Annette Makota's Story

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Of course, Annette was one of the last to force herself out of slumber and the warmth of thick blankets and quilts. She curled up into a ball, pulled the blankets over her head, and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the shouts of her siblings downstairs and control the slippery grasp she had on what little rest she had left. She had stayed up too late again, staring out into the night sky and daydreaming. She couldn't forget the memories. The first few nights after her mother’s death, nightmares had taken control of her sleep, until Annette was terrified of closing her eyes. Her mother would be asking her why she let her parents die, of the bleak future that would surely come - all because of Annette’s carelessness. She could have saved her parents. She could have kept her father from leaving, getting caught in the electrical fences of Portland. She could have made her mother happy, by being a good child. Instead, Annette had continued to play pranks, tease the others, and get into so much trouble that her mother would look at her with disappointment sometimes. Or at least, that’s what Annette dreamed.

Years had passed since the tragedy, and Annette had no doubt in her mind that the nightmares were gone. Despite this, she chose to fight the already-gone nightmares by staying up late. She remembered everything. She replayed memories over and over, sometimes repeating the same one for hours. She just couldn’t get enough of the happiness that she found in the past. She tried to remember as accurately as possible, but time had a way of changing your perspective, emphasizing what you wanted and diminishing the truth. Annette didn’t mind. It made her happy, and for now, that was all she wanted. To be happy, and to be with her family, and to be happy with her family.

The ominous nature of the night, however, made Annette excited, sometimes. What excitement could she find the next morning? Her and Jo would find something, Annette was sure. Oh, the fun they could have! With new energy, she burst out of bed in a flurry, stretching to get the sleepiness of of her. Maybe they could go climb trees today. Or somehow convince Morgan to play with them. She bounced down the stairs, literally, and began to hum the tune in her head. “Bum de bum bum,” she murmured, wanting to dance but afraid to fall and hurt herself. Not today! She was going to have the best day of her life, she was sure. Today, nothing could go wrong. It was what she told herself everyday. Call it superstition or a ritual, Annette couldn’t shake the habit of proclaiming the hopes of the current day.

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LATER THAT NIGHT; 8:00 P.M.

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It was getting dark. Annette peered out the window curiously. The clouds were more ominous than usual, the darkness a little more terrifying. She shivered in nervous anticipation. There may be a storm tonight, she realized with fear. What if there was thunder? Without realizing it, Annette let out a whimper, her shoulders beginning to shake delicately. There was something about the roar of thunder that terrified her; it drove her to tears, to dive underneath a table and weep silently, waiting for the deafening sound to go away. It had something to do with the time she was a child, when she left the house during a storm on accident and found herself in the middle of a thunderstorm. She had barely escaped being struck by lightning, and her parents brought her and covered her with blankets. Her hair was matted to her forehead, wet as it was, and she couldn't forget the helplessness of being surrounded by thunder. She didn't understand thunder; how could she? She wished she was as intelligent as her siblings, but she wasn't. Instead, she was crippled by this babyish fear, from her babyish past, in her babyish self. Annette whimpered once more and wrapped a blanket tighter around her body. What had her mother always told her to do, again? Oh, yes. Find a distraction. A distraction? Like what?

Or like who?

A smile lightened up her face then, and she flung the blanket off of her and began leaping down the stairs. "Jo!" she called out, running around the house. "Jo Jo Jo Jo Jo Jo Jo," she said, matching the rhythm of her cries to the rhythm of her footsetps. "Where aaaare you?"

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- OUTSKIRTS OF PORTLAND - 7:13 PM -

Johann was in a state of awe. He'd been expecting a good haul, yes, but not like this. This—oh man, this—was pure art. A masterpiece. Johann Makota had truly outdone himself this time.

"I am so awesome," he said to himself, in a spectacular display of modesty.

He could hardly wait to inspect his findings, but managed to controlled himself for now. No sense in displaying stolen goods while still in town, after all. Even so, the wait was agonizing. The mere thought of what lay in his little knapsack made him want to wriggle with joy.

A scarf, a knitted winter hat, preserved fruit, a jar of pickles, cough medicine, a spiral-bound notebook, a locket, a fancy hair comb, a small stuffed rabbit, a camera…

Grinning in exhilaration, the boy fearlessly scaled the deadened electrical fence that supposedly kept Invalids like him out of Portland. He landed lightly on his feet, and then spared a few seconds to turn and stick his tongue out at the grim-looking barrier. Ha. Take that, fence. So much for government security.

After giving the sympathizer in the guard tower a jaunty wave of thanks—not that the man could see it, as it was pretty dark outside—Johann hefted his well-worn shoulder pack and took off into the moonlit woods, following the proverbial trail of breadcrumbs back to his home. The smudges of blue paint were really hard to see in the dimming light, but Johann barely paid them any mind. The forest path, tortuous as it was, was as familiar to him as the back of his hand. He grinned to himself at the thought. Well, I guess that's what you get when you sneak out to Portland about five times a week.

It was well into the evening when he arrived at the Makota house. The old, half-uprooted tree towered into view, its gnarled roots extended in a gesture of welcome. All around the house stood groves of murmuring trees, their crimson-tinged leaves fluttering like shadowy butterflies in the chill wind. Symphonies of hidden crickets sang in the tall grass, and somewhere in the velvet darkness an owl was crooning.

Johann felt something in him swell with joy. This place—this wild, vibrant, beautiful place—was his world. His home. And he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

With a new bounce to his step, Jo bounded forward and scrambled up the huge tree. Passing quietly over Morgan's wreck of a room, he made a face (Geez, why Gizmo chose that room I'll never know) before continuing over to the east side of the house. Right, now this was the hard part. Jo's blue eyes narrowed in concentration. With a heave of his arms, he swung himself over and barely managed to catch himself on the wooden edge of the windowsill. His limbs scrambled awkwardly for a moment before he managed to half-climb, half-wiggle his way through the window of his bedroom.

And…safe! he thought as he tumbled in. Fortunately, he didn't make much noise getting in, so his siblings probably didn't hear his super-awesome super-stealthy entrance. Unfortunately, he ended up breaking his fall from the window with his elbow. Which really hurt, darn it. There were going to be bruises in the morning.

After a bit of grumbling to himself, Jo eased the pack off his shoulder and onto the hardwood floor. He then proceeded to waste five minutes just staring at the glorious sight. It wasn't until a creeping line of drool trickled out from his mouth that he snapped himself out of his dreamy stupor. Playtime was over. Time for inventory!

Let's see… he thought, emptying the bag onto the floor. The notebook is definitely for Linny. Hmm…I wonder if Annie'd like the bunny? ...Nah, probably not. I mean, she kills those things on a weekly basis. He spied the camera and a grin split his face. Oh, the camera! Gizmo's gonna be over the moon. I think I'll give it to him…—he picked up the hair comb and spun it around a finger—…along with this fancy comb. The boy snickered at the thought, and then set aside the items for later. Alrighty, then, what else? I'm sure ole Paul would appreciate them vittles. That medicine, too. As for Al… Jo pinched the chain of the little bronze locket between his fingers and held it up towards the window. The soft sheen of moonlight rolled off the locket's shell. Beautiful, it was beautiful. Starry-eyed with admiration, the boy was struck with the sudden desire to dance a jig and sing Hallelujah. Oh, he'd never lose his love for shiny things. Never ever ever. This baby's gonna be a present for Al. Honestly, she's the only one around here who appreciates true beauty…though I wonder, does this thing open?

He was filled with a sudden curiosity. What did the interior of this adorable little locket look like? Was it empty? Or did it hold something? A mirror, perhaps? Or an engraving? His fingers found the tiny latch on the side of the locket, and with a gentle tug the bronze wings of the locket unfolded. What he saw made him feel like someone had punched him squarely in the gut.

It was a picture. A pretty little picture of a woman, with a gaze so warm it could melt icebergs. Off to the side was one tiny word.


Mom. Something inside Johann died a little. This was someone's mother. He had taken away someone's mother. No one deserved that, not even Portland zombies.

He had to give it back.

"Jo Jo Jo Jo Jo Jo Jo! Where aaaare you?" The sound of Annette's cheerful call drifted through the house, accompanied by a soft beat of light footsteps. His heart lifted a little at the sound of his sister's voice. For a brief moment, he considered asking her to come with him back to Portland. Annie never failed to chase bad thoughts away, and the two of them could treat the journey like an adventure.

No, I'm being selfish, he realized. Gizmo said there was going to be a storm tonight—what am I thinking, trying to bring Annie into this? His little sister was terrified of thunder. Taking her out in his weather would be beyond unfair to her. And besides, wasn't this whole thing supposed to be secret anyway? That was the reason why he went through all the trouble of sneaking into the house instead of just using the front door. He wanted it to be a surprise for his family. There was no way he was going to put all that effort to waste by blabbing to his siblings.

Well, then. If he couldn't tell anyone, then he'd simply have to suck it up and fix this himself.

The staccato of pounding feet grew louder. He didn't have much time; Annie could be bursting into his room any minute now. In a fit of mild panic, Jo sprang up and shoved the items under his bed, keeping only the locket. After a quick rummaging through his rickety closet, he seized his raincoat and changed into a pair of sleek black rain boots. (He didn't like the boots, but desperate times called for desperate measures.) Satisfied, he sidled out the window, making sure to close it behind him. Wouldn't want the rain to come in and mess up all his stuff.

As he bounded down the trees and back through the woods, Johann felt a bit guilty about leaving Annie behind. On most stormy days, he made sure to be with her every single second, distracting her with wild pranks and crazy antics. Laughter was best at chasing away fear and pain, after all. But now, he had something important to do. He couldn't stay behind.

"Sorry, Annie," he said to the gloomy sky. "But you understand, right? No one should ever be without their mom."

Fingers tightening around the bronze locket, he raced back to Portland.

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Here in the Land of Portland where shadows lie, people lived in constant fear of the Big Bad Regulators. They were abominations, evil wraiths that haunted the streets, corrupt tyrants that ruled the town with an iron fist—Invalids everywhere trembled in fear at their stunning efficiency and ruthlessness, and fell to their knees in despair—

Pfft. As if.

Johann swept through the town with ease. The rain was good for stealth, and avoiding the regulators was child's play. In the shopping district he passed by a noisy patrol, and wanted to laugh. These so-called regulators were ponderous things, wreathed in the crackle of transmitters and the shuffle of thick boots. Honestly, they were as graceful as hippos in high heels. He thumbed his nose at them before moving on.

It wasn't long before he reached his destination. Jo crept up to the building he remembered taking the locket from—some dinky store called Stop-N-Save—and slid over to the entrance. The door was unlocked when he tried the handle, which made his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Huh. And here he was, all prepared to pick the lock, too. Bad security, much? Well, Jo wasn't one to complain, especially if it made his job easier.

The clunking of heavy footwear alerted him to an approaching patrol. With a quick snap of his wrist, Jo opened the door and darted inside, not bothering to lock it behind him. All he was going to do was deposit the locket on the counter and leave, so there really was no reason for him to secure the door.

The glow of flashlights filtered through the windows like pale specters. Jo blinked and glanced behind him. Oh, this wouldn't do—the light could very well expose him. Thinking quickly, the boy ducked behind the counter. He'd wait them out, and once they were gone he'd place the locket on the counter and leave. Simple, right? This kind of thing shouldn't be complicated at all.

Apparently, fate liked proving him wrong. Because the moment he turned around, he found himself face to face with a small, unmistakably human-shaped lump. Amid the shine of regulator flashlights, Johann could just barely make out a face.

He stared.

...Well, this was awkward.

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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.

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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.

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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!"

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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.

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Sliding through Portland; 8:50 P.M.

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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.

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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.

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❝ Theodin Jaynar Everett ❞

❝ Morgan Alistair Makota ❞

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

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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."

---

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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.”