Read Online War Kids by HJ Lawson - Free Book Online

rip the bandage off, throwing it in the trash. I check the rest of my body. No more surprises, just dirt, bruises, and lots of small cuts. This hot bath is going to sting like crazy when I get in. I fill it with the last of the bubble bath so hopefully I can clean the smell of death out of my nostrils.
    After the bath, I decide to rest in my bedroom for the last time.

Chapter 14
Trust Me.
     
    GERARD
     
     
    “Gérard, where are you?” Faith suddenly wakes from her unconscious state. God, it’s nice to hear her voice.
    “I’m here, Faith. Calm down, it's okay,” I try to reassure her. I kneel down, brushing her hair from her face.
    Faith tries to sit up, holding her bandaged arm, but falls back down onto the bed, wincing in agony. I hate to see her in pain. She pretends to be tough, but I know my Faith is really a softy.
    “Gérard, where are they taking us? What about the children? Did they get out?”
    “Faith, you need to rest. You are safe. The UN came, and they are taking us to the hospital,” I tell her.
    “What do you mean ‘the UN came’?” Panic fills her voice. I don’t understand why she is upset.
    “You took a bad hit to the head,” I tell her. “You have a concussion, and you need to rest.” She’s going to have a nasty scar, but her hair will hide most of it. I don’t tell her this part.
    “No, you don’t understand! I told Jada to run. I told her to run!” Faith screams at me.
    “Why did you tell her to run?” I ask, confused.
    “When the soldiers came in, I told her to run. I thought it was the rebels.” Tears roll down her face. “I couldn’t see them, but I could hear them. I heard their heavy boots stomping on the ground, so… I told her to run. I thought they would take her and force her to be a soldier or sell her as a child bride.” Faith is unable to control her emotions anymore and explodes into tears. She is crumbling in front of my eyes at the thought of what is happening to Jada.
    “Jada asked me to protect her. I sent her out into the wild, and they will get her!” she sobs.
    She’s right. Jada will not be able to survive out there on her own. She’s just a child.
    “She will be okay,” I say reassuringly.
    “You know she won’t be okay! Don’t lie to me! She’ll starve to death, or they’ll find her!” Faith yells.
    She’s right. Jada will die out there, or worse. Faith made Jada a promise, so it basically means I made a promise as well. If anyone can find her I can, but time is running out. I just hope Jada’s got some sense about her and hides.
    “I’ll find her,” I promise. Faith will never be able to live with herself if I don’t. I have to find her. Jesus, I have found terrorists all around the world, surely I can find one girl.
    “What do you mean you will find her?” Faith looks confused with my reply.
    Fuck Fuck Fuck! Hold it together!
    “You know, I was a soldier. I still have contacts, and they owe me a few favors.” She doesn’t need to know any more than this, not now, not ever, or she’ll run at the first chance she gets. I cannot lose her the way I lost Mia.
    “Really? Do you think we can find her?”
    “I’ll do everything I can, I promise you that.” Leaning over, I kiss Faith on the head. I cannot promise that I will find Jada. She’s been gone for hours. She could have already been taken by the rebels. She could already be dead.
    Faith presses her lips together and nods as her eyes fill up.
    “Sir, sir? Excuse me, sir.” The silence is broken. I turn around, following the sound. Behind me, sitting on the truck floor, is a young boy around Jada’s age with a bloodied bandage over his eye. He has his arm wrapped around a young girl who is nervously biting her nails.
    “Sir,” the boy repeats.
    “Yes, what is it son?”
    “Sir, did you say the girl’s name was Jada, the one who ran?”
    Silence falls once again in the truck. The boy becomes aware that everyone is watching him.
    “Yes, her name is Jada.”
    “If