The Identity Crisis

The Sunken

Chapter 7

I stare down at the food in front of me. My phone buzzes, and I pick it up. A message from an anonymous number.

Hope your brother rots in hell. -Anon

I put it down. That's the third text like that I've gotten in two hours. I put down my phone, and look up. Nathan sits down in front of me.

"Hey sweetie," he chuckles.

"Nathan I..."

"It's ok Erica. I'm just here to talk." Others sit down around Nathan, some I know, others I don't. I pull my phone off the table and slip it into my bag. "These guys, however, don't really like to talk." Nathan shrugs. I feel a hand grasp my hair. They yank my hair back and lift me to my feet. I let out a cry, clenching my teeth.

"We just wanted to show you what we think of people like you and your brother." Nathan smiles up at me.

"I- I'm not like him," I feel tears crowd my eyes.

"We know. We just don't want you to become like him. You won't, will you?" Nathan asks.

"I won't. I promise." A tear drips from my eye. My hair is released. As quickly as they came, the people around me are gone. I sit back down. I am alone again. I finish up my lunch, grab my bag and head off to class again.

A single black car is parked in our driveway. I step up to the door and open it. Daisy greets me at the door, as usual, jumping up on my stomach. The house is silent. I step into the living room. My heart drops. My mom and dad sit on the couch. Two government agents stand at the side of President Hardings.

"You must be Erica. Please come in and take a seat." The President smiles warmly. I put my bag on the floor and sit down next to my parents. President Hardings turns to me. "Erica, our circumstances are not ideal right now. I'm very aware of that, but our situation is urgent." He explains.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"You see, a few days after you left the detention center. Your brother escaped." I feel my eyes widen. "He was able to evade security and escape in the middle of the night."

"How did he do that?"

"He shattered the glass of his cell. The glass is bulletproof. It's an anomaly we've never encountered. Once he was out, he stole a weapon off a guard and used it to make his way out." One of the agents explains.

"Did he hurt anyone?" My mom asks.

"He knocked a member of our security team unconscious to avoid capture, but he wasn't severely injured." The other agent answers.

"Your son has been classified as an isolated incident. And a secret. No one. And I mean no one can know about this. If word gets out our detention center isn't inescapable, the community will question our system." The President explains.

"That won't be a problem. But what about Bryan?" My dad asks.

"That's what I came here to figure out," President Hardings turns to me. "Erica, your brother trusts you. I think you should be the one to find him. He runs from the police. Not from you."

"But how do I find him?"

"That's what you need to figure out,"

"And if I do, what then?"

"You have to gain his trust. After what happened at the detention center, he will see you as a threat. So you need to convince him you're on his side."

"Wait... so you want me to trick him into thinking I'm..."

"That you are a homosexual," The President nods. I stare down at the floor, chills running up and down my spine.