going to be a nuisance?"

"No!" I said, standing straight, "I was trying to find Luke." His face softened. His fierce guard broke for a second, before he built it back up. It reminded me of my older brother. He always seemed, so strong, so tough. Rebelling against my parents, and coping with the consequences. I'd never understood why. Then at nights he would crumble. I could always hear his muffled sobs echoing to my room; I wish those hadn't ended the way they had.

"Why?" he said, "you don't even know him."

"Because I've seen death before, and I couldn't do anything about it. I found my dead brothers corpse hanging in a broom cupboard when I was nine. And then in the bomb bunker, a baby died in my arms, and all I did was cry. I don't want anyone to die anymore if I have the chance to save them." I said, tears welling up in my eyes, but I forced them away. I needed to be strong. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to find my family again.

"Well, you can't save everyone. But I can do one thing; I can make a warrior out of you." He grabbed my arm. "First we're going to have to build something here." He said, pointing at my bicep, "and then we'll build your stamina. But for now let's get back to camp. You look like you need a good sleep, weakling." He said, this time jokingly, instead of viciously.

And then the ground shook.