by K. L. Lewis
A brief nudge from Mitch woke DeMarcus to Sarah and a half-tired Yue shooting angry stares behind Crystal and Elene as the two sat at the table with the other girls of their group. Some of the other students around him packed their bags and left for the doors. “School over?” he asked.
“It’s still the lounge hour,” Mitch answered.
At least until the bell signaled for their last class. The gang rose from their seats, recycled their trash, and separated through the halls inside. “Hang in there,” Sarah said. “It’s almost over.”
Good thing it was, as DeMarcus didn’t want to have to deal with Rafeal and his band of dwits. As tired as they were, the last thing DeMarcus wanted was for the likes of Vearez and Chris bugging them in their science class during their remaining weeks. Luckily Mitch kept an eye out, but DeMarcus and Yue remained on alert just in case.
Come the last bell, the students poured out of the classes and the gang gathered outside. On his way out, DeMarcus caught Tyrone flirting with Jasmine about the self-defense training they were doing at the Compound. Must be nice to have a girlfriend, and DeMarcus figured he try to get his own when he caught Crystal strutting past him.
“DeMarcus…” Yue said with a warning tone.
“Come on, this is the perfect chance for me to make an impression,” he said as he made his approach. His sister said nothing, crossing her arms as she watched him speak to Crystal. “Hi Crystal, lookin’ lovely today!”
“Um…thanks?” she responded as if she were insulted. “Bye.”
That was…interesting. Did he do something wrong? He turned back to his friends who had looks of ‘I told you so’ written on their faces. “What I do this time?”
Sarah stared at Crystal and her clique. “It’s simple. The spoiled bitch just doesn’t like you.”
DeMarcus sighed. “Well, what am I doing wrong here?”
“Don’t worry about it,” said Mitch. “Just try again another time!”
“Or you could not,” said Yue. “I’m telling you, she isn’t as great as you think she is, DeMarcus.”
But he didn’t like the sound of just giving up like that. He figured there was something he was missing, something else he needed to do to woo Crystal over. And as if to add his displeasure, he caught Rafeal and his friends joining Crystal’s group, smiling and laughing as Elena said something and pointed at DeMarcus.
It made him wonder, what was so funny? Chances were it something he probably wouldn’t want to hear anyway as the gang made their way off campus, passing Rafeal’s grinning mug and the stares of Crystal and her clique.
“So, this training. How do we get in?” Mitch asked.
“Just ask your parents,” Yue answered. “Keith isn’t picky. We were new blood when he started with us.”
“Speaking of which, how’s it been since he came back?” Sarah asked.
“It’s always business with granddad,” Tyrone answered. “Even the training seems like work he’s obligated to do, although he mostly leaves us with one of the instructors.”
“Some retirement plan he’s on,” said Mitch.
Tyrone laughed. “Grandpa retiring? He’d go crazy in a week of doing nothing.”
They reached the bridge and took the tram across the river. It was a silent ride, with DeMarcus catching up on some much-needed rest before the gang got off at the end and split for their homes. “Hey, don’t forget the reading exam coming up!” Sarah informed them.
After reaching their house and stepping inside, DeMarcus stood in shock at Amy fast asleep on the couch. Normally she was up and active at this time. “Thank goodness,” said Yue with a relieved sigh. “I’m already tired as it is.”
They heard their parents chatting in the kitchen. “Well, it’s certainly a different experience than the Sinic Republics,” said Jiao.
“Yeah, who would’ve thought he’d bring us along?” said Shen. “I was thinking about visiting the Sinic Republics again, for DeMarcus, since he’s never been there. But this would be a great change of pace.”
“So, we’re going?” Jiao asked.
A wide smile grew on Shen’s face. “Of course! I’m not turning this trip down.”
“What’s going on?” DeMarcus asked as he and Yue entered the kitchen.
“Something exciting: Keith offered to bring us along with his family to the British Isles this summer,” Jiao answered. “And as a bonus, we’ll be meeting the Meir family there as well.”
“And they are?” Yue asked.
“Old acquaintances of Keith’s during his time in Mid-Asia,” said Jiao. “His partner was the one who introduced us while we were studying at the Novae Republic.”
“Sounds like fun,” Yue said with a yawn. It didn’t look like it, but DeMarcus noticed the jump in her eyes and the small smirk she made that she was excited for this. If only they both had the energy to really show it.
Jiao unwrapped her OmniMorph and dialed Alisha as she departed through the halls. “I’ll prepare some things for the trip. You two make sure you have your things packed as well. The trip is going to be at least a month, so make sure you get everything.”
DeMarcus and Yue ran upstairs and went through their belongings to bring on the trip. They still had two weeks of school left, which was plenty of time to get ready. Jun passed DeMarcus’ room and paused at him packing. “Did I miss something?” She asked.
“You don’t know about the trip?” DeMarcus responded.
“We usually don’t leave until a week after school.”
“You know we’re going to the British Isles right?”
Jun’s face was blank, and DeMarcus smiled as he finished sorting his clothes. “Yeah, thought so.”
“So, no Sinic Republics?” Jun asked. “What’s with the sudden change?”
“Tyrone’s grandpa, Keith, invited us along with his family.”
Jun gasped. “Wow. I-I don’t believe it! I better get packing, too.”
Excitement filled the air of the whole household over the upcoming trip, and DeMarcus sat his bag on the ground and sprawled on his bed. What were the British Isles like? He could only imagine the sites there and how different they were from the marks of Solar War he saw all around the NAF. As his eyes grew heavy, he pictured dark ruins and blackened earth scarring a landscape in the distance. Was this the Isles or was he still in Detroit? It was hard to tell as he slowly drifted to sleep.
CHAPTER 18 – VACATION
June 1st, 892 RNC, the day after DeMarcus’s fifteenth birthday, and the last day of the Academy’s school year. He and Yue’s held their cheers as they sat in the yard during lounge hour. With their grades pinged to their tablets, it was a matter of waiting for the sound of the bell to finally leave the school for the summer break.
The city had been rather peaceful—not a single attack occurred in the months since the Fronties’ attack, and it was almost eerie to have gone so long without one. The same couldn’t be said elsewhere around the world, in places like Torvil in South America where rumors of the HDF setting up were picking up more and more steam. It was a reminder to DeMarcus that the militants were still active somewhere out there.
At the sound of the bell, the students flew out of their classes, pouring into the halls or the yard, and taking off into the city. DeMarcus followed behind Yue to front of the Academy where the rest of the gang joined off campus. Once past the gates on their way to the bridge, he noticed Vearez talking with Elene and Alanya from Crystal’s clique, and the three glared at DeMarcus with snake-like grins on their faces.
“Look at that dwit,” Alanya muttered
DeMarcus glanced over his shoulder from her words hitting his ear. Does she not know he can hear her? He came to a stop once Yue turned around and stared the girl down. “Sorry, I didn’t catch that,” she said with her palm to her ear. “Could you speak a little louder?”
He stood by in case Alanya took the dare, but she didn’t seem interested as her smile wiped off her face. School was over, and they weren’t on Ac
ademy grounds anymore. And that was on top of Tyrone’s girlfriend, Jasmine, walking by with Sarah, both of them stopping the moment they saw the scene.
“Something wrong?” Jasmine asked, her tone edging at Vearez and the two girls with him.
“I’m trying to figure that part out myself,” said Yue, her eyes still on Alanya.
Alanya crossed her arms and sharpened her gaze. “Let’s just say it isn’t any of your business.”
“And you better hope for your sake that it stays that way,” Yue shot back.
“Noted,” said Alanya with a tilt of her head. She looked over her shoulder and stepped off toward the city. “Let’s go,” she said, leading the other two toward Crystal and Rafeal walking ahead together.
Sheesh, what was their problem? He hadn’t said a word to them the whole day, or at all come to think of it. It seemed like they painted a target on his back ever since he showed the slightest interest in Crystal. Worse was that their group seemed to be joining together with Rafeal’s the more he saw them, with Crystal smiling at DeMarcus over her shoulder as she walked side-by-side with Rafeal toward the Rula. What was that all about?
Yue shook her head at DeMarcus as she led the way to the bridge. “She and her friends treat you like dirt, and you’re still not over her?” she asked him.
“What? Well…” He couldn’t deny it, he still couldn’t get Crystal out of his head.
“Come on, Yue,” Sarah interrupted. “We’re all looking out for him, too. He’ll be okay.”
Even with Sarah’s assurance, DeMarcus knew that Yue wasn’t going to back off from it any time soon. But he wasn’t going to see Crystal for a while during their vacation. The more he thought about it in his gaze out at the blue river, the more he sweated with anticipation over what was in store at the British Isles on the other side of the world. Who would he meet there? Maybe he could find another girl to take his mind off Crystal?
Yeah, right. That would be something.
At the street corner near the bridge, they joined Tyrone and Mitch coming from a nearby tech store. There was an exchange of cheers as they celebrated being out of school and the extra free time they now had, until the start of the next school year. But that was to come later down the line, after everyone came back from their own family visits. Must be nice for everyone else, with DeMarcus wishing he could see the rest of his.
That said, there was still something to look forward to today. And as Tyrone took a brief moment to walk Jasmine home two blocks down, Jun came and joined the group near the bridge, followed by a familiar face DeMarcus knew, Dana Millard, who was chatting with Jun along the way. Dana waved at DeMarcus and the rest of the group before setting off for the Compound at the Tavilla Terraport, just as Tyrone had rejoined them waiting for the tram across the bridge.
“So, what’s up this summer?” Mitch asked. “Excited for your first trip to the Sinic Republics, DeMarcus?”
Before DeMarcus replied, Yue spilled the beans. “Actually, our family is joining Ty’s at the British Isles.”
“What? Lucky!” Mitch pouted.
“No Sinic this time, huh? What part of the Isles are you seeing?” Sarah asked.
“Just England,” Tyrone answered. “We’re also going to meet a friend of grandpa’s from the Reconstruction. Good thing too, since ‘Greyscales’ here keeps upstaging me in History.”
DeMarcus smirked at Ty’s quip toward him. Greyscales? Because of his grey skin? Really? “Try upstaging those lame jokes of yours, Ty,” he fired back. “Besides, you’re not the only one with family in Iuvia.”
The tram stopped at the end of the bridge where the gang separated through the neighborhood. “Bring back some souvenirs for us, will ya?” said Mitch. “Also, just a heads up, me and Sarah are joining you guys at the Compound when you get back.”
Today was just full of surprises among everyone in the gang, and the excitement grew more upon DeMarcus, Yue, Jun, and Tyrone reaching their homes. Their families were already packing their stuff into their vans and were making final preparations before departing.
“Just in time,” Jun said. “We’d better go and get the rest of our stuff.”
They split for their homes while DeMarcus remained outside. He didn’t have anything that wasn’t already in his backpack. As he waited for the others to come out, he noticed Alisha crossing the street toward Shen as he packed the last case. “Is she ready to go?” she asked him.
“Yep,” Shen answered, walking back into the house. “I’ll go get her.”
It was a wonder who they were referring to until DeMarcus saw Amy rush out towards Alisha. “I’m ready, Mrs. Iyrons!” Amy said, taking Alisha’s hand.
“She’s riding with you?” DeMarcus asked.
“We figured it would be better to split up with 5 people each,” Alisha said, guiding Amy across the street with her.
“Great!” Yue said, walking out with a tinge of glee. “Makes the ride less of a pain.”
DeMarcus chuckled. “Ty’ll be upset though.”
Shen came out, followed by Jiao. “Okay, everyone. Hop in,” Shen said.
Jun came out with her teal backpack and glanced at DeMarcus. “You’re all set?”
“Pretty much,” DeMarcus said as he went to the van. “I don’t really have all that much.”
“Well, you certainly pack light,” Jun said as she followed.
With everyone present and buckled in their seats, Shen started the engine and followed the Iyrons into the city. They drove past the Northern Ruins, the decaying buildings growing and shrinking from view—a pitiful sight DeMarcus was glad he wouldn’t have to see for a while during their time across the Atlantic. But upon reaching and parking in the Grand Detroit International Airport garage, he had a slight chill upon seeing Keith waiting and waving at them with a team of four Iuvian soldiers, one of them carrying a Gentilli on her shoulder. What was all this for? He thought this was a vacation, but from the look of it, they were preparing to enter a warzone.
“Morning, everyone,” Keith greeted.
“Hey, Dad,” James responded.
“Did something happen here?” Shen asked glancing at the soldiers.
“Just our security. Don’t want any militants knocking on our doors once we’re in England,” Keith joked.
“Really?” DeMarcus asked, not buying the joke.
“Not really,” Keith said. “They’re here for some business I have with the British higher-ups expecting me. But it’s nothing to worry about though. Come on.”
They followed Keith inside to a separate security checkpoint. On their way through, DeMarcus and Yue noticed an angry twitch in Tyrone’s eye at Amy and Bianca humming past them. “Ty? You okay?” DeMarcus asked.
“No,” Tyrone growled. “I had to put up with them singing the whole way! Vacation this, vacation that! All the fricking way over here!”
DeMarcus and Yue held in laughter, which seemed to add to Ty’s irritation. “It’s not funny!” he shouted. “And it was worse when my dad played the song in the car!”
“Couldn’t listen to your own tunes?” Yue asked.
“My headphones died on me,” Tyrone said.
“Well, you can get some new ones in the stores,” DeMarcus said.
With everyone’s bags in tow, Keith wasted no time escorting the families to their flight. Tyrone grumbled about the price of his new set of headphones as the families grabbed a quick bite to eat before boarding the shuttle. Inside, the adults sat with each other, writing up plans and sites to visit while Jun sat with Bianca and Amy on the other side of DeMarcus, Tyrone, and Yue in the center. The Iuvian soldiers took the front and back seats, their weapons locked in cases as they sat idle and ready. DeMarcus thought this extra security was a bit too much, but he kept to himself as the pilot made his announcement of the four-hour flight to Crawley, West Sussex.
“We hope you will enjoy your flight,” the pilot said, minutes as the shuttle accelerated off the runway and climbed into the air.
Fo
ur hours of just sitting here and waiting. But DeMarcus got irritated within the first five minutes of Jun, Bianca, and Amy singing that irritating song Tyrone mocked earlier.
Yue’s lips pursed. “Headphones, NOW!” she said, hooking her headphones to her ear.
DeMarcus and Tyrone wasted no time joining her and drowning out the girls’ singing with their own tunes. Watching the clouds brush over the shuttle’s wings, with relaxing beats and ambient melodies lulling in his ear, it was like rising into heaven as DeMarcus looked out the window to the Great Ontario Lake shrink under them. It reminded DeMarcus of the time he flew with his mother to Grand Detroit. He pictured her smiling at him as his eyes grew heavy, closing over his cheeks as his mind drifted with his tunes.
It was a peaceful nap, or so DeMarcus thought as he opened his eyes to fires flickering around him. He jumped from his seat, his pores screaming with sweat from the heavy smoke and heat around him. What happened? Where was everyone else? Weren’t they just here with him?
The area was scorched and blackened, blasted buildings crumbling and withering around him. Did their plane crash? Did everyone else die? No, they couldn’t have. If so, why was he still alive?
But his heart stopped, and his knees nearly buckled as he gazed out into the cratered streets. There she was, his mother Sekhmet bleeding by a smoldering wreck of cars. This had to be a dream. Or maybe he was dreaming about his new life the whole time? If so, why was it so real?
He ran to his mother, helping her to his feet, and dragging her over his shoulder. “DeMarcus…” she grunted, her arm shaking as she lifted it. “DeMarcus…find some place to hide!”
“No!” DeMarcus shouted, hauling through the streets. “You’re coming with me this time!”
“This time?” Her confused look puzzled DeMarcus until he remembered that he dreamt of her dying. Of course, she wouldn’t know anything like that.
A piercing hiss screamed through the air, and Sekhmet pushed DeMarcus away, sending him tumbling near the sidewalk as a rocket hit. DeMarcus rubbed his sore head, looking up and gasping at an explosion engulfing his mother. “NOOO!” He shouted, jumping to his feet.
