The Satori Chore by Selia Ascrala (books to read for 12 year olds TXT) 📕

with a blank expression on my face, who returned it with a concerned one. He squeezed my hands in his and smiled at me bravely. Despite the tears flowing incessantly down his cheeks.

 

Until now I hadn't known how strong my brother was.

 

Time seemed endlessly long as we sat there, holding hands and, how it seemed to us, afraid for our lives. Eventually, it became very quiet.

 

Too quiet.

 

I wondered where Kaasan was. She was out there. What was going on out there? And where were all these people?

Suddenly, someone opened the closet door and two figures clad with white clothing stood there, regarding us with indifferent facial expressions.

"Are these the children?," one asked.

"Yes, the mother was found this morning ... It seems some Cranks noticed she was immune and became jealous," the other replied.

My body realized faster than my mind what the two were saying and began to tremble.

,No. No. Not again. Notagain. Pleasenotagain!,' I desperately thought.

Tears flooded my eyes again and this time I couldn't stop them. I didn't care that I was mentally older.

 

This was something no one should have to go through. Not once. And not twice.

 

"W-Where is our Kaasan?," Kiho asked worriedly and glanced nervously back and forth between the two men. He looked exhausted. I couldn't imagine how he fared with the current situation. His nose and eyes were already quite red from crying. I doubted that I was better off.

"Do you think the children are immune, too?," the first one asked again.

I still hadn't really internalised the meaning of their words. All this time only one thought looped in my head: Kaasan was gone. She was made going from us.

At once a tremendous anger surged through me. Anger at the people out there, at myself, because I didn't know what was going on. At these two men because they didn't help Kaasan. Actually, who were they?!

 

"Who are you, anyway? Why are you here?," I asked calmly, though my eyes threw bolts of lightning at them. For a moment both stared at me in surprise; Eyes darted back and forth between Kiho and me.

"Her. She's different." This comment stunned me. Different? Was it my looks? My behaviour? My British accent I still had from my previous life unlike Kiho and Kaasan?

"No, both are different. But her. She seems mentally more mature." Oh Gosh. Ohgoshohgoshohgosh, I shouldn't have said anything. Why had I opened my mouth? And how could they see that so fast?

 

The second one slightly leaned down and began to talk insistently to us: "I'm sorry, kids. But something... bad happened to your mother. There are evil people out there. And they are ill. Very ill. But you can't get ill. And if you stay here, they will hurt you because of jealousy, too," he said slowly, so that small children could understand it. He continued: "We are from WICKED, and if you come along with us you'll be safe from the cranks. But I'm sorry to have to tell you that we will have to separate you."

 

I turned into a pillar of salt, an ice-cold shiver running down my spine. Were they for real? Only now the meaning of their words seeped into my brain. My fingers began to tremble, I only barely noticed how Kiho made a fuss and lunged at one of the men.

"Nobody touches Kihomi! You can't separate us, I won't allow you!"

 

Crank. Immune.

Immune. Crank.

 

Crankcrankcrankimmuneimmune ... With every passing second my eyes widened a bit more in horror. My breathing became fitfully. My face turned pale.

 

In a flash I was grabbed and thrown over a shoulder. Startled, I looked up and into the angry, yet panic-stamped eyes of my brother.

"No! Imouto!," he shouted frantically.

"Nii-san!," I desperately shouted back and watched helplessly as he was being carried away by the other man.

All of my alarm bells were still ringing as my brain started catching up with the chaotic, horrible, oh so horrible situation.

 

Who are you?

We are from WICKED. I sobbed.

 

Oh Gosh.

♕ Chapter 3: Double-Take

Kiho and I sat opposite each other on stools in a bare white room after we met again for the first time in days and fell into each other's arms with relieved tears. Currently, we didn't quite know how to deal with the situation. It all - once again - happened so suddenly and fast.

 

At first I didn't understand why WICKED tore us apart. We had just learned that Kaasan was no more. And then we should be separated? I was boiling with indignation and worry. I knew what WICKED was capable of, and that frightened me even more. I knew everything. Only thing I did not know was about what I worried more: That I was born into this ungodly dimension and had to either fear for my life because of Grievers or Cranks - Or for my brother's life.

I loved Kiho. I loved him very much. He was my everything. Literally. If I had known the dimension from the beginning ... I don't know. Would I have been selfish enough in the beginning to keep my family at a distance to keep my own butt safe? After all, it was easier just to worry and take care of yourself. Without anyone. Someone who could be snatched away from you at any moment in this cruel, cruel world.

 

I was afraid to lose someone again. To lose Kiho, too. Uncanny fear. I did not understand this fear.

I knew WICKED was anything but GOOD. I was worried that Kiho could think otherwise. He was just a kid. So easily manipulated.

 

"I want to get out of here," I told him blatantly.

He only frowned and cocked his head to the side. "Why? You they saved us, Imouto?"

I had feared this. Indeed, in recent days, when we were separated WICKED had performed some minor tests on us. They were still playful and more suitable for kids so that they could win our trust. Only it did not work with me. I was not a child.

 

I also finally got a clue why Kaasan had behaved so strangely in the kitchen back then. I didn't know where I was at the time. WICKED had now, however, let us see and hear these reports in the news, enlightening us about what was going on in the world. About what had happened Kaasan. What could have almost happened to us. Of course Kiho would trust them after that.

 

Just as he was now blind to this room, because I was aware of the cameras recording us with every little fibre of my body.

 

This world was hopelessly lost. Several months ago the epidemic of the unknown virus, which this society called "The Flare", broke out. No one knew exactly where The Flare came from; Many people have speculated that it had something to do with the solar flare that burned the world a few years ago and triggered a mass panic on the entire world. There were so many victims.

 

I clenched my little hands into fists and knitted my brows grumpily.

"Imouto, WICKED is good-"

 

"No, don't say that!" I interrupted Kiho harshly, standing up bitterly. I refused to believe that they succeeded in pulling Kiho on their side. Suddenly all the images I had visualised while reading the books shot trough my mind. It lay quite a while back, and I was so blinded by my own panic of Cranks and this soulless organization till now, that I had almost forgotten The Gladers. I had hardly given any thought to these teens, which couldn't be much older than me. My brain quickly calculated the period of time. The Flare had just broken out. Most of The Gladers were picked up around this time by WICKED, and put into the maze about ten years later. At least I thought so.

 

Weren't The Gladers at an average age of 15-17 years old in the maze? I couldn't put my finger on it since I read the books way back. I was glad that there was even a little room for logical reasoning in my worry-intoxicated brain.

"But Imouto, they want our help at finding a medicine. WICKED asked me if I would be willing," he continued frankly, looking at me pleadingly.

 

No, please no ... PleasePleaseDon't.

 

"I've volunteered, Kihomi."

 

* * *

 

It took three days until I somewhat calmed down and for WICKED to put Kiho and me back into a room. This time, ensuring that I wouldn't try to tear my hair out like a lunatic again, while yelling at Kiho and throwing myself at him promptly dragging him to the ground.

 

I admitted that after I heard his last words, I had suffered a small mental breakdown.

 

Okay, a big one.

 

But one has to admit that this was justified! He didn't say so just to annoy me. He called me by my name. Even though he only was a five-year-old; He still was more mature and smarter compared to other children. Even if he didn't show these sides often. I understood his reasoning. But this only showed that he was still just an inexperienced child that was too trusting.

 

Perhaps it appeared to me in such a way because I knew what would come to us if we should stay here.

Yes, in the past three days I had thought about a lot of things, since I was left alone in my cosy room.

I knew for certain that we'd run into the awaiting open arms of death in the long run.

 

But at the same time I couldn't imagine that the world outside these laboratories could be any safer, where crazed people were crawling around on the streets, devouring their own kind.

 

I shuddered at the thought. Maybe ... maybe I could play along. For both of our lives.

 

,We at least have about ten years," I told myself. ,Ten Years of safety here until the time came to run away. '

 

"Nii-san, what do you think why these people always put us in this room?" I asked. I wanted to hear his view of the whole thing.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. I'm just glad that I'm able to see you here at least. I miss you, 'Homi."

I smiled sadly at that. "I miss you too, Kiho. It's boring alone in my room. I always have to do homework."

"You're alone?" Kiho asked, frowning. "I'm with a dozen other children. We learn together and in the large dining hall we eat together."

 

Uhm. Okay. Why have I been excluded from the others? Did I miss something in the books?

"Nii-san, do you think there is something wrong with me? Do you think I'm sick and therefore they won't let me among the others?"

 

This time Kiho furled his cute eyebrows together indignantly, standing up and resting his hands on his hips. "Of course you aren't, Imouto!" He scolded me. "Maybe it's because you don't want to help?"

 

Well, that left me pondering. WICKED saw how much I resisted against them. That wasn't really a good move on my part; I had to admit that much, unfortunately. I could easily expect of them that they'd use Kiho against me. If not now, it would show sooner or later. But now that they had Kiho on their side...

 

"Where you are, there I'll also be, Nii-san."

 

* * *

 

I don't know what had changed after that conversation, but I shouldn't see my brother for a month.

They never let me out of the building, let alone my room. Came for me every day at a certain time to give