Akia
They headed to Sam’s house after they got everyone together. His house wasn’t too far from Falyn’s, but it was more secluded. They’d be better off there.
He lived on the second floor of his aunt’s house. She wasn’t really his aunt, but rather just a woman he had met that was playing the part. He had to fit in in Agathi. So building himself a family was one of his top priorities.
Sam’s house had three rooms: two bedrooms and an open room. They laid out blankets and pillows that they collected from around the house. Falyn and Mina shared a blanket while Zeke and Sam spread out to find more space. Akia had grabbed a few blankets, but all she ended up doing was sitting against the wall, clinging them against her chest.
Everyone fell asleep within ten minutes. Everyone except for Akia that is. She tried to sleep, but her body refused to oblige. There was too much going through her mind.
Everything had gone wrong. She was supposed to stake out the city and wait until she got word that the moonstar was safe and well. Those were her orders. But she couldn’t help herself when she saw the Hund Warrior. She had to figure out why he was there. And when he wandered into the Market, she just had to follow. Hund Warriors attacked first and thought second. Someone was going to end up getting hurt.
After taking a deep breath, Akia closed her eyes. Sleep would come eventually, she figured. But the only thing she saw behind her closed eyelids were scenes from the market. After watching herself tackle the Hund Warrior over and over again, she gave up. Sleep wasn’t going to come easy. And it sure wasn’t going to come soon.
“Pst, hey,” Sam said suddenly, opening his eyes. “Are you awake?” Akia just stared at him. “Right. We need to talk.” Quietly, the two of them left the room and headed down the stairs.
“You sure Janice won’t mind that we’re down here?”
“Yeah,” Sam responded. “She’s asleep. And besides, she’s got the only fridge in the house.” He grinned as he opened the fridge and grabbed a soda for each of them.
Even as they both stood there, Akia couldn’t stop looking out the window. After each sip, her eyes darted to the window. All she could see was trees and an empty, dark sidewalk.
“Akia,” Sam said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You need to relax. We’re safe here.”
“For now,” she responded. “The Hunds will find out soon and then they won’t leave us alone.”
“How are they gonna find out? You silenced the one back at the house. He won’t be telling anyone any time soon.”
“But what if—“
“You need to stop worrying.”
Akia sighed. “I guess I can calm down a bit.” She took another sip of her soda. “But what about the moonstar? When are we supposed to have her at Lighport?”
“When I said stop worrying, I meant stop worrying.” Sam put down his soda. “We haven’t talked in years. I miss you.”
Akia looked at Sam. He had changed a lot since they were twelve. It had been four years. Of course he had changed.
The last time they had seen each other was the night that they had received their assignments. Sam was excited to visit Agathi.
“They say it’s the most peaceful of all the cities,” he had said, bouncing up and down on his bed. “And I’ve never been there. Have you been there?”
“No, Sam,” she responded, an annoying tone in her voice. “I’ve been everywhere you’ve gone.” But Sam hadn’t picked up on her tone and didn’t seem to care. He was too excited.
They had said goodnight and Akia left for her separate room. She would miss Sam, but at the same time she was happy to be staying in Lightport. She didn’t want to go anyplace anywhere soon.
“How’s your life been since then?” she asked, pulling herself out of her memories. If she didn’t she would soon reach the memories that she had worked so hard to bury.
“Nothing but normal,” he replied. “I’ve been living out life here; trying to fit in and all that.”
Akia nodded. “Bet that’s not at the top of your list for exciting adventures.”
“No, but I did get to meet a lot of cool people,” Sam said, suddenly blushing. “Like Falyn.” Akia watched, grinning, as Sam looked away and took a sip of his soda. Even in the moonlight, the only light shining through the room, she could clearly see his cheeks turning red.
“You like her, don’t you?”
“What, no!” He said unconvincingly. Akia laughed.
Suddenly there was a door slam that came from down the hall. Akia flinched involuntarily. She’d been on her toes since the encounter at the market.
**A short, older woman rushed down the hall towards them, flipping on lights as she went. Her black hair was wrapped in curlers, some of them hanging on to strands that had fallen. Her nightdress was long enough to scrape against the floor as she rushed towards them.
“Thank God…you’re up…” Janice said through deep breaths. “The Force…is…coming. Hide now.” She was staring at Akia as she said that, almost as if Sam didn’t exist. Akia’s heart raced. If there were guards coming, they’d be after her. She was the one that escaped them after all.
Sam raced into action. Without a sound, he raced up the stairs. Akia thanked Janice before following him up. She didn’t pause to question how Janice knew the Force was coming. She just took off. Unlike Sam, her feet pounded against the hardwood with each step she landed on.
By the time she reached the landing, everyone was awake. Zeke was rushing around, collecting the blankets and stuffing them behind the couch. Of course he’d be hurrying to hide too. He was on the bus with Akia. They’d want him captured too.
“Over here guys,” Sam shouted, waving them over to the bathroom. Akia would’ve thought that it was strange if they didn’t have to hide quickly.
She rushed forward, pulling Falyn and Mina along with her.
“What’s going—“
“Shut up!” Akia said, cutting off Mina. If she was going to come with them, she’d have to learn how to keep her mouth shut.
Somehow they all piled into the shower, pulling the curtain closed in front of them. Akia knew that it wouldn’t hide them forever. She had to put her trust in Janice. The woman seemed tough. She could hold the Force downstairs. If Sam trusted her, she could trust her.
“Why are we in here?” Mina asked. “The Force has no reason to be following us.”
“Hate to tell you sweetheart, but they do,” Zeke said. He looked pointedly at Akia. “That girl’s the reason why.”
“Don’t blame it all on me,” Akia snapped. “You were in the bus with me. They’re looking for you too.”
“Looking for you,” Mina said, her eyes wide with surprise. But her look soon changed to panic. “I’m here with two criminals? I need to get outta here!” She moved to climb out of the shower, but Falyn grabbed her arm and pulled her back in.
The pounding on the door was loud enough to reach their hiding spot. With each pound, Akia calmed down. By the time Janice opened the door, Akia was ready for a fight.
“Why are we hiding,” she whispered to Sam. “Can’t we just go out there and fight them off?”
“No,” he responded firmly. “You’ll just cause more trouble.”
“We wouldn’t want that now would we,” Zeke chimed in, smirking. She resisted the urge to punch him in the face.
They all waited in silence and tried to listen to the commotion downstairs. Akia could hear nothing but muffled voices. But they all stayed downstairs and didn’t seem to be coming near to them.
Suddenly, Falyn straightened up. Akia looked at her, trying to read her look. It was one she had seen before. Quickly, she pushed past Sam, who was standing beside her, and wrapped Falyn in a bear hug. Falyn struggled against her, but her grasp was too strong.
“But that’s my dad down there,” Falyn said. “I need him to know I’m okay!”
“He doesn’t need to know,” Akia said, hoping to convince Falyn to stay there. “No one needs to know.”
“I want to say goodbye before I leave!”
“No.” Akia said firmly, tightening her grip. Sooner or later Falyn would give up fighting and forget about her father. It would be better that way. When you forget that someone ever existed, there won’t be as much pain when you lose them.
Eventually Falyn did stop fighting. She sat down and buried her head in her hands. Akia knew how she was feeling, but she wasn’t going to comfort her. If Falyn wanted to make it to Lightport alive, she had to buck up. She needed to be strong.
They all sat in silence, waiting for the Force to leave. After what felt like ages, Janice found them in the bathroom and informed them that the Force was gone. It was safe to come out.
Akia breathed a sigh of relief as she climbed out of the shower and exited the bathroom. She was too busy thinking of their next move to realize the feeling spreading through her. It was the feeling she got when she knew something wasn’t right. It was the same feeling she had felt in the market.
By the time she saw the guard at the top of the steps, it was too late to defend herself. She could only stand and stare as blue light rushed towards her.
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