Fliers

by Laura Mae

  Raoul flew in front of Sydona’s face with a stern look.

  “Are we going to just let him walk away? He did save our lives, Syd.”

  Sydona looked back at him with confusion. “I thought you were on my side. He’s a stranger who came from nowhere. How do you suddenly trust a person like that?”

  “Because he had every opportunity in the book to harm us, and he didn’t. Stop being so proud Syd and thank the man.” Raoul crossed his arms.

  Sydona bit her lip in frustration. She hated when Raoul behaved like her conscience, and half the time he was correct. Rolling her eyes, she spoke up before Silas got too far.

  “Thank you!” Sydona yelled out, making him stop.

  He turned around with a small grin. “You’re welcome.”

  Sydona blushed at his smile, making her feel warm and tingly.

  “You hungry?” she asked softly as he made his way back to their site.

  “Yeah. But I have my own food.” He motioned his head away from the camp.

  “What kind of food?” Giovonna and Raoul asked simultaneously.

  Silas laughed. “Um, I don’t know. Mostly junk food but it’s tasty.”

  “Any fruit?” Raoul flew closer to him and Sydona.

  “I think some bananas and pears? Maybe oranges?”

  “Let’s go, Syd!” Raoul swiveled around.

  “Yeah. All Willow has left are space food packs. Dried up grossness.” Giovonna stuck out her tongue as Willow glared at her.

  The group agreed to go to Silas’s camp and began to gather up their supplies. As the girls walked around, grabbed their things, and took down tents, Silas spoke up.

  “How’d you find a fairy?” he asked as he admired Raoul. “Lost mine ages ago.”

  Sydona straightened up and grabbed her pack. “I didn’t. Had him since I was little.”

  “Really?” Silas asked in wonderment.

  “What happened to yours?” Raoul asked curiously.

  Silas frowned. “Oh, I probably shouldn’t say…”

  “Why?” Sydona asked as she gathered supplies for Giovonna.

  “It might freak you out.” Silas laughed.

  “Tell me!” Raoul shouted.

  “Okay, you asked,” Silas said. “Few years ago, I was fishing with my fairy, Jessabelle, off the edge of a dock in Washington. As I was fishing, she was being goofy and flying over the water, trying to see fish swimming underneath. Well, apparently her colors were very similar to that of a dragonfly’s and--gulp. This huge monster of a fish jumped out of the water and swallowed her whole!”

  Sydona stood gaping at his story and then glanced at Raoul who was white as a ghost. He looked as if he was about to faint.

  Silas threw his head back in laughter. “I’m just kidding. She died of old age.”

  “Not funny!” Raoul yelled and flew off away from Silas.

  Silas laughed at his abrupt reaction. “He’s a bit dramatic, isn’t he?

  “You have no idea…” Sydona smiled with pink cheeks.

  Over the next hour, they finished packing up their things to head towards Silas’s campsite. Sydona knew that if Raoul didn’t eat anything soon, he would be the most annoying thing ever. He would buzz around just out of reach like a mosquito, groaning and complaining until he ate. Sydona noticed Giovonna could walk without the assistance of herself or Willow. Either the pain pills were working, or her wound healed enough. It was good timing. She needed to be in good health if they went through with their plan. Sydona anticipated a lot of running and flying.

  The sun rose higher in the sky and the air became warmer. Birds of all kinds happily sang their songs or complained about the heat. It was hard to tell if birds were ever upset. Sydona always took it as a good thing when they sang, and it made her feel at home again. The forest was much different than hers, though. Oaks, gum trees, and coffeetrees were abundant in her area. But this forest had more pines and maple trees, and she took in the new fresh scent. It was the first time she was able to enjoy her surroundings without being on the verge of passing out from exhaustion or hunted down.

  The walk was long and boring. Silas led the way while the girls walked slowly behind him and recovered from earlier. He said it was only a half mile, but it felt more like a thousand. As she walked alone, she began to go over the plan of action in her head. Willow said they were only in Wyoming and still needed to go through Idaho. Unsure of how big the state was, she set aside another full day to arrive in Oregon. And that was only if they had reliable transportation. Walking would take way too long, especially with Giovonna’s injury. She hoped that Silas had a way of getting around and prayed that he wasn’t a wild man living in the forest. Although, with his scent, she feared the worst.

  They finally approached his campsite, and she was in luck. A little red truck sat beside a small gray tent surrounded by junk. It was identical to Willow’s driveway: cluttered with random things collected over the years. Maybe he did live there, and maybe it had been years. Maybe the truck was part of the collection and didn’t even run anymore. Her heart sank just thinking about it.

  “Well, here we are! Home sweet home,” Silas said to the group with pride. He dropped the bags off near his tent and then made a B-line for a giant, metal box. It looked as if it was permanent, and he had to open it with a special latch.

  “Got… beans, green beans, licorice, soup in a can, lots of jerky, protein bars--lots of protein bars, cereal, oatmeal, raisins, apples, dried apricots and--bananas.” Silas grabbed a banana and pointed it at Raoul. He flew over to it as if it had a magnet inside.

  “What would you like, uh--I don’t think I know your name.” Silas held out his hand to Sydona with a smile.

  “Dried apricots and Sydona,” she answered, holding back a smile.

  “I don’t think I have any Sydona’s... Is that like samosas? Oh, wait, that’s your--I see now.” He winked and handed her the bag of fruit.

  Sydona blushed and grabbed it from his hands.

  “Speaking of, I don’t think I really got any of your names,” Silas said as he stepped aside and let Willow and Giovonna pick something.

  “I’m Gia.” She shook his hand firmly.

  “And I’m Willow.” Willow nodded quickly and went back to searching for food.

  “The fruit lover is Raoul,” Sydona added as she sucked on a piece of apricot.

  “Nice to meet you all,” Silas announced as he sat in a severely rusted folding chair.

  Sydona noticed another empty folding chair next to his and sat down as everyone chowed down.

  “Sorry about your fairy,” Sydona said and cleared her throat. “I can’t imagine what I’d do without Raoul. He’s like my other half.”

  “Thank you. And uh, don’t tell Raoul but--that fish story was true.” Silas cringed.

  Sydona gasped quietly and hit his arm. “You’re kidding!”

  Silas laughed again. “I wish I was. I was devastated...”

  Sydona’s cheeks were sore from smiling, and her face was suddenly warm--it wasn’t from the sun. She glanced over at Raoul who was almost done with his banana and happily bobbing along with his chewing.

  “Sorry we didn’t have anything to offer you for saving us. Instead, you’re helping us, again,” Sydona said.

  “No worries. It’s nice having people to talk to.” Silas took a bite of jerky.

  Willow and Giovonna pulled up their makeshift seats at this point, and Giovonna spoke up.

  “How long have you been out here?”

  Silas took a deep breath. “Oh I don’t know. Few weeks, I think?”

  “Why?” Willow asked while scraping out a can of beans.

  “Well, if you must know, my girlfriend kicked me out. I was living with her for a couple years, so all my stuff was there. I guess she was expecting me to propose and even gave me an ultimatum. Long story short, I didn’t propose, and she kicked me out. Then, I was fired from my job because of the breakup, and I was distracted. Construction and relationship drama
is not a good mix. Anyways, I decided to get out of all of that, go camping for a while, and renew myself. Then I found out about Eagle Lake and well… you can probably fill in the rest.” Silas exhaled.

  “Damn.” Willow shook her head.

  “No, it’s fine. I feel better than I’ve felt in a long time,” Silas said.

  Sydona grinned to herself, enjoying getting to know someone she felt she could connect with easily. The group ate their food quietly until they felt satisfied enough. His stockpile wasn’t so large that they could eat a whole meal, so they ate what they needed for their stomachs to stop growling. Willow of course needed a bit more than the rest of them to feel it, but Silas was generous enough to accommodate. Giovonna was able to rest her leg for a few hours, and she began to feel much better. The wound was already starting to scab up, and she could put more pressure on it. Sydona still worried how Giovonna would be of help when going to the camp.

  As Silas left to go check on his traps that he set for rabbits and other small creatures, the group had a discussion.

  “Do you think that truck works?” Sydona pointed to the rusted red vehicle.

  Willow shrugged. “Only one way to find out.” She stood up and walked over to the truck and examined it closely. She kicked the tires, which seemed inflated, and checked for anything dripping underneath the truck. Then, she peeked in the window and saw keys in the ignition.

  “Why are we looking at his truck?” Giovonna asked.

  “We’re an entire state away from our destination. We need another way to get there besides walking and piggyback rides,” Sydona answered as she looked it over, too.

  “And we can’t fly because Willow can’t, and you’re still injured,” Raoul added.

  “So we’re gonna steal his truck?” Giovonna asked loudly.

  “No one said anything about stealing.” Sydona glared at Giovonna with a sour face.

  “So why don’t you guys just ask him?”

  “You didn’t see the look on his face when Willow mentioned Eagle Lake,” Sydona said. “That is the probably the last place he would want to go.”

  “Sure sounds like you wanna steal his car, princess.” Willow put her hands on her hips and looked down at her.

  Sydona gawked at the accusations, and her face felt hot. “I can’t believe you all think I’m trying to steal his car!”

  Raoul flew closer to her and took a deep breath. ”Well, Syd, what are you trying to do?”

  Sydona stared at all three of them. Willow stood next to the truck with a look of serious judgment, and Giovonna sat with her leg propped up on a chair and arms crossed. Sydona’s eyes turned green, and she felt as if she could explode. The feeling of being left out and ganged up on was at its limit, and she belted out.

  “I’m sorry that I am the only one here who wants to get to this place as soon as possible! And I’m sick of being the one who is left out and wants to get this journey over with. This isn’t a vacation for me; we’re not out to stay at cute little B&B’s and have our nails done! I am trying to rescue my people and find my parents that I haven’t seen in like fifty years! So excuse me if I’m not letting anything stop me from moving on. Because walking there could take another week, and there’s no way in hell I’m waiting that long.”

  The looks on their faces burned into her mind. As they stared at her in fear, she noticed their eyes focused on something else behind her. She turned her head and saw Silas standing frozen and holding a dead rabbit.

  Her throat swelled up and stomach wrenched with pain knowing that he just heard everything she said. As she was thinking of ways to run away from the tense situation, he said something she never would have guessed he would say.

  “You can have my truck.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Silas reminded her of a lost puppy as he stood there alone with a soft, gentle expression. He wasn’t angry, he wasn’t upset, and he wasn’t judging. Sydona bit her lip nervously, unsure of his calm nature toward someone wanting to steal his property. Sydona stood without moving a muscle as she stared at Silas. Giovonna, Willow, and Raoul soon came to her side.

  “What?” Sydona said at last.

  “Take it.” Silas walked past them and began to build a fire for his food.

  “You’re letting us take your car?” Giovonna asked curiously.

  “Yep,” he answered while gathering up branches and throwing them into the pit.

  The group exchanged worried glances. Sydona tried to talk to him.

  “Is there some kind of--catch?” Sydona asked with uncertainty.

  “Catch?” Silas stopped what he was doing. “You think there’s a catch to me giving you my car? After I already saved you from bounty hunters, gave you food, and let you rest here? Why would me giving you my truck be any different?”

  Sydona felt a sharp pain run up and down her chest at his response. He was right. He had been very helpful so far, and they repaid him by planning to steal his truck. Sydona fought with herself as she tried to think of a better plan to get to Eagle Lake, but this car was the best option they had. Walking was out of the question with Giovonna’s injury, and flying was too risky. There was only one solution left, but Sydona didn’t want to be a thief.

  “What if you came with us?” Sydona whispered.

  Silas smirked. “What if I came with you?”

  Giovonna perked up with bright eyes. “Yeah! You should come with us!”

  “Come with you? To a place that wants to use us like lab rats? You’re more delusional than I thought…” Silas broke a thick branch over his knee a couple times.

  “You scared?” Willow asked in her booming voice.

  “Well--Yeah! You should all be scared,” Silas said angrily.

  Of all of the emotions that Sydona had throughout the entire trip, being scared wasn’t even in the top five. She felt anger, disbelief, vengefulness, remorse, and hate--but never scared. It was understandable why it would be an appropriate emotion since he didn’t come from the same background as herself, but it took her a minute to respond.

  “You should be angry. Like I am. They--” she choked. A flood of emotions came pouring through her that came from nowhere. “--they made me an orphan when I was nine. Ripped my parents away from me. Tied them up and drugged them and put them in a van. I have been living alone for my entire life, pissed off for what they put me through.” Sydona held back tears as she clenched her fists so tight that her hands shook. Pausing to compose herself, she continued on as the group stood quietly and listened. “Willow--Willow said this is the biggest camp that has ever been assembled with hundreds of fliers there. She’s part of a group of resistance fighters called Sparrows, and they deal with these kinds of things. But with a place of this size, we could use all the help we can get. I know that it might be scary to you, but you need to be angry and fight. We need to put a stop to this… once and for all.”

  As she finished, she took a deep breath and held her chin up high. Giovonna smiled at her with tears streaming down her face, and Willow gave her a smirk as well along with a respective nod. Raoul clapped, but she barely heard it. She saw Silas grin, turn away shyly, and pick up branches again. She felt confident that she got through to him, but she needed to be patient.

  The whole group seemed to be in a better mood. Silas didn’t bring it up for several hours as he prepared the rabbit for eating. Willow realized that one little rabbit wouldn’t be enough food for all of them, so she took the opportunity to teach Giovonna how to use the crossbow. Sydona wouldn’t be eating the skewered rabbit roasting over the small fire, so she tried to find a place to sleep. The lack of sleep and running for half the morning finally caught up to her, and she asked Silas where she could nap. He had a tent set up, but it looked very lived in.

  “I have a bunch of blankets in the bed of my truck. You can sleep there as long as you don’t try to steal it...” Silas said with a lighthearted tone. Sydona swore he held back a smile. She felt unsure if her speech would change his mind, but her gut t
old her otherwise. He missed the company.

  She made her way over to the sea of blankets that lined the bed. They weren’t clean and smelled of mildew and dust, but they were soft and that’s all she cared about. It even felt better than the sleeping bag. Raoul joined her with his full belly. As she lay there looking up into the branches and bright blue sky, she felt the wind blowing gently on her face and listened to the crackle of the fire until she drifted off to sleep.

  ~~~~~~~

  As she opened her eyes, the blue sky turned into painted white clouds on a blue ceiling. Rubbing her eyes, unsure of how the sky changed, she realized she was back in her bedroom from when she was a little girl. Everything seemed a few seconds behind as she glanced around the room. Everything moved in slow motion, and it made her feel dizzy. Sliding off the side of a small colorful twin bed, she looked down at her feet to see shiny black shoes. The only time she ever wore those shoes was when her family would go to fancy places. She also had on her black frilly dress that she wore once when the dog they had died, and they had a funeral in the backyard for him.

  “What’s going on?” she asked herself.

  She ran over to the mirror that hung over her white dresser and looked at her reflection. The face staring back at her was herself as a nine year old again with short, curled blonde hair. She tried pinching her arms over and over again, and nothing happened. The pain from the pinches lingered but did nothing to wake her up. She suddenly heard a faint calling of her name from behind her bedroom door.

  “Mom?” She whipped open her bedroom door and ran down the stairs as fast as her newly small legs could take her. Her mother floated inside from the backdoor with the sunlight shining angelically behind her. Sydona stood in awe, and tears flowed down her fresh young face. Without hesitation, she ran up to her mother and hugged her as tightly as she could.

  “Syd? What’s this about?” Her mother laughed. The laugh echoed throughout the house as if they were in a tunnel.

  “You feeling okay, sweetheart?” a man’s voice came faintly from behind her.

  It was her father sitting at the table with a coffee cup as usual. She turned her head quickly and ran to him to squeeze him just as tight. She took in everything she possibly could: his scruff, the smell of his coffee, and the cologne he always wore.