In The Memory

Chapter Three: Three Years Ago

~Jake~
I woke up one day later than usual at around 9 am. Don't know if it was the light or just my body telling I'd had enough hours but for some reason I felt different waking. I went into Lily's room. She was asleep still. I went along with my usual morning routine. Dropping Lily off at her caretaker and then I headed for the square of the small village. It wasn't in the centre it was right by our gates we just called it the square as its where all the streets led and there was a few benches. I sat up on the big wall looking out onto the horizon waiting for Ash. Surely he arrived late.
"Hurry up" I told him jumping from the wall.
"I needed to hide a few things calm down." He laughed
I gave him a confused look.
"What do you need to hide."
"Just wait and see." He smirked.
The man at the gate frowned. He wasn't a guard but he was  definitely don't one of us.
I sighed "it's Jake I thought you'd know that by now." I said walking out I could almost feel his glare.
Ash's hood was up covering his face. "Kyle." The guard nodded.
"Four o clock curfew."
"I know." I said "I've always been stuck in that hell."
Once we where in the woods ash rolled down his hood.
"I hate having to hide for no reason."
"There is a reason dude you broke fucking laws."
"Yeah so did you right now. Why is swearing even illegal."
"I don't know, but I don't swear right at guards so for me it's not a problem."
Ash was wanted. No one in the village cared but people from out of the village wanted him dead. Many people in the village hated him but we all hated the rich more.
"Every law I have broken is stupid." Ash said sounding like a toddler.
"Even assault?"
"Self defence you bitch." He said shoving me.
I shoved him back playfully. This shoving match continued until we were at the lake.
"Your late...and childish." She snapped
"Well I'm sorry I had to hide shit." Ash said some of us aren't aloud to be normal." He said mocking her snobbish way. She came across like a snob but she really wasn't.
"I hate you." She said shoving ash.
"And We are the childish ones." I said giving he a squint smile. We walked the long journey there. It was nearly night by the time the large walls came into view. There was guards everywhere. I watched Ash take notes in his head.
"I've got a plan." He said.
"Guys you could come back to mine it's closer."
I nodded. It seemed like a waste of a day to me. But it was okay because it was fun to talk with them. The best morning when we got to the gate one of the guards stopped us going in.
"You never came back last night. Curfew?"
"Yeah our night guard knows us." I said bluntly I'd told this lie a thousand times.
"Could you people not just follow the rules."
"You people?" Ash said shaking his head
"The hell were just like you man."
"But I am not a lying scum like you."
Ash had his hood up. He was taking a risk arguing back.
"Come on let's just go" I said dragging him away.
The guard yelled some shit to us but we kept walking until we where at Lily's carer I picked her up and we went to mine.
"I have a plan." He said.
"A good one."
I stared at lily standing there. She looked just like her mother.
I wish I could tell her to go somewhere. The house was too small. "Lily don't listen."
She nodded and hurried into the corner where she had a small doll house her mother found.
"You saw that girl get shot."
He nodded.
"It's dangerous."
He nodded again.
"Yeah." He said faintly.
"Ash you are my best friend I'd do anything for you. But I can't."
I could almost hear his heart sinking.
"They have done so much to me Jake...So much to you, so much to Lily. Please. I need you."
"I need you too Ash so please don't go."
"I have to."
Bang the door bust open.
We turn putting our arms in the air.
There stood two soldiers with guns on us.
One nodded and the other walked to lily and grabbed her.
I walked toward shoving the shoulder of the guard.
"GET OFF OF HER." I yelled.
He pushed me into the ground and kicked my face.
I woke up on my sofa. By my side stood Ash, Lily and Jade.
"He kicked you right in the head." Ash said. "That's fucked up."
Jade looked at me concerned. She dabbed my head with some alcohol.
"Ow..." I said then I realised "Holy shit. You have medical shit?"
I exclaimed. We didn't get anything if you got sick here you died.
"I smuggled it." She said quietly. "Stay still. His boots where pretty sharp somehow."
I say blinking.
"Population control." Jade said. "They were checking houses only had two or less.
"I heard gun shots." Ash said quietly.
"Where's lily." I said trying to ignore what they had told me. This happened once a month. The often knocked down homes for buildings so many proper lost there homes. These house checks happened every four months.
Lily ran over.
"Dad." She said hugging me. I hugged her back.
"I love you" I said smiling
"I love you to" she said.
It seems like I'm rarely with her. But when I need to I drop her off at a friends. But since her mother is dead we spent a lot of time together. I loved her more than ash or her mother or Jade of my own parents she was the greatest thing to happen to me. I knew I couldn't go with ash. I could let her be an orphan.