“The Strays don’t belong anymore, they never belonged, and they will not have another chance to destroy the beautiful utopias that we create. West Point is the only one left standing. We will not let it fall; we will hunt down every single Stray until they all die just like their parents,” I swore under my breath as I watched the large television. This wasn’t good at all. I looked around at the central square that was abandoned but that didn’t mean that no one had seen the broadcast. Everyone had which meant it wasn’t safe for me any more.

“Who’s there,” I slipped the hood of my cloak back over my head and retreated away from the approaching light. I ducked into a near by alley and held on to my dog tag to make sure no one heard me.

“What are you doing Peter,” another voice asked and I noticed two approaching figures. I saw their soldier uniforms when they stepped into the light of the large television.

“I thought I heard someone,” the first answered.

“It’s past curfew, everyone’s supposed to be in their homes. You probably just heard a dog,” the second answered.

“I don’t know, you know how Ed is telling everyone about the Strays out at night.”

“Since when has Ed been right? He didn’t even finish middle school.”

“I guess you’re right,” after hearing that I turned and left down the alley. I looked up at the new moon, thinking. G.W was going to kill me for sneaking off but I was going to get back before he even noticed. Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light and I threw my arm up to hide my face from the light.

“Hey you, stop right there,” a deep voice yelled and I instinctively ran back the other direction. I saw the soldiers from before come into view. After hearing the screams they must have come to see what was going on. I ran straight at them but when they went to grab me I jumped and easily flipped over him and continued to run. I slid around corners dodging the bullets that were bouncing off the concrete buildings around me. I counted the buildings, one…two…three. Until I finally came to one single building that was unique. I opened the door to the house and ran in shutting the door quickly behind me. I peeked out the curtained window to see the soldiers stop right in front of the house but they were looking on down the streets.

“Where did he go,” one of them asked.

“He must have taken a back alley to his house. It was only a boy there’s no real danger,” another said and I felt my chest lower with relief. I watched as the soldiers walked off down the street and I looked away from the window and into the small house in front of me. It was dark and there wasn’t a soul moving anywhere. I pulled off my cloak and put it back in the exact position I had found it and I walked quietly through the house until suddenly I found I was pinned to the wall.

“You picked the wrong…,” someone started until I interrupted.

“Rail you idiot, let me go,” I whispered careful not to wake anyone.

“Sane, what were you doing out, G.W would kill you if he knew,” Rail told me letting me up from the wall.

“I know, that’s why we don’t wake him,” I told Rail as I walked over to a ladder that was leaning against a wall.

“Though your stealth skills do need improving,” I turned quickly as the lights flicked on to see G.W. He was a man with gray hair and a wrinkled face and was no older or young then seventy five. He was confined to a wheel chair after being injured in the Guardian Wars.

“Hello G.W,” we told him. If you’re wondering about the G.W thing, we don’t know what his real name is either. When we were younger he told us to call him G.W and we never knew more than that about him.

“What are you boys doing up at this time of night,” he asked.

“We were just getting a glass of water,” I told him hoping he wouldn’t figure out the truth.

“The kitchen is in there, not out the front door, Sane,” he told me and I just looked at the old wooden floor.

“Go on back to bed Rail, I need to talk with Sane,” he said as he turned around his wheel chair and went back into his study. Rail patted me on the shoulder before climbing up the stairs back to the loft where we all slept. I walked into G.W’s study which was a basic white, small room with a simple bookshelf and desk.

“Sorry for going out tonight sir,” I started wanting to get on his good side.

“Look Sane, I understand you want to know more about the world outside this house but you can’t,” G.W told me.

“What they are saying about Strays, is it all true,” I asked. He only gave a small sigh and rubbed the back of his head.

“No they just don’t except Strays yet, you’re just strange to them,” he told me.

“What about the Guardians, they weren’t strange to them,” I told him as rage started to take its rise in my chest.

“The Guardians were also strange to them and many people didn’t oppose them for fear of them,” G.W explained.

“I’m just going to sleep,” I told him turning to leave.

“We’re not done talking Sane,” he told me.

“Though I’m tired,” I responded.

“You don’t get tired Sane, it’s not in your genetic make up,” he told me and I released the door knob I had been clutching, he had me there.

“Fine, I won’t go back out again,” I told him.

“No, you will for you want to know what is out there. Listen Sane, do you remember Kain,” he asked.

“Sure, he used to live here,” I told him.

“Yes, do you remember what happened to him,” he continued.

“Yeah, when I was six he disappeared,” I told him thinking back on the memory.

“He was captured Sane, he went out into the world and got captured. You can leave now but keep that in mind,” G.W told me and I turned grabbing the door knob once more before I thought for a moment.

“There’s always a risk in life though, right,” I asked and continued on out the door. I climbed up the ladder to the small room that had two separate figures lying across the room from one another and both were hidden under gray blankets. I walked over to my small gray mat that was used for beds. I looked out the small window that was right beside mine. I watched as a few kids ran from the alleys to others and forgetting about the curfew. I saw across the street, a light in a room come on and a woman walk in the room and picking up a small child. I began to wonder, where my mom and dad was. Did they know that their eight year old son was here? Was it that they just didn’t want me, or any of that? I grabbed the dog tag that was dangling from my neck and I brought it to the moon light where I could see it better. I rubbed my thumb over the picture of the lion that had been engraved deep within the metal. I turned it over in my hand as I looked back out into the world. If I was a Stray, I had a parent who was a Guardian. So which Guardian was it?