When Casey left, Sydney immediately changed back into her clothes. She didn't know where she would go, but she knew she couldn't stay here. She was grateful to have some shelter and company her first night there, but she knew every night wouldn't be like that. There were more hardships awaiting her. She could try to delay them, but they would get to her sooner or later.

Folding up the black t-shirt Casey kindly lent her, Sydney placed it on the corner of the bed, along with the two coins she still had. It's not much, but it's all I have to give him as a thanks. If he really doesn't want them, he can give them to someone else.

After tying her hair back into a loose bun, Sydney grabbed her bag. She had to make sure she had all of her things. Once she saw that she had both her guns, her extra ammo, and the tracker from Jasper, she left the comfortable room she had spent the night in and headed out onto the streets of Yorke.

Keeping her head down, Sydney headed to the main road that traffic seemed flow in and out of. There was a sign with two arrows pointing in different directions. One read "Georgetown", and the other "Bartesville". Since she was just wandering, Sydney took the one to the left, not caring which one it lead her to.

To pass the time, she tried to come up with ways she could help Jasper clear her name, but being in a different region made any effort she'd make futile. What could I possibly do from over here?! I hate being so useless!

Frustrated, Sydney kicked the dirt up that she was walking on. She was reminded that her leg was still injured when a sharp pain shot through it.

"Ouch!" she said through her teeth. Way to be an idiot, Sydney.

Still internally scolding herself, Sydney walked at a faster pace. Doing so definitely increased the discomfort she felt in her leg, but she refused to slow down. Her training back in Galdon had prepared her to push through any physical pain she experienced. Holding onto those teachings made her feel connected to her home, instead of a thousand miles away from it.

About two hours passed, and Sydney was still walking; her limp getting worse the more she continued. She wanted nothing more than to stop and rest, but she had no idea how far the next town was and she did not want to be on this road when night fell.

I cannot believe I've been walking this road this long and no cars have come by!

Back in Galdon, Sydney had her own car. She didn't have to walk anywhere far because everything she ever needed was on campus with her. And, if it was far, she could drive.

Well, it's a good thing I trained as hard as I did. If I pursued something more domestic like all the other girls, there's no way I'd be able to survive this.

But, then again, I probably wouldn't even be in this situation. Whoever chose me as the scapegoat wouldn't have had any reason to because I wouldn't have cared about female soldier equality. I wouldn't have made all those stupid comments about President Hayes, and I wouldn't be alone right now.

This realization only made Sydney more upset. All she wanted to do was serve her country, make a difference, save lives. Instead, she got public defamation and was sentenced to roam the Western Region as a vagabond. How did my whole life fall apart in just one day?

Sydney was shook out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of gallops. Is that horses?!

Turning around, she saw a wagon pulled by two horses coming down the road toward her. She stepped off the road into the grass so she wouldn't get hit, but she didn't anticipate the ground to slip out from under her. She fell back on her butt, the cold, wet ground coating her arms and legs. Are you kidding me?!

She started to stand up right as the wagon sped past her. Stepping back onto the road, and out of the wet grassland, Sydney tried wiping as much mud off of her as she could. There wasn't much more the mud could do to her clothes, since they were already dirty from last night, but now they were wet again. Let's just add that to the list of things that haven't gone our way.

When she looked up, she wiped the hair that fell in her face behind her ears. Even though her hair was long, the pieces in the front weren't, and they wouldn't stay in her bun. After taking a deep breath to release some of her inner frustration, she started walking again.

She had only taken one step before stopping. She hadn't even noticed that the wagon that passed her was idle just a couple of yards ahead of her. In an instant, fear began to well up in Sydney.

Why did they stop?

Is it because of me? Did they notice me? Oh, God, they're going to try and hurt me. It's just like all the stories I heard in history class. "Westerners are savages." Well, they're not taking me without a few casualties of their own.

Switching to her "soldier mentality", Sydney reached into her bag, gripping onto one of her pistols. She kept her eyes glued to the wagon in front of her, canceling out any surprises. When one of the doors opened, she clicked the safety off of the gun. If they try anything, do not hesitate to put a bullet in them, Sydney. She talked herself up so that if the worse became her reality, she would be ready.

Thankfully, she realized she might not have to. The person that stepped out the wagon was the familiar brunette guy that helped her out last night.

"Now, just calm down!" he shouted from where he was, pointing a finger at her. "I already know what you're doing when you put your hand in that bag like that, and I don't like it!"

Turning the safety back on, Sydney took her hand out her bag, closing it and putting it back on her back. What is he doing here? Did he follow me?

"Do you need a lift?" Casey asked from the same spot he was standing in.

"Did you follow me?!" Sydney returned, ignoring his question until she had hers answered.

"What?! Of course not! I was just getting a ride back to my village!" he said, defensively. "Why would I want to follow you!? You have nothing to offer me!"

Assuming he was telling the truth, Sydney weighed the pros and cons of riding with him. It didn't take long for her to see that the pros outweighed the cons, but she was still hesitant.

"HURRY UP, BOY! I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY!" a man yelled from inside the wagon.

Casey turned around when he heard the man's statement, but quickly turned back to Sydney, crossing his arms in the process.

"Look, it's a yes or a no. Do you want a lift or not?" he asked one more time, impatience oozing with each word.

Instead of answering, Sydney just limped over to him. Despite what her mind was telling her, she felt she could trust this specific Westerner; not with her life, but she could trust him for a ride. You've already spent a night with him and he didn't hurt you. Why would he now?

"So, is that a yes?" Casey asked, an annoyed tone to his voice as Sydney walked up to him.

"Yes," she said, pulling herself into the wagon with her arms to avoid any more strain on her leg.

Inside, waiting for her, was an older man with blonde hair pulled into a ponytail; his hair was much lighter than Sydney's. He gave her a nod as she sat next to him, with a smirk on his face.

"Mornin' Miss," he said, winking. But he wasn't winking at her; he was winking at him. On the other side of her, Casey was sitting down, shaking his head at the man.

What's that all about?

Keeping her question to herself, Sydney scooted over on the seat to make more room for Casey as he closed the door. There was only one seat in the wagon, but it was like a wooden bench, so they could all share it. But, Sydney was uncomfortable with the way she was boxed in by two strangers. She just had to hope her judgement was right or she was screwed.

"So, where are you headed, lil' lady?" the older man asked, looking over to her.

Crap! I was hoping no one would ask that!

She had planned to ride with them until she saw another town. Then, she would just point and say she was getting out here. After a few seconds of brainstorming, she decided to go for the vague, yet ironically true, answer.

"Uh...I don't know. I'm kind of a wanderer. I was just going to walk to the next town," she said, trying not to sound nervous.

Sydney could see out of the corner of her eye that Casey was studying her. Can he tell that I'm lying? She turned to look at him, putting on the best fake smile she could muster. He was leaning against the window, cradling his chin with his hand, looking at her. He looked deep in thought, but quickly dropped his stare when Sydney met it.

As they rode, the wagon suddenly shook under the uneven road. Sydney winced a little from the pain it caused in her leg, but did a good job of not being noticable. However, with the pain still lingering, she was reminded that she needed to get her leg checked out.

"Where's the nearest physician?" Sydney asked.

She was speaking to the older man, although she looked at Casey. He gave her a confused side glance when she asked her question, but didn't say anything.

"Physician?! Honey, we don't use them fancy words out here. Maybe y'all do in the cities, but out here? We say 'Doc'," the older man said, barking out a laugh.

Sydney forced out a nervous laugh, shaken by his statement.

"Right, what was I thinking?" she said, looking out at the road ahead of her, praying she didn't say anything else out of the norm.