6 Digit Passcode Read Online Free Page B

wavering that he’s still crying, but he’s stopped shaking.
    I could lie to him, but I don’t want to. He deserves to know the truth.
    “I don’t know what to do. I just… I don’t know where to go from here. I can’t just pretend that our parents… that nothing happened. But I don’t know what else I can do.”
    I shiver, even though the blankets on top of me are thick and warm.
    “Me too,” Fray says. “What did Mommy do?”
    He’s asking me what our mother did to deserve to die. The Digits, as cruel a breed as they can be, do not kill unless they have a reason to. Humans are what run the machines, work in the factories, plant crops and clean and do all of the other unpleasant things that the Digits do not want to do. We are important to them, even if it’s only to serve them. They wouldn’t kill one of us unless they were provoked.
    “Mommy didn’t do anything,” I tell him instead. He doesn’t need to grow up thinking that his mother was a villain; I want him to remember her – both of them – as the wonderful people they were. “Neither did Papa. They didn’t deserve… what happened to them.”
    Fray is silent after that. I can hear his breathing starting to level out, but he still sniffles occasionally, so I know he’s not asleep yet. My hand is still on his shoulder, but now it’s more for my sake than his.
    “Fray?” I say after a couple of minutes.
    “Yeah?”
    “Here.” I pull my teddy bear out from where it is sandwiched between my chest and the pillow. I slide it over his back and into his arms. I can’t see what look his face has taken on, but I hear the shuffling of his body as he wraps his arms around the stuffed animal.
    “Mommy gave that to me,” I tell him. “When I was your age. He’s helped me get through some pretty scary stuff. He’ll help you, too.”
    “He will?”
    Fray’s voice is hesitant, but his curiosity brings a smile to my face. He sounds like a six-year-old boy. I thought I would never get to hear that sound again.
    “That’s right. He’ll keep you safe. And so will I.”
    I hug him from behind, and after a minute he shifts his body until he’s facing me. His arms are still wrapped around the teddy bear, and mine are around him. In our little cocoon, it’s hard to believe that there is anything outside of these walls that would ever want to hurt us. It’s almost easy to convince myself that we’re okay; that everything that happened in the last couple of days was just a dream.
    But then I wake up, and it’s still there.
     
    ***
    Two days later Fray and I return to school. It is a Friday, so we have two days off after today. We could wait and return on Monday, but the longer we put it off, the harder it will be.
    Crissy comes with us. Luckily, she lives only a couple of blocks away from the school. I have heard that before the Digits were created – though I’m not sure how; I have no idea what they are , let alone who made them – humans were allowed to drive themselves to wherever they wanted to go. Now, we have to have permission from the Council, and we must take a public transport vehicle to travel to our destinations. It is very rare for someone to go to a different city, let alone another state. We mostly only take buses to and from work and school. Leisure trips are seen as unnecessary and are almost never permitted.
    I have never been outside of the walls of the city I was born in. Sometimes I dream about running away, but I know I wouldn’t get very far. The Digits are in charge of border patrol, and their punishments are not worth the risk.
    Fray has finally stopped crying, but his silence is almost more unbearable. He carries himself in a way that makes him look older than he really is. It both saddens and frightens me.
    “Are you sure you’re okay?” Crissy asks me, jogging to keep up with my quickened pace. I am anxious; I hope she can’t tell.
    “No,” I respond truthfully. “But sulking will only make it worse. I’ve