Free Afterland by Masha Leyfer

sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up anything that-”
    “No, no.”
    Judging by Nathan’s flustered expression, I must have sounded more severe than I thought. I hurry to retract my words. I can choose from any identity in the world. It’s not going to be asshole .
    “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way,” I smile again. “I just meant...um...I’m happy to move on. With, uh, all of you. Here.”
    “We’re very happy to have you.”
    “Thank you. Um..So, what’s the Rebellion like?”
    “What’s it like?” He chuckles a little. “That’s a hard question. What’s it like in comparison to what?”
    “Um…” I had meant it to be a simple question. “To, uh, normal life?”
    “See, I’m not really sure what you mean by that. I spent my entire life in the Rebellion, so this is my status quo.”
    “Oh. Um. That’s cool.”
    “Cool in comparison to what?”
    I find myself getting mildly irritated.
    “In comparison to Hopetown.”
    “Would you rather be fighting your entire life?”
    “I was fighting my entire life,” I narrow my eyes. My life may not have been as interesting as Nathan’s, but that doesn’t make it any less relevant. “Maybe my enemies weren’t as concrete as yours, but they were as real.”
    “No, I’m sorry. You’re right. We’re all damaged, in some way or another. It shouldn’t be a competition. We need to help each other get better.”
    “You think we can get better?”
    “Well, why not?”
    “We can’t get better while the world is still so sick.”
    Nathan shrugs.
    “Then we’re just going to have to help the world first.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 5
     
    I wake up to the sound of birds chirping. Through the net of the unzipped window, I can see the first rays of the sun rising above the forests. The only noises are the birds and the wind quietly rustling in the branches. I stretch. The night was colder than I expected, but it’s a price I’m willing to pay a thousand times for escape from Hopetown.
    Perhaps my spite for my old home is overpowering, but it seems to me that the hard forest ground is more comfortable than my bed back in Hopetown. And although my sleep this night was as restless and plagued by nightmares as it has always been, I sleep easier here. I hope that that will last.
    Rebekah told me to meet her after breakfast, but she didn’t specify when that would be, but I would rather not be remembered as the girl who was late to her first day of training. I pull on my socks and boots and unzip the door. Nobody is out yet. I guess I’m not late.
    I breathe in the air. It is pure and crisp and smells like the forest. The Hopetown wind was a mix of sea water and vomit and wasted lives.
                  I let it all soak in. The cold mountaintop air, the chirping birds, the rays of sunlight warming my fingertips, the cluster of tents around me. I let the sun revitalize me and hope that I’ll survive the following days. At least now, if I die, I’ll have seen the world outside the Gate, if only once.
                  I hear a tent unzip behind me. Big Sal walks out, yawning.
                  “Good morning,” I say.
                  “Good morning, dear. How’d you sleep?”
                  “Um. Pretty good.”
                  “Good. Was it too cold? Do you need extra blankets?”
    “Um. I don’t think so.”
    “Well, if you change your mind, just ask. But now, it’s time time for breakfast.”
    “Oh. Can I help?” I venture.
    Big Sal smiles broadly.
    “Of course you can! You can make a fire, right?” I nod. “Can you do that, please? It would be a big help.”
                  “Sure.”
                  “You can use the firewood in that pile over there. Thanks a lot.”
                  “No problem.”
    I begin stacking up the sticks and logs in the triangular