13 – History (2)

Sebastian felt a pair of arms holding him as he slowly woke up. Deep down, he knew they were Ellie’s. But he kept his eyes closed. For a moment, he wanted to imagine it was Axel who held him. That he’d wake up and see Axel’s smiling face and messy hair. He’d share a good morning kiss with him. Followed by a good morning something else…

Something wet pressed against his cheek. Resigned to his fate, Sebastian opened his eyes and turned his head to find Ellie gazing down at him.

She gave him a loving smile. “Good morning.”

“’Morning,” Sebastian mumbled. He rolled back onto his side. Ellie spooned him, and he suppressed an annoyed groan. He already had to put up with her constant kissing and cuddling before they fell asleep all while pretending to like it. Now he had to put up with it again first thing in the morning?

Could he seriously deal with this for the rest of his life?

A scratching sound came from outside the closed door, followed by a bark. Thank God, an excuse. Sebastian pulled himself away from Ellie. “I gotta feed Tibby. Be right back.”

Waylon was in the kitchen. He sat at the table, drinking a cup of coffee while scrolling through his phone.

“You and Ellie have fun last night?” Waylon gave him a knowing grin.

“Uh-huh.” Sebastian grabbed a bag of dog food, and filled up Tibby’s bowl. Tibby wolfed it down like he hadn't eaten in a week.

“Have you thought about how you’re gonna do it?”

Sebastian’s eyes widened until he remembered his father wanted him to propose to Ellie that day. “No.”

“Good. Because I’ve got a better idea than anything you would have come up with. Remember that trail that leads up to that hill?”

Sebastian’s throat tightened at the word “trail.” It started behind the house, and meandered up a large hill. The view was spectacular. One could even consider it romantic. He nodded, though he did not like where this was going.

“Take her up there. Propose then.”

There was only one way to get up there, and that involved hiking. Sebastian’s heart raced as his suppressed memories came to surface. Hiking uphill and downhill for six hours in the hot sun wearing that rock-filled backpack. One water bottle. They had on earbuds that played sermons. The whole time, Sebastian had to listen to how much of an abomination he was for liking men. He’d lost count of the amount of times he passed out during those hikes. And passing out meant an extra round of shock treatment.

Sebastian winced. “Is there a way to do that without hiking?”

Waylon stared at him.

“I really hate hiking,” Sebastian explained.

“You used to love hiking up that hill!”

“That was before-”

“Before Camp Hope. Right.” Waylon rolled his eyes. “God, Sebastian, that was how many years ago? Get over it!”

“But-”

“But nothing!” Waylon glared at Tibby. “You can take the cursed dog with you too, if it’ll make you feel any better. It would sure make me feel better.”

.

~~~~~

A full 24 hours and Jake couldn’t get over Maple’s history test. How wrong all of her answers were. How she got an A on it regardless. Was it just her history class, or were all history classes here like that?

Jake stood outside The 50 Store, where everything was only 50 ameros. He really wanted to talk to Axel about it, but he wasn’t answering his phone. Axel had mentioned going shopping at The 50 Store that afternoon. So Jake figured he’d try to catch him there. He had nothing better to do anyway.

Axel walked up to the building, catching sight of Jake. “What’s up?”

“I really need to talk to you but you haven’t picked up your phone.”

“Really? I didn’t hear it go off.” Axel fiddled with his watch. “Oh… It was on silent. I’m sorry.” His tone was a genuine one. He grabbed a stray shopping cart. “What’s the emergency?”

“It’s fine.” Jake followed him into the store, past a security guard. “Not so much of an emergency. How good were you in history?”

“Alright. I usually got B’s in it.”

“I got A’s.”

“Good for you, nerd.” Axel smiled at him. He stopped in front of a shelf of canned fruit.

“Yeah. Which is why I was confused when Maple showed me the history test she got an A on.”

Axel set a couple cans of fruit cocktail into his cart. “Good for her as well. What’s the confusion?”

“How did the US Collapse start?”

Axel scrunched his brow while they walked, as though trying to recall the answer. “At the time, the government was in a left-wing majority. They kept suppressing the voices of the right. It violated the first amendment, but no one in the government cared. So the right revolted.”

It was similar to Maple’s answer. “That’s wrong.”

“It’s been a few years,” Axel admitted. “What’s the answer?”

“The government was right-wing majority. They suppressed the voices of the left, which violated the first amendment. So the left started a revolt.”

Axel shook his head. “No. I definitely remember it was the left causing problems, and the right revolted.”

“No. It’s the other way around. Trust me.”

“I take it that’s what California teaches you?”

“Yeah. And it’s right.”

Axel stopped to pull out his phone. He typed in something, then showed Jake his screen.

The US collapse began when the left-wing majority government suppressed right-wing voices. The right started a revolt to take back their first amendment rights.

“See.” Axel put his phone back in his pocket, and continued onto the next aisle.

Jake frowned and pulled out his phone. He typed in “What started the US Collapse?”

The US collapse began when the right-wing majority government suppressed left-wing voices. The left started a revolt to take back their first amendment rights.

“I’m right,” Jake said, holding his phone out towards Axel.

Axel stopped to read it. “Why does your phone have a different answer?”

“Because my phone is right.”

“Does your phone still think it’s in California or something?” Axel asked. “I don’t see how it’s possible…”

Jake remembered when he first came to Jefferson. A few shows he missed from California weren’t available, so he had to take matters into his own hands. “I do have a VPN set to California.”

Axel nodded. “That explains it. The ESA government must be rigging your internet to give biased answers.”

Jake gaped at him. “No it’s not. It’s your government that’s rigging your internet!”

“Maybe both governments are rigging our internets.” Axel shrugged, and tossed a bag of potato chips into his cart.

His lack of outrage baffled Jake. Regardless of who was wrong, someone’s government was purposely telling its people a revised version of history. Jake was ready to start a protest about it. At the very least, people needed to be aware. “Don’t you care?”

“I care that everything here is supposed to be 50 ameros, but the price of this cereal is 59.99. They’re not fooling anyone with that shit.” Axel put it in his cart anyway, and moved on.

“How are you okay with this?”

“I didn’t say I was.”

“You’re not acting like it.”

Axel stopped to look at Jake. “I admire that you’re passionate about these things. But I need you to understand... I can’t even buy a bag of rice or a box of noodles because I have no way of cooking them. What schools are teaching kids is the least of my worries.”

Maybe if the right hadn’t been so obsessed with suppressing the voices of the left, Axel wouldn’t have that problem.

~~~~~

Per Waylon’s advice, Sebastian, Ellie, and Tibby set out to the hill in the evening. He thought Sebastian should propose while the sun set. A stupid and ri idea, but at least Sebastian had experienced enough night hiking and sleeping out under the stars to survive. He doubted things would come to that though.

Waylon gave Sebastian a ring in a box, which Sebastian had put in his pocket. At least they didn’t have to carry backpacks, and it was only a half hour walk to the spot. Sebastian only brought one water bottle, and he probably wouldn’t need it. Ellie didn’t even bother with one. “If I get thirsty, I’ll take a sip from yours,” she had said.

It helped Sebastian to think of it as a walk instead of a hike. He took deep, calming breaths as they passed pine trees similar to the ones at Camp Hope. And more pine trees. And more pine trees. Sebastian tightened his grip on Tibby’s leash. Every so often, the dog would stop to sniff at something. Usually a pine tree.

Why did there have to be so many cursed pine trees? Being surrounded by them made him feel like he was at Camp Hope again. He closed his eyes as he continued taking deep breaths. He forced himself to think of Axel. It was difficult for once.

“Are you okay?”

Sebastian jumped. For a second, he thought a counselor had caught him daydreaming. He rubbed his chest. “Sorry. I’m fine. Not used to walking this much.”

Tibby tugged at the end of the leash, and they continued walking.

“We can stop if you need to.”

“We’ve been stopping every two minutes.” Sebastian stopped walking again so Tibby could sniff at a bush. They’d barely started going uphill.

A squirrel shot out from the bushes. Tibby yanked the leash out of Sebastian’s grip to chase it.

“Tibby!” Sebastian raced after him, Ellie shouted something from behind him.

Sebastian dodged through trees, trying to keep sight of Tibby. But Tibby was fast. Was he part greyhound or something? Eventually, he lost sight of the dog. Which was something, given the size of him. Sebastian fell to his knees, clutching his chest.

Ellie panted next to him. “Maybe if we wait here, he’ll come back to us.”

“Hopefully.” Sebastian looked around at all the oppressing trees, and the lack of a trail. “Where’s the trail?”

“You ran right off it without thinking. I tried to warn you.”

The sun had begun to set as reality hit him. They were alone in the wilderness, and it would be dark soon.

“We’re gonna need to find a way back,” Ellie said. “Before we can’t see anything. I don’t think our flashlights are good enough to get us out of a forest. And I really don't want to be stuck out here all night in the dark. Especially without... anything. That would be horrifying!"

"You have no idea." How many times had Sebastian been sent out into the woods right before sunset, with nothing but the clothes on his back?

He breathed in deeply. If he was able to survive all those times, he could survive this time. Especially since he had a companion. Possibly a dog too, if Tibby could find his way back to them.

Except all those other times, a counselor knew exactly where he was and would retrieve him in the morning. Would anyone be able to find them?

“Do you know how to get back to the trail?” Ellie asked.

“No better than you do. Besides, I’m not leaving without Tibby.”

“We might have to.”

Sebastian turned his back to her. He walked in the direction he last saw Tibby, and called his name.

A distraction from his dire situation.