In Tune

C H A P . 5

C H A P T E R    F I V E

Day 9, November 2152

–

"There is no real beauty without some slight imperfection."

James Salter

–

I can only stare, wide-eyed, as my Brother whisks past me like a lightning bolt, the wind created by his sprint blowing my hair in all directions. After having recovered from the shock, I break into a run after him, easily passing my Mother in my comfortable sneakers. When I look back after a few moments, I notice that she's given up and is now bent over, trying to catch her breath. I mouth, I'll get him back, and, hoping that she got the message, I continue running after Casimir. "Casimir!" I shout. "Stop, Cas!"

He completely ignores me, his small legs carrying him further than I'd thought possible. Still, I was older, stronger and faster, and by the time he reached a visible section of the Wall, I was only a couple meters behind him. "Cas, what the heck are you doing?" He doesn't answer, and I huff in irritation. My legs are burning and a cramp is quickly spreading in my right side, but I don't give up. I promised Mother, remember?

My eyes widen when I see him opening the secret door in the Wall leading to the Woods. How could my Brother have known about the doors?

I almost stop short when he slips through the door, his body disappearing into the darkness inside the Wall. Why would Casimir go through the Woods? I've never told him what lays beyond this Wall, that the Woods is an amazing place, instead of the dangerous realm of monsters the Followers keep claiming. He should be terrified of getting in less than twenty meters' distance between him and the wall of steel separating us from the Woods.

And yet, he isn't.

Determined, I follow his steps and slip through the secret door in the Wall, almost losing myself for a while as I fumble to find the exit in the dark. At last my hands latch onto the exit door, and I push hard, stumbling out into the Woods as the door swings open. I try not to marvel too much at the fantastic sight of the Woods, focusing instead on stopping my Brother from hurting himself. Somewhere in the distance I spot him weaving through the tall trees, still in a steady run. Another wave of perplexity washes over me as I wonder why he isn't at all fazed by the beauty of the Woods. The first time I came here, I couldn't believe my own eyes. So why is Casimir acting like he's used to this place, like he's been here before?

Panicked, I call his name again, but to no avail. He doesn't waver at all, ignoring me as though I'm not his Sister, as though I'm not his favorite person in the world. "Casimir, please stop! For me," I try again.

When he doesn't stop, I continue running after him. My body is begging me to stop, but for his and my Mother's sake, I don't.

And then, when I start feeling like I can't take it any more, when my legs are about to give in beneath me, something utterly terrible happens. A scream wrenches its way through my parched throat, resonating throughout the Woods with only the animals to hear my fear. Because ahead of me, no more than fifty meters away, my Brother's body crumples and folds over itself as he sinks to the ground, just like that. Only a second ago he was perfectly healthy, insane but healthy, and now he's falling over himself like he can't hold himself any longer. "Casimir!" I cry out.

I rush over to him, where he's laid down on the grass, unconscious and bleeding. "Casimir," I whisper. A small sob escapes my throat as I take in his broken condition. If I thought he looked horrible this morning when he was sick, I was so wrong. His condition is much, much worse now. The bags beneath his eyes are bigger and making his eyes look sunken. His cheeks are hollow, as if he hasn't been eating properly for days. There's barely any fat left on his body; his bones are almost visible through the thin layer of skin covering them. And there, poking out from a hole in his chest, is the signature green dart of the Keeper's most infamous weapon: the tranquilizer gun.