You're My Brother

I'll Show Myself Out

Keith had screwed up big time.
   He had found a knife in his belongings, one he had taken from his home before being placed in the orphanage. While one of the guards were doing their rounds, the stumble upon Keith who was, at that time, holding the knife.
   Truly awful timing.
   For Commander Iverson, this was the last straw.

***

   "I'm tired of your behavior!" Iverson yelled at the Cadet in front of him. "You have no respect, no discipline, no skills whatsoever! Officer Takashi Shirogane was wrong about you!"
"What do you know about Shiro?!" Keith argued. "All you care about it your status and your rank! Well guess what Commander, I don't care!"
"Are you trying to get yourself expelled?!"
"You can't expel me!" The Cadet crossed his arms defiantly. "I'm your best student. If you failed me you'd—"
"Finally be free of all of your stunts and attitude!" The commander stared down at the Cadet. "I've had enough of you and your behavior. You were lucky to have Shiro here to help you, but now you're on your own and I finally see who you really are."
"Oh, give up already! I don't care what you think about me! You never care about any of your students. If you want me out, then fine!"
"Want you out? Damn right I do! You're a waste of time!" Iverson took a deep breath, regaining his authoritative composure. "After today, you're no longer a Garrison Cadet. Pack your things and get out of this school before I throw you out myself!"
"Oh yeah?! Throw me out?! Like you did to that little girl who came in here searching for her family?!" Keith seemed to growl at the Commander. "You're despicable! You're no commander!"
"But at least I'm something! You'll never be anything!"
"Says who?!"
"Says me! Without Shiro, you're nobody!"
For whatever reason, that last part touched a nerve in Keith. It rubbed him the wrong way. He snapped.
Keith grabbed a knife he had found from his home, the one he had been called in here for carrying.
With one swift move of his wrist, he aimed for Iverson's face and barely missed. The blade scraped across the man's face, leaving a cut across his left eye.
"Guards!" The Commander yelled, holding tightly to his bleeding eye.
Within a second a guard was standing behind Keith.
Keith stepped back in horror. "Oh no... I... I didn't—"
"Arrest this boy!" Iverson order the guard who had entered.
The Cadet felt a tug on his sleeve and fought back immediately. He wasn't going to jail, he couldn't go to jail.
He struggled as much as he could, desperately trying to break free of the guard's grip.
Under his breath, he said a few curse words before giving one last attempt. Keith slammed his head back into the guard's face and bolted out of the room instantly, running as fast as he could without looking back.
He heard multiple people yelling after him and quiet a few pairs of footsteps following him.
The Cadet ran and ran until he made it past the Garrison doors, heading straight for the outer walls.
Keith found a hover bike and started the engine as soon as he could.
Making it outside the borders and out into open territory, Keith had the advantage over the Garrison land rovers. He took shortcuts through the terrain, ones Shiro showed him, and he never once looked back.

***

After a while, the Garrison officers gave up on chasing Keith.
He parked his bike just outside of a shack, one he used to call home.
   Keith quickly headed inside, leaning back against the wall and taking deep breaths to calm himself.
   'What the hell did I just do?!'
   Something terrible.
   Something awful.
   But it was not something that he regretted.
   Keith was now booted from the Garrison, and definitely wanted by the police.
   He was now stuck out here.
   All alone.
   No one to talk to.
   No one to bother him.
   Not one person.

***

   But as fate would have it, Keith was not the only one this far from civilization.

***