FWOOSH! A swirling hurricane of dust and chemicals swept over the dilapidated, brown house as Jordan stepped out of his dwelling. Sighing, he squinted out into the distance, barely able to identify anything other than a few shrubs, the odd mole or rat that somehow survived the harsh conditions, and the faint outline of the Seals. Ever since Jordan could remember, he had lived out in what people referred to as the Outside, living under the brand of Outsiders with his parents and younger brother, Jeb, who was 6 years old, in a miserly house.

If you could even call this a house anymore, Jordan thought, looking back at the old, creaky building. Only one story tall, the building was lopsided, with the right side more elevated than the left. It was brown and gray from dust and sand, and it shook in the wind, making creaking noises and shifting back and forth.  Shaking his head, he observed the horizon, searching for a supply ship that ran back and forth between the seals. When Jordan was younger, his parents told him stories about the Seals, and how they once lived there before. They would tell him all about each individual feature, and his most treasured one was of the view of the Seal and beyond from the roof. The horrendous smog that now covered almost all of Earth had ruined their lives, and he wished for the supply truck more than ever. The family needed supplies badly, and sometimes if the supply drivers were nice, they would give Jordan some inhalers or rations.

After looking for what felt like forever, Jordan groaned and was about to turn back when he saw the speeding vehicle moving through the terrain. Yes, he thought. Maybe they’ll give me some stuff. Sprinting as fast as he could, Jordan ran to intercept the supply ship, his grey cloak floating behind him. Right as the ship was going to collide with him, it screeched to a halt in a cloud of dust and sand.

“Hey kid, watch where you’re going!” The driver hollered, climbing out of the ship. “You’re going to get yourself killed!”
“Sorry!” Jordan replied sheepishly, and then mustered enough courage to ask him for supplies. The driver studied him for a moment, observing his ragged clothing and thin physique, and thought for a second. Jordan begged in his mind for him to agree. Finally, the driver said, “Fine, I’ll give you some supplies.” Relieved, Jordan felt so jubilant that he could’ve hugged him. “Thanks so much!” The driver scratched his head a little flustered, and opened the storage hold of supplies. Choosing between the supplies, he picked out an inhaler, a fresh bottle of purified water, some canned food, and a pair of goggles. Walking back over, the driver handed Jordan the supplies. Jordan stood there in awe. He had never gotten so many supplies before. Usually he obtained the odd inhaler or a few cans of food. Speechless, Jordan gathered the supplies into his bag.

“It’s alright; you don’t have to say anything.” The driver said, as if reading his mind, and then climbed back aboard his supply ship. “Stay safe out there!” The ship zoomed away toward the Seal, and Jordan stood there, staring at the cloud of dust it left behind. Man, I’m so lucky, he thought to himself, turning away. After a few minutes, he ran in the opposite direction, toward a group of spread out houses. They were in good repair, none of them with cracks and certainly not as worn out as Jordan’s house. Each of them looked very similar, and was three times as large as Jordan’s house. With a typical slanted roof top, and a three story base, the property covered around three-fourths of an acre. Jordan could feel his stomach churn in both envy and anger. How come they were able to afford so much even without working as hard as the poor did?  

As he arrived closer, Jordan began slowing down and paused for a moment. Which one…, Jordan thought, and after being unable to choose after a few moments, he decided on the one closest to him. Quietly, Jordan circled the house like a vulture, scanning for any possible entry points. The doors were definitely off limits and probably were locked. Maybe the windows, Jordan wondered and checked the ones on the base floor.  At first, he saw nothing that would let him in, and Jordan cursed. “My luck is horrible.” he muttered to himself, when all of a sudden, he noticed one of the windows wiggling on its hinges in the wind. Jordan pumped his fist in success. Finally, a way to get in!

With no time to lose, Jordan ran while crouching until he arrived under the window. Holding his breath, he could feel his heart pounding, and wondered if it would completely shoot out of his chest. Gingerly, he began applying pressure to the window. Creaking slightly, the window tilted, and Jordan kept pushing until an opening was large enough for him to squeeze through. It was a very tight fit, and it took him a few minutes to wiggle in, collapsing on the floor in a cloud of dust.

“Oof!” Jordan groaned, rubbing his behind and sitting up. He sucked in a large breath, and slowly exhaled. Ahhhh, Jordan thought. I can never get enough of this air! It tasted completely different than the air outside, and every time Jordan “visited” a house, he would always pause to appreciate clean air.

After around five minutes, Jordan began wandering around the house, surveying it for supplies. Generally, people stored their supplies in a separate closet beside the food pantry, and Jordan decided to check that first.

“Dang!” Jordan murmured as he walked past some air purifiers. “These are great!” They were Purge Vents, the latest model X31, and were from the best yet most expensive air company,   Stocksmen. At first, Jordan was tempted to take them, but decided against it, since they wouldn’t work well in his house. Sighing, he turned away and went to open the supply door. If only my family could afford the supplies, Jordan thought in jealousy.  

“Jackpot!” Jordan murmured to himself, as he looked into the stash, and all of his worries flew away. It was a haven of supplies, with abundant medical drugs, food, water, and other things.

“Oh my lord,” Jordan exclaimed. “I am so happy I chose this house.” It was his luckiest find yet, and Jordan wasted no time stuffing his bag full of supplies. Even after his bag was full, there were enough supplies to fit five or six more bags, and this was only one stash! Each house generally had 3-4 stashes.
“Well, time to go now.” Jordan said to the house remorsefully. Part of him wanted to stay in the house and breathe in the clean air all day long. He paused to take one last breath of air when suddenly, the security lock of the front door opened.
Jordan nearly jumped out of his skin. What?! Jordan panicked in his mind. Everyone should be at work right now! It doesn’t end for another hour! Quickly, he sprinted back to the window, ignoring all sense of quietness. His bag thumped against his back as he dove through the window like a professional hurdler. Jordan could hear someone yelling profanity from in the house, and he was tempted to yell back at the person to mind their language.

Hastily, Jordan scrambled away with his heart pounding. His legs shook with adrenaline, as he rested for a moment. Well, back to nasty air, Jordan thought in disgust, tasting the difference in air quality. Sprinting back to his house, he at first felt extremely excited at the discovery of the supplies. Soon, however, this feeling turned to guilt. He hated himself for not caring about the owner of the house. Was it really right for him to take these supplies that they could have worked so hard for? Shaking these thoughts off his head, Jordan stopped in front of his “neighborhood”, which was more like a cluster of houses. Staring at the different houses, Jordan debated which family he should give his excess supplies to. Again, he decided for the one closest to him. Panting, he knocked hard on the door. “Hello? Anyone home?”

After a few seconds, a woman came to the door with a tired look. When she saw Jordan, her face lit up in surprise. “Jordan! What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Here, Mrs. Curmson, I got these for you.” Jordan replied, handing her a portion of the supplies that he took from the house. Tears shone in her eyes as she accepted the gift. “J-jordan, I don’t know what to say! We are in your debt!”
“It’s fine, Mrs. Curmson.” Jordan replied as she hugged him. “How is Jack doing?” Mrs. Curmson suddenly went quiet and fidgeted nervously. Confused, Jordan was about to repeat his question when a sudden burst of coughing and spitting erupted from inside the house.

“Is that Jack?” Jordan exclaimed. Mrs. Curmson nervously tried to direct his attention away from her house.

“No, no, it’s fine, and such a beautiful day outside, isn’t it?” Mrs. Curmson stammered. “You should go out and enjoy-” Another round of coughing erupted from inside the house, and Mrs. Curmson gave in.

“Yeah, Jack hasn’t been doing great recently, the air has really got to him.” Jordan felt sympathetic having no idea that Jack had been suffering so much recently. Thinking for a second, he made a mental decision.

“Here,” Jordan told her, giving her the rest of his supplies. “Take it. You need it more than I do.” Mrs. Curmson’s eyes opened in surprise. “No, I can’t accept this! It’s just way too much.”

“But I insist!” After thinking for a moment, Mrs. Curmson told Jordan. “Ok, I will take part of it, but you should keep the rest!”

“Alright, alright,” Jordan replied reluctantly, accepting the remnants of the supplies. He turned to leave.
“Bye!” Jordan waved, and he ran back to his house, where he wondered what he would tell his family with so little supplies.

“Hey! I’m back!” Jordan half yelled, bursting through the shabby door and almost breaking it off its hinges. A pale, skinny face popped out from behind one of the bedroom doors, making Jordan jump.

“Jeez, Jeb! You scared me!” Jordan exclaimed.
“Sorry,” Jeb replied, walking up to him. “Daddy is still sleeping though.” Dumping his bag on the table, Jordan sat down on a creaky chair and sifted through the pitifully few supplies, distributing the food and water into rations to last until the next time a supply ship came by. Jeb, soon getting bored from watching him, went back into the bedroom and fell asleep. Sighing, Jordan leaned back on his chair, and stared at the ceiling, and wondered how long they would have to live here, and half regretting his decision to give away so many supplies. He then glanced at a framed photograph resting on a stand in the corner and got up to wipe off the dust and grime. It was a picture of his parents, back when they had lived in the Seals. After staring at it for a long time, deep in his thoughts, Jordan got up and began sorting the supplies.

After finally putting away the supplies, he flopped on the couch, and closed his eyes. It was a rough day, and there wasn’t nearly enough supplies as they needed. He began thinking about how long the next day would be, and how all the future ones would be even longer.

Sunlight leaked through the window as Jordan slowly awakened, coughing into his fist and rising up. Even though he was still in the early stages of the Dust Disease from living Outside, Jordan still had some lung problems. Rubbing his eyes wearily, he walked around, stretching and trying to get his muscles to work. Sighing, he wandered into his parents’ room and was surprised to see his father out of bed, talking to Jeb.
“...and that was how the mighty knight defeated the evil dragon.” His father was telling Jeb, when he looked up. “Oh sorry, didn’t mean to wake you up.” Jordan smiled, shaking his head.

“No, I woke up on my own. Good to see you up!” Jordan went to sit next to them. They began talking about the condition of the house, when Jordan realized something.

“Oh no! The supply ship is coming by soon!” he yelped, and jumped up. Swiftly, he donned his cloak and swung on his bag, sprinting out the door. “I’ll be back soon!” Huffing and puffing, Jordan fumbled on his goggles and ran where the supply ship came by his house.

Jordan decelerated near the part where he obtained his supplies the previous day. Panting, he surveyed the area, but no supply ship was in sight. Believing he had missed the ship, Jordan plopped down in the dust in despair. Jordan felt like crying and pounding at the ground like a baby. His family needed every supply they could get, and he had let them down.
Suddenly, he heard a familiar engine roar. Shocked into action, Jordan leapt up and looked for the source of the sound. He wasn’t late; he was too early!

The supply ship screeched to a halt, and the driver hopped out.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing—” the driver stopped midsentence and stared in disbelief. “It’s you!” Taken aback, Jordan stared at his face, racking his mind trying to figure out who it was. Then, it hit him.

“You’re the driver from yesterday!” he exclaimed. They stared at each other unbelieving for a few moments. It was rare for Jordan to see the same driver because they almost always changed the driver of the supply ship.

Before either of them could say anything, a small head popped out of the back. “Hey, are we here yet?” Jordan jumped in surprise. The rest of the body hopped out and looked at Jordan. “Guess not.” The boy was short, maybe about 6 years old, with moppy brown hair and large blue eyes that seemed to ask questions.

“And that’s why I don’t take little kids.” The driver muttered under his breath, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger and shaking his head. Jordan stared at the driver, then stared at the kid, and stared back at the driver.

“Wha-... eh…. What…” Jordan spluttered, unable to say anything. The kid seemed to be from the Outside as well, judging from his clothes. But why was a Seal supply driver carrying an Outsider kid in the ship? Was he smuggling the boy into the Seals?  Not only was this illegal, but the penalty was life in imprisonment or even death.

The boy jumped back in the ship, and the driver turned to Jordan. “Ok, it’s not what it looks like.” Finally able to muster words, Jordan replied, “You’re a smuggler?” Sighing, the driver nodded, and seemed indecisive of what to do next.

“Well, I can’t exactly leave you alone or you might report,” said the driver, and Jordan stiffened. “But it’s not in my conscience to “dispose” of you either.” At this, Jordan relaxed, and then had an idea.

“Hey, can you smuggle me and my family into the Seals too?” He asked, pleadingly. “I won’t inform the Seals if you do.” The driver hesitated, and then slowly questioned, “Who else is with you?”

“My dad and my brother.” Jordan replied nervously. The driver thought for a second, and then nodded.

“Fine, but I’m not guaranteeing your safety. This is dangerous.” he warned. “People get caught quite often at the security checks, even though I never have. Come at this spot tomorrow night at 7 pm sharp, and bring as little as you can.” Jordan’s eyes lit up.

“I will tell you the plan when we meet, which should be at the abandoned air station near here.” The driver said, climbing back into his ship. “And the name’s Richard, but you can call me Richie.” At that, Richie drove away, speeding back to the bubbles. 

“Now to break the news to my family.” Jordan mumbled to himself, turning and running back to his house.

“Dad! Jeb! Great news!” Jordan hollered, bursting through the front door of his house. His dad and Jeb looked up surprised.
“Hey! What is it?” His dad asked as Jeb jumped up to go over to Jordan.

“We can get smuggled back into the Seals!” Jordan exclaimed excitedly. “One of the guys is going to pick us up tonight!” His dad’s eyebrows shot upward in surprise and Jeb’s jaw dropped open. Both were unable to speak as Jordan eagerly waited for their response.

“Jordan, are you sure you want to do this?” his dad asked. “This is really dangerous and might not even be worth it.” Jordan nodded.

“I’ve already taken into account the risks of this.” he told him. “I’m prepared to face the consequences.”
“And protect Jeb of course.” Jordan added before Jeb could object. His dad nodded, and Jeb began to jump up and down. “I can’t wait to go into the Seals!” Jordan smiled and rubbed his head.

“I’m going to work now!” he said, walking back out the door. “Be ready to leave when I come back!”

It was a normal day at the factory, the place where Jordan worked. It was one of the center places of activity that linked the Seals with the Outside. Bustling around, crowds of people walked from to place to place, putting objects here and there. As Jordan looked up, he could see a few men in dark blue suits, watching everyone and writing down notes on an electronic pad. It was sort of a mutual relationship: the Seals managed the Outside with greenhouses, while the Outside paid heavy taxes for this.

“Hey! Watch what you’re doing!” A sudden outburst from one of the officials interrupted Jordan’s thoughts. “I’m going to kick you out if you aren’t more careful!” He grimaced as the official repeatedly yelled at an old woman who had dropped a box of tools. The greenhouses provided the Seals with a lot of useful supplies that could only be grown in the Outside, and Jordan got the easier job as a data and crop collector/organizer. He worked for a cheaper company called Tuscan Industries, but it was still a job nonetheless.

Usually, the work took no more than 6 hours to complete, but it varied depending on the workload. Today, there wasn’t a whole lot of work. Jordan walked into the plant area of the greenhouse and picked up his note board and pen. Walking around, he observed each air plant. Whenever a plant released a pump of air into the tank, Jordan noted down the intervals and how much air it produced, then continued onto the next plant. To Jordan, it was a simple yet monotonous task.
Luckily, Jordan was allowed to spend his free time with whatever he wanted to do, and often, he returned home to help teach Jeb, who was still too young to work.

“Hey Jordan!” someone called, and Jordan swung his head to see who it was.

“Hey Shane!” Jordan called back, waving. Jordan was the only person in the area who was a teenager, and everyone else was either a kid or an adult. Shane was Jordan’s partner in this job, and helped organize the things with him, despite the fact that he was almost 10 years older.

All Jordan could think about was finally being smuggled back into the Seals. “Hey watch out!” Jordan just managed to stop before walking into the side of the building. “Man, you gotta watch yourself more!” Shane scolded him, shaking his head. Jordan wanted to yell at him, but instead turned away, mumbling about some excuse of not getting enough sleep.
Those small incidents occurred throughout the day sporadically, and each time someone reprimanded him for not paying attention to his work. Jordan shook his head. None of the people at the workplace really liked him, either because of his age difference or his better health, except for Shane, but they weren’t really that close either. Jordan sighed, and went back to work, wondering how much longer it would be until work was done.

After what felt like forever, an electronic bell signaled the end of the work day. Swiftly, Jordan grabbed his daily salary of air. Sighing, he paused for a bit, looking at the package. If only this air was 100% clean, he thought, then shrugged it off and began thinking about the Seals again. Racing home in exhilaration, he couldn’t contain his excitement. Huffing and puffing, Jordan threw open the door in his house and ran into the bedroom.
“Dad, Jeb, you guys ready to leave?” Jordan asked, peeking around the corner. His dad sat on the bed, hacking and coughing into his fist while Jeb was helping him stuff their belongings into a duffel bag. Nervously, Jordan approached them.

“Dad? Are you alright?” he asked. His dad looked up with a weary smile. “I’m doing fine.  Just got something stuck in my throat.” Jordan wasn’t so sure about that, since his dad looked like he had just got punched in the gut.

“Well ok, we should go to the meeting spot soon, it’s almost 7.”Jordan said, helping them pick up their stuff and prepared for departure. But something didn’t feel right to Jordan.
As Jeb, Jordan, and their father approached the air station, they could see the faded letters that said: “Stocksmen Air Station! Buy 5 minutes get 5 minutes free!” Once glowing and bright neon yellow, it now stood on top of a cracked, musty old booth. Apparently, it was once widely used by people in this area until it broke down and was abandoned, but Jordan wasn’t alive to see this.

“Daddy, what’s an air station?” Jeb asked, pointing to the sign.
“Well, son, five years or so before either of you were born, air companies created air stations.” Their father replied. “Their purpose was to sell air to people who didn’t have access to clean air easily. It was a great idea at the time.”

“How come we don’t see them around anymore, and if we do, they are like that one?” Jordan questioned curiously. His father cleared his throat, and told them: “People began taking advantage of the air stations. Some people learned how to hack the air deposit system which allowed them to get free air. Others robbed people who got stuck in the air station or vandalized the contents so that no one can use them anymore. Eventually, the project was disbanded, and the air stations became like this.”

When they arrived there, the smuggler was nowhere in sight, and they were a bit early, so they sat down on some pieces of debris around the air station. Groaning, Jordan’s dad sat down, and rubbed his knee which had been bothering him the whole journey. Jeb walked around impatiently, trying to catch some millipede scrambling around in the dirt. Looking inside, Jordan approached the air station. Inside was a scratched keypad where people used to pay and a mask for the purchaser to wear. However, the mask was broken in half, and one side of the booth was smashed, as if someone took a sledgehammer and smashed it in. Jordan shivered, and thought This place gives me goosebumps. The air stations used to be everywhere until they were shut down because of the number of people who got robbed at the stations and the defiling of the booths. Jordan shook his head in disgust at the air station and went back to where his dad and Jeb were sitting.

Sighing, Jordan crouched down, using his finger to draw random patterns in the dirt as Jeb continued to try to catch the millipede and his father tried to get some rest. Where is Richie? Jordan wondered in his mind. He should be here by now, it's way past time!

VROOM! A wave of dust rolled over them as a supply ship screeched to a halt near the air station.

“Whoa!” Jordan exclaimed, jumping up in surprise. His father and Jeb both got up from what they were doing as Richie stepped out of the ship.

“Hey guys,” Richie greeted them, shaking hands with Jordan’s father and nodding to Jeb and Jordan. “Sorry I’m late, got caught up preparing.”

“Oh it’s fine,” Jordan’s father replied. “We can’t thank you enough for what you are doing for us.”

“You’re welcome,“ Richie said. “But let’s get down to business. I have a plan to tell you guys about. ” At that moment, a man walked out of the supply ship.

“Hey, who is that?” Jordan asked, pointing at the person a bit suspiciously. “Is he with you?” Richie nodded.

“Yeah, he’s part of the plan, don’t worry.” Richie told him, and waved him over. “This is Will.”

“Hey, I will be helping you on our journey.” Will explained. “So anyway, let’s get started.”

Vrrrrr…The rumbling sound of the supply ship’s engine shook the small hold that Jordan, his dad, Jeb, and Will were cramped up in. Squirming around, Jeb attempted to get himself into a more comfortable position, but in turn jostled Jordan who hit his head on the covering.

“Dang it Jeb!” Jordan whispered to his brother and poking him in the side. “Can you move over a bit? I can barely even move my legs!” Jordan could barely even see the others, and the only lighting they had came from slits in the floor above them.
“Sorry!” Jeb whispered back, trying to move away from Jordan. “I can’t really move over, and I think my foot fell asleep! It smells really weird in here too.” Sighing, Jordan turned his head to look at his father, who fell asleep as soon as they were settled into their hiding spot.

“So, why exactly do we have to hide under the floor of the cargo ship again?” Jordan asked Will, a little annoyed by the lack of space.

“That’s because this is the only space big enough to fit all of three of you.” Will patiently replied, cracking his knuckles.

“Usually, there is only one or two people, so they would fit in a slot beside the cargo, not underneath.” Groaning, Jordan turned away, and looked around for something to do. Why is this trip so boring, Jordan wondered to himself.

Staring into space, Jordan nodded off into a deep slumber. All of a sudden, a rack of coughing woke him from his sleep. Opening his eyes, Jordan saw his dad coughing into his fist. When his dad opening his fist, it was stained with blood.

“Dad!” Jordan cried out, his eyes widening. “What happened?!” His father’s face was extremely pale, and when he spoke, it came out raspy: “Sorry, turns out my sickness is a lot worse than I thought.”

“Hey, what’s going on back there?” Richie’s voice crackled over the earpiece he had given each of them. “It’s not exactly soundproof back there.”

“Dad, how long have you been hiding this from us?” Jordan asked, becoming more and more scared of the current situation. His father looked away, embarrassed.

“Guys, what happened?” Richie asked, annoyed. Ignoring him, Will said to Jordan’s father worriedly: “That’s going to be a problem. If you cough during the security checkpoint, we might be discovered.”

“Are you implying that we abandon him?!” Jordan half-yelled at him. “We can’t do that!” Jeb, confused by the current situation, started crying and grabbed onto his father’s shirt. His dad started coughing more, and the whole compartment shook.

“I’m afraid what Will is implying is right.” He said, clearing his throat. “I can’t go along like this, I might mess up everything for us.”

“Hey, is anyone listening to me?!” Richie demanded.
“But, why, that’s just-”Jordan tried to say, still ignoring Richie.
“Sorry, Jordan, but this is it for me.” His father said to him sadly. “I can’t mess this up for you guys.” Tears began welling up in Jordan’s eyes, and he tried to say something to make him stay, but nothing would come out.

“Hey Richie, can you stop here for a second?” His dad requested over the earpiece.

“Oh now you reply to me,” Richie grumbled, but reluctantly pulled over to the side. Getting up, Will unlatched the covering above them and hoisted himself into the cargo hold of the ship. Reaching out a hand, he helped lift out Jordan, then Jeb, and finally their father, who was still coughing.

Richie walked out of the driver’s seat and came over to them.
“So, I guess this is goodbye.” Jordan’s father murmured, embracing Jordan and Jeb in a tight, tearful hug. “Stay safe guys.”

“We can say the same to you,” Jordan replied, almost sobbing. Jeb was silent and crying, and still did not understand why his dad was leaving them.

“I’m going now,” His father detached himself from them, and began walking back from where they came. As Will and Richie stood awkwardly on the side, Jordan and Jeb stood there, watching their father disappear into a cloud of dust.

“We’ll never forget,” Jordan whispered, then he put his hand on Jeb’s shoulder and they turned back to the ship.

The trip onwards had such a gloomy atmosphere; it seemed as if all life had disappeared. Jordan sat with his head between his knees and resting on his arms, depressed and silent. Why did this have to happen, he kept repeating in his head. Will opened his mouth to say something to comfort him, then deciding against it, closed his mouth again. 

After a quiet twenty minutes, the ship began to slow down.
“We’re approaching the checkpoint,” Richie whispered over the earpiece. “Will, get ready.”

“Got it,” Will replied, pushing off the top of their hiding spot. He hoisted himself out of the gap, and snuck over to another spot in the cargo bay, behind a few crates of supplies. Jordan watched him go, and pulled out the photograph of his parents, sighing in sorrow. I have to make it through for them, he thought, then looked over at Jeb, who was fidgeting with his fingers. Jordan reached over and hugged him close.

“Are you ok?” Jeb asked him, hugging him back. Jordan nodded, and thought to himself: I am never going to let Jeb go.
As their ship chugged along slowly, Jordan could hear voices outside until the ship stopped to a complete halt. He could barely make out the words, and all he could hear was: “Stop…. Have to check…. We’ll go around back….” The first part of the plan was about to be initiated, and Jordan gulped nervously. He wasn’t sure that Will would be safe, since the first part was for him to be caught. Will would act as decoy so that the guards would get distracted think he was the only one hiding. When Jordan had asked about the fate of Will, Richie had replied: “It’s alright, they never really punish them for trying to sneak back in, they just kick them back out and write them down. He changes identities every time, so we’re good.”

The creaking sound of the cargo bay door opening shook Jordan’s hiding spot, as he his lips began to become dry and his hands clammy. What if they find us out? What if Will doesn’t just get kicked out? What if… These thoughts kept running through Jordan’s head, as he prayed for everything to go as planned.

Footsteps resounded on the floor above them as several guards presumably checked around for anything suspicious. Seconds passed, and Jordan thought, Are they even going to find Will?
“Hey!” A voice shouted out from above them. “Who’s that?” Jordan heard scuffling as people’s feet pounded on the floor above them.

“It’s another one of those darn returners!” A guard yelled. “Help me hold him down!” More scuffling was heard as a few crates fell down onto the floor above them. Jeb whimpered as Jordan hoped that Will was alright.

“Hey driver!” Another guard yelled. “You know about this guy?” A door opened and slammed shut, and Jordan heard footsteps walking over to the cargo bay.

“Who in the world is that?” He heard Richie exclaim. “Must be one of those returners! Never seen him in my life before! Always trying to sneak aboard ships aren’t they?” More footsteps banged on the floor above them, as the guards began to walk to the exit with Will. “Just kick him back out, he’s probably just going to get sent back out again.” A guard said above them. Jordan breathed a sigh of relief. So far, everything was going according to plan.

CRASH! Suddenly, something broke through the floor in front of them. Jeb screamed before Jordan could cover his mouth, and he thought: What the heck? I think I just wet myself! “What the-” Jordan heard a guard cursing, and he finally recognized what had broken through the floor: a foot! He couldn’t believe what had just happened. What are the chances of this happening, Jordan exclaimed in his mind, and then realized that they were about to get caught. What do I do? he wondered in panic. If he quickly jumped through the cover, the guards might be distracted enough for him to escape, but it was nearly impossible for him and Jeb to make it to the exit in time. Another possibility was for them to stay there and hope for the best, but Jordan knew that they would check the hole, and they must’ve heard Jeb scream.

Just as he was about to have a panic attack, he heard one of the guard’s above him yell: “Hey! The returner is making a break for it! Get him!” All of a sudden, the guard’s foot withdrew and pounding footsteps were heard moving away from them.

Thank you Will, Jordan thought, as he whispered to Jeb beside him: “Quick! Now’s our chance! We have to switch spots!” Jeb silently nodded, and they swiftly burst through the opening and into where Will had been hiding earlier. His heart pounding, Jordan wiped sweat away from his brow and wished that the spot was a bit more concealed.

“Got him!” He heard a guard say. “You, go check that hole your foot broke through!” The guards walked back into the cargo bay. Jordan prayed that they would not check this spot again.
After a few agonizing moments, the guard replied: “There’s nothing there! Must be some extra storage hold or something.” The guards walked out of the cargo bay, and then a few moments later, the gate slammed shut. Jordan breathed a sigh of relief that he didn’t know he was holding this whole time.
“We did it!” Jordan whispered excitedly to Jeb, and his brother smiled back at him. “I was so scared!” Jeb whispered back, hugging him close. The ship began moving again as they passed through the checkpoint.

After a few minutes, the ship pulled over, and he heard the gate of the cargo bay open.

“It’s all clear now, we’re in the Seals.” Richie called to them. Getting up and stretching out, Jordan and Jeb walked over to him, and took in a deep breath.

“Ah, this air is great!” Jordan sighed contently. “I could definitely get used to this.” All of sudden, a thought crossed his mind.

“Wait, what happened to Will?” Jordan asked Richie. “His distraction helped us escape.” Richie looked away. “Yeah, they took him in for trying to escape.” Jordan’s eyes widened in horror, and he stood there speechless.

“It’s fine,” Richie assured him. “I’m going to go rescue him after this.” Jordan nodded, and patted him on the shoulder.

“Ok, so here’s the plan for you guys.” Richie told them. “If you continue down this road, and make a left, and continue straight for a few minutes, you will arrive at a giant, dark blue building. Knock on the door, and tell the person that answers it that Richie sent you. They will take you in.” Jordan and Jeb nodded.

“Well, I guess this is good-bye,” Richie patted them on the shoulder. “Maybe someday I will see you guys around.”

“Yeah, thanks for helping us!” Jordan thanked him. “It means the world to us.” They shook hands, and Richie got back into the ship, driving away.

After he had gone, Jordan looked around, and noticed just how amazing the Seals was. An enormous glass dome surrounded them, and nice buildings and shops were scattered all around them. It was a breathtaking sight. They stood there for a few minutes, observing the view, then Jordan grabbed Jeb’s hand.
“Let’s go,” Jordan said, walking in the direction Richie had told them. I wonder how it’s going to be living here, he thought.
As they walked down the path and turned the corner, Jordan and Jeb were met with a huge stream of bustling people, each going in their own direction. It wasn’t quite considered crowded, but it was as close as it could get to.

Wow, I didn’t know this many people lived in the Seals, Jordan thought, staring in wonder at the high quality clothes the people were wearing and the bright lights.

“Jordan, can we go? The people are scaring me,” Jeb whimpered to him, pulling on his arm. Jordan looked at the people passing closest to them, and saw what Jeb meant. They were giving them weird glances and whispering to the people beside them.

“Must be the clothes we’re wearing,” Jordan whispered to him, then continued their way down the street. Every so often, they would accidentally bump into someone, which was inevitable on such a busy road, but each time, the person would turn around and give them this frown. Jordan wasn’t sure why they did this, but it definitely contained disgust in the expression. Once, a man turned to them and said: “Watch where you’re going, Impure,” Jordan had no idea what this even meant, but it probably had a bad connotation.

Soon, they arrived in front of the building that Richie had described to them. Jordan began to feel butterflies in his stomach, and he thought, Why am I so nervous? Gulping, he reached up and knocked on the door.

After a few moments, a man opened the door.

“Hello, how may I help you?” he asked. The man seemed to be in his mid to late thirties, which messy black hair and a goatee. He wore a bit different type of clothes than the people outside, and also seemed a lot more amiable.

“Uh, hi, Richie sent us,” Jordan replied. The man’s eyes widened and he motioned for them to come inside.

Closing the door behind them, Jordan and Jeb wandered into the building. It was much like an apartment, and the man waved them into a room.

“Welcome, my name is Harrison Bell, but you can just call me Harry,” The man introduced. “You guys can make yourselves at home, you’ll be staying here.” Jordan nodded, then thought of something as Harry turned to leave.

“Harry, why were the people outside treating us so weirdly? One of them called us Impure,” Jordan asked him. Harry raised his eyebrows, and cleared his throat.

“I guess Richie didn’t tell you guys about that,” he said, shaking his head. “Well, we are considered a part of the social class, Impure. The Impure are the bottom class of the Seals, but the top class of the Outside, which I guess makes us a bit more kind than the people outside.”

“Yeah, they were a lot less than friendly,” Jordan muttered.
“Anyway, the other people in the Seals don’t like us Impure that much because we travel between the Outside and the Seals. We’re kind of the people who manage the Outside for the Seals.” Harry explained. “That’s all you guys really need to know, so just try avoiding contact with the other non-Impure people.” Pausing to let it sink in, Harry stood up. “I have to go finish my work, so I’ll see you guys in a few hours! This is pretty much your home now, so settle in and do what you want!”

Watching Harry walk out the door, Jordan stood up. Jeb had already fallen asleep, being exhausted by the long journey to get here.

Walking to the window, Jordan looked outside. It was a great view of a small boulevard, with a few paths leading to a group of benches in the middle, surrounded by trees, flowers, and bushes. It was amazing, and Jordan had never seen plants before, beside the pictures and stories his parents told him.
Reaching into his pocket, Jordan pulled out the photo. Placing it on the window, Jordan sighed in satisfaction. The background was the same as the boulevard, so he presumed that his parents must’ve been here before.

Sitting back down on the sofa beside Jeb, Jordan felt relaxed for the first time in forever. Closing his eyes, he thought: I think I’m going to like it here.