by HJ Lawson
I try to keep my eyes low, focusing on my feet and the rubble beneath them, and clearing out any noises other than that of a human. As my father taught me, it’s all about focus and blocking everything else out.
A glimmer of rainbows fills the floor in front of my eyes. I look up to the source of the light show – it’s a beautiful crystal chandelier hanging in the middle of an apartment. Overwhelmed at the unexpected treat, I just stare at it dreamily. My eyes trail down to the rest of the room. I haven’t slept in so long, and the bed looks amazing. I can practically see myself curling up in it right now and falling fast asleep.
My gaze travels farther down and locks in with another pair of eyes. I gasp in shock. I hadn’t expected to see someone there.
She looks a little older than Lucas, and seems just as surprised to see me as I am to see her. She has lovely brown hair flowing down her face. She is sitting up in the bed beneath the chandelier. Was she like me, tired from walking and hiding in the only pretty place left in the city? She cannot be on her own… she looks too young.
Maybe it’s a trap.
Panic washes over me, and I frantically glance around to see if anyone else is here.
I do not need to look far. Standing at the end of the bed is a tall, slim boy around my age, with big brown eyes boring into me.
He’s protecting her the same way I would’ve protected Lucas. They must be brother and sister.
If only my brother was alive. The boy and I are having a staring competition. Who will win? I can’t help noticing that he is kinda cute.
He blinks. Yay, I win. He looks away to another room of the apartment, across from the one he's in. There are more people here than I was expecting. I see another boy in the corner and a woman who seems to be his heavily pregnant mother.
They are all staring down at me. Jesus, I feel really uncomfortable. What should I do? What if they have weapons? They look like a group of scared kids, but I know I shouldn’t underestimate them.
Lowering my backpack to the ground, I’m very conscious of everyone’s gaze on me. Slowly, I take off my cap; they may be less concerned if they see I’m a girl. I’m cautious not to make any sudden movements, as I don’t want to give them any reason to attack me.
My brown hair falls free, and I reach over and give Liquorice a quick pat. Gradually, I raise my hands up to the sky as a sign that I am surrendering. The same way Father did when he was taken.
The air is silent; tension is mounting.
What will they do?
“Child, what is your name?” the mother addresses me with her soft, caring voice.
“My name is Jada. My dog’s name is Liquorice.”
“Hello, Jada. My name is Sahar. This is Haytham, my son.” She looks over to the boy and smiles back at me.
I know I’m no longer in danger. They want to help me. Thank God, I finally get a break from this nightmare. It’s about bloody time!
“Over there is Zak, and his sister Tilly is in the bed.” I look over to the boy, Zak, and he smiles and gives me a wave. He is really cute. Tilly looks over at me and her face lights up with a big smile and twinkling eyes. This pretty little girl looks happy; I feel safe.
Sahar holds out her hand and signals me to come forward. I pick up my backpack, place it over my shoulder, and walk over to her.
“Child, have you eaten? Do you need to rest? We have room here for you.” Sahar has the loving and reassuring voice only a mother could have. I can already feel the stress moving from my shoulders as she speaks.
“I am hungry and tired,” I say. “I would like to rest here, if that is okay with you.”
I look up toward Haytham, and he nods with approval.
I climb up to the second floor room, and Liquorice follows me. Haytham is standing there. He looks younger than me, a bit shorter and a little overweight. But he looks strong.
He has short hair, kept very neat, and you can tell his mother makes sure he looks nice, even with everything going on. He has a happy smile, but I can see in his eyes that he’s witnessed a lot of horror, just like me.
There’s a large bed in the room, and next to it are blankets covering sleeping children. They all look younger than me… I guess they are on the path to find freedom. A band of brave kids, tied together with fear and hope.
“Jada, we have a bathroom there.” Sahar points to the door next to the bedroom. “And there’s some food in the kitchen. We have no power, so the fridge isn’t working, but they have food in the cupboard. We have plenty of water, so fill up your bottle.” She looks down at my bottle and notices that it is empty — I just ran out.
“Thank you, Sahar. That is very kind of you,” I say, and I smile over at Haytham. “I would like to use the bathroom, and get some food and rest. Thank you for your kindness.”
“Our home is your home. Please feel free to take whatever you need. This apartment has plenty of food for all of us, and we found extra bed linens in the cupboard over there. Please make yourself a bed,” Sahar says, pointing next to the children sleeping on the floor.
Nodding, I head over to the bathroom. Sahar goes back to sleep, and Haytham sits down on the floor.
Once I get into the bathroom, I close the door and let out a big sigh of relief. Placing the backpack on the ground, I remove the gun from my pants, check to make sure the safety cap is still on, and then I set it down next to my backpack, out of sight of anyone coming in. Thank God they didn’t pull any weapons out on me, or things could’ve gotten really ugly, really fast.
Time to select some clean clothes to change into. I’ve been wearing these smelly clothes for the last two days. I carefully place the gun under two layers of clothing, but in a spot I can easily reach if there is a need.
Refreshed from changing, I start to feel a bit safer with these people. I take some cereal from the cupboard and grab some dog food for Liquorice. Quietly, I sit in the bedroom area with the other children, trying not to wake them.
This is the first time in weeks that I feel safe enough to take a moment to myself. I take my family photos out of my backpack and the tin. As I browse through my mother’s passport, I see stamps of places she visited. This must’ve been from before I was born, because I’ve never been abroad. I’ve always wanted to travel, to see what was beyond our village. But now, all I want to do is go back there.
Flicking to the last page, I notice a photo of my mother from when she was younger.
A piece of paper drops out onto my bed. I unfold the note and begin to read it.
Dearest Jada,
If you are reading this, it means I have gone to live with saints in heaven. I am sorry. I wish I could be there for you.
Remember everything that your father taught you and what I told you. Always protect yourself, no matter what. You have to protect yourself. Get out of this country. It's too dangerous for you, for a child. Yes, you are a child, but you have to be strong when you are in this country. Once you get out, you will be a child again. I believe your father is still alive. God will bring you both back together. Trust your heart. I will always watch over you and love you.
Goodbye, Jada. God bless my beautiful daughter xxx
My mother… I feel so alone right now. I miss her so much, and the words in the letter bounce around as my eyes fill up with tears and roll down my face. I will never see her again. But there is a little bit of hope… she thinks Father is alive. I have to find him. He’s the only family I have left.
Haytham and Liquorice are both watching me. Great. I’ve only just met him, and I look like a bubbling mess! Liquorice walks over to me and licks my tears away. It makes me feel a little bit better. Haytham kneels down next to me and picks up the photograph of my family.
“You look just like your mother,” he says quietly.
I sob more.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Unable to speak, I just pass him the letter. It explains everything without my having to say anything. Haytham reads it quickly and looks over t
oward me.
“I’m sorry. Zak’s and my fathers were taken too. They killed Zak’s mother and set his village on fire, and killed his brother in front of him. Tilly is all he has left, until he finds his father. All the children’s parents have been killed or kidnapped. You are not alone in your grief, and you are not alone with us. We are your family now.” Haytham places his arm around me. He’s so caring for a young boy.
I guess he and his mother have probably said these words a lot over the past few days or weeks. It’s comforting to have someone hug me, even a stranger.
“Thank you, Haytham. How long have you been traveling?”
“At least two weeks.”
Haytham continues telling me his story of how he ended up here.
Chapter 22
New Friends.
GERARD
19 Years Earlier
“Sergeant Gérard Mynatt reporting for an interview with Captain Marshall,” I inform the receptionist.
A faint smile appears on her face, then she looks down to a large book. Slowly she moves her hand over the page, then looks up at me.
“Sergeant Gérard, please take one step away from the desk!” she orders.
I quickly do as she says, and she returns her attention back to the book, apparently still looking for my name. Jesus, how many interviews do they have in one day? Did I think that Mossad was a selective group?
“Sergeant Gérard Mynatt, please take a seat. Captain Marshall will be with you shortly.” The receptionist raises her hand and points to the brown leather couch behind me.
“Thank you.” I nod like an excited school girl. I take a deep breath, trying to keep myself calm. I don’t want to blow my chances by acting like a nervous idiot.
The main door opens, and a man around my age walks over and heads straight to the reception area.
“Sergeant León Coupe reporting for an interview with Captain Marshall,” he informs the receptionist. Looks like he got an invite as well. León takes one step back from the desk… Damn! That’s what I should have done!
The receptionist gives me a pointed look and smirks. Then she signals for him to take a seat beside me, and he saunters over.
“Hi, I’m León,” he says, holding out his hand for me to shake. “What was that all about?” He nudges his head towards the receptionist.
I shrug. “Oh, nothing really… I'm just not too good at following the rules. I’m Gérard. Couldn’t help but overhear that you have a meeting with Captain Marshall. I have one as well.”
León smiles and nods. He’s a bit smaller than I. I wonder what his special skills are? He looks like a smart guy… maybe languages; or he could be one of those that like torturing people — who knows?
“Sergeant Gérard Mynatt and Sergeant León Coupe, Captain Marshall is ready to see you now,” the receptionist says. “Private Para will show you the way.” She motions to the man in the corner.
León and I follow the private to the elevator. I try to hide my disappointment and confusion… I thought the interview would be one-on-one. As I glance over to León, it’s clear he thought the same.
The elevator stops at the top floor. “Please take a seat here.” The private signals toward two black chairs. But before we even take two steps, the office door opens.
“Sergeant Gérard Mynatt and Sergeant León Coupe, I’m Captain Marshall. Please come this way.”
The captain walks into his corner office with a grand view of the city. The sky is gray with smoke from the local factories. He takes a seat at his large mahogany desk.
“Please sit,” he says. “Apologies for the test, paperwork and interviews, etcetera. You must understand, we are very selective about our team.”
I nod, but silently agree that their requirements are a joke. Paperwork up the wazoo!
“Gentlemen, you passed all the tests,” he continues. “You both excelled in several areas, which is why you’ll be working together and combining your strengths.”
Fuck, a partner? I struggle to keep a straight face, despite my annoyance. He said I passed… one of the few. That’s all that matters. Focus on that. Jesus… the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations accepted me!
“You’ve both been selected to attend a two-year training program at Henzelia. There you will be taught how to use the weapons appropriate for each target. You’ll learn how to plan, execute and hide any trace of your missions. I expect to see both of you at 0500 hours at the training school tomorrow. You are dismissed.”
Chapter 23
You are Not Alone.
HAYTHAM
Like any normal, boring week day, I was sitting at my desk in my classroom. Mother thought it was important for me to continue my education, even with the war going on. We could hear the bombing, but it was far away from our school and our village. I would’ve preferred to stay at home, but Mother, unfortunately, would not allow it. So I was forced to be here, suffering from boredom all day.
Suddenly, we all heard a noise in the hallway. Our teacher told us to stay in our chairs, and he went to find out what the sound was. But we all disobeyed him and followed him outside to see what was going on.
Peeking around the door, we saw our teacher in the hallway with another teacher, and they were heading toward the commotion. It was a few mothers, nearly hysterical with panic. Something bad had happened. Why were they here?
My mother was there with my younger sister in her arms, sheer terror covering her face. My God, what’s happening?
She spotted me through the crowd, and I ran over to her. As I dodged around my teacher, my mother carefully placed my sister on the ground and opened her arms to me, tears rolling down her cheeks.
I hugged her tightly. Normally I wouldn’t let my mother hug me in front of my friends, but I could tell from the look on her face that something had happened and she needed me.
Mother looked at me like she thought she’d never see me again. She hugged me so hard it hurt. I wriggled out of the hold and stared up at her. “What happened? What’s wrong?”
Mother started to explain. She’d been walking back with my sister from the doctor’s after a checkup for the baby, and she’d decided to go see my father at work.
All the men in the village work at the factory. When she got there, the whole place was empty, and everyone was gone. There were tire tracks on the ground from trucks, and hundreds of footprints. It was clear they’d all been taken.
They’d taken my father.
When she looked over to the village, she could see flames roaring in the sky, with smoke bellowing up to the clouds. Whoever had taken the men had then gone to our village and burnt everything down. She was terrified that they’d come here and taken… or killed… me.
Other children came out of their classrooms to see what was happening. A couple kids saw their mothers and came running to where we stood.
Then I realized that many mothers of the other students weren’t here. If soldiers had burnt down the village, many mothers were probably killed. And with their fathers kidnapped, these children now had no one.
I looked at Mother and hugged her again.
More teachers came out to see what all the commotion was. Soon, they told everyone to go to the school gym.
The teachers tried to protect us from what was going on. They played a movie, and the younger kids didn’t know what was happening. I noticed a few of the teachers had disappeared. I guessed they were going to the village to see what had happened, to see if the mothers were telling the truth.
This was when I met Zak. He came running into the gym, screaming for Tilly like a crazy man. Also out of breath, he continued screaming. Everyone in the gym fell silent. Tilly stepped forward from the crowd. He ran to her and hugged her, just as my mother had embraced me.
Zak ran to the door carrying Tilly in his arms. A teacher blocked the exit and shouted at him that he couldn’t take her out of the school.
She told him to wait until his parents came.
The other t
eachers had gone to the village to get the parents. Zak shouted at the teacher that no one was coming back — and that it was not safe here and that he was taking her. Everyone in the hall was silent, waiting for what he would say next.
Zak placed Tilly on the ground, walked over to the teacher blocking the door, and sucker punched him squarely in the nose! It was a great shot. We all hated that teacher anyway.
Tilly ran to her brother, and they left the gym. We were all shocked, but my mother agreed with Zak that we were not safe, and she grabbed hold of my hand. We followed him out of the school.
“Where are you going?” my mother asked Zak. He shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t know where to go. Mother told him about the tent town. So we all decided to go there together.
Zak was right. We had just gotten out of sight of the school when the shooting started. The soldiers were there. We got away just in the nick of time. Some of the other kids we brought with us were also from that school. We have met several other children, who have joined us as we've traveled on..
I finish my story, and I know Jada will have some questions.
She was very quiet when I was talking. I hope it makes her feel better to realize she’s not on her own.
“What’s tent town?” she asks me.
“Mother calls it the refugee camp. It’s where everyone is going. We call it tent town. It’s supposedly a place where they have thousands of tents for you to sleep safely. It has the only hospital in the area, so I want to get my mother there before she has the baby. The thought of her going into labor out here is scary. Zak keeps the group moving quickly… he’s the oldest one here, so he’s kind of our leader.”
“How old is he?” Jada asks, and I bristle. I hope she doesn’t have a crush on him!
