A/N: CHAPTER ONEEEE! I Will be updating to Chapter 3 as of right now before publishing a chapter every TWO or THREE days! There will be no misses on days!!!!!

Please comment below and give me your thoughts on the new version or what you are thinking! I would love to hear from everybody!!!

Chapter One:

"How could you do this?!" My mother breathed heavily in front of me, anger radiating off of her. "You promised!"

I stood, zipping my large backpack, packing a few vital things I thought I may need and swung it over my shoulder. "You know why I am doing this."

"No! I do not. We told you to never do this!" Tears of anger trailed down her face.

"I had no choice," I said simply, slipping my only good pair of shoes on, which still were tearing apart. "You always had a choice!"

I turned towards my mother and smiled sadly to her, glimpsing the open door behind her where I could see my father lying on his bed asleep. Now, too tired to stay awake for long periods of time. "And my choice was to save my family."

My mother scoffed, shaking her head. "You are not doing anything, Bryce! Have you not seen what has happened before!" 

She spread her arms frantically gesturing at nothing. "Everyone who has signed up and left for the Resdue here has never returned!"

"They were selfish bastards who won the money and decided not to return home." I exclaimed exhaling and walked the few paces around our small living room with peeling paint. You could hardly even consider it a living room. I straightened the only family portrait we had that hung from the wall.

"You don't know that."

I turned back to my mother, the spitting image of me they all said, only by age was our difference. Light brown hair, bright blue eyes, she stood a little shorter than me but there was no arguing how similar we looked.

Her red angered face was what really differentiated the difference at the moment. "I guess I'll be finding out."

She suddenly slammed her hand on the broken dining room table making me flinch. I watched as she struggled for words, but eventually she stormed out of the shed and walked outside.

I frowned after her. This was not the reaction I wanted just before I left. 

Walking around the dining room table, I made my way to my youngest brother, Thomas who stood staring at me blankly. "Hey, buddy."

"I don't want you to go." I felt my throat clog up at his words.

I never really thought about how my family would react, especially Thomas. It would be hard for a ten year old to have to watch his sister leave, not knowing if she would return. Although, that fact seemed ridiculous to me.

Why would nobody return?

I ran my hand through his short dark hair and pinched his cheek, pulling at it as he whined, slapping my hand away. "Don't worry, Tommy, I'll be back in no time," I leaned towards him and whispered in his ear. "With $10,000"

Pulling away, I saw his frown tug upwards and a smile grew on his face. I patted his cheek lightly and he giggled softly. "Don't be gone too long."

I smiled and placed my hands on his shoulders, frowning for a moment. I could feel his bones through his eldest brother, Daniel's, shirt, his body much too skinny for a ten year old. Too thin.

"I'll be back in no time, I love you Tommy." He sniffed before whispering back. "I love you too, Bryce."

Frantically, I blinked trying to sway off the tears that threatened to rise. Patting him on the head softly, I kept moving and approached my fathers room. Entering it I stared at its small space. I am convinced this room used to be a small closet of the old shed it used to be.

My father laid on his bed, his chest rising and falling slowly as he laid in deep sleep. His body was frigid from what I could tell when I laid a hand on his forehead. Cold, his head was much too cold. Softly, I stroked my hand down his cheek once watching him shiver, huddled under a thick blanket I was able to afford from selling some milk a month back.

Smiling sadly, I leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "All for you. I will come back." I pulled away and made my way back to the door and glanced over my shoulder one last time. "I love you."

The thing I was most grateful for was Daniel. Outside on the gloomy day, no sun, no light, just clouds and the ever so looming dark cloud of thunder as it rolled away for yet another day. Daniel stood beside Thunder. He was much taller than me, standing at over six foot, and was older than my eighteen at twenty six.

I gave him a wan smile as he leaned on Thunder with a sullen look on his face, his blonde hair almost appearing brown. He had a large black jacket on and I watched as he unzipped it and held it out for me.

My hands raised in the air. "I can't."

"Take it," his eyes begged for me to.

Frowning, I grabbed it and took my bag off placing it on the floor before putting on the dark jacket above my oversized black fleece shirt which was also Daniels, and my good fortune to have one finally good pair of dark grey trousers. Ones that fitted me perfect as it was true to my size. 

A favour of the seamstress in the small town who gifted them to me after I helped her sow her own mini garden at the back of her home.

Bending to pick up my bag, I glanced upwards to see that Daniel already held it in his hands. "Here," he whispered before helping me put it on my back. I smiled gratefully, but when he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out his favourite pocket knife I frowned. "You are acting like I'm never coming home."

"I know you are," he affirmed. "This is so when you come home you return it to me."

I raised a brow, cocking my head in mock confusion. He shook his head, blonde hair bouncing and laughed. "Just take it, always keep it on you."

"Fine," I laughed and placed it in one of the pockets of his jacket. Silence followed for a few moments, the only sound heard was the roaring of the wind as the day grew cold and the ever so looming storm headed our way. "Look after everyone, would you?"

He scoffed at me. "Of course, you don't even have to ask." He paused and I watched him contemplate with himself before he shook his head. "You know, if this was a year ago, I would have signed up along with you."

I frowned. The only people allowed to sign up for the Resdue had to be between the ages of eighteen and twenty five. 

I shook my head. "You wouldn't have."

"I would have," he declared.

"You wouldn't, because someone has to stay here and take care of everyone."

When he did not reply I knew he could not argue with what I was saying. Even he knew that one of us would have to be here to take care of everyone. Thomas was too young to do much of the heavier, harder labour work, father was too sick and mother had dedicated all her time to nursing him back to health and restoring the house back to its original state as it slowly broke down. Over and over again.

They would not last too long without the help of Daniel and I, running the farm.

"You ready?" Daniel whispered in the wind, not deigning to contradict my statement.

Glancing behind me, I stared at the aluminium house that had rusted over and showed signs that it was on the verge of collapsing. I frowned at the sight before me and paused for a moment as a series of memories wafted through me. This has been my home for longer than a decade, ever since the beginning of the decade long war. It was all we had. Even though it was rusted, breaking down and falling apart, it was as much a member of the family as any one of us.

It held us together for so long, I just hoped it would continue for a little longer.

Turning back to Daniel, I opened my mouth to ask him to try and help repair the house. But at the soft tilt of his head and the determined look on his face, I knew he had planned to do that at the very sight of it himself.

I nodded and Daniel turned, grabbing onto Thunder's mane and pulling himself up bareback. We had no equipment for the horses anymore, but it was a good thing Daniel and I taught ourselves years ago how to ride bareback.

He stretched out a hand to me. But before I took it, I turned one last time to see where my mother had gone off to but frowned when I could not see her. I wanted to say goodbye to her, one final time. But I could not see her anywhere. Glancing over blank, empty field of green that had dying crops, drowning from the rain, and rotting with disease. My eyes trailed to the red barn in the distance, and yet I still could not see her.

She was not here.

Turning back to Daniel, I grabbed his outstretched hand ignoring the pitiful look in his eyes. But I had already decided that there was no need for goodbyes.

I will be home soon.