Michael meets his new crew. Little does he know, he's met his boss before.
**
'This is the story of how they met, her picture was on the back of a pack of cigarettes, and when she touched him, he turned ruby red, a story that they'll never forget, never forget' - Fall Out Boy, Where Did The Party Go
**
Part 3 of a pre-FAHC/FAHC series based off FOB songs (primarily from Save Rock and Roll) [juggey, ~900 words] [read on ao3]
“Where’s Ramsey?”
“Relax. He’s not home yet,” Gavin said. “I’ll introduce you to the rest of the crew.” He walked them from the entry way, down the short stairway into the open living plan. “Bedrooms are down those stairs.” He pointed behind him. “City’s out the windows, and yes, we have quite the view.”
Michael rolled his eyes and muttered, “he’s always like this,” to Ray, who shrugged, not minding. Believe it or not, spending three months on a cross country crime spree with Michael had been the high point of his life so far, and it was only looking up from there.
“On the couch is Ryan, Lovely Ryan, this is Michael and Ray,” Gavin introduced. Ryan looked … normal. He had his socked feet up on the coffee table, xbox controller in his lap, taking a brief sip of Diet Coke. He waved to them. Ray waved back, Michael merely nodded. “And Jack’s in the kitchen. She’s our bartender, if you want anything to drink.”
“No thanks,” Michael said, and Ray just shook his head. Jack seemed to be observing them very harshly, but otherwise didn’t say anything.
“Jeremy’s on a job, unfortunately,” Gavin said. “You can meet him when he gets back. He’s top.”
Behind them, the door to the penthouse opened again, and a man in a tuxedo walked in, holding a newspaper in one hand and a handgun in the other.
“Front page news, boys and girls!” he exclaimed. “Front Page News!” He tossed the newspaper at Ryan, who deflected it, before he noticed Gavin with the new kids.
“And this is Geoff Ramsey himself,” Gavin said. “Geoffrey, my boi Michael, and his friend Ray.” Gavin beamed brightly and Geoff gave the new recruits a look up and down.
“It’s good to meet you,” Michael said, sounding formal but still informal at the same time, somehow. “Gav’s told me a lot about your operation. I hope you’ll still be needing my services?”
“Of course, of course!” Geoff said, pushing himself between Gavin and Ray, putting his arm over Michael’s shoulders and steering him away from the kitchen. “I would love to hear more about these skills you have.” Gavin shrugged at Ray and gestured at the couch. Ryan welcomed the company.
“Yes, sir,” Michael said. The door to the heist room closed behind him and Geoff. “I expect you pulled my records from Liberty City PD.”
“Yes, we did, and it is exhaustive,” came the reply. The redhead at the computer spun around in her chair, grinning at him. “Hello, Michael.”
“Ruby,” Michael blurted out. He felt like all his air was gone. How was she here? Now?
“Good, I was worried you wouldn’t remember,” she winked at him. “It’s Lindsay. Lindsay Tuggey. Welcome to my crew.”
“Hey there.” She was too perky for this place. A seedy club in Liberty City? She had to have a motive. Michael turned around to look at her, seeing the exact opposite of what he’d been expecting. “Wanna dance?” she asked him, and he could feel himself nod, and then she had pulled him onto the dance floor by the tie.
If Michael only had one word to describe her, it would have to be fucking gorgeous, because Michael was a rule breaker, and there was no way just gorgeous was good enough for this girl. Michael didn’t have a poor self-image or low self-esteem by any means, but this girl was at least 12 times too good for him. Why she’d pick him of all the people in the club was beside him, honestly–
She kissed him and his mind shorted. He couldn’t think in long sentences about how beautiful this woman was because he could no longer think.
“I love your tattoos,” she whispered in his ear, and he could hear the grin as she said it.
“Thanks, yeah, I love your…” Michael managed to stutter out before his brain turned off and he didn’t have an end to the sentence, “uh… you.”
“My me is pretty great,” she laughed. “Want to get out of here?”
“Y-yes,” Michael nodded. She grabbed his hand and practically pulled him out of the club. RIP the jacket he had brought. She had his shirt unbuttoned by the time the cab was in drive, her fingernails scraping down his muscles, her tongue not far behind. “God, God…” he moaned. “Um, I’m Michael, by the way?”
“Ruby,” she replied without hesitation.
Hand to God, best night of Michael’s life. Of course she was gone in the morning. Idiot. He should have gotten her number or something. He never thought he would see her again. He checked his phone just in case she’d left him a message or something…
When are you headed out here??? I miss my boi!!
Michael sighed and texted Gavin back. He still had some things to take care of, and then he’d start making his way out to Los Santos.
“Your crew?” Michael asked, confused, looking between her and Geoff.
“Yup,” Lindsay replied without explanation. She had a file folder in her hands, Michael assumed it contained his records. “Michael Jones.” The syllables rolled out of her mouth in the best way Michael had ever heard anyone say his name before. “Do you care to maybe tell us a little bit more about the time you blew the roof of the LCPD station?”
“Which time?” Michael replied, unfazed.
“He’s hired,” Geoff told her. “I need a drink.” He left the heist room.
Summary: Lindsay is the daughter of the Mayor of Hopeville. She's had a pretty good life regarding the situation. Michael is a commoner in the backstreets of Hopeville, along side with his brothers Ray and Gavin. Together, the four of them try to escape the world they've been forced into.
Pairing: Michael Jones/Lindsay Jones
Rating: G (safe for everyone)
Words: 8,240
Notes: So, for my English Lit class this year, we had to write a short story that fit into the genre of dystopia. I chose to write about Michael and Lindsay and it's not at all short, but here it is! About a month's worth of work work went into making this the way it is, so here you go~
there are also shitty illustrations if you guys would like me to add them
Lindsay looked out of her window from the safety in her bedroom with her hands pressed on the cool glass. Her eyes scanned the world below her, her world, in ruins. There was a constant orange glow coming from Downtown, the mines and factories that constantly ran in full effect illuminated The Remains of Hopeville. If she really focused, she would be able to hear the mechanical whirring, but she’s gotten used to it by now. Sometimes though, she can still hear the screaming.
She was pulled out of her daze by the creaking of her wooden door opening and she turned her head to see who walked in. Her father, the Ruler of The Remains, in his grey tuxedo styled suit, walked inside and shut the door after him. He gave her a smile, making his already visibly aging face wrinkle even more, and walked beside her. He looked out to the scenery. The orange glow reflected in his bright blue eyes.
“Don’t worry, my girl. It’s for a better cause. You should be thankful that we’re up here, in the safety of this estate with everything we could ever need or want, instead of down there, where sickness spreads like wildfire and people get brutally murdered everyday just fighting for a scrap of food.” As he said this, a disgusted expression laced his features, before it relaxed again as he continued. “I just want to keep you safe.”
Lindsay had heard her dad say that every night. Every night seemed to be the same; she would look out this window, guilt and sorrow filling her veins and her father would walk in and tell her it’s for a better cause. She wasn’t sure she believed him yet.
Then, he would walk back out with a command to sleep and she would make her way to her bed, crawl under the covers and watch the shadows of the street on her wall until she fell asleep. Until, recently, that is.
~~
Lindsay woke up with a feeling of not quite happiness, but a positive feeling nonetheless and she indulged herself in a warm shower to get ready for the day. She had convinced her father to let her outside. Though for ‘the better spreading of the cause’, it was still fresh air. She was required to stand in the middle of town, where the courtyard used to be, put on her best smile and read out a speech about The Cause and how ‘the people’s suffering will not go unrewarded in an other life’. She didn’t by any means agree with the words she would say, but it had been so long since she felt direct sunlight on her skin and the breeze flow through her hair.
She took her time in the shower, thoroughly washing her body and hair and getting rid of any extra hair. She stepped out and wrapped herself up in a fluffy towel and looked at the wardrobe choices that Felix, her servant (though she hated calling him that) had chosen for her.
Laying on the bed, spread out and in order, was a pale, green dress that would stop at about her knees that puffed out at the bottom, light, beige stockings and a pair of black flats. She easily slipped into her costume, tightened the dark, green ribbon around her waist and lightly brushed her hair before she opened her door.
Felix bustled in, his choppy brown hair bouncing at his every step as he immediately sat her down in front of her vanity and got to work. She knew the drill, but it had been a while since she was last made up like this.
His hands were soft and delicate as his chocolate eyes examined her face. After a moment or two, he nodded to himself and picked up a large makeup brush.
She titled her head back and closed her eyes. She felt the soft patter of blusher on her cheeks at first and that soon turned into smooth strokes of the eye shadow brush. Since it had been a while, her face was no longer used to the application of make up, her eyes twitched and fluttered as he tried to apply the eyeliner and mascara; though it did end up working out and by the time he was done with the lipstick and gloss, her appearance changed right in front of her.
She examined her face, turning it this way and that, noticing the changes he had made. Her cheeks bones were higher, her nose looked thinner, her lips looked fuller and her usually dull, grey eyes looked more blue than she had seem them before.
As Felix turned to leave as Lindsay looked at herself, he hesitated for a moment, and whispered a soft, “be careful” under his breath and the walked out. The words went unnoticed as Lindsay poked and prodded her face
~
Lindsay looked up from her place on the stage. She examined the crowd in front of her; their faces hard-set and dirty, the rags they wore as clothes hung loosely from their thin and frail bodies, their unforgiving gazes all glaring at the small group up where she was. Her hands gripped the front of her dress tightly, anxiety, guilt and panic coursing through her veins, settling deep into her gut, shaking her limbs like a ticking time-bomb just waiting to explode in a fit of pretty red hair and tears.
After her eyes wandered that crowd, her gaze settled on a boy who looked about her age. The first thing that she noticed about him was the bright auburn curls that just about covered his eyes, and then next was the cold stare that he was sending right her way. She got lost in them, despite the anger radiating from his brown orbs, but sadness suddenly overwhelmed her. She hated that complete strangers despised and hated her with everything they had just because of the family she was born into. She also hated the fact that it was her dad causing all of these people’s sickness and suffering.
A high and unexpectedly loud screech of feedback echoed in the large area, making her finally force her gaze away. Lindsay took a deep breath, trying to mentally prepare and ready herself for the next half an hour.
~
Michael Jones looked up from his place on the ground, the sun glaring in his brown eyes, though his tangle of curls helped to keep the worst out of them. He examined the small cluster of people on the stage in front of him; their faces freshly shaven and made-up, their suits and dresses crisp and clean, their deceiving smiles so large that Michael almost fears that their face’s will be stuck that way.
The Mayor of The Remains droned on and on about “What’s best for the country, the people and how the cause will be the start of a new revolution!”
Michael grimaced; better for the people, he thought with a scoff. How is making your people suffer and live their lives half dead all the time better for them?
Michael’s attention was brought back to the events unfolding in front of him with a hesitant female voice. Despite the fact he had seen peeks of Lindsay, the mayor’s daughter, he had never seen her this close or heard her voice. It surprised him so much at how soft and melodic it was that he forgot to glare.
~
Lindsay cleared her throat, trying to cough out the bundle of nerves that were stuck there. Her father had already made his speech and now it was her turn. All she had to do was read the words that were in her hands.
Her grip on the paper tightened as she began speaking.
“Citizens of The Remains,” she read. “I, Lindsay Tuggey, daughter of the Mayor, stand before you today, as today will go down in history.”
Lindsay could feel her body tremble, her knees knocking underneath her dress. She gulped before continuing, terror running through her as she expected the worst.
“My father is starting something new; something that will change the life as you know, as we know, forever.”
Lindsay knew the next words that she had to say. She had practiced it five times in the mirror this morning, but fear caught her and held on to her tongue. She repeated the words in her mind; hopeful that maybe they would force themselves out of her mouth.
‘From today, with rising complaints of over-population, sickness and brutal murders amongst the people, every person who is useless to The Cause will be executed in a mercy killing.
Then she was supposed to finish with a thank you, and the thought of that alone made her want to laugh hysterically and cry at the same time. She was sure there would be no you’re welcomes said back to her.
Lindsay felt her throat tighten again and the words still refused to come out. As she tried again, tried to force the words out and as tears filled her eyes and sorrow filling her bones, there was a loud shout of “NOW!” called out from the crowd and something was thrown onto the stage that landed a few steps to her right.
~
Michael watched as his friend threw the flash bang at the stage and he squeezed his eyes shut and blocked his ears, but it didn’t block out the pop of the explosion or the panicked screaming.
Fortunately as he pulled his hands away, his ears weren’t ringing, but he still had to ask his friend to repeat himself when he yelled at him.
“I said, Gavin’s grabbing the mayor’s daughter! Perfect plan right! Once we have her, we can trade her over for our immunity!” His friend Ray yelled, a wide smile gracing his lips and his dark eyes shining bright with excitement.
Michael’s reaction was immediate. “Why would he do that?!” And so was his anger, as per usual. “Why did you guys think that was a good idea? Kidnapping his daughter? You might as well just tie the noose around your neck while you’re at it! You think he’ll reward us for putting his daughter in danger? And even if we were promised immunity, do you really think he’ll keep it? This is the stupidest thing you guys have ever-.”
Michael was interrupted with a body colliding with his own, his weight being pushed forward and knocking into Ray.
“The guards!” The person that ran into him screamed, gripping Michael’s arms. ‘They’re getting the guns ready!” The man ran away with a faint cry of, “Run for your lives!”
Michael turned to check that, yes, the guards were taking the safety off of their guns, and holy crap one was pointed right at him.
He quickly grabbed onto Ray’s wrist and ran. Ray stumbled for the first couple of steps, but quickly matched his pace as they passed through people and dodged through bullets.
~
Lindsay took a step back and then gasped at the loud explosion and fell down to the ground. She squeezed her eyes shut, the bright flash far too bright and sudden to keep them open. She tried to focus on the stinging of her eyes, but an arm came around her waist and lifted her up over their shoulder before she had a chance to reorganize herself.
She screamed at the sudden and unexpected movement, grabbing hold on the person’s shoulder so she didn’t fall off.
She realized that their arms felt too thin and scrawny to be a guard and panic set into her veins.
“Who are you?” She screamed, batting at the person’s back. “Let go of me!”
An English accent spoke close to her ear, slow and smooth. “I’m sorry love; no can do on that second one. On the matter of the first, you can just call me Gav.”
Lindsay screamed, frustration quickly settling in and she squirmed, trying to loosen this man’s grip.
All he did was chuckle and soon enough she was put down roughly into what could only be described as a trunk, its red interior contrasting with the dark wood and gold features. Before she had a chance to sit up and yell some more, the trunk’s lid was closed and the only light she had was the small keyhole, which was quickly replaced with the key locking it securely.
She screamed and banged on the roof of the trunk, and sighed in annoyance as she sunk down further into the box.
~
Michael and Ray had quickly hid away in their little hideout. It was in the tough parts of Downtown- well the tougher parts of Downtown, and they were currently sitting across from each other with sour expressions.
Ray was the first to break the tense silence.
“Do you think that Gavin got her?”
Michael lifted his head up from his hands and looked at Ray tiredly. He dragged his hand across his face as he sighed, “I hope not.”
There was a moments worth of silence again before Ray muttered, “Would it really be such a bad thing?”
Michael felt his annoyance take a spike; let’s just say he wasn’t the one to be known for a calm demeanour.
“Yes, it would be.” He responded. “Did you guys honestly think it through? Like, what happens if they find out we took her? And who’s to say they just won’t execute us as soon as we give her over? We don’t seem very useful to The Cause.” Michael’s tone turned bitter at the mention of it. The Cause was how the people of The Remains were supposed to make the future a better place; but it would only be better for the wealthy.
“Well, who’s to say that we won’t get riches and spoils?” Ray talked back, his brow furrowed in frustration.
Michael’s expression mimicked his, and he opened his mouth to retort, but then Gavin came crashing through the small opening, followed by a large trunk.
Gavin panted as he rested his hands on his knees. “Phew!” He exclaimed, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. “You have no idea how heavy that bird is.”
A quiet cry of, “hey!” was heard from the trunk, and then it clicked for Michael.
“No.” He said as he stood up and walked to the trunk. “No, get her out of here. We are not keeping her here.”
“But Michael-.”
“No, but Michael’s, Gavin.” Michael interrupted. “Do you know how much trouble we’ll be in if they find her here? We’ll be killed! And everyone we know will get hurt, did you even think of that? She will-.”
It was Michael’s turn to be interrupted it seemed, as there was a loud bang that came from the trunk and again the faint voice of Lindsay. “Don’t talk about me as if I’m not here! So let me out, and we can talk this over!”
Gavin scoffed and looked down at the trunk with a sour expression. “And why would we even think to let you out?”
“Because I can help you! But only if you help me.”
The three boys gave each other a curious look, wondering what on Earth Lindsay meant by helping them.
~
Lindsay sat in her cramped position, waiting for a reply, but there was only a tense silence. She heard a whisper, and then it seemed as if all of them were muttering to each other. They all sounded some-what angry.
Lindsay was hoping they would let her out soon. She was incredibly uncomfortable and all she wanted to do was stretch out; and get out of course.
She tried to think of what her plan was once they let her out. Running was out of the option, she didn’t want to go back to the mansion that was called home, nor back to her father. He never treated her as his daughter, so why should she treat him like her parental figure? To be honest, she kind of despised him. She missed her mother, she never would have let this happen.
Lindsay supposed she would be stick by these guys until she figured out what to do. It wasn’t like she couldn’t fight them if they tried anything; she’d taken her fair share of self-defence classes and she was sure she was much more coordinated than whoever was out there.
Lindsay’s eyes shut tight as she was suddenly surrounded in light. After a few moments, she blinked open her eyes and she was met with three faces looking down at her. Two she had never seen- one of them had messy sand coloured hair and a large nose, the other had a scruff of stubble lining his jaw and glasses. The other boy though, she recognized
She sat up quickly, pointing her finger at him. “You! You’re the boy from the crowd!”
His expression then changed to one of confusion. “What?” He dead-panned.
Lindsay stood up and brushed down her dress. “I saw you from the stage; we made eye contact. You were glaring at me like I’d killed your pet.”
Michael’s features quickly turned to that of annoyance. “Well, you haven’t really given me a reason to be kind to you.”
Lindsay matched Michael’s annoyance, but Ray beat her to speaking.
“Is your immediate response just anger? You’re so touchy, I swear.” Ray rolled his eyes.
“I am not touchy!” Michael took a step closer to Ray, pointing his finger.
“Hey!” Gavin yelled, getting everyone’s attention. After taking a moment to make sure everyone was going to be quiet, he spoke again. “Alright, everyone good?”
All he got in reply was a mixture of silence and a ‘humph’ from Michael.
“Okay, now, Little Miss Rich over here,” Lindsay scowled at the nickname. “What can you help us with?”
Lindsay stood tall, getting into her professional stance. “Well,” she started. “I can help you guys get out of here; out of The Remains.”
The first reaction was laughter from Gavin. “You can’t be serious! You really think we’d believe you? There’s nothing outside of The Remains.”
Lindsay cocked a brow and cocked her hip. “Really? Do you believe that? You don’t think there could be something over the hills behind the mansion?”
Everyone was silent for a moment, before Michael spoke. “Why should we trust your word about this?”
“Because I want to get out of here just as much as you do.”
“But why? You have everything here. And it’s not like you care about what happens to the people here anyway, let alone us.” Michael spluttered.
Lindsay’s expression turned sour, and she strode up to the boy.
“You think I enjoy it here? Do you really think I like seeing all of these people suffer and die? Do you have any idea what it’s like to want to help everyone around you but you can’t do anything about it?” Lindsay’s nostrils flared in anger. “Do you?”
Michael glared at her harshly before Gavin stepped in-between them.
“Okay, okay, break it up you two! I can see it’s going to be a problem having you two in the same room.” He sighed.
He looked over to Ray. “What do you think about this whole thing?”
“Well,” Ray shuffled his feet, “why not? It’s not like we have much of choice, other than to give her back.” Ray rolled his eyes at Michael, who shot him yet another glare. “And, if she’s lying, we’re right near the mansion anyway.”
Michael scoffed, “Good guy Ray over here. I think we should let her go and let her wander home.”
Both Lindsay and Gavin called out a “No!”
“I am not going back there,” Lindsay continued. “I am getting out of this place with or without your help.” She crossed her arms across her chest, stating her final decision.
~
After a long day of harsh words and one physical fight between Gavin and Michael, they came to the decision to let Lindsay stay until they were all ready for their makeshift adventure, and then they would somehow make their way through town and around the mansion, without getting caught by guards.
That thought was what kept Lindsay up that night; she didn’t know how they were going to pull this off, let alone successfully, but they had to try.
With a dejected sigh falling from her lips, Lindsay realized that she would not be getting sleep any time soon, so she rolled over on the make-shift bed- a pile of hay with cloth over the top, to get more comfortable. As she shuffled about, she heard a low voice coming from what they called the bathroom and she could faintly see a glow from what she guessed was a candle. She sat up, suddenly curious of who was in there, and what they were doing this late at night.
She tried to stand at quietly as she could, though the hay and cloth made a loud and obnoxious sound before she was standing on the ground. She smoothed down her now wrinkled dress and slowly made her way over to the curtain that separated the two rooms and pulled it aside.
Michael, who was looking in the mirror and fumbling around with some sort of cream, jumped and swore at the sudden sound.
Lindsay put her finger to her mouth, walked in and let the curtain fall behind her. “Shh! They’re sleeping.”
Michael rolled his eyes, looking grumpy as ever, but did quieten down his voice. “Well of course they are, it’s still dark out.”
Lindsay took a peek out the window and confirmed it was still night time.
“Speaking of,” Michael continued. “Why isn’t Miss Rich getting her much needed beauty sleep?”
Lindsay scowled, about to retort but was interrupted by Michael’s small chuckle and then wince. Her expression softened and she reached out to hold his face in her hands. She turned his head, trying to get a look at what made him wince and what he was applying cream too.
His left eye, which Gavin had clocked in their fist fight earlier in the day, was badly bruised- black and blue.
She made a noise of disapproval; she didn’t like fights or the outcomes of them.
She quickly turned to the sink and wet her hands before turning back to him.
~
Michael stared wide eyed at Lindsay, who was now reaching for his face again and as much as his stubborn mind yelled at him to back away and hiss foul language at her, he couldn’t help but to let her prod the skin around his bruise, or lean into the gentle and caring touch. It had been awhile since a gentle hand had last been laid on him.
He gasped in a sudden pain, trying to pull his face out of her grasp, but she only held on tighter.
“I’m sorry!” she whispered. “My hand twitched, I didn’t mean to hurt you!” Lindsay paused for a second, trying to gauge his reaction. When he didn’t move or pull away again, she spoke. “Is it okay if I try and help it? To maybe see if I can help with the bruising?”
Michael would later blame the fact that her voice was quiet, which was why he found himself leaning in to her touch even more, but he licked his lips in a nervous action and then nodded.
Now that he was so close to her, he couldn’t help but to look at her properly. His eyes shuffled back and forth, trying to examine every feature of her that he could.
Her eyes were a muddy blue colour- which were focused on the bruise on his face, her cheeks had a slight red tinge to them, though maybe she was blushing, and he couldn’t help that his gaze was settled on her lips. He found himself licking his lips again, and when he realized what he was thinking, his own cheeks started to turn red, so he closed his eyes and took in a breath.
Lindsay pulled away from him quickly. “I’m sorry! Did I hurt you?”
Michael reopened his eyes, and suddenly Lindsay seemed closer than before and he was scared to speak. He was scared that if he spoke too loudly, he might scare her away.
Michael knew that he hated this girl for as long as he knew her, with no reason, but he couldn’t help but be interested and swooned by her. He did something that he normally didn’t do; he let go of all his anger towards this girl and went with his gut feeling.
“No,” he whispered slowly, his gaze lingering again. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”
With slow movements, he grabbed Lindsay’s hand from his face and dropped them, but he didn’t let go. He tried to gauge her reaction, but all she did was smile at him, so he smiled back.
After blowing out the candle, he started pulling her back into the main room, and led her to his actual mattress instead of the bed they had given her.
Michael cleared his throat and nervously looked down. “Do you want to, uh, sleep in my bed? It’s more comfortable, and probably warmer.” He shuffled his feet and risked a look up at her.
He felt relieved to see her smile not only still on her face, but wider then before.
“I would love to.” Lindsay replied. She tugged him over to the mattress and as they both slipped under the covers, they both silently agreed to not let go of each other’s hands.
~
When Lindsay woke up, it was with an arm slung around her waist. It was different to say the least, but definitely not unwelcome.
She rolled over from facing the wall so she was facing Michael; the boy with the anger issues, foul mouth and cute face. She lightly blushed at her thoughts, but she didn’t look away from the boy either.
She noticed he looked a lot different when he slept; he looked calm, at peace.
She raised her hand and gently placed it on his bruised cheek. Just underneath the bruising, she noticed he had freckles. She ran her thumb over them, just enjoying the peace and silent intimacy, before his face started twitching.
She paused her movements, a little scared of what he was going to do. Would he realize that he hated her and push her out? Would he be upset she was touching his face in his sleep?
Lindsay was dragged out of her thoughts when the arm around her tightened and her body was pulled closer to his. Michael tucked his head in the curve of her neck.
“Whadda ya doing awake?” His voice was croaky and his words were slurred from his sleep and Lindsay couldn’t help but find it endearing. She smiled to herself and wrapped her arm around his torso.
“Just woke up,” She whispered. She absentmindedly played with a loose thread on his shirt. “I think it’s early though; I don’t know if the others are awake or not.”
Michael untucked his head and raised it to look over her shoulder, before settling back into his position before. His exhale was warm on Lindsay’s skin and she couldn’t help the giddy feeling she got.
“They’re asleep, so it’s probably too early to be awake.” Michael mumbled. “So, you should go back to sleep.”
Lindsay smiled. “I’ll try to, but I hold no promises.
“No trying, sleep now. I’m not gonna let you be awake by yourself, and I’m not letting you go, so that wouldn’t be very fair.” Michael squeezed her when he spoke and Lindsay giggled. He chuckled lightly back and he pulled back to look at her.
She shrugged in reply. “I’m just used to waking up early.”
Michael gave an over dramatic sigh and tutted. “What am I supposed to do with you then?”
Lindsay bit her lip, thinking her next words over carefully. She wasn’t dumb; she knew she just met this boy but she couldn’t help but feel something strong for him. She decided to go with her gut feeling for once and she gave him a wide grin.
“I know something that you could do instead.” She remarked. Michael’s brow raised.
“Oh really?” He asked, a joking tone to his voice. “What should I do instead?”
Lindsay chuckled and whispered, “you could kiss me.”
Michael’s smile was wider then she had seen, and he nodded. “I could do that, and I think I will.”
They both leaned in, but before their lips could touch, a loud snore and a small yelp was heard from the other side of the room. They both jumped before quickly looking over to see what had happened.
Ray was sitting up, looking dazed and confused, while Gavin was holding onto his nose with a pained expression.
“What the hell happened over there?” Michael asked.
Ray shook his head, his brows furrowed together. “I don’t even know man.”
“You hit me! That’s what happened!” Gavin squawked at Ray, pointing a finger at him.
Ray waved a hand at him, trying to tell him to be quiet. “It’s too early for accusations, let’s just let this one go for now.”
Gavin pouted. “But it really hurts, Ray.”
Lindsay chucked at the odd ordeal between them and suddenly found herself excited to spend her time with these three boys for the next couple of days.
~
As the three boys started packing up their things, Lindsay looked at herself in the foggy glass they used as a mirror. Alike to their clothes, they were made from a material similar to a burlap sack, but they were well tailored. A shirt and pants was what was issued to the citizens, and to sneak past everyone with no suspicion, she had to look like one.
Lindsay gave herself one last look before she left the bathroom.
Gavin and Ray were still packing up their things, as Michael already had his small sack slung over his shoulder. She walked over to him and plopped down on the mattress next to him.
“What should I do with this?” She asked, holding out her outfit from the other day, the dress considerably rumpled and creased.
“We can put it in my sack if you want.” He put down what he was holding to fold the dress and stockings into his sack. Lindsay, curious, picked it up.
It was a delicate photo frame and inside was a picture of Michael, Ray, Gavin and an older woman cuddling all three of them. It must have been old, as it was taken before the disaster, when Hopeville was a small town. She found herself smiling at the fond memory of times before.
“Who’s this?” Lindsay asked, pointing at the woman. Michael smiled, but it held more sadness than anything. It looked like he was lost in his own memory of times before.
“It’s our mum. Gavin, Ray and I were all in an adoption home when she found us. She couldn’t pick a favourite, so she got all three of us.” Michael gingerly took the frame back and swiped his thumb along the glass. “She saved us that day. That was when they started the raids.”
Lindsay risked a look back up at Michael, whose expression was pained. She scooted closer and slung an arm around his shoulder.
“It’s okay, at least you’re here, right?” She asked, resting her chin on his arm.
He cracked a small smiled and wrapped his free hand around her waist. “Yeah, at least I am.”
Their small moment lasted a total of three seconds before Ray took a look at them and announced his confusion.
“Uh, what’s going on here?” He asked, a smirk playing on his lips.
Michael jumped and slowly unwrapped his arm from around Lindsay’s waist. With a small frown, Lindsay unwrapped herself and scooted away from him for safe measure.
“Nothing. Are you guys packed or what?” Michael spat, quickly changing the subject. It seemed to work well, because Ray’s eyes held a new excitement.
“Hell yes.” Ray said, smiling wide. “But Gavin’s still trying to choose what to bring.” As Ray turned to laugh and shove at Gavin, Michael hooked his pinky around Lindsay’s, their hands hidden behind her back. She looked up at him from under her fringe and gave him a small grin. He stole a look himself and grinned slightly.
And if Ray saw another peek of them having a moment, he didn’t say anything this time, and for that, Lindsay felt grateful.
~
It took just a little more scurrying and shoving belongings into bags for Gavin before they were all set to go. Gavin was standing near the door, bouncing on all the balls of his feet in his excitement, Ray was double checking his bag and Lindsay was fiddling with the green ribbon from her dress.
Michael walked over to her and took the ribbon from her hands. She looked up a him curiously.
“Turn around.” He said, and made a twirling motion with his hands.
She gave a small smile and followed his order. He tucked the ribbon under the bottom of her hair and lifted it until all of her hair was held in the ribbon. He tied it around, using it as a hair tie. To finish it off, he tied a small bow to the top. When he dropped his hands, Lindsay turned back around and risked giving him a small kiss on his cheek.
He did look around nervously for a moment, but when he saw both of the boys looking the other way, he leaned in and kissed her cheek in return.
“Okay guys, we all ready to go?” He called out. Both Ray and Gavin gave their yells of excitement, and they dashed through the door.
“You ready?” He looked down at Lindsay, who nodded. He smiled at her and grabbed her hand in his. She beamed up at him and they followed Ray and Gavin out, shutting the door behind them.
~
It had only been a few hours into their journey, and everyone was tired.
“How did we think we would make it the whole way in one day?” Ray asked, his feet taking heavy and uncoordinated steps.
Gavin shrugged in reply. “Speak for yourself; I was the one who suggested making camp the last hour.”
Lindsay rolled her eyes at the pair. Yes, she was tired as well, but it was still day time; making camp now would just be silly. She willed the last bit of energy she had and turned around to the boys, a wide smile on her face.
“Come on boys,” She said, continuing to play on the new found energy. “Just a little further, and we can rest for a while, okay?” She asked, holding her arms out in question.
The boys all took sluggish looks at each other, but nodded non-the-less. They all seemed to take a deep breath, and tried to will their energy up the same way Lindsay did.
They continued on, heavy breathing and stumbles, for about 10 more minutes before Gavin announced he was done, and then proceeded to lay down right on the patch of grass under his feet.
Lindsay almost started to object, but then she felt the tire in her bones and sat down herself. She almost gave a sigh of relief; her muscles relaxing as soon as she hit the ground.
The grass underneath her tickled her legs, and the sun above her warmed her skin. She closed her eyes and leaned back on her arms, soaking up the rays.
“Do you think we’ll make it?” Lindsay reopened her eyes and looked over at Ray, who had just spoken. He had a concerned expression on his face. Even though she knew what he meant, she still asked, “What do you mean, Ray?”
He shook his head and laid back on the grass before he replied. “Just, what if there isn’t anything there? What if it’s just grass and trees? Will we be able to make it back alive if there is nothing?”
Everything turned silent, no one knew what to say. Lindsay tried to think of what to say. She knew that over the mountains there was life; a better life for everyone, but she was scared to tell them.
She looked over their faces, tried to read the boys’ emotions. They all look scared, to varying degrees. Lindsay took a deep breath, and decided she would tell them, no matter the outcome.
“But there is something.” She stated.
Ray sat up, his expression now turned to sour. “But how do you know for sure?”
Lindsay closed her eyes, prepared for the worst, before she spoke. “Because I’ve seen it.”
She was greeted with silence. For a few moments, no one said anything and she couldn’t will herself to open her eyes.
At Michael’s hiss of, “What?” with venom dripping from his words, she squeezed her eyes tighter and she gripped her arms.
“I’ve seen it. It’s everything we’re striving to be in this town. It’s everything we could ever want.” She spoke, not even daring to look any of them in the eyes.
Michael blew up. “And why didn’t the citizens know this?” Lindsay flinched at the volume of his voice. Birds flew off in the distance. “Why aren’t we there then?”
“B-Because my father didn’t want to let them know yet.” Lindsay stuttered, panic starting to course through her veins. She knew the reaction wouldn’t be a nice one, but she didn’t expect to get yelled at.
“And what, he was just going to let us die off, or have us fight for the right to get there? And you didn’t try to do anything to stop it, to help the citizens you supposedly care for?” Michael’s voice just got louder and louder as he went on, and each word was more angrier than the last. “Look at me when I’m speaking to you!”
Lindsay’s eyes flew open at the last sentence, a faded memory of those words being yelled at her from times before. She quickly sat up and look at Michael, making direct eye-contact, no matter how blurry her vision was getting.
As tears filled her eyes, her voice didn’t waver when she spoke. “You think I didn’t try to make a change? Do you think I live happily and in bliss when everyone around me dies? Do you really think I’m that shallow or self-centered that I don’t care?”
As Michael’s did, Lindsay’s voice grew louder and louder. Gavin and Ray just watched on in stunned silence.
“Yes, I do think that, or you would have tried to do something by now!” Michael sat up, getting closer to Lindsay, spitting the words right at her. The rage he felt for her before he met her was slowly creeping back in.
Lindsay did the same, leaning in to scream at him. “I have tried to something about, but the last time I did I-.” Lindsay’s voice cut short, got caught in her throat. The last time she tried to do something about it, a few years ago when she thought she could save the world, she could barely save herself from her father’s temper.
“You what?” Michael hissed, challenging her, his voice sounding unforgiving. Lindsay leaned back on her legs and looked down to the ground.
“The last time I tried to do something about, I asked my father if I could tell the people; let them know there was hope, I suffered the consequences.” Her voice was quiet compared to Michael’s as he continued to hiss at her.
“And what was that? No warm water for a week? No food for a couple of days?” He glared at her, and Lindsay almost flinched at the hate directed towards her.
“My father gave me this.” Lindsay said and reached for the bottom of her top. She raised it up just above the bottom of her ribs, and on the pale skin of her stomach sat a scar that reached the bottom of her left ribs down to her right hip. “I was thirteen, and I never asked again.”
As she dropped her shirt, she looked up to Michael. His expression was shocked, taken aback. The hate in his eyes faded and just as he opened his mouth to speak, another one yelled loudly, and it wasn’t any of them.
~
One of the Mayor’s guards crouched behind a tree, sheltering himself from the four kids. Not that they would notice him, they were all too busy yelling at each other to pay attention to him or the four other men by his side.
He looked over to the man on his left. “Are we ready to do this?” He asked the other quietly. The man nodded and signed to the others that they were ready to attack.
The mayor might have said to bring them back alive, but no preferences on if they were injured or not.
“You four, stop what you’re doing and lay down on the ground!” The man yelled and the others followed him out of their shelters and into the sights of the teenagers. They all froze in their spots, so the man directed his teams mates to make them get down.
The others surrounded the kids and pointed their guns at them. They all immediately dropped to the ground and the man smirked. He lifted his wrist, his mouth pressing against the communicator and told the Mayor they had the kids and were bringing them in.
~
Lindsay looked up from her chair, testing the ropes that held her together and glared at the men in front of her.
The group of guards that brought them and her father were standing in front of the teenagers, huddled in a group and whispering amongst themselves.
She held her head up high, trying to cover her fear with what she could only hope looked like confidence. She avoided looking at her father for the time being though.
She looked to her right, seeing all three boys she had made some-what friends with over the past day were tied along side with her, each on their respective chair. Michael, who was at the far end, looked at her and held eye-contact. Despite the fact it surprisingly wasn’t a glare, she still looked away; out of hurt or anger, she didn’t know.
Her father cleared his throat, turned around and stepped forward, standing directly in front of her. She rolled back her shoulders and relaxed her face.
“Lindsay.” He greeted, raising a brow and giving her a slight nod.
“Father.” Lindsay replied, an uninterested tone to her voice. It seemed to upset her father, as he started to glare.
“Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?” He started. Lindsay held the urge to scoff. “Where have you been for the past two days? And why were you found at the edge of town with these commoners?” The last word was spat out with distaste, which caused Michael to stir in his seat. If her father noticed, he didn’t act on it.
“I was in downtown.” She shrugged, leaving it at that for a simple reply.
Her father’s face seemed to age more after that; he looked more tired, more wrinkled and definitely more grumpy.
“And why was that?” He asked, exasperated.
“Well, I decided during the speech I didn’t want anything to do with The Cause, so after the flash bang went off, I thought it was perfect timing, took my chance and escaped.” Lindsay lied through her teeth, and she heard a collection of gasps from the boys beside her.
“And for the guys, I paid them to come with me as escorts; that’s all.” She finished. If she could, this would be where she would fold her hands atop her lap to signify the end of the conversation, but her dad continued talking anyway.
“And why would you do something as stupid as that?” His voice became louder, reminding her of Michael’s ability to change his tone and the fight they shared. It seemed to edge her on.
“Like I said, I decided I didn’t want anything to do with The Cause. So I took my leave.” She replied and looked away from her father.
Her father seemed to find that funny, as he laughed. “Oh, my little girl, that’s so silly. How about, if you agree to never do something stupid like that again and to help with our plan, we won’t kill your little friends here.” Her father’s voice became sickly sweet and he waved his hand, pointing to the boys, who all looked more scared than she had ever seen them.
Her gut told her to yell out, to refuse their deaths, but she kept in her role and just looked over at them. They all looked at her, their eye begging, and she simply winked, thankfully unnoticed by her father.
He just became more angry though, after her daughter ignoring him, and he dropped his act; his voice becoming rough again. “Look at me when I’m talking to you and give me an answer this instant before I decide your fate for you as well!”
Her head snapped forward to face her father. Her hands formed into fists, her nails digging into the palm of her hand. She felt anger coursing through her. Like he doesn’t already decide her fate, she thought with venom.
Her reply was smooth and calm, no matter how her aggressive her demeanour was.
“My decision is that you let us go.”
Her father laughed again at that. He shook his head at her. “How insane! Do you really think I would do that? Give me one good reason why I should even let these dirty, rapscallions go!”
“Because if you don’t, we’ll get out of here and tell everyone back home the truth.” Michael spoke up, shaking in his seat.
Lindsay looked over to him, shocked that he spoke up. Didn’t he know he had to be quiet or he could get them all killed?
“Oh, and what makes you think I’ll let you live long enough for that to happen?” Her father cocked his head, and at that, Michael seemed to shrink in his seat.
Lindsay spoke up again, refusing to even think of him dying. “Because I will. I’ll tell everyone the truth, like I wanted to all along.”
Her father’s face faltered before he looked over at her again. “Would you really?” He asked. “After what happened last time?”
Lindsay gulped. “Even if it kills me, I will let them know. Either, you let all of us go, let us get to The Outside, or I will let everyone know. And that’s a promise.” She said, voice hard set and dangerous. “You can tell them I’m missing, I’m dead, whatever you want to lie about, just let us go.”
Her father looked her over for a moment before turning around and walking back to the guards. They re-huddled, whispering amongst themselves.
“Psst, what the heck was that?”
Lindsay looked over to Michael, who had just spoken. “What do you mean?” She whispered to him.
“I mean lying for us. Why the hell would you do that?” He hissed.
“Because I want to save you guys, why else?” She replied.
“Even after we yelled at you? Got angry and Michael said all those nasty things?” Both Lindsay and Michael looked over to Ray, who sounded and looked defeated. Michael glared, while Lindsay smiled at him.
“Of course,” she said. “I don’t know about you guys, but you’re all the friends I’ve got.” She shrugged. “And that means something to me.”
She looked to Michael, who looked back at her with an unreadable expression. Her smile became softer for him, directing the last sentence to him. She thinks he understood, because then his face relaxed and he had a ghost of a smile on his lips.
Their moment was broken when her dad walked back over; arms crossed and a sour expression lacing his features.
“You can go. But we will be monitoring you until you get over the mountain, and we will not be giving you any food, water or anything else you would want or need.” He said with a flat tone. He looked over to his daughter. “Now, leave and don’t come back.”
Her dad turned and walked out quickly, and the guards came over and untied them. They passed over their bags, which they quickly put on.
They were escorted outside, and pushed off back into the woods. Lindsay felt a weight lift off of her shoulders, and relief.
She felt something tug her wrist and she looked over at Michael who looked very sheepish.
He held his hand out to her. “Ready to start our own revolution? None of this forcing-people-to-do-what-we-want crap?” He asked with a shrug.
Lindsay grinned and grasped his hand in hers. “I sure am.” And with that, she leaned over and kissed him on the mouth, no matter of the other boys watching, or the gagging coming from Gavin or catcalls coming from Ray. She was ready to start a new life, a free life; to start their own revolution.
