Chapter 2: Crossroads

Acracia Mountains

February 1st

The animals returned to their instinctive labors around the humble cabin. Overall, the original serenity and calm became more evident, although it had not been possible to say the same in the same field for a long time.

The blinding sun rose high above. The heat and luminescence intensified in the mountainous surroundings; characteristic of the Acracia Mountains.

To hide, the students used all the materials at hand to erect multiple tents and curtains in the area. The small cabin did not offer enough space to treat the people rescued from the recent accident, even though they were exempt from the large number of individuals blessed with such fortune.

Stepping on the green grass, the young man with brown hair and black eyes approached one of the shelters between one of the cabin walls and light curtains. In his hands, he carried a silver tray complemented by various bandages, painkillers, and bottled water.

He carefully removed the curtains to find Haeri wrapped in a sleeping bag, and Gitta sitting with his head on the arms clasped around his knees.

Nisha noticed their deep breathing. He smiled and proceeded more cautiously.

"(It seems he needed to rest too...)"

He changed the bandages on the young woman's arm and quietly approached Gitta.

Then, he took a nearby blanket and placed it around the boy's back.

"!"

He flinched in surprise but quickly regained his composure. Nisha raised his index finger, requesting silence.

Gitta nodded and pointed toward the exit.

"(And he still distrusts us... I understand)," Nisha thought.

They both left the place and headed across the field.

Gitta watched the wounded being treated by the students. It was more important for him to find a specific group, that's what he was saying before he was interrupted by the boy's voice.

"Um... Excuse me about before... Do you speak Spanish?"

The foreigner fixed his gaze on him. A direct gaze that made him even more uncomfortable than before. Nisha sensed this; he assimilated it, since it seemed familiar to him.

It ended in an uneasy silence.

"...Gitta Vintana," he introduced himself in a soft, formal tone. "They taught us your language months before the trip."

Seeing his serenity, the boy gained a little more confidence with the foreigner.

"My name is Nisha Quinto, nice to meet you."

They both shook hands after a relaxed smile.

"Tell me, Nisha, will Haeri be all right?"

"Haeri... You mean her, right? I'm sure she is... Does it happen often?"

"It's not the first time she faints, but it's always dangerous..."

"I see. How do I put it...? I've never had anyone faint in front of me before. Fortunately, Xiomara and Izzy are with us. Honestly, we wouldn't know what to do without them."

"…Izzy? ...I'll have to thank them properly."

"You'll meet her soon, don't worry."

"Hm... Could you tell me where we are?"

"I suppose you have a lot of questions," Nisha said, smiling slightly. "This is the Acracia Mountains, a Manecia’s Province… Hmm... It's ironic. At first, we just hoped this was just an ordinary excursion, but now it's hard to even understand what happened... By the way, I noticed the airplane you arrived on was from abroad (and not only that...)" he mused before continuing. "Where did you come from?"

"So we've arrived..." Gitta said to himself. "Most of us are from the Eastern United States... Even if our origins aren't really that. Haeri comes from South Korea, others from Europe…”

“Oh. This nation is known for being home to people from different nations. I must say that’s not its only peculiarity… But I think it must be great to travel abroad and see new places.”

“I wouldn’t recommend it, with all due respect. Maybe it was a good idea to travel before… The world is different now,” Gitta murmured.

“Are you saying that because of the tension between governments lately…? That’s true. Things weren’t looking good before the trip to the mountains. In fact, we haven’t had any contact with the media for over a week. I couldn’t say exactly what the situation is out there.”

“…Excuse me, where is my partner’s cell phone? I couldn’t find it at the tent, and mine was in the luggage, which I assume… doesn’t exist anymore.”

“Sorry about that. The ones we found are being checked. I hope one of them works.”

“Do you have any? I should make a call.”

"...We don't live in the Stone Age like the world thinks." A student passing by saw them together; she had interrupted the discussion she was in to approach.

"H-Hey, Izzy!" Nisha greeted with an attempt at enthusiasm, but that didn't change the serious look on her face.

"...Who is he?"

"He is..."

"Gitta," the young man of color replied.

"A stranger from the accident..." the girl repeated.

Both, Gitta and Izzy exchanged stares for a moment. She had noticed a certain peculiarity in the boy, just as he had noticed a certain "abnormality" in her.

Nisha could feel certain unease in the air.

"Huh... Well... I think it's best..."

"Our mobile phones were safely stored on the bus at the time of the accident." Izzy broke the silence and continued. She invited them to look at the vehicle more closely, pointing at the burned remains of the airplane embedded in the side. "The result of the explosion has damaged most of them, and those that weren't have any signal. It's not our day."

"Hm... I see..."

"Nisha."

"U-Uh?"

"Don't forget that in 10 minutes we'll meet to determine how to proceed." The young woman turned around to walk away again, talking to some boys in the distance.

"(How to proceed...? That ideal... I don't think it's going to be that simple... Izzy...)" Nisha thought worriedly.

"Why are we still waiting here? We should have traveled to the nearest medical center immediately after the incident..."

That worried Gitta. A rule that went against common sense. He had looked at Nisha and said it without hesitation.

"Well... That would have been the right thing to do, but there are... rumors that prevent us from acting immediately," Nisha replied.

"Rumors?"

"Yes... I think everything will be cleared up at the meeting... You want to visit the other passengers on the plane, right?" He smiled. He had noticed in advance that he was looking for someone from the beginning.

"Yes... Please."

"My friend is treating one nearby. Come on, if you want." The young man with dark eyes pointed to a set of sheets and curtains several meters away.

Ignoring the others, Gitta focused on one person among them and hurried over, moving aside the boy who was serving him.

"Mr. Eldan!" he expressed concern as he held the bandaged man's hand in relief.

"Don't worry. He's not as bad as he looks," clarified Miruno, the blond boy with green eyes, removing a pair of plastic gloves from his hands. "However, I'm not an expert on the subject, nor should I be considered one. I'd be lying if I said he'll get better soon... Kh... cough..."

He would have continued if not for a persistent cough.

"Miruno... are you okay?" Nisha asked.

"Dust in the air... Cough... Don't worry."

However, this exchange was overshadowed by a more prominent issue concerning the foreigner.

"Why... Why haven't they been treated properly?" Gitta began to get annoyed. He looked at the student with disdain but maintained his composure. His complaint startled the boy and those around him, who fell silent to hear the cause of the argument.

"...Refrain from making a fuss. Consider the injured..." Seeing that his words didn't mitigate his reaction, he turned to Nisha at his side. "Nisha, when will the meeting start?"

"Hm... In a few minutes, Iz told me."

Then, the gaze of the pale-skinned blond youth returned to Gitta without changing his appearance.

"In that case, your response won't take too long. We would appreciate it if you could help us gather the majority. It's something that concerns everyone, or am I mistaken?"

"Indeed..." A weak voice sounded between them.

The young man held the weak man more tightly. He had awakened, or at least his eyelids parted enough to visualize the place.

"Sir!" Gitta reiterated.

“I see you're okay... What about the other children? The teachers...? Haeri...?”

“It's nothing...“ A person was approaching between the makeshift stretchers.

It was Haeri, massaging the aching joints in her arm.

“Can someone tell me what the hell happened? Tsk...”

“Haeri. You're fine, and that's what matters,” said the older man, turning his head slightly toward the girl. Gitta also looked relieved. “Seeing as you can walk, take the opportunity to check on the others. If something happened to them... Their parents would kill me...”

“I don't know if you can call that worry... Never mind, I was thinking of getting something to drink. I'll go see if they're still in one piece.” It wasn't the right time for one of her tasteless jokes, but she was confused enough to let that slip.

"You!" The girl pointed at Nisha with her gaze; toward those eyes as black as hers.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Where are the other people who came with us?"

"Oh..." She exchanged glances with Miruno. He nodded seriously and prepared to accompany them. "Very well... Follow me. This way."

Alone, the face of the man on the stretcher became serious and anxious. From then on, he continued speaking in English to avoid any eavesdropping by any nearby snoopers. He gestured for Gitta to come closer and murmured.

"...Gitta. There's something extremely important you should know..." He turned the young man's hand over with his left hand. With his right one, he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. It looked old and worn, perhaps due to the ravages of the recent accident. "Heh, it's a good thing it's still legible..."

He handed it to his open palm. Then he closed it.

"What's this?" Gitta asked, confused, looking at the writing on the paper.

"...Listen to me carefully, Gitta. This trip... The only way to bring them here... was by convincing their director... that it was a good idea..."

"...Why?"

"My brother... made me promise..." The man began to weaken as he spoke. "This is something only you should know... Never forget... Hide it from the others, especially from Haeri, because... the East..."

"But..."

"Come on, guys! Let's start the meeting! Everyone! Come here quickly! Come on! I want to go home!"

A young man called, interrupting the conversation.

"Looks like I'll have to explain the details to you later, Gitta. Gh... You go to that meeting for me and then tell me the details. The sooner we leave these mountains and go to the East, the better for everyone."

Gitta glanced at the paper. It had nothing written on it but a sentence that made no sense to him.

But there was no time to analyze it.

-[Ø]-

Long faces emerged from the former passengers and students who milled about the field, calling to each other to go to a specific place.

Wearing dusty and torn clothing, they knelt to support those injured by the recent event.

Unable to process what had happened, circumspect rumors surfaced through murmurs and whispers. These only confused and stressed them instead of having the opposite effect.

Gitta assumed it was the meeting he had heard mentioned. Therefore, he tucked the paper into the pocket of his denim vest and prepared to follow the crowd.

The feeling of insecurity was as evident as it was palpable, but soon the truth would come out; it would be clarified, as would their next path.

Sometime later, babbling, arguing, screaming, and immature and superficial protests were emitted by the circular congregation of young people outside the small cabin.

Several brought available seats and blankets to participate in the flamboyant dispute. Others served as supports for the injured.

Among the latter, Haeri and Gitta stood out, walking slowly through the rowdy crowd.

Most of those involved were present.

Noticing this, Izzy, who had been waiting patiently with her arms crossed, stood up. Garwin, Nisha, and Xiomara followed.

A large black bag hung from the shoulder of the robust young man.

Despite the harmless appearance of the light-eyed woman, all her companions, who had already met her, sensed the urgent need to pay attention to her, sitting silently.

First, she looked at everyone and then took a deep breath to begin.

"Many of you are probably wondering why we're still waiting in this desolate place after what happened. It's because of that question that we've gathered you together."

Murmurs began to eavesdrop from the spectators.

"Heh, I'll definitely never get used to hearing her talk like that. All thanks to you, Xio," Garwin whispered to the young blonde woman at his side.

The young woman turned her one uncovered eye toward him.

"It's always been for her own good. And I wasn't the only one who dragged her into something."

"Heh. point for Xiomara."

"Shh, be quiet and let her continue."

"Alright."

Izzy waited briefly for the passivity to return and with a nod invited Xiomara to continue. She took a step forward.

"I-I think it's best to start with the foreigners. Please raise your hands to introduce yourself and express your concerns, if you have any."

The formal process seemed out of place to them, but their lack of familiarity with local customs prompted them to "play along." Because of this, and because most of them understood little Spanish, the young blond man with thin glasses began. He shook out the dark blue short-collared shirt he was wearing and, somewhat uneasily, raised his arm in the air.

"My name is Alon Ostell, and I will speak for my absent colleagues, Ketsy Maloney, and also Mr. Eldan Upton, who I believe will be unable to participate..." He paused for a moment to look at the aforementioned men lying in the wounded shelter several meters away from them and returned his gaze to Xiomara. "No... People, it may sound rude, but I must say this is a complete and utter waste of time."

Standing up among the others, he continued.

"It's common sense. We demand to know where we are and why we, the passengers, have not been taken to a clinic or hospital where we can be treated properly."

"And who do you think you are, stranger?" declared a young man in the audience. Of medium height and dark complexion, he called himself Chase.

He continued without hesitation, his expression mocking.

"Common sense is the last thing I see in your demands. Do you know how difficult it is to treat our own patients these days? You forget you're not in your own country anymore. Here, your word is worth shit, and it was surely worth less than that back then."

"…"

The rude youngster was right, in a way. The medical infrastructure in each province was sparse, even more so in the remote and rural location in which they found themselves at that moment. Even if they went to the nearest clinic, there was no guarantee that it would have the necessary resources to care for the diversity of ailments of the wounded.

"Or are you going to tell me that where you come from, they'd push a citizen off a stretcher for a stranger? Don't make me laugh."

"C-Chase, behave yourself," Xiomara interjected.

"Am I wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong with helping!"

Some people started to argue.

"Will they just leave us like this?

“Don't be selfish!"

“THINK OF THE CHILDREN!”

Tensions mounted in the audience, as did those in favor of the scandal. Those sharp words were nonetheless comprehensible.

“Come on, kids! Don't fight...”

"Please stop!"

The chaotic argument seemed endless until that complaint seemed to bring it to a temporary end. The person responsible turned out to be unknown, having never done anything like this before.

The young man in brown took a breath before returning to his familiar expression.

"...I'm sorry, but...please, this isn't a good time to argue."

"Then stop beating around the bush and spit it out already," Haeri demanded while Gitta changed the bandages on her arm. "It can be seen from miles away, you know? What are you hiding so much?"

"Okay, right... Hm... You see." Nisha returned his gaze to the rest of the audience, his concern gradually growing noticeable. “We have reasons to believe... that the global armed conflict we've feared for so many years has broken out, and we have evidence that indicates the possibility that all of us are directly involved in it... Garwin.”

“I was expecting more, but what can we do?” The man heard his name and walked over to Nisha, who continued. ”Time to get serious”.

“…After the plane crash, we checked the wreckage. I had noticed something on the plane before the explosion and had to confirm it…”

The foreigners, Haeri, Gitta, and Alon, paid more attention to the story.

“At first, we believed the cause of the incident was a common fault, a damaged engine; however, statements from you passengers later made us reconsider that idea.”

“My friend… She was complaining of a strange noise, but… I didn't think it was anything like that.” Alon immediately stood up upon hearing it.

"You said you 'reconsidered the idea,'" a boy in the audience raised his voice. "If it wasn't an accidental failure, then what...?"

"More importantly," Chase added, a smug expression on his face. "What proof do you have of that? The plane's scrap metal now."

"I guess that's my cue," Garwin said. The sturdy young man slowly approached the center of the circle and unpacked the large bag from his shoulder to the floor. "Don't be scared when you see this, guys."

He then dropped the plastic bag covering the irregular object; a white, 3-foot-long chunk of metal with burn marks.

Multiple holes were visible along its entire length, like small bullet holes.

The young and old present at the meeting were immediately startled, and tension mixed with heavy uncertainty began to take hold of their minds at an alarming rate.

"If our suspicions are correct..." Nisha commented in a melancholic tone. "A third war has finally begun behind our backs... That said, we can't return to the capital. Not without thinking about it..."

“And just for you to know, we do not have ‘anti-airs’ or stuff like that in our country. We have no army here” Garwin added.

"I saw it!"

The unsettling conversation was interrupted by the arrival of an unexpected guest; the long-haired young man, shakily approaching the crowd as he discarded the handkerchiefs and bandages that covered him.

"Brawell!" Alon exclaimed.

"I have... I have to go back! My mother... my family...! I-I must know if they're okay!"

Seeing him in that disconcerting state only made people's panic worse. On the other hand, it lent much more credibility to Nisha's recent statement. No one would behave that way if it weren't for a genuine cause.

"Hey, you don't think what you've been babbling all this time is real, do you?" Chase commented, twisting his face and pointing at the foreigner. "That guy's just hallucinating because of the accident and what you see in that piece of metal was caused by the same accident. Rocks or something. It couldn't be clearer."

"If you don't believe it, that's just your issue..." Izzy said calmly, walking up to stand in front of the cocky young man, who couldn't help but feel uncertainty creeping down his back. It seemed she was tired of talking about the subject. "In that case, let's not prolong the discussion; there is a solution."

The lady turned around to face the crowd of young people and foreigners. She closed her diamond-clear eyes in meditation and then looked at each and every one of them.

"Decide... All of you. We'll act on what he declares as mere assumptions. If you ignore what you see, there's nothing else to do (It's useless dealing with cynics...) A place with sufficient infrastructure to treat the wounded could only be found in the capital city. We know our nation very well, including its high-risk areas, so you will understand that we will not expose ourselves to risks for people we have just encountered.”

What kind of nation had they come to? People thought.

Izzy continued anyway.

“From us, we shall go to a safe place to analyze the situation and proceed accordingly.”

"Izzy, that means..." Nisha murmured.

"That is right... We'll split up. Those who wish to follow him back to the capital are free to do so; those who don't, come with us," she concluded. "Retake your possessions... We shall depart soon."