ABANDONED. YA book about children on the run for stealing

[Marissa]

I'm looking for a book I read at least 10 years ago, and was published no later than 2005. From what I remember of the book, it was about two siblings who were on the run for stealing some jewelry. They were branded, but they were able to escape and run away. I remember at some point, they are hiding on a beach with another boy and one of the siblings gets grazed by a bullet. There is also a sequel to the book, but I don't remember what happened in it. The cover for one of the books was of the siblings, a boy and a girl, riding horses in the forest.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

I'm going to assume this is fantasy or some kind of dystopia? Or...were they branded because they were slaves?

[Abby]

Interesting, as Lobstergirl asked, some kind of futuristic world?

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Marissa, are you still looking for this book?

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

No response in 2+ years. Moving to Abandoned.