Two and a half years had passed, I was now twelve years old and Eric was officially a member of the Scouts. I was proud of my brother but the fear of losing him was stuck in my mind. But I stayed strong and believed in him.
I woke up one morning with one thing on my mind. Today was the day I was going to go over the wall. I wrapped myself in Dad's cloak with the 'Wings of Freedom' on the back, though it was twice my size. I grabbed some apples and placed them in my leather pouch along with a water bottle. I opened the door and just as I was about to step out, someone blocked my path with their arm. I looked over and saw Eric.
He looked at me and asked, "Where is it you might be going off to?"
Ducking underneath his arm, I simply said, "Over the wall."
Before I could take a step further, I was lifted up off of my feet by the back of the cloak. From behind I heard Eric chuckle and say, "I don't think so, Kai."
I crossed my arms over my chest and questioned, "Why not? You get to go over the wall all the time. It's not fair."
Eric set me back down on the floor. He pulled back the hood on the cloak and smiled at me, "You really want to go beyond the wall?"
Without any hesitation I quickly blurted out, "Of course I do."
Eric let out a small laugh and put his hand on my shoulder, "You're very determined. Come on, I'm going to show you something."
We left our house together and began walking down the main path. I was still in Dad's cloak and Eric was wearing his Scouts uniform. I didn't quite know what Eric wanted to show me but I couldn't wait to find out.
It wasn't long before we were both standing at the base of Wall Rose. I tilted my head way back in an attempt to see how tall it was.
Eric looked over at one of the soldiers standing nearby and asked, "Sir, can you hoist us up?"
The soldier nodded his head at Eric and gave him a thumbs up.
Eric took me by the hand and led me over to a wooden platform. He looked at me and said, "I hope you're not afraid of heights."
Before I could respond back, the wooden platform we were on began rising up. I squeezed Eric's hand tightly and steadied my feet.
He smiled down at me, "It's okay, Kai, you're not going to fall."
Time seemed to have stopped as we were hoisted up but before I knew it, we were standing on top of the wall. I looked around and saw several cannons lined up. I turned my attention away from the cannons and to a group of soldiers walking toward us.
Eric saluted them as they approached and said, "Commander Pyxis."
I looked up to see a bald-headed man with a mustache standing before my brother.
The man acknowledged Eric and asked, "What business do you have here, Cooper?"
Eric gently pulled me forward and said to the man, "This is my little sister, Kaira. She had planned on coming here herself but I decided it'd be safer if I took her myself."
Commander Pyxis knelt down to get a closer look at me. He smiled at me and said, "You're the spitting image of your mother. I heard her skills were unmatchable within the Scouts. You should be proud."
I followed my brother's example with the traditional salute and said back to him, "Thank you, Sir."
Commander Pyxis ruffled my hair and got back on his feet, "You can look around but don't get too close to the edge."
I nodded my head at him and was about to walk away, but I was pulled back by Eric.
Eric looked at me sternly and said, "Don't bother the soldiers too much."
I smiled up at him and nodded my head, "I won't. I promise."
Eric released my hand and I walked off to explore my new surroundings. I've never been anywhere near the wall, so I was completely fascinated by this whole situation.
I stood about three feet away from the edge and looked out toward the horizon. I could see some birds flying in the sky and it brought a smile to my face. I found myself wishing that I could be like them and just fly away and leave life behind the wall. I turned around and saw my brother was still occupied with talking to Commander Pyxis. I took this opportunity to inch closer to the edge of the wall and peek over. I gasped at the massive drop and almost lost my composure. My legs began to shake and I took a moment to sit down. I dangled my legs over the edge and stared into the sky. Mom's promise came to mind and I knew that one day I'd be out there seeing everything she told me about.
I don't know how long I sat there, but when I looked over I saw Eric sitting next to me. I looked at him confused and asked, "When did you get here?"
He smiled at me and answered, "About an hour ago. I guess you were too focused on what's beyond the wall to notice me." He looked out toward the horizon, "What do you think, Kaira?"
My eyes lit up and I got to my feet, "I'm going to go there one day."
Eric got to his feet and put an arm around me, "I know you will. Dad and Mom also knew that one day you'd be as free as those birds that fly in the sky."
His words brought a smile to my face, because what he said was true. One day I was going to be free. I was going to go beyond the wall and live a happy life. That's what I thought anyway, before my world once again came crashing down three years later.
To Be Continued...
