Helios

Unexpected

Dinner was being made and Lillian and Harkin were preparing the evening for us. I knew tonight was Gabe's last night with the family and we planned to have a decent meal. No one was ready or willing to let Gabe go but he had finally turned twenty-four. He had to become a scavenger as well as our unit leader. His athletic body and dark persona were enough helped him to his advantage. He could out run faster than the Vitality Guard even if they were on an adrenal pill. We train hard and we train for years before we are ready. We all trained in the art of theft. He could carry his weight in food. This meant He'd be returning weekly with a supply of food for the rebellion and their families. Meat was his mission. With his short long black hair and dark eyes he could blend into the night, and that made him almost undetectable. Everyone had risks of being caught. We knew what we were fighting for, life or death.

"You know we made your favorite. Dinner and dessert for your last meal with us should be a proper goodbye." Lillian hugged Gabe. She was shorter compared to him. He wrapped his arms around his mother and she began to sob. Tears slipping down her cheek. Her baby boy was leaving her to become a scavanger for eight weeks.

Calmly he replied in a loud but quiet whisper, "This isn't goodbye, I'd rather die than become a mindless Vitality Guard. I know my training. This is 'see you later'. I will be back in eight weeks. I promise."

She smiled and threw up her blonde curls into an old hair pin to keep it out of her face while she cooked, then pulling out an old cloth to wipe the tears away, and the wrinkles around here eyes were tired and over worked. She was strong. She was a mother but she was not immortal. The times in Helios were wearing her down. It would only be a matter of time.

She was chipped after he children were born. Vitality couldn't keep record of all her medical history prior to the chip. Any child born was chipped immediately. She loved her sons, but she couldn't share them with the other members of Helios. She didn't want any one to talk.

The Stew smelled delicious. We hadn't exactly had a beef stew with cabbage and broth in months. We only ever ate like this during special occasions. Lillian hated to cook. It reminded her that it wasnt meant to be. She wasbt meant to have a normal life, but Harkin insisted every event they treat us to something special. Since his son is a Head and now a Scavenger he wamted to do somethibg nice. His dark hair began to turn grey. His sons resembled him most in features. Though he was aged, Harkin was still so strong ans his heart still warmed. Harkin spoke so little. His voices has been over worked over thr years that simply speaking felt like a yell. Rough amd raspy he kept it small.

Lillian was like a mom to me, she also considered me as a daughter and she knew I was eager to move on. She swore to my mother to protect me. Problem was members of the First were being hunted. Lillian and my mom are part of the First as well as Harkin but they. They wouldn't be able to protect us forever. Harkin just like Lillian blended in. After Dante was born they both agreed it would be safer for them to leave the First behind and left their children be apart of the the Last. The rebellion needed a younger hope. Fresh eyes to see what the First cannot.

"Gabe, however you have to survive, I know I will see you again." Dante began to shed a tear from his left eye, falling onto his soft but harden cheek. His eyes were as blue as the sky and his hair was black as night just like his father's. Dante was a younger softer version of his brother.

Most of us had black hair. For the Last thid made it easy to detect who might be part of the rebellion. Since most had lighter hair. The rebellion was almost impossible to spot because of distinct features and mental states, but that ends once Vitality creats new laws, making it hard for us to live. Several members divided and left for our survival, for marriage, and have children with those members of Helios who had or hadn't been chipped knowing that one day they could lose everything. It seemed to be the only way at the time.