The Dagger Society

Chapter 1: Rebellion

My parents were killed during the rebellion; caught in the crossfire on my front lawn. I was sitting on the porch of our house, crouching behind the rickety, white, railing. I watched the war ravaging through the streets of the city with terror stricken eyes. The people were suffering after the government raised the taxes astronomically high in order to pay off our nation's debt. This led to a rebellion.

The average citizen found it impossible to stay financially stable after seventy five percent of their money went to the government. Many lost their homes and hundreds of animals roamed the streets after their owners were unable to care for them.

With my little sister, Marley, in my lap, I waited behind the rail, desperately waiting for my parents. Soon enough they were sprinting down the street trying to get to us. My mother was crying, her tears flying off her cheek as she sprinted towards us. My father was running close behind her. I got up and raced to the edge of the stairs desperately wanting my parents.

I looked past my mother's shoulders wondering where my dad was. Traumatized, I looked down and began to cry. I had seen my father face down in a pool of blood in on the sidewalk in front of our house. He had been shot in the back by one of the government's soldiers.

I turned my attention back towards my mother. Her eyes were wet with tears as she gently scooped up my bundled sister into her arms. Hurriedly,my mother shuffles us into the house. She takes us down the long, dark, hallway. All the lights had been turned off to draw less attention towards us. Soldiers often barge into houses to put down rebels but since our lights are off it appears like our house has already been checked.

My mother continues to push me through the house. We go up the carpeted stairs and turn left, passing the guest bathroom. She takes my hand and we run into my parents' bedroom. Finally, we stop. We stand facing the white, closet, doors. My mothers puts her hand on the small, silver, knob and pulls slowly. The doors creak quietly as she opens both doors. She looks down at my small, pale, face.

"Take care of your sister." My mother frowns and a tear slides down her cheek. She hands my sister back to me and gives us a hug so hard I could barely breathe and me and my sister hug her back.

"I'll do my best." I reply, struggling not to cry. My sister begins to whimper.

"Please don't leave us." Marley starts to weep as our mother turns away.

"I love you both." She glances back and then she's gone, leaving me and Marley waiting in the dark closet. We sat in that closet for two hours, shifting back and forth nervously. After a while I decided to close the closet door and turn on the light bulb hanging down from the closet ceiling, attached to a beaded, silver, chain.

We spent five miserable days living in that lonely closet. Every so often I would sneak down to the kitchen and scrounge up some food and water for me and Marley. It was very lonely and we spent most of our time playing hand games such as sticks and slide.

Five days went past and our mother never came back for us. I was only seven yet I was still intelligent enough to have known that she would never come back. In my heart I knew Marley understood as well.

We had but a dearth of food and I knew we had to leave the house. I nudge the sleeping Marley and her Hazel eyes slowly open. "We have to leave now." I whisper to her and she sits up on the floor. Together we continued to live in the closet and their was little space. I creak open the wooden closet door and we crawl into what was my parent's bedroom. The ruffled beige sheets lay messily on the carpeted floor and the soft pillows sit crooked at the head of the bed.

Standing up, I take my sisters hand and we tiptoe down the stairs, holding the polished, wood railing. Marley, being tired, stumbles and we nearly fall down the rest of the stairs. When we reach the bottom of the stairs, we turn right and head through the living room and to the front door.

The front door swings open with ease and the scene in front of us is horrifying. Bodies of both soldiers and normal citizens are strewn about the city, our own father lying face down on our front lawn. Trying to shield my sister from the destruction, we run down our front steps and into the silent, city streets.

My father taught me practically everything he ever learned. He wanted me to be prepared for anything and everything that was thrown my way. He was a great man; he was kind, strong, and a great leader. He worked as a car salesman, but that wasn't what he loved. His heart was in the forest just beyond the hills. Every weekend our family would go up into the forest to a large oak tree after church that Sunday and have a picnic. Me and Marley would run around and see who could climb the farthest up the tree. Dad was always watching over us and he taught us our basic survival skills. I know his lessons will come to good use during my next years.