Death Sentence

prologue

It wasn't meant to be this way.
Lexi pulled her feet up, turning sideways in order to shut the cupboard door. It wasn't the best of hiding places, she knew, considering the GAG's high-tech life form identification methods, but on the off chance that they wouldn't be using those, the cupboard would serve its purpose well enough.
She wrinkled her nose against the musty odor, praying to whatever beings-that-be that she wouldn't sneeze and give herself away. Dusty spaces were not her best friend, especially in situations like this.
"Have we checked this room yet?" an unfamiliar voice asked from outside. Lexi froze, even as dust assailed her nostrils. She scrunched her nose in an attempt to keep from sneezing.
"I don't think so," came a female voice. "But it's not likely that anyone would be in this place."
"Caedus told us to check everywhere," the other reminded her.
Lexi heard the girl sigh. "Fine, but I really don't expect to find anyone."
Holding her breath as a last-ditch attempt at not sneezing, Lexi kept perfectly still as she listened to the two (presumably GAG) searchers scanning the room.
"See? I told you there's nobody here," the girl huffed, her footsteps turning back towards the door.
"Wait," said the boy, and the word sent chills skittering up and down Lexi's spine. "We didn't check this top cupboard."
"Neither of us is tall enough to reach it," replied the girl, her voice beginning to fade out of earshot. "Let's just go tell Caedus we didn't find-"
A piece of dust attacked Lexi's nostrils, and she desperately twitched her nose, trying to stave off the sneeze.
"Achoo!"
"Did you hear that?" asked the boy.
"Hear what?" came the girl's annoyed voice from a little ways down the hallway.
"Someone sneezed, and it wasn't you or me." Footsteps approached Lexi's cupboard, and the latter curled into an even smaller ball, her heart beginning to pound. "Get over here and climb on my shoulders."
"Can't you just use the Force?" the girl asked, irritated. But her footsteps were returning, and her voice grew louder as she came closer.
"Tahiri," sighed the boy, and Lexi got the idea that he was irritated as well, just knew how to hide it better. "You've climbed on my shoulders thousands of times, one more time won't kill you. But Caedus might come pretty close if he finds out you were trying to disobey his orders."
Tahiri sighed, and Lexi heard slight scuffling sounds that signaled her ascension onto the boy's shoulders. "Okay, I'm up, get me to the cupboard."
Lexi just closed her eyes and waited.