---

It's dark in our cave now, and we're finally safe.

But I can't stop replaying the events of the day through my head. The day haunts me.

We ran for a really long time. My ankle is absolutely killing me.

When I was to distracted by leaving Quinn and Aria to die, Tristan pulled me along to safety. The bullets ceased for a bit, and in those precious moments, we got organized. Tristan told the other four what had happened. Mitch and Kendra took my backpack and Tristan's backpack, and Tristan picked me up. I just couldn't run anymore, and he could tell.

We started running again, me on Tristan's back and we tried to put as much distance as we could between us and the government helicopters.

They came back soon enough, armed with more bullets. We were really close to the forest at that point, so we ran as fast as we could.

Under the shelter of the trees we caught our breath. I was out of breath too, not from running, but because I was terrified. Tristan took his backpack and mine from Kendra and Mitch, and we walked through the forest.

We found this cave just as it was beginning to get dark. I was shivering, just like I was early in the morning, because I stupidly left my fleece in my bag. Jay checked out the entire cave with a flashlight, making sure that nobody and nothing was in it.

We put our bags in there, and I collapse to the ground. The exhaustion, hunger and pain had caught up to me. Tristan sits down beside me, holding me. Jay and Greyson go look for some fire wood, while Mitch and Kendra take inventory of the supplies in our backpacks.

Now that we've stopped, my mind goes straight to Aria and Quinn.

"Tristan. They're-th-they're gone," I say through my tears.

"I know, Amber."

It's then that I realize that Tristan is in as much pain as I am. I wrap my arms around him, and we hold each other, my face is buried in his shoulder.

"Amber, you're freezing cold! You're shaking!" Tristan exclaims. "Kendra, can you pass me her fleece?"

"Yeah, of course. How's your ankle doing Amber?"

"I don't know."

"We should probably check it out," she says.

"Greyson will want to see too," Mitch tells Kendra. "Let's wait a bit."

I pull on my warm fleece hoodie, and immediately relish in the extra warmth.

Tristan wraps his arms around me again to keep me warm. I don't know what I'd do without him.

---

Greyson and Jay return with some wood to make a small fire.

Mitch passes them a pack of matches, and once we have rocks set around the wood so the fire doesn't spread, they light the fire.

The light and warmth greatly helps increase the morale in the cave.

"How's your ankle Amber?" My brother asks me.

"I don't know."

"Does it hurt?"

"It did. I've kinda gotten used to the pain."

"Amber!" Greyson throws his arms up in frustration. "Do you want to be able to walk again?"

"Greyson, I was just trying to get to safety. Would you rather I be like-li-like Aria and Quinn?" I scream.

"Shhh, shhh," Tristan whispers to be. "Amber. You're okay. Calm down now, please?"

I buried my face in Tristan's shoulder. I just want all of this to go away! Why did they have to die? It's just not fair!

After a while, I've consoled myself. I don't know what I'd do if Tristan was gone too.

"Amber," Greyson says gently. "I'm so, so sorry." He wraps me in a hug. "I didn't mean to make you cry, I'm just worried about you. You're my little sister; I don't want to see you hurting."

I hug him back. "Thank you."

"I love you Amber. I'll always be here for you."

"I love you too, big brother."

---

Tristan and I are sitting together at the back of the cave with one of our blankets. The others are still talking around the fire.

I take another look around the cave. Surprisingly, there's not a ton of dirt in here. There's enough that it's not as if someone's been keeping it clean, but it's not gross. The entrance is mostly covered by debris. Some of it arranged there by Jay and Mitch, other stuff was just there when we got here. We have a small fire going by the entrance for some warmth and light. Kendra is now organizing all of our supplies against the wall of the cave.

"Tristan, are you glad we left?"

He looks me in the eye. "I'm glad that we're not in their hands. But I miss the safety, and the food, and not having this constant worry about staying alive."

"But you're not regretting your decision to choose me over Daniel and Oliver and all of them?"

"No Amber. Not one bit. I care about you so much."

"Are you gonna go back to B. C. when we're safe? Back to your family?"

"I have nothing in British Columbia," he replies curtly.

"But your family," I insist. "They must be missing-"

He stops me. "Amber. I promise you. I'm not missing anyone. You know what happens to street kids? The ADCCG takes us no matter what-"

"Tristan, I-I'm so sorry."

"No need Amber. A family is supposed to love you unconditionally. Family is with you forever. The love from your family is supposed to be infinite. I didn't get that from my family. Family is not defined by blood. I want to be with people I love more than anything else. I want to spend my life with people who love me just as much as I love them."

After a pause, I ask, "Then what are you going to do when we're safe?"

"Well, if you'll let me, I'd like to stay with you."

---

I wake up to voices and the crackling of a fire.

I sit up and blink a few times, adjusting to the light.

"Morning Amber," Kendra says cheerily.

"Hey guys."

"How's your ankle? Can I take a look?" Greyson asks.

"Its sore. Go ahead."

I take off the brace I got from the ADCCG, take off my sock, and roll up my pant leg.

"Jeez Amber. It's pretty swollen." He pauses. "But it's actually not quite as bad as I thought it would be. Need a pain pill?"

I laugh, but I'm annoyed. How dare he tease me about needing a pain pill that I can't get.

"You're so funny. Of course I do. But where are you going to get a pain pill? You gonna pull it out from behind my ear or something?"

Kendra laughs, but starts digging through our stuff. Moments later, she triumphantly chucks a rattling pill bottle to Greyson.

"Seriously?" I exclaim. I'm so happy! "How did you get these?"

"Got 'em from the infirmary a while ago," Jay tells me nonchalantly. "We knew you'd need them."

"Thank you so much!"

Greyson gives me a pill and one of our precious water bottles.

"Try not to drink too much of it," he warns me.

I swallow the pill. "What other magical goodies do we have that I don't know about?" I ask.

"Well," Tristan says, coming over from where him and Mitch were doing something at the little fire. "You have me, and I like to think that I'm pretty magical."

I laugh, and slap him jokingly. "Yeah, sure."

"But, really, let's go find out. Kendra sorted it all, but I fell asleep a couple minutes after you last night, so I don't know what we have."

"Hey Kendra? Can you show us what kinda stuff we have over there?"

"Yeah, of course."

Turns out we have a pretty decent amount of stuff. It's a lot more than I expected.

Kendra left our clothes in our bags so that they don't get all mixed up. I also notice that there's more than just clothes in Greyson and Jay's backpacks. It's probably stuff that's more valuable, or stuff we don't need right now. We have an assortment of protein bars and trail mix packets, some water bottles, blankets, a pack of matches, a two pocket knives, the rope ladder, the thing Greyson unlocked the door of the complex with, and a few other assorted things.

The fire is burning down now, but it's okay, because the sun is out now, and it's pretty warm.

"Guys, Mitch and I are gonna go walk around, see if there are any berries we can eat. Okay?"

"Alright," Jay says.

"Be safe guys," I say.

---

Mitch and Kendra have only been gone for twenty minutes or so when they come running back into our cave.

"Guys! Guys, guys guys, there's-there' people outside!" Kendra explains in a frantic whisper. "We came running back as soon as we heard them."

"Put everything in the bags! Hide in the back!" Greyson orders.

Tristan stomps the remains of our fire into nothing. Kendra, Mitch and I frantically pack everything up, and Jay and Greyson add a bit more to our 'barricade' at the door.

Then we all crawl back into the dark depths of the cave.

"You okay?" Tristan whispers into my ear.

"Yeah. Just scared."

He protectively wraps his arm around me.

We hear voices go by the entrance to our cave.

"Are you sure you disguised the entrance enough?" Kendra asks faintly.

"Shh. But yes, I'm certain," Greyson whispers.

We wait in silent darkness for what seems like hours. We can hear voices, and the static of radio communication.

"Search party to ADCCG. No news on the escapees yet. Over."

I can't believe it. How do they know we're gone? How can they find us so quickly? There are many different directions we could have gone.

"What are the approximate coordinates? Over." The man asks the person on the other line.

"You are right in the centre of the range the tracker is giving us. Over," is the reply.

"Control, remind me of exactly what the tracker is. Over."

"Lieutenant, the tracker is located in an ADCCG ankle brace one of the escapees was wearing. Please keep looking in every corner of the range the tracker gives. We can't afford the loss."

---