The Children Of The Rebels Of Eden

Chapter 1

I shush Clover as I grab ahold of the next tree branch up. I look down. If I fell from here I could snap my neck and die. It's human instinct to fall head first. I hear Terran's voice ring inside my head. He's always trying to scare me. Funny of him to have talked, he's already climbed higher than me now. Besides, I'm more lithe and graceful. He's an off balance boulder ready to fall at any moment.

"Dad's going to kill me!" Clover exclaims, grabbing the branch my feet are on. She's getting slightly out of breath by now.

"Not if he doesn't find out," I say, only taking a second to shoot her a mysterious grin. She's just like her father, always cowering. But I suppose she still tags along, so she must be braver than Terran and I. I push to my left, wrapping around the other side of the tree and start to climb ahead of Terran.

"Must you always be so competitive, Reign?'" Terran questions me with a sigh, picking up his pace as well. It's no use, he won't catch me, I know that. I'm probably the fastest runner and quickest tree climber in Harmonia. Although there are a few close seconds. Clover follows behind wide-eyed and nervous. I can't blame her really. She's younger than us and isn't nearly as rebellious. She's fifteen, barely out of her child years, but two years ago when I was her age I was doing this stuff. Well, maybe that was just because of Terran.

I used to have the biggest crush on him. I was fifteen, he was seventeen, and I was willing to do anything to get his attention. By the time he actually approved of me, I no longer cared about his approval. Clover was still too timid to tag along then, but the past few months she's gotten curious.

"Where's Lake?" She calls from far below me.

"He couldn't sneak out tonight," I respond, finally reaching the spot in the tree we always sit at. Lake is my cousin and he's the same age as me. Uncle Rook has other kids too, but none my age. We all grew up together as siblings.

Clover is Carnelian daughter, obviously seen by the red hair. Lake is my Uncle Rook's son, and Terrance is Ash's son. My father is Lachlan. Their parents are aunt and uncles to me, no matter if we are related or not.

I look down as I straddle a branch. If I fall I have no doubt I would die. I'm at least sixty feet up. Terran, then Clover joins me. Terran starts to unzip his backpack.

"What if we fall?" Clover asks, looking at the ground nervously.

"Then we die," Terran says passing her the wine with a wink. She uncorks it then takes a swig of the thick maroon substance inside. She scrunches up her nose a little but tries to hide it.

"Just don't look down," I say, taking a swig as well. "Look ahead. Isn't it beautiful?" We all three sit there looking over the barely visible treetops in the night.

"What do you think is out there?" Clover whispers pushing her ginger hair out of her face. Terran shrugs.

"Well, you know what they say," I tease, giving Terran a nudge. "Eden is out there."

Eden is the biggest mystery among us kids. All the adults know, every one of them, but they refuse to tell us. I asked dad once but he made sure I knew to never ask again. They taught us about what happened in school so we didn't make the same mistakes as the people in the past, but that hardly answers our questions.

How did they escape? What part did our parents play in the rebellion? Most importantly, what happened to Eden?

We grew up with bare minimum technology. The thought of seeing Eden, as sinful as that place is, thrills me. As I've gotten older I've gotten more curious. I notice the way my dad flinches when he wakes up. I notice the crescent moon scar on his cheek, the most prominent scar he has. Believe me, he has many others. I see how Uncle Ash holds Aunt Angel a little too tight. How dad's hands shake when he kneels during Giving Day.