Rats: Shai's Story

Rebellion

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone reading! 

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On the drive home, the three of them were almost absolutely silent. Todd and that girl were passed out in the back seat, and Mikko had occupied his time by inspecting them.

Jasper was focused on the road, keeping an ear out for the sounds of another car. Shai's mind wouldn't stop racing.

How could Todd be Tegan? It wasn't possible for him to be. He was just a Rat like her, he couldn't possibly have any Archy blood in him.

It would make sense though why he knew so much about how to act like a Brighty. Shai never questioned it because she just assumed he learned it by watching Brighties in the Market. If he was an Archy he would know all of this.

Why did he never tell her though? He was the only person she had complete trust in and if she was hiding a secret like that she would surely tell him. They've known each other for thirteen years, how could he have never even mention anything?

Jasper pulled into Mikko's driveway. Shai looked over to see that Todd and the girl were still passed out in the backseat. Mikko had reached over to Todd's and pried one of his eyes open with his fingers. The crystal blue iris was staring at Shai, but Todd was still unconscious.

As soon as Jasper turned off the engine, Shai got out of the car and opened Todd's door. She heard Jasper slam his door shut and Mikko got out of the backseat.

Shai grabbed Todd's shoulders and pulled him up. Jasper's hand came in under Shai's and he helped her pull him out of the car. Mikko had already gone inside the house. Throwing one arm over each of their shoulders, Shai and Jasper dragged Todd into the house.

The cluttered hallway made it difficult to drag him down the hallway. Shai had to kick boxes out of her way.

"Be careful with my things!" Mikko shouted out. "Bring them in here."

They followed his voice into a room Shai had barely been in. It was cluttered with furniture and they windows were shattered. Mikko had pulled one of the stained white chairs in front of an old tattered green couch.

"Put Tegan down there," he said pointing towards it.

They dropped him down on the couch and Shai pulled up his legs so that they rested across the couch too.

"I'll go get the girl," Jasper told her before turning around and walking out the door.

Mikko was leaning forward and rested his elbows on his knees. Shai threw the hat off of her head and began tearing away at the skin on her scalp. She struggled to rip off long stringy pieces of the plastic material Mikko had covered her head in. She felt relieved to feel her long, thick hair tumble down her back.

Jasper came in carrying the girl in his arms. When he saw Shai no longer looking like a boy, he smiled at her. He placed the girl down on one of the couches running along the wall.

"Okay," Shai said letting out a deep breath. They didn't speak in the car because they were afraid of catching the attention of anyone. Jasper didn't even turn on the lights of the car while driving home. "Why wouldn't ya just tell me that Tegan was Todd?"

"I wasn't sure if it was," Mikko told me. "He sounded like he could have been. He came into the camp around the same time the Royal file showed up in the system."

"The Royal file?" Jasper asked.

"Everybody in the Monarchy has one," Mikko said. "They were always private people and if there was a sickness in the family, they didn't want anyone to know. Their files would only show up on certain scanners. On other scanners, much like the one the Officers who arrested him must have used, it just comes up as unknown. They would have thought he was just like any other Rat."