Chapter Eight

"And you will understand all too soon
That you, my children of battle, are your heroes"
-Nikki Giovanni

Maybe, he'd been too hard on Huey. It was frustrating to be ignored.

"Grandad, look!" Riley was sitting on the edge of the loveseat. "I told you they were okay! Huey's big ass head saved their lives!"

Granddad was busy talking on the phone, talking to Aunt Cookie. He was pacing back and forth, rambling more to himself than the woman on the other end.

"I sat right here at the kitchen table and told that boy what would happen if he tried to save everybody else!"

"Grandad!"

"And what did he do?"

"Gran! Dad!"

"He went and tried to save everybody else!" Robert Freeman was too into his rant now. "Um hmm, sho' did. Has too much of our momma's genes in him. Didn't get that shit from us! No sirree." He grabbed something out of the fridge and then put it back. "See, we take after our daddy-"

"Ayyyyye, Granddad! This bitch gettin' naked!" Riley yelled from his spot on the couch.

"Hold on, Cookie." Granddad spoke into the receiver of the telephone. "Riley's trying to tell me something."

Riley just sighed and rolled his eyes. His Granddad's selective hearing never got old.

"Boy, didn't I just tell you not to call me unless you could see if Huey and cutie pie are okay?" Granddad finally strolled into the living room and plopped down into his armchair. "Now who's getting naked?"

"I was tryna get your attention!" Riley snickered. "You know you only see naked women in your dreams."

The man reached over and popped him. "Boy!"

"Anyway." Riley rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head. "They just woke up."

"They just woke up?" Granddad finally took his eyes off his grandson and glanced at the screen. "Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"

Sure enough, Huey's eyes had flitted open. "Thank the Lord! Cookie, he's awake!"

Riley ignored them and kept watching, trying to soak in as much as he could.

He couldn't believe he was alive.

His body was still in a lot of pain. His skin was rough and blistered, painfully itchy on his side, and he quickly realized that it hurt to sit up.

Before he could protest, he felt a pair of strong hands, gently pushing him back down.

"Relax, man." Caesar's voice was calm. "We won't hurt you. Isis and I saw what you did before the blast." He paused; his voice low. "We figured you deserved the same courtesy you tried to give Makayla."

"Where…" Huey's eyes were watering, still too sensitive to take the onslaught of sunlight. "Where am I? Where's Jazmine?"

"She's right here." Isis sounded like she was above him. "She's okay. A lot more stable than you." She let out a sigh. "I don't know if you remember much, but you shielded her from a lot of the blast. Hallucinations should be done in a little while, seems like."

He tried to lift again, surprised by a sharp pain seeming to crackle down his spine. "It'll go away." Caesar's voice was so quiet that Huey was sure no camera could pick it up. "Trust us. Just sit tight, okay? We carried you up here. We've been sitting in this tree." He paused, looking down. "It made sense to keep you two hidden while you recover."

"The bodies…" Huey's eyes widened and then flittered closed. He hadn't expected to feel so shaken. The memories were hard for him to stomach. "38."

"We know." Caesar said. "They projected every death in the sky, like a movie reel. Had the names and the photos of the fallen elects."

"She was too fast." Huey found himself explaining. "She…I couldn't get to her in time."

Isis cut in. "We know." Her voice was full of understanding, of sympathy. "We knew they were going to kill her when you made it halfway past the creek." Her own voice was teary. "It was too late."

"You did all you could." He could make out some of the boy's form, but it was still slightly blurry. His eyes were probably still swollen. "You two managed to treat her with compassion, instead of leaving her out there to die alone. I'm sure her folks appreciate that she was able to be at peace, even if it was just for a moment."

" She loved Hello Kitty." Huey was disgusted with how lame he sounded, still focused on her, but he didn't care. "And she thought I was cute. Me, the meanest guy around."

Caesar and Isis nodded, giving him the space to sort it all out.

"She wasn't even scared I would hurt her." He snorted. "Granted, it's not something I would've focused on, even at eight years old. I mean, I was ten when I met Jazmine, but you get the point. She saw something good in me. In all of us. And we let her down."

"Finding someone cute isn't something you'd be focused on." Isis deadpanned playfully.

"Says the guy who came here and hooked up with his girlfriend every chance he got." Caesar retorted, causing Huey to let out a quiet, painful laugh. "I walked past you guy's building and you two were making out…on the door."

"That's different." He said, staring up at the leaves that were slowly coming into focus. He made a mental note to thank Bushido if he got out of this unscathed. "I've loved Jazmine since the day that I laid eyes on her. Before she even really loved herself."

He got quiet for a moment, thinking about how that didn't feel like a lie anymore. How it was beginning to feel like he was telling the truth.

"So how'd you know that you loved her?" Caesar glanced into the trees, probably up at Isis. "You knew at ten?"

"At ten, no." Huey grimaced. "I thought Jazmine was annoying as hell. She was clingy, insecure, and in terrible need of affirmations."

"And you gave that to her." Isis sighed sweetly.

"Nooooooo." Jazmine slurred. "He was mean to me. And to Mrs. Wellington!"

"How was I mean to Mrs. Wellington?" Huey glared at the branches. "Did I toss Mrs. Wellington out of the window?"

"Youuuu!" Jazmine's foot suddenly stumbled down. He heard Isis snatch her backward. The branch above them moved. "You really, really, really, really wanted to!"

"But did I?" Huey rolled his eyes. Of all the things one could hallucinate about, she had to go back and forth about a toy. "You and that pasty white doll of yours were nothing but trouble!"

"Mrs. Wellington ain't white! She isssss biracial!" Jazmine hissed back. "She had curly hair like mine!"

"She had Shirley Temple barrel curls and no melanin, not even a pinch!" He shot back at his friend. Isis and Caesar were doing everything they could not to laugh, still considering the seriousness of the situation. None of them wanted to be caught in a vulnerable position.

"And she would probably be more pissed at you." Huey snorted. "Seeing as though you always blamed her for the things that you did! Like the time you blamed her for breaking my lightsaber!"

"Hmph! I don't remember blaming Mrs. Wellington for anyyyything." He saw the branch above him move slightly. "But I remember you hiddding her onnnne day."

"Mrs. Wellington needed a break from you blaming her on eating up my secret stash of Fig Newtons." Huey found it was a little less painful to sit up. "And besides, if you were a better doll mother, you would've kept up with the doll better in the first place!"

It got quiet.

"Jazmine, I wasn't thinking." He said quietly. "It's not your fault."

She didn't say anything for a moment.

"It is." The branch moved again. He could see her shoes dangling down toward him. Hear the barrage of sniffles above him. "But I've made my peace with it. I fucked everything up. I let her dieeeee. And all I could do was tell her the stuppiiid story!""

"It isn't." Isis spoke up next to her, whispering in such a low tone he and Caesar had to strain to hear her. "It's obvious that those bags were placed there based on our interests. She was only eight. She couldn't resist." Her voice wavered. " They knew that none of us could resist trying to save her."

"She's right." Huey broke the silence. "It's not your fault, Jazmine. It's nobody's fault."

"They're right." Caesar nodded. "I overheard Hiro talking to Ming after the explosion. They were worried about you. Said those bombs weren't there until Huey lifted his fist towards the camera." He hesitated, glancing up at Isis. " They came from underground. Scared all of us. Apparently, they want to help you too. They have wires all over the edge. He thinks it could be a way out of here, out of this mess."

"There's no way out." Huey rasped out. "Even if we get out of here, wouldn't our chips just electrocute us?"

"Think about it." Isis spoke up. "If those chips could really kill us dead, why spend all this money to have us kill one another? Wouldn't you just activate the chip and make us do whatever you wanted, control whatever you wanted?" Huey could see her legs waving back and forth. "They don't exist. Simple as that."

"Even if that were true…" He continued. "We have no way of knowing that without risking ourselves to test the theory. I'm sure there are guards at the edge."

"When you hear the birds, it's lights, camera, action." Caesar nodded as if he hadn't just warned them, playing it cool. "They've been swooping past, taking footage for the past couple of days. I think everybody's curious to see if you're alive."

"Two days?" He sat up, surprised by how it was already a little less painful. "We've got to get going."

"Trust us." Caesar shook his head. "You don't want to go out there right now. You'll be the first people that they come for."

"Speaking of that." Isis sounded amused. "Time for your medicine, Jazmine! After this dose, you should finally sound coherent again."

"Are th-ose…leav-es?" Jazmine drawled the words out like Sarah on her fifth bottle of wine. A moment in history only slightly less disturbing than this. He'd seen things that day he never wanted to see again. "Bitch fuckkkkk that!"

A smaller branch flew down and thwacked him in the head.

"Swallow it!" Isis sounded like she was at her wits end. The branch jerked again. "Jazmine…"

He heard Jazmine make a disgusted noise. It was over.

"What-" At least she wasn't out of it. "Oh my god. That wasn't a dream."

"Nope." Isis sounded smug. "We heard all about you and Mrs. Wellington."

When Huey snickered , Jazmine finally lowered her body to the branch nearest him, checking her balance as she sought out a stable spot on the large tree. When he saw her face, he gave her a small smirk. "Hey."

"Hey." She blushed. "You okay?"

Huey nodded, smirking. "Much better."

"Wow. You two really do love each other." Caesar remarked, studying them both closely. He glanced up at Isis. "How come you don't look at me like that, girl?"

"Probably because you play too much." Isis rolled her eyes. "Telling yo momma jokes like we're still eight years old. You'd think they would get better, but nooooo-"

"My yo momma jokes are funny." Caesar grinned. "Wanna hear one?"

"Sure, Caesar." Huey found himself nodding. Maybe a pick me up would serve them well. Besides, being social was a part of surviving this thing. "Why not?"

"Alright," Caesar took a deep breath and rubbed his hands together. "Yo momma's so ugly that R Kelly-"

"What?!"

"This is exactly what I was talking about."

"Just stop." Huey rolled his eyes at Caesar, who frowned in fake defeat. "Really?"

"You didn't even let me finish." The teenager pouted.

Isis bent over and grabbed the boy's hands. "Be thankful that he didn't."

Caesar sat straighter, eyeing Huey and Jazmine for a moment.

It was uncomfortable how long he held their gaze, examining them both, and for a moment, Huey attempted to reach for his katana, nervous that this moment would take a turn for the worst.

"I want to help." Caesar pulled Huey's arm down. "I want an alliance."

"What good is that gonna do?" Jazmine grumbled reluctantly. "Cindy, Ming, and Tasha are all out for blood. And I'm sure Grits and Vince won't be much better the longer that we wait."

"It's worth a try." Isis pulled herself up onto a new branch, hiding in the vegetation. "Obviously, everybody else is doing it."

"Maybe we can even get Hiro on board." Caesar suggested. "See what he's up to. If he has a plan. Maybe get him to convince Ming and Tasha to align with us."

"He does seem pretty easygoing." Jazmine looked over at Caesar. "And he was pretty chill on Training Day. Even gave Makayla some water while you and Rollo were out in the hall." She shrugged. "It's worth a try."

"Yeah." Isis agreed. "I'm in."

Huey sighed when he realized they were all looking at him. "Alright, fine." He leaned back, picking the leaves out of the trees and placing them into his fro. He was relieved anyway. This was going even better than he'd planned. Not that he was going to show it. "But if we're gonna do this…."

The birds were coming. They didn't have much time.

"Then, we're gonna do it right."

The commercial break had been driving them both crazy.

"All this damn money I pay for cable, and they can't show my grandson in the games?" Granddad was frowning, folding one arm over the other in clear disapproval. "Fuck BET!"

He'd never realized how much alike Huey and Granddad were. They both hated everything. They both knew the outcome of everything well before it happened. And they were always acting as if they could care less, when in reality….

"Boy!" The frustrated man feebly lifted his remote, deliberately making his arm wobble for dramatic effect. "Why isn't the show on?"

"Tryna watch some dudes run through the forest, huh Granddad?" He felt the rush of pain hit his back before it had even registered that the man's hand had made contact. "Sounds questionable, don't you think?"

"Quit playin' and see what you can find about the games on that phone of yours before I do some questionable things to you."

"Pause!" Riley glared at the old man, secretly happy to see a little amusement on the man's face. He'd only wanted to cheer him up. "That's gay, Granddad!"

He knew the real. Grandad was worried, and for good reason. Generally, the more difficult it was to find you, the worst things got…for every fucking body.

How Huey played had a direct impact on them both. Even if he had gone in to protect them, the government would be gunning for them for years. Probably for the rest of their lives.

Shit had gotten realer than real since he'd been gone. And that was putting it lightly.

Granddad had been followed by several police cars while he'd taken Riley to school last week. They'd inched closer and closer, trying to aggravate him while they sat quietly with bated breath, hoping that it wouldn't go any further. They'd even lightly bumped into the rear of his car. The impact was strong enough to place a dent in Granddad's beloved Dorothy. It was clear they wanted them to react.

And that wasn't all.

The other day, Rummy had shown up to school, asking him to skip and take his mind off things. For a brief second, Riley had considered it. A year ago, maybe even a few weeks ago, he'd have done it. Anything that reminded him of the old days would have been perfectly fine with him.

But this wasn't the old days, and he wasn't falling for the okie doke anymore.

Especially not when Rummy's crazy ass was involved.

"Nah." He'd told the man. "I got school. Can't miss."

"So you mad about Huey?" Rummy had flipped on him, just like he'd suspected he would. He started to get loud and looked around, trying to make a scene. "He should be honored to fight for our country."

"And I'm honored to get my education." Riley kept his head down, his breathing steady. "Doing my part to stay in accordance with Wuncler law."

"Well you wanna know what I think? I think-"

"That's enough." Dr. Elliot, Riley's history teacher, glared at Rummy. "He's staying. You're excused."

"Bitch!" Rummy shoved her backward. "You good?"

Dr. Elliot calmly got up and dusted herself off. She was like his brother. Unmoved. "You're excused."

When Rummy finally walked out, Dr. Elliot had rushed over to him. "You okay?"

Her love for Huey had extended to him, even on day one. She'd been nervous after his brother's infamous outburst and had always given Huey time to escape during class before he'd been expelled, even going as far as to warn him he was being followed. She'd done the same for Riley these past few weeks, even walking him to his grandfather's car despite the fact that he was in high school.

Last night, she'd been found dead.

This morning, there had been someone sitting outside of his bedroom window, watching him sleep. Watching his Granddad suffer through some bullshit because of some ridiculous ass belief that they deserved it. That they had brought this crazy fuckshit on themselves.

The screen flashed back to Rollo Goodlove.

"Is that nigga standing in front of a green screen?" Riley cocked his head to the side. "Ain't they supposed to have a background?"

He stared at his Granddad and shook his head.

"We finally found them." Rollo stood in a metallic silver suit. "Our tributes have been getting together and getting their game plans together…at least some of them. Others are just getting started."

"Well show us where they are!" Granddad yelled, waving his hands at the television.

Riley tossed his grandfather the phone. "Aunt Cookie's calling you."

"We know there have been a lot of questions about fan favorites, Huey and Jazmine." Rollo paused and stared at the camera. "And well, we can show you much better than we can tell you."

They glanced over at the screen just as the view switched over to reveal Jazmine and his brother hidden in some tree branches with a couple of other people. Huey was finally alert. He was talking to a dreadheaded guy and a gorgeous dark skinned girl with almond eyes. He found himself zeroing in on them.

"Pretty girl, isn't she, boy?" His Granddad chuckled. "Got you all tongue tied."

The girl was beautiful, but that wasn't what was catching Riley's attention.

"Their accents." Riley nodded. "They're from Chicago, right?"

Granddad put his Aunt Cookie on speaker. "Mmhmm. Sweet kids too. Isis is the more serious of the two. Strong little ole' gal." The woman continued. "She's been a beacon of light in our community, had so many young women empowered to love themselves. And you know that ole fool didn't…well…"

"What about the boy?" Granddad eyed him skeptically, watching as he and Huey quietly laughed at something together. "He looks strong. Ruthless."

"Caesar is level-headed. Nothing to worry about. Isis is the more cutthroat of the two." Cookie's voice rang loud and clear, even on the phone. "Only way he'd hurt Jazmine and Huey is if they came for his little girlfriend. He is crazy about Miss Thang."

Robert smirked. "And we all know what would happen if any of them came for Jazmine."

They all paused and shuddered. God help any idiot that tried to kill her in front of Huey.

"Well, Caesar's been following Miss Isis around for quite a while. She gave him the run around." The woman chuckled. "I think that's the silver lining in this shift we've been going through. Him growing up finally made Isis take him seriously."

Riley stared at them. "So…them talking? Is that good or bad?"

Cookie was quiet for a moment. "I'm not sure. Caesar was protesting those games…."

He and Granddad groaned.

"So he's another Huey?" Granddad fussed. "This is why I told that boy to be selfish and kill everybody!"

"Robert!" Cookie gasped. Riley could practically see the woman's hands fly up to her mouth. "Ain't nothing wrong with helping people in need! That's why your grandson is with him. They obviously helped keep them safe after the blast!"

"Well there is something wrong with being a fool!" Granddad grumbled. "Shoot. Everything they've done so far is stupid if you ask me. They need to go on the hunt."

Something about those words made it click. All of a sudden, everything…everything that had happened, that he'd seen, that his brother had told him made sense.

He wondered if this was how Huey felt all the time, if he'd ever get the chance to tell him that he'd always listened to his ass. Even when he hadn't known that he had been.

"Not right now." Riley shook his head. "They're the ones being hunted." He sighed. "They'll have to wait until they come to them."

"Where's Huey's afro?" His aunt sounded confused. "Is it covered in leaves?"

"It's about time his ass covered it in something." Granddad snorted. "Maybe he can disguise himself as a tree and live. Both of em should've shaved their heads like Isis did. Then again, maybe they can use it as a weapon… as a helmet or something."

"Robert, that's the dumbest shit I've ever heard!" Aunt Cookie's laugh made them feel a lot better. "What is wrong with you?"

Riley stayed quiet.

He hoped his brother knew what he was doing.

The night fell way faster than it was supposed to.

Even the birds seemed confused. They were still chirping, the artificial ones still recording their every move.

And they were still hiding out in a goddamn tree.

"What do you think of the stars?" Jazmine's eyes were wide, in awe of how real they looked. "What's your favorite part of watching them?"

"It's the way that they twinkle." Isis answered. "It's how they just appear and make something scary a beautiful moment. Small but mighty. I always wanted to be an astronomer and learn more about them."

"Being a burning rock of gas sucks." Caesar snorted. "Especially when that gas was emitted from yo momma…"

"Caesar!" Isis groaned, laughing quietly. "Really?"

"Well for one…" The strength in Huey's voice surprised them. "It's just gas. Helium and…."

"Yo momma!"

"And Hydrogen." Huey glared at Caesar. "I guess since Caesar's momma is as expansive as the entire universe, he'd be miserable about such matters." The girls sniggled behind them. " But that would be an insult to the raw, sheer, power his big head provides to the universe."

"Hey!"

"Being a star would be cool." Isis announced out of nowhere.

"Personifying stars." Huey snorted. "That's original."

" It's fun." Jazmine elbowed him. "Just go with it."

"Ladies first." Caesar cut in, smirking at Huey. "Your turn, Jazmine."

"Ugh." She wrinkled her nose in response, causing Isis to laugh. "Not what I meant."

"It'll be fun, remember?" Huey mocked her tone. "Now…your turn."

Jazmine bit her lip. "I'd be an O-Type star."

"Is that a thing?" Isis asked.

Caesar and Huey turned to look at Jazmine, who kept talking. "It is." She continued. "It's this super bright star, gets to live for ten million years, which is shorter than the other stars, but how short is it really when we're talking ten million years? Imagine living for ten million…"

They all stayed quiet, not bothered by her rambling.

"The point is…when they explode, their light shines so bright that they become supernovas, sometimes even black holes." She lifted her head, smiling. "I guess…that's what I'd be if I could be anything."

"A star that dies because it's the brightest?" Huey rolled his eyes. "Ridiculous."

"I'd be a star so bright that I couldn't be stopped." Jazmine corrected him. "A star that would be strong enough to pull planets, entire landscapes, the most advanced civilizations." She sighed. "I'd be powerful."

Isis fanned her face. "That was beautiful."

"That was…pathetic." Huey shot her a playful half-smirk. "You're lucky that I love you."

He paused. That felt…different.

"No, you're lucky that I love you." Jazmine smirked right back and then surprised him by kissing him right on the lips. He found himself kissing her back, to the point that he'd forgotten that Caesar and Isis were there. The Chicagoan teens cleared their throats after a few minutes of their blatant PDA.

They broke apart, blushing.

"My bad." Huey kept talking as if he hadn't been making out with Jazmine Dubois on live television. "I guess I wouldn't want to be a star."

"Why not?" Isis asked him. "You don't think they're cool?"

"I just don't think it's worth it." He shook his head. "You shine bright for a while, and then, you explode because of it. Seems unfair."

"That's really crazy." Caesar nodded. "To explode because of how illuminating you are. Unlike Huey's-"

"Momma." They all rolled their eyes. "We know!"

"The explosion's are pretty rare." Caesar shrugged at the girl's shocked expressions. "But when they happen, the good part only lasts for a moment. And then that star ends up becoming this depressing dark hole…dragging everything along with it…"

"That's definitely depressing." Jazmine remarked, staring back at the sky, her hand in Huey's as the dreaded birds flew away, no longer interested in talks about stars.

"Very." Isis agreed.

But Huey knew what Caesar meant. And maybe one day…

The world would too.

Riley kept watching, paying attention to how peacefully Ming, Cindy, Grits, Tasha, and Hiro slept. As if they weren't worried about anything. Not a care in their minds, at all.

Then, he considered Vince, Cairo, and Jennifer, struggling to find food and shelter.

And of course, there was his brother and his crew…biding their time, waiting.

All those kids and their bodies. Killing each other in front of a live audience…all those kids who had died on day one and nobody was mad about it. Not enough to stop it.

"They make me sick!" Granddad announced to his sister over the phone. "Talking about stars and stuff."

"Right!" Cookie agreed with him. " They didn't make a plan? Surely they don't think they can just wing this..."

"That was the plan." Riley muttered, flipping the station to something else and ignoring the intense rumbling in his stomach.

Granddad was busy responding to whatever his Aunt Cookie was talking about. "Boy, what are you talking about?"

Riley sighed. "That talk about stars was some bullshit." He smirked. "They were just…nevermind. You two wouldn't get it. That was an allegory. Them talking about how much they hate the games."

Granddad and Cookie stopped talking, and for a moment, the older man turned to look at his grandson. His gaze softened, and he walked over to where the young man sat to place an arm on his shoulder. "Wow, that is genuinely profound. Did you hear that, Cookie?"

His aunt's voice was sweet, assuring. "I sure did."

"That's the dumbest shit I ever heard!" They exclaimed.

"Boy, how'd you get that out of them talking about some goddamn stars?" Granddad was laughing. "They probably do hate those games, but that's not what they were talking about."

"You'll see." Riley got up, ready to head off to bed. "I ain't stupid."

"You sure aren't-"

"BOOM!"

Riley turned around and gazed at the phone in Granddad's hand. "Aunt Cookie?"

"Cookie, what was that?" His Granddad demanded. "Cookie!"

"They're coming." Was all she said. "I love ya'll."

Riley couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. "No. No!"

"It's okay, baby." Even now, even now she was the one comforting him. "It'll be alright."

Granddad was shaking, tears falling down his cheeks. "Cookie, get outta there! Run, barricade the doors!"

"HANDS IN THE AIR!"

The noises made everything worst. It was knowing without knowing that someone you loved was being hurt, and there was nothing you could do to help them.

The phone clattered to the floor. They could hear everything. Her screaming, loud at first as she slammed against something. The sound of glass breaking. The thuds from her being attacked. Her screams becoming less and less loud, more and more strangled. Her breath getting shallow, quiet…dissipating until….

"She's gone." Someone said. "Nobody's here. Hang that up."

The call with Cookie ended, leaving Granddad and Riley to gaze at the phone in surprise.

Granddad grabbed him, dragged a bag out of the coat closet out, and pulled out his keys. "We've gotta get our asses the hell up outta here."

Riley glared at him. "And go where?"

"Riley-"

"What the fuck are we gonna do out there?"

"Riley…"

"And when they kill us, they kill you then what?"

"Riley!"

"Man, you're all I've got!" Riley felt his voice crack. The emotion in it finally giving way to something he'd been feeling for a while…since the day they'd seen Huey and Jazmine be shipped off to the games like cargo. "My parents are gone! Aunt Cookie is gone! Huey might be gone soon. You gonna leave me too? You gonna die for me too? And if Huey lives and we're both dead, he died for nothing! So then what?"

"Boy ain't nobody dying!"

"Everybody is dying!" Riley's voice was so loud he was sure all of Woodcrest could hear him. " Are you crazy? They're gonna kill our asses the first chance they get! They're gonna kill your dumbass the first chance they get!" He dodged his granddad's belt. "I'm gangsta, but I ain't stupid. We're staying here."

"Shut up, Riley." Granddad gripped him with a strength so shocking he obeyed. " Your brother ain't the only one being hunted. Shut the fuck up, and do what the hell I tell you to do! You understand me?"

Riley took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, G." He looked down at the floor. " I just…I ain't tryna lose you too, aight?"

His Granddad smiled before leaning forward and hugging him tight. "Riley, I'm not going anywhere. You'll be just fine." He stared at his grandson and then turned his head, gesturing toward the door and surprising them both by pulling out one of many AK-47's from the leather bag he was holding. He handed Riley one and put the car in gear. "You have my word."

They stared at the night sky, at the stars overhead. Neither of them saying anything.

He wondered if they'd explode soon.

It was dawn when they'd split.

Isis and Caesar were good people. Really good people. They dared not hug each other, not on the ground. Instead, they promised to mimic the noise of the woodpeckers to signal that they were nearby in a couple days.

Now, it was giving way to dusk, to the night sky, and they were trying to stay hidden another night.

Jazmine had spent the day building several contraptions, small booby traps to alert them to intruders as they slept in the tree. There was one that impressed him more than the others. A small slingshot, one that could be used to sling a dagger several miles away if need be.

There was another device that increased the speed of the arrow when launched from its bow. Another that served as a safety for the bow and arrow, which would keep them from shooting themselves on accident. And another one used to trap small bugs, using some sort of sap they liked…to keep them out of their hair.

Literally.

"You're beautiful." He found himself murmuring, moving towards her. "What are all the traps for? Why are they so flimsy?"

"They need to be easy to transport since we'll be moving around a lot." Jazmine was moving from one end of the land to the next, studying their surroundings. "These games are unpredictable. I have to do whatever I can to be the best. To not get anyone else hurt again. To keep you safe."

"Jazmine, I can keep myself safe." He found himself snorting. "Seriously, focus on yourself."

He noticed that the tree he was walking in front of was just some sort of a wall…camouflaged to fit in with its surrounding. "You built a shelter?"

"You really had a good nap." Jazmine picked up another piece of wood and began to carve it. "And yeah, I did. One of those backpacks had carpentry tools. I picked one up right before I got to Makayla."

"I'm impressed." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I don't want to be corny or anything, but I really don't think I'd be able to live with myself if you didn't come out of this alive. I love you, Jazmine."

She leaned forward, her lips brushing against his, soft and sweet. Like an apology. Like it was nothing more than pretend for her. "Funny, I guess we have that in common."

Except, that was the thing. It wasn't funny at all.

It was just getting started.

Author's Note:

Rest in Peace, Dr. Elliot and Aunt Cookie.

This chapter is shorter and less action filled…but…it has important details…and well….y'know. A little comic relief was needed.

I also want to apologize for the melodrama. I'm supposed to be writing to get better and to have fun…not for reviews that have not been earned. I appreciate you all reading, and I hope there's something in each chapter that you enjoy.

That being said:

Before you all ask, you'll find out what's going on with Tom and Sarah too at some point too.

The next chapter will be action-packed. Scout's honor. Plenty of mess and chaos.

CuriousMind58: Lmfao. I teared up too. I didn't even think I would be that emotional, but I ended up walking away from my computer and coming back as I was writing Makayla and her death. I knew from the jump she'd be the first to go, but still writing it out in its entirety….that shit stung. She was just so sweet. :(

We are stans of badass, grown up, Jazmine Dubois character arcs over here. She deserves maturity in her storylines too! And yes, Bushido is definitely the cool uncle! He's one of my favorite characters in this story.

Mori07 – Sorry I scared you, but I'm back. And yes, she was definitely gonna die early.

There are some new stories so:

Guess Who's New to the Crew is updated. Ya'll give it a chance! I know it's not Juey, but if you would just open your hearts and minds to Penny/Huey ship…it would actually make hella sense! I enjoyed it.

There's also a cool story. It's called "The Adversities of a Revolutionary". Ya'll it is soooooo good. Please check it out.

So many awesome oneshots.

Updates About My Stories:

I also updated the Princess Diaries earlier this week AND…I updated Ch.8 of WF with a new chapter that's better than ever last week. It may get an update soon. It depends on how I feel.

I feel like I'm always updating more than I thought I would…so…in a week…or two.

Until Next Time,

MissAceThankYou