Free Masoul (Harmony War Series Book 2) by Michael Chatfield

looked out for one another. After that beating we started training, doing everything we could to get bigger, stronger and learn how to fight other kids. Gave one another a few scars just from toussling. When we were eight people no longer screwed with us. We were given space. It was the day before we were to pick our last names when we decided to call ourselves Victors,” Mark shook his head.
                  “What?”
                  “We were so punch drunk from fighting one another that we were just spouting random crap. The next day we were both tired as hell, when they asked me for my last name I gave Victor without thinking. Tyler heard and copied. Big Ole fluke, but it was sealed, we were brothers.”
                  “Classy,” Lucille laughed,
                  “Maybe not classy, but the best mistake I’ve made so far,” Mark smiled.
                  “So what about afterwards?”
                  Mark took a moment before continuing. “We turned eight and we were taller than most kids that were eleven. Even the adults in the orphanage started taking interest,” Mark’s face turned cold and hard. “They might be working for the government but they were from the slums. Everyone *hates *people from the towers. I found Tyler beaten up in the study room, one of the adults had turned their head and let it happen. From then on we fought *anyone *that came at us. The kids, we could handle. Adults? They had batons and a lifetime of hate.”
                  “What happened?” Lucille asked softly.
                  “We had to escape, to get free of it all. Out in the slums wearing a mask and goggles, your anonymous. We wanted to be anonymous. Tyler and I planned for months before escaping. We ran into four slavers. Our freedom was about to get cut short when Quentin Richter, the leader of the Westerly Three Complex Crew helped us. He gave us weapons and told us to come and see him for a job if we wanted it,” Mark shook his head and looked at Lucille. “Tyler wanted to go right away. Took him a few months to convince me.”
                  “So you were part of the Westerly Three Complex Crew at nine?” Lucille asked.
                  “Yeah, they trained me up, Richter had been a trooper with Nerva. I went from being able to beat people a few years older than me, to those that were twice my age. Tyler was a damn good shot. We found a home among the enforcers and killers of the crew,” Mark said.
                  “Wow, you must care a lot for Tyler,” Lucille said.
                  “Well he is my brother, even if it was a fluke at the start of it all,” Mark smiled.
                  Lucille hugged him.
                  “What’s this for?” Mark asked, wrapping his arms around her.
                  She pulled back a bit, her eyes watery.
                  “You’ve had such a hard life already and you’re just going to go charging into fight after fight while your here. It scares me that you won’t be coming back,” She said.
                  “Come here babe, I’ll do everything in my power to come back to you, if you want me to,” Mark said, pulling her to him.
                  “You better,” She said, her voice shaky with emotion.
                  Mark kissed the top of her head as she pulled him tight.
                  After a few minutes she reached up and kissed him.
                  “That’s the first time you’ve said that,” She said with a smile, wiping her eyes.
                  “What?”
                  “Babe,” Lucille kissed Mark. “I like it.”
                 
     
     
     
    Chapter 9
                  Tower
                  Earth, Sol System