We are going to attack the Rangers." He explained. "Why do we fight instead of teaming up to find answers?" I asked. "He's been sending boys here for years, some boys wanted to escape, so we formed groups." He said. "We have to go get ready to attack though." He said. Then he walked away and I got dressed into some old clothes that the lost boys had in some of their cubby's. "Choose your weapon, rookie!" Trevor taunted. "Which would you prefer to get hit with?" I said jokingly. That's what i would have said to hunter if he asked me. "See? That's the spirit!" Trevor said and I laughed. The options were things that people brought to this parallel universe to defend the self from the intruder. The options were hammers, knifes, screwdrivers, baseball bats, and BB guns. I chose a BB gun that was a revolver because I always thought Cowboys were awesome. We started to climb out of the abandoned warehouse that was our base. I was close to the last. "You gotta push your way through if you want to go further." The boy next to me said to me. Once we were out of the abandoned warehouse, we all marched like an army, in order, organized. All the way the same boy was next to me. We had numbers like an army, we were organized like army, and we had the trust of an army. Eventually we met in the center of a large village in this wasteland. The merchants and sellers all over with their markets that were small tents with broken things and other trash started to leave quickly, they knew what was coming. "Is there a specific reason we're fighting them now?" I asked the boy next to me. "Mostly threats. They don't know if we will follow through with our threats, and we don't know if they will. Man fears what he does not know." The boy said. That was very true, and I believed it. "My names bobby by the way." He introduced himself. "Nice to meet you." I replied. After about a minute of waiting, standing, with our weapons ready, the Rangers arrived. The ranger leader yelled to Alec, "What are you waiting for lost boy? We'll help you find your way, either out or on the ground. Last chance." He threatened. "Isn't that the reason this fight is happening, over threats?" Alec asked cleverly. "Why don't you back down? You're all talk anyway, coward!" The ranger leader had put down the last straw. Alec didn't even think about a good comeback, he didn't even think about anything at all.

He ran right for the ranger leader and the rest of the lost boys followed his lead. I ran in feeling something between hyped and scared. I didn't run right in and start shooting away, but let's just say I didn't stand there either. Then, from behind me, I felt a hard hit in the back of my neck. As I fell I got a 180 degree view of the whole battle. Everyone was just fighting and it was crazy. I saw the person just as I hit the ground. They had something strapped to their hand and had punch me. I noticed my neck was bleeding. I aimed at him and stopped him. After that I knew that this was a small war. I really fought after that, and it didn't feel great, but I did what one does in a battle. It ended with a surrender and a promise. Alec had his weapon to their leaders throat. "Back off Mack, I hope you learned your lesson." Alec said to their leader. "Watch your mouth, enough with the threats." Alec commanded. "What if I make a promise?" Mack asked. Alec didn't know what would be a good comeback, so I did. "We promise we won't take your mouth anymore." I said. Everyone looked at me like I had 3 heads. "You're new here aren't you? I've never seen you before." Mack asked. "Why does that matter?" Trevor asked. It felt good that he stuck up for me. "Well rookies should kindly watch what they say if they don't know what they're getting themselves into." Mack suggested. "That was close." Alec warned. Alec finally took his weapon off of Mack's throat. Mack starred meanly at Alec and turned to walk away. "Have a nice day Alec!" Mack shouted back tauntingly. "Patch yourself up!" Alec said back. I got a feeling like they knew each other. Then we picked up our stuff and scavenged from the temporarily abandoned markets.

When we went back home it was dark and we changed and washed up with a bucket and a broken shower. After that we sat at a fire we made by some weird new technology of this universe, though it wasn't futuristic, it was surely helpful. We all had small groups because the fire wasn't big enough for us all. It reminded me of a lunch table back home. The people in my group were a boy I hadn't met named jack, bobby from the battle, Trevor, Alec, and I. "So what was the best part of today?" Alec asked. "The battle." Trevor said. We could all tell Trevor was a violent person. "That talk you had with Mack!" Bobby said. Jack shrugged, but we all knew that meant he didn't really like fighting, which was okay, but never admitted blatantly by anyone. When it came to me I said, "Being a team, I've never met any group of people as connected as we are, even though I've only been here for one day." I said. Alec seemed to really like my answer. "What about you Alec?" Jack asked. "I liked that would stood up for ourselves. I think Mackenzie needed that talk!" Alec said, dissing him by saying his full name. How did he know his full name? That reminded me, "Do you and Mack know each other besides as group leaders?" I asked. "Yeah, he used to be a lost boy, but then, he left to lead the Rangers. We used to be really good friends until he betrayed and abandoned us." Alec explained. It surprised me, but that would be the only way they knew each other. "Wow!" Jack said. I guess I wasn't the only one who didn't know that story and was surprised. There was a few moments of awkward silence. "Well it's great that he got the kick he deserved!" Trevor said breaking the streak of awkwardness. "I feel like you've been here longer than one day, you've done so much." Jack said to me. "Yeah! You've got real courage stirring things up, rookie!" Trevor said. "You're just jealous Trevor." I said. "You're right! I'm jealous that you've been here two nights, which one you were here for half a night and tonight, if that even counts, and have gained all this respect!" Trevor admitted. "Maybe it's because I'm not like you!" I yelled in an instance of rage. Then I unintentionally had the attention of all of the lost boys. I regretted it almost immediately though because he was my brother now, and I wouldn't say anything like that to hunter. "What's that suppose to mean, huh?! What's wrong with that?" He screamed. "Nothing, I'm sorry." I said trying to convince him. "That's what I thought. All I am is tough, and you have to be after you've been me!" He said. I didn't know what had happened to him in the past. "These are new days Trevor! It's a new family!" Alec tried to say, yelling to him.

Trevor walked away. I followed him. "Trevor I'm sorry. I just got mad, it's been hard to loose all my family." I tried to use as an excuse. "I lost all my family too, my mother to A.L.S., my dad to alcohol, my brother to the intruder." He explained. I felt so guilty. (I know this whole scene is kind of dark, but it's just character development.) I didn't really know what to say at first. "I didn't mean it. Besides you shouldn't listen to me, I'm just a rookie." I said jokingly. He smiled lightly. It kind of felt like brothers then, a special bond. Then we went to bed. It wasn't the best night, but we talked and forgave each other. All brothers fight sometimes, and it's not the fact that they understand you enough to offend you that make you brothers, it's the fact that you can forgive them because you understand them too. When I woke up I felt weird. There was a black cloth over my head and I was sore. I thought it was another prank. I noticed I was sitting up. I tried to pull the cloth off, but my hands were tied down. That's when I realized it wasn't a prank. I struggled and struggled while the cloth made it an obstacle to breath. Then someone pulled the cloth off. "I see your awake!" I heard. The cloth was off and I saw that it was Mack. Then he said, "Wakey up lost boy!"

Then he said, "Wakey up, lost boy!" I was afraid. "Where am I!?" I asked. "Our base." Mack answered simply. "You're a-" Mack said but was interrupted. "Why!?" I asked. "LET ME TALK!" Mack screamed. I knew he had anger issues after that. "I know, you're a new kid here, because I've never seen you before. I noticed you when you said something to me at the battle. There is something special about you. My wonder is why you joined the lost boys. Did you even look at the other groups? Do you know why they formed their gang? Do you know anything about them?!" He asked. He took a moment and calmed down. "Let me guess, they said they were brothers and they're your family now?" He asked. "They said that because it is true." I said angrily defending them. "No! They said that to use you! They just want to use you! Even if it was true, would you let them replace hunter?" He asked. I was seriously weirded out then, I caught it. "How do know about hunter?" I asked. "Oh, I, oh well." He said. "I was sent here to wait for you, Elliot. The intruder has been searching for you and hunter for years, every single boy here is a suspect of being Elliot. If you told the other boys that your name was Elliot, they'd kill you, you're the reason they're here. Why do you think they're all boys, with blue eyes, and brothers, all living on an oak street? It's odd isn't it?" He asked. "You're lying!" I said getting angry. "No! I'm not a lair!" He said starting to loose it again. "Ask them about their brothers, look at their eyes, ask them about their homes! I figured it out, quite quickly. The only thing that threw me off a little bit was their lies! I told you, all they do is lie! I was there once, I was lied to once, I was used once. The intruder came to me. He told me everything, he knew I would find it out, just like he knew all those things about you Elliot! He told me things I will never repeat, and things like I should lead the Rangers, and things about Alec, and even how to get home." He said. "How!?" I asked interrupting him again. He got in my face quickly and said quietly, "Do, not, interrupt, me." He really scared me then. "I can't tell you how to get home, I can't go yet because he threatened me, I have to follow his commands for a while until he says I can go home. One of those commands were to capture you and tell you this message," Then he took a note out of his pocket and read it: "Hunter will survive, but he isn't home either, according to my plans, you won't see him for a few decades though." I burst into tears after hearing that. Mack stopped reading the note and talked to me, "Hey! The lost boys are your brothers right?" He asked rhetorically. "Nothing can replace a real brother, don't listen to them because they are lying anyway." He explained. Then he continued reading the note, "Follow your childhood dreams, they will bring you great places. You know what I'm talking about Elliot, follow your weapon of choice." I knew he was talking about the BB revolver I chose earlier. I wanted to be a cowboy, and apparently it would help me. He was still reading, "I have other things to do, other lives to change, all for one far far away cause. You'll see, I know because I can see it already. Oh, and in a while you'll face a simple choice, don't choose pirate or you'll never see Hunter again, it'll make sense soon, I promise." Then the note ended. It was a lot to take in in a a few moments. Hunter was in a different parallel universe, I need to be a cowboy and not a pirate. "After hearing all I've revealed. Would you like to lead the Rangers and take my place?" Mack asked. "I need to think." I said simply. "Okay, I'll see you in a few." Mack said.

I thought about it. "If all that is true, that it's all lies, then of course, but I should never follow rumors. What if they are just using me? No one could ever replace Hunter." I thought. There was so much to consider, in such a big decision. "What if I need to lead the Rangers in order to see Hunter again? What if Mack is just lying? He couldn't have been, he couldn't guess all of that. If Mack is telling the truth, that they all lied, that the intruder knows the future, that I can see Hunter again, I'd have to lead the Rangers, but if the intruder needed me to lead the Rangers in order to see Hunter again, he would have mentioned it, but he didn't. I don't need to lead the Rangers to see Hunter again, it's just that Mack wants me to, but why?" I thought. I decided I didn't need to abandoned the lost boys, I'm sure they could explain themselves, and even if they all did lie, I wouldn't want to be part of Rangers anyway, there are other gangs. After a few minutes Mack came back in, "Have you decided?" He asked. My head was down, I was so sad, so angry, and so tired. I slowly picked my head up and looked at him with a mixed look on my face, a mixture of sadness, confusion, but most of all, hope. "I will not lead the Rangers." I said. "WHY NOT?" He screamed in confusion. "I don't need to." I said honestly and simply. "You do! Please!" He begged. "Did the intruder say that?" I asked still calm. "No, but, I need you to." He said. "Why?" I asked. "The intruder has predicted that I won't be here soon, I need someone to lead the Rangers. He said if you lead the Rangers, by choice, then they will rule the wasteland!" He said almost crying. ""By choice", he said. I don't want to. It's nice that you care about your fellow rangers, but I don't." I said truthfully.

He really lost it then. He picked up the chair I was still tied to. He took a left and walked down the hall to a door. He opened the door, still holding the chair over his head with one hand. Then he walked through and he was on a balcony. There was a giant crowd below of all the rest of the Rangers. "Who wants to see the execution?!" He yelled down to them asking. They all cheered. When the silence finally rose, he counted down, "3, 2, -" he said being interrupted. There was a loud ringing noise, like an enhanced dog whistle. "I object!" Alec yelled. "Shut that off!" Mack screamed. Alec shut off the extreme dog whistle and said, "Let him go Mack, do you need to go to battle again?" He asked. "No, but I need him." Mack said. “Why? What does he matter to you?” Alec asked. “I can’t escape without him.” Mack revealed. Everyone gasped. "Mack! You know how to escape?" Alec asked quite angry. "Yes, I've known for a while. The intruder came to me, after I found out your lies. He made a deal with me." Mack explained. "You've been working with him!?" Alec said really getting angry. "Yes, and he has got a major plan, and I know it all." Mack said. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" Alec asked. "Why do you think I'm going to drop this lost boy 40 feet tied to a wooden chair?" Mack asked. "Because you're a psycho!" Alec answered actually believing it. "NO, I'M NOT!" Mack said starting to lose it. "I am going to drop him because he is the reason we are here." Mack revealed. I started to worry, would the lost boys actually kill me like Mack said? "How? What are you saying?" Alec asked worried. "His name. He is Elliot." Mack finally said blatantly. No one knew what to say or how to react. "Hey!" Alec called to me. "Is that true? Are you Elliot?" He asked. I wasn't going to back down, even if this world would be against me, some people must understand that it was not actually my fault. I nodded my head. "Elliot, whether you're the reason or not, we don't know the whole story, and in the end, you're a lost boy, and my brother." Alec said. He wasn't against me, Mack was the liar. "NO!" Mack said, then dropping me.

As I fell I saw all the Rangers, running to where I'd fall, seeing Alec trying to get to me while fending off all the Rangers. I saw the ground come closer and closer. I closed my eyes, and before I knew it I was on the ground. I was dazed for a moment or two. I started to get the hang of myself, I looked up, and was kicked while I was still down. I tried to get up, but was kicked again. More Rangers caught up to me. They all jumped on me and punched and kicked me. I heard people screaming at me. I was not going down, I grabbed an ankle near me and pulled. It tripped a ranger, who fell onto some other ones. I grabbed the hand of a ranger who tried to punch me, and twisted it. I started to rise. I continued to fight back, not stopping. I saw through the crowd of madmen that Alec was restrained by a few of them. I started to lose hope, I couldn't fight forever. I still didn't give up, but I was losing energy. I was starting to be restrained like Alec. "This is for my family!" I heard the boy in front of me say as he grabbed my head. "Let go!" I commanded. He took one of his thumbs and pushed into my eye. "For all of our families!" He continued. It was taken, one eye. For as long as I could see, I would always remember, I was punished for something I never did. It was the intruders fault. When times are rough, people look for someone to blame. They didn't know the whole story, or the truth, and like jack said, man fears what he does not know. I lost my eye because of the intruder, I would never forget the blame, the fault, or... The intruder. I screamed as it stolen. Mack saw what had happened to me, "Stop!" He commanded the Rangers. They didn't stop yet. "STOP!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, they all did as if time froze. "We need him, to escape." Mack reminded them. "Obviously he isn't safe here." Alec said, nearly beaten to death. Mack was silent and thought for a moment. "That is true, we can take the risk of my men growing reckless and revenge bent, or we can make a trade." Mack suggested. "Anything, Mack." Alec pleaded. I knew he would do anything to save me, I was his brother, and would do anything to protect any of the lost boys. "We keep you, Alec, and we let him go." Mack said. "Fine, let him go, take me." Alec agreed. The deal proceeded. I was dragged like a rag doll across the floor to the door. I looked back, barely being able to see because of my lost eye not being able to function without the other. It was like me, how would I function without my brother. I lost Hunter, and now I was losing Alec. They had Alec.

They threw me out of their base, onto the sandy, dirty, ground. It was so dark out, I couldn't see a thing between the lack of light and my eye not adjusting without the other yet. It was some sick, messed up, metaphor. It would adjust in time, and so would I. I crawled for an hour or two before jack had found me. "Hey, is that you?" He asked. "Yes, please." I begged. "Oh my god. What happened to you?" He asked. "Mack, the Rangers, they have Alec, he sacrificed himself for me." I said. "Why did they take you?" He asked. I wasn't sure to tell him at first that I was Elliot, but I wasn't going to face anymore prejudice. Either he was my brother or a traitor. "Because my name is Elliot." I said. He was confused and didn't know how to even feel. He knew I was a good person, and I need help. He helped me up, and helped me walk. "Let's go." He said though I was unbearably weak. "It's time to go home." He said.

"It's time to go home." He said. He helped me walk back to the base. When we got back he patched me up in the bathroom. "So Alec's gone." He asked me. "Yeah, they have him." I answered. "All because of your name?" He asked. "They blamed me." I said. "Okay, you're all good. It'll take time to heal but I've done all I can." He said. "Thanks." I said. Then he left. I looked in the mirror. "They blamed me over my name." I said to myself. "They'll know me by a new name." I continued. "A name that reminds them as much as I am reminded of what they did." I said talking about my eye. "I look like a pira-" I started to say, but then I remembered what Mack said back before he revealed my name, on the note, it said "Don't choose pirate". I knew, Mack was right. I almost knew it before, because it couldn't be a coincidence. The intruder did all this for a reason, he could see it all. That meant I really would see Hunter, if I agreed to lead the Rangers, they wouldn't have taken my eye, it was my destiny that I rejected the offer. Anyway, if I couldn't be a pirate, what else? I thought for a moment. I would be cyclops. I left the bathroom after that.

I slept, only getting a few hours of sleep before the morning. I woke up quite late, everyone was already working, talking, and thinking. Everyone knew Alec was gone because he was traded for me. That actually was my fault, and they still liked me. They really were my brothers, they even knew that my name was Elliot. People started to notice I was awake. Some were very glad I was back, and some were sceptical. "Hey, you're awake!" Jack said noticing that I had just woken up. "Barely." I said. "Okay, I have a few things to go over with the other lost boys, and I would like you to join me." He said. "Dude, I just woke up." I said. "Okay, we got a lot of work to do!" He said not caring. "Okay, let's go." I said agreeing. I followed him up to the stage and the podium, with my eyes barely adjusted. "Okay! Attention, attention!" He call out to the lost boys. It took them a moment to look to him. "Okay! We have a few questions. I have called this meeting to vote." He explained. The crowd was staring at him like he had three heads. "First question: should we keep Elliot, or expel him?" He asked. I looked at him with confusion, surprise, and slight anger. "Raise your hand if we should expel him?" He said. There were very few hands, so it was easy to tell. "Alright, almost unanimous." Jack said. But then one that did for for me to leave spoke up, "You think he's okay? He's the reason we're here. Wait until we can't get rid of him. You may not want to, but a sacrifice is necessary. A brother to save all others." He explained. It was a good argument, and he had guts, but I wasn't going to take that. "Well you're right." I said. Everyone gasped, including jack and the boy that had said it. "Sacrificing a guilty brother for the world, is well worth it, but I am not guilty. I did nothing wrong. If anything I am the victim. He's been hunting me, for what? How do you think that makes me feel? I didn't tell him to capture you guys too, it's not my fault you guys were just innocent suspects." I said giving a small speech. Everyone was silent with thoughts and awkwardness. "Okay, next question!" Jack said breaking the awkward silence. "Who should be our new leader?" He asked, everyone knew he was expecting himself. It was multiple choice, "The options are Elliot, Trevor, or I. We will choose the new Vice President after." He said, allowing a semi-democracy. The only reason he was an option was because he was announcing it and because he dragged me home. He was about equal ranking with bobby. Everyone put in their votes with paper and pen. Jack quickly counted them, I doubled checked for accuracy, and Trevor checked for honesty. It only took a few minutes. "Okay, it turns out, it was close between two of us. I was outnumbered in votes by a lot, unfortunately." He said upset and pouty. "It was close between Trevor and Elliot, but the person who will be the leader of the lost boys now is... Trevor." He announced. The crowd was split by those who voted for me, booing and angry, and those who voted for Trevor, cheering and happy. "Now, since Elliot was so close and I was quite off, do we require a vote for vice leader?" He asked. No one objected. "Okay, Elliot is our vice leader." He said being happy for Trevor and I, but more upset he didn't get anything. He was outvoted by a cruel kid with a chip on his shoulder, and a rookie. "Okay, last question, should we lead and hold our own and protect our new Vice President, Elliot, by ourselves, or should we make allies and team up with the scouts? We have never been in conflict with them, it's extra protection, and more brothers. But it is also more likely to be attacked, less privacy and food, and there may be more conflict between us if there are disagreements or tight decisions. I have already talked with their leader, they agree to help us if we want or need it." He said giving great points. It took a while for them to decide. "Okay, Trevor, Elliot, and I counted your votes. It turns out, you decided that we are going to move in with the scouts." He said. There was a lot more cheering than booing this time. "Major changes have been made to our group, but I assure you guys that they will be priorities to ensure safety, happiness, and leadership. Thank you for attending this meeting, and you are all dismissed to start packing." Jack said to them. He talked down to them, like he was so much better than them. That's one thing I would never do if I were a leader. The most important thing in being a leader is trust. Jack, Trevor, and I walked off of the podium to start our own packing.

I didn't have much to pack. Just my cowboy weapons, my very few new clothes. As I went through my stuff I left a lot behind, I felt I needed to grow up, I had new and important responsibilities even as Vice President. We continued to pack up and when I finished I helped other kids pack up. When I got to bobby I said, "What's up man? I haven't talked to you in a while." I said to him. "Nothing much, I don't know how much I want to go to the scouts though." He said. "Why?" I asked not wanting anyone to be unhappy. "I don't know, just like our own brothers, some do blame you, unfortunately." He said, which was a good point. Then I told him, "This place is so new to me. I don't trust all of my brothers yet, but I can rely on brothers I do trust, like Trevor, jack, and you." I could tell it made him feel good about how I trusted him. "Alright, done packing." Bobby said. "Okay, see ya around." I said getting ready to leave and help other brothers. Eventually we were all done and, it took a while to walk there. Over the walk I just walked with my most trustworthy brothers Trevor Bobby and Jack. "So Trevor now that your president do you think we should move in with the scouts?" I asked. "No I do not trust anyone but my true brothers." He said. "You haven't met them yet though." Bobby said. "Yeah but it's not like we actually know them either." Jack said. "Regardless of whether we know them or not, if they're willing to help us we should be willing to give him a chance." I said. "That's a good point but we shouldn't have them help us just because we think we might need it. We are already in deep enough trouble, Alec is gone, I'm going to leader, and I don't know if I can do this while dealing with the scouts." Trevor said. "Well, it's too late to turn back now we'll just have to see how it goes." Bobby said.

After a long walk of seeing markets and run down buildings we arrived. "Okay men, you know how to act, polite, helpful, and appreciative." Trevor said. The entrance to their base were two giant doors. "What is their base?" I asked Bobby because he was right next to me. "It's an abandoned religious building." He said. I realized that I would really like to learn more about the culture of the wasteland. Then Trevor knocked. After several moments of waiting with patience, the door finally opened. "Welcome." Their leader said not knowing what else to say. He whisper to Trevor and Trevor replied, nobody heard what they said though. "Okay men, let's go." Trevor said. We continued to march into the base of the scouts. I saw a mix of cruel, accepting, and empathetic stares. "Okay men, all lost boys to the left of the room." Trevor said. "All scouts to the right" their leader said. Trevor was too bossy already. He was too much of a tyrant, you could not of a righteous leader that everyone respected, and have him be a tyrant. Trevor obviously didn't understand that. "See the people in front of you, these are now your friends, your brothers. You will accept them as a scout, as you accepted all of your other brothers." Their leader said. "We are thankful for your help and what you sacrificed to help us." Trevor said. No lost boy who actually knew Trevor, as well as Jack, Bobby, or I, thought that he actually meant that and was actually appreciative. "Now, feel free to introduce and talk to each other." Their leader said. I looked around to observe first. I would have to admit and I agree with my fellow Lost Boys, it would take time to adjust, we would have to share a lot more, but it was all to protect me. That is what a true brother would do.