by Laura Mae
Sydona grinded her teeth and curled her fists again. “Enough with the bullshitting. You’re coming with us.”
Natalia laughed more. “Oh, where we going? Disney World? I’ve always wanted to go there. So magical. Or Fiji? Either way, both are pretty rad.”
“Cállate, [SD314][SD315]Natalia!” Avani yelled. “You’re in our custody now.” She reached out to grab her sister.
Natalia quickly reached for a handgun in Avani’s holster and aimed it at her and the group. “Mmm, I’m thinking not.”
Avani and Sydona put their hands up. Sydona’s heart pounded, and adrenaline pumped hard through her veins.
“You’re too trusting, hermana. These are desperate times,” Natalia said and clicked her tongue.
Without realizing it, Harold was already pointing his gun at Natalia.
“It’s five against one. Drop the gun,” Harold said.
Natalia smiled cunningly. “Four and half, technically.”
“Just shoot her already!” Silas belted out.
“No!” Avani threw herself between Natalia and Harold. “No one is shooting anyone. Nat, would you please put the gun down?”
Natalia looked her sister in the eye, and then back and forth between everyone else. “What chu gonna do to me?”
“Kill you,” Sydona said.
Natalia aimed the gun at Sydona.
“No! We’re not going to kill you,” Avani corrected and flashed Sydona a dirty look. “We’re just keeping an eye on you. For now…”
“Oh no… not that…” Natalia with a toneless inflection and dropped her arm with the gun. Avani swiftly took it back from her and put it back in her holster.
Avani bound her sister’s hands behind her back with handcuffs she had in her bag. As she led her up the steep hill, Harold and Silas followed behind. Sydona stayed behind to grab everything she dropped. After several minutes, she was finally able to locate her dagger, which was caked in mud. She found a clean area of soft grass and wiped it down the best she could. The engravings appeared once again on the blade, and she absorbed the words. “Love without fear.”
She loved Silas. It felt strange to even think and say the words to herself. To have a feeling so strong about a person, to be that vulnerable and to say words that bind two spirits together was exhilarating. Silas asked her about Theodore, and while she may have had strong feelings for him, it was never love. It took over fifty years to truly understand the meaning her mother engraved on her dagger. Evelyn had no fear in loving her father, and she had no reason to fear loving Silas. And when she loved without fear, fighting for them came naturally.
Sydona scrambled to grab the rest of her things that fell with her down the hill so she could help Harold with Silas. She secured her backpack and tote around herself, and Raoul joined her on her shoulder.
“Hey,” Silas said as Sydona put her arm around him.
“Hey.”
“You okay?” he asked.
Sydona smiled. “Am I okay? I’m not the one with two human crutches.”
“Oh this? This’ll heal. The image of what you look like right now will never heal from my brain.”
Her fingers pinched his side.
“Ow! Hey!”
They finally made it to the paved road and the truck. She wasn’t sure where they would be going next, but it needed to be somewhere with running water and a bed for Silas. Raoul sprinkled some dust on Silas to help him walk a little easier.
“Thanks buddy,” Silas said, his face back to normal.
Suddenly, Sydona heard Knox’s voice faded and electronic. She opened her bag and pulled out the black walkie.
“...Is anyone there? Copy,” Knox said again.
“Sydona here. You guys okay?”
“Finally. Been trying to reach you for over ten minutes now. We’re fine. You?”
“Uh, yeah. We ran into… someone.”
“The shooter?”
“Yeah. It’s Natalia, Avani’s sister.”
Natalia gasped. “Oh my god, is that Knoxy Poo? Ooh, can I talk to him?”
There was no answer on the other side. Sydona could only imagine what his reaction would be. He probably threw the walkie off into the abyss.
“Knox? You still there?” Sydona asked.
“Hi Syd, it’s Willow. Knox is… busy.”
Sydona chuckled to herself. “Are Devon and Lacey with you?”
“Yeah, they’re here. You guys find the assailant?”
“Yes. We have a vehicle now, too.”
“Thank the heavens. Don’t think I can do this flyin’ thing anymore.”
“Copy. We’ll discuss it when you get here.”
“Copy.”
Sydona clipped the walkie to her hip for quick access. Silas held onto Sydona while Harold went to the truck and pulled it off to the side of the road. A body lay to the side; that must have been Benji. Natalia and Avani were far ahead of them, but Natalia had some colorful words for him.
Sydona wanted to know where they were, but Knox had the map. The truck would be helpful for Willow and whoever else didn’t want to fly, but it would take so much longer to get there. Plus, Harold was the only one who really knew the place well enough. There had to be a group discussion on what to do, especially since they had a member of the NFA who wanted Sydona’s life.
Avani put Natalia in the back of the truck, and she sat down. Sydona had a glimpse of her crazy, but she seemed too calm about being captured. Perhaps she had a soft spot for her sister as Avani did for her. As Sydona Silas and Raoul approached the truck, Silas cleared his throat.
“So, uh… You said something… up there…”
Her heart raced. “Yeah…”
“I just wanted to say…”
“No. Don’t say it,” she blurted.
Silas stuttered. “W-Why?”
“Because… if you say it, I might start crying, and I don’t want that maniac in the truck to see.”
“Okay…” Silas said and looked away from her.
“Sorry.”
“No, I get it.”
Raoul flew away from them, clearly uncomfortable with the subject matter.
“Hey, Avani. I got a question for you. How are you related to her? She’s insane! You’re nothing like her.”
“Don’t you dare fucking answer her,” Natalia growled.
“What? What if I do?” Avani said.
“Ava, lo juro por Dios. It’s none of their goddamn business! Después de todo lo que pasé…”
“She’s my sister, alright. Same parents. Same brothers…”[SD316]
Natalia struggled to get the handcuffs off, and her face reddened. “Ava, detener! They don’t need to know!”
The group watched in silence, waiting for what Avani didn’t want to say.
“She a flier,” Harold said, breaking the tension.
“Gah!” Natalia growled again. “Fuck, fuck you Harold! Who told you?!”
He slipped out a smile. “Malik told me a lot of thangs… she ain’t never been able to fly.”
Avani glared at Harold. Sydona noticed a rollercoaster of emotions pulsing through her.
Silas spoke up. “Wait, what? How is that possible?”
“It’s extremely rare,” Avani said. “But it can happen.”
“Shut up! Just shut up!” Natalia screamed almost desperately.
Avani stopped talking, and Natalia kept her brown eyes glued to her sister.
Sydona felt sorrow for the woman even though she was a borderline psychopath. It suddenly made sense why she was the way she was. She was a flier but never learned something so natural for all other fliers.
“I feel bad for you,” Sydona said.
Natalia moved her glare from Avani to her and bared her teeth. “Fuck you, bitch. You don’t ever get to fucking feel sorry for me. None of you!” She looked at everyone else who seemed to all feel somewhat the same as her. “Don’t feel sorry for me puntas ‘cause once I get out of these fucking handcuffs, I’m killin’ all you
motherfuckers. Then none of y’all can fly again.”
Harold spun his gun to face the butt of it outwards and hit Natalia in the head so hard she passed out in the truck. Avani stared wide-eyed at him.
“Sorry… did you not want me to quiet her up after she threatened to kill us? I could hit her harder if you want.”
Avani sized Harold up. “You don’t ever touch my hermana again.”
Harold moved his jaw around while clenching his fists. His head whipped away from her and he walked toward the forest. Sydona couldn’t believe she was on Harold’s side for once. Still, she admired Avani’s unwavering love for her family; she knew exactly what it felt like. She would do the same for hers, even if they were off their rockers. Right?
The rest of the group sat around the truck, waiting for the other half of their party. Sydona went through her bag to make sure everything was still there. She took out some food and handed it around as it was past lunchtime. Silas sat in the front seat of the car, and Avani began to look at his wound. She only carried basic medical supplies and did what she could. Using a pair of strange looking tweezers, she carefully pulled out the shrapnel from his thigh. He used his outer shirt to bite and scream into. Sydona stayed by his side and let him squeeze her hand until it tingled. Avani dressed it with medical wraps and gave him some pain killers.
“Do we need to take you to the hospital?” Sydona asked as she watched from the opened car door.
“No, I’m good. Not dying today.” He forced a smile.
It was clear Silas would not be flying anymore. He could barely walk. She sat by his side in the truck for what felt like forever. Her lids drifted off for just a second before she jerked back up and shook her head. Grabbing the radio from her pants, she called for Knox again.
“Knox, Willow, come in.”
The radio clicked a couple times and went to static.
Suddenly, in the distance, gunshots rang out through the fir trees.
“Shit. Willow,” Harold said with his head sprung up like a prairie dog.
Sydona and Avani both looked out toward the sounds of battle.
“Damn. Did I forget to tell you guys I called in reinforcements? I am sooo sorry,” Natalia mocked as she finally woke from her beauty sleep. “Hope they don’t kill my Knoxy Poo before I get to see him again. I miss that big guy.”
Sydona gritted her teeth and grabbed a gun laying on top of the console of the car. Pulling her arm back to hit her again, Natalia flinched.
“Please, no! I’ll shut up. I promise.” She looked up at Sydona with the most serious face she had seen since they met. Her shoulders hunched, and her eyes became submissive.
“Fine.” Sydona sighed. “Silas, keep one eye on her, please.”
“No problem. Go. They need you.”
Sydona smiled and handed him the gun. “Be careful.”
Silas returned her smile and nodded. “Go.”
“We’re coming to help, Elias,” Avani radioed over.
There was still no answer, but they heard more shots fired. [SD317]
The three of them and Raoul sprinted through the forest as fast as they could, heading toward the gunfire. She then heard muffled crying. She assumed it was from Devon, and Lacey was busy trying to stifle it. They crouched behind a large boulder, out of harm’s way. It was only Knox, Jet and Willow fighting against about five or six Vultures. Each person hid behind a separate tree for cover. [LM318][SD319]
“You guys okay? Any wounds?” Sydona asked, then quickly pivoted around the tree base to shoot before retracting back to her position[SD320].
“We’re fine! These assholes came outta nowhere,” Knox replied. He took a break to look at everyone who joined him. Focusing in on Avani, his face changed.
“Babe! Take Lacey and Devon out of here! You know the way back!”
“I’m not leaving you, Elias!” she pled and shot clumsily. Her effort was admirable, but she would no doubt be the first one to get wounded. Sydona agreed with Knox.
“I said now!” Knox bellowed.
Avani threw a sour face his way but did as she was told. She ran back to Lacey and Devon behind a fallen tree. Sydona made her way back to cover Avani in case the Vultures used the opportunity to shoot a defenseless child.
“Go! I’ll cover you!” Sydona yelled. She ducked back behind the tree, and Devon gave her a hug.
“No, just take Devon. I need to stay and help,” Lacey said.
“What?” Devon cried. “You’re not coming?”
“Avani will take you to safety, Devon. I’ll be right there,” Lacey said.
“No! I’m not leaving you!” Devon cried harder and grabbed Lacey tightly.
Sydona shot a couple more times. “Devon, she’ll be fine. Avani will take you to Silas. It’s not far. I promise.”
Avani took Devon’s arm, and he screamed harder than ever. He clung to Lacey like glue.
“Devon, please!” Lacey said. She pushed him off as Avani pulled. He finally let go of Lacey, and Avani got ready to leave the safety of the tree. Sydona moved closer to cover them. She shot again, sending someone to the ground. One less worry.
“Go now!” Sydona yelled. Avani and Devon stayed low, and Sydona’s eyes felt as if her pupils had grown to take in any slight movements. Another perfect shot. Another Vulture down.
Her adrenaline pumped hard, and her confidence soared. A grin grew widely across her face. Lacey took a few shots, covering Devon. It was the first time she and Lacey had actually worked side by side, and they did it well. As they got in the swing of things, one of the Vultures somehow slipped from their reach. Sydona saw it happen but was unable to stop it. There was just one more guy they didn’t originally see. The seventh one. Sydona and Lacey focused on the two men after Avani and Devon, and they both didn’t hide themselves as much as they could have. A stray bullet buried itself into Lacey’s chest, causing her to fly backward. Whipping her head around, Sydona saw blood quickly soaking her clothes, and she was rendered immobile on the forest floor.
A cry from Devon screeched through the trees. Avani held him back with all her might as he flailed his arms and legs. Sydona ducked down behind her fallen tree to tend to Lacey who could barely breathe. Willow, Jet and Knox immediately took out the last three guys. Once they fell to the ground, Avani let Devon go, and he raced over to Lacey.
Jet dropped his gun in shock and ran to her, his knees falling to the wet, leafy ground.
“Lace!” he cried. “You’re gonna be okay, babe. I’ll fix you.”
Lacey didn’t answer but just held both boys in her arms. Tears flowed down her face and onto blood-soaked pine needles. “I love you--Jet. --And Devon.”
Devon laid himself on top of her, covering himself in her blood. She winced but didn’t stop him. Jet caressed her hair with the pink streak, over and over again. His eyes grew wet and full, forcing tears to fall. He pushed back her bangs to kiss her on the forehead.
“Sydona,” she said softly. “I’m sorry… for what I said. I trust you.” She coughed and took Sydona’s hand. “Take care of them for me, please. And… one more thing?”
Sydona leaned in.
“Kill that mother fucking doctor.”
Sydona choked but then smiled. “Not before he suffers.”
Lacey closed her eyes as if the answer pleased her immensely. A shaky hand touched Jet’s cheek, and he kissed it gently. Devon buried his head in her neck and laid his hand on her chest. But soon, that chest stopped moving, and her kissed filled hand went limp.
“No! Mom! Wake up!” Devon cried out.
Sydona’s chin trembled, and she stood up. Lacey didn’t mean as much to Sydona as she did to the boys, but the fact she was seen as a mother to Devon destroyed her. He had lost two mothers now. Her hands shook with an overload of emotions. The forest stood eerily still and quiet. They lost another.
They lost the last one.
Chapter Seventeen
Jet held Lacey in both arms as they walked back to the road. Devon wa
lked beside him, still sobbing and saying ”mom” [SD321]over and over again. It was almost too much for Sydona to manage. Visions of her own mother and her death kept flashing in her head. Life wasn’t fair, especially to this little boy who has had it worse off than Sydona. She lost one mother, which was more than she could bare, but he had lost two. Making Malik suffer was high on her list. He didn’t deserve to be killed with one fell swoop. No, he needed to pay for everyone he ever hurt.
The sun dropped from the highest point in the sky, and shadows grew long. The group split into couples on their way back, walking slowly as they mourned the loss of Lacey.
Raoul took his usual spot on Sydona’s shoulder. “Poor Lacey…”
“Yeah…” Sydona said and cleared her throat. “I hate the last thing she and I spoke about. She was just protecting Jet. She really loved him.”
“She did. Still not sure how, but she did,” Raoul replied.
“He’s all Devon has now.”
“Devon seems to like you, too. He did bite Knox for you. Got more guts than any of us.”
She smirked. “He’s a special kid.”
Raoul made a noise of agreement. “What are we going to do with ‘you know who’?”
Sydona sniffed and rolled her eyes. “I have no idea. I know what I want to do with her, but Avani wouldn’t approve.”
“I’m sure whatever any of us want to do to her, Avani wouldn’t approve.”
The truck and white road came into view, and her stomach dropped like a cement brick. Silas was in the front seat, but Natalia was not where they left her. Sydona sprinted to him like a bat out of hell.
“Where’d she go?!”
Silas shook his head. “I fucked up.”
“What happened?” Knox added with nostrils flaring.
“She is… one smooth talking vixen.”
“Dios mio, child… Did she talk herself out of the handcuffs?” Avani asked.
“No…” he said, then looked up with confusion and cocked his head to the side. “Is that--Lacey? What happened?”
“Vultures…” Jet growled.
“I’m so sorry…” Silas said and scooted out of the car.
“No, you don’t need to get up.” Jet stopped him. “I’ll take care of her. Come on, Devon.”
