The Queer Rebels

Chapter 32: Convincing

"What?" I spit out the question. No time to filter my shock. I didn't know that Harry had a brother, never mind one who was a Luddite.

A Luddite. A fucking Luddite!

"He'd never mentioned me?" Eli asks, a hint of a smile peeking out under his overgrown mustache, but not quite meeting his chestnut-brown eyes.

I shake my head slowly and study his face. It's slimmer than Harry's, but now that I'm looking for it, I can see the family resemblance. They have the same coloring. The same square-tipped nose. He's taller and broader than Harry, though. A benefit of being born in a body that already knows it's male.

Then I look at Christopher, who is still standing next to me, unaffected by being so close to a terrorist.

Harry hated the Luddites.

He was so angry when he learned about an alliance between the Queer Rebels and the Luddites. Had called it bullshit. Yet his own brother was one? I can't wrap my mind around it.

Was his distrust of the Luddites personal? I always assumed it was just philosophical. Their anti-tech stance when technology had saved his life. Allowed him to become himself.

We never discussed his past. His family. Where he came from.

"Was Harry ever a Luddite?" I ask, trying to put the pieces together.

"No," Christopher answers firmly, brows knitted and head shaking. "No, no, no."

"I'll try not to take any offense to your tone," Eli says, still wearing a casual smile. Then he looks at me. "Harry and I escaped the city around the same time, but separately. And, for different reasons. Obviously."

A gust of wind stirs up some loose dirt next to the dumpster and I shove my right hand–my uninjured one–into my jacket pocket.

"Okay, what's going on?" I ask, my eyes shifting between the two men. "Why did you wake me up and bring me out here?"

Immediately, Christopher answers, "Eli has a plan for you two to rescue Harry."

"The two of us?" My eyes narrow.

I just met this guy. I don't care if he is Harry's brother, he's a Luddite. That makes him untrustworthy. Dangerous.

If I'd agreed to rescue Harry–which I have not–I'd rather go with anyone else. Even Jenelle. She might not be my favorite person, but I trust her. Know that when push comes to shove, she'd have my back.

"If I could do it alone, I would," Eli says with a shrug.

That doesn't reassure me.

I shake my head. I have to stop letting other people make choices for me. This crosses too many lines. There is no way that I am sneaking back into the city with a damned Luddite. I don't care.

"No," I say, the word only a whisper. "No," I repeat, louder.

I don't wait for a response. In one swift motion, I turn on my heel and walk out of the gate.

I am half-way down the walkway that leads back to the front of the building when footsteps pound behind me.

"I can't do it, Christopher," I say without stopping, without turning my head.

A hand taps my shoulder. "Just hear me out."

Not Christoper's voice.

Eli's.

I shrug away from his touch and turn. "Why should I?" I stop and turn to face him.

Eli stands back, his legs spread and shoulders slouched, which makes him closer to my height. His earlier smile is gone.