Lady Rebellion (The Rewrite)

Chapter 1: How it Starts

"Alright, kiddo, I'll be back tomorrow. Don't burn the apartment down 'cause I don't got money like that, cool?" Eli winked as he had one foot out the door.

I just shook my head and laughed at his childishness that I knew so well. "That street life ain't for me, you know that."

He nodded with a pleased smirk on his face, accepting the rebuttal as an adequate one.

Then he left.

If I knew it was the last time I would've spoken to him, I would've told him I loved him. I would've made sure he knew how much I appreciated him watching over me after our parents died, and taking care of my rebellious self that caused so many problems trying to fit into society.

And I would've hugged him so tight for being the only person in my life who actually gave a damn about mine.

But I didn't do any of those things.

Because I didn't know.

And now I'll never get the chance.

It was supposed to be a routine training day for the STARS unit. They were deemed the best of the best soldiers the United States had ever trained, and my brother had been one for four years. Every so often they required their soldiers to visit in for a physical check-up and additional training to keep their skills up-to-date, and that's all he was supposed to do when he left. It was supposed to be harmless and simple.

But then the day passed, and I heard no word. There wasn't much I could do to try and contact him, because they always kept their locations secret and took away their lines of communication for what they claimed were safety reasons.

Three days had to pass until the commanding officer of the STARS unit located here in New York finally knocked on the apartment door.

"Ms. Rebel?"

I nodded. I could feel the color drain from my face as the world grew silent once I saw his uniform. All he did was give me an answer I already saw coming: Eli was gone, and he wasn't coming back.

"What happened?" I asked, clenching my jaw as I gritted my teeth to keep tears from forming.

"We will inform you of the matter when we know more. Right now, we are still investigating. We are sorry for your loss. Your brother was one of our best."

I couldn't manage a reply. I could barely manage a normal human response to thank him for taking the time to inform me himself. All I could manage was an ever so slight nod as I shut the door.

The officer took the hint and left without trying again. A bit of remorse surfaced within me as I thought about how I replied, but I dismissed it as quickly as it came. I just lost the last bit of family I had. I was allowed to process that however I chose. Plus, it was their fault. He disappeared on a routine STARS mission built for training. How does that even happen? It just didn't make sense. Especially since they didn't know anything further.

Having no answers infuriated me. I didn't know how to process yet another loss. I just sank to the ground and cradled my head in my arms as I hoped the nightmare that was my life would end.

After I sat in silence for hours trying to sort through the barrage of anger and resentment I felt, I came to the conclusion that the STARS were more than likely hiding something. But was there anything I could do about that? Not in the least. I was a twenty-year-old, jobless young adult with no friends, no family, and no help. I was alone, and that was all I had left of the Rebel name.