Over Again

Chapter Five - December 18, 2062

-Raylene-

We don't stay at the army base for long. I grab a couple of boxes of ammo before we leave, heading back to Lullin. The drive happens in silence as we don't want to distract Jacob, but also because of the tension.

I sit in the front of the car next to Jacob. I couldn't bear to sit with one of the girls. It would drive me crazy.

It's early in the morning when we arrive back to the abandoned house the others are calling home. Between us we carry in all of the weapons. I hand a gun to Jacob and Natalie, since our army has to start somewhere. "Alright cadets!" I almost shout, grinning. "First job: figure out what the hell we do now. You might be a good shot, but you're definitely politician material, Salvatore."

We crowd around the small table in the room. Jacob leans forwards. "So, here's what we need to do. Natalie, you're familiar with the border, right?" She nods, so Jacob continues. "We're gonna need you to do some travelling. If you find someone, bring them back."

Natalie gets up, slings a gun over her shoulder and puts some ammo in her pocket. "I'll be back before you know it!" She waves goodbye to Elinor and Jacob as she leaves. I don't doubt her ability to find people, but that doesn't mean I trust her. What if she accidentally brings back a murderer or something?

Jacob turns back to us. "Raylene, you're doing great. Keep doing what you're doing." I chuckle slightly. I was totally planning on doing just that. 

Elinor suddenly slumps, head in her arms, and I take this as my cue to move a way from the table. Unfortunately, the house is so small that I can still hear their conversation.

"What's up, Els?" Jacob whispers to the other teenager, who's two years older than me but obviously a lot less mature. All she does is cry, by the look of it.

"I want to fight. I want to protect myself. Why do I have to be such a damn screw-up?" she sobs, leaning against Jacob.

"Don't worry, Els," he replies reassuringly. "I'll protect you, young'un."

Urgh. This is getting way too cute for me, and it's still platonic love. What if they actually end up dating? God, I'd have to gouge out my eyeballs.

To get away from the cute, I turn away on the bed and fall asleep. I wake up to hear the door open. Woah, people can't just leave without me. 

I sit up to see Natalie returning, another girl in tow. I stand up and walk over to the newcomer. "Name?"

She looks at me afraid, eyes darting around the room. "Cassia Robinson," she mumbles, so quiet I can barely here her.

I yell over to Elinor, who's still sat at the table. "Sellwood, go feed to newbie!" Thankfully she realises that despite the fact I'm younger, I have authority over her, as she moves over to the food cupboards.

While Cassia is settling in, I go talk to Jacob for a bit. "So, Cadet Salvatore. Got any family?" I ask, resting my chin on my hand in some attempt to look casual.

He looks at me confused for a second before answering. "I have three brothers and a sister." I raise an eyebrow at the response. "Okay, so I have a mother, a father, four brothers and a sister. Why is this important?"

I roll my eyes. "Because it is, okay? Carry on."

He sighs. "My mother died giving birth to my younger sister Hannah. And my father died on Christmas Eve, which is why Natalie saw him in the news. And then it gets more complicated. I also had a younger brother called David, but he died. The year before they found the cure for cancer."

I wince slightly. "Sheesh man, that must've been harsh. What about the others?"

"Well, Hannah and David were my only biological siblings," he continues. "Daniel, my only older brother, and James were adopted. I don't really talk to them. In fact, I don't talk to any of my family, really. I lost touch with Hannah, and my half-brother Isaac hates me for some reason."

"Sooo, you basically don't have a family?" I question, smirking slightly.

He tilts his head to the side. "I guess you can say that."

I actually grin this time. "Good thing we're your family now, then!"

The rest of the day passes, light turning to dark. I curl myself into one of the chairs with my gun to keep watch, but it's just so boring. I doze off for what feels like two seconds but is more like an hour to hear a cupboard slamming, jolting me awake.

My eyes adjust quickly to the dim light in the room, and I see Cassia walking around, putting food into a bag. Looking at the table, I see count only eight guns. Well, that's not good. "What do you think you're doing?" I yell.

She turns and snorts. "You don't frighten me, titchy. I'm quite obviously stealing your supplies." 

"Now, why on Earth would you want to do that?" I retort.

"Um, because I'm a horrible person?" she responds quickly. "Just kidding. I'm not even from Arkaley. I'm using this opportunity to improve the situation in the other lands. Of course, you won't be able to tell people that," she finishes, raising her gun quickly.

I pull the trigger on mine first.