Bound by Glass

02| Thanks, Dad

"What did I tell you!" Nasher was fuming. "You knew it was going to go wrong someday!" he yelled, his eyes bloodshot.

* * *

After the bush incident, Jaedie and I came back to the Tribe, where we found everyone rushing around.

"What the..." Jaedie said, and shot a worried look toward the cabin.

Anya, Jaedie's mom, went on a tricky raid this morning. They were going to raid a train which carried weapons and ammunition. These raids were dangerous, but necessary. Without the ammo and guns, the Authorities would be able to catch us much faster, and the wolves would be able to snatch us during our sleep. Anya was the only tech in the Tribe, after Sil had died. He was old, and it had been wolves. It happens. Luckily he had taught her everything before he became wolf-chow. That might sound harsh, but it was the truth.

The train carriages are armed with multiple electronic locks. They have to be disarmed, which requires you to possess some technical skills. You can't just blow it up—that'd only make it worse. Not only would that set off the alarm on the cart, but the entire Globe would be notified about it as well. Anya was the only one who could do it, but she never went on raids. Jaedie was worried sick.

I stopped the first couple of kids who ran past me. I focussed on a boy with red hair, bending down and holding his shoulder. "Tell Astra there was a sighting, quick." The boy frowned, his brown eyes filled with confusion. I sighed. "The head of patrol. Wait, just tell anyone on patrol duty—just go." The boy nodded solemnly, before waving off his friends and running in the direction of the patrols.

I turned my attention to his friend, a boy with sandy blonde hair. "You guys should know who the head of patrol is by now, you know," I said. "What's going on?" I asked the twelve-year-old.

"Raid's back," he said, with a horrible accent. I had to concentrate to understand what he said. "Thing is, those gals no have be out of there in over an 'our," he whispered, "We no allowed to open the door. But, some of eh' scouts said they saw an 'thority convey, just several kilometreses out," he glanced around before scurrying away again. My mom escaped the Globes herself, so she's a first generation. They're pretty rare. I'm her child, so I'm a second. Jaedie is a third: her grandparents escaped the Globes. What generation Outsider you are is determined by how many generations back your ancestors escaped the Globes. There's a game kids play, in which they look at Outsiders and guess which generation they are. I never played it.

"Mom," Jaedie breathed with a smile. She ran onto the porch of the cabin and started banging on the door. "Mom!" she exclaimed, hitting with her fist on the old wood. "Otanec! Open up! I want to speak to her–"

The door swung open, revealing Otanec in the threshold. Jaedie muttered a thanks and dipped her chin in respect, slipping past him into the hallway. I wanted to follow her, but Otanec held up a hand.

"Tenna... this is for them. You can better come back in a little while," he said. I wanted to ask why, but he already shut the door in my face. Great. Thanks, Dad.

I turned on my heel, looking through camp. Even though it was early in the morning, the camp was full of activity.

I saw a bunch of kids running after each other with sticks, scolded by their mothers who were preoccupied with hanging up laundry or sharpening daggers and other weapons.

A group of men and women had just came back from a hunt, with their catch hung over their shoulders or on their belt. Some started flaying the animals, while some went to their partners to give them a kiss and help them with what they were doing.

However, I didn't see the person I was looking for—Kael. My blonde haired, best friend was nowhere to be seen. Typical. I jumped off the porch and jogged over to the infirmary. After I threw a glance into the makeshift building lined with beds, I came to the conclusion he wasn't there, so I turned around and set in a sprint to the rock formation. There was a fat chance he'd be there.