FLY ME TO THE MOON
ii. BROKEN HEARTS AND BROKEN WATCHES
❝WE WERE MADE BY THE STARS.❞

IT HAD BEEN TWENTY YEARS SINCE THE INITIAL OUTBREAK OF THE CORDYCEPS BRAIN INFECTION that had taken the world by storm and destroyed the delicate structure of society humans had taken millenniums to construct. But, it felt as if she had aged thousands of years in the span of two decades as the woman was in a constant battle to keep her heart beating till the rise of the morning sun. If she was frank with herself, Julia could not remember the woman she used to be. Nurse Julia Miller, a woman who had vowed to do no harm and to cherish and protect every living being, but that person was a stranger to her. A distant memory, her mind begged for her to forget, knowing her past was not needed to ensure her survival. Killing had become second nature to the woman, and she would do it all again to protect what little people she had left in her life.

The Fireflies, a militia group, run by Julia's own sister, Marlene, gave Julia Miller the hope she needed to continue the life she led after every travesty that had occurred in her life. They had every intention to revolt against the military's oppression to restore the government and find a vaccine for the infection. Still, they were losing their war against FEDRA as more and more Fireflies ended up dead every day. And, for the vaccine? Most had lost hope for a cure within the first years when sixty percent of the population had died or become part of the infected. Yet, the Fireflies kept fighting. Enough so, they had been able to recruit both Tommy and Julia into their ranks. Joel... Well, he decided not to buy into Marlene's bullshit and went on his own. Eventually, Tommy had left as well ━━ the fire had gone out within him, and he left in search of the spark he needed. Julia didn't blame them for leaving, but she still missed the two as they became distant memories in her mind. But, Julia still had her sister, Marlene.

But, there had been times where Julia had wanted to set off on her own as well. Yet, the woman had nowhere to go. Nowhere to call home, so she stayed with the Fireflies. Her hope to find a vaccine had faded a long time ago, yet the fight remained dormant within her. Eventually, the Universe or whatever cosmic energy that controlled the world had decided to lend a helping hand and had given them the spark to light a wildfire. It came in the form of a loud-mouthed teenager named Ellie Williams; the hope to save humanity was all in a single girl.

Ellie spoke, bringing the older woman out of her thoughts as the damp room came into her view again. It had been about an hour since Marlene had left the two, continuing to search for an arms dealer named Robert on her lonesome. Julia had offered to come along, but the woman had ordered her to watch over the teenager instead. It was the two of them as they waited for the return of their leader, but time was ticking, and they were losing daylight. Ellie seemed distracted enough, clinging onto every word of some random romance novel she had found in one of the many sealed up boxes in the room. But, Julia didn't have the luxury to relax as she stood guard.

Julia looked backed. "What?"

"Do you know when Marlene is going to get back?" Ellie asked again, closing the book as she picked up her switchblade instead. She swung it around with playful vice, pretending to find some invisible enemies as she awaited Julia's answer.

"I don't know," the woman answered honestly, shrugging her shoulders. "But, we'll head back to camp if she isn't here soon."

"You want us to leave Marlene behind?"

"Marlene isn't a child," Julia reminded, letting out a sigh as she rubbed her temples to alleviate the stress she carried. Her head was pounding from the dullness in the room, feeling as if the walls would collapse at any moment. But, it was nothing compared to the daunting silence. It allowed her thoughts to infect her mind, and that was a pain Julia did not want to deal with. At least, Ellie provided some distraction. Her reactions to the book she had been reading ━━ some teen spin-off novel from the hit-series Dawn of the Wolf that Julia had probably heard of since her step-daughter had been obsessed with the movie series ━━ were enough to keep Julia from falling. "We'll give it another hour, and then we're leaving. Marlene will make her own way to the camp when she is done."

Ellie nodded. "Okay."

"Alright, then."

Julia turned her gaze away, tightening her grip on the hunting rifle that had been adorned with colorful stickers and the familiar initials of someone who had been dear to her heart. Sometimes, she wondered if she should remove the stickers and sand down the weapon to make it look normal. But, Julia couldn't find it within herself to remove the only living remnant of him. It would be the same as writing him out of existence, and Julia did not want to forget.

"I have to be honest," Ellie started again, peeking up at Julia from her book as she wore a wild grin. "I like this book, but the romance is a bit too cheesy. We were made by the stars," the young girl laughed, shaking her head. "Who the fuck says something like that?"

"Most romance books are stupid," Julia commented, not bothering to hide the small smile that had appeared on her lips. She remembered the romance books she used to binge read at the end of a long day while her husband watched any football game on the television ━━ both completely absorbed in their own form of trashy entertainment. She sighed, pushing away the thoughts. "It's nothing like that in real life. People only know how to hurt you. It's better to be alone."

"Oh?" Ellie said, pouting as if Julia had destroyed her perspective on romance. "Have you been in love? I mean, you must have had someone since... well, you had kids, you know? I may not know a lot, but I do know how babies are made."

"And, where did you learn that?"

"School," Ellie shrugged, continuing to read the words on the page as she held a conversation with Julia at the same time. "But, you didn't answer my question."

Julia sighed, pushing her braids behind her as she stretched her limbs to regain the littlest bit of feeling in them. She set the rifle down, leaning against the wall as she closed her eyes for the briefest moment. Joel Miller, that was the answer to Ellie's question, but the woman didn't find the need to mention it. "Look, Ellie, I'd rather not talk about it."

"Hey, I'm sorry," Ellie suddenly stated, causing the older woman to frown as she opened her eyes to look at her. She sighed softly, setting down the book again. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright, Ellie. You haven't offended me," Julia reassured. She smiled at the young girl, hoping she wouldn't take it to heart. "I'll tell you some other day, okay? It's kind of a... long story."

Ellie grinned, nodding her head. "Okay, but I want to know everything."

"Yeah, we'll see about that."

The two fell into a silence, listening to the sound of military vehicles outside as they sped down the street in search of wandering Fireflies. A few hours ago, there had been a planned attack at one of the checkpoints, which had resulted in a few casualties. Julia didn't like the constant attacks against FEDRA, knowing that laying low would be better for the Fireflies' survival. But, the others didn't seem to agree as they continued to fight and die for nothing.

Voices. It caused Julia to spring to action as she snatched her rifle off the ground before moving in front of Ellie. Her gun was aimed at the door, prepared to pepper bullets into the intruders. Ellie stood behind her, clutching onto her switchblade as she awaited the battle to come to them. The doorknob turned, forcing Julia to hold her breath as she placed her finger on the trigger. But, as it was pushed open, Marlene stumbled inside with a hand to her side. Her sweater was covered in blood, forcing Julia forward as she helped her sister to a nearby chair. Ellie had been the one to notice the people entering behind Marlene, swinging her blade to protect the two of them.

"Get the fuck away from her!" the young girl shouted, but her arm was grabbed before she could do any damage. She was pushed back, causing Julia to narrow her eyes as she glared at the two who staggered in last. Of course.

"You're recruiting kind of young, aren't ya?" the man asked, stealing a glance at Marlene before he met Julia's eyes.

"She's not one of mine," Marlene countered, sending the man an exhausted look as she let out a deep sigh. Her hands gripped the arms of the chair, trying to hide the pain she was feeling. "Julia, it's okay," the woman reassured. "I'm alright. It's just a scratch."

"I'm pretty sure I'm the only one qualified here to determine that," Julia retorted, continuing to look over the bullet wound in Marlene's side. The woman grabbed a clean rag from their first aid kit and began to wipe away the excess blood, revealing the torn skin. Julia could see an entry wound, but no exit wound. It meant the bullet was still inside Marlene, and it caused her to retain most of her blood, but it still needed to be treated right away to prevent any infection. She could feel their burning glares on the back of her head, but the woman couldn't care less. Joel and Tess were someone she rarely came across, but she had known they were in Boston with her. She stood to her feet, picking up her rifle to point it at Joel and Tess. "What the hell did you two do to her?"

Marlene moved to stand, but Julia sent her a tight-lipped frown as she glared. She sighed, staying seated as she stole a glance at Ellie's confused expression. "They didn't do anything, Jules," Marlene said, pulling on Julia's shirt to move her away from the two. "They're here to help us, actually."

Julia narrowed her eyes, lowering her rifle as she faced Joel and Tess. They wore nonchalant expressions, but she couldn't help but notice the amused expression that lingered on Tess' face. She had always been part of the rowdy crowd, knowing her way around the quarantine and everyone knew better than to mess with her. Joel, on the other hand, was the woman's partner, working with her during their smuggling business. She had come across the man here and there, but the two never lingered long enough to speak to each other. She didn't want to. And, neither did he.

"But, I can't come with you."

What? Marlene had been talking and Julia hadn't been listening, distracted by her ex-husband being in the same room as her.

Ellie didn't seem pleased with the revelation either, shaking her head as she moved closer to Julia. "Well, then I'm staying."

Why wasn't Marlene coming? The original plan had been that both Marlene and Julia would take Ellie to meet the Fireflies stationed outside of the quarantine zone. Then, they would be the ones to take her to the labs to create the vaccine. Marlene had gone to meet Robert, planning on getting more ammunition from the man. But, it seemed as if things hadn't worked out according to plan.

"Ellie, we won't get another shot at this."

"Wait," Joel scoffed, inching closer to Marlene as he pointed an accusing finger in Ellie's direction. "We're smuggling her?"

Marlene nodded, unafraid of the man as she stared up at him with narrowed brown eyes and a frown. "There's a crew of Fireflies that will meet you at the Capitol building."

Tess scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she and Joel shared an annoyed expression. They had a conversation within moments, looking back at Marlene and Julia. For a moment, Julia and Tess held eye contact. She felt as if she was back in middle school, battling for her feelings for Joel against the woman he was dating. It made her roll her eyes, knowing she had closed that chapter in her life a long time ago. "Look, Marlene," Tess stated, standing next to Joel. "That's not exactly close."

It was Marlene's turn to scoff. "You're capable. Plus, I'll be sending Julia━━"

Julia sighed.

"━━with the two of you," Marlene reassured, stealing a glance at Julia's uncomfortable expression. It wasn't as if Marlene wanted to send Julia on a small mission with her ex-husband, but there was no one else in the world she trusted than her own flesh and blood. After Julia had joined the Fireflies, Joel held resentment toward her. But, she didn't blame him as she kept going down the path she had set out for herself. "You hand her off, come back, and the weapons are yours. Double what Robert sold me."

That caused the two to share a look, eyeing each other as they considered the offer. "Speaking of which, where are they?"

"Back in our camp."

Tess scoffed, looking back at Joel again. They wore similar annoyed expressions, reading each other's thoughts without a word being exchanged between the two. Julia couldn't help but notice how close the two were ━━ how they were perfectly in tune with each other's thoughts and emotions. Tess looked back. "We're not smuggling shit until I see them."

"You'll follow me. You can verify the weapons and I can get patched up," Marlene said weakly, clutching the wound as her breaths came out in quivers. Julia had done her best to stop the bleeding, but it needed stitches and she didn't have the supplies to give it the attention it needed. "But, Ellie's not crossing into that part of town. I want Julia and Joel to watch over her."

Julia rolled her eyes, not liking where the situation was going. She had no desire to be alone with Joel ━━ not after everything that had happened for the past twenty years. At one point, he was the man she loved with her whole heart but things had changed. And, not for the better.

"I don't think that's the best idea."

"Bullshit! I'm not going with him!"

Thankfully, she wouldn't be alone. Ellie was with her, causing Julia to spare a glance at the young girl beside her. She glared at Joel and Tess, keeping a tight grip on her switchblade.

"Ellie..."

Ellie scoffed, turning her attention to Marlene again. "How do you know them?"

"I was close with his brother, Tommy. Said if I was ever in a jam, I could rely on him," Marlene said, sucking in a deep breath as she stood to her feet. She swayed but was able to collect herself as her eyes met Ellie's. For a moment, her gaze flickered to Julia. "Plus, Joel is Julia's husband. Our families go way back."

"That was a long time ago," Julia corrected. There was no hesitation in her voice as she spared Joel a glance, noticing the subtle way his expression darkened.

Ellie was shocked, at the very least, as she looked between Julia and Joel ━━ the young girl found it hard to believe.

Noticing the ever-growing tension in the room, Tess moved closer to Joel to speak to him in a hushed whisper. But, with how small and quiet the room was, the conversation was heard by everyone. "Look, just take them to the north tunnel and wait for me there."

"Jesus Christ," Joel muttered, rolling his eyes as he took a step back from Tess. His hand had a tight grip on his gun, turning a sheer white at the pressure. He clearly did not want to be involved.

"She's just cargo, Joel," Tess reminded, letting out a dry chuckle as she looked in Julia's direction, "and dealing with your ex-wife for a day or two shouldn't be a problem."

"It's set then," Marlene sighed in relief, moving toward the second door in the room that would lead them south toward the Firefly Camp while Joel, Ellie, and Julia moved toward the door that would lead them to the north tunnel. Marlene cleared her throat. "Julia?"

Julia paused, looking back. "Yeah?"

"Keep her safe," Marlene whispered, nodding her head as she gestured to Ellie ━━ the young girl had already left the stuffy room behind Joel. "She is all that matters now."

"With my life."

━━ ━━ ━━

THE LOUD ROAR OF THE MILITARY VEHICLES CUT THROUGH THE QUIET AIR as they hunted the streets for anyone breaking curfew. Joel walked ahead, scouting out the area to make sure no soldiers stood in their path. Unfortunately, they had come across three dead Fireflies but the soldiers that had killed them were long gone. Julia had collected their tags, keeping them safe in her backpack to give them to Marlene when she got back to Boston after dropping Ellie off. Julia and Ellie walked slower behind Joel, keeping their distance from him.

"I didn't know you were married," Ellie whispered, stealing a glance at Julia's tense expression. The young girl's voice brought her out of her thoughts, making her focus on the present. "Did you two meet in the zone?"

"No," Julia replied, letting out a deep sigh as memories from the past forced their way to the front of her brain. It caused the woman to flinch as the happy memories contrasted with her dark present. "I met Joel in elementary school ━━ second grade to be exact. We were friends for a long time, but then something changed and... we got married, I suppose."

"Do you love him?"

Julia shrugged. "I did."

"Is he..." Ellie trailed off, biting her lip as she wondered how she should phrase her next question. "Is Joel the father?"

"I..." Julia sighed, shrugging her shoulders. Her children were gone, so it didn't matter if Joel was the father or not anymore. It was in the past and she did not wish to dwell on it any longer. "It doesn't matter, Ellie."

"Okay."

Julia didn't speak after that, having no desire to answer any other prying questions the young girl had. She knew Ellie meant well, but the questions pulled up memories Julia had buried a long time ago. Thankfully, Joel hadn't heard a single word shared between Julia and Ellie. At least, she hoped he hadn't been listening.

"Attention," the female voice over the loudspeakers sounded, causing the three to glance toward the main street where the FEDRA soldiers roamed. "Harboring or aiding wanted criminals is punishable by death. Do not place yourself at risk. Report any suspicious activity immediately."

"Down here," Joel ordered, leading the two women down a small staircase next to the street. The three ducked as two vehicles zoomed by, staying hidden behind a ledge. "Keep up."

"We are," Ellie retorted, sending him a glare. They came across a deserted parking yard ━━ small with a few rundown cars that sat dead. She looked around, biting the inside of her cheek as she tightened her grip on her backpack. "Where are we going?"

"Up there," Joel pointed toward a broken staircase that led into a building, but it was too high for any of them to reach. And, the wall wasn't stable enough to scale. "That'll get us to the north tunnel."

Ellie scoffed. "How are we even supposed to reach that?"

Joel sighed in annoyance ━━ when the teenage girl's attitude was starting to get to him, but Julia was enjoying every moment of the exchange. "Just gimme a minute."

As Joel wandered off to find something for them to climb on top of, Ellie moved toward Julia. She wore a cheeky grin, nudging her in the side. "It's so easy to annoy him," the girl laughed. "Was he always like this?"

Julia chuckled, shaking her head at the young girl. "More or less."

Finally, Joel came back. He pushed a dumpster toward them, pushing it against the stairwell before he made sure it was stable enough to climb. The smell was revolting, forcing Julia to hold her breath as she tried not to gag. It wasn't uncommon to find twenty-year-old garbage in hidden dumpsters throughout the cities. Julia allowed Ellie to climb up first, waiting until she was on the platform above.

"After you," Joel said, holding the dumpster tight as he waited for Julia to climb onto it. It was the first words he had directed to her. Yet, he didn't say much of anything else.

Julia nodded, climbing onto the dumpster and then, onto the staircase. Ellie gave her a high five as she joined her before the two began to walk into the open door. Julia glanced back, making sure that Joel was following them.

"So, this tunnel," Ellie started, looking back at Joel. "You use it to smuggle things?"

"Yep."

"Like illegal things?"

"Sometimes," Joel responded, keeping his head straight as they made their way down the long hallway. He kept his gaze on the boarded windows, making sure none of the soldiers were patrolling nearby.

"Have you ever smuggled a kid before?"

"No, that's a first," Joel muttered, taking a look at Ellie. For a moment, he looked at Julia's stern expression and he knew he would get no answers from her. "So, what's the deal with you, anyway?"

"I don't know," Ellie replied, stealing a glance at Julia for silent approval. With one look from the older woman, Ellie knew not to reveal anything to Joel. "She's my friend, I guess."

"Your friend, huh?" Joel let out a humorless chuckle, glancing at Julia. "You're friends with the leader of the Fireflies and her sister. What're you, like twelve?"

"They knew my mom. Julia and Marlene have been looking after me," Ellie started, shaking her head as she continued behind Joel. Julia sighed softly, remembering how much trouble Ellie and Riley gave them. "And, I'm fourteen ━━ not that it has anything to do with anything."

"Ellie," Julia scolded, giving her a stern look. She did not want to anger Joel or Tess, considering she needed them to take Ellie to the Fireflies waiting for them outside the city.

Joel looked back, stealing a glance at the two girls. He had gotten ahead of them, moving faster to make sure they would be in a safe place. "So, where are your parents?"

"Where are anyone's parents?" Ellie sighed softly, shrugging her shoulders. Julia felt pity for the young girl, knowing that losing a parent wasn't easy at a young age. But, Ellie had her and Marlene to make sure she wouldn't get into any trouble. "They've been gone a long, long time."

"So, instead of staying in school." Joel started. "You decide to run off and join the Fireflies, is that it?"

"Look, I'm not supposed to tell you why you're smuggling me if that's what you're getting at," Ellie pointed out, stealing a glance at the older woman. "Julia isn't either, so don't bother asking her."

"You wanna know the best thing about my job?" Joel muttered, looking back at both Ellie and Julia. She could see the annoyance burning bright in his eyes. "I don't gotta know why. Be honest with the two of you, I couldn't give two shits about what you're up to."

"Good, then," Julia retorted, sending him a glare. She did not care much for his attitude toward the two of them, but it brought back old arguments that the two of them had. He had always held bad blood against the Fireflies ━━ the majority of their fights had been about the Fireflies. He never supported the cause. And, he had disapproved of his brother and Julia becoming members.

Joel met her dark eyes. "Good."

No one dared to breathe another word, but thankfully the destination wasn't too far off. The apartment that Joel was leading them to was at the end of the long hallway. He opened the door, allowing the two to enter the quiet apartment. Still, Julia kept an eye out for someone hiding in the shadows. But, it was quiet and dusty.

"No one's hiding in the shadows," Joel pointed out, allowing Julia to calm down as she stayed close to Ellie. She watched as Joel moved toward the couch, laying down on it. "I'm sure the kitchen has some food stocked away if the two of you are hungry."

"What are you doing?" Ellie asked, watching as Joel closed his eyes.

"Killing time," Joel muttered, not caring about what Julia and Ellie were up to. He seemed to be more interested in taking a nap. Though, Julia didn't blame him. She was tired as well, but she couldn't afford a nap. She needed to watch Ellie.

"Well, what the hell are we supposed to do?" Ellie asked, looking over at Julia who sat at the table.

"I am sure you two will figure that out," Joel muttered.

Ellie scoffed, moving past Joel as she went to sit by the window. "Your watch is broken."

Julia tensed, stealing a glance at the "napping" Joel. He did, indeed, still wear the watch that Sarah had gifted him over two decades ago. For a moment, Julia noticed a shift in Joel's resting expression. His fist clenched slightly as he took a deep breath, and his eyebrows furrowed. Clearly, he was not happy to hear that observation from Ellie. She sighed softly, closing her eyes as the memories of peace filled her mind. It was a life she missed, but it was long gone. "Come on," she started, putting her hand on Ellie's shoulder and moving her along gently. "What do you say about a game of cards?"

The teenager's eyes glinted in mischief, "Dude, you're so gonna lose!"

♡

I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED THIS CHAPTER (only took me three thousand years to do so), and I do somewhat like it? It was mostly a retelling of the game, but that is alright! I wanted to refresh memories of what happened and write how Julia and Joel meet again! I am very excited to write about their past because it plays a big part in why their relationship is the way it is at the present moment! Things will be tense, but I will begin to reveal the secrets as the story progresses! Watch out for the next chapter! It will be action-packed and completely different from what we see at the current moment!

ALSO, I HAD GOTTEN GRAMMARLY PREMIUM A WHILE BACK AND THOUGHT IT WAS A STUPID PURCHASE, BUT I USED IT TO EDIT THIS CHAPTER AND... WOW? IT WILL ACTUALLY REWRITE WHOLE SENTENCES FOR YOU. I WAS SHOCKED, BUT I REALLY LIKED IT BECAUSE IT HELPED MY WRITING SOUND A LOT BETTER. So, if you don't see as many mistakes as usual, thank Grammarly for that.

But, anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I was iffy about it at first, but I liked it once I completed it! Julia did not get as much "screentime" as I would have liked, but she will be the star in the next one!

━━ AMARA
[CHAPTER POSTED ━━ 11.15.2020]