The grass felt warm and soft underneath my bare feet as I sat down on the ground, looking around for a moment before pulling out what I had stolen from the civilians. I tried to ignore the pang of guilt I felt when I imagined Papa’s reaction.

My palms were smudged with pencil lead, and the torn piece of newspaper I had found in the bushes even seemed more fragile between my fingers. In the distance, men chopped down small nearby trees and women were bent down in the field, harvesting wheat, the blades of their sickles glowing in the sunlight.

I managed to hold the paper down in the dirt before it blew away. The shouts of children playing in the background echoed in my ears as I gently pressed the tip of the pencil against the surface of the page, making sure not to accidentally rip a hole through it. The black letters were wrinkled and faded, but as my pencil glided across the surface, my imagination took control. I had the whole landscape at my fingertips, and a bunch of sentences weren’t going stop me. It was only until I heard a twig snap did I quickly shove the paper and pencil underneath my skirts.

“Gotcha!”

My nine year old brother’s shadow loomed over me, blocking the sunlight. His chubby arms and legs were still streaked with dirt and sweat from playing with the other boys, even though I had just ordered him wash off in the spring nearby. The pencil poked me in the knee, and I winced in pain. He crossed his arms and frowned at me.

“You’re a liar! You said that you were too busy with work to play with me. Just wait till I tell Papa, Honda. You told on me last week because I was looking at the cars, we’ll see what happens when he finds out you are stealing things from the civilian world.” He stuck his tongue out and took off running.

I rose to my feet and caught him by the arm. It was a good thing that I was still stronger than him, but not for long, since he put up quite a fight. I knelt down to his level, grabbed him by his shoulders, and made him face me. With one hand, I let him go, praying he wouldn’t break free from my grasp.

”I’m sorry, Benny,” I signed, making sure to do it slowly so he could understand. “You have every right to tell him, but..but don’t. Please don’t. He’s been in a bad mood lately. I just wanted to draw.”

“I didn’t say that when you tattle taled on me!” He started to pull away again, but I quickly stepped in front of him.

“If...if you won’t tell on me, I promise—“

“You always break your promises,” Benny mumbled as he pushed past me, his face filled with disappointment and anger. “I hate playing with Luvi and Dover, they always cheat and never pass me the ball. Why don’t you like playing with me? You stink.”

I stood there helplessly as he ran off past the crops towards the village. I wanted to call out to him, but I only had my hands, which were dirty with lead.

* * * * * *

By the time it grew dark and I was bringing in my share of potatoes and corn back to our mud hut, my stomach felt queasy and weak. My hands shook underneath from the weight of the heavy basket. This night sky looked particularly beautiful tonight, but it did not lift my spirits.

As I pushed back the tapestry hanging in our doorway, Papa was sitting in front of the fire, a plump rabbit roasting over the spit. Benny was digging a stick into the dirt floor, right by his sleeping pallet. When I gave him a small smile, he turned away, making the pit in my stomach grow a little bit worse.

“Where have you been?” Papa asked, the reflection in his eyes glowing red and orange from the flames. I set the basket down on the ground and slowly sat down, crossing my legs. “I don’t like you staying out late.”

“I was out in the field working,” I signed with my fingers. “I wanted to bring something for us to enjoy, but I didn’t know that you already had dinner.”

Papa sighed. “You know your curfew. Be back here by sunset. What business does an eighteen year old like you have at that time? Especially when it is so dangerous. Please.”

I stared at him for a moment. “Is everything all right?”

He took the roasted rabbit off the spit, and with his hunting knife, cut off hunks of the steaming meat before handing it to me. The scent made my mouth water, but when Papa offered it to Benny, he didn’t even look up at him. He kept drawing in the dirt, as if we didn’t exist.

“Around thirty of our villages in the south were taken into captivity. The Red Snake came and grabbed all of them, sending them to a security area. Juhan is doing everything he can, and we must do our best to help.”

I stared at the rabbit in my lap.

“Do you understand what the Red Snake is?”

”They...they are the chief of the civilians,” I signed, feeling a chill roll down my spine. “I don’t understand why they don’t like us. Why are they sending us away? Did we do something wrong? Perhaps we should just talk to them, invite them here to show we don’t mean any harm.”

To my surprise, tears began to well up in Papa’s eyes. The scratching noise in the ground from Benny’s stick grew louder, but neither of us asked him to stop.

“They say that the maximum security areas are comfortable. Don’t worry, poppet. It won’t last long. There will be plenty of food and water for us. Although I wish that we didn’t have to leave. If we resist, it won’t be a good idea.” He leaned forward and gently placed his scarred hand on my cheek. “Our leader will guide us. You are a bit too young to understand these things, but you need to know about the severity of the situation. Civilians are angry people, so do your best and mind your brother. I just want you to be safe.”

“I love you,” I replied, and when he gave me a warm hug, I felt safe in his arms. I closed my eyes.

* * * * *

When I heard Papa snoring around bedtime, I threw the blankets off my pallet and crawled over to Benny, who had his head buried in his arms. I reached for his hand, but he looked up and glared at me before slapping mine away. His eyes were wet with tears, and he wouldn’t stop sniffing his nose. I stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out what to tell him.

“Go away,” he said in a loud whisper. “I hate you.”

”Please, can I talk to you? I should not have been drawing. Just like you shouldn’t have snuck off with the other boys to look at the cars that the civilians drive. I am setting a terrible example for you. How can I make it up to you?”

“Leave me alone!”

“You didn’t tell Papa, did you?” I signed. “You can tell him, I deserve it. I will never lie to you again, I promise. I’m... I’m so sorry, will you forgive me?”

Benny shook his head. I rose to my feet and pulled back the tapestry, letting the moonlight seep inside. His eyes perked up as I leaned against the doorway and smiled at him. I knew he couldn’t stay mad at me forever, since he was always curious.

“Do you want to come to the field with me?”

“Why?”

“It’s a surprise. Come.”

To my relief, he got up. The sound of light breathing from sleeping people in the huts around us filled the air as we sprinted up the hill, past the crops and empty wheelbarrows sitting in the dirt. The soft soil felt good against our heels as we finally reached the very top, where the moon peeked over the woods in the distance. Many lights inside the huts were still on, glowing like the jack-o- lanterns we used for our festivals.

“Well?” Benny asked, gasping for air. “What is it?”

I ran out into the middle of the field and stomped on the grass, an explosion of neon lights appearing from my feet. My brother stood there, a surprised look on his face. I turned and grabbed his hands, pulling him along as we ran together, causing more of the fireflies to rise in the air. The expression of joy on his face was the only thing that I cared about in this moment.

“Let’s catch as many as we can and put them together,” I signed. “I’ll find a bucket to keep them in so that can we can release them.”

“No, I have a better idea.”

“What?”

Benny laughed and rolled on the ground, causing more of the lights to fly in the air. I grinned and turned away from him, kneeling down to catch a firefly to put on his nose. He took advantage of the position I was in and jumped on my back, and even though my shoulders were killing me, I didn’t mind carrying him.

* * * * * *

Only three days had passed by before the sound of bullets being shot echoed in the air. I was by the spring, filling up a bucket of water when I heard screaming. As I started to run, sweat caused the back of my dress to cling to me. Women were scooping up their children, trying to shield them with their bodies against the gunshots that rang out. A few people laid on the ground, their dark red blood spilling out from the holes in their skin. There was so much dust in the air that it was hard to see anything, and I couldn’t stop coughing.

Around fifteen to twenty trucks bearing the flag of the Red Snake on them appeared from the depth of the woods that surrounded our home. I pushed past people, who were trying to get away from the soldiers that kept firing at us. It wasn’t until I reached our hut did I see Benny huddled in a corner, shaking. The instant he saw me he ran into my arms. I knelt down to his level and gently wiped away his tears with my thumb.

“I don’t know where Papa is,” he said.

A wave of panic washed over me. Before I could respond, there was a heavy explosion, and then black smoke filled the air. The impact nearly threw us off our feet. I grabbed his hand and we ran outside, blending in with the crowds of people being herded out of our village. I covered Benny’s eyes so that he wouldn’t see the bodies, including the detached arms and legs that littered the ground.

“Move, Khonie scum!” one of the soldiers nearby yelled. When his eyes met mine I wanted to hide, but my feet stayed rooted to the ground. “Girls and boys go separately. Separate lines. Why are you two together?”

As he tried to pull me away from Benny, I struggled and kicked. The soldier started to laugh as he shoved me to the ground.

“Let go of my sister!” my brother yelled. He sank his teeth into his hand, causing the man to yell out as blood dripped from his wrist, before tossing him off. Benny landed in the dirt and rolled to his side, his eyes wide with fear. The soldier pointed his gun at his head, but as he pulled the trigger I grabbed at it, throwing off his aim. The blast hurt my ears. My arms were on fire.

“Run,” I signed to Benny. “Get out of here.”

A searing pain slashed against my skull. I doubled over. Besides Benny’s screaming and the ringing in my ears, there was silence. Something warm spilled from my forehead as I stared at the man’s boots.

“That was a mistake,” the soldier spat. Before he could do anything else another officer of a higher rank appeared. The man straightened up and saluted, obviously intimidated by his appearance.

“Private Jet,” the officer said. “Shouldn’t you be in the front lines? Leave these children alone. They were not resisting orders. You only shoot those who try to run.”

“But this boy attacked me!”

“Now!”

The soldier gave us one last glance before disappearing with the others, followed by the officer. I scooped up Benny, who was sobbing. His heart was beating so fast I could feel it, and his hands were shaking. I felt tears starting to come up in my eyes, but I blinked them back as we stepped onto the back cage of the truck, where hundreds of people were crammed, their fingers curling around the wired squares. I found a space where it was just enough room for me to sit with my brother in my arms.

As the truck we were in took off, Benny finally looked up at me. His eyes were so red and puffy, and I cursed the man who had tried to hurt him. His hand gently touched the side of my face. I could only look in dismay at our village, which was consumed in flames and burning up with smoke. It grew smaller and smaller until I couldn’t see it no more.

“You’re bleeding,” he whispered.

“It doesn’t hurt too bad,” I signed, which was a lot harder to do since my hands were shaking so bad. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. Stay far away from the soldiers at the maximum security area, okay?”

“What about Papa?”

I felt my heart sink. “He is with the other men. He is going to meet us there. I want you to close your eyes and get some sleep. Everything is going to be okay.”

Benny nodded and rested his head against my shoulder. I planted a kiss on top of his head, but my mind was racing. Had Papa left the village to work in the woods with the men? Or to maybe grab more food from the women? Did he know that the Red Snakes were coming?

”You won’t leave me, will you, Honda?” Benny’s voice was muffled against my arms. “Ever?”

I cupped his sweet, round face in my hands.

“No. I promise. I won’t let anyone take you away.”