Rebels

Ch. 6

The strange woman and the man led Jack and Arin into a small brick building wedged between two three-story complexes. The girl locked the door behind Jack. Jack observed the atmosphere of the room. One window sat next to the door, and as they took a few steps into the room, overhead lights blinked to life. The floor was made up of polished planks, and the walls were brick. A white painted round table sat in the middle of the room, and beyond the table was a counter with cabinets to hold kitchen necessities. A couch and a few chairs sat to the left of Jack in front of a fireplace that hadn't been used in ages.

A room to Jack's right contained one bed and a bathroom, and a small television screen. Jack had never been able to afford a television screen, so that was a major upgrade to him.

"Don't get too comfortable in here." The girl said, walking in the kitchen and plopping her elbows on the countertop. "When morning comes, you two are out of here."

The man walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind himself, refusing to speak to Jack and Arin.

Jack walked over to the couch and sat down, already feeling as if he might fall asleep. "Well, if you're gonna let my pal and I loose in the morning, I suppose it won't hurt you to tell me your name."

The girl sighed once again and walked over to the chair directly across from Jack. She sat down and crossed her legs. "Lyla. The grumpy man in the other room is Luca."

Jack scoffed. "He's already a jerk, and I don't even know him."

Lyla crossed her arms. "He's also my brother." Lyla sat down in a seat.

An awkward silence followed as Arin slowly took the seat next to Lyla. It was then that Jack was reminded of Arin's lashes he had to suffer through. Jack stood, planning on helping him, but Jack himself felt a sudden wave of nausea. He sat back down on the couch, trying to focus on anything but the bile rising in his throat.

"You okay?" Lyla asked, standing up. She shouted for her brother.

"I'm fine, really." Jack assured her, laying down completely now on her couch. He knew that eventually this would happen. He had only wished he wouldn't get sick in the boat, and his wish had come true. Two years ago, Jack once went a year and a half without food. He didn't have the money, still doesn't have the money, but two years ago he was too busy to occupy himself with gathering-or stealing- food.

Jack desperately wanted to sleep, but he forced his body to stay awake. This year was different. He was sleeping on a couch! For as long as he could remember he had slept in abandoned buildings or on the ground-which he had grown used to. He knew he shouldn't get too comfortable. Starting tomorrow, he was back on the streets.

Lyla's brother came from his bedroom, closing the door behind him. He had taken his shirt off and was drying his hair, from which Jack assumed Luca had taken a shower.

"Get some alcohol and food, please." Lyla ordered.

Luca slung the towel over the back of the kitchen chair and sighed. "Why can't you do it? I mean, no offense on your part Lyla, but you do realize that just because I'm the older brother does not mean I have to do everything."

Nevertheless, Luca stepped behind the kitchen counter and opened a cabinet from beneath the countertop. He pulled out a bottle of rum and a glass for himself. After he poured himself a shot and swallowed it down, he walked over and handed the bottle to Lyla.

Lyla ignored her brother altogether and tore the bottle from Luca's hands. She walked over to Arin. "Right, sorry. I forgot your name."

Arin sighed, staring at the ground. "Arin. My name is Arin."

"Right," Lyla said, pouring the alcohol onto a rag that lie on a side table next to Arin's chair. "Arin. I think you know what comes next."

Arin only sunk farther into the chair. "Right. Here's the thing, Lyla. You don't know me. I've been through this hundreds of times before. I'm fine, and I do not need your assistance."

Jack admired Arin for his independence. It was one thing the two had in common. Jack knew he had to be careful what to say around Arin and what not to say. He didn't know the man yet, and Arin came from a background of war. Jack knew to give him some space.

Lyla, however, was a different story. "I know what I'm talking about. I'm only trying to help."

Jack scoffed at that, putting his hands beneath his head to suffice for a pillow. "The man knows what he's doing. Besides, why help when you're kicking us out when the sun rises?"

Lyla set the bottle of rum down on the table next to Arin. She plopped the rag down and headed for the bedroom her brother had come out from. "Why do I even bother, Luca?"

Luca smirked, "I was just about to ask you the same thing."

Lyla shut the door firmly behind her. Luca was thirsty and strutted casually over to the side table. He grasped the alcohol and took a few swigs straight from the bottle. Jack admired the man for his careless behavior. Jack himself had too much to stress about already. He had to figure out where to hide. He knew it'd be at least a few days before the captain left the city empty-handed. To set the cherry on top of it all, he had Arin to worry about. Sure, he had at first wanted Arin to come along because Jack had felt pity for the man. Now, Jack couldn't stop thinking about how he was going to manage.

Jack suddenly felt a wave of nausea once again. He closed his eyes, focusing on the comfort the couch brought versus the hard ground of the earth. Soon Jack drifted heavily off to sleep.