hidden for long

Chapter Four

I meet the other two staying with Nolee: her sister Sheridan and her friend Gray. Sheridan must not even be ten yet. She has beautiful blonde curls like I used to have as a little girl, but my hair has drastically changed. Gray is probably only 20. His stature is tall and very muscular. And this is their living circumstance.

"Let us clean you up. Your feet- they're bleeding. You should lie down," Nolee says as she points to a spot on the ground. She taps Sheridan as a sign for her to get her cleaning materials. 

Nolee places a thick cloth underneath my head while Gray dips another cloth into water and places it on each foot. It burns and I let out a small "ow." Once done, he wraps each foot with a towel Sheridan hands to him. 

"Thank you," I say quietly, lifting myself up into a sitting position.

  They tell me how they all came together after trying to escape the same situation I was in. I then felt comfortable enough to tell them mine. 

"Why did this happen to us?" I stutter, not fully comprehending what is going on.

Nolee and Gray look at each other.  As if I'm supposed to know.

"Did you not know that we aren't supposed to be here? In Buford?" she asks.

I feel like my heart stopped beating for a second. My expression transformed into total confusion and frustration. What on earth was she talking about? 

I think they know I am not equipped to respond, because they take over conversation. 

"So I'm taking it your parents never told you about the covenant of the town..." Gray says. What are they saying? They look at each other and begin explaining. 

"About twenty five years ago, the town next door to Buford experienced a revolt by their people in result of changed labor mechanisms and laws. They were worked harder, paid less, and fed up. There were so many of them too. The town was falling apart. The people decided to go up against their government and it ended in trauma. The government took over everything and gave less freedom to the people, who are now held captive in a building, living what's considered "life" over there. They get no personal possessions, and they are not able to reproduce. Not much is different over here..." Nolee looks at Gray as a sign to keep explaining. I see a tear roll down by her nose as she looks at her feet. He picks up where she left off.

"Our's experienced similar circumstances, and saw that having more power and control meant a more civilized way of life. Our people revolted too. The government saw no hope for our small town's future. Therefore, they made it to where we have to fend for ourselves and then die off; no one is allowed to leave though. And no one is allowed to have children after that happened. They want a redo." 

"What about both governments? What's gonna happen to them?" I ask. 

"They'll probably merge together and start a new town that they can just control all over again. Preferably without the rebellions." he responds. A few seconds go by when Nolee says, "Don't you remember the times you had to hide in your house when the police came to do the monthly check up?" I look down. Of course I remember. I was clueless every time it happened. 

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I run to a dresser with one coat in it and slide into the dresser. Surely they won't find me here.

"Perrie, you've got to hide really good now. We are excellent seekers, so we can easily find you," my mom said. 

"Also, don't laugh or breathe loudly or you'll give yourself away!" Father adds. 

I place my hand over my mouth and wait a few minutes before I hear a deep voice, assuming it is my father's. They had a flashlight and they searched everywhere for me in our basement. I try to contain my laughter, but it hurts. I stay strong though, because this time, they're not going to find me. 

"Clear," Father says. They head back upstairs, and then I just burst out into a fit of giggles. "They didn't find me!" I am so happy that I successfully hid without them finding me!

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Little did I know what I thought was my father's voice was actually a police officer's. And that "game" was so I wasn't found by one. My parents weren't supposed to have me.

 I was so fooled. How many other kids my age are there that went through this?

"They came to everyone's home to make sure they were abiding by the laws and not reproducing behind their backs. I guess we just ended up getting found at the wrong time," Gray finishes. 

But why was I taken in the middle of the night? Do they normally search in the daytime? These are questions I don't even mention because I decide I have heard enough. My head is aching at all of this new and unfortunate information.

"We'll take you through the ropes tomorrow, kind of show you how we survive out here," Gray says. "You should get some rest now. We've been over a lot today." I cannot argue with that, nor do I want to. 

They give me a cloth to use as a blanket and I lie down on the dusty floor.