The Breton Boys

Chapter Two: Reid's Escape

Early the next morning, Reid woke to a bizarre thumping, rumbling noise coming from underneath his bed. He rolled over onto his toy soldier that had tangled in his sheets while he slept. He stowed it in the pocket of his trousers, then hung his head off the side of the cot, searching for the source of the sound.

He found nothing save some dust and a stray sock, but the thumping persisted. He climbed out of bed and knelt down on the floor, pressing his ear against the boards.

The rumbling stopped, but he heard what sounded like muffled voices. Reid frowned. Although there was a cellar under the kitchen at the front of the house, he knew it didn't stretch this far back. In fact, as far as he was aware, there was nothing but solid foundation beneath him. Perplexed and curious, he slipped on his shoes and headed for the front stoop to investigate further.

The November wind bit his cheeks as he stepped outside. Now, standing in the still, foggy dawn, he was positive that he heard voices coming from under the dirty brick facade of the dormitory.

"I am not going out there until I absolutely have to. It smells."

"Yes, but we've - hold on. Look there. Is that him?"

"I think it is!"

"Well then say something."

"What should I say?"

"Anything. Quickly, before he goes back in."

"Oh, look, Duncan, he's spotted us. Hello!"

Reid stared, wide-eyed, over the left ledge of the stoop, directly through the bars of a basement window that he had never noticed before. Standing behind the black iron grate he saw...himself.

No, that couldn't be. But surely it was! The boy smiling up at him had Reid's face, his curly, rich brown hair, and the same smattering of freckles across his nose. But the boy in the grate couldn't be Reid. For one, Reid was definitely standing on the stoop, not underneath the house. Besides, the other boy had longer hair and his eyes were blue, not brown like Reid's.

"Erm...hello," Reid said, finding his voice. He had learned early on that it was safer not to ask questions, but sometimes they slipped out before he could stop them. "Can I ask what you're doing down there?"

"Nothing much, really," the boy said. "What are you doing up there?"

"I was sleeping and I heard a noise," Reid answered. "I came out to see what it was."

"What's your name?" the boy asked.

"What's your name?" Reid shot back, eyes round with apprehension.

"Oliver Breton," he said. "And this is Duncan Lukas." He gestured to the older, sandy-haired boy beside him. "Who are you?"

"Reid Walker," said Reid, climbing down the cement steps and crouching on his hands and knees in front of the bars to get a better look at the boys.

They were dressed similarly and covered with dirt, Reid noticed, now that he could see them up close. Oliver wore a faded blue shirt under a worn leather vest, while Duncan wore a green one. Each boy had a leather pack on his back, bulging with supplies, and thin silver chains hung from their necks. Duncan was holding a lantern.

Upon hearing the name "Reid" Oliver turned to Duncan and grinned.

"It is him!" he said to Duncan. "They kept his name! Well, almost. Of course they couldn't have known his surname."

"What are you talking about?" Reid asked, shaking his head.

Oliver pushed the iron grate open, held it up with his arm, and looked Reid in the eye. Reid was amazed and a bit frightened by how similar they looked.

"It's quite a long story," Oliver said. "There'll be plenty of time to tell it on the way home, though, so shall we -"

"What are you talking about? I am home." Reid gestured towards the dormitory.

"Oh. Right. Of course."

Duncan chuckled at Oliver's side. "We're finally here, after how long? And we haven't given a thought to how we'd convince him to come with us. I don't think the Captain even considered it."

Oliver laughed. "You're right!" he said, sounding amused rather than worried. "I suppose this is quite strange for you, isn't it?" he added, turning his attention back to Reid.

"Well...yes," Reid said. "It's not every day I see people prowling around underneath buildings, especially people that look so similar to me. It's all a bit disturbing, to be honest."

"Oh," Oliver said, looking like the last thing he wanted to do was make anyone feel uncomfortable. "But...certainly you've realized it by now. We're brothers. Twins!"

Reid stared at him. For a moment he had feared this was all just an elaborate prank of his classmates', but that couldn't explain why he and Oliver looked so alike. As it was, Reid was eager to believe that perhaps he hadn't been abandoned on a sidewalk after all. His head was buzzing with questions, but before he could think of what to ask first, Oliver spoke.

"It's a long story, as I said. There's a lot to explain, and it'll be a long journey back home. It's a lot nicer there than it is here, though, I promise. Smells better, at any rate."

Reid's head was swimming. He took a deep breath of the cool autumn air, and looked up at the dirty bricks of the dormitory building before him. He thought of how Lewis Lynch had attacked him the night before, and then looked back at Oliver. Upon seeing his likeness smiling back up at him hopefully, his mind was eased slightly, and he decided that anything these mysterious boys had to offer would be better than St. Wigbert's.

"Okay," Reid said.

He lowered himself through the small opening into the dark, damp passage below.

A/N: If you were in Reid's shoes, would you go with Oliver and Duncan? As always, thank you so much for reading, and please leave a comment, a vote, or add to a public reading list if you're enjoying the story. :)