Like the Moon

Three - Home

I stared at him as he continued to grip my arm.

"Please answer my question, Commander."

He looked down at his hand clenched around my arm before letting go. "You always have the final decision, but commanding officers will give you suggestions based on your assessments."

I glanced downwards, not wanting to keep his gaze any longer, before turning away fully and continuing to walk towards the parking area where I knew a car would be waiting for me.

"And what exactly do you do Commander?" I asked over my shoulder.

I felt his presence beside me once again. His hands clasped behind his back and a smirk lingering on his face.

"That's classified to civilians Miss Benson," he said in a surly manner.

Of course it is.

Thunder rolled overhead, and a solitary raindrop fell on my cheek. I was thankful for the climate of the capital city, Oritz. It might be more humid and hotter, now that it was summer here, but at least I had the rain, and the lush green gardens of Marin and Willa's estate.

"You do that a lot," Terren said beside me.

I didn't look at him, only kept my eyes up to face the sky now covered in gray and black clouds.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Look into the rain. Why do you do that?"

It was the first time he had spoken so freely to me. A question that came from him, and him alone, out of pure curiosity. It was as refreshing as the rain.

"Not all of us born with oceans in our eyes commander. Some of us have to find other methods."

I smiled, partially from the look on his face and partially from the guilt the lie brought. The rain always reminded me of home. That was the truth.

A part of me figured he knew that, but I would never flat out tell him that. A sad smile spread over my face. Sometimes I forgot I was supposed to hate him. He was so... normal, and I found myself wishing they were vicious rather than calculating.

I probably would believe every single one of their pretty little lies, had I not seen, heard for myself, the evil they were conspiring.

**

I was perched up against the large oak tree near the high school. I waited as the dawn began to spread over the sky for the other runner, the other foot-messenger, Max.

This was how we started our day. We would meet here, sync our watches and make our rounds before meeting up again at lunch. Even now that I was nearly twenty, Max had been my only boyfriend.

He claimed it was love at first sight, but I stand by my resolve that he just annoyed the shit out of me until I agreed to go on a date.

"Jewels?" I heard from behind the tree. I turned to see him smiling cheekily. His blonde hair had been growing out for some time now, and his skin farmer's tan was visible in his tank top today.

"Hey," I smiled. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek by way of greeting.

"Which side of town you wanna take today?" he asked me.

This was what we did. We were the foot-messengers. The power was spotty at best, most people had sold their electronic devices for food. Once people started to notice how bad the population decline was really getting, all hell broke loose.

It was everyone for themselves for a year or two, until people work up and realized how much harder life was like that.

I decided on the East side of town, as I always did. If anyone had messages or errands for me to do or deliver to my parents, it would give me an excuse to see them. They usually locked themselves away in the science center, always researching, hoping and believing that there will be new information to help us figure out what the hell was happening.