Later Gater: Part Two

“Look Luna, you can come with me. This,” she spread her arms across the barren landscape “this, we can get past. We can beat this. In Raski, the sky is clear and there’s grass, and it’s supposed to be so beautiful that your breath escapes you and you can’t breathe right because it‘s just so wonderful.”

“The sky is fine here. This,” I pushed her chin up towards the brown sky, “is the sky. This is what the sky is supposed to look like.”

“No it’s not.” she whispered.

“Katlyn, you’re not thinking clearly, you’ve heard too many of momma’s stories. This,” I turned her back towards the town, “is all there is. This is your home. There’s nothing else,” I looked her in the eyes, “no one else. This is all of it. We are all that’s left.”

Tears filled her eyes, “This can’t be all, I don’t want to live an outcast for the rest of my life, and I know you don’t want to either. I’m leaving Luna, whether you like it or not, I’m leaving. I won’t stay here and die, I’d rather die out there.” She pointed to the desert behind us. “You can stay here and waste away until your trial, but I won’t be offed in this hell place.” Her voice softened, “Let me have a dream, because it’s all I have left.” She turned around and went back inside.

I followed her into the slum and sat beside Leo. “What’s wrong with her?” he asked.

“I don’t know, just a lot of stress that’s all. A lot of stress. She’s really strung out right now.”

“Oh.”

* * *

I caught her leaving that night. She was one foot out the door with a knotsack slung around her shoulder. All of her belongings were in there.

“Katlyn!” I whispered.

She turned around and looked at me, “You’re not gonna reek me out are you?”

“You know I would never do that to you. I just wanted to wish you good luck on your journey.”

“Luna, you can still come, it’s not too late. You can leave this place with me.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

She looked from side to side, and stepped towards me. She dropped her knotsack and gave me a hug. “Remember me.” she whispered in my ear. “If you ever need to leave, go to Justin’s and ask about me. Tell him you want to see Paradise.”

“Paradise,” I repeated, tasting the word. It sounded strange on my tongue, like a foreign language.

“I will miss you.” she said.

“And I will miss you.”

“Goodbye Luna.”

“Good luck Katlyn.” she smiled at me and walked out the door.

After she left, her words echoed inside my head. She didn’t say them like she was saying goodbye, more like see you later.