The End

The Beginning

"What do you think? It's not that bad of an idea is it?"

Will felt his stomach churn, the situation fully dawning on him as he stared at the ground.

"I think it's stupid."

Andrew twisted his body so he was facing Jamie head-on, "Oh come on! You just disagree with everything I say anyways. I wasn't even asking you, you know?"

Jamie rolled her eyes. "Well," she started, "considering I've been dragged out into the rain by my younger brother and taken to the gate of our village, which may I add is forbidden, I think I have a say in what happens next."

Trying to stop his shaking body from betraying him, Will coughed into his hand. All eyes turned to him.

Pushing down his nervousness, he raised his voice, "It may not be too bad of an idea?"

Andrew's eyes light up at the same time Jamie's frown increased. Seeing the elder's disapproval made his heart sink momentarily, before remembering what they had all met up for. The reason why they had left their homes, making sure there was no way they could have been traced. The reason why they were committing a crime right now, in this very moment, with a lack of plan. Will felt something place on his shoulder and barely resisted the urge to flinch or panic. As if reading his mind, Andrew moved his hand and stayed standing next to him. A quick reassuring glance was sent his way, before the siblings glared at each other.

"Don't tell me you've already roped Will into your idiotic plan! You're going to get him, all of us, killed! I thought you may have been competent enough to at least think some of this through but apparently I was wrong."

"It isn't idiotic! I know what I'm doing! I know you hate me and my ideas but we have to do this, why can't you see that?" It was obvious Andrew's temper was rising. "They haven't left us with much of a choice with how everyone's acting! They're being controlled somehow. I don't want us to become some mindless being that only knows how to follow orders and be as useful as a bag of shit! Our parents have already been corrupted! Now-"

"You think I've been a bit blinded too. Haven't you?" For the first time in Will's life, he could see tears glistening in the corner of Jamie's eyes. They were a strange addition to her stoic face. The 17-year-old was used to seeing his best friend's sister as, well, emotionless. As bad as it sounded. Sometimes he even wondered whether the girl just didn't like him enough to be more open. However, it wasn't purposeful (Andrew had explained to him after a few hours of worrying). It just didn't happen for Jamie most of the time, unless she had to force them to get her point across, or whatever other reason she deemed important. Will could understand, his mother was like that as well.

"I just meant," Will said, suddenly wary of the attention he was given, "that to some degree Andrew is right. If we were to stay, would we just become like everyone else?" He shuddered at the thought. "I don't want that to happen to me." Trying his best to straighten out his voice, he looked at the rock Andrew had thrown earlier, "...more importantly I don't want that to happen to you guys either."

There was a moment of silence.

Jamie lowered her gaze to the ground. "I guess... the plan isn't entirely stupid," Jamie mumbled, "I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought along these lines before." Andrew's eyebrows rose, pulling a face Will couldn't quite work out, "Oh so you listen to Will but not your own brother-"

"Stop it. Do you want me to come with you or not?"

The weight of the decision lay heavy. So much was being put at risk, too much could go wrong, there would be so many consequences if they didn't succeed. But if they did? They would be free. Yes, they would be leaving their families behind in the corruption (which he wasn't thrilled about) but they we're long gone past reasoning. He had already tried. Will had tried so damn hard.

"Lets go." Will didn't know where the determination suddenly came from, but he didn't want to question it, "before it's too late."

Jamie smiled bitterly as she gave Andrew a shove forwards. "It was your idea wasn't it?" She joked as her sibling pouted at the push, "If we're going to die, or worse, I'd rather it be your fault instead of ours."

"Hey! You're supposed to love me 'unconditionally'."

"I do, idiot, is that not clear by now?"

"You're calling me an idiot again?!"

"The only thing I called idiotic earlier was your plan, not you."

"Oh, don't get smart with me-"

The familiar bickering between his friends filled Will with a twisted sense of ease. They could do this, maybe. Hopefully. This wasn't the time for his mind to play tricks against him. If his friends could act normal at a time like this, then he could too. Even if his brain was screaming at him that he was making a mistake, his heart was yearning to escape. His heart wasn't really something he listened to often, or at all, but the idea of living out the rest of his life with his friends while being free was too good of an opportunity to give up. No matter how low the chance of survival. They could all be happy, if he threw logic out of the window for once in his life.

Will couldn't help the laugh that bubbled from his throat.

"What're you laughing about mini?" Mini had become one of Andrew's favourite nicknames for Will over the years, obviously poking fun at his height being below the other two, and the average for his age.

"Nothing," Will said honestly, "I'm so scared and doubtful right now, but we're doing it. Despite all the odds, of course it's us that's doing this. It's kind of funny don't you think?"

Oddly enough it was Jamie that laughed at his confession, only receiving a blank look from the remaining group member. Andrew's face contorted into disbelief, "You two are really just something else, huh?"

His ears picked up on chuckles, surprising himself when he realised that he was joining in as well. The sound felt so natural that Will almost forgot what they had even met to do.

His younger friend clapped his hands together, "Well then, I say we should go while we still can."

Andrew made no move to walk forwards.

Jamie's face softened, "Bold words coming from someone who hasn't moved an inch."

He heard a sound of protest, but before anyone could say anything Jamie continued, "It's okay. I think it's safe to say we're all scared here." She held out one hand towards Andrew and the other towards Will, which was shocking for a person who didn't like being touched. "I say, we go through the gate together." Will lifted his head to look at the elder. He wasn't much younger than Jamie, but the other had always been such a big inspiration to him that the gap in their ages had just seemed so much bigger.

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to speak. "Yeah," Will found himself struggling for words, "it's now or never right?"

His eyes scanned the forest, most likely for the last time. Dulled trees and overgrown nature surrounded them, and if his father hadn't told him the area they stood in was slowly dying, Will would have thought the forest was trying to reach out and ground him before they could leave. He would've thanked him for being obsessed with the history of plants (Why? He didn't know) if Will thought his father would be coherent enough to appreciate it. He wouldn't be, none of them had been for a long time. The thought made his heart hurt.

He made sure his hand was holding Jamie's tightly, before reaching to Andrew and giving his hand a squeeze before letting go. This was really happening, they we're going to do this, and they we're going together.

With one final glance back, the three of them stepped through the gate.