I don’t know when I passed out, I just know that I did.

I look around. I’m in my old house in my old room. I notice Felix sitting in my old bean bag. “H-how did I get here?”

“When you never came to meet me I got worried. I went looking for you and luckily found you right behind our house in the woods. Great way to stay hidden, Oreo.”

“Maybe I want to be found. I give up, Felix.”

I look around at my things. Nothing has been moved or changed. I reach over and grab a bouncy ball off my end table. I lie back and chunk it at the ceiling. It bounces off and falls back down to me. I catch it and look at Felix.

“I’m going back and turning myself in.”

“I won’t let you.”

I laugh coldly. “My choice, Felix. Besides, how do I know that I can trust you? How do I know you’re not a part of their plan just trying to keep me here for whatever reason?”

I cut my eyes at him, and the hurt is evident on his face.

“What?” He gasps.

I sit up and glare into his eyes. “You heard me.” My soul is ice cold, and I’ve built walls so high in the past few hours, since I found about Sage’s betrayal, that no one could tear them down. “I don’t trust you. I trust no one.”

“I’m your brother!” He stands in shock.

“And Sage was my best friend! I fell for her bullshit! I won’t fall for yours!” I stand up and put on my shoes that Felix must have taken off. “I’m going back.”

Felix firmly places both hands on my shoulders and shoves me until I’m backed against the wall. “I’m your brother! I don’t know what happened since the last time we were together, but you seemed to trust me then!”

I close my eyes. “Let go of me.”

“No!”

“Felix, I’m warning you. Let. Go.”

It takes him a minute, but he finally does.

“Fine. Go back. But I swear you can trust me.”

Tears fill his eyes, but they’re not enough to convince me I should stay. I walk over to my closet and grab a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I look at Felix, and he leaves. I get dressed and realize I’ve apparently lost more weight than I can afford. My jeans hang low on my hips, and my t-shirt swallows me. I don’t care, though. They’re my clothes.

I walk into the kitchen where Felix is leaning against the counter, staring blankly at the sink.

“Will I ever see you again?”

“What day is it?” I ask, ignoring his question.

“Thursday.”

An insane smile spreads across my lips. “Perfect.”

I leave the house without a single word to the one person I may actually be able to trust. I’ve learned that trust is too risky, and I won’t ever allow myself to trust again. Not even my brother.

I walk confidently out into the streets of Dandux. The dirt is dry and in need of a good rain to smooth it back down. I walk past the school that’s missing a few windows and the store where I used to buy a snack at after school.

As Dwellers walk, dust clouds form around them. I purposefully kick my feet hard enough to be blanketed in the dirt. It’s causes attention, and that’s what I want. I shove my hands in my pockets and grin at the guards lining the streets. They continue watching as Dwellers crowd into the circle in the middle of town. They’re all here for the Thursday hanging. I wonder what lucky soul gets to leave this shitty world today.

There are five lucky bastards waiting for the rope to tighten around their necks and their feet to dangle. Oh, how I long to be one of them. A laugh escapes my lips which causes heads to turn. Sorry, everyone; I’ve lost my mind. Carry on.

They all are punished for silly things, like showing too much anger on more than one account, threatening the Constable, shoplifting, vandalism, and staying out past town curfew. All things that shouldn’t warrant death. I clap for every single one of them. I even yell out shouts of victory for the one who threatened the Constable.

A few guards come stalking toward me, and I hold up my hand.

“No need in getting hostile. I will willingly go with you.”

“You’re-”

“Orion Draper,” I say, holding my hands out in front of me to be cuffed.