Capítulo 25: Departure
Rose awoke with a start as her phone rang beside her head. Groggily, she reached for it to silence the alarm, her mind still foggy from yesterday's events.
Normally accustomed to little sleep and early mornings, she had set the alarm only as a precaution. It seemed the last two days had taken a heavier toll on her body than she'd anticipated.
As her blurred vision slowly focused, she noticed a notification on her phone. It was a message from an unknown sender with the strange number 101110001.
Opening it, she immediately understood. "Good morning, Boss. I hope you slept well," read the short but precise message. Well, there was only one "person" who called her "boss." Just to be sure, she quickly typed back:
"Zen? Is that you?"
The reply came almost instantly: "Yes, Boss. As requested, I've established a connection with your communication device. This way, we can contact each other without other people`s awareness."
Rose smiled, pleased that Zen had followed through on her request. She quickly saved the number under "Z" in her contacts.
It was 5:45 AM, giving her just enough time to get ready before meeting Ethan and the others. As she had already packed up everything she only needed to freshen up quickly, change her clothes and then proceeded to make her way to the kitchen to take a bite before their departure.
Opening her door, Rose stopped in her tracks.
"Good morning, Rosie." Ethan greeted her with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes—more of a smirk, half jest, half warning. As Rose had anticipated, she'd have to endure his close monitoring for the time being. Having survived the apocalypse alone for three years, accustomed to her independence, this sudden surveillance was a bitter pill to swallow.
Seeing her groan and roll her eyes, he added an edge to his smile that clearly warned her not to say anything. "If you're ready, let's get moving." He pushed himself off the wall and strode towards the living room with long steps.
Sighing, Rose followed him.
In the living room, they found Andrew standing at the window, gazing outside. His hands were in his trouser pockets, his glasses and the window reflecting the streetlamps' light. When he heard them approach, he turned around and nodded in greeting.
"Morning," Rose said quietly, receiving only a brief glance in return before Andrew resumed looking out the window.
Rose knew it would take time to get back on Andrew's good side after all the mischief she'd caused in previous years. His lukewarm response was understandable. She was determined to gradually change his perception of her, not wanting any lingering issues between her brother and him because of her past behavior.
"How is it going?" Ethan asked, stepping besides him.
"Our preparations are finished, we can leave whenever you are ready."
"And how is it going over there?" Ethan gestured towards the Kepler's driveway, where they could see the family running in and out of the house carrying bags after bags.
"They've been at it for half an hour," Andrew commented, his voice tinged with irritation. "At this rate, they'll pack their entire house before we even start our engines."
Ethan chuckled, though his eyes remained serious. "Well, let's hope they wrap it up soon. We need to hit the road before the morning traffic picks up."
Watching the Keplers trying to cram all their luggage into their small car, Rose could only shake her head. It would never fit—unless they planned to seat the bags instead of people inside.
"Should I go over and check with them? Maybe offer to help?" Rose suggested.
"Let's go together," Ethan replied, already making his way outside.
Rose took her few belongings and followed Ethan out onto the porch, shivering as the cool morning air hit her. Approaching the Keplers' driveway, they heard Mrs. Kepler's commanding tone. She frantically directed her husband and children as they attempted to Tetris an impossible amount of luggage into their sedan.
"Good morning," Ethan greeted. He received only a brief glance and a muttered "mhm" before Mrs. Kepler turned away. The others, focused on their impossible task, didn't even look up.
Ethan cleared his throat. "Mr. and Mrs. Kepler, I understand the desire to bring everything, but we need to be practical. We have limited space and need to move quickly."
Mrs. Kepler turned to face Ethan, her face flushed with exertion and frustration. "You don't understand," she said, her voice strained. "These are our lives, our memories. We can't just leave everything behind!"
Rose stepped forward, her voice gentle but firm. "I know it's hard, but we really can only take the essentials. We have a long journey ahead, and we need to travel light."
Mr. Kepler paused in his efforts to cram another suitcase into the trunk. He wiped his brow and looked at his wife. "Honey, they're right. We can't take it all."
Mrs. Kepler's shoulders sagged in defeat. "But what about the photo albums? The kids' baby books?"
Ethan's expression softened slightly. "Tell you what—we can spare room for one medium-sized bag, but that's it. We need to get moving. There's no telling when or where the next portal might appear, or how other people will react. I'd like to leave the city behind quickly."
His words struck home. Mrs. Kepler, paling at the thought, immediately began sorting through their most precious possessions with renewed urgency.
Within fifteen minutes, the Keplers had pared down their belongings to fit into one suitcase and a few backpacks. Mrs. Kepler clutched a photo album to her chest, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Rose made her way to their car, sliding into the backseat while Ethan exchanged the destination address with Mr. Kepler. She immediately noticed that their vehicle wasn't nearly as packed as the Keplers'. She herself only had one backpack, and it seemed that Ethan and Andrew hadn't brought much more. Only in the trunk could she see a few packages.
"What's in there?" she asked Andrew, who was entering the passenger seat.
"Medication, food, clothes," he answered curtly.
As expected. Rose wasn't surprised. With Ethan's and Andrew's meticulous personalities, they knew immediately which items would be crucial in the coming days and what to bring along.
Neither interested in further conversation, they remained silent until Ethan arrived.
"Ready?" he asked, glancing at Andrew and Rose, who nodded in response.
With a roar, the engine sprang to life, and they pulled out of the driveway following the Kepler`s car. Rose's eyes lingered on the familiar surroundings of her childhood home. After a mere two days back, she was leaving again - probably for good.
As the car accelerated down the street, she forced herself to look ahead, both literally and figuratively. But this time would be better. At least now, she had Ethan by her side.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder