Theodin Jaynar Everett's Story

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The morning sky was painted with soft, colorful pastels, as the sun started it's descent from behind the horizon line and into the sky. A few clouds were scattered here and there, blotting out some of the stunning sunrise, but they only increased it's beauty. If you listened closely, some birds were chattering constantly, getting roused from their nests in the scarce trees on the block. The pink and orange hues of the sunrise would soon disintegrate, leaving the sun to take over and make the sky a brilliant blue. Against the tri-colored rainbow sky, trees, powerlines, and the roofs of houses were like shadows. These were the moments that made Skylar love her name.

The sky. It was a part of her, well, a part of her name. It meant so much more than just that to her though. The sky was brilliant, lovely, and warm, and she paled so much in comparison with it. Yet, her mother had still decided to name her after it. Every now and then she wondered why for hours and hours, but sometimes she just accepted the fact that there was no way for her to know why, or even get close. She never dared to ever to think she could even compare to it, since that was impossible. Who would be able to compare to such a beautiful thing?

Upon the small porch of Carol and William's house, Skylar was sitting at the top of the steps. Leaning against one of the side railings, she was curled up in a small ball. A quilt and her own black hair draped around her shoulders and pajamas, fending off the very same frigid early September air that was nipping at her bare toes. She wasn't paying attention to this though, instead, her eyes were locked on solely one thing; the sunrise. Admiration, adoration, and awe gleamed in the reflective surface of her bright green eyes, at the sight of the unfolding sunrise before her.
It was around eight in the morning, maybe fifteen minutes before. Skylar had been out here ever since five though, sitting on the porch in solitude with only the quilt from her bed to keep her warm. As her mother had used to say, 'Skylar rose with the morning sky'. Of course, this wasn't true; it was only because of her insomnia and deathly fears of nighttime and sleeping that she never slept in like normal teenagers, and her other siblings. Sometimes she wondered if all of these would truly go away after she got the cure, since the scientists said anything like fears and worries would go away after the procedure, and she'd be happy for the rest of her life.

Breathing out, the black-haired girl watched as her breath formed what looked like a puffy little cloud. After two or three seconds, it faded away into the crisp air of the early Saturday morning, and Skylar did it all over again. She loved doing this; sitting on the porch to watch the sunrise, and watching her breath float through the air. It was one of her favorite parts of the day, and even though she did it over, and over, and over again, she never once had gotten bored of it. It calmed her down. It surrounded her with a peculiar warmth that drowned away all the tiresome frights from the horrid night before. It reminded her of her mother.

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A tiny black-haired girl with bright green eyes sat on the porch, staring out at twisting sea of colors before her. She was dressed in only her pajamas, and had nothing to keep her warm from the chills that pressed and poked at her visible skin. She didn't notice this though, even though the surface of her skin was as cold as icicles in Winter. She probably wouldn't even have noticed if she had developed hypothermia by now.

"Lala, what're you doing out here?" The familiar voice came floating out from the direction of the door, and the sound of it closing followed it. The girl's mother was now standing on the porch, watching her little five year old black-haired daughter stare out across the sky. She had been talking to some of her other children, when she noticed the absence of one little optimistic girl.

The girl's bright green eyes specked with gold turned to reveal themselves to her mother, the girl having to twist her body a bit to do so. "Watching the sun come out," she said simply, wondering why her mother wasn't doing the same. "Doesn't everybody watch it?"

Her mother raised an eyebrow slightly, before laughing softly and walking over to sit down next to her feeble daughter on the porch, "Well, not everybody, but it sure is beautiful." Wrapping her arms around the pale body of her daughter, she almost pulled back as quick as she had hugged her. Her skin was freezing cold, you could even call it snow with it's pale complexion and freezing surface. A look of worry crossed her face, and she stared down at her daughter, hoping she wouldn't have a fever later, or maybe even the flu.
"Aren't you cold," she asked, before adding, "and tired?"

Confusion shone through Skylar's eyes as she blinked up at her mother, wondering why she even thought such a thing. Shaking her head, she pointed out towards the sunrise, silently wishing she could be closer to it, be surrounded and embraced by it's majestic appearance and colors. "No, it's morning, so doesn't that mean everybody's supposed to wake up?" she said. "And the fire's warming be up. Isn't it warming you up too?"

For a brief second, her mother wondered what she meant by 'the fire'. Realization hit her as quick as the question did, however, and she smiled softly as she glanced at the brilliant sunrise, drowning the town of Portland in colors of orange, red, yellow, and pink. "Just because it's morning doesn't mean you have to wake up, Sky..." she said softly, staring out at the sun as it inched it's way into the sky before turning her attention back to her daughter. "And the fire's very, very warm, and beautiful... But I don't think it'll keep you completely warm."

Skylar frowned a tiny bit, obvious disappointment showing through her expression. What did her mother mean the fire wouldn't keep her warm? It confused her greatly, but then again, she didn't even know that it wasn't a fire in the first place. "What do you mean?"

"Well," her mother started to say, but soon trailed off. She didn't want to say that it wasn't a fire, like how she didn't ever want to say she was infected with the deliria. It was better to let her daughter, and the rest of her children, stay happy for as long as they could. Of course, the truth would soon backfire at some point, but they were all so young. Theo had ever started to tell her that what she was doing was wrong, even though he was only five.
"Never mind. It's a secret." Smiling again, she leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. "I'll tell you sometime."

A huff came in return to her mother's teasing, and Skylar stuck out her lower lip in a pout as she crossed her arms. This earned a bright laugh from her mom, which made her smile a bit again. "Promise?" she asked, not wanting to have to wait to know the secret.

"Promise."

At some point, her mother would tell Skylar the truth about the sunrise. Just like at some point, she would tell all her children about how infected she was. She wished she could just keep all these secrets locked up in a little box, and toss it into the ocean, freeing her children of all worries and cares. In this world, there was no possible way though, not even through the cure.
For now, she just had to continue smiling, even if all the smiles concealed drops of sadness.

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Drowsily, Sylar's eyes fluttered open, consciousness slowly starting to come back to her. For a few seconds, she just remained there, leaning against the railing, wanting to sink back into a world of happy, yet saddening memories. There was a loud creaking sound filling her ears, along with what sounded like footsteps. Her mother, her mother, was she heading down the stairs of the porch in the night that she left? Was she maybe still alive, and coming up the stairs to sweep Skylar up in her arms? No... that wasn't the sound. Awareness then slapped Skylar in the face, and she sat up abruptly, glancing around with wide eyes. Aunt Carol was heading down the stairs inside the house, and, even from out on the porch, the sound echoed throughout the air.

She must've drifted off for a few minutes, as much as it horrified her. Pictures, thoughts, memories, and the sound of her mother's voice lingered in her mind, refusing to budge, and a fleeting forlorn look showed in her eyes. Push the thoughts away, push them away. she willed herself, tears threatening to fall. To her relief, Aunt Carol's voice then came to her rescue, distracting her to keep the memories from flooding over her.

"Skylar!" A muffled click followed the familiar call, and the sound of a window sliding open. Carol was already in the kitchen, probably preparing breakfast. It must be a pain to have to cook for eight people every single day, Skylar would think ever now and then. Then again, Carol hadn't offered to take care of the six siblings out of care or love, it was simply out of responsibility and family duty.
"If you get sick from being out there in the cold every single morning, don't expect to get any special treatment from me or William," Carol said, narrowing her eyes at Skylar. Skylar knew Carol never liked her habit of coming out here on the porch in the morning, especially since she always would come out before Carol was awake. This was almost just as bad as breaking curfew, in Carol's point of view. As Skylar looked backed at her aunt, she caught a look at the clock inside. Eight o'clock. She must've drifted off for only fifteen or ten minutes, which was a slight relief.

For the first month when the Everetts moved in with Aunt Carol and Uncle William, almost every single night, Skylar would come out onto the porch once Carol had fallen asleep, and would sleep out on the small bench, curled up in the thickest quilt she could manage to find. These nights were usually spent sobbing, and hiding in her little mass of blankets whenever she heard regulators pass by, hoping they wouldn't see her. Luckily, the regulators had never noticed her cowering on the porch, but Carol certainly had. She had been scolded countless times in that month, and at some point, she gave in. It was then that she started to climb out of the window in the bedroom she shared with Theo and Fishi, to crawl up onto the roof and sleep up there under the stars, and even now, she still does it sometimes.

"I know," Skylar said, her voice soft and honey-like, yet quiet, like if she spoke too loud she'd ruin the beautiful sunrise. To look at her aunt, she had to adjust herself a bit, despite the fact that she hadn't wanted to move from her comfy spot. "I've been making sure to bring the thickest blanket I can find out with me every morning, and I'll start to wear my coat as it gets colder." Of course, she'd probably get sick at some point, even with the coat, but she didn't care. As long as there was a time when the sun came up, lighting up the sky and ridding the town of nighttime, even if just for a bit, Skylar would be happy.

A tsk came from Carol's direction, and as she closed the window to keep the cool air from drifting in, Skylar heard her mumble something about how one day the regulators will probably get mad at her for being out on the porch so early. She simply disregarded this though, and turned her attention back to observe how much the scene of the sunrise had changed. The sky now looked like a sea of cotton candy, drizzled with many layers of honey. It brought a small giggle to Skylar's mouth, at the thought of what such a thing would taste like. Cotton candy and honey would probably taste gross. She'd have to try it sometime.

The little amount of sleep Skylar had gotten the night before now was taking it's toll, and Skylar's face turned tired. Nosing back up against the railing, she pulled the quilt tighter around herself, wondering if any of her other siblings had woken up by now. Maybe she would be able to go and pester Theo to give her a piggy back ride? Well, she'd go inside to see if he and the rest of her siblings were awake later, for right now, she just wanted to remain out on the porch, watching the sun's never ending climb. Anyways, if anyone needed her, they'd know where to find her. She wished she could just watch the sunrise forever though, the very same sunrise that washed away every worry in the world. Of course, she knew it could never last forever. There was always a beginning, and an end. Like life and death. Like when you are born, and when you get the cure.

I shouldn't even think of things like that... she thought, shaking her head as if it would literally shake away the thoughts. Standing up, she held the quilt around her shoulders as she went inside, rubbing her eyes to try and get rid of the tiredness.

"Skylar, breakfast should be ready in around ten minutes. Go wake up everybody else," Carol said, "William plans to head to the Stop-N-Save after breakfast, so he's already awake."

Skylar grabbed the quilt in one of her hands, and let it fall to the ground. A yawn escaped her parted lips, and she stretched her arms above her head, before replying to what Carol told her to do. "Alright," she mumbled, heading through the tiny living room before starting her trek up the creaky stairs. Hopefully Theo would carry her back down the stairs, since she really didn’t want to have to walk all the way back down the stairs.

"Theo, Fishi!” she hollered, finally reaching the top of the 'mountain', getting an irritated call from her aunt downstairs at the racket. "Tux, Hannah, Lulu! Dinner- Wait, wait… breakfast! Breakfeast's ready! Well, soon to be ready!”

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It begins in the same way, every single night. In the land of dreams, nightmares preyed on the weak. They tendered their knuckles across Finnegan's errant temples, pressing down until they inflicted some kind of residual pain, some sort of reminiscent discomfort that could carry itself along in his consciousness. Like a leech, or a suckling patch of barnacles. He wasn't very strong in those vulnerable spaces, hunkered in some familiar room with his mother clutching tightly to her pillow. His mother's letter, already peeling like an orange made out of cream-paper, seemed to linger in the air. The words were stagnant and final, irreversible. It always ended the same, like a broken record, or a tape playing in reverse. Her dark eyes full of pain and longing — poet's eyes, rising away from the pillow to regard him. The windows would shatter inwards, releasing steady streams of water until she was drowning and he, caught between the porch door and the kitchen, was forced to watch her die. Why didn't she grow gills and webbed feet? Why didn't she, after all this time, learn how not to drown? The world didn't end abruptly like everyone believed it would. It fell apart in increments, tiny and insubstantial, until the grand denouement that was the loss of his father and mother. It ended so gradually that it snuck up on him and suddenly he was confronted with the undeniable fact that society as they knew it was over. Or else, it'd suddenly begun. He waited patiently, as the walls caved in. It always began the same, and it always ended the same. These dreams were more like a sigh than a bang, a slow, soft, stuttering gasp of someone on his or her deathbed rather than a nuclear bomb or a hurricane.

Finnegan sat abruptly in his bed, nearly knocking his head on the overhead lamp. His breathing came in ragged gasps, like a fish floundering on dry land. Skylar would appreciate the comparison. As if he were climbing out of a hole, or shaking off the last dribbles of a particular stormy day, Finnegan took a few deep breaths, concentrating them in his stomach, before hunkering his shoulders forward, as Klein had taught him to do when he couldn't control himself. Remnants of tears were quickly swiped away, under the guise of mussing up his shaggy hair. He reclined backwards, stretching his arms above his head like two flightless wings. Yawning loudly, obnoxiously. Dusty beams of sunlight sifted through their curtains, reminding him that he'd better get his sorry butt downstairs for breakfast – and just on time, he heard Skylar hollering up the stairway, followed by Aunt Carol's frustrated whoops at her being so loud, so early in the morning. His heart was still beating quickly, racing like a gunshot. He let his head list to the side, so he could glimpse slivers of the sun rising lopsided on the horizon – he liked being awake for things like this, because it was one beautiful thing that the Regulators couldn't take away. It signified more than time passing. He was sure of it.

His fingers were already dripping with unwritten sonnets, ballads, sonatas. He was so soft it was pathetic. Finnegan closed his eyes, and traced his eyelids, lightly, before dropping his hands resolutely to his sheets. Like a groggy hound snatching away from the porch-light, Finnegan yawned again, and grabbed a random sweater from the hanger, probably belonging to Theodin. They were the same size, so it didn't really matter – unless his brother bit his ear off for wearing it without asking. He'd pretend like he didn't notice, anyway. These were small, miniscule ways to pull him out of his shell. He'd rather be yelled at, then watch him skulk around in silence. For a couple of seconds, amidst the bickering, it felt like things were back to normal. It was better that way, even if it eventually drew them further apart. “Skybar. What are you... a time traveler? Skipping meals isn't healthy.” He called back, cupping his hand to his mouth before poking his head outside the doorway.

He mimicked blub-blub-blubbing down the hallway, puffing his cheeks like a fish, before flipping up a strand of her long hair, and pretending to masquerade as a man with a particularly long moustache. Just as quickly, Finnegan dropped her hair, grinning wide. He tapped his finger against his chin, thoughtfully. “Hope it's something different today. Carrot muffins, with cinnamon... and good luck waking the rest of 'em, I'm clocked out of watch-your-back-shift today.” Certain siblings were easier to wake than others. Others were reminiscent to grumbling bears, all claws and teeth. With a tune humming deep in his throat, Finnegan hopped down the steps to help Aunt Carol dole out the dishes and utensils. He always did.

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While it didn't surprise him to hear his twin yell out his name along with their four other siblings, it made his sleeples morning even less appealing. He often wondered if Skylar knew that he woke up most of the time when she did.Maybe it was a twin thing, he honestly had no idea. He knew for a fact Finn didn't wake up, that boy could probably sleep through a bomb raid right over their house. Well, their aunt and uncles' house. Not one part of it was theirs, save for the few things they brought with them from their mothers' house.

The thought set him to writhing inside. He hadn't even bothered to count the years since she had been taken away. She wasn't their mother, not by his standards. Pushing the thoughts out of his mind Theo stood up and stretched, the mass of scars twisting and pulling on his skin where it no longer grew. Some of them were old and faded, some where newer, pink and healing. But the one people noticed the most when they ever caught him without his shirt on was the one that started just under his let shoulder blade, wound it's way across his back, around his right side, and then crossed over his abdomen, ending just above his left hip. While it certianly wasn't his newest, it was probably the whitest, and certianly was his longest. All five of his siblings had asked him about it, and he had told not a one. Despite what he did, if anyone found out he was wandering out into the Wilds, it'd be a one-way ticket into the Crypts for him, but on the opposite side he wanted to be.

He wandered over to his dresser, his bare feet padding on the cold floor as he walked. He pulled on a simple black t-shirt, ran a hand through his shaggy mussed hair, and pulled on his jacket. He stared at his reflection. He looked almost haunted. A bitter smile crossed his face at that, and he rubbed his eyes, trying to make it look like he wasn't ready to fall asleep on his feet. He passed his younger brothers' empty bed on his way out of the room, raising one eyebrow. It wasn't often Finn was already out of the room before him. Maybe he had dozed back off and not noticed.

He walked out into the hallway, stopping next to his twin sister. By the look of her, wrapped up in the quilt off her bed and all red-faced, she had been outside. He had only known when she had woken up, and then he'd lain there in the dark. He never really payed attention to where she went or what she did, so long she stayed in or around the house. Letting out a slight huff, he looked at Sky and said, "You're going to catch your death of cold, getting up like this every morning. You know that, right?"

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Hannah did indeed hear her name called. Skylar, she could tell. She'd already been awake for a while, studying busily. She couldn't go to college without the cure, and being as responsible as she was, she wasn't about to fall behind. She sat at an old wooden desk in her room, three books laid open, various lessons and chapters open. She leaned her arm on one in particular, the one she was making notes of as the others rushed to breakfast.

It wasn't like her to be flustered. No, she was always organised. Whether it was her room or her head. But something was troubling her that morning that she couldn't figure out from her books. She sighed, dropping the pencil and burying her face in her hands. She rubbed at her eyes, and straightened her back again. Taking a deep breath, she tried to relax, and lean back in her chair. A cold breeze was coming through the slightly opened window, and Hannah could hear the birds chirping. It was times like these cluttered moments when she wondered if birds themselves could fall in love.

Love. That was forbidden. Hannah didn't even know what to think of it. But then again, she wasn't supposed to think of it. Her cure was in 52 days. Her evaluation was in two days. 48 hours. 2880 minutes. 172800 seconds. Not that she was counting.. 172799 seconds.. But she was worried. Scared even. Ever since their mother's death she's tried to take over the role as much as she can. She knows she won't ever be who her mother was, and her siblings probably won't think of her that way, but taking care of others had become so easy for her, it wasn't a chore it was a lifestyle that she enjoyed.

But what had been troubling her most, even more than love, was a recurring dream she'd been having. It wouldn't happen every night, but sometimes different parts of the dream would play in her mind while she slept, and she'd put them together later. She'd found that the worst is when you remember the whole dream the second you wake up, then everything goes blank. You can't even put the idea into words. Because of that, she has a journal beside her bed, where she can quickly write down thoughts to help her remember. But the dream itself, was truly puzzling.

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It's a sunset. That's all you can see for miles. The land is flat, barren. There's a woman in front of her, but her back is to her. In the dream Hannah knows she is to follow the woman. But she doesn't know who it is. As the woman walks, she follows behind. The same distance she started, not any faster or slower. She can't change her pace, and she must keep in rhythm with the woman.

The woman is wearing a long gown. It's black, and so is the veil that covers the back of her head, as well as the front. She doesn't speak, but Hannah knows she is to follow. The dream usually continues, and she eventually comes to a bridge. It is twilight now, but Hannah hadn't noticed the change in the colors of the sky, nor did she see a bridge as they approached until now. The woman stops in the middle of the bridge, and begins to weep. Hannah, suddenly shocked, wants to reach over and touch her, ask her if she's alright. But her arms are like like steal against her side, weighing her down. Her mouth becomes dry, and no sound will come out. The longer the woman cries, her moans of sorrow begin to echo.

Her tears become a flow off either side of the bridge, and soon they create a river. Though Hannah feels that she has not been standing there long, the river rushes in either direction. Suddenly the crying stops, but the river still bubbles. The woman begins to turn around. Facing Hannah, she can still reveal nothing of who she is, but the woman begins to lift over the veil.

She only reaches just above her mouth before she vanishes, but the small smile is something Hannah couldn't forget. The smile is so familiar, but also so distant. And suddenly, she's in the woods. Noises overtake her, ever snap of a twig and leaf rustling stirs her attention, she whips in any and every direction. There's a man who rushes at her, but she's too late to turn around. Her takes her hand and runs, leading her through the woods quickly.

Though she doesn't remember ever meeting the man, he is safe. She knows he wants to help her. She can hear shouting in the distance behind her, as the rush and dodge trees. They come to the brink of the forest, and they abruptly stop. He walks now, and drops her hand. As before, she follows. They come to the same bridge, but in her dream she does not recognise it as the one the woman cried on. The river is still flowing two directions, but it is night now, and the stars brightly show. The man doesn't cry though, her pulls out a single, white rose, and places it where the woman had been standing. As he turns to stand up, the dream always ends. Hannah wakes up dazed and confused.

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Frustrated Hannah makes her way downstairs, knowing she should see that everyone is alright. She smiled at the twins as she passed, ruffling both of their hair as she passed, out of affection rather than ignorance. "Goodmorning, you two." she says cheerfully with a caringly kind smile. Her eyes soften as she looks at them, then continues into the kitchen. Like every morning, she and Finn help set up. Sometimes when Hannah wakes up early enough, she does the cooking to give her aunt a break. This morning hadn't turned out like that.

"Goodmorning Finn, Carol." She greeted them both.

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It wasn't usually normal for Klein to sleep in the way he was - no, he was normally up just perfectly on time, which was right after the other two had left. Some always were confused as to how he could pull it off, for his days were spent going to class, keeping the family in line, and catching up on all the work he had missed from not paying attention during the night. No wonder the guy was always tired - his habits weren't in the best interest of sleep. Nonetheless, it was these habits that he had come to get used to, and Klein was sure that he didn't plan on giving them up any time soon.

However, this morning, Klein awoke a little after he normally would, and immediately started coughing. It wasn't a light cough, one that signified a cold was looming in the future: these were deep, and always ended with something being spat up. Klein instantly grabbed for his cloth, which sat on his night table, as the coughing got worse. He hated those little coughing fits he had, for they were getting harder and harder to conceal behind 'just feeling under the weather'. Recently, Klein had begun to doubt whether or not he was catching a cold, but he instantly dismissed the idea: it was thoughts like those that made him feel sorry for himself, and Klein hated self-pity.

So, after the blood began to soak into the cloth, Klein stood up, and started his morning like any other - Yoga. Klein had started back when he turned 11, since Mother's death hadn't gotten off of his mind yet. He was constantly on edge, and couldn't think of any way to release all of his pent up frustration. He didn't want to be like Theo, who pulled himself in and became more violent, and he knew he couldn't feel music as well as his younger brother Finny. So instead, Klein took up the practice of meditation and yoga, which worked wonders. As Klein moved through each and every one of the posses, gracefully lifting himself into the air and lowering himself back down, his mind wandered on the day. However, as soon as he did, his thoughts were immediately turned to that one girl, and his brow furrowed. He couldn't get that girl out of his head, for the uncertain hatred he felt towards her was curious. Klein knew though, that for yoga to be efficient, he needed to clear his mind.

Until he heard a holler from Sky.

Klein sighed when his sister yelled up to all the rest of the Everetts, chuckling lightly as he returned himself to resting position, and then sat down. She was an oddball, but one that was cute enough to get under your skin and make you love her anyway. She reminded Klein of a kitten in an odd way.

So, while the rest of the family slowly trudged their way downstairs, Klein sat on his mat still, meditating for a bit longer. As much as he normally kept a schedule, he knew he would have to cut his meditation short for the day, else he would miss breakfast. With that thought, he changed into his standard dress - for he really only had one type of clothing... - and slung his jacket over his shoulder. With everything prepared for him to head downstairs, he did just that, and was greeted by Uncle William and Aunt Carol, to whom he gave a smile. As he passed Sky at the bottom of the stairs -he had to duck so that his head didn't hit the door frame - he gave her a pat on the head and smiled. "Morning Sky, or is it evening? I cannot tell." He joked at her confusing the time period. Klein wasn't one for always making jokes, since most of his humor was those kind of jokes that made people go 'True enough'.

Ignoring his attempt at light humor, he gave a simple nod and muttered "Morning Theodin. before sitting down at the table to address the rest. "Morning Finny, HanHan. He gave a smirk at calling his big sister by a name not many really called her by. He wasn't sure if it was because it didn't stick, or because she didn't like it: regardless, Klein always got a smile from it.

Once he noticed that Lucy wasn't among any of them, e simply sat there and watched them go about their business. He rubbed his eyes once, since the lack of sleep always got to him in the morning - Klein wasn't sure why, but he couldn't sleep in to save his life.

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"Lucy."
The two year old turned around at the sound of her mother's voice. She smiled happily at her mother, waiting for her to continue her sentence. When her mother did not continue to speak, Lucy bounded over to her, nearly stumbling over her own feet on the way, to which her mother chuckled. She picked the little girl up in her arms, before placing her upon her lap.

"Lucy, Lucy, Lucy.." she murmured, humor in her voice. "What have you done to yourself?"
Lucy didn't respond, not sure what the question was. She hadn't done anything wrong, had she? She glanced down at her dress, only now noticing the large, purple stain that covered the floral print. She blushed slightly, before putting a hand to her hair, which she could tell was wild.

"I.. I dunno, Mama," the little girl admitted, blushing. Her mother smiled warmly at her, shaking her head slightly. Her smile didn't reach her eyes, though, which were filled with sadness. Lucy took no notice of this, though, as she chewed the end of her sleeve.

Her mother gently pulled the little girl's hand away from her mouth. "Just remember, Lucy, that I-"

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The sound of her sister's voice awoke her from her slumber.
Lucy opened her deep blue eyes, wincing at the sudden change of lighting. The rays of the rising sun shone through a crack in the curtain. She slipped out from under the green duvet cover before making her bed drowsily.

She blinked away the sleep from her eyes as she got undressed, and into some sweats and a loose tank. She knew Carol and William would most likely be annoyed that she looked a mess, but she didn't really care. She wasn't really bothered to dress up, and hopefully she could just stay inside all day. She grabbed a dark jacket before sluggishly heading downstairs.

Her dream still rocked around her head, unsure what to think. She had these dreams often, but didn't tell anyone. They were just dreams, after all. She was having a hard time deciphering what was imagination and what was memory.

When the fifteen year old entered the dining room, she wasn't surprised to see that she was the last one there. Lucy wasn't known for being an early bird, and she certainly wasn't a morning person. She sluggishly shuffled into the dining room, smiling sleepily.

"Moooorrnniiing!" Lucy said, her tired voice still louder than comfortable. She sat down in her usual chair, so short her feet could barely touch the ground, Though Lucy was fifteen, she could be mistaken for a twelve year old.

She ran a hand through her wild hair, then realizing what a complete mess it was, tried to tame it, but to no avail. She finally sighed and grabbed a hair tie from around her wrist, tying it in a messy bun.

"Hello, my dearest siblings," she said cheerfully, before chuckling. She sat and waited for breakfast.

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Skylar yawned as she listened to her siblings starting to wake up, and get ready for the day ahead of them. She was wondering if Hannah was nervous, with her evaluation only being two days from now. She would definitely be if she was her. After all, Evaluation Day was said to be the road to happiness.
When one of her siblings finally came out into the hallway, which happened to be Fishi, a bright smile lit up Skylar's face. As he asked her if she was a time traveler, her grin only grew.

"Of course," she exclaimed, crossing her arms and making a face as if he should've known this already. "I thought everybody knew this?" After he had entered the hallway, intimidating a fish on the way, she giggled as she watched him mess around, starting to fully wake up after two hours of already being awake. She always enjoyed being with her siblings, no matter what time it was. They always somehow managed to cheer her up after anything. Listening to him talk about walking up everybody else, and what was for breakfast, she watched as he headed off down the stairs to help Aunt Carol. Hopefully she wouldn't have too much trouble with everyone waking up... She knew what bad mornings were like for the household, and she always tried to avoid them, no matter what.

The next to come out was no other than Theo, her own twin. Instead of giving her a bright morning saying, he let out a slight huff and told her she would catch a cold from being out on the porch every morning. A pang of guilt filled her, and it obviously shone through her expression as she looked down at her feet, shuffling them back and forth some. "I just can't help it..." she muttered, avoiding his gaze as she looked up from the ground, to the hallway walls, and then the ceiling. "The sunrise is just so beautiful," Before she knew it, a smile replaced the guilty look, and she finally faced him once again, "You should come out and watch it with me some time! I promise that I'll start wearing coats and bring out the best blanket I can find!"

Before he had time to reply, she headed off down the hallway towards the bedroom she shared with Fishi and Theo, passing by Klein and Hannah on the way again as they said good morning. With a bright reply, she disappeared beyond the door, so that she could change. The first thing she did was head to the closet, obviously, but when she opened it, for a second, the paintings that tumbled out of it caught her attention. If Aunt Carol sees these... she thought, biting her lip and glancing over at the door. She finally threw a thin blanket from one of the lone corners in the closet on top of them, and shoved them into the most hidden place she could think off in the stuffed closet.
With that out of her way, she grabbed one of her favorite outfits; a frilly white spaghetti strap top, along with some bright orange jean shorts, and took off her pajamas to throw them into her little section of the closet. The good thing about sharing a bedroom with two boys was that it was definitely easy to know where her stuff was, and she would never get clothes mixed up. And, they knew not to touch her stuff, because they knew what happened when you dared to touch a girl's clothing.

Slipping the top over her head, before putting on some black tights and the shorts, she went over to the little desk with a mirror she had convinced Carol to put in the room. Observing her long messy hair, she grabbed the small brush on the counter top and brushed her hair until it was close enough to being straight. Grabbing a black ribbon off of the countertop next, she managed to put her long hair up into a high ponytail, before tying the bow in a ribbon around the hairband.

"I think I'm going to help Uncle William in the Stop-N-Save today," Skylar said, practically skipping out of the bedroom with her long black hair swinging behind her after shutting the closet and heading over to Theo. "You should come with me. Maybe we could stop and get some hot cocoa downtown, or stop by one of the beaches for a few seconds."

Completely disregarding her earlier thought of convincing Theo to carry her down the stairs, she stumbled down them herself, almost slipping because of the tights and her clumsiness. She quickly caught her balance though, and tripped her way down the remaining steps. Sliding around on the hardwood floor, she slipped and slid her way into the kitchen, seeing that breakfast was almost ready. It was then that Lucy, the youngest and last of the siblings to wake up, came into the kitchen, saying a loud good morning as she did so.

"Good morning you all," Aunt Carol said, not looking up from the food she was in the middle of making. "Just to warn you all, there's a dangerous storm said to be coming tonight, around eight, so don't be deceived by the clear sky, or the warm weather,"

For a second or two, Skylar took this in, grabbing an apple from one of the countertops and taking a bite out of it as she thought it over. The sky had looked perfectly clear when she had watched the sunrise. Maybe the clouds were just late on their schedule or something?

"I want you all to be home before eight, since me and your Uncle have a big day today, so we're also planning to head to bed by then. Be in your rooms, or at least inside. Skylar, that means no watching the sunset,"

Skylar rolled her eyes a bit, and huffed. The sunset was pretty, but not as pretty as the sunrise. It also meant that night was approaching, so why did people think it was so great? Night was so horrible, so scary... And just so dark! The stars were nice and all, along with the moon, but just... She couldn't even explain it. It was just plain out horrifying.
"I only like watching sunrises, not sunsets," she replied stubbornly, which earned a sharp glance from her Aunt. She quietly just shut up by then though, sticking her tongue out to herself when Carol turned away and heading over to sit down at the table.

---

---

Theo grit his teeth together and said nothing as his eldest sister, Hannah, ruffled his hair. All it did was remind him of their mother, which only mad him seeth with anger. Klein passed, and made his way downstairs with a simple 'good morning', and he stood, stoic and silent as the others made their own way to the table. He sighed as he listened to his twin babble on about sunrises, and raised an eyebrow when she said something about him joining her. Before he could even so much as reply, she had bounded, and nearly fell, down the set of stairs, slipping through the house to the dinning area.

Shaking his head, Theodin slowly followed after her, and sat down just as his Aunt said something about wanting them all in before eight that night. Theodin stared down at his plate. A storm then? Storms usually meant scavengers and Invalids would be cropping up in town, wanting to get supplies so they could survive the storm. Which also meant a perfect opportunity for him to lurk around the fence, and prey upon those unwise enough to enter in daylight. Or he could slip over into the Wilds and do some hunting there, plenty of the weaker ones who would be left behind. To top it off, both his Aunt and Unlce would be out for most of the day. So long as he could slip away from his other siblings he would be just fine. Now all he had to do was formulate a plan.

He had said not a word to anyone since sitting down, instead staring intently at his food, deep in thought. He hadn't touched the food either. Anything said in his directions was either ignored or brushed off with a mumble.

---

---

"Good morning you all," said Aunt Carol, not bothering to glance up as she spoke. Lucy didn't bother with a response, just waited for Carol to finish her sentence. "Just to warn you all, there's a dangerous storm said to be coming tonight, around eight, so don't be deceived by the clear sky, or the warm weather." Ooh, dangerous storm. How exciting. Lucy smiled silently to herself as she listened to her Aunt, not really thinking about her words.
"I want you all to be home before eight, since me and your Uncle have a big day today, so we're also planning to head to bed by then. " This wasn't a problem, at least not for Lucy.

"Be in your rooms, or at least inside. Skylar, that means no watching the sunset."
This comment seemed to annoy her sister, who huffed with annoyance.
"I only like watching sunrises, not sunsets," Skylar replied. Lucy knew better than to ask the question she was thinking, which was, What's the difference? Skylar stuck her tongue out when Carol turned away, making Lucy giggle slightly, before Skylar sat down at the table.

"Hi," Lucy said, a slight greeting to her older, yet shorter sister. She traced little drawings with her finger on the table as she continued. "Err, what are you planning to do today?" she continued, awkwardly trying to make conversation. As stated before, Lucy as definitely not a morning person. This was her least favourite time of day, when her mind wasn't woken up yet, so she couldn't even have a proper conversation without seeming strange.

---

---

Finnegan shuffled around the kitchen, passing plates along the table. He only momentarily stopped when he noticed Hannah gracefully shuffling down the stairs – sometimes, he wondered whether or not she was the only one capable of such a thing. They were a family of stomping feet, all moving forward, in different directions. He smiled gently, then idly waved, totting a fork between his knuckles. “Morning, Hannah.” He'd never given her a nickname because he liked the way her name sounded. It was bizarre, but it reminded him of his mother. Full of elegance, of peonies growing in a garden, or leaves crunching underfoot. It wasn't something that could be explained, but rather it could be felt in the pit of his stomach. She was light on her feet, quite graceful, and he imagined how well she might dance, given the opportunity. None of them danced, anymore. How could they? If they were caught doing anything out of the ordinary, then they'd fall apart. They'd be taken away to the Crypts, buried in governments beliefs, buried in silence, in darkness. Was she afraid? He was terrified for her, and it wasn't even happening to him. He had plenty of time. His fingers immediately twitched to his hair, combing through it's messy waves before settling against the back of his neck. He was already swimming in his thoughts. He'd wanted to approach her yesterday, sit her down, and see what she thought, or at least try to get her to talk about her – lighten the load, even if it wasn't enough. Instead, Finnegan only managed to lean against her door, racking his brain for proper words. Did she have bad dreams, too? Why was he in so much pain, watching her, seeing her like that, when the cure was supposed to be a good thing? Troublesome thoughts for a happy breakfast.

He'd have to talk to her later, if only for awhile. It almost felt like a final goodbye, a breathy, hoarse whisper before something terrible happened. Like letting go of someone's hand in a growing crowd and losing sight of them. A slight frown pulled the corner's of his lips before he turned towards Klein, tipping an imaginary hat and breathing out softly through his nose. “G'mornin', Fancy.” Fancy because he was classy. Because he managed to hold them altogether, while somehow remaining whole, untouched by the frantic, hair-pulling anxiety he was sure they all felt deep down. Even Theodin must have been affected when the lights went out, when they were supposed to be sleeping. Wasn't it eating him up inside, too? He'd realized it a long time ago, even before he understood how to weave words into poetry. How to express what he really felt. They were his truth, strength, hope – and he couldn't live without them. Like ink pressed to the folds of paper, composed of beautiful things: almost, but more permanent.

He shuffled through the cupboards, clinking glasses together, finally settling his fingertips against a particular mug. Finnegan gingerly tipped the pot he'd been watching, pouring something fragrant, and making a point to conceal it with his hand. It was almost funny. It was difficult to procure anything that wasn't regulated, that didn't fit into a particular family's habits. In all honesty, Finnegan hadn't come by the coffee by any conventional means. If anyone asked, then he would have told them that he'd bought it at the Stop 'n Save. He settled the mug in front of Klein, and grinned softly. “Might help a little, yeah?” Sleep marred Klein like bruises. It wasn't hard to see how exhausted he was, probably from trying to keep them together. To keep them from stumbling in opposite directions, like hardheaded kids.

“Mornin', Luce.” He blinked, once, then again. “And Luce's unmanageable hair.” Finnegan leaned against the counter until Aunt Carol shooed him away, waggling her fingers. He scooted away, hopping on his toes, before slumping in his own designated seat – because they all had their own sitting arrangements, unless Skylar was feeling particularly mischievous. Sometimes, Skylar and Theo switched, but they generally stayed the same. He leaned precariously in his seat, head listing over the back of his chair. He frowned thoughtfully at the window, towards the back of the porch. The sun was already creeping on the horizon, casting it's pastel colours against leaves, shingles, and streetlamps alike – never truly showing a distinction or preference because colours were as free as his words. She could light up the dark like that and make everything seem brighter, a little more hopeless. The tight knot braided across his chest, pushing against his heart, his lungs, came looser at the thought. He'd go see her. Hope to bump into her, or something. It was stupid, but necessary.

He'd be gone after breakfast. They were free from school – thankfully, because he was tired of defending himself. The fading splotches of yellow, sweltered beneath his left eye, was testament to his clumsy trips. Either way, if he said he was off for a run, then no one would suspect where he was really going.

To Shell Beach. To her, to her, to her.

---

---

Hannah's little eyeroll did make him chuckle, but it was Finny's little comment that made his day. G'mornin', Fancy and a tip of the hat was all Finny needed to have Klein shake his head and chuckle. Sure, he knew that he was at the but of many jokes for his own clothing selection, but Klein knew the rest of the family and their own little quirks. Finny, for example, had a very intricate way with words - almost borderline dangerous, if you asked Klein. The kid could weave oddly placed words together and make a very moving statement, even if all he was doing was ordering something to eat. It truly was something, but since Klein had no clue how to do it, the jokes didn't 'write themselves' as the old saying went. So when Lucy bound down the stairs as the late one, Klein gave a mock scowl at her and her extremely unruly hair. He made no comment as he simply just smiled - everybody knew that the youngest needed something to be done with her hair.

Regardless of this, the entire family sat down at the table. Sure, Skylar had run off to do whatever she did, and people were constantly moving around, but not after long the entire Everett Gang was seated nicely at the table. They didn't know it, but Klein treasured these precious little moments, where everything looked just like it did so long ago. Granted, everybody looked a lot older than when he was 6 - and most of them could now dress themselves - but it still made him somewhat nostalgic. Klein's thoughts slowly drifted away into different times - like when him and HanHan would have their little talks. Klein considered Hannah to be his best friend, even if they had some conflicting views. He could not penalize her on not sharing the same faith as he - very few did have such strong feelings for the Cure as he did, with the except of Theodin. Regardless, they confided in almost everything together, since as the oldest they looked out for the family the most. While Hannah was more of the friendly type - if it wasn't for her unheard of hair colour, she would be just like mother - Klein instead tried to keep the family from going astray, keeping them in line, getting them out of trouble, that sort of thing. It certainly wasn't easy - his sleep deprived body was a testimony to that. However, Klein didn't mind as long as the family survived and strived to be together.

A mug was placed in front of him and Klein shook himself out of his little daydream. He stared at the mug in front of him, puzzled, until Finny spoke. Might help a little, yeah? Klein smiled and turned his head up to see Finny, and simply nodded. Coffee didn't taste all that good to him, since he didn't drink it enough: apparently, it was an acquired taste. Instead, if he could, Klein would drink tea - but that stuff was highly limited. He savored every time he got tea, and always was at his second most happiest when he did. Seeing the family together was always number one.

However, everybody started rhyming off what they were going to do today, and Klein stopped all train of thought for one single one:Wait, what am I doing today...? His confused look was extremely obvious for the entire family, but not all together new. There were many times when Klein hadn't a clue what he was doing for a few days on end until somebody reminded him. If he recalled correctly, Klein was sure he was heading into town today, working on his homework, and then just going to the special spot on Coronado Beach to escape and meditate for a while. Maybe he might score some tea while in town.

As long as he didn't run into that woman, he would be fine.

---

---

Skylar settled down in her usual chair, watching steam rise up from the stove Aunt Carol was crowding around. Possibilities were folding out in front of her, in her own mind. She could go to the beach, help Uncle William at the Stop-N-Save to get some money for art supplies, go get some ice cream, or maybe she could just see what Virginia was doing, to get rid of the decisions, even though she was almost sure that Virginia was at the beach. It amused her sometimes when she thought or said that- 'Virginia was at the beach'. If she went up to some person who didn't know Virginia, and told them that, they'd probably think she was crazy, saying a state was at the beach.

When Lucy came up and asked Skylar what she was going to do today, Skylar was snapped out of her trail of thoughts. Glancing over at Lucy as she propped her elbow up on the table, and rested her chin in her palm, she pondered over the question for a second. "Honestly, I have no idea," she mused, once again flipping through the possibilities. "There's so much stuff I could do, and this is only the first day of our week break! I don't know how I'm going to survive- I'll probably die from boredom!"

---

---

There was only so much one could do in a day, but Skylar felt like she had done a lot, truthfully. In the morning, she had rushed down to Shell Beach after breakfast, mostly with hopes that she might catch an ending glimpse of the sunrise. In the end, she hadn't, but on the bright side, she had ran into Virginia there. After a while she had decided to leave though, since she didn't have her swimsuit- even though it was always suspicious to others when people swam, mostly people her age. And so, she had instead headed down through town for a while, particularly to stop at the ice cream shop for a quick treat. She wished that Theo, or at least one of her siblings could've come there with her, but they were probably all busy doing their own things. After that, she went to the Stop-N-Save for the rest of the day, even though there were so many other possibilities.

Now, after a day of work, she was almost completely out of energy. Falling back onto the couch- back in Carol's house, that is -she put a hand over her eyes, yawning loudly, "Ah, working all day is just so tiring," Rolling onto her side, she caught a glimpse of the clock in the kitchen as it ticked away to no end. 8:27 she thought. Aunt Carol and Uncle William were asleep, and the storm was supposed to be rolling in by now. She doubted there was going to be a storm though, since the sky had been perfectly clear just half an our ago. Then again, the light coming in from the windows had been dimming ever since she had gotten home.
Oh well, she thought, closing her eyes. It won't affect us anyways, since we're all inside. Maybe there'll be a black out though... Hopefully not for too long...

Black out. Power. Electricity. The fences. It was impossible not to wonder when thoughts like these came up. Did the Invalids have electricity? Were they safe from the storm? How did they even survive out there, in the world separate from her own; the world known as the Wilds. Wait, what was she thinking? Of course they didn't have electricity, they were living in the forest for gosh sake! Then again... what if there were cities out there, communities beyond her imagination? What if they had managed to produce there own electricity, and were doing everything she thought was impossible for people of the sort?
Jeez, she wasn't even supposed to be thinking these things. If anyone knew all the questions she had, she would be getting a definite tour through the Crypts, for them to 'remind her what all the consequences were.' At least she didn't actually attempt to figure out the answers to her questions... or, at least, she hadn't yet. Like everyone said 'curiosity killed the cat'. But... didn't satisfaction always bring it back?
In her case, hopefully it would turn out that way when the time came.

Now that all her thoughts about the Invalids were cluttering her mind, the cure just had to butt it's way in. First it started out with her thinking about how long it was until her Evaluation Day, then her cure... Then came the wonders about who she would end up marrying. She remembered when she was little, how she would goof off with her friends at school, and they'd all pretend that they had been paired with famous celebrities, the sons of millionaires, and a bunch of other impossible fantasies. Those times had been filled with daydreams about smiles and laughs, a passionate kiss to bring together a future mother and a father. Once her mother died though, everything had been torn apart... It was like someone had came and ripped every bit of happiness out of her. She started seeing different sides of the cure, started wondering what was behind the fence, whether it was something that brought violence and unhappiness, or joy and... love.
They said the cure would get rid of these thoughts, but would it really make her happy?

Opening her eyes once again, Skylar sat up, trying to think of something else to get all these forbidden thoughts out of her head. Skylar was easily read by practically everybody around her; and, like she sometimes heard from Theo, Fishi, and all her other siblings, 'she wore her heart on her sleeve', so she had to be careful when it came to her annoying curiosity.
One more glance at the clock, and a pang of boredom finally smacked her in the face. She let out a load groan, "I'm so bored!" She knew the rest of her siblings were home right now, so the only possible resolution to her boredom was to go pester Theo for a piggy back ride around the house.

❝ Mɪssɪᴏɴ XX023. ❞

Skylar Everett has been diagnosed with something even worse than the amor deliria nervos; boredom. However, we have finally come up with a reasonable cure. An unknown creature called a Theodin must be ridden in the art of piggy back rides for enjoyment, ridding the diseased of this horrible disease known as boredom.
Assigned Mission; Hunt down a Theodin, and pester him into giving Skylar Everett a piggy back ride of high quality.
Deadline; Before Skylar Everett is overcome by the disease to the point of no return.

That won't be too hard... she thought, abruptly standing up from the couch. "Theooooo!" she hollered, ready to attack with pestering, and expecting the unexpected. Right when she got to her feet though, the bag she had carried with her to the Stop-N-Save was knocked onto the ground, spilling it's contents everywhere, much to Skylar's annoyance. With a load sigh, she delayed the piggy back ride for just a bit in order to pick up everything that was now scattered on the ground.

It was then that the whole day fell apart, and shattered in front of her eyes.

It's not here... she thought, looking practically everywhere in the small living room with wide, panicked eyes; under the couch, under the bookshelf, on the table, under the couch cushions. It's not here! If anyone found it, she'd be dead. Uncle William would show it to Aunt Carol, and Carol would say that Skylar was infected with the deliria. She'd call the labs, and they'd reschedule her cure for the next Wednesday. She would never to be able to wonder, to ask, to daydream ever again.
All of this could happen over one single, little, bronze locket, with a picture of Skylar's mother tucked away inside. It was the only one she had left, and to make everything worse, her camera was gone as well.

Calm down, Skylar, Skylar thought, starting to pace through the living room in circles. You probably just left them at the Stop-N-Save, and they'll be there in the morning. You can wake up really early and take the key, then run there right before William gets there, and say that you're just so eager to work that you wanted to see if you could handle opening up the shop by yourself. Yeah, that's what'll happen, and when you get there the locket will be right there, on the counter, perfectly fine right next to your camera. It'll be over before you kn- Oh who am I kidding?!

Before she could have any second thoughts, she grabbed her bag off of the table, everything that had fallen onto the ground earlier back into their rightful place in the bag. She then ran straight up the stairs, and to the room she shared with Fishi and Theo. "Theo, Fishi," she said in a whisper just to be careful not to wake Carol, who's bedroom was only steps away, a pleading look in her eye as she spoke. "I, uh... left something at Virginia's house today, since I had taken a break from working to hang out with her earlier. I'm just going to go and get it super quickly. Please cover for me, alright? Just, stuff some pillows in my bed, and- I dunno! Please, just make sure Carol stays asleep! And Uncle William! I'll be back super quickly!"

Without giving either of them a chance to reply, Skylar was back sliding down the stairs, and running straight for the door, grabbing the keys to the Stop-N-Save from their rightful place on a hook in the kitchen, and sparing a second to glance at the clock. 8:35 P.M. It was a twenty minute run to get to the Stop-N-Save, but if she pushed herself enough, she could probably cut the time in half. Her heart condition slipped her mind at the moment, but she had no time to think about that right now! Oh, how she'd do anything to have Hannah's running abilities at the moment!

It wasn't that hard to avoid the regulators, with their loud walkie talkies making static sounds echo from a mile away. The one problem though was the rain, that was slowly getting harder and stronger. She managed though, even though she only had one measly hoodie to protect her from the bullet-like rain and wind. The run passed in no time, and even though it had felt like only ten minutes or so, it truthfully took her fifteen minutes. That meant it was 8:50 P.M., ten minutes till curfew. When she finally reached the shop, a group of regulators were coming up a street of other buildings, heading for a turn that led straight to the Stop-N-Save. Panic flooded over Skylar, and when she reached the door she fumbled around with the keys, all the dangers of what she was doing finally hitting her right in the face.

Just before the regulators turned the corner, she managed to open the door, and slam it shut behind her. Panting heavily, and forgetting to lock the doors behind her, she dove behind the counter, feeling the light of the flashlights from the regulators shining in through the windows, like millions of sharp eyes trying to sniff her out of the darkness of the storm. All she could do for now was hide, and wait for them to pass, and after that, the search was on. Fear was rushing through her, yet adrenaline secretly seeped through her body. Maybe it was the adrenaline of fear, or maybe she truthfully was excited- it didn't matter now. There was no running back to the house now, no curling up under her blankets and daydreaming about days spent with her mother. She could only wait, and hope that no one would come inside the shop once she started searching for her locket and camera, since they were obviously not placed on the counter.

---

---

---

Theodin was currently in his room that he shared with his twin and brother, peeling off clothes that were sticking to him due to sweat and blood. His side hurt, and his arms, but especially the fresh cut on his calf. An Invalid had been quicker than he had originally thought, and he would have a new scar. His leg throbbed every time he moved it. So it was basically aways hurting. He grabbed the bottle of tylenol, chewing three of them. He wished he had something stronger, but these would have to do until he could filtch something else. He sighed, stuffing the bloodied and torn clothes into a plastic bag to shove into the crawl space at the back of their closet that led to the attic. He was bare except for his pants when Skylar poked her head into the room, whispering urgently at him and Finn, who wasn't there, something about covering for her. She was so distracted, Theodin guessed she didn't notice the bloodstains in his hair, clothing, and the fresh bruising that was etching itself onto his skin. And then she was gone as soon as she had come. What on earth had gotten her so riled up that Virginia couldn't bring whatever it was to her in the morning, or Monday at school? Theodin ran over to the window, and watched Skylar leave.

In the opposite direction of Virginia's house.

Theodin's eyes narrowed. Why would Skylar lie about where she was going? He looked over at the clock. 8:36 PM. And so close to curfew. If she got caught...

Growling under his breath, Theodin grabbed a jacket and zipped it on, not bother to put on a shirt underneath, or socks, or even shoes. He quietly tiptoed down the steps, and out the door. Now there were three of them out of the house. Skylar, himself, and where ever Finnegan had run off to. Theodin sighed, sprinting off in the direction he'd seen Skylar go, racking his brains to try and figure out just where she was headed. The only thing up this way were stores. Possibly the Stop 'N' Save? He shook his head, ducking down behind someone's trash cans to avoid the lights of the Regulators. This was insane! If he got caught...He growled agian, not worried about the noise. The rain was drowning out most of it, so the Regulators wouldn't be able to hear him unless they were right on top of him. On the downside, Theodin couldn't hear them, either. And he'd lost sight of Skylar. He glanced down at his watch. 8:49 PM. He needed to find her, fast. He bolted out from behind the trash cans, racing down a back alley, and then shimmied up a tree in someone's back yard, peering out through the rain. He could tell by the flash lights where the Regulators were, and could just barely make out some of the buildings in the shopping district. His bare feet gripped the bark on the tree with some difficulty. The rain had begun to numb him all over, making it difficult to stay in the tree. But there was a Regulator fifteen feet away. Even with the rain, he didn't risk it. Skylar, I swear, if we both get home without anyone finding out about this, I'm going to strangle you! He thought.

He glanced around, and even through the rain he could see that the Regulator beneath the tree was the only one within sight of him. And then he got his chance. A stray cat yowled and the bolted from its cover over to someone's porch, and the guy whipped around, facing away from Theodin. Theodin let got of the tree, landing on top of the guy, and afer a short struggle, knocked him out. A part of him could not believe what he had just done, and the other part of him whispered, Only for Skylar... He clenched his hands into fists and ran off, looking every which way for Regulators, and Skylar. Where was she?!

---

---

Her footsteps echoed, the melancholy melody that accompanied each step, each “Jo” she cried. Annette began to hum, a ditty that her mother had sung to her when she was but a babe. “Sleep, sleep, sleep will come,” she sang softly, “When the day is done, when the night is here, sleep waits for you on the shore.” She paused then, in the middle of the hallway that would lead to Jo’s room. He was supposed to be joining her song, his voice blending with hers. When the two were children, when the two were still grieving, she would sing him to sleep; regardless of his being her older brother, he was still the one sibling Annette sheltered and comforted most. She began to smile, when the smile suddenly dropped from her lips. He wasn’t singing back to her. Her eyebrows wound themselves together as she began to pick up her pace, quickly escalating into a sprint. She burst into Jo’s room with a slam of the door, eyes wide and heart pounding furiously. She realized suddenly that this must be how rabbits must feel the second before she caught them. The thought came unprecedented and surprising, but never before had she felt so panicked. Poor rabbits. They were only trying to live, and she was only trying to find her brother to play with. But he wasn’t there. Annette pounded her forehead with a first, angry at herself for forgetting. Hadn’t he been talking about a sale? Wasn’t it in early September? Today must be the day. Oh, how had she forgotten? She could even recall offering to go with him. Why hadn’t he brought it up before?

She began to search Jo’s room, disregarding the potential of his irritation at her. She was only looking for traces of her brother, little hints that would add up to a bigger picture. Why hadn’t he asked her to go with him? She would have. Annette grunted, a strange manly sound that felt completely wrong in her throat, as she got down to the floor. Aha! She dragged out the items underneath Jo’s bed. How typical of him, to choose the simplest hiding place for his treasures. She went through them quickly, realizing he must have been here today after he had finished with his sale. So why had he gone back? Annette felt as if she was on the brink of solving a mystery, though it wasn’t much of a mystery. Moments after she asked herself these probing questions, she had her answer: he had wanted to surprise them, but went back to get more things. Perhaps he had forgotten a sibling. Perhaps he had dropped something on the way back home. Either way, he was going back to Portland, and she couldn’t believe that he was. It was dangerous!

Okay, perhaps it was a little less dangerous than what the two had done before. But still! How could he have left her? She wanted some adventure too! She had done nothing this whole day. So much for the best day of her life. No no no, that was terrible thinking, Annette. How could you think such a thing?! There is still so much adventure left for today, all the potential! This happened, didn’t it? With newfound hope and determination, Annette got to her feet and placed two fists on her hips. She was going out after her older brother and saving him from cured zombies! This was the perfect adventure. She started making her way to the window, when she remembered the weather. Annette froze immediately. There was bound to be thunder tonight. Trembling, she ran back to her room and flung her body onto the bed.

It was either safety, or Jo. To be worried, or to be terrified. Annette squeezed her eyes shut and nearly burst into tears. She didn’t want to go out! But Jo was out there, and no one knew where he had gone but her! And the storm was going to be bad; she wasn’t a ‘weather expert,’ and she didn’t have all the technology Portland did, but even she could tell. She had no choice, she realized. Besides, what did she have to be afraid of?! She was Annette Makota! She had survived living without her parents, she had survived being an Invalid, and she had survived being five foot, the shortest in her whole family! She could surely rescue Jo. Besides, think of what he would give her in gratitude for saving his life. Annette giggled and jumped out of bed. Okay, might as well get it over with while she was a little excited about it. She tiptoed to Jo’s room, searching for traces of Morgan (who would definitely pick her up over his shoulder and lock her up in a cereal box), and climbed out the window.

Oh, Lordie, she had never done this before. Annette peered out the window and looked down at the ground. It looked so far away... No! She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. She was going to do this! She could do this! She opened her eyes, slowly, and took a deep breath. Okay, how was she going to do this? Tentatively, she began to lean all the way over, surveying the surroundings. Oh, this was not going to work. She bit her lip and took another deep breath, counting silently. Okay, she was going to do it.

She stood on the windowsill, and tried very hard not to look down. Instead, she focused on the tree that stood what looked like a few miles away. Or perhaps she was just afraid. Annette sighed and silently promised to kill Jo once she saved his life, and leaped. She closed one eye, afraid to close both but afraid to keep both open. Just barely, her fingers grabbed hold of one of the tree’s thicker branches: a sure sign of good luck. She nearly slipped a few times, but eventually, she was on the trunk of the tree, holding on for her life, staying there for a few moments with closed eyes and heavy breathing. She never wanted to do that ever again. Once she was calm, once she realized she had no time to waste, she scrambled down. This part, she could do. She peered into Morgan’s room curiously, and shook her head at the clutter. Oh, Morgan. Oh, little brother. Oh, six foot tall brother. She was finally on the ground.

She raced towards Portland, where the sale was supposed to be held. She ran with all her might and strength, trying to ignore the rain that was beginning to fall, blinding her vision, making her slide precariously, and reminding her of the fact that she was running after the boy she loved and the force of nature she feared above all.

---

---

Portland: the land of the civilized savages.

Annette clapped her hands at the cleverness of her new slogan for the city. Oh, bad idea. The Regulators might here! She was hidden behind a bush, a silly hiding place but the only one she could find when the heard footsteps. She could be found any second. Annette crossed her fingers and began to tremble, her body soon shaking with great wracks of fear. Oh please please please Jo Morgan Paul Alva find me find me find me, she began to repeat in her thoughts, praying to the only people she loved. She had gone through great trouble to get past the fence, nearly killing herself with all of her clumsiness, but she had made it; why did things only continue to get harder? The rain was pouring harder now, the freezing temperature beginning to numb her body. Oh, if only her mind began to numb, too.

The first chance she got, she moved from her hiding place and began to run. Oh, she had no idea where she was running to, but she was running. Her eyes were nearly closed, trying to protect themselves from the drops of poisoned water (okay, you can’t qualm Annette’s adventurous make believe situations, even when she’s actually in danger). She couldn’t see where she was going; all she could do was pray that she didn’t run into someone.

But of course, she did. She gasped loudly when she felt the impact of another hard body against hers, and Annette covered her eyes with her hands. It was what her body instinctively did, as foolish as she must look. But she didn’t want to face the cruelty that would surely await her. Oh please, don’t make me a civilized savage. Jo, oh, I hate you I hate you! she thought. She didn’t realize she was saying this out loud, her voice full of tears and shaking and the fear that she couldn’t shake off.

It was then that the thunder began to roar. Of course. Perfect timing. Annette burst into tears.

---

---

Skylar stayed curled up under the counter, forcing herself to keep her eyes shut as she tried to stay calm. They're just passing by, and I have fifteen minutes till curfew, so it would be fine if I got caught, she thought reassuringly, even though there was this little nagging voice telling her otherwise. It'll all be fine. Even though she should've been worrying about worse things, she briefly thought of how glad she was that she had black hair, and such a small figure, which was perfect for hiding in the dark. If only she didn't look practically as pale as a ghost.

Of course, at the worst time possible, the world decided to turn against her. In one single second, she heard the door open and closed, and swift footsteps afterwards. At that moment, she swore that she had a vision of what was going to happen to her next. A regulator was going to grab her by the wrist, and ask her why she was out after curfew. Then, they were all going to think she had probably been planning to go and meet an uncured boy, and they'd drag her back home, only to schedule the cure the next day for her. That would mean no more painting, no more seeing her siblings everyday, and definitely no exploring!

Why hadn't she just stayed at home, read a nice book, and gotten a piggy back from Theo? Maybe it was a good thing that she had come, but anyone else would've definitely told her otherwise, since the person only an inch away from her face was most likely going to flip her world upside down. Gravity would let go of her, and she'd fall endlessly into the sky, never to return to the calming ocean of blankets on a nice, warm bed. She would be left wondering 'am I right side up or upside down?'

Feeling breath on her face, she hesitantly opened her eyes, wishing the person in front of her would be none other than Theo, or maybe Fishi. In the last quick passing of light from the regulator's flashlights though, she managed to make out messy blonde hair, and a pair of blue eyes staring right back at her. An unfamiliar face, seemingly just as surprised as she was.

If she wasn't in such a rush, she would've passed out right there from panic, and the fact that she had never been this close to a boy that wasn't related to her once in her life.

"W-Who...?" she started to whisper, since it was obvious that the regulators had finally passed by. She never finished her sentence, and instead just stared at him for a while before her eyes flashed to his left ear, just longing to see that three pointed star—the mark of the cure. If he was a cured, then she wouldn't get in trouble if she was found anywhere near him. It was her last hope to not getting in trouble, but then again, if he was a cured, he'd definitely blow her cover.
Her eyes met nothing but bare skin though, which seemed even more like a mark than the scar was in the world surrounding her—the mark of an uncured.

He must've just been a boy from town desperately needing milk, or something of the sort. Pop Tarts, maybe? She was lying to herself at this point, just trying to keep calm. He was probably a burglar, or a diseased uncured needing a place to hide in an attempt to go see the cause of his deliria. Panic replaced her sense of calmness, and she abruptly scrambled out from under the counter, trying to get to her feet but tripping a few times. Oh, damn her clumsiness right now.

"Whoever you are, get out of here!" she screeched, trying to sound strong and intimidating. Only did she end up sounding (and looking like) a frightened animal, scared of being shot or something. She reached out with shaking hands and grabbed a hold of one of the shelfs to pull herself up, before grabbing random boxes and cans and flinging them at the unknown boy. If she was making a racket, all she could do was hope that the regulators were too far away to hear.

The world was now focusing on this little, probably unimportant store in her mind. The Regulators, the cure, the Invalids, they all didn't mean anything right now. All Skylar wanted to do was to find her locket and camera, and then get the hell out of here.

There was one important question though, which she'd have to figure out before she could leave—where the hell were they? And despite her frightened actions, another question was prodding her brain, nagging at her to ask the blonde haired boy one thing; who are you?

When the supplies on the shelf that could be thrown, and wouldn't hurt the boy that much (yes, she was still a softy, even when this boy probably would threaten her life if she was found) was out, she froze as she was reaching to grab something else from a different shelf. Her eyes became locked on the bare counter, her mind and instincts completely betraying her as she blankly stared straight ahead.

Tears stung at the corners of her eyes, and she left herself fall back down into a sitting position against the shelf. Her locket and camera weren't there. She had sworn they would've been, and if they weren't there, that could mean only one thing...

Uncle William had found them.

"No, no," she mumbled, putting her hands on her head and burying her face in her knees. If her shoulders weren't starting to violently shake, and if there weren't tears now rolling down her hidden cheeks, the way she looked almost could've been funny, since she almost looked like a curled up ball. "I had put it right there! On the counter!"

The boy was probably staring at her like a freak now, but she didn't care. She didn't even care that there was a boy here now. Anyone would say she could buy a new camera and locket, and even though she could buy a new camera (even though it would be a pain), there was one little problem. The last picture of her mother that she owned had been in that very locket, folded up and tucked away to be kept forever. It was the only way for her to remember the face of her mother, who had died so long ago.

She had thought about it many times, how sad it was that when someone leaves you or dies, the picture of them in your mind starts to slowly get fuzzy, and then blurry. The colors start to blend together, and it makes you feel like your drowning. It's like teardrops on a photograph, smudging the colors and details around, making it so nothing can be made out from it. And then it keeps getting worse, and worse, and worse, until the only thing you can remember about them is all the memories. Time will never cease to be cruel though, and seems to pull that away from your fingertips soon enough.

All will be left is a photograph with mixed up colors, and scattered memories dancing on the tip of your tongue.

When it had started happening to her though, she got frightened, and scared. Her mother had already left her once, and she didn't want her to leave again. So, to make sure it would never happen to her, she tucked the last picture she had of her, which she had hid from everyone else, in a little bronze locket. With the promise of the words 'Mom', she had then clung onto that little locket like how she clung to her siblings, and the morning sunrise.

She had depended upon it, until now. Now, all that was left behind was faint memories, and spoken words from the past, along with some random blonde boy in front of her, who, little did she know, had the very thing she was sobbing about tucked away along with him.

---

---

---

Theodin was standing there, just looking around, when suddenly, he tumbled forward. Well, it was more like he was pushed forward. Theodin launched his hands out and rolled as he fell, springing to his feet and spinning around, crouching and glaring at his assailant. Was it a Regulator, had he been caught?

"Oh please, don’t make me a civilized savage. Jo, oh, I hate you I hate you!"

Theodin stood up, completely confused, and said, "Look, uh...I'm, I'm not whoever this Jo person is--" Lightning flashed and was then followed by thunder, at which point the girl burst into tears. Theodin just stared at her for a second, and then the rain began to calm a bit. While he was sure it would pick back up, for now, her sobbing was loud enough that he was afraid the Regulators might hear her and catch them. Frantically, not knowing what else to do, he knelt next to her. "Hey, come on, be quiet!" He whispered at her urgently. "Please, the Regulators are going to hear you! What the hell are you crying about anyway!" He wasn't making any progress, that he could tell. It was then that he saw -and heard- a Regulator. Theodin didn't have any choice. He needed to run. But a part of him couldn't just leave this sobbing girl, as pathetic as she seemed, here for the regulators as bait. He sighed, annoyed. He normally wouldn't have any problem leaving someone at the mercy of the Regulators. They probably deserved it. But then the voice in his head whispered, What if it was Skylar? Gritting his teeth, he glanced around, seeing that they were only about a hundred yards away from what appeared to be an old, abandoned store.

Not bothering to even ask what she thought, or wondering any longer about who she was or what she was doing, Theodin grabbed her by the arm, hauled her to her feet, and then ran, pulling her along with him, and dove into the safety of the building. He pushed the sobbing girl over into the corner, covering her mouth with his hand to try and keep her quiet.

It was then that a can nearly hit his head, colliding with the wall, and bouncing away from him. After being momentarily startled, Theodin growled. What on earth could it be now?! What else could possibly happen to him? Why did Sky have to choose tonight of all nights to run off?

"How about you take your hands off my sister!"

Wait...who was that? Theodin stood up, the sobbing girl all but forgotten. "Who's there!" Theodin didn't move from his position, his eyes scanning the store, which was obviously not empty as he had thought it had been. When his eyes finally landed on the boy who had thrown something at him, his red eyes widened. "You!"

---

---

It probably was to be expected. Morgan always zoned when he was engrossed in a book. Not even Tallen barking got him to move, because he didn't hear it. The wolf was whining and barking like crazy, spinning in circles in front of Morgan and everything, and yet the boy did not move, save to turn the page of his book every so often. His green eye whirled back and forth as the words leaped off the page and seeped into his brain. The crashing thunder didn't even get through to him. Finally, the wolf lost her patience, and bit Morgan on the arm. The boy yelled out, surprised, and gazed at his wolf, rubbing his arm where she'd grabbed hold. "Tallen, what the...what's wrong girl? Did you have to bite me?" The wolf pranced and spun, jumping about the room. It was then that Morgan finally noticed. He was alone. Throwing the book down, Morgan raced up the stairs, checking every single room as he went. No one was home, save for Kitten. "Kitten! Have you seen any of the others lately? Paul, Al, Annie, Yo-yo...?" His only younger sibling shook her head, and Morgan growled. How had Annie and Yo-yo gotten past him? He sighed, and looked down at Tallen. "Tallen, watch over Kitten, okay? I'm going to go find Annie and Yo-yo. Paul and Al will kill me if I let anything happen to them!" He bolted from her room, grabbing his boots on the way out the door, and then had a thought. No, it was too late now, he needed to find Annie and Yo-yo. Stepping into his shoes, and took off running into the Wilds, heading to Portland. From the mess in Yo-yo's room, that was the only place they could be.

---

Sliding through Portland; 8:50 P.M.

---

Morgan ducked underneath someone's porch, smacking his head against the floorboard, silently cursing himself for being so tall. He waited until the Regulators passed, and then he slid out. With the rain pounding down around him, he was covered in mud from head to toe. Where were they? If only he'd seen where they had gone...

Morgan stood still, closing his eye and thinking. There had to be somewhere Yo-yo would go...he was always the leader of his little exploits with Annie. Thunder crashed above him. Yo-yo...if you don't take care of Annie, I swear I will pummel you into the ground, older brother or no! Annie hated thunder, she was deathly afraid of it. Cursing under his breath, Morgan ran forward, heading towards the downtown area. He had to be in the shopping district. A Kleptomaniac like Yo-yo was, there was no other explanation.

He was running down the middle of the street, not even caring if Regulators saw him, when a flash of lightning revealed what looked like two people in front of him. He slid to a halt, diving off to his right, landing in what appeared to be a run-down closed store, one that had not been used for some time. It was still stocked with what appeared to be canned goods. He slid down the wall, peering out at the two people in the street. Who were they? With a start, he realized that they were headed into the building. This building. Morgan whirled around, ducking behind a shelf of what looked like canned green beans and Pop Tarts. What an odd combination.
He watched the pair for a minuet, realizing that they were kids, just like him. One male, one female, and the female was sobbing. Which sounded oddly familiar...

Annette!

Nothing but anger surged through Morgan as he emerged from behind the shelf, grabbed the first thing he could reach, which was a can of creamed corn, and hurled it at the guys' head.

"Why don't you get your hands off my sister!" He yelled, and the boy spun around, looking around for his attacker. With another flash of lightning, both Morgan and the other boy recognized each other at the same time. Morgan grit his teeth. "What the hell are you doing with my sister? Where's Johann?" He yelled at the Portland boy.

---

---

The more embarrassed she became, the more the tears raced from her eyes. Annette began to blush through her sobs, sensing how she must seem to this stranger, who would most definitely force her through a wretched Cure. The Cure! She began crying harder, beginning to shake her head. No! she began to scream in her thoughts, I don’t want to be like them! I want my mom! She couldn’t hear the stranger talking to her, though she did sense the low, hushed, frantic whispers of his. A boy, she realized. A strange boy who seemed to be hiding from Regulators as well. Perhaps... she slid her fingers apart the slightest bit, and was surprised to see a face she recognized. Yes, she had seen him on her visits to Portland. She calmed then, or at least, tried to. She still cried softly and hiccuped, a result of her fierce weeping, and removed her hands from her face, staring up at him, still red-faced, still teary-eyed, still stressed and overwhelmed and sad, but no longer weeping so harshly. Just soft sobbing and hiccuping, little sounds that moved her body up and down in a rhythm that soothed her, somehow.

He was beginning to rant a little, she realized. “What the hell are you crying about anyway?” he was whispering. Annette nearly smiled; somehow, in the middle of this rain and this thunder, she was finding him a little adorable. Flustered, bewildered, and very similar to a little boy. Annette decided it was endearing, and that she liked him. She opened her mouth to say something, anything. “Hi, nice to meet you,” would be awkward, she decided. “I’ve seen you before,” sounded borderline creepy. And apologizing for her sobbing would not calm this boy. Before she could decide on what her first words to him would be, he grabbed her and began to run.

Startled, Annette tried her best to follow, but he was dragging her with such strength she couldn’t seem to keep up with her own physical effort. She was pushed into a corner and covered with his hand, her warm breath bouncing from his palm to her face, warming her in the shivering cold. Annette willed herself to stop crying, and miraculously, the tears slowed. She blinked at the boy, his savior, who had protected her from Regulators. She smiled at him, making sure it showed in her eyes. Thank you, she wanted to say, for keeping me safe when no one was there. But before he could even notice her smile, much less respond to it, he was assaulted with a can. A can, of all things. Annette nearly sighed; why was it that every time she even attempted to communicate with this stranger, she was interrupted? Why did she even care, anyway?

It was then that an oddly familiar voice shouted, “How about you take your hands off my sister!”

Oh, no. Annette’s eyes widened considerably, and she began to frantically grab the boy’s hands off of her mouth. Morgan had found her! How?! She was about to run, when the boy sounded like.. like he recognized Morgan. Oh, she better stay, make sure nothing happened. Besides, she had to thank the boy, after all. Trying to be discreet, she shuffled behind him, trying to hide. Morgan seemed to know the boy, too. How did they know each other?! Annette became frustrated. He was her savior. Her friend! Not Morgan’s!

“Where’s Johann?” Morgan shouted. She would have to lie. Here goes nothing, Annette thought, aware of her miserable incompetence at lying.

“Well, he... I wanted to go to Portland, and he... Johann, he, uh...” She couldn’t think under the pressure, couldn’t function correctly, and decided to hope for the best and do the first thing that came to mind, to stall, to avoid, and to distract Morgan. ”Run!” she shouted to the boy, taking his hand and beginning to run in the opposite direction. She gripped his hand as tight as she could, determined not to let go. He may be strong, but so was she, and she had had years of practice, of holding people’s hands in affection, in begging, in loving. She wasn’t going to let her savior go, not until she at least thanked him.

And not until he explained to her how he knew Morgan. And not until she found Johann. Annette was convinced that this boy could keep her safe from everything and everyone, and she would need that in this thunderstorm. She still cringed each time the thunder roared, and cowered and shook and shivered when she thought about the next one. She needed a protector, and Morgan would only get her in trouble. This boy would have to do. Somehow, she trusted him already.

---

❝ Theodin Jaynar Everett ❞

❝ Morgan Alistair Makota ❞

---

---

❝This is going to hurt, isn't it?❞
❝You got that right. Now give me my sister.❞

---

How had Annie ended up with this guy, of all people for her to run into. It had to be him, the one who had tried to stab Morgan through the chest not two months ago. Morgan sighed as his sister proceeded to try and drag the guy away from him. Was she nuts? "Annette." He hoped that would sink in. It wasn't often he called any of his siblings by their given name, save for Paul. "I hate to break it to you, but your self-proclaimed "lover boy" here tried to kill me a while back. I don't take too kindly to that. Now get away from him."

Theodin on the other hand, while just as confused by the whole situation, reached out and took a hold of the stranger girls' arm, his grip none too gentle. He smirked slightly as the orange-haired boy in front of him froze. "Well now, isn't that interesting...the both of you are Invalids, then? While I would love to turn the both of you over to the Regulators and watch you endure the Cure," He glanced at his watch and grimaced, "The time is now 9:03 pm, meaning that if caught by Regulators, no matter what my excuse, I shall suffer the same fate as I'm past curfew." Morgan's eyes narrowed and Theodin only smirked, a pocket knife sliding down his sleeve and into his free hand. "I don't think so, Invalid. I want one thing, and one thing only. See, I'm looking for my sister. You're looking for this Johann, your brother, yes? You help me, I let you go, for now. Besides...it would be such a shame to watch the Regulators have their fun, when I could just do it myself."

Morgan grit his teeth. This was one hell of a situation, bad no matter how you looked at it. However...he'd over-powered this guy once, he could do it again. By the way he was holding himself, his leg was injured, and Morgan could use that to his advantage. But only if Annie stayed out of the way, and right now, it didn't look like she was going to. Morgan shut his eye, and sighed. "Fine. You've got a deal. For now. If you make one move to hurt my sister, I swear, I'll tear your throat out with my bear hands, Regulators or no." To his fury, Theodin grinned. "Very well, I wouldn't have it any other way. Now what is your name, boy? Mine is Theodin. I don't think it would do to continue calling you Invalid."

Morgan's hands balled into fists as he spat out his answer. "Morgan."

---

---

Pulling and pulling and pulling, Annette soon realized after a few sharp tugs, was not going to move this guy. Annoyed, she retreated back to his side sheepishly and kept her eyes cast downwards, at her feet. My, she had such pretty shoes on today. She had stolen them a few weeks ago, a fact she refused to admit to anyone, not even Jo. She didn’t like stealing, but... they were so pretty! So far, no one had noticed. She began to hum quietly, underneath her breath, trying to block out the sound of Morgan’s voice. She didn’t want to be lectured, and she wasn’t trying to do something bad. She was trying to help the family, actually! Why didn’t anyone understand her? If Mom had been around, then she would have listened. She wouldn’t have let Morgan ruin everything by -

“... self-proclaimed ‘lover boy’ tried to kill me awhile back. I don’t take too kindly to that. Now get away from him,” her now-hated brother was saying. The word ‘lover,’ of course, grabbed Annette’s attention at once, and she began to cry out in protest, though she was too angry at him, still, for interrupting what would have been a perfect search party. This guy was not her lover! He was her... her savior! Which was completely different. It wasn’t like she wanted to kiss him or anything. She snuck a glance at the boy beside her and began to blush slightly, realizing she was still holding his hand. She let go quickly and brought her hand close to her chest, as if she was protecting it from the rest of the world. This boy was not her lover! No, no, no. Morgan just misunderstood everything. He ruined everything. And she planned to tell him so! Yes, she would.

“You ruin - hey!” Her whisper-shout was quickly interrupted by a harsh grab of her arm, by the boy who was her savior. What was he doing? This had to be some sort of plot, right? But it hurt! Annette narrowed her eyes and began to thrash her arm around, trying to push him off with her other arm. Ooooh, boys just sucked! It was the boys who had gotten her into this mess. She glared at her savior boy and began to punch him. Ouch, that hurt a little. Ugh. This was getting nowhere. “If you don’t let go of me now, I will... I will tell your mom. Or I’ll bite you. Seriously.”

Ignoring her, the boy began to speak. Oh, no no no. He was one of those... those civilized savages. He was going to be Cured! Annette had to save him, in return. She momentarily forgot that, for an instant, he was the enemy, and instead widened her eyes and allowed the flood of sympathy sway her opinions. She grabbed his arm with her free hand, and began to shake him gently as he spoke of a late curfew. “Hey, you should... come with us. You don’t have to be Cured, you know. You can live with us!” Her eyes brightened and she smiled broadly. “Yeah! That’d be fun, don’t you think?”

But Morgan did not look happy, so Annette quickly quieted. He was younger, but... he was still taller. A lot taller. Annette listened closely as they talked, introducing themselves, and giving the trio a mission: to find their siblings. But did Morgan have to come? He was going to make things so difficult; all she wanted to do was make friends with this Theodin! She moved her gaze from Morgan to Theodin slowly, back and forth, trying to understand. Things had gotten confusing very, very quickly. Theodin had... shown a deep sense of loyalty and pure goodness by saving her when he didn’t really have to, when she was weak and humiliated and utterly useless, but he had tried to kill her brother? And now they were speaking as if they were enemies. She couldn’t understand. Why would anyone hate Morgan? Sure, he was tall and wouldn’t help her reach things she couldn’t, and hid the ladder from her (another reason to be mad at him, Annette remembered), but he was her brother, and she liked him. He was funny and honest and sincere and he didn’t have to say anything; he showed his character in his actions. And why would Morgan hate Theodin? A guy who would save her should be a good guy, right?

Annette resisted the urge the sigh. Boys were just so dense sometimes. She shook her arm gently and whispered, “I would like my arm back, please. And I would also like to find my brother. Not him,,” she said spitefully, throwing an angry, albeit weak, look towards Morgan’s way, “just Jo.” She was quiet, for a moment, and suddenly beamed at Theodin. “I’m Annette! But you can call me Annie, since we’re friends already.”