THE DOMINANCE GAMES

CHAPTER 3

The memory of my brother skipping  his induction into the Capital 6 military is as fresh in my mind as it was the day after.

A Friday afternoon. Cool and mucky. Brown  haze covered the sky. I was 11 years old, and River was nineteen.

His ginger-furred kitten, Tibbs, meowed lazily from the wooden floors of my bedroom. I laid feverishly in bed while  River paced by my side, his face masked in worry. He was always scared because I got sick pretty easily, and It was the eximo virus season.

Outside we could hear the loudspeakers on the street playing the Orient's national Anthem. When they got to the part mentioning the president, River stood and saluted in the direction of the carniege sky-scraper which we could see very clearly from the room window.

Our illustrious  president Tinsel was making her first appearance in capital 6 after a good 10 years, and nobody in their right minds wanted to miss it.  Nobody but River.

“You don’t have to be here with me, you know,” I said to him after the Anthem finished. “Go to the ceremony. I’ll can take care of myself.” River ignored me and placed another wet towel on my head.

“No you can't.” he replied as he fed me a spoonful of bitter Mazenrange. I remember watching him make that soup for me; boiling all sorts of wierd ingredients like blue orange peels and onion seeds in a big bronze pot.

“But it’s captain Tricketts.” I blinked through puffed eyes. “She’ll be upset you’re skipping. Won’t she mark it on your record? You don’t want to be kicked out of the military and end up like some waste rat.”

River tapped my nose disapprovingly. “Don’t call people that, Bug. It’s wrong. And captain Tricketts won’t kick me off the patrol for missing one ceremony. Especially when she knows you're not feeling well. Besides,” he added with a wink,“I can always hack into the N.R.D
and wipe my record clean.”

I grinned. Someday I wanted to be inducted into the government too, draped in the white robes signifying me a proffesional doctor. Maybe I’d even be lucky enough to get assigned to a renowned troop like River did.

I pinched my lips together so he couldn't feed me another spoon of the bitter soup.
“You should skip going to work more often. Maybe you’d have time to get a girlfriend.” I commented.

River laughed. “I don’t need a girlfriend. I’ve already got my hands full taking care of  my baby sister. Especially since she's stubborn and prone to illness.”

“Come on. You’ve got to get a girlfriend someday. You dont want to end up like Mr. Ash.”

Mr. Ash was our rude building manager who suprise, nobody liked.  He was fat and bald and for some reason always smelled like a disgusting cross between mildew and mothballs.

“Maybe. Guess I’m picky like that.”

I looked him directly in the eyes.
“River, mom took care of us when we were sick, right? She did things like this?”
River brushed the loose strands of hair away from my glasses. “Don’t be silly, bug. Of course Mom took care of us. And she was way better at it than I am.”

“No. You take care of me the best,” I murmured. My eyelids were growing heavy. He smiled.

“Nice of you to say so. But I think someone's a little tired, so I'm going to take off thoose glasses and you are going to get some sleep."

“You’re not going to leave me and go, are you? You’ll stay with me longer than our parents did?”

River kissed me on my forehead. “I''ll stay with you forever and ever, Ant, No matter what. I promise.”

Mumbling, "I hope so." Was the last thing I remembered saying before the world went black.

*Author's note*
Hello, It's thatreadingchick again. Hope you've had a good week so far? Mine's been great by God's🕇 good grace.

Here's the💰 million dollar question: if you happened to die today, where would you end up? Heaven or hell?
(I know where I'm going)

Life is unpredictable. We can never know what's going yo happen next. So please, stop by a church and pick up some Jesus life insurance so that whatever happens you'll never be afraid. Who their life over-shadowed the fear that they might die? No one.

But remember Jesus life insurance is like all life insurance - you must spend so when the time comes you will recieve.

If you've heeded my words and want to know more about the wonderful lifestyle that is Christianity, or you have any questions whatsoever hit me up in the comment sections.

Or talk to a local pastor.

Whilst I have you I want to encourage you to check out my other story the CL.A.I.M.S Academy.

⭐Love and light, peeps⭐
      XthatonechickX
    ✌✌✌
     O-U-T