Revolution

Chapter 2

I noticed the stranger five minutes ago. And he's still behind me. I try to keep my breaths steady, but knowing that the stranger could potentially kill me in seconds, it's pretty hard.

My bag swings at my side. I'm wearing a hoodie that's three sizes too big for me. I ordered it with my most recent food box. Girls make easier targets than guys, so I even have to keep my physical appearance undercover. I make sure to keep my face hidden as I pick up speed.

"Hey!"

My body turns stiff and I debate whether or not to try to outrun him in my head.

"Hey! You!"

I decide that I can't run for it and spin around. My breath catches in my throat and I don't even have the chance to scream. He was right behind me. We're now face-to-face, and I stare at his hands, making sure that he's not holding any weapons. To my surprise, he's not. He's wearing a loose grey hoodie similar to mine and black jeans. I'm surprised that he's only taller than me by an inch or two and I grow a little more confident.

I can feel him staring at me, probably estimating the amount of time it would take to murder me and steal my belongings. Keeping my eyes on the ground, I slowly start to back up.

He nods at me. "Who are you?" His hands are fidgeting with the drawstrings on his sweatshirt and if I wasn't scared out of my mind, I'd say that he's pretty nervous himself. I try to look at his face, but his hood covers it. "None of your business."

"Oh, attitude. Fine, keep your name to yourself. I'm Raven."

Who is this stranger to tell me their name before even getting to know me? Or try to get to know me at all? And what kind of guy's name is Raven? "Are you trying to trick me or something? What do you want?"

"People these days have serious trust issues." The voice sounds strangely feminine.

I back away from him. "There's a good reason for that."

He pulls off his hood, revealing that he's- she's- a girl. It's clear that she caught me totally off guard. "What?"

"Why aren't you being more careful with your name and why are you showing me that you're a girl? Don't you know how dangerous it is?"

I can tell that she doesn't see me as a threat. I stand up taller to look tougher, but I'm sure that it's not working.

She laughs loudly and says, "There's nobody here, 'cept you of course. What's there to worry about?"

I try not to look too offended and say, "There might be a Namer..."

She looks directly at me when she says, "You really need to relax a bit. It's not like we've been talking about our jobs or anything."

"Do you have any idea what someone could do to you with your name?" I can't contain my rage any longer. Why is this stranger being so careless?

She smiles, and I get even madder. She's not taking me seriously! "Let me tell you something," she says quietly. And then she whispers, "A name is useless if no one knows your job or where you live."

I've never heard someone call a name "useless" before.

"So, you wanna form an alliance?"

"Excuse me?"

Raven holds her hand out for me to shake. "An alliance. It means that-"

"I know what an alliance is," I interrupt.

"So... What do you say?"

I give Raven a you're-hopeless look. "What happened to trust issues?"

She pulls her hand back but grins. "Who said that I don't trust you?"