I sit up and rub sleep out of my eyes.... what time is it? Crap it's 11:52. I throw off the covers and reach for the pillows that have managed to find their way onto the floor. I arrange the pillows under the covers so they look like a covered lump that would look like a fat version of me, I don't know, there isn't enough time. I creep over to the door and and lean my ear against it listening for any activity in the hallway. Nothing. I manually slide the door open carefully slipping out and closing it waiting to hear the lock click. I drop low to the floor and shuffle to the stairway... great stairs. I have to avoid anywhere with surveillance cameras which means lifts and main passage ways are off limits. 

Once I'm inside the stairwell I pick up speed, sprinting down the stairs. This better be worth it. I reach ground level and stop at the door catching my breath. I check my watch great it's 12 now. I enter the code onto the keypad and hear the click of the locks as the heavy door slides open. I slip outside when the gap is just big enough and run to the closet tree. The cold fresh air hits my face, I breath in deep letting the cool air cleanse my lungs, closing my eyes to savor the moment. I jump as I feel something touch my shoulder.

"Hey" Whisper Ry, "You ready?"

I open my eyes with a smile. "Of course". He grabs my hand and pulls me into a run, great more running. His hands are sweaty but not gross, it sends a shock through  my body making me smile. We run well into past the garden, away from the shelter of the trees. The stars are in full view. It takes my breath away. It's a full moon tonight, the stars are twinkling against the black blue sky. Ry squeezes my hand as we run back into the trees. 

"Just a little further" Ry yells back in my directions, concentrating on weaving through the trees.

I nod even through I know he can't see me. We keep running through the trees, watching the roots underneath our feet making sure we don't trip. Ry slows down and I look up, a few meters a head of us is a small clearing, it is surrounded by tall gum trees. Ry stops at the edge and glaces at me, but I barely notice. I am looking up at the sky the moon is even brighter here, almost blinding. I mindlessly walk to the center of the clearing and slowly spin around my eyes fixed on the sky.

"Beautiful isn't it" I lower my eyes to Ry. He is still standing at the edge of the clearing. I nod speechless.

He sits down resting against the trunk of a tall gum tree. "I used to come here a lot when I first started out at the compound".

I wonder over and sit down next to him.

"I thought might help if I told you my 'story' and it will probably help me..."

I smile and nod pulling my legs up to my chest, trying to keep the cold out.

He takes a deep breath and his eyes turn green. Green, green? What does that mean again? Oh yeah, he must be he's deep in thought. I put my hand on his arm and his eyes find mine.

"My parents were one of the main supports of the compound, so you could say I grew up here. I trained with trainers every day and attended school within the compound. All my life I was pretty sheltered, the world was one big happy place for me, my parents kept me from the outside would, I knew nothing about Australia even through I was living in it. My 15th birthday came and went and all I could do was train and study, I barely went outside and become quite bored I guess. So I started sneaking around, I learnt how to get around the compound in the dark and light and memorized all the passage codes I could get my hands on. Two days after my 15th birthday my parents shipped me off to a school in america. I was doing pretty well until I found out what was going on. My parents were sending me in undercover so they could use me as a spy. I was loaded with trackers, camras and microphones without even knowing it."

Ry bows and shakes his head.

"I burnt all my clothes and threw away any technology I was given. I was pretty much left with nothing."

Ry pauses.

"I was such an idiot. Turns out that I wasn't' the only one at the school from the, my parents had also sent DJ, he was my trainer. He explained why I was here and filled me in about what was actually going on in Australia. My job way to find the new Australian kids that were being sent here by the QWN. That's where you come in. You arrived the day that marked a year from my arrival, thats was X- day, The day they close off the school. All the students inside we being held.. it's hard to explain. They basically strip you of life and use newly developed technology to control you and make you part of their emotionless army."

He glances at me for a second then look down at the grass.

"I had to drug you... and fly you back to Australia, but thats when the connection happened. Our anis connected and I just couldn't leave you.... The day you woke up from your last operation was the day I learned my parents died on X-day. They were at the school trying to save any kid that was willing to go with them".

He breathes in and his eyes turn almost black.

"They were shot... by me. I......I was protecting you... It was... too... dark....I.....I couldn't see them... they were looking through my bag.....".

I stare at him in shock. What he did for me... He looks up from the grass and stares at me, fully exposed, his history laid right out in front of me. I stare back into his eyes and kiss him, reassuring him it's OK, he's going to be OK. He runs his hands through my hair and I hold the back of his neck. He pulls away.

"Thankyou". He whispers as he stands. He holds out both his hands for me. I take them, he helps me up. He leads me to the center of the clearing and spins me around.

"How good is your dancing?" He teases.

"Probably better than yours", I retort.

He places his hands gently on my hips and I wrap my hands around his neck and rests my head on his shoulder.

"hey Ry... do you have any siblings?" I lift my head off his shoulder.

"No, romance isn't really encouraged at the compound when you hold a respected position". 

There about 20cm difference in height between Ry and I when we are standing, so I stand on my tiptoes to kiss him.

"So that would be discouraged?"

Ry smiles "exactly".

I rest my head back on his shoulder and sigh. My dad almost killed me, he shot his parents. My life was a fake, his life was a fake. He was told lie after lie, I was told lie after lie. He is my only family, I am his. Why does none of this bother me? It doesn't bother me because from today we trust no-one, we go forward as us, only we control what we do.