The Siblings

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Warmth filled my chest as I glanced around at the community I had created. It was supper time, and all of the siblings were gathered around the big campfire in the middle of camp. It was a loud and joyous affair, enough to warm anyone's heart.

Jake sat to my left, Rose to my right. It was always that way, with Jake sticking to me like glue. The only time he would leave me alone was when he was out scouting. But I didn't really mind. And Rose, at just a year younger, was my best friend. She was a bubbly seventeen year old, full of life and happiness. Her survival skills were still at a minimum, but her management was beyond helpful. She had a way of organising people, fitting them into the perfect gaps, a skill that I was definitely lacking in. Both Rose and Jake had arrived on the fourth bus from the city and had quickly become leaders alongside me.

I searched the group for the newbies, checking to see how they were doing. Courtney was chatting with another young girl, the twins sat together, laughing at something that had been said. Mia with some younger children, her baby being gently passed around.

Benji was sitting away from everyone else, on the steps of the main building. He was looking past the fire and the people, and out into the distance.

Excusing myself, I jumped up and wandered over. Taking a seat next to him, I pulled my jacket tighter around me. It was cooler away from the fire.

"How are you settling in?" I asked, watching Jessa stir the pot of soup. We were very lucky to have Jessa with us, her cooking skills being beyond valuable. With a cook as a father and her mother in the catering business, she had learned a fair few skills. I don't think we would have survived without her.

"Fine," Benji replied.

"You know, you're going to need to speak up if you want to achieve anything here," I told him, turning to watch him.

He didn't answer but instead swivelled around on the step to face me. His eyes inspecting me closely, flickering across to every move that I made. His hands lay at his sides, motionless. I sighed.

Finally, I felt him twist away.

"How'd you get water here? I haven't seen a river." His voice was deep, cold even.

I pointed to a boy sat at the far side of the fire. "You see that boy? The one with the long hair?" He nodded his head, squinting his eyes to see clearly. "That's Isaac. He is insanely good at tech. He was in the first group of outcasts with me."

Isaac was whittling away at a piece of wood, his hands expertly moving as he carved.

"He would have made a good leader. But he has never been interested in anything but sticking to the shadows." I smiled at the memory of first meeting him. He was a quiet kid, not really interested in speaking in front of people.

"He hooked us up to the city's water system. The pipes run along our border."

"How did he do that? The city knows exactly the amount everyone uses. Don't they notice it missing?" Benji asked, his face still a blank sheet of emotions.

"Contrary to popular belief, the city doesn't know everything," I replied.

He looked confused.

"I think that they only say that to make people fear what will happen if they do something wrong. But in reality, it isn't really possible to know exactly what is happening with millions of people. Some things are bound to be lost along the way." I said. It had been on my mind for a while, the lies that our leaders had once told us. They really weren't as powerful as everyone thought.