Dawn Of Rebellion Collection

10. Dawn

Is defreshed a word? Because that"s how I feel when I wake. What"s the opposite of refreshed? Just freaking exhausted I guess. Batteries not charged. Bone-weary.

Source of mental depletion? Defeat. I already feel defeated. It only takes me a moment after I open my eyes to realize I"m not in London. Then a moment longer to remember the plane ride. The colonies. Shite. We"re in the colonies. And they have my sister.

But what am I supposed to do about it? I guess we"ll figure that out.

I groan as I roll over and try to sit up, stiffness invading my limbs. I"ve spent years sleeping on hard surfaces. I can handle the aches and pains. Especially when I think of what Gabby must be going through. She"s been a prisoner in the colonies for six days. She"s the strongest person I know, but what if that isn"t enough?

It has to be. I"m coming big sis, don"t worry, I got you covered. I hope.

Drew"s presence nearby is an instant comfort. The woods stretch around us and the thought of being alone strikes a terror in me.

“What are you doing?” I ask as I kneel in the dirt beside him. He"s cleared pine needles from a patch of dirt on the ground and is drawing with a stick.

“Oh hey.” I"ve startled him, “Morning, Dawn. Sleep well?”

“Yep,” I lie, “You?”

“Kinda. Sleeping on the ground isn"t fun, but I guess I"ll get used to it.”

I nod as I kneel down next to him. “What are you doing?” I ask again.

“This is what I know about the colonies. We"re somewhere here.” He points the stick to an area on the ground. “There are only two airfields in the colonies. One is for supplies and the other is where the prisoners are taken. Our supply plane landed at the northern one. From here, supplies are trucked to the various camps.” He turns to me. “I think I know where she is.”

“How?”

“Prisoners from London are only taken to one of the camps. It"s the farthest one south, in a place called Floridaland.”

“Drew! I can"t believe you remember all of this.” I scanned his drawing of the colonies in awe, knowing that with him, I may actually have a chance. “This is brilliant.”

He flashed me a million-dollar grin, but as soon as it appears, it"s gone again and the intensity returns to his eyes. “We should get moving. It"s going to be a long walk.”

He walks by me to grab his pack and I tie my hair back away from my face. I pull out two pieces of jerky and toss one to Drew. He catches it mid-air.

Hiking my bag onto my shoulder, I take a bite of the tough meat and follow Drew further into the woods, each step taking me closer to my sister.