In Shadows We Rise

Chapter 2

Reia

"Look what I found!" My brother's voice rips me out of my thoughts. He holds open the bag in his hand so I can see the buns of bread inside. A proud expression is spread over his dirty face as he waits for my comment.

"Were you seen?" I ask seriously and his face falls in disappointment.

"I was careful, as always," he mumbles. It hurts my heart to see his spirits broken so easily so I pull him into a sideway hug.

"I'm just worried since such an amount missing will not go unnoticed. I'm proud of you nonetheless." I give his shoulder a squeeze. Dex is fourteen years old though he looks a lot younger. He is short for his age and skinny due to the lack of food for most of his life.

He was only three years old when our mother died and our father did not care if we were starving. Therefore six-year-old me had to search the village for leftover scraps of food. Not an easy task for an unmarked little girl. Despite all my best efforts Dex and I would still sometimes hunger for days.

My brother twists his head to smile at me. The sun streams through the hole in the ceiling, making his eyes glow hazel and the strands of his hair shimmer golden. His faded shirt hangs loosely from his thin frame, covering most of his shorts which end just above his scraped, bony knees.

I try to return his smile though the sight of him always makes mixed feelings rush through my chest. I love him, truly, but there is always sorrow accompanying my affection. He deserves better than this life. Better than having to risk losing a hand or worse to get his next meal, better than sleeping in a damp and cold ruin half of the year, and better than having no one by his side but an unmarked sister.

Still, I'm eternally grateful to have him. He's the only person I can trust, the only one I have ever been able to talk to, and the only one that loves me. I've taken care of him since he was three but I still think I need him more than the other way around.

Maybe if it weren't for me, my father wouldn't have turned out the way he did and Dex could have had a real life. Could have gotten an education worth more than what I can teach him and could have had friends. In the least, he would have had a mother.

"Rei? Don't. C'mon, let's eat." My brother tries to cheer me up and distract me from my thoughts. I've never told him what's on my mind, it's not his burden to carry, but he can sense when my mind goes to dark places. Which is not rare, let me tell you.

I eat silently as Dex tells me who and what he saw in the village today. There's a square where he usually looks for food. Merchants sell or trade their goods to desperate people. They set their prices low in fear of angering anyone in this area but they still get robbed and attacked every other day. The citizens here are angry at the world and barely a day goes by without a new murder. I only know what Dex tells me since he insists it's more dangerous for me to leave this place. I hate sending him out there alone but I know he's right.

My brother's in the middle of a sentence when I clamp my hand over his mouth and straighten my back. His body tenses just like mine as he hears what I did. Footsteps. Not unusual, you might think, but this ruin is far beyond the paths and alleys people use. Nothing is back here. Nothing but us.

"Yes. I saw him go in there," a deep voice whispers. It sounds like the strangers are right outside one of the broken windows, too close for us to run. My back straightens, the knuckles of my clenched fist bone-white and my heart is thrumming so violently I'm scared it might expose us. My brother and I are in the corner we normally sit in. There are wild plants covering almost every patch of what once used to be a house but it's not enough for us to hide. Not even close.

I slowly take my other hand from Dex's mouth while I try to figure out what to do. The strangers, however many there may be, know Dex is in here. Whether they are here because of the stolen food or for another sick reason doesn't matter. They are here.

We can't hide and even though I am a decent fighter and have tried to teach Dex some self-defense, I don't love our chances.

My brother is looking at me expectantly. So far, I've managed to get us out of every dangerous situation somewhat safe but there's only so long our lucky streak can last, right? My mind is racing as I look around our makeshift home. I quickly and silently pack up the rest of our food and Dex starts gathering the few other possessions of ours. This is not the first time we've had to run. He knows the drill.

I hear the footsteps nearing the door opposite our corner and nod my head to the broken window closest to us. I can see Dex's hands tremble but he doesn't need me to tell him twice. He carefully steps around the roots on the ground so as to not make a sound and I follow him. I can't make out the stranger's words over the blood rushing in my ears but I can tell they are getting closer.

"Come out, boy! We know you stole from us, and not for the first time either. We just want to talk!" Dex sends me a worried glance and I set my mask of confidence in place. It would do us no good to panic right now. I quickly look out of the window to check if anyone is standing near this side of the house. I see no one.

I nod to Dex and he starts lifting himself up on the frame. He can't move too quickly since there are still pieces of sharp glass standing threateningly in place. Outside, the men knock on the door before they roar up laughing. I can identify at least five different voices. I look back to Dex in time to see him lowering himself outside the house. More shouts come from the strangers.

"It's not nice to keep guests waiting outside. Let us in so we can play." I feel sick thinking about what they might mean. They start banging at the doors and I've never been gladder about our security precaution to always block the main entry. It's no effective lock or anything but it's buying us time.

I lift myself up on the window like my brother did just as the door starts dragging open. I duck under a long shard of glass and jump out the window outside of the house.

"There! By the window!" someone yells but Dex and I are already running. I keep a tight grip around his wrist as I pull him in the direction of the village. I'd much rather run into the woods but that would mean running by the strangers which is not what we want to do.

"Where are we going?" Dex finally asks. His voice is small and terrified.

"Away."

"Rei," he says but I just keep pulling him. We can't afford to waste our breath since we'll likely have to run until our muscles are screaming and our lungs are burning. We'll run until there's no one following us anymore and long after that.

"Reia!" my brother insists more urgently so I risk a glance back at him. My eyes fall on the crowd of silhouettes running behind us but my brother's eyes are trained on something else. I follow his gaze down a wide alley where a group of guards is gathered around the merchants. What the hell?

I don't have time to question the bizarre scene as my brother yelps out in pain behind me.

"What?" I'm struggling for breath already, still sprinting. There's too much going on and I need to focus.

"My ankle." He must have twisted it somehow because he's limping now. Slowing us down considerably.

"I'm sorry but we need to move on." The crowd of strangers is gaining on us and I push my body harder. We won't make it, a dark voice insists inside my head but I brush it away. We will. We always do.

"Rei!" my brother's hand slips from mine as he stumbles to the ground. I turn and the men are only a few feet away.

"C'mon, Dex, we need to run!" I urge, knowing damn well it's too late for that but not seeing another option.

"I can't," my brother insists, clutching his right foot. Dammit! His forehead is covered in sweat and his face is pulled into a grimace of pain. Fucking dammit! I search our surroundings desperately. There are a few dirty houses but nothing useful. We were so close to making it out of the village.

Victorious shouts come from the strangers now as they slow down and near us with lazy steps. I grab my brother and pull him to the side of the alley so his back is against a wall before standing between him and the men.