Classified

            Adrenaline rushed through Henry’s body as he ran through the crowded streets of his hometown, Steelville.  Shouting Classifyers, the authorities of Steelville and Silver Town, cursed behind him, their heavy armor weighing them down as they chased after nimble Henry.  He hid behind a huge beige house, struggling to keep his breath held in as the Classifyers unconsciously passed him by.  As Henry watched them surpass his hiding place, he slowly slid to the ground, a piece of stale stolen bread crumbling in his clenched fist.  He tore off a small piece of the bread, determined to save enough bread for his family, no matter how ravenous he was.  After the bread slithered down his throat, he glanced around, ears attentive to the clanking sounds of metal hitting metal of the guards heavy armor.  Once the coast was clear, Henry made a dash for the only safe route to his family’s home on the outskirts of Steelville, his steel bracelet dancing around his wrist with every step he took.  Out of nowhere, a burst of pain shot up Henry’s foot.  He doubled over in pain, wincing as a pool of dark red liquid grew on the ground beneath his foot.  Henry sat on the floor to take a look at his injured foot.  To his surprise, a shimmering object protruded from the wound.  Henry carefully pulled out the object, and soon realized that it was silver earring, left behind by its owner.  Its glimmering exterior caught Henry’s eye, and his desire for it grew.  Quickly, he wiped off the blood with his ragged shirt before it hardened.  Knowing that it was against the law to be adorned with both silver and steel, he slipped off the loose steel bangle around his thin wrist and clipped the earring on his ear.

            Scurrying home, Henry’s hand flew up to his ear from time to time, as if the earring would fall off if he didn’t check.  He knocked on the heavy metal door and a slot near the top of the door opened.  A fake, raspy voice asked, “Password?”

            “Very funny, Addison.  Let me in or I get to eat your share of dinner,” Henry jokingly threatened.  With a frustrated grunt, the slot snapped shut and the metal door opened with an ear-splitting screech.

            “You’re no fun anymore, Henry,” Addison remarked in her normal voice, her tongue sticking out as if to make a point.  Laughing, Henry scooped up his little sister in his arms and gently kissed her on her nose, set her down and gave her a piece of bread.  Upon the hearing of his arrival, the rest of Henry’s siblings, Dana, Jack, and little baby Michael in his mother’s arms, walked into the living room and received their share of bread.

            “Henry, you are such a good boy to go out all the time like this to get us food.  I know that you are the oldest, but every once and while Dana could go, since she is only two years your junior,” Henry’s mother suggested, lines of fatigue tracing the bottoms of her eyelids.

            “It’s okay, Mom.  Dana may be 14, but I’m 16 and probably way more capable of getting food,” Henry teased as he gave the last piece of bread to Dana.  She made a smug look at him and turned away to tend to four-year-old Jack and 6-year-old Addison.  Baby Michael sucked on his hard piece of bread like a chew toy, since he was too young to have any teeth.  Henry’s mom would make silly faces at Michael, causing the baby to giggle with the bread hanging from his mouth.  Henry watched with a tiny smile on his face, until Dana came up to him.

            “So, how close were you to getting caught this time?” she whispered, pulling Henry into a corner of the room, away from the rest of the family.

            Henry knew that he couldn’t avoid the question and answered truthfully, “Close enough, but I hid behind a building.  While I was running home, I found this silver earring.  Pretty cool, huh?”

            “Yes, very cool.  But you know that you’re not supposed to wear it.  If you get caught in Steelville with that earring, who knows what the Classifyers will do to you,” Dana looked up at Henry, a worried expression upon her face.

            Henry looked down at his sister and gave her a reassuring half-hug.  “I’ll be fine, sis.  I know the Classifyers took Dad away to work in the steel forges, but they aren’t strong enough to take you guys away from—”

            Henry didn’t even get the chance to finish his sentence.  Through the front door burst the Classifyers, hand-cuffs clinking together as they grabbed Addison, Jack, Henry’s mother, and even baby Michael.

            “No… God, no…” Henry whispered to himself, then lunged at the Classifyers.  But their strength was so immense that they just knocked Henry to the floor.  One of the Classifyers yanked Henry up by his shirt and hand-cuffed his thin wrists together.  The guard noticed the silver earring then yelled to the rest of the gang, “We’ve got a silver.  Take the rest to the steel prison; I’ll take care of this one.”

            Henry’s head throbbed with pain as the Classifyer led him away from his family.  He still didn’t understand how the authorities found him.  Suddenly, he noticed a trail of bloody footprints leading to his home.  In his dismay, Henry cried silently until he lost consciousness.

            Quiet whispers and malodorous smells surrounded Henry as he arose.  His hand rose unconsciously to his ear, then he let out a sigh when the smooth silver earring brushed against his fingertips.  Henry sat up with a grunt, moaning as his head throbbed.  As his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, Henry could see slow-moving figures shifting in the darkness, none of which he recognized.  With a sudden jolt in his mind, Henry realized that he was in the silver prison.  A door at the other end of the room opened and a massive silhouette could be made.

            “Henry Silver shall be tried for thieving with Addison Steel, Dana Steel, Jack Steel, Michael Steel, and their guardian, Katherine Steel.  Trial will be held at 0600,” the figure stated monotonously, and then the door clanked shut, the lock heavily thudding back into place.

            “I have to get out of here,” Henry murmured to himself, then slowly stood.  He wandered over to the door and threw all of his weight against it.  The door did not budge.  Over and over Henry tried, but it wouldn’t move a single inch.  Finally, Henry spotted the tiny window where little light was flooding through.  A grin spread across Henry’s face, and he leaned close to the other foul-smelling prisoners to share his plan.

            Henry’s hands searched the window sill for a good grip as his feet trembled on the shoulders of the prisoner’s below him.  Luckily, Henry managed to explain to the prisoners his dilemma, and they agreed to help him even though they wouldn’t be freed.  Finally, Henry hoisted himself up on the edge of the window and swung his legs over the sill and onto the fire escape.  He waved to his prisoner friends, then climbed the fire escape until he reached the window of the steel prison.  He hollered the names of his family, and told the other inmates to make a pyramid for Addison, Jack, Dana, Michael, and Henry’s mother.  They climbed out the window and down the fire escape until they reached the ground.  Silently, Henry’s family crept to the fence surrounding the two prisons, stealthily hiding from any Classifyers that roamed around.  When reaching the fence, Henry climbed over first, then helped the rest of the family over the fence.  Acres and acres of green forests surrounded Steelville and Silver Town.

            “Let’s ditch this place,” Henry advised his family with a smile, and they all nodded eagerly.  They each slipped off their steel wristlets while Henry clipped off his earring and ran off to explore the outside world.  A pile of steel bracelets and a silver earring on top were left behind, a remembrance of the world that Henry once knew.