I walked alongside Ella, Jeanine, Mom, and Bill, wondering if the rain would ever stop. It felt like we had been walking for days, even though Mom pointed out that it had only been four hours. But, to me, it still seemed like days. I knew Ella felt the same way. We were looking for a place to live. Not a house, like you might think. But a woodsy clearing, one where Jeanine could build a shelter. Her Girl Scout troop had taught her well. We had left our house in our nice comfortable Regeer Suberb because anyone with two or more kids went to jail. Our government was evil. They took the kids away and kept the parents in jail for the rest of their lives. The kids went to an orphanage, where the food was awful, the beds uncomfortable, and the caretakers mean. Things had just gotten horrible when we moved to Regeer. We tried to continue with our lives: School, Girl Scouts, and Drama Club were soon banned to the “Unlawful” Families with to many kids. So it was Homeschooling for us. But then things got really bad, and we ran away. We had our backpacks, and each one was filled with things we'd need. Mine had Clothing, Ella's had food, Jeanine's had gear: Water filter, tent, blankets, and a dagger. Mom's had full water jugs, and Bill's had the gear Jeanine couldn't carry. And here we were, four hours outside of Regeer, MA, looking for a place to sleep for the night. And now a little about my family: Mom, or Angela, is 43, and the best Mom ever. She also is a Second Grade Teacher at Regeer Elementry. Bill, our stepdad. He's Mom's age and is strict, but mostly he's cool. Jeanine, my stuck-up bossy big sister is 16, and a big pain. But she also has a kind heart and loves kids. She even had a Boyfriend! Me. I'm Marietta, but everyone calls me Mari. I'm 14 years old, and a freshman at Regeer High School. I love science, history, and reading. I also love Ella, who is the sweetest kid ever. Ella, my 11 year old sister. Her real name is Ella Jane, but to my family, she's Ella. She's sweet and kind, and she keeps everyone sunny. So that is the people I live with. I love them a lot and wouldn't hurt them on purpose. Anyway—As we walked, the rain let up, and the sky changed to light grey, instead of Soot-colored. “Here is a place!” Called Ella, who had been running ahead. “Great, El!” I called, racing to join her. It was a small clearing, but it would work. “Do you like it, Mari?” She asked. “Yes, Ella! I love it! Jeanine! Mom! Bill! Come look at what Ella found!” Soon, although it seemed like a loooong time, my family appeared. “Cool! It'll work.” Jeanine said. “Good job, Ella!” Mom praised. “Really good find.” Bill said. We set our packs down and Jeanine set up the tent. “Mari, start a fire. Ella, put up our Invisability Sheild.” She ordered. I wanted to snap, Who put you in charge? But I didn't. I knew that this was no time to argue. And I also knew that, if I did, I'd be stuck with the worst job ever—stoking the fire. In my opinion it was horrible! So I did what Jeanine told me. I built a structure out of the wood and lit a match. I lit the fire and blew on it to keep it going. When it was a cheery blaze, Ella opened two cans of Pinto Beans. “Is this okay? Or do you want Lima Beans soaked in chili sauce?” I made a face. “Yech! Pintos please!” Jeanine frowned. “Marietta, do not act so immature! But, yes, Lima Beans are 'yech.'” Ella laughed. “Pintos it is!” Mom smiled. “While you girls set up supper, I'll do the shield. Ella can do something else.” Mom took the small gadget out of her pack. She pressed two buttons and a wave swept the air. When it settled, it seemed as if nothing had changed, but that just meant the shield had worked. If anyone looked at our camp, all they would see is a forest clearing. Neat, huh? The shields were invented three years ago. They were all the rage, and Bill had baught one because Mr. Connors, the Middle School civics teacher, had told him all the “unlawful” families were doing it. In case we needed to go into hiding, he said, it would be a good idea to have them. So we got one. And it was a good thing too, because the next year we made plans to go into hiding. We stowed away supplies, disabled all electric devices (Cellphones, Tablets, the iPad, and the PC Laptop) so we couldn't be tracked, and...left. So here I am, in the woods, eating Pinto Beans over a fire, using plastic sporks, hidden by shield. How much more can a girl ask for, right? I hope you caught the sarcasm there, by the way. Because there was lots of it. “Ella?” Bill asked. “Yeah?” Ella replied around a mouthful of beans. Little sisters. Sigh. “I just wanted to let you—all of you, really—know how brave you've been. You were scared when we told you about running away, but you went right ahead! I mean, Mari, it was a great idea to save up canned and bagged food! And Jeanine, those fake return address cards were wonderful! And Ella, you're so young, and yet you've been the bravest of us all! Staying sunny when you felt like crying. I'm proud of all of you!” Jeanine grinned. “Thanks Bill” “Thwank fou!” Ella said with her mouth full. “Ella, don't talk with your mouth full.” Bill said. “Thanks Bill. Your speech means a lot.” I said, getting up and hugging him. He smiled. “Marietta, that means a lot.” I smiled silently.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------That night, as I lay awake in the tent, I thought about all the unlucky families who didn't make it to saftey. And I thought about how lucky we were. Compared to some, our lives seemed like paradise. And we were unlucky! But unlike some, we would have a shelter, food, water, and clothes. And we would be together. I also thought of Jillian Wriggen, my Best Friend Forever, who had had her Mom put in jail, and her brothers still in the orphanage. She had gotten adopted by another family One day she said to me, during lunch, “I miss my parents and John and James, but I know why the government takes kids—to become “workers.” I'd asked why, and she'd replied, “Because they are going to divide everyone into two classes. The rich and the poor.” I'd felt baffled. “That makes zero sense, Jill.” Then I was struck by another thought. “Who will be rich?” She winced. “Next to nobody. Politicians. Doctors. Important Professers. People with a lot of money.” “And everyone else would be poor?” “Yeah. I know all of this because Dad has access to the State Computer Systems. So I hacked in one day while he was at the Food! Mart.” I smiled. “This isn't soon though, right?” “It'll happen in five years, as of now. Maybe sooner.” I had grinned and said, “But we'll be Eighteen! We can, like, leave the state or something!” That was when I was Thirteen and the laws were just getting out of hand. Now I worried. What if Jillian was right? What if they do divide everyone? Will she be okay? I fell asleep wondering.
___________________________________________________________________________________The next morning I woke up to the smells of Bacon and Coffee. I wondered where my Cellphone was and why the alarm hadn't gone off. Then I remembered. I sat up, yawning. Ella was still asleep, her Red-Gold hair falling over her face. She looked so peaceful. But that didn't stop me from doing what I did next. I tiptoed outside and grabbed a sponge. I got it wet (Mom gave me a look that said, Don't drizzle that on Ella Jane, Marietta.) And went back into the tent. I trickled the water on Ella's freckled face and shouted, “WAKEY WAKEY EGGS AND BAKEY!!” She sat up abruptly. “MARIETTA! MOM SAID TO STOP DOING THAT!” She yelled. “Oops! My bad!” I said with an evil grin. Then I walked out of the tent. Bill looked worried. “What's the matter,Bill?” I asked. He smiled at me. “Nothing, Mari.” Mom gave him a look. “Bill, she's Fourteen! And, although she can be very immature at times, like just now with Ella, she can be told about what you found out.” Bill took a deep breath. “We're being tracked.” I gasped. “What? How?” Mom looked worried. “When you and Jeanine had your shots, the ones for Asthma, they had a tracking device in the syringe. They installed it when they gave you the shot. The Asthma shot is very new, so they took advantage of the fact everyone would be getting it. They also did the same for Ella's flu vaccine. So no one can escape.” I felt horrified. “That's awful!” Bill nodded. “I already told Jeanine, but you cannot tell Ella. She's to young to have to live with that knoladge.” I nodded. “Okay.” Just then Ella came out of the tent. She had on a clean miniskort and a GIRL POWER! Tee Shirt. She also had on her ratty sneakers. “Morning Mom. Morning Bill! Hi Mari! Hey, where's Jeanine?” In felt releived she'd forgiven me for waking her up in such a rude way. “I think Jeanine is off doing something or other. Looking for edible plants, I'd guess.” Bill told Ella. She nodded. “Always the person to do what needs to be done.” I frowned. “What do you mean, Ella? We have food—beans, soup, pasta, corn, peas, meat, dried fruit, nuts, coffee, and Instant Oatmeal! Why would we need more?” Ella looked at me. “Um, Marietta? We're going to run out of food at some point. There are no more Food! Marts and KwikTrips. And soon even Dunkin Donuts will be a thing if the past. At least for us “Unlawful” families .” I thought about it. She was right, after all. Corn and Pork wouldn't feed us forever, and then we would love the Sorrel and Dandelions that Jeanine was picking. “Okay, I guess you're right, El.” I said, ruffling her hair. She giggled. “Oh, Mari.” Just then Jeanine came back. “I found some greens. And nuts.” Bill looked pleased. “Wonderful, Jeanine. Thank you.” Mom smiled. “That Girl Scout Troop was wonderful!” Jeanine looked embaressed. “I also signed up for the secret survival program at the High School. It was for “Unlawful” families, like us. I thought it might be useful. I would have invited Marietta to join, but it was for grades Nine and up, ad then she was still in Eighth.” I felt my face grow red. Jeanine has this awful habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. As you can see. “Thanks for telling me now, Jeanine.” I said through gritted teeth. She looked confused. “What is the matter, Mari?” I rolled my eyes. “Oh, nothing.” Then I walked back into the tent to get dressed. As I put on jeans and a T-shirt that said “Regeer High School Drama Club”, I thought about Jeanine. I should've at least thanked her for bringing back that food. We'll be greatful for it this winter. I thought as I put on my Converse. So when I was dressed, I went back outside, resolving to apoligize to Jeanine and thank her. No such luck. “Mari? Ella wants to talk to you.” Mom said. I nodded and went over to her. “You called?” She smiled softly. “Yeah, I did. Mari, why didn't you tell me?” I felt completely baffled. “Er—what, Ella?” “You know—the trackers.” I felt my mouth go dry. How did she find out about that? I said, “What trackers? I have no idea what you're talking about.” She looked at me. Stared, really. It was creepy. “The ones in our shots.” I swallowed hard a few times before responding. “Who told you?” She looked at me again. “I was in the tent, and sound carries, you know.” “Why didn't you ask Mom? Or Bill? Or Jeanine?” I asked. She did a facepalm. “They wouldn't tell me. They would deny everything. You know that.” I nodded. “True. So. What do you think, now that you know?” She shrugged. “I don't know. It sucks, but it's not like there's anything we can do about it, now is there?” I nodded slowly. “Agreed.” Then she bit her lip. “You don't have Inhalers.” I shook my head. “Um, excuse me? We don't need Inhalers!” She stared at me. “You didn't, because you had the shots! They wore off every week! So after this week you won't have the right chemicals in your system, and you'll get attacks! Without the Inhaler, you'll die!” I felt my heart drop to the ground as the cold truth sank in. I'd gotten my last shot before we left. So had Jeanine. “We'll figure something out.” I said, just as Mom called me. I walked over to her. Jeanine was also there. “Marietta, Jeanine, I have something for you.” She said. She pulled two bags out of her pocket. I took one and opened it. Inside was and Inhaler and many extra cartridges. I could tell from the look on her face that Jeanine had gotten the same thing. Then Mom explained what Ella had explained to me: The shots would wear off soon and without these we'd suffer Asthma Attacks and die. I knew this, of course, but it was news to Jeanine. She gulped, looking scared—which is what I felt. “What happens...if the cartridges run out?” I asked. Mom bit her lip, looking troubled. “We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, Marietta. For now just try to conserve them. No hard work or long walks or runs. This goes for you as well, Jeanine.” I nodded. “Okay, Mom.” Jeanine smiled. A sad smile. “Thanks, Mom.” Mom stroked her hair. “Oh, Jeanine. I wish you didn't have to use these.” Jeanine pulled away. “Well, we do, and there is nothing you or any of us can do about it.” Then she walked away. I went to sit on a stump. Ella came over to me. “You okay?” I nodded. “Yeah.” “You don't look okay, Mari.” “Okay, fine—I'm not. I just got an Inhaler with limited cartridges. And who knows what will happen when the run out.” She looked thoughtful. “What was it Jillian told you? About the workers?” I felt puzzled for a second, but then I figured out what she meant. “Oh, right! She said that the Goverment was planning to divide everyone into two classes: The rich and the workers. Why?” “Maybe the workers would still get shots.” I could see where she was going with this and shook my head firmly. “No way. We are not going back there! Ella, we have plans! We have gear! And Bill knows how to build! He could build us a house! Besides, you and I would be taken to an orphanage, and Jeanine, Mom, and Bill would go to jail!” She nodded slowly. “But we're being tracked, Mari.” “Yeah, I know that. But we have the shield! It protects us, remember? No one can see past it!” She got up. “What happens when it wears out? You tell me that!” She stormed off. I felt my shoulders slump. She made some good points. I think. What will happen when the Inhalers run out? What if the shield fails? Will we be taken back to the very place we just escaped from? Will Ella be hurt? Will I? I shake my head to clear it. Then I got up and went to rejoin the others. They were all smiling. “Marietta, guess what! Bill and I talked about it last night, and it's settled. He'll build us a cabin, and I'll clear a patch of ground to be a garden.” I felt confused. “What??” Mom laughed. “We'll make a home! With a garden and a house, we can start a new life here!” I felt ready to explode. “That makes zero sense! We're only four hours outside of Regeer! Someone could still find us!” Bill nodded thoughtfully. “Those are good points, Mari. But your mother can't go any farther.” And suddenly I felt angry. “OF COURSE SHE CAN!” I yelled. “SHE'S NOT WEAK AND HELPLESS!” Mom looked sad. “You're right. But this is a good spot. We can build here! We can have a life again!” I grumble, “We just left our home yesterday. How can you miss it already?!” But despite what I said, I missed it already. I missed IM-ing Jillian. I missed School. And I missed my room with it's animal posters. So I said, “Okay. Fine. We can live here for a while.” Jeanine looked at Bill. “She does not mean it. She is just agreeing to please you.” And even though that had been true a second ago, it wasn't now. “No, I'm not!” I snapped. “I think it's a good idea!” Jeanine looked surprised at my words, and I felt a rush of satisfaction go through me. Mom looked at me. “Is this true, Marietta?” I took a deep breath, smiled, and said, in what I hoped was a confident voice, “Yes. Yes it is.” I meant it. ___________________________________________________________________________________
The next morning I found everyone hard at work when I got up. Bill was measuring an area for the cabin, Mom was clearing weeds and brush off of a patch of ground, Jeanine was stirring a can of corn over the fire, and Ella was helping wherever she was needed. “Morning!” I called. “Morning!” Ella called back. I went over to Jeanine. “Is that breakfast?” She gave me a strange look. “Mine, yes. Yours is in there.” She pointed to a small pot. I thanked her and peeked in. Cheesy Ham. Blech. “Yum.” I muttered. I took a spork and started to eat, trying to ignore the horrible taste of Cheesy meat. It was gross, to be sure. But it was food, so of course I ate it. Jeanine glanced my way. “You do know that if we keep eating the good food now, we will have to eat nothing but Lima beans Soaked in Chili sauce, Pork with orange sauce, and plain Lima Beans when we run out of everything else, right?” I nearly choked on a mouthful of cheese and ham. I haven't thought of it like that before. I think. “Yeah.” I say. No way would I give know-it-all Jeanine the satisfaction of finding out I had no idea. She rolled her eyes and muttered, “Of course you did.” I finished my food and stuck my still-cheesy tounge out at her. “Mari! That's gross!” She said, a grossed-out look on her face. “I know.” I gave her my best evil grin. She walked away. After I “washed” my Spork in the container of filtered Stream Water that Ella had collected, I went to help Mom. “Hey! Can I help?” I asked, running over. “Yes! Please do, Marietta!” Mom said. So I helped her pull weeds out of the stubborn ground while she cleared away brush. “So why are you doing this in this praticular spot?” I asked after pulling about Two Hundred stubborn weeds. “Well—it's sunny, for one thing. So I thought that the garden could go here. What do you think?” I thought about it for a second. “Sounds fine to me.” I finally said. Then it was back to work. After a couple of more hours of working, I cleared brush and Mom pulled weeds. This job was even harder. I had to pick up huge bundles of brush, put them in this pile about the size of our dining room table, and then make sure nothing was sticking out of the pile. By noon we had a small area completely clear, Bill had marked where the cabin would be, and Ella and Jeanine had a couple of cans of corn mixed in with some Dandelion greens and chicken pieces for lunch. We all sat down to eat, and I took a dose from my Inhaler for the second time that morning. Life was as good as it gets when you're runaways. Which, by the way, is not very good. I knew that we were fortunate compared to others who had run away. We had a shield, were getting ready to build a house, start a garden, and create a new life. A new start. Other people didn't have shields and hadn't packed or planned appropietly. They were caught by the government right away. Or they died of hunger, thirst, frostbite, or sickness. Compared to that, we were living the dream life. Even though it sucked. “I can't wait to see our new house once it's built.” Ella said. “The garden will be nice.” Jeanine said happily. I just smiled. “You know what? I'm just happy that we're making a new start.” Everyone agreed. I felt happy. We were free. Forever.