The car roared over the dunes and I slumbered sluggishly in the back seat. I felt as content and secure as a baby in a rocking cradle. A feeling I had not felt since my mother lived, and of course it was a little strange, but instead of doubting and pondering, I decided to enjoy the moment.
I had talked, and Carl had listened. W needed to work together for Lo's sake, he'd said, but after a while the insight had crept up on me. It was just as much for us.
My heart ached because I missed hanging out with old Carl, the man who had found us, the one who had packed us in the back seat of the loud car and pressed water waterbottles into our child hands. The first friendly person we met since I'd taken Lo's hand and ran away from Dad. I had no other choice at the time, I had to trust him and he had promised that we would never be alone again.
I opened one eye and glanced at him as he sat in the driver's seat, the father I always wanted but never dared to let in.
I had always been jealous of Lo who dared to open up and show his feelings, like the times when I had woken up at night and seen Carl comfort him when he had nightmares. Sure, he had been a young kid, but so was I, under the facade.
I closed my eyes again and let the darkness envelop me, as soon as Lo came home I would sharpen up. Make them proud and stop being so fucking angry all the time.
***
I woke up with a jerk as my I-Link made a bleeping sound and blinked on my forearm. It had found Los' signal! I stared petrified at the orange display before pressing the map.
"Carl ..." I almost whispered "Lo is in the Outskirts."
"Fuck!" he roared, cross-riveting the car "the little idiot must have been caught."The car turned around and he began to feverishly press new coordinates into the car's GPS.
I felt Jonna's eyes on us, but I chose not to look up, this wasn't the time to break down. Not yet. I would be strong until I knew what had happened to him. So I pretended to be fully occupied with tracking him with the Link when she finally put a hand on my knee and opened her mouth,
"Have you managed to find Twelve yet?"
I shook my head "does it matter? Lo doesn't seem to have reached him anyway" I muttered but kept my eyes on my arm.
"Leave him be Jo" Carl mumbled softly and put a hand on her thigh, and to my surprise she left it there.
A hope was kindled inside me, maybe they had found their way back to each other again? I hoped so, no, I wanted them to. Life in the camp had been so much better back then, when they were together, happier and warmer in some way.
I stared at the red little dot that flashed on my arm. My little brother, trapped away in a cramped little cage. My heart was pounding in my chest "Dammit Lo, what the hell have you gotten yourself into?"
A/N- Don't worry, longer chapters to come!
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