The 11th Generation

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

     By the time the bus let us off at Wisdom the sky was dark and the moon was shining down on the Nation. I could barely keep my eyes open the whole ride as my head kept leaning to the side and falling on Cage's shoulder.

     "Wake up." Cage gently shakes me. I open my eyes frantically as I look around. Link, Cage and I are the only ones left on the bus. "We gotta go." We get off the bus, I look at the street signs, we aren't far from my house but then I realize, we can't go back to my house now, it's location is known and probably under surveillance by the government. I decide to reach out to one of my dads old friend. He lives on the opposite side of Wisdom from where my house is located was which is good so we can stay as far away from the house as possible. His name is Frederick Lancing.

     Link and Cage follow me as I lead the way. It's a long walk but at this point it's worth it. We come across the house. "This is it." I say looking up at the two story house. I walk up the steps and knock on the white door with blue trim, I feel nervous and paranoid, I feel paranoid because I seem to have the worst feeling that we are being followed.

     "Hello?" Frederick answers the door. He took one glance and then smiles. "Do my eyes deceive me? Is this little Charlotte?" He looks over at Cage squinting his eyes, he nearly has a heart attack, he put his hand over his heart. "Is this, is... Salix?"

     Cage looks confused, his eyebrow raises. "You know him?" I ask Frederick.

     "I was good friends with Robert." He smiles. "Come in, come in." We enter his quaint house that was filled with family photos. One photo in particular struck my attention, it was of my father, Frederick, and some man unfamiliar to my eyes. I took the photo off the hinge on the wall and stared at it.

     Cage crept over my shoulder, he leans the photo toward him so he can get a better look. "That's my father." He points at the unfamiliar man .

     "Robert?" I know it was Robert, yet I still felt compelled to say it. He nods his head, neither of us wanted to let go of the photograph, we glare at it for a few more seconds before I say, "You look just like him." I look up at Cage, my comment made a smile grows across his face

     "That picture was taken when we were 17 years old, one year before the 10th generation test was administered. Right before Robert was placed into Peace Sector," he sighs. "So, what brings you all here?" Frederick is a big man, taller than Cage, he has short black hair, brown eyes, and his skin dark brown. The way he spoke is very gentle, he has always been a very lovely person, someone I have always described as full of life. I know he can help us.

     "Did my father ever talk to you about a map?" I inquire.

     "In fact he did," he brought his hand up to his chin and brushes his facial hair with his fingers, "but we never figured anything out."

     "We?" Cage asks.

     "Theo, Robert, Kennedy and I." Frederick replies.

     At this point I figure that Frederick knows nothing more than we do.

     "I don't want to be a burden, I have a favor to ask of you," I fiddle with my fingers, "we need a place to stay. We aren't welcome in the city anymore, we need a hide out."

     Frederick nods his head in understanding, "I have a spare bedroom with two beds upstairs and another spare bedroom across the hall from it."

     "I call dibs on the single bedroom." Link runs up the stairs before I can catch him. Link has always been a very private person, kept to himself a lot, I think he likes being alone sometimes, then again who doesn't?