JULIE POWER + JILL DRAGOMIR
around Atlantis Island -> open water -> the village Low | IN PROGRESS
The fog made it hard for her to get a good view of the island from above, but it did provide excellent cover. It allowed Julie to slip away unnoticed (well, she assumed that Atlantis always knew exactly what everyone was doing, anyway) by most everyone around, and it allowed her a moment of respite. The cloud cover obscured everything enough that Julie could pretend she was just about anywhere. Maybe it was San Francisco underneath the clouds, or maybe it was Virginia, or maybe Boston, or even London.
Julie closed her eyes for just a second and tipped her head back, letting the wind whip through her hair. Sheâd headed to the west, first, towards the mountains that loomed in the distance. Sheâd read about its diversity, about the ever-changing ecosystems, but she hadnât wanted to believe it until sheâd seen it for herself. There was a jungle, too, somewhere to the southeast. Beach after beach after beach, a lake, waterfall, rivers leading towards the ocean.
All on an island smaller than Santa Catalina Island. It was the most incredible thing sheâd ever seen.
As she turned to head along the southern coast, her mind drifted to Karolina and to how much she would have loved this -- if the other Runaways were around, that was. Separating her from them wouldnât have done her any favors, even if a (very selfish, admittedly) part of Julie wished they could go back to a time when it was just the two of them, or them and Molly.
But that part of her life was over. Karolina had made her choice, and it hadnât been Julie.
Julie frowned and shook her head. This was supposed to be about clearing her head and getting a lay of the land, not about reminiscing about her recent heartbreak. She propelled herself forward, overshooting the jungle entirely. It wasnât until she was out over the open ocean that she even really realized what sheâd done, and then it was just her and the waves beneath her and the sky above. She hovered there, catching her breath and soaking in the smell of the ocean and the sun on her back. She would be okay, she reminded herself. She could stay here in Atlantis and help fight back, and she wouldnât have to think about what could have been.
She swung around and headed back for land, grateful that sheâd always had a good sense of direction (because otherwise, Julie would have ended up lost a thousand times over). She didnât slow down until she saw the village come into view, and then it was only a few more moments before her feet were back on solid ground. She should have tied her hair back, she thought as she pushed it out of her eyes, because it was a wind-blown mess now. She probably looked like how she felt: out of control.
She was fine, Julie reminded herself. She could handle anything life through her way, with or without her siblings around, with or without Karolina. She smoothed the worry off her face, adopting a practiced expression of curiosity instead. She could do anything, and maybe if she thought it enough, itâd be true.
Walking slowly through the village, Jill couldnât helping thinking that one of her favorite things about Atlantis was the nearness of the water. It hadnât been so long before Atlantis and Breck when sheâd been stuck in Palm Springs, the middle of the desert, and to a water user it had almost felt like suffocating or dying of thirst. Sheâd yearned for the water, for the feel of moisture in the air. Even after almost two years in Atlantis, she couldnât take their proximity to the water for granted here. Even standing in the village, she could feel the moisture in the air. She could feel the nearby sea.
Turning from the coffee cart with a warm cup in her hands, Jill started down the path that would lead her closer to the beach. She understood why group of people had wanted to camp down there earlier this week, even if she hadnât joined them and she was glad to have a free moment to walk down to the pier where she could more fully enjoy the connection to her element.
Julie tugged her sweatshirt tighter around herself to fend off the chill in the air. Sheâd felt it while she was in the air, stinging at her cheeks and ears, but now she felt it invading her muscles, too. The exertion of energy had kept much of it at bay, and for a moment, Julie considered dashing through the village and into the city just so she could keep warm.
She didnât, though. It was one thing to get up and away from the population, but she found that a lot of people at home were still wary of a colorful flash flying by them. There was a girl coming her way with a cup in her hands, though, and she looked like she belonged -- more than Julie felt like she did so far, at least.
âHey.â She greeted the other girl with a smile. âThat looks good. From the cart?â
Jill nodded. âYeah, it is,â she said, answering both questions at once and offering Julie a friendly smile.
âYouâre new here, right?â She remembered seeing her face briefly on the network even if she hadnât found the time to say hello. Between her classes and working as a magic assistant, sometimes she didnât have a lot of free time. âIâm Jill Dragomir.â
âYeah!â The smile Julie gave in return was bright, overcompensating a little for her mood. âAs of a couple days ago.â She hadnât met as many people yet as she wouldâve liked - though there were a lot more people around than she wouldâve imagined. Between learning her way around and sorting out her future (a job? School? She could hardly believe what was possible here), Julie had been busy.
She thrust a hand out to shake Jillâs. âJulie Power. Are you from somewhere else, too?â
Jill nodded as she shook Julieâs hand. âYeah, I am,â she said. Technically, it was a couple of somewhere elses, but that was an explanation that was a little more complicated than she really wanted to go into. Especially since she thought this whole thing was probably already a lot for the new girl to wrap her head around.
âIâve been here for so long that Atlantis kind of feels like home, though.â It was close to two years, which felt like a really long time to her. When you added the time sheâd spent in Breck to that, it meant it had been a really long time since sheâd actually been home.
When Julie pictured Atlantis and the fight they were supposedly there for, she hadnât really given a thought to how long it might go on. Or how long itâd been going on already. Her eyes widened slightly. âHow long is that?â Sheâd lived in enough places already that she knew sheâd have no trouble adjusting to a new home: Richmond was still as much home as New York was as Los Angeles was. What was daunting was being there on her own, separated from her family, her friends and the Avengers who knew who she was.
âAlmost two years,â Jill admitted as she reached up to tuck some of her hair behind her ear. It was just windy enough that some of the curls were blowing in her face and she kind of wished sheâd worn it up today. âItâll be two years next month. Thereâs a few of us whoâve been here basically since the beginning and then some others who havenât been here as long. We get new people pretty often, too.â That was probably more information than Julie needed all at once, but Jill had a tendency to babble.
âOh.â Oh. Two years? Julie exhaled and blew some of her hair out of her face. âWow, that is a while.â
While she knew she wouldnât be able to leave as long as there was a fight to be had -- it would have made her a poor example of an Avenger if she bailed at the first sign of something inconvenient for her -- it was all rather daunting. Her siblings werenât just a phone call away here. She wouldnât be able to call Alex every time she needed advice. She wouldnât be able to call Katie every time she wanted to share something exciting. She wouldnât hear what sort of new hijinks Jack was up to.
âAnd we can leave any time? Thatâs what they said? Not that Iâm considering it,â Julie said quickly, though a part of her definitely was, âbut itâs good to have options.â