Freerunner

Chapter 3

I kept my promise and didn't enlist, although I was sorely tempted. Whilst I used to skip school for courses every so often, now I didn't do either. I was basically vent-crawling 24/7, trying to find out how Stevie was going to code messages in the reports. I'd lost count of how many times I was caught in private offices. I'd lost track of the hours of punishment I'd racked up. In the end, I'd lost faith in my ability to do what I'd always done.

Still, for Stevie's sake and my own, I kept trying.

At 0415, the digital alarm clock I'd found in the attic went off. As a precaution, I'd stuck it under my pillow the night before so the beeping was muffled. I sat up in my bed and stared tiredly out the window.

Several years ago, I had to share a room with Alex. However, once my parents realised I behaved alternatively and my little brother was a genius, they made me decide whether to keep the current room or move into my mum's old office. At first I wanted to stay put and have Alex move rooms because it was bigger and there were a lot of little gaps in the space to hide stuff. However, I was shocked one night to find a few story books stuffed into one of the holes. They weren't mine. They definitely didn't belong to my parents. Whomever they belonged to probably needed this room more than I did. Besides, I could just hide stuff in the attic.

In the end, I moved into the old office. All I had was a tiny chest of drawers and a bed. I couldn't fit a desk in because otherwise it'd block the doorway. That didn't matter much; it wasn't like I needed a desk. At first I detested the cramped space but there was a major upside to this room that the other one lacked. For you see, mine and Alex's rooms were on either side of our parent's bedroom. All three spaces had a window facing the south fence. If Alex were to sneak out his window, he'd either have to get past our parent's room or head out onto the clearway. For me, all I had to do was leap out, turn left and run behind all the buildings. Moving was probably one of the better choices I'd made.

Except for the fact that my door was dodgy. It didn't like to open sometimes, especially when I needed to get into my room really quickly.

I threw off the covers and slipped out the window. From there, I ran behind the mess hall and around the back of the shelters. I kept to the shadows and made sure not to wake any of the civilians. I double checked that no night watch guards were looking before sprinting across the clearway. I made it to the attic undetected and climbed up onto the surface of the middle shelf. After straddling several boxes, I pushed open the grate and shuffled into the vent system.

After much twisting and turning, I stopped above one of the offices. I took a quick look around the space then pulled up a ceiling grate and put it to the side. I carefully lowered myself down. I hung from the opening for a moment then let go.

This was my dad's office. He was in charge of keeping tabs on allies and enemies and coming up with strategies and tactics. In the eyes of everyone on base, he was a born-leader. It wasn't the first time I'd been in here this month. I'd tried previously to search the room but the first time my dad was already in here and the second time he was just coming in as I dropped down from the ceiling. Now, at the crack of dawn, I hoped for at least 10 minutes of peace.

I ransacked his desk for any recent documents and letters. His desk drawers were locked to my dismay so I focused on the filing cabinet and outgoing mail. I couldn't find any reports from Bravo base 9, the base Stevie had moved to. Which was unusual, given we were their prime supplier of recruits. I was about to give up and go back to bed when the door rattled.

I freaked out but forced myself to remain calm. I searched the ceiling for the hole I came through. I leapt onto the desk and jumped, grabbing the edge of the cavity. Using the momentum I'd gained and my upper body strength, I slipped into the tiny space. Quietly, I replaced the grate.