Freerunner

Chapter 3

The door opened and a rather small adult entered. He glanced around briefly then looked straight up. To my surprise, it wasn't an adult at all.

It was Alex.

"You can come down now, Rosie," he said flatly. I was reluctant but realised it was just my harmless little brother. I seized the bars and pulled them off again, lowering myself onto the carpet.

"What are you doing here?" I asked suspiciously. He was stunned at my reaction.

"I could very well ask you the same thing. But I already know the answer to that. That's why I made sure to get this before you." It was only then that I noticed the folder in his hand. He took it. He knew I'd come looking for it and now...

"Give it to me," I commanded.

"Not until you calm down and listen to me for once!" He cried.

I took an involuntary step back, apprehended by his vicious response. I gulped, cleared my face or 'blanked out' as Stevie had called it and nodded, indicating him to continue.

But I wasn't going to listen.

He took that folder the day Stevie left, I know he did. To what, blackmail me? If he thought he could manipulate me into being a good girl, he was honestly mistaken. I'd spent ages trapped by the barb-wire fence, controlled by my parents who were the heads of this prison. Apparently they did it because they 'cared' about me. I didn't buy it and it was only when I teamed up with Stevie that I really felt I could survive the war.

"Now, I know you're upset that I took this-"

I was furious.

"-but it was for a good reason."

Yeah right, don't you dare try pull something like that on me.

"Because I love you Rosie-"

I think I'll aim for his kidneys, that'll teach him.

"-I promised Caruso I'd help you and I hadn't been able to get a hold of you since you kept going in the vents and I'm not strong enough to push myself through them."

Now- what?

I paused mid-step. Alex realised my intention and jumped behind the desk. When I didn't move, he peeked over the tabletop. He took my silence as a sign.

"You guys were- I mean are- really, really close. Before you met him, you were... empty for lack of a better word. You had a sycophantic attitude that isolated you from everyone and you never played with me when we were little. When you two started hanging out, you became a lot happier and then you'd talk to me. It was a surprise, a really nice one because it meant that I wasn't alone, stuck with parents that only cared about the war. You know the shelter kids are all pretty much halfway in their graves so there was no point trying to talk to any of them. I have a sister and a friend now thanks to Caruso."

Stuck with parents that only cared about the war. I never realised Alex felt the same as I did. Then again, we're siblings so I felt pretty stupid for not figuring it out sooner. He approached me with the folder.

"It's also thanks to you that I understand how dumb this war is."

I thought back to when I tackled him and got level-two basic training as punishment. When he asked me why I hadn't just enlisted, I'd told him I didn't want to add to the cause of war. I'd also said it when he found the map I'd made of the vents. And when I came home exhausted from sneaking out of class to join in with the recruits. And that time when I cried at night, desperate to get outside the compound.