"You sure about this?" Lucy whispers as we approach the wall.

I feel like I'm about to throw up. I've never gone against the rules this far before. It's so against my nature that it physically harms both Lucy and I.

"Yes. I'm sorry if you get into any trouble for this," I whisper back.

She offers a halfhearted smile. "Don't worry about me. Just worry about the huge mess you're about to get yourself into."

Well that's encouraging.

We stop a few feet away from the guards. It's perfect timing too. The gate is starting to open for supplies to come in.

Lucy gasps loudly and points to the top of the wall. "Wh- what is that? I- I think I see someone trying to climb the wall!"

This grabs their attention. They all run to where Lucy is pointing. They don't bother keeping the open gate secure. The crack is tiny, but I think I'm small enough to fit through it. Adrenaline pumps into my veins.

"Oh, whoops! Sorry, false alarm! It's just a bird," I hear her say before I'm completely out. It makes me snicker a little.

I stumble, shocked that I actually made it. I'm so close to my goal, but still not quite there. There's a big chance I could still get caught.

So I run. I run faster than I've ever before, sprinting to the cover of trees. I don't have time to marvel at my new surroundings. Not yet, just need to go farther. I need to go faster.

Branches scrape my face as I zip past the forest in a flurry. They sting and leave bloody scratches. The sensation makes me grin wildly. I've never felt so alive.

I begin to puff. I'm not exactly an athlete, so I eventually have to stop, breathing heavily.

Okay, Kat. You've made it. Now we walk.

I obey my thoughts, my head swiveling back and forth in amazement. I've never seen so many trees in one spot, not to mention this tall. Strange animal sounds fill my ears, making me jump at every snap of a twig.

I brush the dirt off my white blouse. "Water. I need water," I murmur to myself.

Wait, how do I find water? Geez, I really didn't think this out very well, did I? My mouth feels even dryer at the thought.

A strangely loud snap of a twig snaps me to my senses. I hide between a massive tree trunk, expecting authorities to come flooding into the clearing to escort me back. Blood pounds in my ears as voices are heard.

"Did you hear something?" Someone asks.

"Yeah, thought I saw someone too. Definitely not from our camp, though," another voice replies.

"Yeah, or one of those men inside the Wall. They never go this far."

"Let's split up and see if we can find them."

This confuses me. If they're not authorities, who are they? Everyone outside of the wall is supposed to be dead. This scares me even more. Are they barbarians? Uncivilized people that will kill someone who isn't covered in dirt?

I break into another sprint, no matter how much my muscles scream for me to stop.

I hear a laugh. "I'll get them! You go back to camp and tell the others we got a visitor."

No, no, no!

He's fast. Much faster than me, but I still give it my all. My neat bun slightly becomes undone, sending golden flyaways into my face. My long skirt gets caught on a bush. I frantically try to pull free, but he's already gained a ton on me. The man tackles, pinning my small frame to the ground.

"Let go!" I yell, struggling uselessly against his iron grip.

"Well this is odd. You're a girl," he says.

"Yeah, and you're crushing me!" I snap.

I glare up at him. He wears a toothy grin. He has shaggy black hair, which falls into his light, stunning grey eyes. I stop struggling for a moment, mesmerized by this strange person. Where on Earth did he come from?

"Okay, okay. I'm off," he mumbles, letting me go. I sit up and scoot a few feet away from him.

"Sorry to cause trouble. I'm just passing through," I explain quickly, even if the questions of how the heck he's alive are still in my head.

"You look pretty exhausted. Who are you? Where did you come from?" He asks.

I sigh, not answering. I get up and begin to walk away, but he zips in front of me.

"Can't let you go any farther. You could be a spy from the Wall," he says.

I groan. "A spy for what? All I want is to get as far from the Wall as possible."

He grins. "So you are from there. That explains your clothing. What are you running from?"

"I ran away because I wanted to know why the government trapped us in there. Guess I do now, it's from annoying pests like you."

He begins laughing, oblivious to my insult. "Good one! But really, that's impossible. A small girl like you couldn't just break out."

I attempt to push past him, but he grabs the collar of my blouse. My eyes narrow as they glare into his.