Prologue
Freedom. Such a simple word for some. For us, it had been a sweet, beautiful concept. Now it was a reality. As we paddled quietly through the water, we rejoiced. Soon, we would be free.
We were almost at the gate when we heard it. Such a small sound, but our ears had been trained for it. A man had cocked his gun.
Suddenly, there was nothing but the sound of gunfire and our frantic splashing, desperately trying to get to safety.
Yes! We were there. I felt all of our triumph as my own, our thoughts and feelings coalescing into one. Get over the wall – our silent mantra. We were so tired, but we could make it. Almost there.
Then, a sickening thud sounded behind me. Turning, I saw one of us fall. No! We were almost there!! I watched in horror as he tumbled down the rocks and fell into the murky water.
For a moment, all was still. “Grant” I whispered. Then my world turned as dark and black as death.
Chapter One
“We’re going the wrong way!!” Grant grumbled once again. He’d been at it for an hour, and I could see Kiefer’s shoulders tighten. Not wanting a fight, I put my hand on his arm.
“It’s ok,” I mumbled, “Kien’s leading us. Ignore him.” I felt him relax, and sighed in relief. All day I had sensed Kiefer’s calm bubbling away under Grant’s insufferable complaining. It took a lot to get Kiefer riled, but once he was, there was no holding back. Which was scary.
“Ugh.” Grant began to complain again. I scowled. Much more of this, and I’d push him into the lake. I smiled at the thought. Grant can’t swim.
We’d been trudging through this marshy area for three days, only venturing on dry land to sleep. We were all tired and irritated, but I trusted Kien to lead us in the right direction. He was walking a little ahead of the group, his pace confident and sure.
We walked along for another half hour in silence. Well, except for Grant’s occasional complaint. I glanced back at Arving, begging her with my eyes not to start a fight. She clenched her jaw and kept walking.
Finally, it began to grow dark, and we ventured up a slope to look for dryer land to sleep on. Once we found some, Arving and I began to unload our packs while Kien and Grant went to look for firewood. Kiefer stood watch. He always stood watch, which worried me sometimes. I knew that some nights he didn’t sleep, always vigilant, even when it was Grant’s turn to watch over us.
I sighed, thinking about Grant. I knew his intentions were good – he was just trying to keep us safe. But, he needed to learn how to trust others and let them be in charge. Kien had never led us astray, and I believed he never would. Grant was too bull-headed for his own good sometimes.
Once everyone had settled down around our fire, we began discussing our plan. The general idea was to head for the mountains and hide out there until Warren and his army had passed through here. But, we’d been walking for three days and hadn’t seen a sign of a mountain peak.
“I’m telling you, we’re not going in the right direction.” Grant said angrily.
“Yes, we are.” Kiefer replied. “Kien is leading us. He’s never been wrong before.”
“Well, there’s a first time for everything.” Grant replied.
“Oh my God Grant, will you shut up?!?” Arving yelled at him. “Just because you’re not the freaking human map doesn’t mean we’re going the wrong way!!”
“Arving, give it a rest. I think I know what I’m talking about better than some girl-“
With a loud smacking sound, Arving punched Grant in the mouth. I sighed again. I’d been expecting this. Without a word, Kiefer grabbed Grant and hauled him off before any more damage was done. Then, I looked at Arving.
“Really?” I asked.
She sighed. “I’m sorry. He just pisses me off with the sexist sh- crap.”
“But did you have to punch him, Arving? He’s already insufferable. Now we’ll have to listen to him complain for days!!”
“He’s already been complaining for days.” she replied sullenly.
I gave her a cold look. Then, I got up and went to check on Grant. He and Kiefer were standing off a long way, and as I approached, I could tell Grant was having a fit.
Oh joy.
“…and I cant even hit her back, because she’s a girl!!!!” he was yelling at Kiefer. When I was close, Kiefer looked up with relief. I knew he didn’t like or trust Grant. I also knew that he only put up with him for my sake, and for this I was grateful.
“Grant, are you ok?” I asked wearily. I felt like everyone’s mom today.
Grant looked up at me and scowled.
“Yes, Eve, I am ok. She didn’t even hit me that hard. But, I have a question for you.”
I raised my eyebrows and waited for him to continue.
“Why are you letting Kien lead us the wrong way? We’ve been walking for days, and there’s no sign of a mountain anywhere!!! We should turn back and follow the road!”
I sighed, frustrated. But before I could open my mouth to respond, Kiefer had begun to talk.
“Grant” he said in a menacing voice, “the best thing for you to do at this moment is to shut your mouth. I’m sick of your whining. You’re a grown man, you make your own decisions. So, if you don’t like Eve, or trust her leadership skills, you go follow the damn roads. Otherwise, shut up and stay out of my way. Stop stressing Eve out. Cant you see she’s exhausted??” he gestured to me, face grim. Grant opened his mouth for a smart remark, looked at Kiefer’s face, and shut it again. He looked at me, then back to Kiefer.
“Eve, maybe you should go lie down” he mumbled. Then he walked back to camp, leaving Kiefer and I alone.
“I really hate that guy” Kiefer said into the silence. I glared at him.
“What?” he asked innocently.
“Did you have to scare him?” I asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Evelyn.” He replied. Then, he patted me on the back and walked to the fire to join the others.
Great, I thought. Just great. A prefect ending to a hard day. People punching each other in the mouth and challenging each other to leave. Lovely.
