• "Don't do it," Jen said, watching as her brother, Luther, prepared himself for his jump. "The water down there is freezing, and you know that Trust me, there's an easier way to do this." Her voice was strong, not showing any sign of fear, nor anger. She was less placid than normal, becoming angry at her brother's ignorance.
    "Easier, yes. But Less Noticable? Probably not."
    "Just stop thinking about it and do it, man!" Will, on the otherhand, could be made angry or excitable in mere moments. "Hurry up, or the old lady will know about us! Then we will never reach the end of this terrible place." Will's blond, floppy hair moved in front of his eyes. He moved it away, feeling bothered by it. It happened all the time, and it makes him angrier each time.
    "I'll do it, but only if you two follow with me. Life in a new world will be hard, and I doubt you two would survive without me." The teenager smiled, looking at both his sister and his best friend. "Well, it's now or never," he said as braced himself. Now was the best time, for the only light came from the moon's reflection, the few streetlights that are on, and the headlights from the occasional car.
    "Wait!" his sister exclaimed. "What if we hit Purgatory?" Jen would think about all things that could go wrong. Running into Purgatory, the World Eater, as others may call it, was a reasonable fear.
    "Well then, I guess we'll still be happy. We'll be able to see Mom again, right?" After saying this, Luther slid from the bridge, and to the dark depths below. The others just watched, as this behavior was normal, but also planned. Next was Jen, who wasted no time and dived after her brother, who was still falling to the water. Will was third to jump. This aggravated him for he wanted to go first, but the others were older.
    The group of three fell to the water, hoping for their plan to work, and hoping not to hit Purgatory. A large splash of cold water burst from the river as Luther made contact with the surface. Jen touched the water second, but not before getting drenched from the previous spalsh. Will was the driest of all, not getting hit by any of the water until he landed in shallow end, and felt part of his foot crumble.
    Will let loose a painful scream that was soon muffled by Jen's hand. Will attempted to stand up, but felt an immense pain in his ankle. He fell backward, bringing Jen with him. The two fell into the water, making Will wetter.
    Luther stood up, the only person that landed in the deep part of the river. He was soaking wet, but he didn't let it bother him. "Will you two cut it out? If they find us, they'll never let us out." He looked around, searching for a direction, and points away from all the city lights. "Follow me, I can get us out of here." He began to trudge through the muck at the bottom, and noticed Will limping. "Why didn't you jump off at the same spot as us," he sighed, and turned to Jen. "Can you help him?"
    Jen nodded, and began to help Will stand. They walked slowly, sticking to the shadows, and the shallows. For twelve years-old, he was surprisingly light. The darkness grew larger as they grew farther. Only minutes after walking, did she realize a problem. "You gotta swim at some point," she said to Will, who kept limping. "The shields will prevent you from exiting the city unless we go through the river. If you don't swim, we can't get you out. That is, unless you want to make a scene and burst through the guards posted across the borders." She let out a small chuckle, somehow amused at the large troubles of this small boy.
    This made Will blush, except no one could see it. Sometimes, he becomes embarrassed about his stupidity, though he tries to hide it. Up ahead, Luther continued to walk, searching for any signs of detection. Every couple of minutes or so he stopped and ducked, as a streetlight came on, or a car passed by on the road. Jen and Will didn't stop since they were so far behind.
    It wasn't for another hour before they found the city's borders, guarded by a large, blue shield. The City Council hired foreign sages to set up the shield, and it lasted ever since. Only a few key spots were left unguarded. The river, for example, was one of them.
    A small, metallic grate reflected the blue light from the shield. "This is it," Luther whispered once the rest of his group arrived. "We swim from here, but it is only a short distance." Luther grabbed onto the bars of the grate, and began to pull. Jen, who had brought tools, walked over, and forced her brother out of the way.
    "The smart ones come prepared," she said with a smirk directed at Luther. She reached into her bag and revealed a small, black screwdriver. She knelt down, her head almost completely covered in water, and began to mess with the little screws holding onto the base of the grate. Each one plunked to the bottom of the river when she finished with it, and when all of them were gone, she cast aside her screwdriver, and pulled the grate off. A blast of hot, dry air greeted her. It felt wonderful compared to the freezing water.
    Almost immediately, an alarm blared, corresponding with the red lights that sprang up from the sides of the wall. The trio, excluding Will, who had been resting against a wall for support, turned to run, but were soon greeted by military officers, clad in black clothes, and with arrogant expressions on their face. There were seven in all, four on the wall, and three in the river most of them with weapons ready.
    One officer, who seemed to be the leader, pulled a gun from his holster on his waist. He brought it up and pointed it at Jen, who appeared the most guilty. "Don't move!" The leader seemed scared, as if the three kids were deadly. "Put your hands on your head, and drop all your weapons!" His gun was shaking heavily. Whoever this person was, he must be new.
    Jen dropped the grate into the water, which made a splash, and startled the officer. She stood up, and placed her hands on the back of her head. The other officers moved towards the boys, and handcuffed them. They handed them to the guards on the wall, and set them on the grass. The leader hastily moved over and did the same to Jen, but muttered something in her ear. "This place has enough problems, girl. Cause anymore, and you might find yourself, and your little pals, in Purgatory." He followed this statement with a knee into Jen's gut. She doubled over, the wind knocked out of her. The other guards hauled her up to the grass, and they were watched, until a large vehicle pulled up. "Come. We have something to show you," he said as the others loaded the trio into the back of the truck.