Written by Nic L., Don C., Chris O., Cara L., Val O., M.L., Merf, Stu B., Amelia O.
The Kid ran down the street. Their shoes splashed noisily in the puddles left over from the momentary torrent of ten minutes ago. The urge to glance over their shoulder was strong, but the Kid managed to ignore it, instead putting their head down and running faster. Behind them, the sound of screeching tires let them know they'd been found, and deftly they dodged into the nearest alleyway. They stopped short and their heart dropped at the sight in front of them.
Sitting next to the dumpster was a boxful of unopened birthday presents. It was clear that another family had tried to ignore the ban on birthday partys, and had paid the terrible price. Their own celebration had been broken up just as the rain started. Their parents pushed them out the back door as the enforcers broke down the front.
"Run" their mother had said.
Like the agile little minks they were, they jumped over the presents and dashed deeper into the alley. It hooked right and they scurried around it, only to come up short. They alley ended in a fence.
Angie pointed, "Help me push the dumpster and we'll climb over!"
Billy didn't answer, he just hurried over to the dumpster and put his back into pushing. Angie joined him and squeeling and screeching the dumpster moved.
The kid looked at the pair who had joined them. Unlike what they had done, the twins had not yet shed their party hats.
"Get rid of them!" they hissed as they snatched the small paper cone from the boy's head. "That makes you obvious!"
The kid began to scale the fence, ignoring Billy's cry for them to wait and rushed instructions for Angie to ditch her birthday gear, too. There was no time for waiting. If the enforcers managed to catch the twins, then they were less likely to catch them, too. As they reached the top, they could hear the enforcers yelling. In their rush, they lost their balance at the top, and began to fall backwards.
Billy caught them as they fell, and pushed them the last few feet they needed to clear the fence. The kid dropped and was positioned to catch, but just as Billy's hands hit the top he was pulled back. "Help us! You know what they'll do to us!" The kid knew, but the kid also knew what would happen if they were caught. With one last look behind them, they turned and ran.
When they were running they herd a noise. hey! tere they are! the cominsheners said. let's go the other way. But the cominsheners had back up. they
The Enforcers pinned Billy on the ground, clapping junior handcuffs on his wrists as police officers ran around the corner and jumped onto the dumpster.
"Run!" Angie shouted, grabbing the kid's arm and pulling him after her.
"But they've got your brother!" the kid said, trying to keep up.
"He's my cousin!"
"But they've got him!"
Angie ducked into an alcove, pulling the kid in with her. The kid was right: she could not give her brother over to the commimauer(?) to do as she knew they would. "But what can we do?" she asked, the fear born of love weighing on her voice.
The kid knelt, pulling a rebel communicator from his boot. "We? Very little. But I know some people who can."
Angie's eyes lit up. "Are you for real? You're in the Real Birthdays Rebellion?!"
"Yes," said the kid. "It's for real." The kid pushed the silver button on the side of the communicator.
A blinking red light appeared on its face, and a solid green one near its edge. "Let's go," said the kid to Angie. "Follow me."
The kid and Angie ran and ran some more, following the path from the red light to the green one along a map out-lined in gray. When the two lights were aligned, they stood in front of a plain green door. "They gray bat flaps at midnight," said the kid into the speaker.
"Enter," said a voice on the speaker, and the door opened to welcome them to safety.