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</div></div><br/><i><span style="font-size: 12px">Location: Abendblume Community</span> </i><br/><br/><div style="text-align: justify">Ezra Reed awoke early and stood at the window to greet the morning sun. The warm rays spilled over the lush mountainside, bringing to life the various hues of green that spanned the valley floor. He sipped at his coffee, enjoying the quiet of the morning. He knew the opportunity to indulge in silence was fleeting. Abendblume would soon be rife with activity and socialization. Frankly, Ezra could do without.<br/>
<br/>
Ten minutes passed while Ezra worked on his coffee. He glanced over his shoulder and took note of the slumbering form taking up much of his bed, nearly completely hidden amongst the rustled sheets. Ezra set his mug on the bedside table and bent over the man to kiss his temple. <a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fspinmodelmanagement.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F08%2FAndr%25C3%25A9-Hamann-19.jpg&amp;hash=ef4602a0bce6ef688d12415608339a9c" href="https://spinmodelmanagement.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Andr%C3%A9-Hamann-19.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Wesley </a>stirred with a grunt and stretched his muscled arms over his head before pulling the brunette down beneath the blankets.<br/>
<br/>
The men left the confines of Ezra’s bedroom nearly twenty minutes later. Ezra had protested, arguing that they would be late for Hale’s meeting. The meetings weren’t commonly held and that caused a bout of anxiety to roil in the pit of his stomach. Wesley, on the other hand, convinced Ezra that the meeting was <i>nothing</i> and properly slotted the handsome guard beneath him. Now they were sufficiently late, leaving Ezra to button his uniform as they jogged silently down the hallway towards the resort lobby.<br/>
<br/>
Ezra smoothed his hands over his hair and stood just outside of the room. Wesley found his reserved chair almost immediately, settling in beside his wife and two young daughters. He pulled the littlest onto his lap and straightened the bottom of her dress over her tiny legs. Ezra couldn’t help but watch them, the feeling of uneasiness returning to his stomach, but for a different reason altogether.<br/>
<br/>
Attention wandering, Ezra located another familiar face amongst the sea of onlookers. He stepped into the audience, ducking and apologizing for inconveniencing those whose path he crossed. Ezra claimed the seat beside his sister and glanced at her with a remorseful expression before looking to Hale.<br/>
<br/>
<b>“It had been my hope that one day expansion would be possible. We’ve been pressed to capacity…”</b><br/>
<br/>
He felt his blood run cold. The hairs stuck up on the nape of his neck. Ezra was skilled at reading people and his gut told him that something was wrong even before the silver haired man continued his announcement. His eyes surveyed the individuals who flanked Hale’s side. Family members and armed guards. Too many armed guards for a simple meeting of the minds. No, this was something else.<br/>
<br/>
Ezra slid his hand onto Anise’s lap and grasped her hand. He was the more worrisome of the two, not fretful in nature, but concerned for his sibling. It was not uncommon for him to express his discomfort by means of touch. He held her hand, almost treating it like a tether to this earth while dark brown eyes searched the crowd. His searching was met by a myriad of responses amongst their housemates. Some were seemingly unaffected, as if they realized they had overstayed their welcome. Others wept and sought solace in the similarly affected individuals that surrounded them.<br/>
<br/>
<b>          “Anise Reed. Ezra Reed.”</b><br/>
<br/>
He caught Wesley’s eyes, meeting the man’s frantic expression with a similar gaze of his own.<br/>
<br/>
Wesley was part of an established household. His family wouldn’t be expelled into the harsh and unforgiving wilderness that lay just outside of Abendblume’s property lines. The man had a penchant for warming another man's bed, but he had a wife and two little girls. That's all that mattered to Hale. Morals, conscience, and character be damned.<br/>
<br/>
Ezra squeezed Anise’s hand as Wesley held his daughter tighter to his chest. Their eyes parted as a more riotous response erupted several rows away from the twins. Kennedy McLaughlin. Ezra may have laughed from the insanity of it all had he not been completely stressed out of his mind. Did it comfort him even remotely that Kennedy was both on the list and seemingly more upset about the situation? The only thing that calmed him was the presence of at least one explosively upset individual.<br/>
<br/>
Kennedy’s outburst caused him to be hauled from the lobby. Ezra never would have caused a scene like that. It made him appreciate Kennedy’s bravery all the more, but it warned him what would happen if he or Anise spoke out of turn. Slowly but surely, the same armed guards that had piqued Ezra’s attention began flooding into the audience. They filtered through the rows, faces emotionless as they located the individual or individuals that had been assigned to them for the purpose of removal.<br/>
<br/>
“We need to go.” Ezra whispered to his sister. Hale had dictated that those who had been selected for forced dismissal would be given provisions before earning their release into the wild. No one had been given advance warning. Bags were not packed. Toiletries. Clothing. Medication. What provisions would they be given - a canteen and a few slices of dehydrated beef?<br/>
<br/>
Ezra palmed the work pistol strapped firmly to his thigh and guided Anise to face him.  “Go to your room. Pack what you can and run. Do not stop running until you reach the river and I will find you.” Time was slipping away. They were wasting precious seconds even now, but Ezra couldn’t risk losing Anise. “Do not go anywhere with anyone until I find you, Ani. Okay? Wait for me.” Thirty-one individuals was not many, but thirty-one terrified and desperate individuals could create a sweeping stampede in no time at all.​</div>