We were in big trouble. We'd disobeyed our orders and revolted against the guards. We were in very big trouble. Colonel Lydecker and several of the X-4's had surrounded us and they looked pretty angry. Maxie stared at me with her wide brown eyes and let go of the string that held that strange red oval. It floated into the air like freedom and our entire unit watched. Several of us were smattered with blood, because occasionally the guards got a punch in for us. Colonel Lydecker paced in front of us before ordering us back inside the Manticore gymnasium. We formed our two lines and marched back inside. Colonel Lydecker barked at me, "Who was responsible for this?"
I stood straight like a good soldier, "I am, Sir."
"X5-599, why did this rebellion occur?"
I stared straight ahead, thinking of my family. I had to protect them.
"I saw something in a tree, Sir. I climbed up and retrieved it. The guards tried to take it away before I had a proper chance to identify it, Sir."
"So you chose to beat your comrades in arms?"
"Yes, Sir."
"And the others just happened to get battered as well?"
I took a deep breath. Tinga and Ben behind me had cuts and bruises like mine.
"Yes, Sir. They were in the way, Sir."
"Is that the way it happened, X5-493?"
Ben nodded dutifully. "Yes, Sir."
"X5-656?"
"Yes, Sir."
Colonel Lydecker scanned my unit with his beady eyes. They fell on Max. I held my breath as he spoke. "X5-452, did I see you with a balloon earlier?"
Max stepped forward, attempting to look like the tough little soldier she tried to be, but it wasn't working.
"No, Sir."
"I saw you with a red balloon."
"Permission to ask a question, Sir."
"Granted."
"What is a balloon, Sir?"
I thought I saw him smile a little bit before it vanished. "An plastic oval with air inside. You were holding it, tied to a string."
"Yes, Sir."
He nodded slowly before turning to the X4's behind us. "The entire unit is to be punished. Severe beatings are to be adminstered to each one, one at a time." The X4's looked delighted to be the ones to beat us. Colonel Lydecker left the room, leaving us alone with the X4's. They chose to go from oldest to youngest apparently, so I was the first to be beat. They forced me on my knees before kicking and whipping me. Tinga was next, then Ben, then Zane, then Krit, then Syl, then Eva, then Brin, then Gage, then Jace, then Jondy. Each took them without complaint, except for little Jondy. She was shivering like a leaf and it made me very angry at the X4's. But it was even worse when Max was called up. She was so tiny, almost nine, but the smallest of the group. She was so...I don't know. I can't ever think of a word to describe Maxie. It's something that is good, but we're not really taught about the good words. Watching her step up to take her punishment, her head bowed, made something snap inside of me. I felt something so special for this little girl, but I didn't know what it was called. Like I said, we don't know the good words. I blurred forward and threw myself over her as the first kicks were given. They landed in my ribs and I felt them crack. Max jumped from beneath me, but she couldn't move. The X4's had just realized what had happened. They were so slow. "Get back in line, X5-599!"
"I can't do that, Sir!"
That seemed to put them in a flying rage. They all came at me and I jumped up so Max wouldn't feel any of the pain I would. They tried to catch me, but I managed to evade them most of the time. The whip came down on my back several times and all I could feel was the fire on my back. Still, I saw Maxie slip back into formation during the commotion, her eyes following me around the room. It made me feel a little bit better. Finally, the X4's caught up to me and they punched me a few more times.
"Okay. Get them back to their barracks!" Colonel Lydecker barked from the doorway. Maxie was safe from the punishment. At least, I think she was.
Everyone was terrible sore after that. Each person had sort of collapsed on their beds, praying to the Blue Lady for sleep and less pain. Even Jondy was tired. Max had climbed into her bed and buried her face in her pillow. I hope she didn't feel bad too. I'd tried to stop that. She was supposed to be happy now. I watched her from my bunk at the other side of the room. She had gotten up and gone to Jondy. They were...good sisters. They were together all the time. I think it's because neither of them ever needed much sleep and they're kind of the babies of the group. Anyways, Jace was next to Jondy and Max started to whisper while she wiped up some of the blood off their foreheads with her shirt. Ben tilted up in his bed and whispered for Max to tell him the story. So, Max whispered back, as if we couldn't hear her down the room, despite our hearing. "The Blue Lady protects us always. As longs as we make her happy, she won't let the Nomlies come and drink our blood. When we go away, there's a Good Place. No body yells or gives punishment. And the Nomlies are never there. All we have to do is play all day long, never train or go on maneuvers." Max stopped and looked down at Jace and Jondy. They were both asleep. She moved down to Ben and Eva and continued her story. "We're always happy there. The Blue Lady wants it that way. She's the one who lets us stay there. There's lots of games to play in the Good Place, and we'll always be a family there."
She petted on Ben and Eva until they dozed off. Gage, Brin, Zane were in the bunks across from Ben, Eva, and Jace. "And in the Good Place, there are a lot of red balloons to play with. They float all around us and they're fun to play with. You can throw them like a grenade, except they don't explode."
She moved on to Krit and Syl, who had huddled together, hugging each other. "In the Good Place, they don't take you away when you get the shakies. The Blue Lady holds you until they stop and then she lets you go play with your family."
She stopped in front of Tinga's bed. "They let your hair grow really long. So it can be pretty and shiny and not stubbly like ours." Tinga let out a happy sigh as she slowly fell asleep. A chorus of steady breathing fell over the room. Max had successfully comforted each one of them. I closed my eyes as I felt her approach my bunk. She peeked through the metal bars at the foot of my bed and whispered, "Zack, are you still awake?"
"Yes."
She came around to the edge of my bed. Her tiny hand reached up and brushed my forehead and cheek. "I don't know what you want at the Good Place, Zack. I would tell you, but I don't know."
"All I want at the Good Place, Maxie, is you."
She smiled a little bit before she tilted her head. "But we'll all be there."
"Then I'll be happy."
See, the thing is, I don't believe in the Good Place. Or the Bad Place. Or the Nomlies drinking our blood. The Blue Lady isn't any more real then...well, I don't know. I've never believed in it. But it makes my brothers and sisters happy to believe in it. And I want them to be happy. Max stared at me in that way that makes me nervous. It's like she can read minds or something. She breathed deeply before whispering again, "Can I come up there, Zack?"
I've always had trouble saying no to Max. She has that way that makes me want to protect her. She crawled up next to me and curled into my side. "Do you hurt a lot?"
"It's nothin', Maxie. No reason to worry about me."
"But they beat you twice because of me."
"No, they beat me twice because of me, Max."
I said it firmly so she would understand that none of this was her fault. It was that weird feeling again, the one I can't describe. I couldn't let her feel guilty because of it. I felt her little fingers slide through my hands and clasp onto it tightly. X5's did have quite a grip. She pillowed her head on my chest as she finished the story.
"No one gets hurt in the Good Place. We're always together and we're always happy."
She stopped to look up at me. "Do you think the Good Place is real, Zack?"
They always looked to me to have all the right answers. I couldn't find it in my heart to destroy her hopes.
"Of course it is. The Blue Lady made it. And the Blue Lady has protected you and Ben and Krit and Syl when you get the shakes. So it must be true. Even if it isn't, I'll protect you forever, Max."
She seemed satisfied with that answer. She closed her eyes and I realized that we'd stayed up most of the night. Not unusual for Max, but for me, I needed the rest. She was drowsy and I knew she was about to fall asleep. So I ran my hand down her back and listened to her breathing slow and become quite rythmic. I studied her while she rested and hoped that I could keep her safe forever. I pressed my lips to the top of her head, wishing I could think of the good word to tell Max, but while considering those, I drifted off to sleep as well.
I don't know who woke up first. Probably Jondy. And she woke the others up because she likes to share. Max and I had stayed asleep for the rest of the night and I hadn't made her go back to her bed. If they found us we'd be in big trouble. Even more so than last night. They were about to wake us up when the janitor came in. He saw the two of us and woke us. "Get back to your bed, girlie. Before the Colonel comes in."
Max gave me a pitiful look before running to her bunk. We all closed our eyes as the janitor continued to clean. He left and Colonely Lydecker came in.
"Wake up!"
We all jumped to our feet. "X5-599! Did you learn your lesson?"
"Yes, Sir. We will not rebel again."
"Good. Now number them off."
I walked down the rows, naming off each one of my siblings numbers. I stopped in front of Max. "X5-452." I smiled a little at her and that seemed to make her seem more comfortable. She raised her eyes to mine and smiled back. We quickly ended it before Colonel Lydecker saw. Except I think he did. Because he seemed to be thinking about something for a long time before we were given our orders for the day.