Miles To Go

Chapter Eight

(A Sanctuary in the Superstition Mountains, Arizona

Six months later)

"Okay Jaymz, you try it. Come up here to my desk with the box of pencils and pretend like you're going to buy it." Lizzy said.

Jaymz was the oldest student in her class. He was twelve. He was old enough to remember going to the stores with his mother before The Takeover. His mother was dead. That was the case with most of her students. Fifteen students, and only Grace and two others had one or both biological parents. Some did have an Aunt or an Uncle though.

Jaymz approached her desk and set the pencils down. She grabbed them and pretended to scan them.

"Beep. That'll be $1.89."

He handed her two bills with Donald Trump's face on them and she handed him back the correct change. Jaymz took the pencils and walked back to his desk. Grace shot up her hand.

"Yes Miss Grace?"

"Why did people have to use money?"

"I don't understand the question, honey."

"I mean why did they have to get things with money? Why didn't they trade for them like we do now?"

This girl was always full of questions. The youngest at four years old, she attended because it gave her something to do. She mostly played with toys, colored, and asked lots of questions.

"Well, it was something that you could always have around. If you had a lot of apples, you could trade them right now, but they would eventually go bad, you know? Okay," she clasped her hands together, "That is enough on that for now children. It's time for recess!"

They all scrambled to get out the door.

"Hey! Slow down, guys!" she exclaimed. They modified their pace. "And Jaymz, after recess you can be the cashier."

The children cleared the room. She busied herself with straightening up the things on her desk. Then she went over to the window to watch the children playing outside. The younger boys and girls were jumping rope and the older kids were shooting baskets. A few in-between kids were climbing on the jungle gym and sliding down the slide. Calvin was in the group playing basketball.

"Your hair, smells just as lovely as I remember it."

Lizzy turned to see Miles leaning against the door-frame, looking svelte and very fetching. Her heart skipped a beat.

"What the heck?! Miles!" she exclaimed. He entered the room and she grabbed him and pulled him in for a hug. "How are you? Oh my gosh it's so great to see you again!" she gushed.

"I'm great. It's nice to see you too, Lizzy." He smiled then teasingly. "Or should I say, Ms. Elisabeth?"

Lizzy rolled her eyes and blushed slightly."Oh, no please, that's what my students call me."

The two just stood there looking at each other for a moment, as if examining each other, searching for changes. Lizzy noted that he was wearing a white button down tucked into black skinny jeans. He looked less pale than when she'd seen him before, as if he'd gotten some sun. Gee, and there's that scar in his left eyebrow...

"You look well," he said, in the heat a few strands of his brown hair had fallen down onto his forehead.

"Thank you. You look well yourself, Miles. You seem...different. Did you get taller?" she asked.