~Water

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"Come on sleepy head! Why are you always been difficult in the morning. Get up!" Elsa drags my legs out of the blanket.

"Let me sleeepp- I am sooooooo tirrreedddd. Go away!" I say slurring my words purposely.

"Don't make me do something terrible to you. Get up!!" She yells at me.

"Okay, okay, I am up already." I drag myself lazily out of the tiny bed we both share and head to the bathroom to clean up my face.

It has been months since we graduated and getting up early is always my nightmare.

After about twenty minutes of Elsa pushing me around, we head to work.

The foragers' meeting hall which is what we decided to call the training Grounds is located in the farm reserve area of the compound, since we work closely together.

On our way we pass the farmers trying to save the little crops we have left on the other side of the cattle gates. The situation is really getting bad, the crops do not look healthy due to lack of water and faint sun, all due to the effects of the bombs that fell years ago.

Soon we get to the hall where the rest of our team is already seated waiting for the instructions of the day. Elsa and I quickly say our greetings and find space to seat before the captain comes in. Soon enough Mr Bellman, our captain walks in and passes the day's task to us.

The task is kind of tricky because we are asked to go out and find water that has not been contaminated, well that should be complicated but I said tricky because he said, those who do not find clean water will be asked to join some other working group in the community, which has never happened! No body is forced out of a group they already graduated into.

There is something deeper going on, almost as if they did not want people in the foraging group.

But we are important...right?

We bring food, plants, seeds and so many edible food that help feed every member of our city.

Why would they suddenly not need people in foraging group anymore??

As usual my team set off into the barren forest in groups of twos and threes, since we were no longer a total of twenty. I was with Elsa and for some reason unknown to us, Bellman made Samuel join us for most of our runs and this was no exception. We all looked worried because this kind of task has never been given to such a young team and with such a catch to it.

We continue heading deeper into the dead forest, checking every vine, yes the dead ones, because that's all that's left in here, then an idea occurs to me.

"Guys, why don't we go check where we found those plants? I am sure we will find water somewhere."

"You sure about that?" Samuel asks. Ever since the dinner we had at his place, he kind of grew on us, coupled with the fact that Bellman joins us for most runs, he became our friend. Our weird friend with negative comments always.

"Yes, she is." Elsa answers for me.

"Really? I mean that spot you found those plants is like an hour walk back in that direction. What if we don't find anything? We would lose not just precious time but we won't complete our task and they would ask us to join other groups, a lot is at stake here," he says with a firm voice.

"Listen boy! I have been with Eden all my life and once she says something especially something that is connected to plant life in anyway and I mean anyway; she is always right. Its your choice, continue going and lose or turn around and we find water," Elsa says folding her hands against her chest and giving Samuel a look as if she is daring him to oppose her. She and Samuel have been like this in every run we do together. Elsa's short temper and his negative opinion never went well. Never.

"El please easy, I am not always right. Samuel you are right, we are risking a lot of things here. But I just have a really strong feeling, besides if plants can grow out of nowhere in this dead place, I am sure those plants were getting water from somewhere. All we have to do is find that place. Its okay if you don't want to go." I try to calm the situation so as to avoid a fight breaking out.

"Its okay, what you are saying is making sense, come on lets go before someone else thinks of it too." He finally lets out after completing a staring contest with Elsa.

We start navigating our way back to the place Elsa found those plants few months ago. Elsa at the front, I at the middle and Samuel at the back which he claims is to protect us.

We walk around for so long that for a moment l feel we are going in circles but Elsa claim to be the right track.

I do not know how she was doing it because everything looked the same to me, dead brown-black trees all the way but she keeps insisting we are on the right way and before long we find the spot. We jog the rest of the way and once we get there, I get down to business.

Every living thing depends on water to survive, these plants can not be fresh on their own, there has to be a water source. There has to be. I go down on my knees and examine the tiny roots of each plant carefully, I dig a bit of soil away to check if its an underground source.

"Wait!" Elsa suddenly screams turning around and searching the ground like she lost something." Its an underground source. Its this way!" She stops turning and starts walking in the opposite direction.

"El! What are you saying?" She keeps walking away and even increases her speed to a light jog, I and Samuel also pick up pace and go after her.

"Elsa! Wait up."

Her light jog soon turns into a run and we try to keep up with her.

We continue like this for about twenty minutes, Elsa running to an unknown place while I and Samuel continue running after her. Samuel taps my upper arm to gain my attention.

"Eden!"

"What!"

"You do realise now where she is heading right?" he asks me, sweat dripping down his defined face.

I strain my eyes ahead a bit to try and see what he saw that made him realise things I obviously do not realise.

"Samuel what is it? Where are we going? Where is she going?" I ask getting irritated.

"To the old lake!"

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