Sparrows

by Laura Mae

  Sparrows

  Book 2

  Laura Mae

  Sparrows is sequel to the first book Fliers.

  You can find this book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other sources listed on her website.

  www.lauramaeauthor.com

  Sparrows by Laura Mae

  Edited by Sarah Jane Day

  Cover art by Christian Covers

  www.lauramaeauthor.com

  © 2019 Laura Mae

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact: contactlauramae@gmail.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  First Edition

  ISBN: 9781645701453

  I am dedicating this book to anyone who has ever felt discriminated against because of a choice they

  never made.

  To anyone who has struggled in life simply because of who you are. Do not let anyone tear you down. Know there are people out there who love you and will support you. Be proud of who you are, and remember:

  Fight and love without fear.

  Chapter One

  Sydona found herself in complete darkness and silence.[SD1] Her heart pounded with every passing second. Through padded earmuffs, she heard a faint beeping noise coming from her wrist. She ripped off the thick blindfold and earmuffs and threw them to the ground. [SD2]The blinding sun caused her to squint her icy blue eyes but not enough to prevent her from investigating the new surroundings. She stood in a sparse stand of spruce and could easily see into the distance. Many of the trees had broad trunks large enough for objects to hide behind. The forest stood eerily quiet with only an occasional bird chirp and flutter of wings. She touched the ground and scattered the leaves in search of clues. Several lines of leaves laid flattened; she presumed by a car. The tire tracks led north, into the unknown.

  She removed a pistol from her hip and held it out steadily in front of her. Moving quickly and silently through the trees in her rugged black boots, she watched her back with every step. Eagle Lake came back into her mind. So many loved ones--[SD3]gone. The image of Evelyn, her mother, and the look in her eyes as she passed away burrowed its way to the front of her mind. She then thought of Maverick’s last moments in battle. All he wanted was to see his daughter one last time.

  Just then, a man popped [LM4][SD5][LM6]out from behind a tree with a gun pointed at her. Her haunting thoughts tried to distract her, but she squeezed her eyes shut and focused on the blackness. As she breathed in and out, Sydona’s eyes flew open, and she steadied her hand. Staring down the sight of her pistol, her index finger jerked the trigger, and he went down. She confirmed the shot and kept moving.

  Leaves crunched and she pivoted quickly to shoot. Sydona pulled the trigger each time another appeared. With every gunshot that echoed through the forest, her focus intensified until she moved off pure instinct.

  Taking another quick glance around her surroundings, she confirmed she found everyone and moved on. She glided along the ground, following the tire marks. They eventually led her out of the forest and into a small abandoned town. Her senses heightened as she noticed several buildings tall enough for snipers and possible lookouts. Many of the buildings had broken windows, some with cardboard and dated graffiti. Only one car resided on the side of the road, but it was gutted out and stripped for parts. It wasn’t the same car from the tracks, judging by three missing tires and one flat. The small town had just one main street straight and short enough to see through to the other side. Sydona thought finding the vehicle wouldn’t be difficult. A couple alleyways stretched between buildings on the other side of the road, but she was unsure if they were large enough for a car. With no carports or garages around, she had to investigate.

  Sydona glanced down at her wrist watch. She was at the eight-minute mark. She clenched her fists and bit her lip, unhappy with the readout. Sydona ran over to the side of the road and pressed herself up against the buildings with her weapon ready. Spotting a quick movement inside a window on the south side of the street, she aimed her gun and pulled the trigger. She made her way down the wall to an alley she assumed could fit a small car and searched again for tracks. The dirt road looked undisturbed. She dashed down the alley toward a large dumpster. She should have been more cautious. A woman jumped out from behind it and disarmed her.[SD7]

  [LM8]The woman tried to punch her, but Sydona took her down with a sweeping kick. Before she could make another move, her opponent drove her boot into Sydona’s stomach to push her back. All the air in her lungs escaped instantly, and she hurled over in pain. This gave the woman a chance to stand back up and face her. They swung at each other a few more times before Sydona made contact with her jaw and slammed her back to the ground. She pinned the woman down with a fist ready to keep punching, but she tapped Sydona on the leg. They nodded at each other respectfully. Sydona stood back up and ran back to her gun. She continued to look for the missing vehicle. Along the way she took out a couple more people hiding in doors and windows.

  As she turned the corner of a brick building, she saw the one thing that stuck out from the rest of the town: a shiny red van. Just to be sure, she approached it and peeked inside the windows. It was empty but still in good condition. It had to be the same one from the woods. She placed her sweaty hands on the hood of the van. It was still warm, and parts rattled from the engine settling. The only other unusual part of the area was a metal door on a nearby building with a mechanism on the side. It reminded her of the numbers on a payphone but with a digital green screen above it.

  She picked the most obvious code she could think of and entered it in. ‘NFA’.

  The indicator light flashed red.

  Her hands shook, and she glanced at her watch again. Twenty-two minutes. Gritting her teeth at the time and drawing a blank as she stared at the keypad, she tried a few more codes.

  ‘FLIER’, ‘MALIK’, ‘SPARROW’. Nothing happened.

  Sydona’s hands vibrated even more as each attempt failed to open the door.

  “Don’t worry, Gia. I’m getting you out,” she said to herself.

  Glancing down at her wrist, she wasted an entire minute thinking of the code. Then, a light bulb went off in her head. What does the NFA strive to have the ability to do? Of course.

  She entered in ‘FLY’. The light flashed green, and the door clicked open.

  Turning the rusty handle of the abandoned building, she crept into the darkness waiting inside. It reminded her of an old office building. A circular reception desk stuck out proudly in the lobby, while a long hallway on the right side housed several offices. Sydona thought back to what Willow told her about where the NFA kept their laboratories. To keep citizens from stumbling onto them, they normally set up in basements where they could work in secret. She searched for stairs leading down. [SD9]As she made her way down the hallway, a few more people showed up with guns, but Sydona took them all out.

  Time was running out, and she needed to find Giovanna before it was too late. She ran to the back of the building where she hoped to find an emergency stairwell leading to a basement. Another man ran into her on the stairs, and she took him out with no issues. At the bottom, the place opened up into a large hollowed out parking garage. It had remnants of an old camp Willow mentioned the NFA did experiments in: broken glass, cots with holes, a couple white tents that looked halfway broken down. They were in a hurry to leave. [SD10]A brick[SD11] wall created a makeshift office in the corner of the lot. It was clear it wasn’t made when the orig
inal building was constructed, just like the garage. [SD12]The only place that seemed logical to hold a prisoner was in that room, and Sydona bolted straight for it.

  Two guards stood in the doorway. They both seemed surprised at her presence, and she used that to her advantage. As they fumbled with their weapons, she took both out with ease. Sitting on the back counter of the office, Giovonna greeted her with a big smile. Sydona ran past her and slammed down a big black button on the wall to sound the alarm. A clock with big red numbers on the wall synced up with her watch, and it stopped at twenty-nine minutes and four seconds.

  “You did it!” Giovonna jumped up and hugged her.

  “Yeah, just barely,” Sydona panted.

  Just then, the two people who were guarding Giovonna walked into the room, unharmed. They held their hands out to shake Sydona’s, and she gladly took them.

  “Congratulations, Syd. We knew you would pass,” said the large man with long brown hair.

  “Thanks guys.” She paused to catch her breath. “You changed the code on me.”

  The other man teased. “We couldn’t make it too easy for you.”

  “Yeah, whatever, dude. I know it was you who changed it, wasn’t it?” she teased.

  “It wasn’t me, I swear! It was Willow,” he said with his hands up in surrender.

  “I heard my name! Y’all talkin’ smack behind my back?” Willow burst into the room and gave Sydona a sturdy handshake. Silas and Raoul followed behind.

  “Congrats!” Silas grinned and gave her a quick hug.

  “What, you couldn’t do it any faster than that?” Raoul exclaimed, making himself known to everyone in the room.

  “Oh, shut up, Raoul.” Sydona laughed.

  She glanced around the room of smiling faces and friendly gestures, and she really felt like she belonged[SD13]. She didn’t have to hide her true self from them. More people joined them in the room;[SD14][LM15][SD16][LM17] almost all of them were the folks she shot on her way down. One of them was Jet who she’d seen a few times from training. He was a young Asian man with silky black hair that covered one of his eyes. He shook Sydona’s hand then met up with Lacey from the alley. Lacey had a few scrapes and bruises from the brawl but was still in good spirits. Jet touched Lacey’s lip that had a little blood and kissed her cheek. She was young, like Jet, with short ash-brown hair and a vibrant pink strand near her face. She soon made her way over to Sydona and hugged her. It felt strange to fight someone and then hug them minutes later.[LM18][SD19][LM20]

  Willow spoke up. “Attention everyone.” When no one listened, she spoke louder. “Hey! Shut the hell up!”

  The room silenced and everyone gave their attention to the big red-haired woman in the middle.

  “I would like ta formally announce our newest member of the Sparrows: Sydona!”

  The room cheered and applauded. The attention made her face turn slightly pink.

  Willow continued as she wrapped her arm around Sydona’s shoulders. “I met this snarky minx jus’ three months ago, and let me tell ya, she was a damn handful! If it wasn’t for her fairy, Raoul, who knows how things would’ve turned out for us. I know I ain’t her favorite person ever, but she got that burnin’ fire in her that don’t stop, an’ I admire her for it. She single handedly took down Dr. Malik at Eagle Lake, and now she wants more! Treat this woman like the princess she is, and help her with anythin’ she asks for.”[SD21][LM22]

  Willow’s words resonated deep within her. The feelings she first encountered with Willow were way in the past now. She truly helped Sydona build her trust in humans[SD23]. The mention of the doctor, however, made her stomach twist. It was still unclear if he was alive or not. But by joining the Sparrows, she would have a better chance of getting the job done in case he was still around.

  After a few minutes of cheering for the new member, the crowd dispersed and left the office room. Her friends and family gathered around her.

  “Can’t believe you’re a Sparrow now!” Giovonna exclaimed.

  “Are you excited for the tattoo?” asked Silas.

  “No,” Sydona scoffed, forgetting all about the tattoo part.

  “It’s not that bad. Trust me… I wouldn’t have done it this many times if it was bad.”[SD24][LM25]

  “Yeah, Silas, you were thinking of joining too, right? Where are they going to put yours?” Raoul asked.

  Willow spoke up. “He’s right. We haven’t had anyone with the amount of tat’s you got, Sil. Might have’ta just put it on your forehead!”

  Sydona laughed. “Oh, I would pay to see that.”

  “I’ll find a place. Don’t you worry,” Silas said confidently.

  “Where? Like your butt?” Giovonna asked playfully.

  The group roared with laughter once more, making Silas grin and bear it. As the rest of the group teased and talked amongst themselves, Sydona joined Silas at the front and had a more serious conversation.

  Butterflies filled her stomach as the words she thought about came out. “Where are all of your tattoos?”

  Silas grinned over at her, and Sydona swore he could see her cheeks turning pink.

  “You wanna see all of them?”

  “Yeah. I mean, you’re the one claiming you have room, but I’m thinking I need proof[SD26].”

  “Okay,” he smiled and gently touched her fingers with his. “Does that mean you want to go out tonight then?”

  She hesitated. [SD27]“I don’t know, Silas.”

  The thought of going out in public was nerve racking enough without knowing it would also be a date. With a man. She could tell he wanted to hold her hand, but she swiftly moved farther away so he wouldn’t touch her. Silas gave her a look as if he understood but kept trying.

  “It’s been months since Eagle Lake, Syd. There’s nothing to worry about anymore. There still may be camps in hiding, but there’s no looming threats anymore. You can finally relax, babe.”

  Babe.

  The pet name made her feel sick. “It’s not… that…”

  “Oh,” Silas said with defeat. “Well, I know it can’t be me. I mean, look. I even shaved -- that one time. Yeah, it grew back, but that’s biology. No stopping it.”

  Sydona chuckled involuntary. “Right…”

  His comment played like a broken record in her head. Biology. It never failed. Except when it did. The conversation fell flat, and the two walked silently side by side the rest of the way.

  Her boots loudly crunched through multi-colored leaves and twigs on the way to the fleet of vehicles hidden in the forest. On the way, she kept thinking of Silas. Her feelings for him were growing a little every day, and now he wanted a date? Though she appreciated the gesture, it just didn’t make sense right now. They had a peculiar life and nowhere to fit a romantic relationship. More than that, she had too much on her mind to worry about petty things.

  As she approached the truck, she took the front seat. She expected Silas to get in the back, but he continued to another car. She watched him with narrowed eyes. It had never dawned on her before that they normally sat together when they went out. She guessed they wouldn’t be going on a date, and she felt horrible. It wasn’t the first time her walls went up around him.

  Sydona didn’t say a word to anyone as they took off down the road. She couldn’t help but think of the day it happened. The day biology failed her.

  A gentle breeze kissed her face as she gripped a backpack full of supplies. It was her group’s turn to fly off to the new safe zone on Sparrow Island. The large cabin stood behind them, and they used the several acre field as their take off area. The dense forest stood ahead, and soon Eagle Lake would be behind her forever. Raoul stood ready on her shoulder, Giovonna was on her right, Silas and Ian were on her left. Willow gave the okay, and the group took off running. As usual, her dominate foot pushed off the ground, but all that happened was a jump, and she landed back on the grass.[SD28][LM29][SD30][LM31]

  She shook her head with confusion as she watched her friends flying high ab
ove. Willow rushed over to Sydona and lowered herself[SD32][LM33][SD34].

  “You okay? What happened?”

  Sydona felt like her entire world flipped upside down. Why was she unable to fly? This never happened to her before. When she tried to take off, her body didn’t feel light. Something went wrong. Embarrassed by her failed ability, she didn’t answer Willow but tried to fly again.

  She quickly brushed herself off and took off running again. Her foot pushed off the ground harder, but she fell back down again. Eventually, the group circled back to see what was going on. Raoul was the first to reach her.

  “Syd? What’s going on?” he asked.

  Sydona brushed the dirt off her knees and clothes without a word. She felt like curling up into a ball and shriveling away. Her inability to fly made her feel like a fish drowning underwater, and she gasped for oxygen. The earth around her spun so quickly that she became dizzy and unstable. In the confusion, everyone’s voices blurred together. [SD35]Raoul suggested he try to use his dust to help her, but she refused. If she couldn’t fly on her own, she didn’t want him helping her the rest of her life. It wouldn’t be fair to herself or him. She couldn’t deny the blunt truth before her. The feeling hid in the back of her mind since she was electrocuted by the doctor. She was a full human. A blue eyed, grounded, human.

  As they headed back home, the rest of the Sparrows went their separate ways. Sydona wouldn’t call a cabin near Willow home, though. But it did the job for the time being. She was afraid to return to her real home. Afraid he might still be out there. Watching. Waiting. [SD36][LM37]

  “Syd,” Raoul said, making her twitch back to reality.

  She directed her attention to him and realized they were there already. Willow, Giovonna and Silas walked up to the house while she was still buckled in.