Sailing the Sky [Rose Swan and Blue Demon]

Getting up before the sun was no hardship in the summer. It was always cool and brisk outside. Which was a vast improvement over the winter. When it was always cold and freezing. It was also an improvement over the heat of a summer day. But it wasn't that time yet. It was planting season. Which meant the mornings were still cold and the afternoons were barely warm at all. But that never bothered Devon. A little work and you wouldn't notice the cold. Of course getting up was the easy part. Then it was just plain tedious afterwards.

There was much to do to upkeep even a simple farm. The Nights couldn't afford a large farm, so even though there were five of them, there was never enough land. Yet there was a never ending stream of chores. It was Devon's job to wake before the sun. Since he was a middle child, he always got the chores no one else wanted.

So there he was mucking stalls before the sun had even shown her golden face. The animals themselves were barely awake themselves. After the stalls were cleaned for the horses, the two cows had to be milked. The sheep, the cows, and the goat had to be set out to graze.

After all that was done, his father and older brother would finally make their way outside. They would attack the till to one of the horses. Father would then plow the field over and Devon and his older brother, Kyle, with their youngest sister Ginny, would plant seeds. Devon of course would pick up rocks out of the field and place them on the rock wall that ran around the field.

Once the days planting was finally over, Devon would be free. He wouldn't stick around very long or he'd be put to work doing whatever tasks his father could think up. No, he'd head out down past the fields and over towards the lake where he'd meet up with his friend. Most days they'd talk about what it would be like to leave their little town and see the world. But there was no where to go. The government kept you where you were supposed to be. And this was where the government thought they should be. In this boring little town. Doing the same thing over and over until you died.

Devon flopped down next to the lake. It was still too cold to go swimming. But in a few more weeks the water would warm up. Thankfully the air was warm from all the exposure to the sun. He wiggled out of his shirt, exposing toned muscles. When he worked on his family farm he didn't have to wear a shirt, but once he left his mother insisted he be properly clothed.

Devon sighed and closed his black eyes and basked in the sun.

The smell of warm, baking bread woke her up that morning, much like it always did. The smell meant home to Natalie Powers, and home was never a good thing. For Devon, getting up was easy. For Natalie, it was never good, and she had no idea how she got herself up in the morning to face the day. Oh yeah, if she didn't get up in a timely fashion, she'd get an extra beating. That was great motivation to get up.

Natalie Powers was the daughter of the baker of the town. It was no secret that the man was abusive. But no one put a stop to it because then there would be no bread for the town in general. Each morning she'd get up, dress, and deal with a lecture with the man up in her face. His breath reeked. He needed a little mint leaves.

After the morning lecture Natalie would bring large sacks of flour around the bakery. Once her father had decided he was through baking, she'd lift a loaf of bread and run to the lake to meet her only friend: Devon. He was her only light in her dismal life, and he meant freedom. One day they'd leave their shitty lives here, and go somewhere. Somewhere amazing. And they would never look back.

Today, on a lovely as far as temperature day, Natalie made her usual venture out to the lake to found Devon laying shirtless in the sun. She couldn't help a wicked smile as she entered the clearing, and decided to sneak up on him. Ever so quietly she tiptoed to him before dropping to her knees nnear his head and peering down on him. The sun added a bright glow to her red hair, and her freckles accented her smile. "Devon Night, what would your mother say if she saw you like this?" she beamed as her daily bread was put on his bare chest.

Devon was drifting in and out of sleep when he heard a voice next to him. His black eyes popped open and he attempted to sit up, but a small loaf of bread stopped him. From a half reclining position he reached a hand out, picked up the bread, and looked at it. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. The bread was still warm, which meant it was fresh. A real treat for Devon. Which Natalie would probably get in trouble for taking later with her father.

Inspection of the bread over he turned to look at his friend. She was kneeling beside him so he didn't have to look up too far to see her face. She was grinning like always. It was infectious.

"My mother," Devon began slowly. "Wouldn't say anything. She's just take me out back and hit me." It was usually with the paddle his mother used to dust off the sole carpet in their house. It hurt like sin to be hit with. Last time he had been hit was over a year ago and he didn't want to repeat the experience. At least his father only used his belt. It hurt less and didn't lay him out for long.

"What would your father say about this?" He looked at the small bread loaf still in his hand. Then he laid back down as he passed the bread back to her. "You should eat it before it cools."

Devon always told Natalie to eat. He worried about her. He felt like her life was harder than his was. While his parents might not care for him, they never went out of their way to purposefully hurt him. Sure, they might make his life miserable sometimes. But he was usually happy. Which was something he didn't think his friend was.

Natalie rolled her eyes. "How many times have we had this discussion? You tell me to eat, I tell you to eat, it goes back and forth for a bit until finally we split the damn thing. Let's lessen the workload a little." she complained before splitting the loaf in half. The crust crackled as it split, meaning it was good bread, and she handed half of it to him before beginning to nibble on her own half.

"My father..." she said when taking a break between bites. "...would beat me senseless and scream obscenities the whole time he was doing it. But sometimes, Devon, you have to know what's worth the fight. You think I need to eat more when I'm surrounded by this stuff every day? You should. You're working much harder than I am." Now it was Natalie's turn to flop backward on the grass.

Devon took his half of the bread meekly. He had to sit up a little again in order to eat it. He listened while she talked. His face was serious as he watched her. She didn't appear to be sad today, just a little irritated at him. He closed his black eyes and smelt the bread as he ate. It smelt like what he thought a home should smell like. He was sure neither of them thought of the places they lived at as home.

He finished and laid back on the grass again. With warm bread in his belly and the sun on his body, he was beginning to feel a little sleepy. He watched the clouds as they flowed past. "We could go." He said finally after a long pause. He had been thinking about it for a while. He wasn't needed on the farm anymore. Not with his sister close to a marriageable age. She probably could get married now, but his parents would make her wait until she was eighteen at least.

And the farm was in good shape. He had just fixed the water pump. There wasn't a broken fence in sight to let out the live stock. The ground was fully tilled. The last of the seed would be planted here soon. No, his family could do without. They might curse him and wish him ill, but they wouldn't be hurt by his leaving.

Devon turned to Natalie as he finished speaking. It wasn't the first time he had ever said something like this. Sometimes they'd talk for hours about what life would be like in another place. But it was always just talk, at least on Devon's part. He had never suggested even once that they should go. Ever.

Natalie sat up, almost glaring at him. "You always say that, but you never fall back on it. You never realize that you're right. We could run. We are two perfectly healthy people and we can easily leave this town. Tonight even. We could just grab some stuff and go on an adventure, leave this place and never come back. They don't want us here, so let's give them what they want!" she snapped at him.

She fell back on the grass, with tears almost in her eyes. "Our families don't want us, Devon. Why are we even still here when there's a huge world out there to see? Why are we letting ourselves be abused and neglected like this? There's no could to it anymore. We should leave." Natalie looked up hopefully at the sky sadly. The prospect of going home to her father was significantly less appealing than before.

Devon levered himself up and looked down at his friend. Yes, she was upset at him. He didn't like her looking like this. He shook his head. "Okay." He had no objections. Which was why he suggested it in the first place. His family didn't need him anymore. His main reason to stay was gone. All he had left now were reasons to leave.

"We need supplies." He stood up and stretched. The sun felt good. He picked a few stray pieces of grass out of his hair. "Food, water, compass, money, clothes." He paused. Natalie could get bread from her place. Devon knew where the cheese and meat was at his place. Water was easy enough to come by. He owned a compass. Clothes, again, were also easy enough to pack. They both had bags.

Money would be a problem for Devon. He had a few coins he had saved from doing odd jobs for other families. But nothing to last anymore than two or three days. He bent down and picked up his shirt. He wouldn't take money from his family. If he was caught... Maybe he was a coward, but they needed the money too and he didn't want to be beaten that badly.

Natalie was astonished at his reaction. He readily said yes. No questions asked. He just said "okay" and actually said what they would need. "Wow. I expected more of an argument. Alright, I'll get some bread and I'll steal some money from Dad. We'll leave tonight at midnight, when everyone's asleep. I'll meet you hear in this spot, and then we'll go. Sound like a plan?"

She was running through her part of the plan in her head. Taking the money would almost get her killed if she got caught. It's why she had to be ridiculously careful. One mistake ruined everything, would bind Devon here forever. They couldn't do this without each other, though she'd strongly encourage Devon to leave without her if she couldn't. He needed the adventure way more than she did. He had potential, she didn't. So she would set him free if she were forced to spend the rest of her life in the crappy town.

"And if one of us doesn't show up, the other goes on without them." she added in after a moment of silence. "It's better if at least one of us gets out alive."

Devon stared at her. Did he like that? No. No, he didn't. He bent over and picked up his discared shirt. He slipped it over his head and looked at the sky. Midnight was hours away. So was nightfall for that matter. Long enough that it was risky for Natalie if she was stealing money from her dad.

"You just get the bread." Devon said once the shirt was in place. "I'll worry about the money."

If he got caught he'd be better off than she was. His parents were less likely to kill or seriously maim him. Hopefully. He took a deep breath. "And I'm not leaving without you. We go together, or not at all." He wouldn't leave her behind and she knew it. He shook his head and more grass tumbled down and out of his hair.

Devon looked back over the lake. They could take a walk to waste time, or plan which way they were to go.

"Devon, you know my dad is better off as far as money is concerned. He deserves it more anyway. Your family still has the farm to run. At the bakery it's me and Dad. He won't miss it as much, nor does he need it as much. I've got it. I'll take it before I leave, while he's sleeping, just like I would the bread. It won't be fresh and warm, but it's better than nothing."

Natalie met his dark eyes with a combination of hope and thankfulness. He wouldn't leave without her, was willing to lessen her workload to keep her safe. It was always good to know that she had a friend she could count on. Then again, they were pretty much all they had in the world. The only people who mattered.

"I wouldn't want to hold you back, Devon. If I get stuck with Dad I'll figure out another way out. But you have way more of a chance out there than I do. Seriously. Don't worry about me and go if you can. It'll all be fine." she told him, looking away and then following his gaze out over the lake.

Were there any other plans they needed to make? A shortcut out? A route? Make a map or something? Any plans you want to make?" she asked finally.