April's feet hit the forest floor hard, her boots making a muffled noise. In her hand she carried a bag full of an old picture, some rotten food, a necklace that she stole, along with a few other stolen goods.

Her breathing was heavy, but she kept going, afraid to look back. April knew that the shop keeper was following her, wanting to get his items back, but she couldn't let that happen. If she did, then she'd loose loads of valuable supplies like food and a cool leather jacket that she had found.

She heard other footsteps coming quickly, so she ducked into a hollow tree, trying to escape. Luckily for her, the opening was hard to see and only allowed someone close to her size to enter, and that shop keeper had most definitely been over-weight.

Once she was inside, she sighed quietly and backed up to what she thought was the back of the tree, but trees aren't warm or have hands that cover your mouth, do they? 

April struggled to get the hand off of her mouth, but was failing miserably. She tried to scream, but her voice came out muffled. She would have decided to go back and turn herself in instead of having someone holding her down.

"Sh," they said into her ear, but the voice seemed vaguely familiar. "If you don't shut up, I will slit your throat." She whimpered in response.

Rule 1- always lure the enemy into thinking that your weak, then, when they're least expecting it, take them down.

She let a false tear slip down her face. April's bag was then ripped from her shoulders and she heard rummaging behind her, along with a voice mumbling, "Food... Cash... A picture of her and... August, I believe that you're in this picture."

August? Where had April heard that name? She gasped. She then bit the hand that was on her face because it had loosened due to the person holding her trying to look at the picture. "Ow," they cursed. April then whipped around and snatched the bag from his hands, along with her picture. She then ran out of the tree, her captors still in shock, but not for long.

After April had sprinted for about thirty seconds, she heard footsteps, similar to the ones she heard before she climbed into the tree, but these were much lighter, and there were two sets of them.

She kept sprinting through the trees, occasionally scaring a bird. Her breathing was becoming labored again, and she began to slow. She reached up and grabbed a low branch, flinging herself onto it. She then backed up against the tree, crouching. But her camouflage didn't work, because after a moment, a boy with dark red hair that was almost brown sat in front of her, straddling the branch with a confused expression.

He opened his mouth to speak. "April?"

"How do you know my name?" she asked, backing up more. "It's August." "I know what month it is, idiot. Just because I'm a bandit, doesn't mean that I have no knowledge," she replied monotonously.

He sighed. "No," he said. "I'm your brother. August Jane." She looked at him aghast. "What?!" she shrieked. He put his index finger over his mouth, gesturing for her to be quiet. "Careful," he warned. "That shopkeeper is still lingering nearby. And no, I don't think that you're stupid, you're just dense, obviously. You got that from dad." "He's not my dad," she snapped.

He scrunched up his nose. "Why?" "After you left, Dad became... different," she said, whispering the last part. "How so?" he asked, coming closer. April replied, "He became abusive. Took all his anger out on me, I guess." She rolled up one of the sleeves of her t-shirt, revealing her left shoulder on which there was a long, pale line- a scar. August's eyes grew. "He did that?!" he whisper-yelled. She nodded, her lips pursed. "H-How?" he asked wearily. "He took a beer bottle and threw it at me, and it hit the wall behind me, going everywhere and some got me."

"I shouldn't have left," he mumbled, mostly to himself. 

"No, it was a good thing you left. The main reason he did that was because Mom died and he lost his job. He didn't really care for us. He would've gotten you, too. And hey, I now have more independence than most people," she argued, trying to comfort him. 

"But if I had stayed, then I would've gone through it, too, and could've protected you more, like a big brother's supposed to."

April snorted. "You're only a few hours older," she retorted. He just shrugged, still zoned out.

"August!" a voice called from a little ways away. "Where'd you go?"

Before he could reply, April shoved him out of the tree, and he landed on his rump. August groaned and muttered an audible, "Here." 

A boy with raven-colored hair and dark brown eyes appeared. "Where did you go off to, Aug?"

"One, don't call me that. Two, with my sister, who's hiding in that tree," he replied, obviously annoyed. 

The boy looked up and saw April and gave her a toothy grin. "Wassup?" he called, oblivious to the fact that she was trying to ignore him. "August, who is this bozo?" she asked, climbing down the tree. 

"Name's Maxwell, but you can call me your boyfriend," the boy replied for August, taking a bow.

April scoffed. She stook her hand out, and when Maxwell took it, she judo-flipped him and put her right foot on his chest. "Don't flirt with me, Maxine." "Maxwell!" the boy called from the ground.

She smirked, helping him up. "I know."