Welcome to Gaia! ::

Evacy raised her right hand out of habit while her left hand continued to rub her sleepy eyes. 'The sun is still to bright.' she thought. "How do you know if we'll get to a town? We might be going in the opposite direction." She didn't know whether she had spoke out of turn or not. She was honestly curious.

Evacy nodded, thoughtful. She had totally forgotten about school, not liking the place anymore than she liked it underground, though she did learn a bit from the dreadful place. Evacy eyed the crystal clear blue river with a tinge of sadness. It tasted better than the water underground, but hey, everything is greener on the other side of the fence, right? She shook her head slightly to get some stray hair out of her eyes, then shielded them with her hand. She would never get used to the brightness.

Lilith hadn't uttered so much as one word since the reached the surface. As they'd reached the end of the tunnel, she began to squint her eyes against the light, hoping in vain that this would help her eyes adjust better when she got outside. Once her eyes did adjust to the light however, she took in the beautiful trees and the gorgeous flowing river. A smile slowly crept across her face as she reached back into her bag and took out two books, one was her half finished journal, and the second was a black journal that she'd now decided would be her sketch pad. Following the others, she would set her eyes on a tree or other plant quite a ways away, drawing first the general shape, then as she got closer she'd add the details so she didn't have to break away from the group or move anything.

As they set up camp, she set down her sketch book and began to write in her journal of all the things she'd seen. She heard as others got up to investigate their surroundings she assumed, but remained in her sleeping bag, making notes about everything, eager to share it all with her family once they returned. She had a restless sleep, her brain trying to process all the amazing things it had seen, but she awoke startled by the bright light the sun produced in the morning. Seeing others were awake, she called out a good morning, though she wasn't sure anyone had heard her. Brushing her hair back into a neat ponytail, wanting to look presentable if they were to find others today, she smoothed out her clothes and set out with the others, deciding this time only to leave her sketch pad out, since she didn't seem to write until she'd seen everything.

Nodding at everything Kai said, not wanting to interrupt, she waited until it seemed they'd found themselves without more to say to one another when she spoke. Isn't this exciting? What's everyone hoping to see? I've heard there are large cats that live in mountains, and strong hoofed creatures that sometimes let you ride them! She'd always paid particular attention in school, when things from the surface were talked about, things she could only dream of. Lilith wasn't really expecting anyone to respond, but figured talking might help everyone forget how bright the sun was.

Claire had followed the tunnels silently, eager to see the outside. It was unbelievable how close the surface was, how easy it was to reach - and yet, how far down and away from it did they live all their lives.
When they finally got to the outside world, she was stunned. The light! The sky! It was all her mother had sung about and so much more! It nearly blinded her, and yet the warmth and the breeze made her feel so amazingly alive...
She looked around, recognizing the trees she had read about in her long school time. The Healers were trained to recognize all the plants from the Ancient Volumes. She went along with the group, looking at her surroundings in awe, cutting some herbs she knew would be helpful, pinching herself sometimes to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
When night came, she didn't sleep; she gazed at the night sky for hours, looking dazed at the stars, trying to remember their stories. "Every star tells its own lullaby" her mother used to say.
The stars and the moon were so bright she could even write. She spent hours detailing all she had seen in her journal, sketching the leaves she had seen and caught, the bugs that had passed by...
Then, Kai called and it was time to move again. She was tired from the lack of sleep and stood silently at the edge of the group as people talked, trying to grasp their names and atitudes in her mind for later reference.
"We sure are a strange group...the best of the youth...what a risk it was to let us all come!" She thought. Then, two girls started talking about some of the wonders they hoped they'd see, and she started thinking of all she wanted to see and forgot all her worries and tiredness.

"Ah, yes! That's it. I think the salt in the water allows certain kinds of fish to live there... Or something like that." Evacy said, scratching the back of her head. She didn't really pay attention during school, and now she regretted her selective memory. But she did remember some things. Evacy couldn't wait until she could get her hands on a real wooden staff, or maybe even a bow and some arrows. She smiled deviously. Reading ahead was always profitable, especially if it's something you didn't learn in class.

"It's a little hard to explain all this myself. Keep in mind it's my first time up here too. I think it's best for you to just see it for yourself instead of me trying to explain things I don't know much about." He stretched his back as he walked onward. He was getting very worried that they hadn't seen any animals yet. Almost like an omen, foreshadowing of things to come. Then again, he was feeling kind of pessimistic today.
"We're almost there. Just a little longer," he said quietly. The sun had started to set.

Andrea blinked, thinking what she said over a few times. "Hmm.." she blinked again when Evacy looked straight into the sun and lightly covered her mouth with one of her hands to stiffle a soft laugh. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh." she said, offering her a tentive and shy smile. "May I ask you name?" Andrea tilted her head a little, her short black hair following the movement.

Andrea repeated her name in her head a few times, admiring how pretty it sounded. "Hmm, mine's Andrea." she said, nodding slightly as if she was agreeing with something. "Evacy is a very pretty name." she commented lightly, nodding her head a couple more times.