Nick rose early, or at least what he thought was early. He heard sounds outside the house and sat up looking out the window. He loved windows he decided. You could sit inside and still watch the outdoors, the sunshine, the animals and the other people milling about starting their day. Endwise had glass partitions but they were not really windows and what he saw beyond the partitions could never compare to what he saw outside this window.

He noticed that Emma and AJ were both still asleep. Kevin and Kristen had been kind enough to shelter them for the night. After sleeping on the ground for several nights, the three eagerly accepted the offer. It was still on the ground but all three fell asleep easier with a roof over their head and blankets covering them.

“I still haven’t gotten used to that sight,” Nick heard Kevin speak from the doorway. “Seven years and I still love watching people start their day through the windows, or sitting just outside.”

Kevin had made his way to the younger man and clasped his hand on his shoulder. “You’ve been gone seven years?” Nick asked. He tried to think what that would have been for him? Would he have been a purple then, or a blue, or maybe he would still have been a green?

Kevin noticed the confused look on the blonds face and provided the answer, “You were likely a blue when I left.” He guided the younger man out of the room since the other two were still sleeping.

Nick shook his head. If he was a blue when this man got away, why hadn’t he heard about it? He tried to think back to his time as a blue but he was young and felt he had so much time. He hardly paid attention to anything that was going on around him, except his job and the pretty girls flirting with him. He always felt the blues, greens and purples got most of the credits to enable them to forget what will happen when they turn red.

He must have been lost in thought as Nick didn’t notice that he was now sitting around a table with a plate of food in front of him.

Kevin was smiling at him when he finally snapped out of it and looked around. “I had Kristen make something a little more familiar to you all this morning. I remember how ill my stomach felt after a few days here.”

Nick looked down to see a traditional breakfast for Endwise, a bowl of oatmeal and fruit. Nick took a big spoonful of his oatmeal and with his mouth full asked, “Why?”

As if on cue, AJ walked out of the other room groaning and holding his stomach. “I don’t feel good. What was in that food last night? Are you poisoning us?”

Nick chuckled and continued to eat his breakfast. AJ sat down next to him and pushed the bowl away, cradling the glass of orange juice in front of him.

“You just ate meat for the first time.” Kevin patted AJ on the back and handed him a cup of with a different liquid in it. “This will help settle your stomach.”

AJ looked at the cup suspiciously before tossing his head back and drinking the liquid. He put the cup down and dropped his head on the table. AJ continued to groan about his stomach, the sounds muffled somewhat by the table. Kevin put some bread on the table, looking up to see Emma enter the room.

“How are you feeling?” Kevin asked her.

“I feel a little queasy but not as bad as him apparently,” She nodded in AJ’s direction.

“He probably doesn’t even feel that bad. He’s always gone overboard with his bellyaching when he’s not feeling good.” Nick laughed and grabbed a piece of bread; he wasn’t feeling any of the effects of breaking out of a vegetarian diet and eating real meat for the first time. AJ groaned at Nick loudly for his comments.

“Try to eat something; there is a lot to do today.” Kevin smiled. He knew he would no longer be able to avoid their questions about himself any longer. He watched them eat in relative silence. Emma and AJ managed to eat some bread and drink some juice, the blond, Nick devoured his oatmeal some bread and AJ’s oatmeal.

“What are we doing?” Nick asked eagerly. He had relaxed last night immensely, he felt even more at ease as he danced with Emma. He looked over at her briefly, she smiled at him before both looked back at Kevin awaiting his answer.

“Today, questions will be answered and we will discuss with the Mayor where you might be useful.”

“Does he assign everyone their job?” Nick asked. The Luminary had placed him in his past job where he’d met AJ. He didn’t particularly care for it, but it passed the hours.

Kevin shook his head. “I have forgotten how much is different here than at Endwise. The Mayor knows where the town is missing some help. Most people here do what they are good at or enjoy.”

“Can I hunt like you?” Nick asked like an eager little boy.

Kevin smiled and took the empty plates away. “There will be plenty of time to find out where you will fit later; right now I’m sure there are other things you want to know.”

Emma sat up a little straighter fighting the ill feeling in her stomach. This was her cue from Kevin; she was going to get her answers. She had so many questions she didn’t know where to start. Before she could formulate her first question Nick spoke up.

“How did you escape and live?”

AJ sat up with this question curious as to how the older man would answer. If they were pursued by the Luminary why wasn’t this man? And if he was, how did he escape the guard?

“I probably escaped much like you did. There are rebels within the guard that aided with the escape of several rebels and me. “

“So you are a rebel?” Emma interrupted.

Kevin paused and eventually shook his head. “I wouldn’t say I am a rebel but many have died in my name.”

Nick and AJ looked at each other confused. Both men turned to look at Emma who looked just as confused until realization hit and her face beamed. “You are that Kevin.” She squealed out, then immediately felt embarrassed she had acted that way.

“That Kevin?” Nick asked.

Emma nodded, “He was almost the Luminary.”

AJ and Nick both turned to look at this man who had been so nice to them, who had taken them in. What game was he playing at? If he was almost the Luminary why wasn’t he the Luminary and why was he so different than the actual Luminary.

“Everyone thought you were dead.” Emma announced.

“It’s what the Luminary would have wanted you to believe. He knew there were rebels still inside the walls of Endwise; do you think he would have as much control if they knew that another man with an almost equal claim to the rule of Endwise existed? Many people died to make sure I got out alive.”

“Why didn’t you come back? Let everyone know you were alive, fight?” Emma demanded.

“Wait, I’m confused.” AJ held up his hand interrupting. “I don’t understand why the rebels would have wanted him for Luminary, I don’t understand how he has a claim, isn’t the Luminary a blood position, inherited?”

Kevin nodded. “It is.”

“But the Luminary was the only son, the law says only one child can be born between a couple.” Nick chimed in.

“With his wife he did only have the one son. But he lived outside the laws; he had a mistress, my mother.” Kevin announced waiting for the implications of what he had said to sink in with the other two men.

“So you are saying the Luminary’s father had two children, the Luminary and you?” AJ pieced it together but he couldn’t believe it. Wouldn’t he have heard about two children having the same parent, such an occurrence was very rare within the confines of Endwise.

Kevin nodded. “There is a lot that happens in the Luminary’s world that the people are kept from. I saw many things that others did not. When he died, the son of his marriage was naturally the next in line to become Luminary, but many people did not want him to take his father’s place since he was so much like his father. The rebels fought behind my name to put me in his seat. They thought I would rule differently, that I would take down the barrier from Endwise to the rest of the world, that I would allow more freedoms.”

“What made them think that thought? You grew up in the Luminary’s household, what made them think you were not just as corrupt?”

Kevin shifted in his chair. “I had spoken out against my father and half-brother and the laws of Endwise. I believed life was possible outside the walls, or at least we should be given a chance to find out if it was. The video they show at all monthly executions, that is footage from only a few short years after the initial destruction.”

“So they rallied behind you, died for you and you fled never to return to let people know that life is possible, that they could fight to get out and live outside the walls.” Emma stood, angry at Kevin. How could he let so many people live in ignorance, let them continue to die to keep population levels down when there was room to grow outside the walls.

“I never wanted to be Luminary!” Kevin rounded on her. He held up his finger and took a couple of deep breaths before speaking again. He felt like a coward when he had escaped. He managed to live while hundreds of others had died in the years he’d been gone. Would he have been able to make a difference if he had been Luminary, or would he have killed everyone with his theories? “I never asked for any of it.”

“But you can change things now. You know life outside is possible, come back with us …” Emma started.

“No, I can’t go back.” Kevin stood, feeling ashamed. “My home is here, my wife is pregnant, and I won’t leave her. The Luminary would have me killed if I returned; I can’t abandon my wife, my child and my home.” He turned to leave but before he could leave the room the front door was slammed open.

“Kevin, get Kristen, Mary is having difficulties with the birth.” Kevin’s eyes widened and he rushed out returning with Kristen leaving with the stranger and leaving the three wondering what was going on now.