Sorry for the even longer wait for an update, life has been busy with exams and finishing sixth form. But now I have more time, the updates will hopefully me quicker. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
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Standing with Lukas, we were conversing about the soldiers that had found us. He was smarter than I expected, and I hadn’t missed the increased numbers looking for us. Never did we have to move safehouse so much in such a short period of time. There had to be something going on, something that was scaring the government to force a push on us.
I heard the door open and knew it was our spy, Ezra. He had been one of my best recruits, recognising his desperation to help early on. Admittedly, I was so blinded by rage that I wanted to kill him but now I was glad I hadn’t. He proved to be very useful to me.
“Kieran.”
I turned, my eyes focusing on the one I was expecting. He looked every bit the solider I expected. “Ezra. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, though I do wonder why this is the case?”
He looked almost solemn, his jaw twitching. Oh, something had kicked off. “In due course, I promise. Now I would like to introduce you to…”
As he was talking, my eyes flickered over to the girl next to me. My eyes widened as I stared at those familiar eyes, that tentative smile, but there was no way. Surely it couldn’t be- “Melanie?”
She stared back at me confused, not a hint of recognition in those eyes. “How-how do you know my name?” She stuttered out, disbelief in her tone.
“You don’t recognise me? It’s Kieran, your brother. God, I thought you were dead,” I breathed, feeling like my mind was playing a cruel trick on me.
She still stared at me shocked. Melanie didn’t remember who I was. There were so many questions racing through my head. How was she alive? Where had she been this whole time? But as I stared at her, I noted that she was well dressed, well cared for… I couldn’t believe it. She had become an Elite.
She had grown up surrounded by them, being blinded by their false beliefs.
The doubt grew quickly, they must have sent her in to rat us out. Even if they didn’t know my relation to her. And if Ezra had been made, even if he had told me otherwise-
The decision was quick as I pulled out the gun at my side, aiming it right at her head.
This had to not be the Melanie I knew.
In an instant, she was stepping back, face full of fear as Ezra stepped between us. “Kieran! What the fuck are you doing? You just said that she’s your sister!”
I shook my head, keeping the gun steady. If I needed to kill him, I would. “I don’t believe it. Are you lying to me Ezra? Are you here to help kill us? I assume that’s what is happening here, it’s not a coincidence that there’s something going on within the government and then you show up here with my own sister. Who also happens to be an Elite!”
Behind him, Melanie seemed to be staring at me, a sadness crossing her face. Meanwhile Ezra seemed more composed, hands raised. “Listen, I understand your concern. Just let us explain. Melanie is my friend, yes, she is an Elite. But she is a sympathiser, she doesn’t believe in what is being done to you and your people. The unrest in the government has led to her here but I promise you it is not too kill you. As I said, let us explain everything. A lot has gone down in the past few days.”
Slowly, I lowered my gun. “Fine. But be warned, if I find you lie to me about anything, or I believe you are not sincere. I will do what is necessary. Understood?”
Ezra nodded, seemingly relieved now that the gun was not pointed at his head. “Of course. Is there somewhere quiet we can talk?”
“Follow me.”
I exchanged a glance with Lukas and whispered to him, “Keep an eye on everyone else. I’ll be back soon.”
Lukas glanced to Ezra and Melanie before saying, “I will. Keep an open mind, okay? She seems terrified. I would be too.”
It wasn’t like I wanted to hurt her; this was my sister. The sister I had sworn to protect my whole life, had tried to even when we were young and on that night. But my loyalty was to the resistance before anything else, this was my life now. Not to family or anyone else.
I led them upstairs to my room and closed the door behind them. Understandably the room was rather bare, but I had placed two chairs and a table, for meetings like this.
“You can sit there.”
They both sat, Melanie looking uncomfortable as she stared at me. “Ask us anything,” said Ezra.
There were so many questions, but one was just there as I looked at my sister. “Do you remember me?”
She looked surprised by my question, “Not really. Recently I’ve been having dreams of that night, I remember the crowds, losing you. My parents confirmed that I wasn’t theirs, so it led me to believe you were my family, brother most likely.”
That was something at least. “Right. So, what’s been happening?”
Ezra sighed. “The not doing anything for weeks from the rebels- it put them on edge. In fact, it gave them time to think long and hard about what to do with you. I think they are planning something, I’m not sure what. Anyway, you then attacked the line and knew what time it was. So, it made them look for a spy. Before I left, they hadn’t determined one, but I had heard that someone had escaped from one of the camps. I believe they think the leak came from there.”
Which was the truth. So that was one thing cleared up. Now there was Melanie, her eyes were already on me. “You?”
Her hands had been splayed out on the table, but now she began to play with them nervously at my question. “As Ezra said, I’m a sympathiser. Its become a recent realisation but I don’t agree with the treatment. Anyway, I am an elite, grew up to believe so with my- parents. A few days ago, my father, who worked in the government, began to give me training sessions. That I was of the age too. Then yesterday, I got a call from my mother. They discovered that I was not their biological child, that I had been an elite. I had to run, they…” She paused, tears slipping down her face. “I think they were killed. I was lost and then Ezra found me, saved me from some soldiers looking for me. We ended up here.”
I believed her. There was too much emotion coating her words to be fake. And she didn’t grow up needing to lie to survive, she wouldn’t be able to do it.
“Okay. Well, you can stay here with my group. Until you both decide what you plan to do now. Seems as though you’ve got a lot going on.”
Melanie looked hurt by my words. I didn’t know what she wanted from me. Yes, there were a lot of emotions going on and seeing her here. But right now, I needed some time alone. And I needed Lukas to vent too. Honestly, what made it all worse was that she barely remembered me and just knowing she grew up as an Elite- it did complicate matters.
Ezra seemed to notice something because he murmured to Melanie, “Come on. Let’s give him some space.”
They moved towards the door, and I added, “Tell Lukas to come to my room.”
Ezra nodded as they finally left, giving me a moment of peace. A moment later, Lukas walked into the room, leaning against the door.
“What’s going on? I saw that girl, Melanie, crying to the Ezra that you hate her or something.”
I sighed, head rolling back as I looked up to the ceiling. “I don’t hate her. It’s just a lot.”
“In what way?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well firstly, I thought she was dead. Turns out she’s not and I’ve carried a lot of guilt around for ten years. And then when she does show up, announced for that matter, it turns out she’s an Elite.”
Lukas frowned, “Okay and?”
“She’s an Elite Lukas. She had grown up surrounded by those people, raised by people that she views as her parents, and she barely remembers me. Do you know how that feels? Because I remember my parents. I remember a happy mother who sang songs to Melanie, just before it all went down. I was eleven when it happened, I had to try and get us out. And it’s hard. It shouldn’t be because God knows she is my sister. And I have always dreamed to see her alive. I don’t know why this is so hard.”
Lukas seemed to pity me with that comment, which I wish he wouldn’t. He moved from the doorway, taking a seat next to me. “Listen, I can’t understand what you’re feeling. But I can see why you’re feeling the way you’re feeling. We’re living in a messed-up world, with messed up feelings and you seem to be carrying the weight of it on your shoulders.”
“But that guilt, I can understand. I was the first one to be in the camp but about five years after the initial attack, I was with my family in hiding. when it all went down. Parents, two brothers, one younger than me. My oldest brother, James, he was thirteen at the time, two years older than me. Some soldiers raiding homes found us, and my parents and younger brother were on their knees, begging to not kill us. James- he was furious, begging to start a fight even with a gun pointed at us. I could see what was about to happen, so I offered myself up, to spare them. The guard accepted and then he shot my family. Said I was the only admirable one to do something. I feel like I should have died with them, it would have been more honourable.”
I shook my head. “You did what you had to do to survive, it put you in a terrible situation, but you did it.”
He nodded, smiling a little at me. “Exactly, just like you did. Just talk to Melanie, try, and get to know her. Don’t be too harsh on her just yet.”
He was right. I was just being unreasonable, and it was just a lot to take in and get adjusted too. But I wanted to get to know her, I wanted to get to know my little sister, who was alive.
God, she was alive.
But my mind wandered to how she said the soldiers were looking for her, and the things going on within the government. After I added, “What do you think?”
“Well, it does seem like something is going on, I think bigger than anything before. But what is it?”
I sighed; I did not know. I just hoped it wasn’t enough to affect the resistance, there was still a lot of work to do to have an organised takeover, but we did not have the real number nor the weapons. However, hopefully the arrival of Lukas and now Ezra could change that. Maybe they could be our real chance. Just maybe there was more of a hope of achieving our goal.
We needed to start with weapons.
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