Behind the Walls. NOVEL By Claire Darcy.

2. oF cOuRsE i cAn!

ACE.

My eyes snapped open, my mind swirling with curiosity. I glanced out the window at the sky above. The moon beamed down on the camp with an eerie white light, slicing through the dark clouds that rolled overhead. Midnight.

I peered through the darkness at my right hand. It was still there- the burnt letter 'H'. I traced the letter with my finger. A numb aching came from the burn. Jumping off the top bunk, I pulled on my boots and eyed the figure of Josh, who was still soundly sleeping. Should I wake him? I looked out the door, a harsh wind spiralling through the opening. I nodded to myself, then tapped Josh's arm. There was an adventure on its way; I could sense it, and Josh needed to be there, too. Besides, he would never forgive me if I left him behind.

"Wake up. Josh, get up," I hissed, grasping his shoulder and giving it a shake.

"What do you want?" he mumbled grumpily, rolling over. I brushed his sandy blonde hair from his face and forced one of his eyes open.

"You have to get up. Right now," I ordered. He pushed my arm away and slowly sat up. He looked at the door, then at me, then at his bed.

"What am I getting myself into?" he murmured, rising to his feet.

I bit my lip. That was a very good question.

...

"We are dead, we are so, so, very dead," Josh breathed as we snuck around a corner. The cold outside air was biting at my skin, the wind was piercing through my clothing, and my heart was racing. We were out way past curfew - if the guards caught us now we'd be dead meat.

"Shhh," I hushed him, stopping at another corner. Aside from the light of the moon, it was practically pitch-black.

"Where are we even going?" Josh asked as we turned another corner. I didn't answer him until we were there.

"Ace! The Council's office?" Joshed hissed, "Are you insane? We can't go sneaking around here! We're bound to run straight into somebody any second now- I can feel it."

"No, we're not headed there," I whispered, "Rather, up there." I pointed at the roof of the Council's exclusive office and then held out my hand for Josh as a reminder. Suddenly it clicked.

"The H. H for Helipad," Josh said, finally understanding, "Unbelievable."

I asked, "What's unbelievable?"

He folded his arms, then, like a frustrated father would, he looked down at me.

"Ace, you're crazy. Any second now a guard is going to appear out of nowhere and grab us both. We are so dead. Have you seen the weapons they carry? The guards aren't scared to shoot troublemakers. I've seen it. Listen to me; I've seen it. If we get caught, it's game over."

"You're over-thinking it," I argued.

"And you're under-thinking it!" Josh cried, exasperated.

The sound of footsteps around the corner stopped our argument immediately. I could see the regret in Josh's eyes as visible as his grey irises. We slid back against the wall, our breathing practically stopping. After a few moments, nothing had happened, and we relaxed the slightest bit. Whoever was headed our way had changed their mind.

"There's a staircase over there," I whispered, pointing at the side of the building, "Keep quiet, and follow me." 

My heart was thudding in my chest, my head throbbing from the tension. Josh nodded, defeated, and followed stealthily as we snuck out onto the open pavement. There were no more than a few meters between us and the orange streetlight at the bottom of the staircase.