Sparrows

by Laura Mae

  “—Why did he kill them?”

  “We don’t know, Devon. We might not ever know…” Sydona answered.

  “It’s not fair. It’s just not fair!”

  “It’s not, I know…” Sydona said and placed a hand on his tiny knee. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Jet staring out the window pretending nothing of significance was going on.

  “Sometimes life just isn’t fair, sweetie,” Lacey whispered and also put her hand on him.

  Sydona finished her sentence, “But it’s how we deal with life that makes all the difference. When my mother died, I was very sad and upset like you. But I know my mom, and she wouldn’t want me to live with that pain. She would want me to keep living life and enjoy it. I bet your parents would want the same for you, Devon.”

  Devon nodded and wiped his nose. “I can’t stop thinking about it, though. I see them when I sleep.”

  “Is that why you draw them so much in your notebook?”

  He shrugged. “When does the pain go away?”

  Sydona felt a lump in her throat and had a sudden urge to comfort him. But as she was strapped in by a seatbelt, she simply squeezed his knee tenderly. Words escaped her. She caught Lacey’s eye, and she looked just as speechless.

  Willow spoke up from the front seat. “Darlin’, my husband passed away over ten years ago, and I’ll tell you one thing, the pain never truly goes away. But when I think about ‘im, I don’t think of the single day he left me. I think of the countless others we spent together. That’s what ya gotta hold onto; that’s how we move on.”

  A small smile grew on Sydona’s face. Jet swallowed a drink from his flask again and made a cringing face as it went down. Her smile faded.

  “So I just gotta think of the good times I had with my mom and dad, and it will go away?” Devon said with a more upbeat tone.

  “Mmhm,” Lacey confirmed. He turned to face her and wrapped an arm around her neck. Sydona smiled his way, and he returned it.

  “Why don’t you draw some pictures of things you did with your parents for me?” Sydona asked.

  Devon gave her a quick smile. “Yeah, okay.”

  He put the red pen down, flipped to a blank page and grabbed a pencil.

  Sydona faced forward again and composed herself. Her mother’s face came to mind, both when she was a child and when she saw her at Eagle Lake. Every time she thought of her, her heart felt as if it were being pinched. Willow was right, the pain never went away, but somehow, she learned to live with it.

  Willow pulled up to the side of the warehouse and everyone hopped out with their belongings. Only a motorcycle was present in the lot. With how strange Knox and Avani were, she assumed only a pair like them would own a motorcycle of that size. Most everyone exited the van except for Lacey, Jet and Devon.

  Sydona knew they had to have a conversation with Devon about staying behind while they went off on a mission. Squeaks of crying bellowed from the open windows. They were leaving him behind with people he didn’t know for several hours. She understood why he would be upset. But she guessed Knox made no exceptions with any Sparrow staying behind. All of the other groups had just enough people, so there was no one to fill in for either one of them.

  She then focused her attention on Giovonna who hugged her tightly.

  “I’ll miss you! Remember everything we went through in training! You’re gonna be amazing,” Giovonna said as she squeezed her goodbye.

  “Thank you, Gia. Couldn’t have done it without you. I’ll be back before you know it.”

  She couldn’t help but notice Silas handing out handshakes and high-fives to everyone but her. He barely even noticed she was standing by herself. And just like that, he made himself comfortable in the driver’s seat and got his seatbelt on. Sydona waved at him from outside the windshield, but he made himself busy by adjusting the seats and mirrors. Giovonna looked back and forth between the two and gave Sydona a shrug.

  “Bye,” she said to herself. Silas and Giovonna backed out, and Giovonna gave her one last, sad wave.

  Sydona saw Devon wrapping his arms around Lacey’s neck and tears soaking his cheeks. He then scampered up to Jet who was walking into the warehouse. Willow and Raoul were already inside.

  Sydona stayed beside Lacey as they wandered slowly up to the door.

  “He means a lot to you, huh?” Sydona asked.

  “I haven’t been away from him more than a night’s sleep before. He may hate me, but I can’t help but feel like his protector.”

  “Protector?” Sydona thought her word choice was interesting. Why not a mother or sister?

  “Ever since we got him, Jet’s changed. I’ve never seen him drink so much in my life. And I’ve known him a long time.” Lacey faltered.

  “Wasn’t Jet the one who protected him though?”

  “Yeah, but I think he may have regretted it. He didn’t tell me the whole story. I know he didn’t… Anywho, are you excited to go on your first badass mission?!”

  Sydona chuckled at the sudden change in subject. “You know it!”

  “We’re gonna kill it!” Raoul chimed in.

  The small group entered the warehouse again to see groups of Sparrows scattered around talking.

  Avani soon called the group over, and she looked even more elegant than the day before. Silver and red was her theme that day, and her hair was in a different braided pattern. She embraced Sydona and pecked her on the cheek as she pulled away.

  “You sleep okay?” Avani asked. Her hand never left Sydona’s arm.

  Sydona shrugged. “As well as can be expected.”

  “Are you excited for your first mission?”

  “Yes… and no,” she laughed.

  “You gonna be fine, chica.” Avani’s teeth and lips sparkled. She then opened the door.

  They went inside the big open room with both Knox’s and Avani’s desks. At his nearly seven-foot stature, Knox stood at attention in the middle of the room and met everyone’s eyes as they entered.

  “Good morning everyone,” he began, almost smiling. His attitude seemed more in check today, to Sydona’s relief.

  “We have caught wind of a new Vultures hideout. Bravely, they have chosen a busy subdivision in Chicago underneath a building that was once a speakeasy. The surrounding area is filled with criminals, homeless, folks with nothing to lose. Best to blend in as much as you can. We’re under the assumption it’s not heavily guarded because of the dense population, but still be cautious. Sydona, you will be in charge.”

  “Say what now?” Willow asked immediately.

  Knox paused and looked at Willow with piercing eyes.

  “She just joined. Why is she leadin’ us?” Willow raised her voice.

  “Quiet, Willow,” Knox responded at a temperate tone.

  “I’m the one who led the dozens of Sparrows to Eagle Lake--”

  “And you killed dozens of Sparrows in the process! Mind your place, Willow.”

  Even with Willow’s large body, Knox easily towered over her. His stare calmed her back down, but Sydona could see veins emerging from her forehead. It was a strange sight to see someone getting Willow to stop talking; Knox could be Sydona’s new hero.

  “As I was saying, Sydona will be the leader so mind her instructions. I have all of your equipment ready to go in the other room including tranquilizers, pistols, walkies and clothes to help blend in. Don’t use pistols unless you feel threatened. Since the base is close by, I want to bring in the leader or anyone else for questioning. Roll out when you’re ready.”

  Knox relaxed and began to walk away from the group when Sydona spoke up.

  “You don’t want us to kill them?”

  Knox sighed and turned back around. “No.”

  “But they deserve it…”

  He released a bright white smile. “I agree. But we need more information.”

  Sydona nodded respectfully. His smile made her think that maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy, just focused.

  “Syd? Follo
w me please,” Avani said with her arm outstretched.

  “Ooh, you gettin’ your tattoo, girl! Have fun!” Lacey teased and laughed.

  Sydona gulped. “R-Really?” she asked Avani.

  Avani nodded with a smile. “It’s not that bad. Just stings a little bit.”

  Lacey, Jet and Willow headed over to the room with clothes and got suited up. Willow gave her a look she had never seen before, and it put a bad taste in Sydona’s mouth. It wasn’t her fault Willow wasn’t a good leader. Sydona didn’t know how she would be as a leader either, but at least she wasn’t in charge of as many people.

  Avani pointed to a chair next to her tidy desk and pulled out equipment for the tattoo. Gloves snapped on her manicured hands as she prepared her station.

  “Lift your shirt up, por favor,” Avani asked.

  Sydona nervously grabbed the backside of her forest green scoop neck t-shirt and lifted it over her left shoulder. A cold dab of a cloth soaked her skin as Avani prepared the ink. The buzzing of the pen stung her porcelain skin, and the pain shot through her bones. Each time the needle touched her skin, her fist clenched. But after only ten minutes, Avani was done and cleaning up.[141]

  “Can I see it?” Sydona asked.

  “Sí, claro!” Avani replied and handed her a small mirror.

  A circle wrapped around a beautiful calligraphic wing that contrasted her reddened skin. All of her hard work paid off, and it was permanently etched into her shoulder blade.

  “It looks amazing, Syd!” Raoul exclaimed, admiring it as well.

  “Thanks,” she said with a smile.

  “Did it hurt?”

  Sydona shook her head. “Not really.”

  “Really?”

  She looked down at her wrist with the brown line caused from the metal bracelet. “I’ve had worse.”

  “You have other tattoos? Let me see!” Avani chimed in as she bandaged up the fresh one.

  Sydona squeezed her wrist with the permanent brown, singed line and shook her head. “No, I don’t.”

  Raoul and Sydona exchanged glances. It felt like the memories of Eagle Lake would never be put behind her.

  Thankfully, Avani didn’t press and moved on. “Okay, you’re all set. When you’re getting dressed, be sure to wear the jackets with our symbol on it. Since your tattoo isn’t healed yet, something needs to indicate what side you’re on. Especially with your… eyes…”

  Sydona nodded. “Thanks, Avani.”

  They headed across the room to another door, filled with chatter.

  Lacey was the first to greet her. “How’d it go?”

  “Good.”

  Jet took a swig of his flask. “Did you cry like Lacey here?”

  “Screw you, man! I didn’t cry!” Lacey punched his arm.

  “The hell you didn’t! You were blubbering, like, ‘Jet, Jet, it’s hurts so bad. Jeeet!’”

  She gave him two more solid punches in the arm. His jaw tightened, and he rubbed his arm with a glare at Lacey.

  “God, I hate you,” she huffed.

  Jet let out a chuckle with a slightly high-pitched tone, almost mockingly so.

  “You about ready, yet?” Willow asked Sydona, changing the subject.

  Sydona paused and shook her head. “Uh, not yet.”

  “Get to gettin’, girl. We ain’t got all day…”

  Willow’s tone made Sydona uneasy. When they spoke about past missions, Willow would get fired up like she was a cheerleader at a football game. She usually had ideas flowing left and right, and she would speak words of encouragement to the others. But this time, she just looked as if she wanted it to be over as soon as possible. The mission was not going to go well if Willow refused to treat Sydona with respect. Sydona found a jacket with the wing symbol that fit perfectly. The whole group dressed in clothes that were worn, baggy or faded. She understood the reasoning of blending in but hoped the loose clothing wouldn’t cause her to be grabbed easily.

  As the group headed out with fully charged radios and weapons ready, Avani handed Sydona a piece of paper with the address.

  Her heart dropped.

  Of all the places and towns in the entire country, why did it have to be in her old neighborhood?

  Chapter Seven

  Pleasant memories of him appeared in her mind, and she reveled in them as she drove to the first location. Lacey sat across from her and caught her smiling.

  “What are you so happy about?”

  Sydona snapped out of it and frowned. “Nothing.”

  “I think it’s somethin’. You look like you just took a bunch of painkillers,” she said with a brass voice. She propped her feet up on the dash, blocking some of her view[142][LM143].

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Willow bellowed from the backseat. “So, what have ya got planned, ma’am?”

  Her jaw clenched at the way she said ma’am. But she was right; she needed a plan. Without seeing the place, it was hard to know what to do. Knox said it was small and underground. They would need to cover the exits to make sure no guards or personnel escaped. That was all she had planned.

  “I’ll figure it out when we get there,” Sydona said.

  Willow laughed. “Oh ho ho! You don’t have a plan, do ya? I’m so glad yer leadin’ us. Can’t wait to get slaughtered.” She heard a slight chuckle from Jet who had been staring out the window.[LM144][SD145][LM146]

  Her grip on the steering wheel tightened, but she remained calm. “I won’t get us killed, Willow.”

  “How am I supposed to know that when you won’t tell us the plan?” Willow barked.

  Sydona’s face flushed with hotness as she tried to keep a level head.

  Raoul spoke in her defense. “Willow, calm down. We won’t accomplish anything if you carry all that negativity with you.”

  “Whatever.”

  The streets were busier than ever and nothing like the city she was used to back home. Lacey rolled the window down, fascinated with the cement and steel scenery. With the window open, the sound of honks, yelling and tires screeching intensified. Sydona’s stress level heightened, yet at the same time, it strangely relaxed her. As she turned the corner, she released a smile, thinking of the time when she visited the neighborhood frequently.

  “Is this…” Raoul started, wanting Sydona to fill in the rest.

  “Yes,” she answered. “Can’t believe I’m back here.”

  “How amazing is that?! I wonder if Theodore is still around?”

  “Oh, well, I don’t know. Maybe?” Sydona replied, holding back a grin.

  According to the map, the place was only a few blocks away. Sydona parked on the side of the road and fed a meter. Raoul crawled inside her green tote out of sight like he did in the old days. She took a deep breath in; the neighborhood smelled exactly as it did decades ago. A local Greek cafe across the street filled the block with an intoxicating lamb fragrance. Though she was a vegetarian now, she used to get food there every other day. Cracks in the sidewalks had stayed the same, including a shoe print she made when they laid the concrete. Theodore made one right next to hers with a slightly larger print. Two more very small divots were Raoul’s feet. It looked like holes in the sidewalk, but Sydona knew what it was. She couldn’t help but think of him and the last time she saw him.

  She took a long drag of her cigarette as she waited on the[LM147][SD148] corner of Main and Lester Street. Raoul stood by himself on the curb next to her feet as he wasn’t a fan of her habit. A baggy brown jacket covered Sydona, and her hands shivered in the brisk January air.

  Taking one last inhale of harsh, yet soothing smoke, she stomped her cigarette out and crossed her arms. Soon a man appeared wearing a suit with a brown Brixton hat. [LM149][SD150]He walked toward her with swagger, and his head constantly swiveled around, looking out.

  “What’s good, Garrett?” Sydona asked with a slight slur in her speech.

  He shook her hand and nodded his head. “Yo Eve, just livin�
�, feel me?”

  Sydona flipped her long hair back over her shoulder, and Raoul landed on it. “You got it?” she asked.

  “You know it.” He took one last look around the area. It was deserted, so he took his other hand from his pocket and slipped Sydona a stack of bills. She flipped through it, felt the weight, then took a small bag of green from her pocket and slipped it over to him. Without inspecting it, he shoved it into his pocket then gave a goodbye hand gesture[SD151][LM152].

  “See ya next week, Eve.” And he walked back into the shadows of an alley.

  Sydona took one last glance around the empty corner, ran and jumped into flight. She soared over the tops of buildings until she arrived at the overpass where Theodore waited for her. Tilting her body upwards, she slowed and descended back to the ground. A smile grew on her face as she got closer to him. His red hair stood out among the rest of the group’s dirtier brown and black hair.

  “He finally show?” Theodore asked.

  “Finally.” She took out her pack of cigarettes and lit a match. She handed one to Theodore and lit his with her already smoldering[SD153] stick. Raoul flew away from the smoke but still stayed by the two.

  Theodore blew smoke into the air. “You try that stuff Omar picked up yet?”

  “Theo, I don’t even smoke the weed I carry around with me. What makes you think I’d try that shit?”

  He laughed. His pearly whites were already tainted a little with yellow from tobacco. They were both still younger than eighteen but easily smoked a pack a day.

  “It’s not that bad, Syd. You don’t know what you’re missin’.”

  “I’ve seen what it does to you. I think I’ll be fine.” Sydona inhaled another drag.

  Theodore took another drag but kept his violet eyes on hers. “He’s gonna make us start selling it.”

  Raoul coughed. “What? Omar said that?”

  “Yeah. Just now, while you were out. People are going crazy over it,” Theodore said. He glanced over to the rest of their group huddled around fires under the overpass. Omar had his own area with tattered dividers and couches set up. He was like a king.

  “Fuck that, man,” Sydona blew smoke out and coughed. “I get marijuana, it’s somewhat natural. But, what is it, cocaine? It’s not natural[SD154][LM155], Theo. Shouldn’t put that stuff in your body.”