Chapter 9.13

After a couple of weeks, I started to get used to it and my wounds were almost healed, although the cast on my leg remained. I thought things were going well- finally. After that day, I followed Luke's rules and I was learning more and more about how to live properly here, until Luke told us we had to go. I thought he came to take us to lunch or give us another toy from the children's centre, but instead, he said "My sister would like to meet you and hopefully take you home with her."

"I have to leave?" I asked confused, like I didn't quite understand what he said. Where would I go? Why would I go?

"It was always the plan to give you to a family. My sister can't have children, so she asked to take you both. Don't worry, she's not scary. But before that, the doc has managed to figure out a way to get that off you."

He pointed at the prisoners' bangle. I'd almost forgotten it was there, the ugly bit of metal had been on my wrist for three years, I'd stopped noticing it. Hang on, what was going on? Where are we going? Did I do something wrong? Why was he getting rid of us?

"We'll be brothers!" He beamed excitedly, he looked at me enthusiastically, but I wasn't sure I could share his eagerness, I was uneasy. It felt a bit like he was lumping us off onto someone else. I thought I'd finally got used to living here, I didn't want to go.

"Do I have to go?" I asked in a small voice.

"It will be better for you living with my sister; you can have your own room and you won't have to share with the other kids anymore. She can't teach you things that we don't have time to teach you here."

"I don't care about that." I hated that I was acting spoilt, but it was how I felt. I also suspected there was another reason he wanted me to go.

"My sister has really been looking forward to meeting you both." He answered stubbornly.

"When are we leaving?" The words came out harsher than I meant, and as a man who always wore his heart on his sleeve, I saw his expression twitch with hurt.

"She's coming over to meet you tomorrow. Then depending on how it goes, it could be tomorrow."

Tomorrow. Such a short time, I wondered if he knew? How could he spring something like that on us without warning? Did he not care? Did he want us to go that much? If that was so, I guess there was nothing to be done. The decision was made. If it was an order from my god, I'll have to accept it.

The next morning, I couldn't concentrate of anything, Alex tried to get me to play a new game but I couldn't concentrate enough to learn all the rules and kept making mistakes. In the end, he gave up, and left me fidgeting on my own. Luke came just before mid-day with a lady a little older than him. I recognised her immediately as his sister, with the same sandy hair and eyes, and if a little bit more rounded where she didn't have the military life, she had the same face shape as well. She smiled when she introduced herself and went straight to the point "Hi, my names Elliana. Luke's told me a lot about you both, and I'm hoping I can provide you with a home."

"I'm Alex!" he smiled brightly, leaping up and reaching out to shake her hand.

"Ezra." I muttered an introduction, but I didn't reach for her hand.

"My husband couldn't make it today because of work, but his name is Sean. You can call us whatever you like."

"Why don't you all go down to the canteen and have some food while you get to know each other?" Luke suggested.

"Are you coming with us?" I asked, hopeful.

"No, I've got some work to do, but I'll see you before Elliana leaves." And we leave I thought, it irritated me that he was avoiding the subject, yet he was the one who wanted us to leave.

"You like my brother a lot, huh?" she assessed with a hint of amusement.

"I thought he was going to kill me but then he saved me." I blurted.

"Yep that's Luke, he couldn't leave anyone to die like that."

"Isn't that bad if you're a solider?" I couldn't imagine him killing someone.

"Well, it some ways it is. It's probably quite difficult for him to shoot someone, but there's more to a soldier's life than just killing. They protect people too."

I couldn't agree with her, I couldn't imagine a solider who didn't kill, so I stayed silent.

After talking for a couple more hours, many people had come and gone and our hot drinks had long since gone cold, she asked if we wanted to go home with her.

I hesitated but Alex excitedly agreed. I didn't really understand, it hadn't been so long since his dad died, how could he accept a new family so easily? I wanted to stay here but I also didn't want to get left behind, so I reluctantly agreed. Elliana seemed happy at our conclusion.

Moments later, Luke finally reappeared looking a little rugged and worn out, and I felt bad that I thought he was just making an excuse so we ended up alone with Aliana.

"Is something wrong?" Aliana asked with concern.

"Nothing major. There were just some political issues I had to sort out. I'll tell you about it later. Now, what did you two decide?"

"They're both going to come and live with me."

His shoulders relaxed and he seemed genuinely relieved "I'm glad… Alex why don't you go and get packed while I take Ezra to get one last check up before you leave?" he nodded and scurried away while we move in the opposite direction.

When we arrive in the medical ward, the doctor is hidden behind a large pile of papers. His thin hair sticks up in crazy angles like he's been leaning on it for a while and it got stuck that way.

"Doc we're here to get Ezra's bangle off!" Luke called out, and he grumbles, his eyebrows creased as if concentrating on something important. "Doc!" he called again.

"Yes! Yes! I'll be there in a minuet, give me a sec." he replies, without looking up from his sheets, then as if an idea suddenly struck him, he violently scribbles.

"Wait here for the doctor, I need to talk with Luke before we leave." She instructs gently.

I nodded, I propped myself on a nearby bed. She leads Luke away, to where they presume is out of ear shot, but if I focused, I could hear what they were saying.

Her back is to me, but I can see Luke's expression when I look over my shoulder. "Why did you choose Alex?"

"Ezra needed someone his own age, and Alex had just lost his father. Wouldn't it make sense for them to ease each other's pain?"

"But if they both found out the truth, it would be damaging to both of them."

"It has to be now or-"

"Oi! Stop trying to listen in. They're talking in private for a reason." I'm snapped back as the doctor scolds me, upon returning with several tools. He fiddles with the prisoner bangle and then with a tug, it comes free with a horrible suction sound. My nerves scream as the little needles that have been embedded in my wrist for years are yanked out of place, and the skin that had grown around it is ripped from the bangle. I yelp and the doctor quickly cleans it with solutions and binds it tightly. But before he could, I get a good look at the condition it had left it in. The wrist was drastically smaller than my left one, and there wasn't much skin left where the bangle was, its red raw and gross looking.

Aliana and Luke return just as he's finishing wrapping up the bandage. "That's going to need to be kept very clean. Clean it with this solution every night and change the bandage. It's probably going to weep for a while but that normal, you've lost a lot of the top layers of skin." he addresses both of us.

He also inspects the cast on my leg and replaces it with a bandage with more freedom of movement. The wound itself didn't look that bad, but the bone wasn't fully healed yet, and it felt weak, so I kept the crutches.

"We better meet up with Alex before he tries leaving without you." When we get back Alex is waiting for us with an overflowing rucksack and an arm full with random belongings.

"Do you have everything?" she laughed lightly upon seeing him. When he nodded, also giving a giggle, she asks me, "is there anything you want to take with you?"

"I don't have anything."

"That's alright, I can buy you the stuff you need. Not to worry."

We take a slow walk outside, Alex occasionally dropping something along the way and dropping two more things when he goes to pick it up. Eventually, Luke picks up the trial of things he drops, and then we're at her car, saying our goodbye to man who became my god.

"Kiddo, I'll see you soon." He gave sad smile and pulled me into a hug. I immediately started to pull away, but I didn't know when the next time was we'll meet, so I relented.

"You'll visit?" I ask quietly, in the folds of his jacket.

"In the holidays I'll come by." He nodded encouragingly. "Be good for my sister."

The 'hoildays' couldn't come soon enough, as in the next moment, we're in the back of Eliana's car, watching the military facility disappear in the rear-view mirror.