Hey everyone! Thanks to every single person who's reviewed my last chapters. I know I said that I wouldn't be able to update for a week or two, but I found this chapter on my USB and it was three quarters finished. Inspiration hit me and I managed to complete it. So here it is! The next chapter will probably take a week to come up as it is also half done and on my USB. I will get an idea for a scene or chapter for later on in a story and quickly type it or right it down. Then I'll forget about it. But anyway. Hope every one enjoys this chapter. Li's POV is next and then most likely Paulo's. After those two chapters we'll be in Australia, in the secret facility thing. Oooooohhhhhhhhh.

AMBER

I hate dust. It coats you from head to toe and there's nothing you can do can get rid of it. It's gritty and when you sweat it turns into a foul paste. It gets in your mouth and nose and eyes. It's intolerable at the best of times but after spending hours in a dust bowl, with the sun baking you like a slow roast, it somehow becomes even worse.

There were about 60 people I think, all huddled under a few strung up bits of cloth. We were all waiting for the same thing and that meant that no one really wanted to get to know you. You wouldn't want to become best buddies with someone, then be forced to push them out of the road so you might have a chance at getting noticed.

One little girl was the exception to this. She was a petite thing, with a mop of curly hair and eyes as dark as her skin. I'd say she was only about seven or eight years old. I had been pushed out into the very edges of the shade and she came and sat down next to me.

'Hello,' she said cheerfully.

I was instantly suspicious. Yes, she was only a little girl, but no one had even glanced my way since I'd arrived, let alone sat down and wanted to have a good ol' chinwag.

'Hi,' I replied, deliberately keeping my voice monotone. I gave her a tight smile and turned to look back in front of me, shading my eyes and squinting up at the sky.

'Are you by yourself?' she asked.

'Maybe. Who wants to know?' I was starting to feel incredibly mean.

The little girl's face fell. She'd obviously sensed my hostility and was regretting talking to me. 'Oh, um. It's just that I'm by myself and I...' She trailed off and looked at me, eyes wide.

I gave way to the little voice at the back of my head, berating me for being so mean, and smiled properly. 'Sorry. I'm just a bit suspicious I guess. I really want to get a place on the plane and a couple of people have tried to talk me into leaving.'

'Same.' She lost her hurt look. 'I'm Keisha.'

'Amber.'

We sat in silence for a few minutes, alternating between gazing at the ground and gazing at the sky. Keisha broke the silence. She was a regular little chatterbox, quite happy to tell me everything about her.

'I was born here. America I mean. My dad was killed before I was born and mom wanted to give me a better shot at life. She hitched a ride over from Africa and found work as a maid. Everything was going great; the lady my mom worked for had kids my age and I played with them. Then mom got sick. I don't know why. One morning I woke up and Mrs Pastors, the lady mom worked for, told me she'd died.

'For a few months I stayed with Mrs Pastors, but I knew she wanted me to leave. So I did. I was on the streets for a bit and then I met these people. They told me about a plane that comes and takes people like me to a better place. They felt sorry for me and fixed it so that I could be here when the plane came.' She sighed and blinked rapidly before smiling broadly. 'What about you?'

I hesitated but then decided to use Kiesha as a test to see how good my memory was. 'I don't know whether my dad's alive or not,' I started, keeping my eyes downcast and voice soft. 'My mom brought me over here when I was baby. Like your mom, she got work as a nanny and then a maid. We moved around a lot, because no one wanted an illegal refugee and her daughter working for them for too long.

'Then mom died. She'd been working for this rich couple, Mr and Mrs DeFransco or something like that. I'd been helping out the nanny, though I wasn't getting paid. As soon as mom died, they kicked me out and I ended up living off the streets. 'Apparently the DeFranscos told Immigration about me and they're on the lookout. I listened a lot, but kept to myself and that's how I found out about this plane. I really need to get out of this country or I'm be sent back to Africa. From what my mom told me, I really don't want to go back there.'

Kiesha gazed at me with her huge, brown eyes. She looked a lot like I did when I was her age. 'I'm sorry about your mom.'

I was about to say something, what I have no idea, but I was interrupted by a sudden clamouring from the crowd next to me.

'The plane!'

'Oh, praise the heavens...'

'Saved! We're saved!'

'I've waited so long...'

Everyone stood up and watched the tiny speck grow larger and larger. Before too long it was landing about 20 metres in front of us.

Almost before the doors were opened, everyone surged forward, crying out and waving their hands in the air.

'Help! Please!'

'Take us! We'll be sent back if you don't take us.'

'My children will die if we aren't given a place...'

Kiesha, who'd been quietly standing beside me, clutching my hand tightly, suddenly gave a sob of desperation. 'We'll never get a spot. Look at all the people!'

For about five minutes, chaos reigned. No one had any control over the mass of people. Eventually the pilot had a brainwave and climbed up onto the wing of his little plane.

'Listen up!' he barked. Everyone fell silent, eyes trained on the pilot. 'Ok. We have room for 15 people. 15 only. No more. You have a problem with that, leave now. I have a deadline so if we could do this as quick as possible, that'd be great.'

Everyone started shouting again.

'Shut up!' Silence. 'Right. I will choose who comes with us and who has to stay behind.' He frowned and stared out at the crowd, finally coming across a small family huddled in the centre of the mob. 'Lady in the purple dress. Yes, you. Who are you with?'

The lady stammered, 'M-me, m-my two o-oldest sons and my th-three daughters.'

The pilot frowned, studied the family and nodded. 'Come aboard. Nine spots left.'

I stopped listening. I was crammed at the back and there was no way that I'd get picked amongst all the people here. A few minutes must have passed before Kiesha yelled, 'Please! Sir? Take me and my sister! We're orphans, sir.'

I mentally screamed at Kiesha. She'd probably just blown any chance I had of getting chosen. Suddenly I'd gained a little sister and lost any hope of a ticket out of here. Then, to my utter surprise, the pilot spoke.

'Where's the little girl who just yelled out? Step forward.'

Kiesha tugged my hand and pulled me through the crowd. They glared at us and I flinched like I’d been slapped. If I didn't get a place on this plane, there was a good chance I'd be beaten up badly before I left.

When we reached the front, the pilot considered us, head tilted. 'Hmm...' He looked at me and then at Kiesha. I could imagine what he was thinking. Just a girl. Slim with no real muscles. A little kid attached as well. Definitely not worth it.

'Ok. Climb aboard.' The pilot jumped down from the wing and pointed at the door. 'Hurry up.'

I blinked in astonishment. 'Huh?'

'Get in the bloody plane. I've got a deadline,' he snapped before stalking around the other side of the plane and climbing into the pilot's seat.

'Come on, Amber,' Kiesha whispered.

In a sort of daze I lifted her into the plane and jumped in myself, shutting the door firmly behind me. Why would someone choose people like me and Kiesha? I looked around the interior of the plane for the first time and suddenly I realised. There were a few groups of people, obviously related to the others in their huddle, in the plane. Each group was made up of at least one young, healthy looking male or female and one or two young children or elderly relative.

It clicked. The young or elderly were insurance.

I glanced sideways at Kiesha, sitting on the seat next to me, swinging her little legs back and forth and humming quietly. As soon as she'd said she was my little sister, she became insurance for me. Without knowing it, Kiesha had rescued the mission for me and helped me get a place. I felt a wave of affection for this little girl; I'd known her for barely half an hour, but already I knew I'd risk my life to save her. I wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing.

Still searching for a title for this fic. Any suggestions most welcome.