Rebel Children

"Are you mad at me?"

Eli and Charlie had gone off to a nearby river so they could wash up a little bit while everyone else packed their things. Eli splashed cool water onto his face and through his hair, sighing as Charlie eyed him.

"Of course I'm mad at you," Eli said. "You were so reckless. What would I have done with myself if something happened to you?"

"I just wanted to join the cause," Charlie grumbled. "I can do it."

"If you joined, they'd make you do shitty errands that put you in danger," Eli told him. "Is that what you want? To die, forgotten in some dump or sewer? You need to think about these things. That's why you're not ready to fight for anything."

Charlie went silent and looked down at his feet. Eli felt a little guilty for snapping at him and stood up, ruffling his hair as he walked by.

"You're a tough kid," he told him. "And you're smart. You just need to control your impulses. If you really want to start training, I can show you some knife skills when we get home. Is that fair?"

"Really?" Charlie said, lighting up. "You'll show me how to use a knife? Can I get a dagger?"

"You can use mine with me there," Eli told him. "If you listen and do as you're told, then we can think about getting your own dagger. But if you step another toe out of line, you can forget about it. Deal?"

"Deal."

Charlie was grinning now as they walked back to the camp, which was packed up and loaded onto carts. Tobias gave Eli a nod when they returned.

"We're ready to go if you are," he said. "We better go before the night creatures come out."

"Right," Eli said. "I'll lead, then."

He mounted the horse, but Charlie opted to ride on one of the carts with Phillip instead, much to the man's dismay. Clearly, Charlie had been talking his ear off while he was there. Tobias rode alongside Eli for the first stretch with his wife sitting in front of him, while Eli explained where he was taking them.

"I can't get you right up to the top, but I know some people who are close," Eli told him. "Zachary and Joe Kelsey help with a lot of the decision making, and I already know they'll be willing to take you all in and find you places to stay."

"Who makes the decisions, then?"

"In Brimsey, Patrick Reeves heads the rebellion," he said. "If you're trying to secure passage to one of the bigger cities, he's the one you'll have to convince."

"Convince?" Tobias asked.

"Patrick knows everything that goes on in Brimsey," Eli explained. "He likes to know who comes and goes, in case they pose a threat to the people. He means well, but sometimes he gets a little paranoid when people are going to the cities. He worries they're spies, and they'll send guards back to squash Brimsey. It wouldn't be much of a loss."

"Lorena wouldn't think twice about it," Tobias agreed. "So how do we get past this Patrick Reeves?"

"Gain his trust, I suppose," Eli shrugged. "Be honest about your intentions. He can be stubborn, but he's not unreasonable."

"Right."

Tobias looked straight ahead, seemingly not fully on board with Eli about being honest with his intentions. Eli wondered what they were hiding, but it wasn't his business to pry. Tobias didn't say anything else until Rose galloped up on her horse to catch up to them, flashing a shiny smile at Eli. He rolled his eyes and slowed down to put a little space between them.

"Did I do something?" Eli frowned.

"No, not at all," Rose said. "He just isn't too chatty."

"I don't know, I don't think he trusts me much," Eli said. "I guess I can't blame him. I know I can be a little... gloomy."

"I don't think you're gloomy at all," Rose said.

Eli felt himself turn a little pink and looked down.

"So he's your father?" he asked.

"No, my uncle," she said. "He and Maria have been taking good care of me since I lost my parents. It was really hard on me."

"I can understand that," he said, giving her a slight sympathetic smile. "I'm still waiting for it to get easier, like everyone says it will."

"It's a slow process," she said softly. "So you raise Charlie alone?"

"I try my best to," Eli shrugged. "Clearly I've done a pretty bang up job, seeing as he ran away and told people I abuse him at home."

"Don't take it personally," Rose said. "He's thirteen. Everything is dramatic when you're thirteen. He made an impulse decision, and he didn't mean what he said."

"Maybe," Eli said, "But I can't help but think about what I'm taking him back to. Maybe if I let him go, he'd find a life somewhere. Instead I'm dragging him back to the slums where we have to scrape for a meal and I can't guarantee he can have a future. People are already skeptical of him just from association."

"What do you mean?" she frowned.

"The possession," he said, holding out his arm to show the chain scar. "I wish I could remember what I did. The kind of person I was. It felt like I was underwater for two months. People were already wary of me for being some dirty street kid, and this was just the cherry on top."

"But you got it out, right?" she asked. "Clearly you're in control of yourself."

"It was a painful process," he said. "Physically and emotionally. Honestly, I'm not sure if all of me survived it. But on a surface level, yes. I'm in control of myself again. People still remember when I wasn't, though. I don't remember what I did or said, but it made an impression I can't shake."

"You'll get past it," Rose said softly. "I know we just met, but you seem like you're a smart and loyal person. I can appreciate that."

"That's sweet of you to say," Eli chuckled. "You might be the only one, though."

Rose glanced over her shoulder and seemed to just realize everyone was staring hard at them. Eli had felt the piercing stares burning holes into the back of his head, but Rose was surprised. They were watching like Eli was going to unsheath his knife and stab her right there and then. Only Charlie didn't seem to care as he whittled away on a piece of wood he had found on the journey.

Rose furrowed her brow and looked back at Eli. She didn't say anything at first, then shook her head.

"Well I don't mind being the only one," she finally said. "Maybe they'll take a little convincing, but I haven't seen you do anything nasty yet."

He cracked a smile, and she returned it with a much brighter one. He wasn't sure why Rose thought so highly of him, but it was a refreshing feeling. She still had plenty of time to change her mind, but he definitely didn't mind her company for now.