Chapter 25

>>The world is much bigger and more beautiful than this, Oli. Some of my stories are fiction; they don't exist, but others, like today's, are real, and I need you to pay close attention in case I can't escape with you; I need you to remember these indications.

Before living here, I had a family; they loved me in their way and wanted the best for me; my parents wanted me to live like a queen so much that they forgot my happiness and my voice to decide about my life... I am entirely sure that they would help us if we asked them. Do you see the sea outside the barriers? On the other side, there is more land, that's where I used to live, the city of Neshala. It's big and beautiful; it has a lot of parks and malls.

The plan is to escape to the Golden Star, but if something happens and you get out of here, you must go to Neshala; you will know that you have arrived by the mountains that look like Viking helmets. It would help if you looked for a public phone, like the one we have here but much more significant; it is protected by a transparent glass case with red frames, they are straightforward to locate. There you must press the numbers 6 0 0 2, and when you hear the word Gunn you must press the number 1. You will explain to them that you are Collette Gun's son and that you need help to rescue mommy and the others. You will explain everything, Oliver, and they will come for you and later for me.

Do you understand? Tell me what you will do if I cannot escape with you. We'll go over it as many times as necessary<<

Oliver wakes up suddenly, remembering where the name Neshala was familiar; it was the hometown of his mother who had once again thought about how to help him if she was no longer there for him.

"Chrystal Daly."

The boy moves the redhead who was asleep in a fetal position; when she feels the movement, she slowly opens her light blue eyes, noticing a little impatience in the young man.

"What's wrong?" she asks sleepily.

"I-I think we could get help in Neshala."

He waited until the girl was fully awake to explain to her what his mother had forced him to memorize years ago. When Chrystal heard everything, Oliver told her she couldn't believe how he hadn't remembered it before. She was grateful for the fact that Oliver finally remembered his last name, which would go a long way in finding and contacting relatives; now that they had all the directions, they could find them, but Chrystal wasn't sure that if they did see Oliver's grandparents, they would agree to help them.

Meeting your sixteen-year-old grandchild is not an everyday occurrence, and learning that your daughter had been kidnapped all that time and was now dead was not news to be taken lightly. They would try; maybe the Gunn family was one of those movie families where they had each other's backs.

The trip to the city of Neshala took them over half a day; they had had to travel the last ten kilometers on foot due to the motorcycle's gas running out, so they would have to refuel until they reached the city.

When they arrived, Chrystal showed him the mountains with Viking helmets appearance. Despite being one of the richest in the world, the city preserved its ancient buildings, great architecture made of stone and wood; all of them ended in a peak and were adorned by colorful flowers. The sea of people sprouted from everywhere, and Oliver began to panic; he was still not used to being surrounded by so many people, so he stood on a small corner without going into the main street. He didn't want to be afraid, but the noise, the colors, the smells, and the people were too much for the poor boy.

"Is something wrong?" asked Crystal, turning around when she felt his absence.

Oliver was looking around while nervously playing with the zipper of his jacket; the red-haired girl deduced what was going on and kindly offered him her hand. The boy looked at her hesitantly, but when he saw tranquility in those light blue eyes, he could relax a little, accepting her hand shyly.

Chrystal was beginning to get to know Oliver better; he was quiet no matter how hard she tried to engage him in conversation. Oliver didn't speak much; the most he said was that night when he confessed his past to her. But his silences were his way of communicating; his facial expressions and body actions told Chrystal what was happening to him.

Chrystal didn't expect him to change to an average person overnight; in fact, she was pleased from time to time with the silence and mute communication with Oliver because Chrystal wasn't much of a talker either, but she hoped that someday the dark-haired man would break his barriers and be able to express himself as the free person he now was. In the meantime, it was Chrystal Daly's job to help him break down those barriers.

At a slow pace, they walked through the streets of Neshala, avoiding crowds and noisy places so as not to upset the chestnut. They decided to rest for a while on some benches in the center of a square; Chrystal had spent the last of their remaining money on food.

"The phone booths are over there," she pointed to a red cubicle with glass cases in the distance, "if we're lucky, we can get a roof over our heads to sleep in."

The hot chocolate the redhead bought warmed every cell in Oliver's body; it was delicious, delightful, and hot. He liked hot drinks; well, he wanted anything other than the pittances of food that the guards gave him every so often. He was nervous, Oliver wasn't sure if his mother's plan would work either, he wasn't good at talking, and his appearance had always been controversial in his life. The boy knew that his mother had not ended well with his family, she decided to run away from home to go to The Gold Star with his father. He didn't know how he would be received by those people who denied his daughter happiness; if Elliot Craig hated him for looking like his dead father, he never knew Collette's family might hate him too.

Enough of that; he had to think positive. If his mother had given him those indications, it was because she trusted they would help them, leaving aside who was the chestnut's progenitor. Her mother had said it, they only wanted her to be happy with the wrong person, and when they realized the damage she had suffered, they would help them.

He picked up the phone and dialed the numbers indicated, waiting three times until a robotic voice began to speak. Chrystal stayed glued to Oliver, listening to the vast list of last names in the Dunroch sector until finally, they heard the last word, Gunn.

"Now, press 1."

Oliver pressed the button with the number 1; seconds later, the robotic voice told them the number was disabled, but the address was still valid; both young people chose to know the address of Collette Gunn, making a mental note in Chrystal's head so she wouldn't forget any details. Unlike Dinashia, the redhead didn't know Neshala very well, having only been to the beach a couple of times with her family, but it was nothing that a few questions to the people couldn't solve.

"Well, I hope it's not too far away. I think I can call my uncle for some money, and I can get… gas."

When Oliver hears the word money, he pulls a wad of bills out of his pants pockets, leaving the girl's mouth to drop open.

"I think it will be enough for your gas and more food."

"Where did you get that money? Did you steal it? " she whispers, dumbfounded. "When?"

People are absent-minded and always put their money in the same place. I knew we needed that money; everything here gets done with the money.

He answers, shrugging his shoulders, handing the wad of green bills to the girl.

"Ok... no, it's not right to steal, not right."

"But you needed..."

"Yes, I know, but..." she let out a sigh; she knew she should have told him before that stealing was not the best way to get money. They didn't have much choice either if his uncle refused to share his money with her. Heck, it was dangerous that he was stealing from her side, and she didn't realize it, "but it's not right" Try not to do it, okay, let alone when you're next to me, I don't even notice.

The chestnut nodded, following behind the redhead who was heading for the nearest gas station