Sparrows

by Laura Mae

  “I can’t risk our lives with your assumptions, Sydona.”

  Her jaw tightened and hands fidgeted. “If you’re so confident on him leaving, why are you bringing it up to me first, then? You must’ve wanted some common agreement.”

  Knox blinked a few times and looked away.

  “I know his record; he’s been an asshole. He’s made that abundantly clear. But believe me when I say, he’s been through a lot, too. He’s dealing with it the only way he knows how. And he’s not drinking anymore. I lost his only flask… I’ll make sure he won’t cause more problems.”

  “How? Are you going to be watching him twenty-four seven? I can’t have my recruits doing that; that’s not why you’re here.”

  “I understand that but--”

  “Sydona. Enough. What’s done is done. Jet! Come here, please.” Knox bellowed over her, and she flinched. The loudness of his tone never ceased to surprise her.

  Both Jet and Devon made their way over to him.

  “What’s good?” Jet said, extremely nonchalant.

  “Jet. You… have done a great service to the Sparrows, and we are very thankful for the commitment and sacrifices you have made thus far. However, I regret to inform you that this is the end of the road for you. Please surrender your weapons and return home promptly.”

  “What?!” his eyes turned to a burning emerald.

  “Don’t make this difficult,” Knox said, keeping perfect composure.

  “You’re fucking kidding me right now! This is such bullshit, Knox!”

  “I won’t ask again, Jet. Surrender your weapons, now.”

  “No! You can’t just kick me out like this! I have no fucking clue where we are. And don’t I at least get to defend myself?!” Jet waved his arms around.

  The rest of the group also gathered around as if the road was a courtroom, and they were the jury.

  Sydona felt upset by this sudden decision and had to say something. “Knox, I agree. I mean, we should at least do a vote or something.”

  Knox turned only his head to speak to her. “Oh, we have. You were the last one I needed to talk to.”

  “What?” Sydona felt her eyes would be turning green, too. “What do you mean?”

  “While you were away, I spoke to everyone else, and they, and myself, all agreed to let Jet go.”

  Raoul flew to the middle of the gathering circle. “I haven’t voted!” he cried out with one hand on his side and the other in the air with a tiny balled fist. “And I think he should stay!”

  “Alright, well, that’s two votes against five. So it still wouldn’t matter. Plus, no offense, Raoul, you’re not really a Sparrow.”[SD331]

  “You all voted to kick me out on my ass?” Jet asked and looked around the group. Not a single person looked him in the eye.

  “Silas?” Sydona whispered.

  He glanced up at her from the car seat, then avoided all eye contact. Shaking her head and licking her lips, she felt as if she might explode. She never thought she would be so emotionally involved in what happened to Jet. He was a jerk, but he was a jerk that had real problems. Sending him home was the worst thing they could do.

  “Doesn’t my vote count?” Devon asked below in a soft, innocent voice.

  Knox broke his composure for the first time in five entire minutes. “Uh, sorry, little man. This is just for adults.”

  Devon’s face changed like wildfire. “I’m not a little man, and I wanna fight!”

  Knox looked around for support from his soldiers, but no one had any idea how to react to a ten-year-old wanting to join a rebellion group on the edge of a war. Sydona had to give it to him, he had spirit.

  “Look, uh, Devon… I know you might be angry, but we can’t let you join…” Knox said.

  “Why not? ‘Cause I’m too small or weak? I bit you, didn’t I? I stopped you from killing Sydona. I can fight!”

  Knox was speechless. Avani took over for him and bent down to level with Devon.

  “Sweetie[SD332], look… even if we were to let you fight with us, if… It would have nothing to do with the decision we made for Jet.”

  Raoul stuck his tongue out and buzzed away. Jet rolled his eyes and paced back and forth like a hungry lion.

  “No!” Devon spoke up, his voice seemingly a little lower than usual. “My mom said that we need to kill the doctor, and that’s what I’m going to do! Isn’t that why we’re here?”

  Avani smiled, though it was clear she was uncomfortable. “Sí, but…”

  “Let me join! I want to fight with you! And Jet too! Please.”

  Avani stood up and faced Jet and the rest of the group. “Can you two wait for us over there, please?” She pointed to the other side of the vehicle while everyone gathered in a huddle. This was a jury.

  “Don’t tell me you’re havin’ second thoughts,” Willow said.

  “We can’t set them on the road with no idea how to get home,” Sydona interjected.

  “He’s as unpredictable as Natalia, Sydona. We can’t keep him,” Harold said.

  “Do none of you believe in second chances?” Sydona barked.

  “He’s had several chances, hun,” Silas said.

  “Are we really considerin’ a little ten-year-old boy joinin’ us, though? I mean, he’s just gonna get himself killed,” Willow added.

  “He wants to fight, though. I say let him fight,” Silas said. Sydona bounced him a tiny smirk.

  “It’s too dangerous,” Knox said.

  “He don’t seem bothered by much so far. How’s that scar, by the way?” Harold asked, hiding a grin form Knox.

  “Very funny…”

  “How do we know he won’t go off the deep end again?” Avani asked.

  “We’ll keep an eye on him,” Raoul said with confidence.

  “I’ve already told you--” Knox started.

  “--We’re volunteering, Knox. We want to. We know he can be helped. He just lost a girl he loved; give him a god damn break,” said Sydona. She peeked out of the huddle and saw Jet messing around with Devon.

  Harold pointed his finger. “If he picks a fight with me one more time or calls me a red--”

  “I’ll take full responsibility, okay?” Sydona said. “They need each other right now. And right now, they both want to be here. Together.”

  The jury finally concluded, and they all stared at Knox who took a deep sigh. “Alright then. It’s decided then?”

  Everyone nodded.

  He stood up straight and called Jet and Devon over.

  “Jet,” he said louder than necessary, then sighed. “You can stay.”

  Jet smiled, balled up a fist and thrusted it out with joy.

  “And Devon, this is only temporary… But welcome to the Sparrows.”

  “Yeah!” He high-fived Jet and jumped up and down.

  Knox shouted over his excitement. “We will begin your training first thing... As soon as we find a place to do so. But be aware: it will not be easy, and I need your complete attention. We’re in the middle of a war, and it’s no time to be a child. Understood?”

  Devon stood at attention with his hand in a salute. “Yes, sir!”

  “Alright then. Onward!”

  Chapter Eighteen

  They all fit in the SUV and left the truck behind. That night, they stayed in a hotel in a small town. Mountains with white tops surrounded it, making it feel somewhat safe. While they waited for Willow and Harold to rent the rooms, Silas messed with the radio in the front seat. It was rare that a station actually came in clearly, but when one did, a familiar voice mulled over the static.

  “...Thank you for having me.” Malik’s voice stung like a hornet in Sydona’s ears.

  “Dr. Malik, I must say, what you’re doing is simply fascinating. Where did your idea originate to start these experiments?” the interviewer said in an annoyingly chipper tone.

  “Well, Charles, I don’t know if you know this, but my father actually started the idea way back in the day. Since he was a boy[SD333], he w
as just as fascinated as you are with these spectacular specimens. Unfortunately, despite years of dedication and experimentation, he [SD334]passed away before his work was completed. I swore to him and my family that I would continue his work, and well… here we are.”

  “Fantastic. So, how close are you exactly? I mean do you think we could get this off the ground [SD335][LM336][SD337]in a few years or by next Friday?” he chuckled.

  Malik matched his laughter. “Actually, we are very close. We can look forward to getting the prototype out by as early as Christmas!”

  Charles gasped. “No, you’re kidding! That soon, huh? I can just imagine the kids flying about the snowy streets and having snowball fights from above the houses! How fun!”

  “That’s the hope!” Malik laughed. [SD338]With every word that came from his mouth, Sydona wanted to gag.

  “So, are we allowed to know how you will make the magic happen?”

  “Oh, it’s not magic, Charles. It’s science. And we’ve been able to pack it all inside a small little pill, one tiny little morsel that you swallow. It gets absorbed into your blood stream and allows you to feel light as a feather. That’s the hope anyway.”

  “Drugs, huh? I’m not sure how that would go over. Is it addictive?”

  “Absolutely not! Yes, the feeling you experience while on it is like no other, but keep in mind, this will in no way make you invincible like some other pills on the market. It will simply grant you the ability to fly but does nothing to your mind or health. The best part of it all: it’s practical and may actually help to save lives.”

  “Save lives, huh? How do you figure?”

  “Imagine a common scenario where, say, you’re stuck in a traffic jam, and all of a sudden your grandmother has a heart attack or some other severe trauma. But you’re stuck in traffic. How can you help her? Well, instead of waiting for an ambulance that could take way too long, or a helicopter that would be much too tricky to maneuver, paramedics and even doctors could fly right to her and help her instantly. She could be helped within minutes, Charles.

  “Interesting… You make a very valid point, John. It’s also practical in other ways. If you need to attend a funeral or something across the country, you don’t have to wait for a scheduled plane and spend hundreds of dollars. You could just leave on whim.”

  “Precisely! However, you can only carry so much on your person[SD339][LM340][SD341], so you must be a light traveler.” He laughed.

  Charles laughed with him. “Very true! So you’re just missing one key element to complete these experiments, am I right?”

  “Yes,” he sighed. “Just one tiny little thing. But we are working on it! As soon as it turns up, you bet we’ll be back, hard at work.”

  “Of course. And that one thing would be a woman named Sydona Wilder, correct? Have you heard anything of her whereabouts lately?”

  Sydona wanted to punch the radio interviewer in the face so hard. Everyone’s eyes radiated off her. All she could focus on were the dials on the radio and the waves of voices in the air.

  “The last I heard, she was somewhere in Colorado, but you know how things can go.”

  Sydona had a flash of when she punched him in the teeth at Eagle Lake, and her heart leaped.

  “So no one has turned her in yet, I’m assuming.”

  “Not to my knowledge. But if she were smart, she’d turn herself in.”

  “In a perfect world, right John?”

  “Right!”

  “But seriously folks, if you’re listening out there, please be cautious if you do decide to apprehend this woman. She is dangerous and most likely with a group of other fliers. They aim to cause harm to anyone who interferes. Call the police if you know anything of her or her rebellion group called Sparrows. Dr. Malik has promised a great reward for anyone who turns her in.”

  “Absolutely! It will be well worth your time and effort!”

  “It’s been a pleasure speaking with you today, Dr. Malik. We hope to talk to you again soon!”

  “Thank you, Charles. I look forward to it. God bless.”[SD342]

  Sydona turned it off as soon as it ended.

  “He is such a slimy punta,” Avani said and shivered dramatically.

  “He knows where we are,” Knox said.[SD343][SD344]

  “Natalia must be his contact. Wish we knew where she went,” Sydona said. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Silas drop his head.

  Willow and Harold made their way back to the clown car. They had booked two rooms on the edge of property.

  “Everything go okay?” Silas asked as they got inside. Willow turned the key in the ignition to take them to the other side.

  “Yep, didn’t suspect a thang.” Harold winked and clicked his tongue.

  Willow spoke from the driver’s seat. “So, I was thinkin’ me, Harold, Avani and Knox in one room and the rest of yas in the other? That work?”

  The group nodded agreeably and walked to their rooms. Sydona, Silas, Jet and Devon ended up in the downstairs room with the rest in the room above them. It wasn’t the fanciest hotel she had ever stayed in, but it did have a wonderful view of the Rocky Mountains. The midsummer sun set behind them but not before leaving pink and purple clouds that resembled a breathtaking painting. They had a small patio with a table and chair, but a large shrub blocked their view. She wanted to switch rooms, but seeing as the top room made it harder to escape, she stayed put.

  Devon made his first priority jumping on both beds as much as possible. It was the simple things that brought joy to this kid’s life. Even after everything that happened, he still felt happiness from jumping on something bouncy and watching television.

  “Oh, man. This place does room service,” Jet said as he looked over the hotel compendium. “That way we can sleep and eat without leaving the bed. [SD345][LM346]Awesome…”

  Silas looked over the menu with him as he lay back on the blue and white sheets and propped his leg up. Raoul stood on the giant wooden headboard to gander at all the food choices. It was like they were looking into a binder from heaven the way they drooled.

  Sydona took the opportunity to finally shower. She washed as much mud out of her clothes as she could while in the shower. Stepping out of the tub and into the mist of her hot shower, she wiped the mirror down to examine herself. The darkness from the tea had completely washed out, and her hair was back to its natural golden color. It was still short enough to disguise her a little bit but not by much. Nicks and bruises covered her body from the most disgusting brawl she had ever been a part of. In the back of her head though, she still wondered what Knox had in mind for Natalia. She took a deep breath to absorb all the fresh moisture in the air and exhaled with a slight head rush. Nothing felt better than being clean.

  She dressed into something more comfortable than her normal jeans. Maybe it would help her sleep that night. Leaving her clothes to dry in the bathroom, she left and watched all four guys staring at the television as if it had naked women on it. Unsure if her theory was true, she quickly turned to look, but thankfully, it was just a sitcom show. It was one of those shows where a creepy audience watched and laughed at the actors’ lines as if it was the first time they heard a joke. She wondered if they ever got paid to act as well.

  “Did you guys order food?” she asked the zombies on the bed.

  “Yep. I ordered you fries and a garden salad,” Silas replied.

  “Aw, thank you. I don’t care what Knox says about you. You’re a good guy.”

  “What?” Silas turned all his attention to her.

  Sydona laughed. “I’m heading outside for a bit. Anyone want to come with?”

  Silas shook his head and rubbed his leg. Jet, Devon and Raoul barely responded as they mindlessly watched the show. Watching T.V. was something she never did and couldn’t understand the appeal. But she guessed for them it was a taste of normalcy and couldn’t fault them for getting sucked into the feeling. But for her, it was being outside in the crisp mountain air. [SD347][LM348]
<
br />   Sliding the glass door open, her bare feet touched the warm concrete, and she took in the beauty around her. The sun was gone now, and the stars shone even brighter, complimenting the moon who was not afraid of being in the spotlight. She didn’t know if it was because they were in the mountains, but the night sky seemed to shine so much brighter. Bats fluttered in the quickly darkening sky, and the sounds of toads and crickets put her at ease.

  She sat on the white metal chair and [SD349]rubbed her wrist with the still prominent brown line circling it. She thought of Giovonna, home against her will. Sydona wondered if she heard the interview with the doctor and if it helped her at all in fixing the bracelets. The only positive of her going home was that she wouldn’t in the crossfire, lucky to survive each day. For that, she was thankful.

  Just then, she remembered Giovonna had written down her phone number, and Sydona quickly went back inside. She pulled out the torn piece of yellow notebook paper from her green tote. She sat in the chair next to the back door and picked up the phone.

  “Hey,” Silas called quietly, just over the television volume. “Who you calling?”

  “Gia. See how she is.”

  “Come here,” he tilted his head. His eyes were no longer on the television but completely focused on her.

  “What?” Sydona asked.

  “I want you to tell her something for me.” He grinned.

  She returned the smile. “You can’t just tell me?”

  “No… I have to whisper it. It’s personal.”

  Sydona twisted her lips. “Sure you don’t want to just talk to her, then?”

  “Oh my god, Sydona, just come over here.”

  She turned pink and set the phone back down. Sashaying over to the bed without taking her eyes off his, she sat down next to him. Their shoulders pressed against each other.

  “What did you want to tell her?” Sydona asked with butterflies going crazy down below.

  Silas took his hand, turned her chin and pressed his lips against hers[SD350]. Her eyes closed as she felt a surge of ecstasy. Leaning into him further, her hand found his side, and she pulled him in. He then quickly pulled away.

  “I love you, too.” His face was rosy but serious.