365 PROJECT: from last saturday...

rmy word isr

ESCAPE

Roard casually handled my books wrapped tightly in faded newspaper. His pack laid smoothly against the charred brick of the Tressman building, a small shelter on the Capitol's campus. He picked it up while juggling my heavy stack of books, and my heart gave a slight tremor. If one sound were too be made, Roard and I would disappear. From our mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters. And aunts and uncles. But life was secluded in South Pacifia.

When Roard had suggested our leaving, I had almost shattered. We were taught that everywhere outside of South Pacifia

was barren and elusive. That we'd never survive. Living in S. Pacifia had made Roard's thought process change. His mind was twisted into a vast hole, sucking in what he shouldn't. He told me that there was a reason as to us being trapped. He told me that if everyone believed what The Leader was saying, that it would make starting an army easier. I told him he was foolish, that we would be killed if we tried to escape. "Look," he whispered on a Working Day, walking to our homes. "Look how we're doing here. Your younger sister is being taken away until she's eighteen just because your mother failed to appear for Working Day. Your brother is being taken away to train for a war that will never happen. And you... You'll be bred like an animal."

"Stop it." I replied. "I get it, I know."

"Ivy." Roard said, heading toward the city barrier, a neat line of wood fencing at least six men tall. "Take your books, hand me two dinner knives and take two for yourself."

I nodded and followed orders.

"We'll need to work fast. Have the rope? The netting? The guards come by every few minutes." He warned.

"We won't make it." I said, "They'll see us."

"The moon doesn't shine here," Roared said, motioning toward a dark spot on the wood. "It'll have to be awhile before we'd be spotted. Then it'd be too late." He grinned, that plucky fellow.

I slipped my books into my jacket and both Roard and I stuck our left knives high in the wall. Then Roard motioned for me to stick my right knife into the wall and I did so. I let go of the left knife and pulled out the thick net that had started to tumble out of my pocket. Roard snatched the rope from my other pocket and tied it around two parts of the net, using a knot that my father had taught him. With a swish the net cut through the air and landed on the other side of the fence. The net had to be long enough to cover more than half of the wall. Roard smiled and we continued sticking our knives and pulling ourselves up. My arms soon became tired at the halfway point. The moon had moved in the sky. Two pairs of boots had crunched by in the past hour or so, not taking a slight glance our way.

"Roard," I finally sighed. "My arms are sore."

"Keep going," He encouraged, trying to hold a faint smile.

"Roard, we don't even know what we're expecting. What if this is all for nothing?"

Roard grunted and we climbed more and more.

At 3/4 of the way, boots crunched slowly at the edge of the fence. Roard, a little farther up than me signaled me to stop. My breath was shaky, as were my arms. My palms were covered in cold sweat. The crunching stopped. My hand slipped a bit on the left knife and I yelped.

"Hey!" The guard's deep voice called. Something was familiar.

I looked down, but I couldn't see his face, only the large gun in his hand.

"Get down!" He barked.

He stepped into the moonlight to get a better view of us. I almost screamed.

"Douv." I said so he could hear.

"What?" He asked quietly.

"Douv, it's me, your sister."

Douv stood and watched Roard and I, shocked.

"Keep moving," Roard whispered. "He'll let us go, I know."

I looked back at Douv who hesitantly nodded for us to go on.

We reached the top and stuck our knives in the rope to hold us on our journey down. I dared not to look into anywhere but S. Pacifia. Douv still stood at the edge of the fence, blowing small kisses and wishing us luck. I leaned over the top and accidentally yelled, "Goodbye Douv! Goodbye homeland!" Douv was taken aback and hurriedly ran away. Guards showed up at the fence shortly later, with my brother in their clutches. I ducked into the net to only bring suspicion to the long rope swinging on the other side. Bullets zinged through the fence as Roard and I escaped the tangled net and fled, never to return to South Pacifia again.