by Laura Mae
“I’ll catch up with you guys. Take Raoul,” she said and handed Jet the bag.
Sydona made her way across the street as Theodore walked back to the underpass.
“Theo, wait up.”
He turned and greeted her with a worried look. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said and looked back at the building that had a stack of smoke coming out of the main entrance. She needed to make it quick before the fire department arrived. “Did you see those people only bring in one flier?”
“Oh, uh, no. I saw more,” he said with shifty eyes.
Sydona narrowed hers. “How many, Theo?”
“I don’t know,” he looked at the ground and gave his neck a good scratching. “I don’t have the best memory. You remember.”
Her chest tightened. “No, I’m afraid I don’t. You remembered me after all this time… You saw these guys only a few days ago.”
Theodore stood still, thinking of something to say. “I didn’t think they’d send you, Syd…”
Sydona sighed heavily. She grabbed his arm with force and [SD167]pushed him in the direction of the car.
“Come on.”
He was less fussy than Sydona thought he’d be, but it was still painful for her to turn in a trusted friend.
“Where you taking me?” he asked softly as they walked down the sidewalk and past the footprints. Her heart sunk as she took one last glance at them.
“Taking you to Knox.”
Chapter Eight
A flier working for the NFA. Now she’s seen everything. Why would he do that to his own people? She lived with him for five years of her life, and it was so unlike him. At least, from what she remembered. But seeing him now, in his condition, it looked like things had changed. It pained her to see her friend do this to her. Though she had all sorts of questions, she would leave it up to Knox. She hoped he wouldn’t go rough on Theodore, but the hope waned with each passing minute.
After only an hour, they arrived at the Sparrows headquarters. Sydona was a little nervous to show Theodore to Knox; he might go ballistic on him like he did to her. He might be a rat, but he was still a good guy. He didn’t even struggle on the way there.
He didn’t struggle.
Why was it so easy to get him there? Maybe it was part of the plan, too. Sydona’s heart beat faster with each step toward the warehouse.
She secured both his hands behind his back and gripped them tightly.
“Why, Theo? Why did you do this?”
“Syd… don’t make me say it,” he begged.
“Say what?”
He paused and hung his head even lower, revealing dirty skin on the back of his neck. She sighed; he was holding back.
“He’s not going to go easy on you. Not like I would--I am.”
His head didn’t move from its tilted position. Her gut told her something was wrong, but she didn’t know exactly what.
They slumped through the massive [SD168]warehouse, and each step echoed off the walls and vaulted metal ceiling. Sydona led him over to the office and rapped on the door. She took a deep breath before the door swung open.
Avani greeted them first. “You’re back fast.”
“Yup. We sure are. …This [SD169]is Theodore. He has some information for us.”
Avani looked him up and down with a sour face, then grabbed his cheeks. “You’re a flier?”
He nodded his head and spoke through his smushed lips. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Why you here?” She directed her question to Sydona for an answer.
“That’s what we’re here to find out.”
She took a step back. “You armed?”
“No, ma’am.”
Avani’s eyes darted to Sydona. “You checked ‘im?”
Sydona froze. She didn’t. It never even crossed her mind. His baggy clothes could hide anything under them. If he had been anyone else in the entire world, she would’ve checked. Not Theodore. Not her second to oldest companion.
She answered with an unwavering expression. “Yes, I checked him.”
Theodore glanced quickly at her, and she returned his look. She hoped she wouldn’t regret her words.
“Alright,” Avani said after giving him one more look over. “Sit over there.”
An ear-curdling screech came from a metal chair Knox pulled over to the middle of the room. Theodore slumped over to sit in the chair with hands in his lap.
“Did you pull him out of a sewer or what?” Avani whispered to Sydona from the corner of her lips. Sydona kept her focus on Theodore while Avani went over to her desk to sanitize her hands. Sydona shook her head at the comment, but she had a point. Her attention switched to the whereabouts of Devon. Tapping Avani’s shoulder, she quietly asked where he was.
“Devon’s in that room over there, practicing some martial arts moves Knox taught him.”
Sydona raised her brows. “Oh. How come?”
Avani shifted her weight while sitting on the edge of her desk. “When he came in, he started drawing in that little notebook of his. I asked what his picture was… he hid it from me. After a while I was able to peek, and it was some dark stuff in that book. I asked if he wanted to talk about it; he said no of course. I’m still unsure what’s really going on with him, but I asked Elias to teach him some moves. Ya know, to keep him from drawing. I saw the pictures, Sydona. What the heck happened [LM170][SD171]to that little boy?”
Sydona’s heart ached. “He uh... witnessed his parents being killed in front of him.”
“Dios mio!” Avani shrieked. “I had the worst feeling… poor boy. I’m certified in PTSD, and he is a classic case. I just hope with everything going on, he’ll get help. I’ll do what I can, but he’ll need constant attention. No telling what could set him off.”
“Thanks for looking after him, Avani. I’ll be sure to keep an eye on him.”
Their attention turned to the men in the center of the room. Knox stared at Theodore like it was going to burn a hole in him until he finally looked straight up at him. Knox took a deep breath, making his chest appear larger. Their eyes met.
“Why?” Knox asked, barely blinking.
Theodore’s eyes flooded and looked away from him.
“Look at me when I’m speaking to you!” Knox roared and pushed his chest closer.
“I didn’t mean to do it!” he cried out with a cowardly shiver. “I--I…”
“Speak up! Why would you do this to your people?!”
Sydona crossed her arms and stood sideways in case she needed to look away. Her instincts wanted to protect her old friend, but after the past encounter with Knox, she dared not interfere. With each word Knox shouted, her skin jumped along with her heart. Anything could happen now.
Theodore shook his head back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. And then, he smacked himself in the head several times so hard Sydona heard it clearly from her position. Knox’s face altered at his behavior, and he stepped back with unsure eyes.
“No, no, no, no, no. No. No. NO. NO. NO! NO! NO!” [SD172]Theodore chanted, getting louder and louder.
He then stood up quickly, reached into the inside of his jacket and pulled out a small handgun. As he pointed it at Knox, who slowly put his hands up in surrender, Sydona pulled out her tranquilizer gun. Glancing to her right, she saw Avani also had a gun pulled out, and her arms were buckled straight out toward Theodore.
Knox spoke in a calm manner. “Hold up now, uh…”
“Theo,” he answered.
Knox treaded carefully. “We’re not going to hurt you, Theo. Just ask a few questions.”
Theodore’s eyes shifted over to Sydona and Avani bearing arms at his head. Knox followed his gaze and spoke up. “Lower your guns, soldiers!”
“But, Elias!” Avani said.
“I said put them down!” Knox hollered.
Sydona and Avani exchanged a look and lowered their guns. They both kept their hands on them in preparation.
“See, it’s all
good, Theo,” Knox whispered and outstretched one arm to try to grab the gun. “Now give me your gun.”
Theodore laughed, exposing his hideous teeth and showing his crazy. What in the world happened to him?
“This gun isn’t for you,” he said evenly. He then redirected the barrel to his temple.
Sydona’s heart dropped. Her gun went back into its holster, and she stepped toward him.
“Theo…” she said.
He turned his attention to Sydona with tears cleaning the dirt from his face. “I couldn't do it. I couldn’t do that to my best friend. And I can’t go back there…” He paused and squeezed his eyes tightly. “I missed you so much. Why didn’t you come back? Why didn’t you come back?”
Her lips trembled. She wasn’t sure if his questions were rhetorical, and she struggled to find the right words to answer them. “I--I don’t know. I’m sorry--”
“I’m sorry too. Forgive me.”
His face relaxed to a blank stare.
There was a click and boom.
Theodore fell to the floor, his skull hit the pavement with a crack and screams shattered the room. Then, everything fell silent, aside from gasps and heavy breathing.
Sydona collapsed to her knees as her body turned to water. It felt like a deluge bursting through a dam, rendering her useless. Knox and Avani rushed over to the lifeless body while Sydona watched it all as if it were a television show. It wasn’t real. Willow and the others came running in from behind her in slow motion. Raoul buzzed around her saying words, but she was unable to hear him. She knew Knox was yelling and asking what his last words meant.
Willow stormed over to Sydona and picked her up to give her a tight hug. She snapped out of her trance and came back to reality.
“You don’t haveta say anything, Syd. Willow’s gotcha…”
Her boa constrictor hug felt warm and tight, and she let herself melt into it. Sydona wrapped her arms around Willow and allowed her emotions to run wild. Willow moaned with each sob Sydona cried out. Her mother’s face kept popping up in her head. She imagined Willow as her mother and squeezed tight. All the jealousy and anger the two women had for each other was squashed instantly.
Raoul flew over and buried himself in the hug. “I’m so sorry, Syd. I know how much he meant to you.”
Sydona sniffed and pulled away to compose herself.
“You lied! You didn’t check him. How could you be so ignorant?” Knox raged.
Her fingers curled into fists, turning her knuckles white.
“I didn’t think I needed to,” she said.
“Are you kidding me? He could have killed us all! Not to mention he was wearing a wire!”
Sydona paused and released her fists. “What?”
Knox continued his rampage as he paced the room, hitting things in his way. “What did you say to him?”
Sydona went from sadness to matching his rage. “I didn’t say anything!”
“I don’t believe you! He was your friend, yes? You said something to him...” Knox’s eyes turned a fiery emerald.
“That’s personal! And I did what I could under the circumstances.”
“Under the circumstances? You put us all at risk for an old boyfriend? I don’t fucking think so, Sydona. You’re lucky I don’t execute you for your extreme lack of perception. I put you in charge for a--should have been--simple mission, and this is what happens when I do?” He paused. “Leave. Now. Before I act on my thoughts.”
Instinctively, Sydona yearned for Avani’s words to calm her husband down. But she silently stood by with a heavy head, staring at the floor. Her friends had backed off slightly, and she never felt so alone. She messed up. Big time. But now may be the only time to make things right.
Her fingers found the crumpled paper in her pocket. Her pounding heart went back and forth on whether she should give it to him. She waited for him to calm down more before bringing it back up. He was already heading back to his desk when Sydona spoke again.
“I found something,” she said somberly.
Knox turned back around with raised eyebrows. “I thought I told you to leave.”
“Please. I just lost someone I really cared about. Can you just please look at the damn note?”
His brows raised even higher without moving any other muscles.
She held her arm out, waiting for him to take the note, but he didn’t move.
“Dios mio. Give it here,” Avani said as she clicked her heels over. She snatched the note out of her hand and whispered. “You better watch it, girl…”
Sydona silently thanked her with a little smile.
Avani’s violet eyes widened with shock. “Elias… look.”
He made his way over reluctantly. But as much as Sydona feared him, Knox feared his tiny wife even more.
“No. It can’t be…” Knox uttered with a long face.
This was it. Her secret was out. They would know Malik wrote it and was after her. She really wanted to be the one to tell Raoul. She didn’t want him to find out this way. Maybe she could tell him back at home, after feeding him the best fruit cake she ever made. With his belly so full, he couldn’t fly away. But this was real and happening. She braced herself for whatever came next.
“Natalia…” Avani said and squished the note in her hand.
Sydona swore her heart stopped for a full minute.
“Who?”
“She’s my sister.”
Raoul flew over. “So she’s a flier, too?”
“It’s uh, difficult to explain,” Avani said.
Why did the name Natalia sound familiar? She thought back to when they visited her house the other day. One of the fairies mentioned her being at the house when they burned it. Could it be the same woman? Sydona was certain it was Malik. But as long as they were still in the dark and blaming other people, she was in the clear. Still, a small part of her felt Raoul would find out at any time. She had to start formulating a plan to find him and finish what she started. Maybe this Natalia person could help, especially because she was somehow related to Avani.
“What are we going to do?” Sydona asked.
“I don’t know…” Knox sighed heavily and dropped his head. “She’s a little crazy, but Avani doesn’t want to hurt her. All I want to do is wrap my hands around her fucking neck.” A vein popped up in his thick neck.
“Excuse you, darling. She’s still my sister. No matter how much you despise her,” Avani said and stared him down.
“Honey, she could’ve killed more of our people.”
“I understand that. But chu let me deal with her.”
Knox sighed and walked away. It was clearly a sore subject.
“What do you think she’ll do?” Sydona asked. Her heart had slowed. Maybe it really wasn’t Malik. Avani cleared it up quickly and didn’t seem to have a doubt in her mind that it was her sister. Malik could really be gone. It was one brick lifted off her shoulders.
Avani shrugged. “Who knows? But we need to be careful. If the Vultures are sending out fliers as spies, we gonna have a hard time knowing who to trust anymore.”[SD173]
She took the words right out of her mouth.
Avani couldn’t be more on the dot about her own doubts. It broke Sydona’s heart to know her old friend could do this to her. His suicide meant something more than being selfish, though. He apologized to her. Could his death have saved her? How would she have any way of knowing? She couldn’t stop picturing the last look in his eyes before he squeezed the trigger, a look of desperation and guilt. He didn’t want to hurt anyone. Especially Sydona. At least the mission was over, and it was time to head back home.
Devon wanted to stay with the group, and none of them saw a problem with everyone going back to their little house. Silas had gotten a bunch of food the day before, and they could enjoy a nice dinner. They piled out of the car like clowns, and her feet hit familiar soil.
She heard Giovonna yell out, “They’re back!”
The voice gave her butterflies, and
she embraced Giovonna with a tight hug.
“How’d it go? Did you put their asses in their place? Did you get your tattoo done? I wanna see! Where did you go? Was it nice there?”
Her head spun with questions coming at her like slaps of wind. “It was alright.”
“That’s it? That’s all I get? Come on, Syd! I’ve been helping you train for months! Give me somethin’!”
“Gia, sweetie…” Willow spoke up. Her head whipped around. “We’ll talk about it later.”
“But!”
“Gia.” Willow shook her head and extended her arm. “Come on. Let’s get somethin’ to eat for everyone.”
Giovonna looked back at Sydona who didn’t return her glance. She quickly got the hint and joined Willow inside.
A messy black haired, clean shaven man walked out onto the porch, and her heart fluttered. Silas leaned against a support beam and took a bite out of a green apple. As Lacey, Jet and Devon entered the house, he happily greeted them. Raoul flew up to him and gave him the cutest high-five. As Sydona approached with her baggage, Silas continued to look off in the distance[SD174], crunching his apple. Her throat tightened. The sound of the slamming bathroom door back at the hotel rang in her ears. She almost felt lucky she didn’t have to see his face when she said it.
“Hey,” she said, walking up the stairs.
Silas flicked his chin up. “Sup.”
“How’s it been here?”
He shrugged.
Her stomach knotted itself more. The next words spilled out. “I missed you.”
Silas chuckled and took another bite. “Right.”
“I did.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to lie to make me feel better, Syd.”
Sydona furrowed her brow. “But I did…”
“Just stop.”
Her heart pounded harder but for much different reasons.
“Look… I’m sorry for what happened back at the hotel.”
“Are you?” he asked accusingly, chewed another bite and threw his apple off into the wilderness.
“Yes.”
“Why do I feel you’re only apologizing to me now because you missed me? Instead of when it happened?”
