Chapter 1- Season 1, Episode 1

Present…

It was a sunny day, the sun shone the kids were out playing and everyone was enjoying the sunshine and compony of one another.

Today was Alexia's and Jaxon's 16th birthday; their aunt Joe had gathered them in the main room, with their family friend, Porter. Jaxon and Alexia were both given a small box each. Jaxon opened his first, inside was his late uncle's Swiss army knife. Engulfed with glee, Jaxon had no words, he had always admired his uncle's knife and was overwhelmed when Joe had intrusted him with it. "He always wanted a son to pass this down to; you were his best friend and son at heart… Now you, Miss Lexi, open your present," Joe gestured towards Alexia. Holding it, Lexi opened the box. Flipping open the lid and removing the old paper covering the contents. Underneath the scrunched up bit of paper was a small silver pendent on a matching chain. Studying the details of the necklace, she was startled by Joe's voice. "I've been holding on to this for a long time. "

Lexi turned her back to Joe, while she connected the clasp of the necklace. "I've been waiting for this day for a while. Hey Jaxon why don't you and Porter get lunch ready." Now that they were alone Joe continued on with their conversation. "Now there are some rules with this," Joe began to whisper to Lexi. "Firstly; you can't tell anyone else about this, especially anyone from the militia. Next; don't leave it sitting around and hide it under shirt or at least out of sight when you're wearing it."

"What, wh why? It's just a necklace isn't it?" Lexi Asked with a confused look upon her face.

Joe's face darkened and her voice became strict like a parents warning a child "Just listen to me alright, I'm telling you this and I'll going tell your brother the same thing, don not let anyone know you have this. Please, I gave this to you this because I trust you… and let's face it you're the alpha between you and your brother."

"yeah, he has the mentality of a ten year old boy, thanks Aunt Joe, love you," Lexi Said as Joe Engulfed her into a smothering hug, both of them laughing.

"Lexi, please, I thought I saw a militia group going to the camp, can we just go back, before they catch us out here?" Jaxon incessantly kept pleading and asking Lexi.

"Look, what can we caught for? Come on, honestly I think you just saw the exports carriage returning to the village." Lexi said as she continued further into the bushland south of their home town. Sighing Lexi continued "if you want to go back, you can, we're the same age, I'm not the boss of you, but you're gonna have to go alone. I'm going to keep hunting out here until I get enough meat to pay back Mr and Mrs Murray for helping you the other week. Remember when you just had to go swimming in the creek and you caught pneumonia."

"Alright… Do you mind if I go without you?" Jaxon asked sheepishly.

"it's fine, I should be able to carry it, besides it will be nice to not have you throwing up each time I shoot something, "

"Be careful, it could have been militia,"

"But it wasn't" Lexi responded to her brother before he left.

Lexi had used only five arrows from her quiver on her hunting trip this afternoon. Returning to camp, Lexi noticed there wasn't the usual buzz of excitement from the kids of the village. In fact none of them were to be seen. The town look like to be in an Armageddon state. On the way to her own house Lexi stopped by Murray's. When arriving to their porch and knocking at the door there was a significant period of silence until Mrs Murray came to the door.

Quietly, she stood in the door way. Reaching her old shaking hand to touch Lexi's arm she said with most sorrow "My condolences are with you and your aunt,"

With her eyes widening and her speech increasing in speed she asked, "What in the world for?" Without getting an answer, Lexi dropped the game and ran with all her heart and soul to her house. Hyperventilating she slammed opened the door to see her battered and beaten brother lying on the couch along with Porter and Joe by his side. Almost screaming for heart break, she ran over to him.

Jaxon opened his eyes and said one word that struck fear to Lexi's core. Militia. Joe hugged a now crying Alexia. Mr Murray then emerged from the kitchen drying his hands with a towel. Almost leaping to him Lexi asked him a thousand questions, all of which meant, is he going to be ok? Reassuring her Mr Murray explained he is going to be fine, but he will have to rest for a while and he can't move around much. Hearing this made Lexi's Afternoon, but like all good things, it came to an end. Hearing horses arriving outside her house, she peered through the window. There were a fleet of militia armed men outside; the sight of them enraged Lexi.

Rushing outside and confronting them about harming her brother seemed the only logical action at the time.

"What the hell are you doing here? We paid our crop and hunting fees. And why did you beat up Jaxon Caffrey?!" Lexi released all her anger from within at the soldiers. They were all standing there silently, until their leader spoke up. "Do you know where we could find Alexia Selena Caffrey?" This made Lexi's heart drop.

In disbelief all Lexi could make out was "Who?"

Responding to her question the man replied "My name is Captain Tom Neville."

"Well, Cap…" was all she could say before she cut off.

Suddenly his voice went cold and sharp just like the sward he carried "I will not repeat the question. Where is Alexia Selena Caffrey? She is 16, about 5 foot 7, brown hair and Caucasian." A man jumped off the carried walked towards the Captain and began to whisper into his ear. Lexi, still quiet from her earlier interruption stood watching. Shifting his weight from one leg to another Neville smiled. Stepping forward, his voice became bitterly sweet. "Are you Alexia Selena Caffrey?" the look of horror on Lexi's face gave him the answer.

While fighting for her life, Lexi was taken, hand cuffed and thrown into the carriage. The last she saw of her village was Joe rushing to her aid, before he was shot mercilessly in the head. She was thrown in the carriage and handcuffed to a poll running along the inside of the wall.

Sitting there in the carriage across from her was a sullen teenage boy. He was well built, and maybe only a few years older than her. She could tell from the look on his face and his body language he was angry, sad and confused to the matters at hand. She shared the same feeling.

Lexi sat still and catatonic for 10 minutes before she felt a stray tear fall from her eye, immediately she wiped it from her face hiding the thought of weakness and look up at the unknown boy across from her.