Initiating the plan ( I am in desperate need of some good food.)

Locating Fifteen was an easy task. And wherever Fifteen was, Eight was sure to follow.

Fifteen was sitting in the trees, trying to stay as unnoticeable as possible; however, he was doing a horrible job, seeing as his body shivered every few seconds from the night chill. If I dined to pay attention, I could hear his heartbeat with irritation and a bit of fear. His emotions were understandable since Eight, his number one defense, was out scavenging for some water to drink and fill their canteens with.

The boy was like a sitting duck; his only saving grace being the meticulous traps set out circling their little hideout. It wasn't as advanced as ours, but even I could deduct that they would give others a hard time.

For a moment, I let myself bask in the moonlight. It was a strange feeling; unlike the sun, I couldn't feel the rays of warmth, but I could still tell with parts of my body the moonlight fell upon, if only by a minuscule amount.

It's time.

I regulated my breaths, letting the air move in and out slowly. The sound of the singing crickets was my guide; each chirp sent out a wave of sound, solidifying the tripwires and clamps. The echoes reverberated in the air, revealing the many possible paths that I could follow.

On my inhale, I crouched forward; with a slow exhale, I moved. Each limb twisted whichever way was needed, contorting in and out of their original positions as I weaved my way through the myriad of obstacles that would alert my presence.

The other boy was unaware of the decreasing distance between us, too distracted by the stress of manning the base himself to notice any signs pointing to my approaching figure.

Despite how high the branch he was hiding out on was, not much effort was needed on my part to silently jump up and match the height. Quickly stepping up from behind him, I swiftly hit a couple of his pressure points; and soon enough, he was out cold. With a soft thump, Fifteen fell into my waiting arms without any resistance; fortunately, he wasn't as heavy as I'd thought he'd be.

Amusement that was not my own flooded through my system; a tell-tale sign of my twin's own emotions poking through.

Not a second later, I heard the tell-tale gasp of someone before they fell unconscious near the river. Judging by the familiar body hovering over the downed person, it was indeed Eight.

Mission accomplished.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

After bringing the two back to an area we had scouted the day before, we placed them on opposite ends of the space and securely tied them up. All that's left to is wait for them to regain consciousness.

"Ya know, Bratishka," Squishy laid down on his back on the clearing floor, hands sprawled out on either side of his head, "What do you wanna do when they wake up?"

I tilted my head from where I was seated on a nearby tree branch, back pressed against the trunk and hands occupied with cutting up an apple I had plucked from a tree. "Prod them a bit, then get down to business." Slicing off a piece, I tossed it down a slice.

With a quick turn of his head, Squishy caught the apple slice between his teeth and let out a hum as he ate the fruit; licking his lips, he readily snatched another incoming apple slice.

"Do you think it'll work?" He wondered, brows downturned in his thinking face.

"What they're planning?"

"Yeah,"

I shrugged. Based on what I've gathered from Squishy, Eight seems to have a clear vision of what he wants to do: escape from the Program. I'm sure if he puts his mind to it, he can think of a solid plan to get out. The only things hindering his success would be the execution and the tracking/detonation bracelets.

"Meh.": Was all I said before shoving an apple slice in my mouth. I savoured the tartness of the crunchy apple. It's been so long since we've had actual food after all.

Five minutes passed as I let my twin's chatter fill the air and wash over me before we heard a discrepancy in our captives' pulses. Getting up onto his feet, Squishy let a minute pass. After no sign of the two waking up, he sighed, a bit annoyed.

"I know you're awake already, so stop the farce."

With a click of his tongue, Eight opened his eyes and glared at my brother while Fifteen grimaced, although he tried to hide it.

"Did he really have to use the Brown Root tie?" The brunette muttered under his breath, wrists struggling uncomfortably in their bound state.

The ties were all me, of course.

His pained struggle against the knots gave me a sense of amusement. I always did like to watch people struggle in my first life, and it didn't change in this life. They were funny to watch; it was always interesting to see what they would do to be free.

Squishy sent me a wave of emotions that would be the equivalent of an eye roll.

Hidden on the high branch, I sat back and observed the two as my twin began his interrogation.

"Evening. So what's up with you guys, huh?" He eloquently stated, squatting down to their level, not unlike a teenage delinquent. "I've been seeing you two trailing behind everywhere now like lint on black clothes."

"We weren't—" Eight started to deny, his heartbeat racing in embarrassment. His denial was promptly interrupted by a jab to his stomach by a quick-thinking Fifteen.

"Shut up!" He furiously gritted to Eight, brain racing to find a solution. Trying to take control of the situation, he gave a pliant smile. "Why don't you untie us first, One? I'm sure we can have a nice, civil conversation between the three of us."

I was unsurprised at his attempt at distracting Squishy, it was a solid tactic...if it weren't for the fact that he was facing us.

Despite his pleading words, the hands tied behind his back never stopped working. Fingers and wrists moving around in the deliberate motions we were taught in our lessons to wriggle out of restraints. When he gave up on trying to slip out of the rope, he started to feel for his hidden knife, only to feel nothing.

Spinning the knife in my hand, I nodded with satisfaction. It was a pretty good knife for cutting fruits, so I think I'll keep it.

"Hmm...Nah, I don't want to." Squishy childishly answered, sticking out his tongue at them. "Tell me what you guys want, and then I'll think about letting you go."

"Wha—Ow!" Another jab to the side cut Eight off. Wincing at the sharp pain, he twisted his head towards Fifteen with an undertone of betrayal lining his voice. "What was that for?"

"Just let me do the talking." The exasperated boy mumbled back, ready to drop the other in case there was a chance he won't make it out safely. Placing his full attention back on my brother, he started talking.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

"So basically, what you want to do is escape." Squishy summed up with a pinky digging in his ear.

A bit disgusted, but no less desperate, Fifteen vigorously nodded. "Exactly."

"What's in it for me?"

Fifteen blinked once before he stared at him in disbelief.

"What?"

"I said," Squishy drawled out with an annoyed huff, uncaring of their looks of bewilderment, "What's in it for me?"

"I mean—you'll be free! You won't have to put up with being treated like an object! No more of that horrible training! You-" Seeing my twin's bored expression, Fifteen stumbled with his words as he scrambled to keep his slipping attention. He turned to Eight for help.

Said boy pettily looked to the side with a huff. " Someone told me to leave the talking to him."

Just as Fifteen was about to complain about Eight's lack of support, the snapping of a branch caught my ear. It seemed to have caught my twin's attention as well, seeing as we both whipped our heads in the same direction. There was a pause before I heard the sound of boots stepping on the forest floor; more than one person was heading in this direction. I could hear the tell-tale thumps of tape dispensers against belts.

Picking up on Squishy's sudden silence, the two stopped squabbling and focused on their surroundings for any incoming intruders. It was obvious by the looks on their faces that they were confused after not picking up any signs.

I tapped my fingertip against the blade of the knife four times before silently jumping away, trusting my brother to follow after. While my main focus was to retreat, I still kept an ear on the conversation, waiting for it to wrap up.

"Seems like we'll be having company soon." Squishy idly comments, not at all worried. He turns back to look at the two boys, both worried at the thought of being caught. "I've been feeling pretty bored lately, so I'll give you a week to come up with a plan. Stay behind in the boys changing room after ballet class is over. If it's interesting, I'll think about it." Sliding out Eight's knife he had confiscated, he plunged it into the ground a foot from where he was standing. "If not," Squishy cheerily warned, "Then you'd best forget we had this conversation and go find someone else to use."

With a playful wink, he walked away. "Toodles~" The boy called over his shoulder with a wiggle of his fingers before he disappeared into the trees.

"How was I, Bratishka?" was the first thing my twin asked once he caught up to me. By now, Fifteen and Eight had gotten out of their restraints with the knife graciously provided to them and were now far away from the premises. Neither of them was stopping in their retreat, too scared they'd lose their head start. I could hear Fifteen's ragged breaths, caused by both the exhaustion and the concerning encounter with us, or rather my brother, seeing as only one party was aware that I was there. I'm a bit amused that they didn't think to ask where I was. Probably too caught up in the moment.

With a thumbs up, I gave my approval. "Flawless as usual, Brat."

His chest puffed up with pride as he let out a wide smile, "But of course, Bratishka. I wouldn't have it any other way."

With a raised brow, I couldn't help but tease. "Really going for the delinquent route aren't you?"

"Shut up. It was the first thing that came to mind." He immediately deflated with a whine, shoulders bunching up to his ears. The area on his cheeks pumped with blood, signaling he was blushing. With his pale skin, I don't doubt it would be a vibrant red.

"Oh my," I held a hand up to my mouth to fake a shocked look, hiding my shit-eating grin. "Is that a blush I detect?"

The only response I received was a multitude of rocks and sticks thrown at my head, all with frightening precision and aim, as well as with the intention to distract me from sensing his blush.

Ah, my twin really is too cute for the world.

Dodging each projectile launched at me, I softly chuckled to myself, pleased with the day's events. Progress was progress after all.