Prologue
She always saw him but never met him. He was always standing out more than the others, getting in trouble when he shouldn't and sneaking out when he thought that no one was watching. But she was.
Because of the separation between boys and girls at the Saint Francis home, she only really saw him from afar. The boy's home stood across from the girl's home with a sizable gap between the two. The only time the two of them ever mixed was on retreats or other special occasions, though she never really saw him on any of them. She figured it was because he seemed to like to get in trouble. Even in the girl's home, the news of the boy would travel among the nuns.
His name was Nathan Morgan and she was fascinated by him.
He was always different than the others, seeming to want adventure and trouble more than the other kids. Many times, she had seen him from her window sneaking out at night and quite literally scaling the buildings until he was out of sight. She didn't know where he went, but the thought of getting out of this place, even for just a little while, seemed so appealing to her. However, she didn't know where to start or where to go, so she was left to watch from afar in her room and hope that one day she would be able to do the same.
It was on a church retreat that she was finally able to meet him for the first time.
She wasn't expecting to see him there, given that he almost always was in trouble for something and wasn't allowed to go. It wasn't until later in the day when they were all given a bit of free time that she decided she wanted to meet him.
He was sitting up in a tree, receiving glares from the rest of the nuns, though he didn't seem to care. His right hand grasped the branch above him and he stood with his hip cocked out as he looked over the large area, almost as if he was seeking something out. It piqued her curiosity. What was going on inside that head of his?
So against her better judgement, she slipped away from the others over to the tree, looking up at him for a moment before speaking.
"What are you doing up there?" she asked, craning her neck to get a better look at him.
He seemed to be jolted out of whatever was going on in his head and he looked around for a moment before spotting her down below him. He knelt down, letting go of the branch he was holding and leaning against the trunk for support.
"Just...looking," he responded with a shrug.
She glanced around, noticing that the nuns had gotten momentarily distracted by one of the other boys who had scraped his knee.
"Can I come up?"
He seemed taken aback by her question and didn't respond for several moments.
"Yeah...yeah sure! There's a rock on the other side of the tree, makes it easier to get up."
She responded with a small smile and made her way around to the other side, shooting an annoyed look down at the skirt she was forced to wear before climbing atop the rock. Though she was short, the rock gave her the added height and she was able to grab onto the lowest branch. She didn't have much upper body strength, but she was able to flail her legs around enough to get a foot hitched up onto the branch. Her climb wasn't graceful by any means, but she was just trying to get up and didn't care how she did it.
The skirt constricted her movements, but soon enough, she had shimmied and crawled to the branch just slightly below his. She sat down, letting her legs dangle over the side and she took a quick look around them. Up here, it felt different. The success of the climb made her chest swell with pride and satisfaction and the view was rather pretty.
The fields stretched into the distance, transforming into city streets on the right and towering forests on the left. It made her wonder what lied beyond the borders which she was allowed. Yes, she did go into the city at times with the nuns, but she never got to go off on her own and explore. And she had never even been close to the forests.
"It's...cool up here, huh?" he said suddenly, bringing her gaze back to him.
"Yeah. I've never climbed a tree before. There's not many trees at the orphanage," she muttered, leaning her temple against the tree trunk.
"Well if you...sneak out you can find a bunch of trees on the east side of town. But the roofs have better views."
"How do you even know how to climb to the roof?"
He gave her a small shrug. "Practice."
A small silence settled between the two of them as she pondered thoughtfully on what to ask him next. He was such an interesting character and a part of her had always wanted to go out and explore like he did.
"I see you sometimes...at night when you sneak out. Your window is across from mine," she commented.
"Oh..."
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. It's cool. I wish I could get out. I just don't know where to go. Or if I'd be able to climb the buildings like you do."
"I could...show you...?"
"Nathaniel Morgan! Alexandria Lewis! Get down here this instant!"
She winced, peering through the leaves to see Sister Lilian glaring at them with her hands on her hips.
"Guess we better get down," he muttered, swinging down to another branch.
Nodding, she followed after him, occasionally getting a scrape or two on her arm, but it didn't slow her down until her feet were firmly on the ground. A small rip formed at the end of her skirt, but she didn't care since she hated wearing skirts like this when she wanted to run around and have fun.
Once they were on the ground, Sister Lilian made her way over, standing in front of them and looking over them.
"Your bad habits are rubbing off on the other children, Nathan. How many times do you have to get punished before you realize what you're doing?"
"I wanted to go up, he didn't make me," she protested, shooting a glance over at him.
"But if he wasn't there, the idea wouldn't have even formed in your mind. Do you know how unladylike it is to climb trees? And is that a rip in your skirt?"
Alex let out an irritated sigh and tugged a hand through her brunette hair that had begun to escape from its bun. "If I could wear pants outside, I wouldn't rip my clothes. Why does climbing trees have to not be ladylike? Clarice plays in the mud and that isn't ladylike either."
A small smile tugged at the corners of Nathan's lips and she smiled a little herself.
Sister Lilian sighed and shook her head. "I want the both of you to go back to your groups. I will speak to you once we return."
He gave her a small shrug and wave before heading back over to his group of boys. Lucky for them, this was only the beginning of an adventure.
A week had passed since Alex had last seen Nathan. Since the boys and the girls of he orphanage lived in separate buildings, the most she could do was look out her window across the streets into his, though it was far enough that she couldn't see anything inside. A part of her wanted to climb out her window and somehow get across the gap to peer in his window and say a quick greeting while she had the chance, but she didn't even know how to begin climbing across the buildings. She would often draw a diagram in her notebook of the buildings and try to map a way across, but she had yet to set foot out of the window. It was difficult with three other girls rooming with her and she had to wait until they were asleep.
Tonight was a night she thought of crossing the gap.
If only her roommates would turn off the lights and go to sleep.
She sat on her bed, propping her back up against the wall and tracing the little map in her hands as the other girls spoke quietly to each other, the lamp light casting a soft glow across the room. It was nearly eight o' clock, which meant that one of the Sisters would come in to make sure they went to sleep on time. After that, she would only have to wait a little while before they went to sleep.
Just as she closed her notebook, a face in the window nearly made her pee her pants, or nightgown, rather. Dropping the little book on the bed, her eyes went wide as Nathan peered at her with a small smile and wave. The other girls hadn't noticed, as they were too wrapped up in their conversation, but the footsteps approaching the door could mean some very bad things if he was still there.
Quickly, Alex motioned for him to duck down and he disappeared from the window just as Sister Jennifer entered the room.
"Time for bed, girls. I don't want to see any lights on or hear any talking."
"Yes Sister Jennifer," the other girls chorused.
"Sister, can I open my window?" she asked quickly, the gears turning in her brain. "I'm feeling a bit hot."
"I suppose so, Alexandria. But only a crack!"
With a small nod, she reached over to unlock the window and moved it up a tad so at least her arm could fit through. Once that was open, she got into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin as the lights were turned out and Sister Jennifer left the room. In a mad rush, she grabbed her notebook, quietly tearing out a page, and scribbling a note on it.
'I need to wait for everyone to fall asleep. Let me get dressed.'
She slipped it out of the window and was rewarded with a thumbs up. Her eyes stayed glued on the other girls and as soon as their breathing deepened, she knew that she was in the clear. With speed she didn't know she had, she quietly opened up her dresser and pulled out a blouse and the only pair of pants she owned from stealing them out of the lost and found earlier in the week. Once she was dressed and her sneakers were tied up, she opened up the window further and slipped outside onto the roof next to where Nathan was waiting.
"Hey," she said, holding onto the windowsill for support. "What are you doing here?"
"Well...we only get to see each other on church retreats and you said that you wanted to explore the city...You want to come with me?" he asked.
Her hazel eyes brightened and she nodded quickly. "Yeah! How did you get over here, anyway?"
"I climbed up those buildings over there." He pointed to a small string of them close together. "And jumped from there to here."
"Awesome. Can you show me how?"
"Yeah. That way you can get to my window too." He grinned before standing and reaching up toward a window shutter. "Follow my lead."
Alex straightened up, stretching her feet and following after him. She reached up to the top of the shutter, grasping it firmly with both hands and taking a deep breath. He was already climbing up further, using outcroppings and windowsills for ledges. She took a brief look down to realize how high up she was before using her legs to push herself upwards to the outcropping.
Her stomach jolted as her fingers curled around the ledge and her feet found the top of the shutter where her hands had been previously. By now, her heart was beating madly in her chest, but there was something about the thrill and rush that made it seem exciting. With a little more confidence, she pushed herself up to the next shutter, fingers slipping a bit, but she was able to keep herself from falling. Finally, she grabbed onto the edge of the roof where Nathan was waiting and he helped her get up to the top.
"Whoa. That was so cool," she murmured breathlessly, dusting herself off and looking down at the increased distance between her and the ground.
"Yeah. I love it," he replied, rolling his shoulders and turning to the next building, which was a bit lower than what they were on now. "I'm going to jump from here to that roof. When you jump, land on all fours. It doesn't hurt as much that way."
"Got it."
With a small running start, he launched himself off the roof and landed on the roof below, on his hands and feet just like he told her to do. Once he was clear, he moved out of her way to give her room. The first time she tried, she stopped short out of fear and apprehension. Her second time, she managed to do it, pushing off the ledge at the last minute and over jumping quite a bit, landing next to Nate a bit clumsily and scraping the palms of her hands.
"See? Not that bad. The next one's harder though. You gotta jump from the roof to the outcropping there. Easy to slip. And then you have to climb onto the ledge and shimmy to the other side and then that's where my window is," he explained, starting to run once more and leaping to the outcropping. He was able to grab on with ease and climb up to the ledge.
Alex was feeling more confident now that she was able to climb a bit, so she followed his lead. She grabbed onto the outcropping easily enough, but her fingers slipped and she scrambled to gran onto something before she fell to her death.
Luckily, he had been watching her the whole time and was able to grab her wrist before she fell to far. With her left hand, she grabbed onto the outcropping again and with his help, she climbed up next to him, pressing her back against the wall and taking a shaky breath.
"It gets easier the more you do it. You're probably going to be really sore."
"As long as I don't die, I don't care if I'm sore."
He looked at her and let out a laugh at her comment, which made her grin a little despite being pretty shaken up from nearly falling.
"Come on, we're almost to my window," he said with a nudge, shimmying sideways around the corner of the building.
She followed after him, making sure her footing didn't become compromised at all, and soon enough she dropped down onto the roof next to his window.
"Phew...that was..."
"Scary?" he offered with a raised eyebrow.
"Fun. Scary but fun."
Silence settled over the two and she looked out over the streets, finding the emptiness inviting and mysterious.
"Hey maybe we could do this every week?" Nathan suggested, breaking the silence. "Like, just explore the city?"
"Really? You'd want to do that?" she queried in disbelief.
"Yeah... I mean you're the only real friend I can say I have...you're not like the others. You're cool."
A smile crept up her face and she nodded slowly. "You're cool too."
Tonight was another night of sneaking out and exploring with Nate. The more they explored, the more Alex wanted to get out of the stupid orphanage. She wanted to know what was out in the world - know all of the different places she could see and learn about face to face. The two of them talked about it all the time, but of course they couldn't actually leave. They had no way to get out and no money to go anywhere. It was merely a dream that they talked about often and hoped that one day they could achieve.
For now, their adventures consisted of climbing the buildings in the city and exploring the streets. Like usual, she waited for everyone to fall asleep before she slipped out and began the climb over to his window. She had gotten increasingly good at climbing now and her arms didn't hurt as much as they did the first time. She would stumble every once and a while after a particularly rough landing, but otherwise, she had improved dramatically.
When she got to his window, she peeked in, noticing that he was tying up his shoes. He looked up after he was finished and flashed her a small smile, heading to the window and opening it up before slipping out.
"Hey. Where to tonight?" she asked, taking a glance down at the streets.
"I thought we could go to the art museum down the street. Maybe sneak in and look around?" he suggested.
"Okay. Let's go. Lead the way."
He gave her a small grin before starting down the path to the art museum. She followed him with much more ease, jumping from roof to roof and windowsill to windowsill at a pace that would have been impossible had she not been doing this for weeks now. Finally, they reached the museum and stopped on the roof, peering down on the streets for any signs of security guards or people. A couple lingered by the front door, but the rest of the security seemed very minimal.
"I bet we could get in through the sky light," he pointed out, nearing the window on the roof.
She looked down into it, pursing her lips. "But how are we gonna get down to the floor?"
"We'll...figure it out." He shrugged. "Now help me with this?"
Alex felt a little skeptical, but she went over and helped him peel the window off the roof. Darkness encompassed the room with bits of light here and there shining in through the windows.
"We can use the rafters. Try and get down that way," she commented before sliding down.
Her feet just barely skimmed the rafter and she let herself gently down onto it, using her arms for balance and then moving aside to let him come down too. She didn't wait and started to walk across like a balance beam until she got to the wall and looked around for anything they could use to climb down.
"Hey why don't we slide down the curtains?" He turned to look at her.
"You think it will hold?"
"Yeah. Probably."
She let out a quiet laugh and shifted slightly so he could go first. Grabbing onto it, he stepped off the rafter and scrambled to wrap his legs around it too so he wouldn't flail around and fall. Carefully, he shifted himself down until his feet were on the ground. Well, it was proof enough that it would work so she followed suit. When she got on the ground, she immediately spotted a large portrait of a ship with pirates scattering to save the vessel from a giant sea monster. It sparked a little bit of longing in her chest and she imagined how cool it would be to be able to explore the sea and collect treasures.
After examining the portrait for a moment, she wandered off to go and find where Nathan had gone. She found him at the other side of the room, observing some weird sculpture that looked like it had come out of the trash.
"Is that supposed to be art?" she joked, smirking and giving it a once over.
"I dunno. Let's see what else we can find."
The two of them shuffled through the dark to find something that caught their interest. Paintings and sculptures of families, farms, and religious figures seemed to take up most of the space.
"Whoa, Nate, look at this!" she exclaimed, motioning him over.
The painting captured a magnificent scene of traders trading gold and silver for old artifacts.
"Wow...Hey maybe that'll be us someday," he joked.
"I wish. We just have to get out of the orphanage first," she murmured, looking back up at the art.
She could just imagine being one of the ones who found the artifacts in the first place and getting to discover all the history and stories behind it. Getting a good hunk of gold wouldn't be so bad either. At least she would be able to have her own things and live outside of the orphanage.
The two of them continued to explore the rest of the museum and Alex lingered on more of the nautical artwork. Tucked away in the corner, she found a very detailed sculpture of a pirate ship. She could easily tell it was one because of the flag with a skull and crossbones. There was just something about ships and pirates that enthralled her imagination more than anything else. Maybe it was the thought of traveling the world or the thought of exploring different islands for treasure...
Sighing a little, she leaned closer to it, accidentally brushing her hand along the stand...
A loud alarm started to blare into the silence and she reeled back, wincing and clutching her ears. Nathan wasn't far away from her and he did the same, looking over at her with confusion and panic in his gaze. They needed to get out of here and fast.
"We can't go back the way we came! It'll take to long!" he yelled over the noise, looking up when he heard voices.
On instinct, she grabbed onto his arm and tugged him behind a tapestry just before security guards came thundering past. She pressed her back against the wall, breathing heavily and trying to stay as quiet as possible, but her heart was thumping a million miles a second and the adrenaline running through her veins was making her sweaty and fidgety.
The light from the flashlight got dimmer as they got further away from their location and Nathan poked his head out from behind the tapestry, stepping out a moment later and motioning for her to follow. She didn't hesitate to start checking the windows for a way out, but all of them were locked or built so that they didn't even open.
"What do we do?" she asked in a frantic whisper, glancing behind her when she started to hear the footsteps get louder.
"Keep checking!" he responded, flying to another window and coming up unsuccessful.
Alex climbed over one of the sculptures to get one of the windows that was further out of reach and to their luck, it slid right open. Relief flooded her system. "Nate! This way!"
She started to climb through, but when she was about halfway, the guards spotted them. Slipping, she tumbled to the hard ground outside, landing on her back with a light thud. He got through the window just as one of the guards went to grab him and he landed beside her on his feet, reaching down to help her and ignoring the shouts and curses of the guards. They needed to get out of here and fast.
Neither of them even thought about where they were going. They just ran as fast as they could through the alleys and down the streets with the hammering footsteps tailing them the whole time. She didn't dare cast a glance behind her - she was far too afraid and panicked as they slid around corners and leaped over trash cans. It was only when they reached a dead end when she realized what they needed to do and should have done in the first place.
"Up! Go up!" Her gaze found a fire escape. "Help me up!"
Without hesitation, Nathan bent down on all fours to make himself a stool and she climbed on to of him, trying to get air into her lungs so she could function correctly without slowing down. Her fingers gripped the end of the fire escape and she gave it a mighty tug, which was enough to bring it down so that they could both get up with ease. With the last bit of energy she had in her, she climbed up, her best friend on her heels. They made it up but didn't stop climbing and when they got to the roof, they leaped over to the next one and the next until they were absolutely sure they'd lost the guards.
She finally collapsed, rolling on her back and breathing hard. The oxygen felt so sharp against her throat and lungs, but she couldn't stop sucking it in like a dehydrated man sucking in water. After several minutes of this, she rolled over onto her side with a groan, spotting Nathan sprawled out a few feet away from her. She caught his eye and he gave her an exhausted grin.
"That was fun."
She couldn't agree more.
It was a Wednesday night when Nathan came to her window. Usually, they would go out on their adventures together on Friday and Saturday nights, so it left Alex a little bit confused. The other girls were taking a particularly long time going to sleep tonight because of the excitement about a new girl entering the orphanage tomorrow. She didn't think it was really anything to be excited about since it meant that it was another girl who had lost her parents, but maybe she could try an make a new friend.
As usual once the girls were asleep, she got dressed, tied up her sneakers, and slipped out the window.
"Why are you here tonight? What's going on?" she whispered, glancing up when she thought she saw movement on a building a few streets over.
"I'd tell you but he's mad you took so long. Come on!" he vaguely explained.
He?
Nathan took off without another word, leaving her to catch up to him as they bounded across the skyline as usual. Tonight, his pace was more rushed and sloppy, but he still managed okay and it only left her to wonder what he was so excited about and who this person was that seemed to be joining them tonight.
They got halfway across the city before they got to a building with another silhouette on the roof. As they approached, she was able to make out that he appeared to be a teenage boy, probably a few years older than them, with light brown hair sticking up in all directions and a smug, sarcastic attitude layering his features.
"Who're you?" she asked bluntly.
He let out a laugh, taking a step forward with his arms crossed and looking over her. "Surprised Nathan hasn't told you already. My reputation is pretty special around here."
Alex gave a confused look over at her friend.
"He's my brother, Sam. I wanted you to meet him. He comes to see me sometimes," Nathan explained.
Sam reached over and ruffled his little brother's hair, which caused him to groan and push away.
"Why aren't you in the orphanage? I mean, you're his brother," she pointed out, scuffing the ground with her shoes.
"Ah I uh, got relieved of my monastery duties," he said.
"He got kicked out," Nathan clarified.
"Oh...how old are you?"
"Fourteen. Three years older than baby brother. So what about you, runt? How old are you?" he countered.
"Eleven. Same as Nate."
"Nate? Aww little brother has friends close enough to call him by a nick name."
Again, Sam tried to reach over and ruffle his hair, but he was ready this time and dodged. She snorted, taking a moment to watch the two interact. It was a bit of a surprise that he had a brother, but it made sense that she didn't know him since he was older than them and wasn't in the orphanage anymore. Admittedly, he was cute and had the same facial features as Nathan did, the only major difference being the shades of their hair, Nate's being darker and Sam's being lighter.
"You wanna go for a little run? So I can see how much you've been practicing and how much you taught your girl?" Sam asked suddenly after being swatted away, a smug grin on his lips.
She answered for him with much enthusiasm to prove herself, "you're on!"
Alex was worried.
Tonight, she and Nathan were supposed to go out like usual, but he wasn't here. Usually, they alternated on who went to who's window and it was his turn to come to hers. She normally only had to wait twenty minutes after lights out until he would come, but it had been even longer. After the first five minutes, she'd gotten antsy and kept glancing around the window to see if he was coming.
Maybe he had just forgotten and fell asleep and she would need to go over there and wake him up? Or maybe he got in trouble or something. She wasn't sure, but she grew tired of waiting.
So, she slipped out of the window and went across the roofs in the normal familiar path. When she got to his window, she noticed that the window was already open and the light was on. She looked inside, greeted with empty beds. Church retreat? Sometimes the boys and girls went separately. But that didn't explain why the light was still on and she usually told him if he wasn't going to be able to hang out.
With a small sigh, she sat back on her heels, biting her lip and trying to figure out where he could possibly be. She scanned the skyline, looking for any moving figures or just movement at all, but she came up with nothing. Frowning, she climbed up higher cupping her hand above her eyes to try and get a clearer view. She didn't know how long she stood there looking, but it didn't do any good and her shoulders sagged. Was he even okay?
She decided that standing outside wasn't going to help things, so she slipped back in through her window and settled herself on her bed with her back against the wall. Her eyes wandered over to the other girls sleeping and she stared for a long while, mind racing with possibilities. No matter how hard she tried to settle her thoughts, they kept raging and it only brought her to worry more. The constant worrying drained her energy and made her tired enough to drift off, but just as she was doing so, a voice startled her awake.
"Alex! Hey wake up!"
Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up straight, blinking as Nathan hovered in front of her.
"Wha...Nate? Where have you been? I was waiting for you!" she whispered, stretching a bit.
"I know I'm sorry but...Sam he...found some stuff about my mom. He wanted me to go see it," he explained.
"Oh...What did you find?"
"A lot...but...we almost got caught. The police were chasing after us and...Sam he has a job now but he has to go away. He's bringing me."
What? Nathan was leaving? Her eyebrows furrowed and she reached over to hug him before she could control herself. "I don't want you to leave..."
"Hey wait," he started, pulling away, "you're coming too."
"I am?"
"Yeah I mean...get out of this place. Go explore the world together. Just like we always talked about. I wouldn't leave without you. Sam agreed..."
A huge smile stretched across Alex's lips. No hesitation, she was going to go with him. If she could get out of this place, she would, and now was an opportunity. The whole story wasn't explained yet, but all she knew was that she was getting out of here with her best friend and his brother.
Without another word, she leaped off the bed and dug into the dresser, retrieving the only thing that even mattered to her - a tattered notebook filled with her thoughts from the last few years. She slipped it into her jacket pocket and zipped it onto herself.
"Come on. He's waiting on his bike on the street."
Alex slipped out the window after him, not even looking back as she landed on the roof and started to climb down the side of the building where she spotted Sam on a bike. Excitement and nervousness jolted her system and she quickened her pace, finally dropping to the ground.
"Hey, runt. Glad you decided to join us," Sam greeted, shifting his weight to keep the bike upright.
She flashed him a toothy grin as Nathan got on behind him. Once he was settled, she squeezed on the very back and held onto her friend tightly.
"Ready, set, go," Sam murmured and then they were off.
The engine rumbled beneath them and her fingers tightened around Nathan's jacket. Together, they left the orphanage to continue on their own adventure. Little did they know how much they would get into.
A/N: So this is just the prologue, as the title obviously says haha. I'm not sure when I'm actually going to start writing the rest of this, but my Uncharted muse was high lately and I wanted to get the prologue out of the way so I could start planning and writing the rest of this story. It will take place very shortly after young Nate meets Sully in Colombia, so they'll be about fifteen. I have a plan of four books in this series, with this one being as they were young, one taking place when they are in their early twenties, a tie in with Uncharted 3, and then a tie in with Uncharted 4. I have plans for the other books, but obviously my priority is this one at the moment. Anyway, I think that's all you need to know for now. I hope you enjoyed the prologue and I'll keep you guys posted about the next chapters on my profile!