by Laura Mae
He stood only inches in front of her, and she leaned back in the chair, unable to focus on anything other than the large, murderous man. She dreaded uttering the next words.
“No.” From his drive and body language, she imagined he would be able to take Malik down with a snap of his finger.
“Really? Nothing?” He leaned in more, his breath creeping into her nose.
She shook her head vigorously. “I’m sorry.”
He slammed his enormous fist down on his desk, making her jump and expel a sound. “God damnit!” Knox swiped all of the papers off his desk in a fury.
Frozen, Sydona didn’t move, unsure of what his temperament would lead to. As she was about to timidly get up, the door flung open.
“Elias!” Avani rushed in and ran toward him. “Dios mio! What happened?”
Avani stroked his chest and arms like she was petting a grizzly bear. Knox answered with a series of grunts and groans.
As Avani kept both hands on him at all times, she turned to Sydona. “I’m so very sorry you had to see him like this. You should go.”
Sydona sat wide-eyed at the display of the two. After only minutes, Knox melted into Avani like warm butter. They sat on the couch and Knox curled around Avani. One minute he was Godzilla wanting to destroy the city, and the next he was the teddy bear on Avani’s chair. Sydona stood but couldn’t take her eyes off of them. It was the sweetest thing she ever witnessed. A brief picture of Silas smiling came and went, leaving her with a smirk. She left the room as Avani began to serenade him with a hauntingly beautiful melody.
As the door clicked shut, Raoul opened his mouth.
“What a whack job!”
Everyone greeted them outside with concerned faces.
“What’s he want?” Willow asked.
“Just wanted info about the doctor. I’m as clueless as all of you,” Sydona said with a shrug.
“What was he like?” Silas asked.
“He’s uh... Large.”
“And crazy!” Raoul blurted.
“What?” Giovonna asked with worried eyes.
“He’s not crazy, Raoul. Just... uh… terrifying. He’s terrifying.”
“Man’s psycho. Thought we was going to rip into us for nothing,” said Raoul.
“What’d he do?” Lacey asked.
Avani walked through the door and gently shut it. The group stood patiently waiting on her words.
“Sydona? Can I talk to you un momento, por favor?” she asked with a loving voice.
She parted from the group, but Raoul rejoined her shoulder.
“Without el guapo little fairy,” Avani corrected.
She stopped in her tracks, and Raoul flew up. Sydona could tell he tried not to look offended, but he had never been good at hiding his true feelings. He fluttered back over to Giovonna, and Avani made her way into a separate, smaller room that looked to be an old office or storage space. She closed the blinds of the empty concrete room and cleared her throat.
“Forgive my husband. He’s not normally like that. Sometimes he has trouble containing his anger. But I’ve been trying. Ever since Eagle Lake and all the people we lost, he’s having trouble adjusting. Blames himself for not going. But it wouldn’t have changed anything...”
“Why would he blame himself?” Sydona asked.
“Well for starters, she went rogue. Didn’t say anything to any of us about taking on that place. It was poor judgement and reckless.”[135]
“I don’t think she planned on it. Gia and I were planning on going there from the beginning. She just happened to come with us.”
“That’s the problem. She is a member, and as a member, she needed to get permission to do something like that. Elias wouldn’t have approved it because it was far too dangerous, and we had almost zero information about it. It would’ve been the same as her going to the I.D.F., which she is fully aware we’ve eliminated our chances there.”
Sydona pushed her brows together. “The I.D.F.?”
“Yes, the Institution for Developing Fliers. A high security building where they keep children under the age of 8–before they can fly. We’ve lost many of our own trying to take it down. Elias forbid anyone else from going there. If he caught wind of that happening, they would be banned from the Sparrows.”
“Wait, there’s a place holding children hostage?”
Sydona felt her body get hot with anger.
“Sí… It kills me that we’ve given up trying to shut it down, but too many lives have been lost.” Avani crossed her arms.
Sydona’s nose flared, and she shook her head. She pushed the thought to back of her mind. “With Willow, are you saying she is banned now?”
Avani smirked. “The other thing is how she took on Eagle Lake. It was not a tactic neither Elias nor myself approved, ever. She rallied up Sparrows in a foreign district, and then got most of them killed. It was foolish… I never thought Willow would do something so stupid.”
Sydona tilted her head and tried to understand the point of what Avani was trying to say. “So she is[136] banned?”
“What she did would certainly lead up to that, but no. Willow is not banned. It’s because of the outcome of Eagle Lake. She was able to eliminate most of the Vultures there and, thanks to you, Dr. Malik.”
Her eyebrows raised. The news was not what she expected. “Oh, I didn’t—”
“Oh, but you did. Despite the brash approach, you were still able to take down the leader of the entire NFA. Muy impresionante! Not trained or anything!”
Sydona took a minute to process. “What are you saying?”
Avani uncrossed her arms and shrugged. “I’m saying Willow should step down for a while… make room for a new leader of the Midwest district.”
Sydona felt even more confused.
Avani’s bright red lips curled up. “You.”
Chapter Six
Sydona gasped. “Me?”
“Why not?” Avani asked casually.
“Well--because--Willow would be devastated. She dedicated her entire life to this group. And when she finds out I’m replacing her…” Sydona’s tone got louder than she expected.
“Señorita. No need to raise your voice. I’m simply offering you a chance to prove yourself. Again.”
Sydona relaxed her fists. “I don’t follow.”
“Come see me tomorrow for your first assignment.” Avani finished and stepped toward the door.
“Wait--” Sydona grabbed her arm. “What’s going to happen to Willow?”
“Don’t worry about her. Just worry about you.” She opened the door and walked out.
“Avani! I’m not done--” Sydona stopped when she realized Avani wasn’t listening anymore. She disappeared into their office. Willow and the gang joined her at the other door.
“What was that about?” Willow asked. Sydona couldn’t help but feel bad for Willow. Sure, she didn’t always get along with her, but Sydona never meant to betray her. A leader? She may have started the battle, but she didn’t lead it. Why would they want her to do something so dangerous? Her mind flipped back and forth, self-doubting and kicking herself for self-doubting. After everything she had been through in her life, this was just the next step. She couldn’t help but to agree with Avani about Willow. Maybe it was time for her to step up, prove to herself she could lead and eventually take out the doctor with an army.
“It’s nothing. Just going over tomorrow’s mission.”
“With you? Why wouldn’t they talk to me about that?” Willow asked with open palms.
“I don’t know, Willow. We should get to that hotel though, don’t you think?”
“I’m tired,” Devon said just loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Yeah, okay. Let’s get going then, yeah?” Lacey replied and held Devon’s hand.
Willow side-eyed Sydona, but she pretended not to notice.
The group headed out of the warehouse. Feet dragged and scuffled to the van. The moon shone bright above them, meaning it was midnigh
t or later. No wonder the ten-year-old was tired. Her heart beat excitedly thinking of their mission tomorrow. Not only would it be her first mission, but she would be leading it. Things felt like they were going in the right direction, even if just for a moment.[LM137][SD138]
Finally, they arrived at the motel and parked in the back where shadows were darkest. Willow left to talk to the motel attendant. Devon fell asleep in the backseat while waiting on her. She booked two rooms, enough for everyone to have space. Knowing Willow though, she would need a bed to herself. They joked that Raoul would be the only one small enough to share with her.
Willow handed everyone their keys with an acorn logo as a keychain. Lacey carried Devon who was dead asleep in her arms while Jet took their bags to the room. He stumbled on his way up the stairs. Sydona watched him as she trailed behind with her bags. It seemed like he finished off the flask. Giovonna, Silas and Raoul followed her to the neighboring room. Giovonna was the first to claim the bed next to the window and turned the air conditioner on full blast. Silas took the other queen bed and slipped off his shoes and socks. Everyone moaned.
“What?” He shrugged.
[139]“Good thing you’re small, Gia,” Sydona snickered as she propped up her pillows.
Her face turned sour as Willow whipped her head around. “What’s that supposed ta mean?”
“Oh, she didn’t mean anything by it, Will. Here, you wanna sleep next to me tonight?” Silas interjected with a serious face.
“In your wildest dreams, boy!” Willow huffed.
Raoul made himself a bed out of a washcloth and laid it on the table between the two beds. Instantly, he curled up like a cat and fell asleep.
The room soon quieted once the lights turned off, but Silas’s arm found its way around Sydona’s waist. Her heart fluttered as she realized she was the little spoon. Surrounded by warmth and familiarity, her arm incased his and pressed it close to her body. They both wriggled in bed to better match up. His breath moistened her neck as her breaths got longer.
“You excited for tomorrow?” Silas asked at barely a whisper.
She grinned. “Yeah. I can’t wait.”
“Sucks I won’t be there. Wish I could see you in action.” He squeezed her tighter.
“Me too,” she said. Her hand entwined in his.
As Silas fell asleep, thoughts of the day spun in her head. Where would they be heading tomorrow? And would Silas and Giovonna have to go home since they aren’t Sparrows? Did Raoul have to go through the same process as her to become a Sparrow even though he’s a fairy? Her brain conjured up a dream of the following day combined with a comic book she once read a long time ago.
Soaring over treetops and cities at a hundred miles per hour, Sydona felt like a superhero on her way to stop an evil villain. She wore a sleeveless shirt to show her badge of honor, the Sparrow’s winged symbol on her shoulder blade. Planes and jets fell past her as their engines struggled to keep up. They shot their cannons and machine guns, but she weaved in and out of their path with ease. Her trusty blade somehow evolved into a boomerang, and she chucked it into the windshield of the planes. They both went crashing down to the earth in a huge explosion. Sydona kept flying and dove down into a huge cave carved miles into the ground. She was as nimble as a hummingbird as she flew around the stalactites and stealthy as a chameleon.
She landed on both feet, indenting the dense floor of the cave. In pure darkness, she was able to see a metal door at the end of a hollowed-out hallway, surrounded by guards. The guards were the same ones from the Lake and held semi-automatics. She took all ten guards out with karate moves she never knew she knew. She survived without a single scratch. A thick, soundproof door protected the prisoners. Her heel impacted it so forcefully, it flew off the hinges like a sheet of paper. Inside stood thirty or so fliers tied up by their hands. Her friends and family scattered around the prisoners, including Maverick and others she remembered from Eagle Lake. With her dagger in hand, she cut each bind with one swipe and set them free. As some of them began to flee and take off flying out of the massive hole, a dark clothed man stopped her. She held back the rest of her people from danger and looked the stranger in the eyes. His face was unrecognizable, hidden by a scarf and a hood that shadowed the rest of him. The only part of him she could see clearly was his cold brown eyes.
He held out his gloved hand and dared her to leave. Sydona laughed a mighty laugh. His ego inflated his head, making him think he was more powerful than her. She readied her fists of steel to take care of the pest. But then, the man’s fingertips sparked with electricity that appeared from thin air. Her heart leaped from her chest in a moment of weakness. It was the one thing that could stop her. Her kryptonite. The unwavering confidence she had evaporated, and her forehead formed sweat the size of bullets. Bolts of lightning jolted at her feet, but she jumped quick enough to avoid it. One sliver of it touching her pale skin could paralyze her for eternity. Her mind rattled with ways to stop the evil being’s powers until she saw a wooden bucket in the corner overflowing with water. Perfect.
The man tried shocking her again and failed as Sydona jumped backward, pushing the crowd against the wall. When the moment arose and he charged up the magic through his veins, she leaped toward the bucket. As he arched his back and parted his feet for balance, she effortlessly threw the bucket of water on him, covering him head to toe. In a magnificent display, the water mixed with the electricity and scorched his skin. His cries echoed in the cavern, and he melted to the floor. Only his blackened clothes and skin remained in a pile with smoke rising from the creature. Victory.
The prisoners lifted Sydona above their heads with cheers and laughter. As they were on their way out of the cave, a menacing laugh roared against the walls. The crowd dropped her and disappeared. He came back to life, more powerful than before. His heels clicked toward her, and she suddenly froze. Each step matched her beating heart. The man reached down to grab her and began to drag her away. She was unable to fight back. He would never be gone. Never.[LM140]
Early the next morning, the alarm clock went off at six, but Sydona was already awake. Turning over in bed, she found Silas still there with the blanket over half of him and his mouth wide open. She took the quiet opportunity while everyone still slept to take a long, hot shower.
The door clicked shut, and she undressed. Hotel showers were not ideal. The water felt like a rusty hose was spitting water at her. But the car ride was so cramped and sweaty, she had to. It was the first time she had alone to herself in a long time, so she made the water extra hot. She stepped into the extremely relaxing steam that engulfed her entire body, and she let out a deep sigh. The water didn’t bother her as much this time, and she stood underneath as it cascaded down. With each breath she took, she inhaled the moist air and let it settle in her lungs. The trickle of each droplet sang in her ears like a soft orchestra. She ran her fingers through her elegantly soft blonde hair that glued to her skin and wrapped around her arms. In the moment, she examined each strand of hair and playfully brushed them against her cheek.
As she opened her eyes, she looked up to see the shower curtains being pushed back and a naked Silas hopping in beside her.
“Silas! What are you doing?!”
He touched her hips and pulled himself close to her.
“Stop!”
“What’s wrong?” he asked and wiped his face.
She stood wide mouthed at him. “I’m in the shower!”
“But you left the door unlocked…”
“So? That wasn’t an invitation,” she said, grabbing his arm and pushing him out.
“Syd, I’ve seen you naked before!” he said outside of the curtain.
“That was different! We had guns to our heads!”
He didn’t answer.
“Are you gone?” she wondered, waiting for silence as confirmation.
“Yeah. I’m gone.” He slammed the door.
She jumped at the strength of his slam and tone. His words dug deep into h
er. Was she unfair? It was hard enough trying to find a moment of peace, and everywhere she went, there other people were. She finished her shower quickly, no longer enjoying the loneliness. She didn’t really want him to be gone, not forever.
As she exited the bathroom, the others were already packing up. Tension filled the room. She was sure their yelling was loud enough for everyone else to hear. Silas didn’t acknowledge her in the room, and it made for an awkward ride back to the warehouse. Sydona and Willow sat up front while the others sat in back. Willow drove, while Sydona looked over a map of the area. Out of the corner of her eye, she looked back at Devon and then cleared her throat.
“How’d you sleep?”
He yawned, looked up at her and shrugged. Devon looked out the window for only a minute before he suddenly remembered his notebook. As he grabbed it out of his bag, along with a small handful of pens and pencils, Sydona’s stomach twisted. She dreaded bringing up the topic, but maybe she could help him in ways Jet and Lacey couldn’t.
She let him color a little bit before working up how to talk to the fragile boy.
“You know, I lost my mom recently too.”
Devon glanced up quickly and then went back to coloring. She knew he was at least listening.
“How?” he muttered.
“In battle. She saved me.”
He stayed focused on his picture.
Sydona cleared her throat. “I think your parents saved you too.”
His pen paused while he stared away from his drawing.
“I know what it feels like… to lose someone. How does it make you feel?”
Devon pushed his glasses up. “Sad.”
Sydona nodded but stayed silent. She wanted him to say more.
“It’s okay to feel sad, Devon,” Lacey whispered from the seat behind him.
“And I’m mad,” he said lower.
He tightened his grip on the red pen.
Sydona replied, “I understand—”
