Year 6 (First Draft) #Wattys2016

-Chapter 28-

  Paul adjusts his glasses again, and smiles, handing me a small book. I glance down at it, examining the old worn out cover. I remember seeing this on my father's desk in his office multiple times. He always moved it if he noticed me staring at it too long, and now I see why. The Year Movement: Get Involved, is the title gracing the cover, written in faded black ink.

  "I trust you with this," Paul says, running his hand over the dusty cover. "Just make sure it doesn't get in the wrong hands."

  I open the book, taking a seat on the old floral couch nestled in the alcove between the bookcase and the tall set of shelves that my mom had always referred to warmly as "the trinket holder".

  Year 6.

  Year 12.

  Year 18.

  Safety. Or so they say. We all know there are prices to pay if you want to actually be safe. And you don't want to eliminate this? What purpose do these Years serve? All they do is give an individual bragging rights, and for those who don't pass, these milestones wreak havoc among us all. We don't want to live in the past, but that is exactly what we are doing. We are repeating history, but in a very different way.

  Your interest is obvious in and of the fact that you have opened this book. Are you willing to get involved? We are, and we could use as much help as possible. The monsters that man our Government, they don't have your best interest in mind. They haven't for a very long time. Show them that that's all you have in mind. Your best interest, and those of your neighbors and friends.

  I close the book, letting all of this sink in. I have heard a lot of this before, but never with so much emotion behind it. Whoever wrote this had a great passion for the Year Movement and what it stands for.

  "Pretty amazing, huh?" Paul asks, coming to sit next to me.

  "It's beautiful," I say, slightly awestruck. The words, the cover, they all have a meaning, and that makes this book amazing.

  I pull my brother in for another hug, thanking him again for letting me borrow this book. He nods, and I can tell he is holding back tears just like me. I have no idea when I'll be able to visit him again. After this endeavor, Kane may never let me out of his sight again.

  That's when I hear it. There's a sound coming from just outside, and then I hear a muffled voice from just outside the front door.

  "It's mom and dad!" Paul says, leaping to his feet, taking me with him.

  I feel my heart leap into my throat. How can I get out unnoticed without looking suspicious? Charlie pulls me towards the stairs, and then he addresses Paul.

  "Your room," He says, pointing upstairs. "There's a tree right outside the window that faces the street, right?" Paul nods, shooing us up the stairs.

  "There's no way I'm climbing a tree," I whisper yell at Charlie. "Not with Amelia on my back."

  "Darn it Felicia," He says, coming to a stop at the top of the stairs. I pull him down to Paul's room at the end of the hall. He opens the door, and I follow him into the bedroom, glancing around the room to see how much it has changed. My brother has obviously become a complete neat freak. Everything has a place in his room, and nothing litters his floor, or his desk.

  "I'm going to climb down first," Charlie says, and I hear the front door open downstairs. "And I'll take Amelia with me. I'm comfortable climbing trees, so she won't inconvenience me."

  I nod, setting the Year Movement book on Paul's bed. I carefully unstrap Amelia from around my waist and back, then carefully reattach her to Charlie. He adjusts what needs to be adjusted, then heads towards my brother's window. I pause, realizing that I left the book on the bed. I grab it, holding it tight to my chest, scared that it'll fall.