Same Planet but Different Worlds

Chapter 25 Fishing

Flynn's POV

The nervousness, I think is taking over for the both of us after that comment from me. I don't ever want to make her uncomfortable but I don't know how to take the attention away because I have no idea what to say. I hear Kaya clearing her throat before I hear. "Hey.. Um.. do you think I could get one of those small birds if I snuck over there?" she asks, I think trying to change the subject as she slowly takes her arm away and sits up straight.

I glance up seeing that she is talking about some birds that are drinking the water and across the river. "You could always try, but honestly they don't have enough meat on them to be worth it, a rat, squirrel or even the fish have more than those, they are just skin and bones." I declare while once again keeping an eye out around us. I don't want her to feel uncomfortable around me, so I will just go with the flow of the conversation.

"Really? Wow they look like they would have something to them... huh." she says sounding as if she is thinking about that as she continues to stare over at them. "Have you never tried getting one or eating it before?" I ask her as she shakes her head. "I never see birds where I live." that gets my mind reeling, where could she live where there would be no birds, because we see them everywhere.

"Really? No birds at all?" I ask as she shakes her head.

"We have some birds, like chickens, but nothing like that.. I don't even know what that is.. But it's beautiful." I think about that before softly saying, "As far as I know it's just called a blue bird.. Nothing special about the name or at least that's what I have been told." she nods before looking back at me, chuckling a little. "Makes sense with the color and all.. Ugh.. I'm not catching anything.. There must not be much here because I am always able to catch fish back home." she states sounding a little frustrated when we have been here for just a little bit.

"Well, let me show you how it's done.. I don't know how things are where you fish at home, but for us now, since the water is flowing quickly, it's best to have something on the end of the twine to help entice the fish to come this way, or they will just swim right past." I state seeing a grasshopper on the ground. I quickly catch it before tying the twine around it and throwing it in. It doesn't even take a minute before a fish is pulling on the line as I tug and get a fish out of the water. I swing the dangling fish to us as she claps with excitement. "Oh Flynn you're so good at this!" I can't help but to smile big before responding, "Thanks."

I pull on to the bank, handing the rod to Kaya as I grab it, and she hands me the knife without hesitation, but watching me and my movements with intrigue about how we will check for parasites. I slowly slice down the middle of the fish's belly to take a look and it has parasites. The little yellowish-orange worms wiggle around in its belly. "These are parasites," I say pointing at them with the tip of the knife. "Oh no.. I'm sorry.. You did so good." She says to me as I shrug. "It's just the way fishing is up here, it has happened many times to me before, and I bet this won't be the last time."

I take the knife, chopping off its head as I attached it to the end of the line. "Now we can use this to attract the bigger fish." I take the rod back as I show her the effect that having this bait will have, before throwing the line back into the water. "Ok so what do we do with the fish's body?" she asks as we look to the side and seeing that it is gone. We start looking all over until the only thing we see is a bushy red tail leaving the area quickly. "What was that?" she asks as I respond, "A fox."

"Oh I don't see those much at all.. are they worth eating?" she asks as I shake my head. "I bet that little guy is long gone.. They are very fast and hard to catch, but worth it if you can. But I don't want to chase after something like that, especially since we know it will be eating a fish with parasites in it." I reply as she nods. "Oh yeah.. Didn't think about that." I feel the line on the pole tugging as I instantly pull it out of the water, allowing the fish to bounce around on the ground as Kaya reaches out trying to catch it this time around.

I silently chuckle to myself at her patting the ground, missing the fish as I start to pull on the pole, taking the fish from her hands as she grunts on her hands and knees trying to catch the fish, but apparently I am too convincing as the fish because she hasn't caught on to the fact that I am the one messing with her at this point. I can't seem to stifle my chuckles any longer as she bounces on the ground after the fish before it almost slaps her in the face.

She is shocked by this as she looks over at me to see the smile and complete utter happiness taking over my features. She finally realizes what's happening as she laughs at me slapping my arm. "How long were you planning on letting me hop around trying to get that fish?" she playfully asks me as I shrug my shoulders, " Only until it wasn't funny any longer.. But you made it very entertaining, so I think you would have been doing it for a while."

She laughs even louder with me before slapping my arm once again. "Oh you slay me Flynn.. Who knew you would be so funny." I keep staring at her loving this just as much as she is, if not more. I pull the fish over to us taking it off the line and using the knife to slice up the belly showing no parasites. I let her hold it, giving her a chance to inspect it for herself before I say anything. "I don't see one parasite.. so were ok to eat it?" She asks as I smile and nod at her. "So we did it?" she asks again to clarify.

"Yes, we did it." I say as she jumps towards me, wrapping her arms around me in excitement. She lets me go before sitting back down besides me, while watching me taking it apart, getting the guts out as I properly filet it. "I think we make a great team." She says to me as she starts building a fire to cook the fish with, as I nod my head thinking about that. "I agree.. we do make a great team."

Kaya takes the lead, cooking the fish over the fire she made, until it is safe for us to demolish. The fish was good and just what we needed to give us the extra energy for this day. "We better leave this area before we are seen by the next set of men doing the perimeter check." I declared as she looks up at me with those big beautiful eyes that seems to hit straight to my heart, without me even realizing why.

"Can we please start heading towards my home, Flynn? I know you would love it there, you could make it your own home... and we are already a great team, so I would imagine that we could do great things there.. together." She says with so much anticipation in her eyes for my answer. This ignites a fight that's going on in my brain at the moment, from not knowing what to do in this situation, when I was hoping I wouldn't have to worry about this. So it is making this question hard to answer.

This is hard because I want to be with her, I really do, but how is this honestly supposed to work out? Besides the fact that I don't have the heart to tell her no, no matter how much my mind is screaming at me to tell her so. I don't think me going to her compound would be good for either of us when it comes to the community she lives in, because we are from two far different places. I will be hated just for who I am. I know it. Which means she will be guilty or hated by association.. I don't want that for her, but I just know that will happen, because that's exactly what would happen at my compound.

I reluctantly nod not having the guts to tell her right now, but maybe I can figure out a way to tell her how this won't work going back to her place.. maybe I can convince her to just stay with me, and we can run away together like we casually talked about before.. But at the same time, I know her family means so much to her, so I don't want her to have to choose between us, or hate me for taking her away from them.. I don't know. This is something I need to think about for sure.

We start walking again getting this trek underway, before it gets too late in the day. "I think you're going to love it where I live." Kaya says as I shake my head, "I don't know if anyone will accept me." I say as she scoffs at that comment. "I accepted you." she says as I send her a small smile before saying, "you know what I mean." She sadly nods before replying, "What do you think will happen? They will hang you just for showing up with me?" she states sarcastically, but that's exactly the response I expect.

I don't give her an answer and she notices this as well. "Come on Flynn.. we are not monsters.. we are not like.." she pauses, not finishing her sentence as I do for her, "Not like me." I say as she shakes her head vigorously. "No that is not what I meant at all." she declares as I restate, "Like the men at the compound I am from and have been raised in my entire life." She doesn't deny this statement before she tries to explain. "But you're nothing like what I have heard.. nothing like that." I shrug my shoulders before responding. "Well I don't know that." she keeps shaking her head.

"I swear you're nothing like what I have heard.. You're sweet, understanding and accept me as I am." I nod before asking the hard question for me, because I know I am not going to like what I hear in response. "Well, then tell me.. what have you heard?" She shakes her head, I think not wanting to answer because she knows just like I do that I won't like it, but I still insist. "Kaya, please.. If I will be going into this place, then I need to know what your people will think of me.. because of what they have learned.. So I will ask again, What have you heard?"

"That.. if taken, we will be tortured, r*ped or killed because the men in that compound have no decency or respect for anyone or anything around them." I clench my teeth knowing how right she is about the men on the compound, if they were lies I would have something to deny, but they are not. "Where did you hear such things?" she shakes her head as I give her a look that insists to know what she knows. "We are told stories from women or men who have barely escaped with their lives.. They told from their actual experiences." She says this looking ashamed, knowing that this is the truth just as much as I do.

"But that is not you.. and my family.." she starts as I finish. "They won't want to accept a monster like me.. No matter how badly you may want me there." She shakes her head. "My family and friends are my everything, they are sweet and understanding and will do almost anything to see me happy, and I would hope they would do the same for you... because.. You.. Make me happy." I send her a small smile thinking about that. "They sound amazing." I state, just happy for her but not agreeing with her logic, not wanting to ruin her idea.

"Yes they are very understanding, always love to see the logic and facts in things, but also know exactly how to see the beauty in every little thing, appreciating everything that life has to offer.. I would be nothing without them, and I know I would give my life for every single one of them, as I would imagine they would do for me.. I mean come on they are who I claim as my family." She states so sweetly as I send her the same small fake smile, loving the story, but not knowing what it is like to have that type of love and care, so I really can't relate whether I want to or not.

"What of your family? Where are they?" she asks me as I shake my head. "I have no idea who my father is at all and my mother was sick after she had me.. So sick they couldn't save her and she died." I say this wanting to believe it, but I can't fully, because of not knowing if that was the truth, but just sticking to it since it's all I know. "I'm so sorry." She says sympathetically, all I can do is nod with her but what is there to say?