“I don’t know how you too can be so buddy-buddy after fighting like that,” Sonya said.

A few days later all three of them were finally able to get together.

“What is there to be mad about?” Chet popped a handful of fries into his mouth, “It’s in the past,” he mumbled, mouth full of food.

“Maybe it’s a y chromosome thing. My brother and I used to wrestle with some other boys at church when we were kids,” Walker said.

Sonya whipped her head to look at Walker when he said that, her hazel curls slapped her face as she did so. Her hand teased her clavicle, almost touching the chain that was hidden under her undershirt.

“You’re religious?” She asked.

“No, my mom used to take us, she doesn’t really have the chance to anymore.”

Sonya stared at him; her eyebrows knit together. Walker was familiar with that look. He was also familiar with the question that would follow up.

Thankfully, as Sonya opened her mouth Chet cut in, “Religions a scam man. I don’t know how anyone believes in that mumbo-jumbo after finding life on that asteroid. Remember Caux News, didn’t always have a bunch of Jesus-baring hicks ranting on it.”

Walker chuckled; he didn’t watch the news too often but even he remembered some of those clips. “I remember that. Couldn’t get enough sleep for months ‘cause of the “Pray the Hearsay Away” parades. Probably the biggest reason for me moving here last year.”

Sonya cracked a grin, “Not all religions are so silly.”

Chet took a bite out of his spicy chicken sandwich, “Lemme guess,” he paused to swallow, “You’re religious?”

She was in the middle of biting a turkey leg when he asked so instead of answering she gave an “mhm.”

“Hey, let’s not be so harsh,” Walker said.

“Thank you,” she said, exasperated.

“It’s not her fault she was indoctrinated into it at a young age,” Walker continued with a snarky grin.

She just looked at him. Something told Walker he probably stepped into something he should not have. At least, not so soon after knowing something.

“Anyway, you up for it? Team Thundercock needs a third member,” Chet interjected.

“I thought we agreed on the Tigers,” Walker said.

Chet waved a fry at him, “If we’re going with one of the big cats it has to be the lion. They’re the king of the jungle!”

Walker sipped his cup of water, “They don’t even live in the jungle, they live in savannahs. Plus, the tiger is a solitary hunter, the lion needs a whole pride.”

They continued to argue until Sonya interrupted them, “You guys can argue which pussy is best another time, but I’ve been thinking about it… and yeah I’ll join.”

“Huzzah!” Chet exclaimed.

Walker waved Chet off who was doing a little jig, “Really? I mean, I’m glad you’re joining but you obviously have a lot more to offer than we do.”

“Speak for yourself,” Chet murmured.

“Why’re you doing this?” He continued.

Sonya twiddled with the dull chain that hung from her neck before she responded. “Ever hear of an expedition?”

They shook their heads.

“Government-held operations, great way to gain standing in the U.R, money, rare items, artifacts, you name it.”

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Walker and Chet exchanged looks.

“Thing is, the only way you get invited is if the government picks you. Unless you have connections, you need to stand out. High PIP classification will do that, and even if you do have connections, the government still has the last say.”

“Why do you want to join an expedition though?” Walker asked.

Sonya grasped her turkey leg again, “Personal stuff, maybe I’ll tell you later.”

“Alright, I’m gonna head over to the PIP desk and see if we can get registered as a team so we don’t have to repeat the process of adding you guys to the task each time.” Chet stuffed his face with the rest of the fries, grabbed his phone, and stood up.

“Also need to get ready for tomorrow, first day of school. Very exciting stuff,” Chet said sarcastically.

He left, leaving Sonya and Walker alone.

“Are you really religious?” He asked.

She bobbed her head up and down, still gobbling the turkey. Walker couldn’t say he had ever seen a woman consume food so viciously. Though, he could honestly say he didn’t mind it.

“I heard a lot of churches changed after that discovery. Either they claimed it was fake or pivoted and said their bible predicted it all along.”

Sonya chuckled, “I guess you could say my church fell into the second option. Though my church isn’t exactly traditional.”

“Something to do with that necklace?”

Her hand jumped back to her clavicle. He smiled.

“Yeah, I saw it back at the cave. I’ve never seen something like that before, you in a cult or somethin’?”

“What’s the difference between religion and a cult?” She asked before taking another bite. The turkey leg was almost naked at this point.

He scratched his head, “I… I don’t know. Creepier? Wear all white? Nudity?”

She rolled her eyes, but in the way, you do when you’re having a good time with friends. At least that’s what Walker hoped.

“So why are you doing this? PIP I mean. Can’t say it hasn’t been easy for you.”

Walker stayed silent.

“Ugh, c’mon you asked me, and I answered.”

“Yeah barely. There’s more backstory in the Turk the Turkey,” Walker pointed to the sign with the plump turkey wearing a tux and holding a turkey leg. A horrifying idea if you gave it more than a second’s thought.

“How about because I was the one that saved us,” She countered.

Walker chewed his inner lip. What could he say? That he was just like everybody else? He couldn’t hold a part-time job packing trucks. He couldn’t finish high school without being kicked out. He was less than average. The greatest achievement he could honestly say he earned was in elementary school where he won the Most Books Read award. A skill that he’d long left in the dust.

He stole a glance at Sonya.

Confident, put together, talented.

He paused for a few more seconds, more than social conventions allowed, “Just want to make something for myself. Chet introduced me so I did it.”

She squinted and pursed her lips together. Disappointed? Walker would’ve felt the same if he’d given such a boring answer. If asked how he felt Walker would say he didn’t care. Though he did, that’s why he censored himself.

She punched his arm and grinned, “Hey, we’re all losers here.”

He stared down the street. The sun was setting and was almost past the horizon. Plumes of peach and orange splattered the sky and reflected off the glass. Some distance away from where they sat was a fountain lit up by neon LED lights. Surrounding the fountain was a concrete path and a vast lawn. Further down the path was the sleek arch and wall that surrounded the University of Yttrium.

The moment reminded him of the one party he was invited to in high school. A two-story house, filled to the brim with classmates, couples, and red solo cups. The girl who’d invited him greeted him in the living room and promptly disappeared. Everyone was laughing, and having fun, and he was standing there. Present at the moment, but a bystander. He found her later buried in the arms of one of the football players.

Later that evening after Sonya left, he strutted down the sidewalk, kicking whatever trash he saw to entertain himself. He’d been walking for hours, hoping to exhaust himself. He stepped over a thick branch that tore through the concrete and turned left onto the gravel path. A graffiti-covered shop’s roof loomed over him as he made his way deeper into the park before he arrived at his spot.

It was his temporary camp. Or at least that’s what he was trying to think of it as. Camping. Past most of the publicly tredded park-area was a tiny clearing surrounded by bushes as tall as he. It was as wide as his wingspan, but the reason he picked this spot was the two trees that held one side of the clearing. They grey from the same spot and break off into two trunks early on, creating a “V” with the two trunks. Walker found this place the night he and Chet broke open the meteorites.

He spent that night wide awake.

The ground, the bugs, the noises. Alone in the dark for the first time. He didn’t want to think about it. By the second night, he set up a hammock between the two trees. He slung off his backpack and climbed into the hammock. It was a dark grey plastic hammock that hid his spot well at night. However, once the sun came up it absorbed enough heat to feel like he was getting cooked.

He sunk deeper into the fabric until the hammock enveloped him, only revealing a thin slit above him to the environment. He hugged his backpack to his chest and closed his eyes. He took deep breaths, but whenever he exhaled, they were shaky.

He used to look forward to the night, but now he did everything he could to avoid it. However, tonight, more than the last few nights, he couldn’t wait to fall asleep. Tomorrow he was sneaking into the university.