Sector 30

Chapter 1

I pull my backpack higher over my shoulder and look around the thick woods. I glance up but can't see the sky through the canopy of trees. The branches weave together to conceal me so I take it as the helicopter can't see me through. I don't hear the loud sound the spinning of blades make, what happened to it? I look around wearily, trying to find the tallest tree. Finally I classify it, a white pine, it's twigs scraping the blue above me. With one more glance at my green roof I hustle over to the pine, reaching up to grasp branches. I hastily use my feet to support myself and scramble up the prickly trunk. The rough bark scraps at my hands and they bleed, marking the tree in a way i wish it didn't. Now they can track me. Ugh great, one more thing proving my existence that I've tried so hard to disintegrate. Seriously what else can a girl do to be invisible. You'd think they'd just forget about one scrawny, naive little girl from sector 15. Ok well maybe they would. If I actually was a scrawny naive little girl from sector 15. But sadly I'm not. Instead I'm a witty, muscular 16 yr old from sector 20.

So because of that,

I'm dead meat.

I finally reach above the other trees in the forest and hug the trunk, trying to blend into it. I look over the tops and I smile when I see the clear blue sky. Sometimes running makes me forget how much the earth awards me with. My smile disappears as I look around, not seeing the helicopter.

Not a good sign let me tell you.

My dad always told me to keep your enemies in your sight. Much less percent of surprise attack with that. So I learned from a young age to always be alert. I learned what happens when your not at a very young age.

I learned the hard way.

Death.

But that's another bonfire story for another time. I look down the trunk and start shimmying towards the ground. Maybe tonight ill actually get a few hours of sleep.

Haha I need to stop kidding myself.

I jump off the last few feet and motion it's safe. Jake tip toes out of the thicket and makes his way over to me. We keep moving with the couple hours of daylight still around. Finally we stop at the edge of a clearing. Not directly in it, but slightly to the side, in case we need instant camouflage. I pull a thermal blanket from my pack and Jake does the same thing. He lays his on the cold floor of the forest and I lay mind on top.

"Ill take first watch" I say, pulling my jacket farther to conceal my cold fingers.

Jake notices and nods but motions for me to sit with him under the warm cloths. I smile great fully at him as he lays his head on my lap. I play with his hair as he falls asleep and his smell makes me feel safe again. It's woodsy from the near month spent in this foliage alone, but unlike everything else here, he adds the distinctive male scent to everything. Making me feel totally safe. He's just like dad. Same eyes, same jaw, same determination, same way of making me feel like I'm ok. Like my life isn't in shambles. Jake's the big brother I never really got to have.

----------

"THORUNN RUN!"

But I'm frozen in place. I watch in horror as the officials slowly catch up to him. A few look back at me, but very few. They just race past me to my father. I feel something grasp my shoulder and I scream out in surprise. Turning around I find Jake, the worried expression that very seldom paints across his face is there. That's when you know to be worried.

"Come Torunn" he says, pulling at my arm, tugging me into the woods.

He practically has to drag me away from the scene a couple meters away. The men slash at my fathers back, beating everything out of him. I open my mouth to let out a scream but Jake holds his hand over it, stopping me from making a noise. He pulls me into him quickly and I sob into his chest. I continually whisper my fathers name into his shirt as Jake holds me close. Somewhere a bugle sounds and the men leave my father in the dust, rushing off to god knows where. I push Jake of and run to my fathers body, Jake tries to hold me back but I just keep holding him off. Many times I regret not letting him just lead me away. But I do make it to my fathers fallen body and crouch next to him, my tears running onto his face as I lean over him. He shakily tries to wipe them away but doesn't have the strength left in him, which makes me cry more.

"Keep running Thorunn, always run" he whispers to me and I barely hear it but nod. Then I whisper something I rarely called him.

"Goodbye Dad"

"Not goodbye" he whispered "See you later" then his eyes glazed up and looked like wax and his hand started to cool down in my own.

I felt Jake's hand on my arm and this time I let him lead me away into the woods, leaving my father in sector 16.