A Soldier's Secret

Part 4

I went into the trees again, the sweet, sweet trees that tell no tales. I watched the camp, the clones, anything to keep my mind away from Benny. But nothing I could do would ward off sleep, and an onslaught of memories. Maybe I could steal caffeine from Rex. I climbed down from the tree and crept toward the bunks. I poked my head inside, and, seeing it was empty, walked in. Error had told me that Rex was a caffeine junkie, and I knew he would have some. So I checked under his bunk, and voila, there were caffeine pills. I grabbed them and saw a candy stash. I laughed to myself and left those alone. 

As I slinked out of the bunkroom, I saw Kix, the head medic, making his way toward the door. I panicked and dashed into the bushes. He would definitely confiscate the caffeine, so I climbed a tree. He saw me and kept going toward the bunks. I sighed a breath of relief as I settled onto a high branch.

I threw a caffeine pill into my mouth, and leaned back "Okay, sleep. You want me? Get past this" I rattled the bottle and smiled

Benny told me I was cute when I smiled. It dropped from my face. Benny knew I was different and didn't care. He was my brother, and he was dead. I yanked my helmet off and tilted my head back, taking deep breaths. Stay calm, I told myself. Calm, collected, and silent. I rustled around and found a knot in the wood that fits in the small of my back perfectly, and I relaxed. No sleep would come, with these pills. Shouting came from below me, and I saw the mute clone climbing up toward me, Rex behind him. He didn't risk the tree, and I rattled the bottle of caffeine pills above his head. Cussing, loud and prominent, came from below, and I laughed

"Really Cedar?" Rex asked, "You too? You know what! Screw this! I'm making Torrent run laps!" He stormed off, and the mute clone laughed, silently. I couldn't stay in this tree with him, so I jumped to a tree to my left, then again. With the mute one alone, I leaned back again, without the comfort of that perfect tree knot.

Night fell, and a chorus of bugs echoed through the air. The mute clone was still in the tree, waiting for the cover of midnight to creep to the bunks. But even as the moons were visible in the sky, he still didn't leave. I was getting impatient, wanting him to leave. I felt my eyes drooping, so I ate another pill, the bitter taste shaking me further awake. The air changed, a heaviness settling in. I looked up and saw the mute clone, whom I flipped off and pulled my helmet on, dropping out of the tree.

He seemed shocked as I fell, and I grabbed a branch and spun around, killing momentum before I kept dropping. He wasn't following me, yet. So I dropped faster, and when I hit the ground, I hit the ground running. He was behind me and had more practice running, but I was the better climber. So I used the trees to my advantage, jumping up into one and climbing up a few feet before jumping to another and climbing higher. They were a staircase, and the mute clone was slower to climb. I got myself to a solid one-fifty feet up and stopped. He stopped too, watching the branch sway beneath him, inexperience as he was with climbing. I waited a few moments and kept going up...Passing him again.

How was he in two places? The one below flicked dead, and he nearly jumped on top of me. We both started falling

We were twenty feet from the ground when we stopped, a thick branch holding our combined weight

"Stop running! I just want to talk" he growled

"Oh! Then I'm so guilty of getting the wrong impression from the person chasing me with a knife!" I bit his hand and wriggled free before he grabbed my boot. I tried to kick him, and I managed to kick the hand with the knife, and I rammed it into the tree

"Cedar! I know you're female!" He whispered

I stopped kicking him "So what? I still can't trust you"

"I'm from Light Batch for the Prime's sake!" He said "I'm a walking defect! So is Rex!"

I scowled, then planted a kick on his chest, knocking him back "Who said I trusted Light Batch? Error sent me away, Rex is Rex, and you have chased me through the woods during the night!" I yanked the knife from the tree.

"Error was protecting you!" He said, "If she took you with her you'd be dead by now! Krell kills any defects he finds. Danger died due to Krell. So go ahead, kill me, Rex will find out it was you as soon as he finds my body!"

"I'd prefer the pain" I whispered to him "I want to feel pain, knowing that He'll never feel it again" He took the opportunity to dive off the branch and onto the ground, where he dashed away. I sighed, and resisted the urge to throw the knife after him. I climbed into the trees, and I jumped back to where the chase started, and ate another caffeine pill. Who knew what would happen if he spread the word?