Chapter 1

 

Sarah woke up to the very unpleasant sound of her alarm going off. Groaning, she threw off the dark blue sheets and stretched. Yawning, she stood up and scratched her head. She stepped forward and looked into the mirror on her wall.

“Performing full body identification scan.” A monotone voice said, seeming to come out of the mirror.  Long, brown, messy hair? Check. Neither tan nor pale skin? Check. Loose, white t-shirt and grey sweatpants? Check. Grey blue eyes? Check. Sarah crossed each thing off on her mental checklist, smiling to herself. I guess I did pick up that checklist habit from him after all.

“Welcome, Sarah Westburn. Age: 19. Height: 1.524 Meters and 22.86 Centimeters. Weight:-”

“Thanks, that’s enough.” Sarah ordered, waving her hand. By now, sunlight was filtering through the window. It fell on the floor and illuminated Sarah’s room. The shelves were lined with various books, and the desk shoved into one of the corners also had books stacked on it. Papers were scattered throughout the room, some half completed. Little messages were taped on some of them, such as due dates and reminders. Yawning once more, Sarah tapped the mirror. Instantly, her reflection disappeared and was replaced by a screen. A calendar took up most of it,but she selected a little icon shaped like a diamond.

“You have thirty-three messages today, Ms. Westburn.” The boring voice had been replaced with a polite, young, woman’s voice. A keyboard appeared on the screen, and Sarah began replying to the messages.

 

Elye nearly woke up screaming. Panting, he quickly sat up in bed, clutching his neck. Turning his head, he caught his reflection in the mirror. His amber eyes were wide, and the sparks of green that were normally emerald had turned a dark, panicked swamp green. His red and orange bangs stuck to his tan skin. Dark brown eyebrows framed his strange eyes. Elye’s dark, vertical pupils were wide. Slowly, Elye relaxed. It was just a dream. He told himself. Pushing off the dark green comforter, he stood up and navigated his way to the mirror. He stretched, watching his twin in the mirror follow his every move. He was dressed in some loose sweatpants, but that was it. Though the room was nearly pitch black and the only light was a small slice of moonlight that filtered through the clouds, Elye could see almost perfectly. One of the many advantages to being an Akura. He thought, smirking to himself. A creak in the hallway made him tense. The slightly stumbling footsteps that would have been too quiet for a human to hear made their way to the bathroom, and Elye knew that it was Sarah. He relaxed again, but he was still on guard. As Sarah crept back to her bed, the moon came out from behind the clouds for a brief moment. The moonlight landed on the scar that marked Elye’s left hand. Elye traced the scar between his thumb and forefinger, leading up his shoulder and curling on his chest. As he watched the silver skin, his nightmare came back to him.

It was dark. That, perhaps, was what scared Elye the most. His sight had never failed him before. Then, the voices came. They were loud, too loud for his sensitive ears. A great flash of light. Pain. More voices, though this time they were loud and jeering. More pain, lots of it. The light was blinding- he couldn’t see anything. Then, slowly, it cleared. Before Elye was a hideous sea of blackness, throbbing and bubbling like a huge, disgusting monster. One black blob detached itself out of the mass, screaming at him. Its arms wrapped around his neck. The mass roared louder and surged around him. Elye was aware of searing pain as he slipped into blackness.

    The dream was weird and alien to Elye- perhaps that’s why he was so scared of it. Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair and activated his mirror.

    “Performing-” Elye tapped the screen again, cutting the mirror off. Did I finish that paper that’s due? Yeah, I did. Clothes ready? Check. New schedule? What a hassle. Check. Tablet charged and updated? Check. Finally, the mirror finished its scan.

    “Welcome, Elye Byland. Age: 19. Height: 1.524 Meters and 5.08 Centimeters.” Elye tuned the rest of the report out, focusing on the upcoming day. It was only three in the morning, but Elye didn’t feel tired. The nightmare had already been pushed into the back of his mind. Tapping the mirror once more, he pulled up the virtual board. Tapping the calendar, it expanded so it filled the entire mirror.

“Welcome back, Elye. The date is September 1st. You have one reminder scheduled for today.” A m read.

“Alright, show it to me.” He ordered the mirror.

“The University official begins today- remember to be kind to all our new students! From, Dr. Mayrsmith, Headmaster of the human division of Marblegreen University.” The mirror read. Elye snorted. The only reason that stupid headmaster sent out this message is because those Akura got beat up by some humans. Didn’t even punish the students, just sent out some stupid message! Elye didn’t have any other messages, so he deactivated his mirror and began to get dressed. He walked around the stacks of books and papers that littered his floor. Drawings were taped all over the walls- it was something Elye did when he was stressed or needed to think. Some thought it was retro, but paper and pencil was a lot harder to hack into than a tablet. Making his way over to his closet, he selected the school uniform. It was a dark green blazer, with golden buttons and trimmings. On the left side was the school shield, two oak leaves connected by acorns. Underneath that was the Akura symbol. It was a diamond with two lines going through the middle of it, forming an X. Each side of the X was connected by two more lines. It looked like a tipped over hourglass, lying on its side in front of a diamond. He set it on his unmade bed. Then, he selected his shirt. It was a nice one, short sleeved and white. The pants were a light tan, almost cream colored. A small chest was located near the back of the closet. He opened the top one and pulled out a black tie. Elye then quickly proceeded to get dressed. Walking to the door, he let it perform its scan.

“Access granted to perform the code. Please enter the correct code on the keypad.” The security system said. After typing the code into the door, it smoothly slid open. After stepping out into the still dark hallway, he quickly stepped into the bathroom. After brushing his teeth and attempting to comb his wild hair, he walked past Sarah’s room and downstairs into the kitchen. Elye sighed. Looks like yet another day dealing with the humans at the university. But first… He gave a small smile. Bacon and waffles.

 

Sarah had gotten dressed. Her blazer had the human symbol on it, a vine with leaves on it. She always hated the skirt, always wearing white leggings underneath it. She also never wore the black bow, it felt like it was choking her. Sarah carefully brushed her hair and teeth, then made her way downstairs. It was no surprise for her to find Elye up, humming to himself, already cooking bacon and waffles. It always baffled her how someone could eat the same thing for breakfast, everyday. But then again, he does have all those strange quirks of his. He nodded at her, and she smiled back. They moved  around in the kitchen, Sarah making toast and cereal. The only sound was the bacon sizzling and the pop of the toaster when her toast was done. The kitchen was a smooth, white, tile orientated place. The countertops were granite, and the appliances were stainless steel. Light blue, wooden cabinets lined the upper part of the walls, and drawers were underneath the counters. Most of them were empty, as they often had no reason to use any pots or pans. Elye finished cooking, and took his food to the small wooden table.     

"Well, today is the day of newbies and horrors." Elye said, half jokingly. Sarah smiled.

"You better hope that they don't take your seats." She teased. He frowned.

"What do you mean?" Sarah laughed.

"You mean you've never noticed? You always sit in the same seat, every day in every class." Elye scratched his head, looking slightly miffed.

"I guess I do." Finishing  his breakfast, he stood up. Walking into the kitchen, he began using the leftover bacon to make a sandwich for his lunch. Sarah finished her cereal too, then went to the sink to wash her bowl out. For some reason, She thought, this reminds me of the first time we met.

It was a cool, fall, day. Sarah was walking around the university campus. In a couple of months, I'll be going here too! She thought, both excitedly and nervously. Snuggling into her dark blue scarf more, she continued walking and enjoying the fall foliage of the trees lining the suburb streets.

"Go away, demon!" A cold, jeering voice caught her attention. Heart sinking, she ran towards the ugly voices. The sight that greeted her was a sight she hated, but sadly saw on a regular basis. Four big, old boys had surrounded a young Akura. The red haired boy looked at his tormentors with loathing and contempt. A nasty taste made its way through her mouth as she looked on. It wasn't that long ago that Akuras had been accepted into their society, and the new race was still met with a lot of controversy. It was Sarah’s dream to become an ambassador for the human government, it would give her the chance to work with the Akura and try to welcome them as friends. Seeing humans treating the Akura like trash just felt wrong to her in every sense of the word.

“What are you doing?” She said calmly. Inside, she was imaging tying the boys to chairs and pulling out their nails with rusty pliers. One of the boys turned around, quite the stupid look on his face.

“Wadd’ya want?” He asked. Sarah didn’t hesitate with her answer- a straight punch in the face. He went reeling backwards, unfortunately crashing into the Akura as he did so. Cursing, the boys advanced on her. She adjusted the small hand bag she was carrying on her shoulder, and dropped into a fighting stance. Faking out one of the other boys, she gave him a hard punch in his gut. She hit the other boy with her bag, then lashed out and kicked him while he was stunned. The last boy actually dodged her first punch, but she landed a nice last smack to his face and he retreated.

“Now, now, boys. We know better than this.” Sarah scolded. “Now get out of my sight before I kick you in a much more unpleasant place.” She spat. The three boys abandoned their leader and ran off. On the ground, the Akura was still wrestling the last human, and he was losing. The human boy had the smaller Akura in a headlock. Right as she was about to go help the Akura, he sank his teeth into the other boy’s arm. Screaming, he ran off, clutching his bloody arm. The boy sat on the ground, catching his breath. Sarah smiled and offered her hand to help him up.

“Sorry about that. You’re lucky I’m around, I’ve seen much worse happen before I was able to interfere.” Hesitantly, he accepted her hand and stood up.

“Thanks.” He paused. It was awkward for him, she knew. Most Akura just huffed and glared at her before stalking off. “Where did you learn to do that stuff, anyway?” He asked, spitting a little blood on the ground and wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

“Oh, my older brother taught it to me.” Sarah said, waving her hand.

“I’m Sarah Westburn, by the way.”

“Elye. Elye Byland.” The Akura replied, flashing a brief smile before casually turning and walking away.

2: The Akura, Chapter 2

Elye was not looking forward to the “first” day of school. Some of the advance students, such as Sarah and himself, were able to take advanced summer classes. As such, either everybody thought they were stuck up snobs, complete nerds, or someone they could ask for directions to math class. Personally, Elye found it very amusing to give people wrong directions. But today, he wasn’t in the mood. The nightmare he had last night was still bothering him, and his tie wasn’t helping him in getting over the feeling of being choked. A dark scowl plastered his features, that only deepened when their bus came. The first thing he noticed was that there more people on the bus- both humans and Akura. Finding his regular seat, Elye sat down. His sharp eyes searched the bus, The Akura mainly sat on the right, humans mainly on the left. It wasn’t a rule, but it was very uncommon that anybody broke this rule. Actually, it isn’t uncommon for a human to be friends with an Akura, I guess. He thought, glancing towards the back of the bus. Here, both races talked and laughed with each other. But they were mostly ambassadors, people studying to interact with the other species. Sarah sometimes sat there, but more often than not she sat with the other humans. Speaking of which… He located her. A new student, not one that had taken the summer course, had sat down next to her. Elye could hear her annoying, squeaky, voice from across the bus. This was one of the few times the Akura cursed his enhanced hearing- and from some of the looks on the other Akura’s faces, they could hear her too.

    “So, like, I’m totally glad I met you. You took the summer course, right? Great, than you can show me where all our classes are!” Here the girl actually paused for a moment, as Sarah replied a word or two. “Isn’t insane that we share almost every class?” The girl began to ramble on again. Sarah caught his eye. HELP ME! She pleaded silently.  Elye gave her a quick, fleeting, sympathetic grin, then smirked widely at her and turned towards the window. He used his hand to innocently cover his face, so Sarah wouldn’t notice the even larger smirk on his face in the reflection of the window. It’s going to be an interesting day, indeed…

 

Sarah knew there would be trouble when the nauseating, brown haired girl sat next to her. She didn’t seem to realize that pink tube socks and bright yellow shoes did not go well with the dark green school uniforms. Sarah suddenly became very, very interested in her school schedule she had already memorized months ago.

“Oh, hello!” The girl next to her said peppily.

“Hello.” Sarah replied, chancing a glance up and seeing eager hazel eyes staring back at her.

“My name’s Ellie. I’m so excited that I got into the university! I’m studying to be a law reporter. You know why they send you to law school for that job, right? It’s so that the reporters actually know what they’re talking about when they give their reports. My dad said I should do it! So, like, I’m totally glad I met you. You took the summer course, right?”

“Yeah.” Well, she is observant. I’ll give her that. Noticed the dates on my schedule. Sarah decided against breaking her tablet over the girl’s head. It’d be expensive, and I’d probably have to deal with her anyway.

“Cool! You know, I just thought of something amazing! You can show me where our classes are, and I can introduce you to all of the new students! I’ve gone to school with most of them before.” Ellie flashed a pearly white smile at her.

“My dad says I’m a people person.”

‘You’d be perfect for a law reporter, then.” Sarah said casually. Her dad officially has made the understatement of the year.

"Oh, that's what I'm studying for! It's so cool that you guessed that!"

“Isn’t it insane that we share almost every single class?” Ellie continues excitedly. WHAT?!? Sarah screams in her head. She looks down at her tablet, where her schedule is displayed. Ellie pulls out her tablet out of her bag and holds it next to hers. Much to Sarah’s dismay, they did share seven out of nine classes. Has to be my bad luck that law reporters and ambassadors have the same required classes. Glancing up, Sarah catches Elye’s eye. She sends him a pleading look, but he flashes a near invisible smile of sympathy. Then he proceeded to smirk at her then turn to look out the window. Thanks a lot.

 

It was refreshing, almost. Elye considered that thought. It was nice to see new faces, Akura and human. Though it still was unnerving when the new humans would tap him on the shoulder. The dark green uniforms looked black in the lighting of the school, and every time someone touched his shoulder Elye was afraid that it would actually be the hideous blob from his dream. The summer students knew how to approach him. Actually, he wasn’t the only Akura in the school that didn’t trust humans. Years of harsh bullying, both physical and mental, had put a bad strain on the relationship between the two species at the school. It was bad for both governments, though, as this university was one of the places where the best leaders came from. This school was their future, and the generation was ruining themselves. Elye slipped into the courtyard just as the bell rang. Sliding his bag off, he sat under an oak tree. The same oak tree he had sat under for almost every free period in his entire career at the university. Some days he went to the library, but mostly he came here. Pulling his tablet out, he opened a blank documents page and began drawing.

The line followed his every movement. He was in control- it was his power. The magical thing traced outlines. Outlines that turned into beautiful fall trees, shining with fire, gold and amber. Outlines that turned into the school building, a simple place with two floors and filled with classrooms. Outlines that turned into dark hallways and foreboding passages. Elye blinked, staring down at the last picture he had drawn on his tablet. He didn't mean to draw that. It was one of the places that reoccured in his nightmares, sometimes. He shuddered, then shut down his tablet. Placing it back into his bag, he glanced at the clock on the courtyard wall. He had about fifteen minutes left in his free period. Elye was just wandering around over by the pond when his tablet vibrated briefly, alerting him that he had a new message. Pulling his tablet out one more time, he turned it on. Sighing, he selected the diamond symbol, then froze.

It was one of the coded messages again, a seemingly random mess of letters. They need me again. Elye considered this, then gave a grim smile.

 

    Sarah was mentally exhausted from having to deal with the overly happy, excitable Ellie throughout the day. Pushing through the door and into the campus house that they rented, she quickly made her way upstairs and into her room. Or, at least, she tried to get into her room. Sarah rubbed her forehead, cursing mentally. Stupid doors, can't just open. Have to have all those stupid passcodes. Jamming her passcode into the door, she threw her bag down on her desk chair and collapsed on her unmade bed. Sarah layed there a while, then decided that it probably would be better to start on her homework. Reluctantly, she pulled herself off of her bed and walked over to her desk. It was only until she had worked on it for two hours that she began to wonder. Where's Elye?

 

Elye was on his guard. He was in one of the abandoned parts of the city, way out beyond where anybody that had common sense lived. If Sarah could get into his room, she would know that he had been home. His school uniform had been quickly thrown on the floor, and his bag with his tablet was on his desk chair. Elye had changed into casual clothes, or in this situation a black sweatshirt and black sweatpants. It had taken him an hour and a half just to get out here, and he knew he had a little ways to go before he met his person. Along the way, he saw a young Akura girl running towards him. Oh no. Elye thought as he saw her pursuers- ten human teenagers, about twenty years of age each. They were gaining on the girl. The Akura was beaten and blood covered her. She was limping badly and she wouldn't be able to get away. Without thinking, Elye stopped and grabbed a brick that was lying on the ground. Personally, Elye didn't want to kill any of the humans, but he threw it anyway. It hit the leader of the pack, and he fell down screaming at an awkward angle. Some of the other members stumbled and fell, others stopped to help their leader. Most of them sped up and continued chasing them. The girl stared at him, wide eyed. He looked back and gave  her a grim smile.

"Keep running. Make for the nearest hospital. Tell em' Elye sent you." She nodded and ran off. Turning, Elye looked over his situation. Not good. He decided. Making a split second decision, he charged the group of thugs.

Elye fought the best he could, but soon they had him surrounded. One of the teenagers had his arms pinned down. At least I gave her enough time to get away. Elye gave a genuine smile and laughed at the teenagers.

"What's so funny, demon?" One of the boys said, advancing into the circle with a wicked grin. Pulling out a pocket knife, he flipped open the blade and gave it a quick lick. Advancing on him, the boys started jeering at Elye and urging the other boy on. By now, Elye was starting to get anxious. He hadn’t planned on dying today, just helping an Akura get away from cruel humans. In an act of quick thinking and desperation, he kicked the boy holding him in a very… unpleasant place. The boy made a funny noise then dropped him, and Elye bolted.

“Hey, he’s gettin away!” The leader screamed, waving his knife. One of the boys was still holding his leg where he had been hit by the brick, and by now the rest of the boys were having their doubts about chasing after the Akura. The cursing and yelling of their leader, however, was starting to get them riled up again. Elye was sprinting for his life down the street, when suddenly a loud crack filled the air. Everybody froze. Another loud crack sounded, and this time a small hole appeared in the wall beside the boys. Suddenly, everybody was more interested in getting away from Elye instead of chasing him. Elye dropped to the floor and waited, but still cautious.

“You’re gonna get killed doing that one of these days, kid.”

 

General Leron Coroy sat on the rusty hand rail of the old bridge. The concrete was cracked and crumbling, the water was a dirty brown and weeds were the only things that grew in the plots of dying grass. Nobody ever bothered to repair the bridge, there wasn’t much beyond it anyway. Needless to say, not many people ever came here. Perfect place to get in touch with a spy. He thought. Leron wasn’t dressed in his usual Akura government attire, instead he was dressed in casual brown pants and navy blue shirt. He was approached by a few people on the way here, but once he casually shifted his black jacket back a little and they saw the bulge of his pistol, people stayed away. Leron was starting to get impatient. Elye should’ve been here by now. Usually, he would have given anybody else at least fifteen more minutes. But Leron had a special connection with the teenage Akura, and he also had an uncanny fifth sense for danger. General Coroy was a cautious man. After making sure his pistol was loaded and in a place he could easily reach for it, Leron strode off.

He found him in trouble. This did not surprise him, as Elye was one for trouble. Still, the site of the humans screaming for blood and murder made him sick. The scene brought back memories- painful ones. Pressing his back up against the alley he was in, he watched the situation carefully. The boys had caught him, and their leader had pulled out a knife. They jeered at Elye for a moment, but then there was a flash of movement and he had bolted again. Quickly, Leron pulled out his pistol. He fired his first shot into the wall in front of him, and watched as everybody on the scene froze. He knew he had only a moment, so he quickly took his aim and fired. The shot was terrible, but Leron didn’t want to kill anybody. The boys ran away screaming. Elye was still on the ground, listening for anybody. He didn’t know why- his sensitive ears were ringing from the noise of the two shots. Clicking the safety on again, he approached Elye.

“You’re gonna get killed doing that one of these days, kid.” Leron said casually, leaning against the entrance to the alleyway. Immediately, Elye relaxed and sent him a brief smile.

“Why are you here, Leron?” He asked.

“I began to wonder when, or if, you’d show up.” He scowled, hiding his concern with anger. “You would’ve been killed if I hadn’t shown up, runt!”

“I’m sorry, sir.” Elye said, crossing the street.

“Don’t you sir me!”

“I-I just couldn’t let them do that to her!” He blurted out.  “I needed to do something, they would’ve killed her!” Elye was close to tears. Leron sighed mentally. It killed him to see him this way.

“I know, kid. I know. But remember, we are doing something.” Elye sniffed and wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

“Yeah, yeah.” He said, walking ahead and kicking a rock down the sidewalk.

 

Elye and Leron walked in silence. He would sometimes sneak a glance at the general walking behind him. The man had black hair that almost went down to his shoulders. His onyx eyes were deep in thought. His most distinguishable feature was, however, the stunningly realistic raven tattooed over his left eye. Elye looked forward again and saw that they had reached their meeting place, the bridge. Why? He wondered. I just recently gave them all the information they could need to know for now, what does the Akura government want to know? Elye took a deep breath and faced the General. It was business time now.

“Alright, what is it?” Elye asked.

“I don’t know.”

“What?” This surprised Elye. General Coroy wasn’t the most high ranking person in the Akura government, but he was important. He was the highest ranking person that still walked the streets and knew what was going on outside of politics. Also, his orders came directly from one of the most high-ranking Akuras. He was trusted to give Elye his orders and take the information to the government without giving any of it away. Never before had Leron not known what was going on.

“I was ordered to give you this letter. Nothing else.” Leron handed him a letter. It was plain.

“Also, I was specifically told not read it.” After this Leron looked around, then glanced back down at him. “Officially, our business is done her. But I have one last piece of advice for you, Elye.” At this, Leron leaned down and whispered into his ear.

“Make the right choice.”

 

3: The Akura, Chapter 3

Elye was freaked out. He had known Leron for a while, and he considered him a friend. Since they had the same goals, it was easier for him to talk to Leron than another Akura. His fellow Akura had always been somewhat sure of himself and their goal. So why did he tell that to me? When he walked in, Sarah greeted him, but luckily didn’t come out of her room. Going into his room, he sat down hard on his still unmade bed. Opening his letter slowly, he apprehensively unfolded it. His eyes got wider with each sentence, and his hands began to shake. Folding the piece of paper back up, he laid down on his bed. It seems, he thought idly, our world is about to change.

 

Sarah was done with her homework, just relaxing and reading a book, when she heard the front door open and close.

“Hello, Elye!” She shouted out. She didn’t even bother to open her door, Elye was just going to go up into his room for most of the rest of the day. Flipping a page, she once again became absorbed in her book. Right when she reached the climax of the story, her tablet dinged. Sighing and getting up, she walked over to her desk and pulled out her tablet. Sarah had just received a new assignment. Oh, it’s just the monthly report. Every month, the ambassadors that had Akura roommates filled out a worksheet to receive extra credit. After finishing her worksheet, Sarah turned off the tablet again. Leaning back in her chair, she reminisced on the day she learned that Elye would be her roommate.

Sarah approached the Akura housing with apprehension. Heading to the section her tablet directed her to, she reached the student housing organization room. In the room was a long table, with papers and pens lining the entire thing. Three Akuras sat behind the table, helping people fill out paperwork and giving them advice. Sarah knew she had to do this. It would give her many advantages. She would get a huge discount on the campus houses, extra credit in her ambassador's classes and give her an edge in communicating with Akura. As she entered the line, she became increasingly nervous.

"Hello, are you to sign up for the campus double houses?" The lady said, giving her a wide smile.

"Umm, yes. I am, actually." Sarah replied nervously.

"Great! Just fill out these papers." Sarah grabbed the stack of papers and a pen, then sat down in an empty corner of the room to fill out the forms.

A week later, a notice came on her tablet.

"Congratulations, you've been accepted, blah, blah, blah..." Sarah muttered to herself, excitedly scrolling down to the end of the page and opening the document that held the information on her new roommate.

Name: Elye Byland

Age: 19

Sarah smiled fondly. It really was quite the twist of fate that they would be put in the same house.

Dinner that night was pizza. Usually, Sarah cooked something but today had been especially tiring. The television was playing the news, the usual boring stuff. They were eating in the living room- or at least Sarah was. Elye had barely touched his pizza, which was unusual. What’s bothering him? Sarah wondered. She would’ve asked, but she knew how Akura kept to themselves, especially when they were upset about something. After a while, Elye stood up.

“I’m going for a walk.” He said casually. Sarah watched him carefully. He’ll be back soon.

 

Elye ran his hair as he jogged through the neighborhood. Sometimes, he just wanted to curl up underneath his covers and never come out. But school, Sarah, life in general and prodding from both himself and Leron kept him going. But this time, the choice he had to make was to big. It's too big for me. He thought. Who was I to ever think I could do something about the way Akuras are treated? My parents didn't want me. Everyone thinks I'm a freak, and the one time I have a chance to actually do something, I can't! I always let everyone down. I'm the failure. Elye stopped, finding himself in the middle of the park. For some reason, he always ended up here when something was upsetting him. Thinking thoughts like that won't get me anywhere. He told himself sternly. Even if they may be true....

"No, no, no, no!" Elye yelled, hitting himself on the forehead a couple times. By now, the sun was starting to set, so no one was around to see his little outburst. He began running, sprinting as fast as he could. He focused on the trees flashing around him, and the sound of his sneakered feet hitting the paved path. Elye ran like this for a moment. He wished he could just run away from all his thoughts, emotions, and problems. He wished that the blur of brown, amber and fire would never stop, that the blurring trees would just suck up all his problems. He ran for what felt like hours, but it only lasted about ten minutes. Disappointed, Elye leaned heavily against a tree. Catching his breath, he ran his hand through his fiery hair. The sprinting hadn't gotten rid of his problems, but it did help him clear his head so he could think properly again.

"Ok." He said. "It should be easy. I know what the Akura government wants me to do. And I know what I want to accomplish." So why do I hesitate? Why does Leron hesitate? Wait, if Leron didn't read the letter, why did he give me that specific warning? Filling the third thought away for latter, Elye focused on the other two.

"It's probably because she saved me from those dudes that one time. Yeah, that's it." He mumbled to himself. "Yeah, and she helps us get a good education. If it weren't for her dad, we wouldn't be able to afford the rent. And, okay, she's nice." Turning around to pace the other way, he debated the other side of the argument.

"But the Akura Government told me to! And, I don't really know her, do I? I mean, we just come home to the same place. That's it. We don't even share classes together! I mean, becoming a law enforcer agent and an ambassadors are practically completely different. Seriously, I can't think of a single thing they have in common!" Okay, now I'm just rambling on to myself. Back to the topic!

"I think I should do it. I've wanted humans and Akuras to have equal rights my entire life, and so does Leron. It's important. We need to take action, or nothing will ever change. It will be messy and possibly violent, but if we pull it off right..." Elye stopped pacing as he imagined the possibilities. "I'll do it."

As he jogged back to their house, Elye assured himself that he had made the right choice. After all, I did.... didn't I?

 

4: The Akura, Chapter 4

“Come on, Sarah.” Elye said, somewhat impatiently. It’ll be quick. He said, trying to comfort himself.

    “Alright, alright, I’m coming.” She replied, rolling her eyes. “Yeesh.” Elye had convinced Sarah to come with him to some bookstore on the other side of town. It wasn't too hard, he knew how much she liked to read. Stepping out into the cold autumn air, she locked the house and continued on in silence. If she knew what was really going to happen, she wouldn't have bothered locking the house. This was both upsetting and comforting to him. Running his hand through his hair, he told which way to go when they came to the occasional crosswalk. Why did Leron tell me that warning? Is he starting to doubt our mission? If so, why? Why am I questioning these things myself? Elye was starting to get more and more frustrated with himself. I already made up my mind! There's nothing I can do about it anymore. Whatever happens, happens. After this, it's not my problem any more. I'll be free to do as I please, and hopefully everything will go as planned once this blows over. Unless, they show up. Elye blinked in surprise, but luckily Sarah had paused to look in one of the windows of the shops. It seemed like it had been weeks since the nightmare had occurred, but with the arrival of the letter, and the Akura government's plans being set in motion, he hadn't really thought about it much.

Thinking back on it now, Elye recalled that it wasn't his first nightmare along those lines. Occasionally, he would get the dark, foggy, dreams. They occurred most when he first came into the Akura government's care in one of the orphanages. He had never told anybody about the dreams. He had always just assumed that they were one of the side effects of the abuse the humans had given him. He couldn't really call the exact day he had been put in the orphanage, but he could recall the first day his memory didn't seem fuzzy.

Elye woke up in his small bed, just like any other day. Stretching, he examined himself in the mirror. It had become his daily routine: wake up, inspect the scar. He never knew why he did it ever day- it wasn't like it was going to change or go away. The people that put him in here told him that he had gotten it when he had been abused by the humans. This always made him frown. Being only about six, he didn't know much, but he was pretty sure that he would have remembered getting such a large scar- one that ran from between his thumb and pointer finger all the way onto his chest. He also figured he would remember being horribly abused by a group of humans. But then again, he did have the nightmares. They were always fuzzy, and he could never wake up from them unless they were over. Also, they were freakishly real. The large picture was always confusing, but some of the details were so sharp it was almost impossible for him to convince himself it was just a dream. His frown deepened as he thought of the most recent one.

It was completely black. A constant sharp but throbbing pain surrounded his neck. He was curled up, and Elye was pretty sure he was crying in this dream. He could feel the grit on the ground beneath him and on himself, and he could hear the scurrying of tiny feet. Probably rats. It was cold, and the metallic stench of blood and death assaulted his nostrils. He felt like throwing up, but could not. Suddenly, a quiet voice reached out through the darkness to him. He tried to respond back, but he couldn't for the pain in his neck and throat. Pulling himself he tried to stand, but his knees buckled and he collapsed against a hard wall. He slumped there, every nerve feeling like it was on fire. The tiniest mewl escaped his mouth, and he heard the voice approaching him. Another one had joined it, but all the words were muffled. His mind fogged over, and he slipped into blackness.

Elye would have frowned more if it were possible, but it was not as he was already scowling as darkly as he could. Composing himself, he put on a more neutral expression as he got dressed. Finally, he resigned himself to dealing with the day and opened his door. Despite his desperate wishes, the door still gave the loudest squeak it could as he slowly opened it. Elye was rewarded with the small pattering of feet down the hallway.

"Elyeeeeee!!!" A young girl screamed, throwing herself onto him. The young Akura looked up, her elliptical pupils squinting at him. "Caughts you!" He sighed. Why couldn't they take a hint? Elye didn't want to be particularly rude, but he always felt awkward around young children and he just wanted to be left alone. More feet came down the hallway, and three more children latched on to him. Screaming and giggling, they climbed all over him. Elye had barely stepped out of his doorway.

"Breakfast's ready!" The cook yelled through the intercom, and the kids climbed off of him.

"C'mon, Elye!" One of them wined. "Let's go to breakfast!" The tallest one pulled on his left sleeve.

"Hey Elye?"

"What?" He couldn't help his slightly annoyed tone of voice.

"What's that?" Oh, no! Elye practically screamed in his head. He always wore long sleeves, to hide the part of his scar that ran up his arm, but he also wore some fingerless gloves that covered the rest of it that remained on his hand. Shaking off the rest of the kids, he darted back within his room and shut the door behind him before they could follow him in. Rummaging around in his drawers, he pulled out a pair of black, fingerless gloves. Pulling them on, he went out of his small room again and was immediately surrounded by his fan club.

"Elye! Elye! Want to race down the stairs?" Their leader, the first young girl, asked, jumping up and down holding onto his jeans. "Please?" Elye looked around at the young, eager, innocent faces of the little Akuras.

"Okay, fine." He sighed in defeat. "But only this once." Screaming and yelling, they dragged him to the top of the stairs. An old, beat up stopwatch was thrust into his hand. By now, more kids had joined him and his club.

"Alright, everyone to the stairs."  He ordered, waving his arms like a crossing guard. "You know, it would be faster if you just ran down the flight of stairs on one side."

"No, no! That's cheating, Elye!" They screeched. Finally, they got themselves slightly organized.

"We better start, or we're gonna be late for breakfast." Elye warned. "On your mark, get set, GO!" He yelled, pressing the start button on the stopwatch. Giggling, screaming, yelling and generally just being loud, the group launched themselves onto the stairs. Elye jogged near the back of the group, making sure no one fell or got trampled. They hit the fourth floor, and they surged forward as they hit flat ground. Banging on the doors as they passed and throwing open others, annoyed heads peaked out of doorways as yet more children joined them. Darting to the end of the hallway, they began their way down the stairway at the opposite end of the hallway. Together, they sprinted down the five floors of the orphanage. By the time they all got to the bottom of the orphanage, around twenty kids had joined the stampede. It was a decent assortment of both humans and Akuras, but to the innocent minds nothing was different.

Finally, the little bundles of energy ran their way into the dining room on the bottom floor. Elye stopped the stopwatch and leaned up against the wall, catching his breath. A clipboard was hanging on the message board, and at the request of one or two children that had stayed behind, recorded their time on the board. Elye tossed the stopwatch onto one of the couches that lined the living room and walked into the dining area. He sat down heavily in his seat, grabbing some bacon off a plate as  it was passed down the long, rickety table.

"Hey, Elye, I thought that you said yesterday that you were only going to run down the stairs that day." Maddox, one of the oldest boys at the orphanages sat down next to him, ruffling his hair. He tensed at the touch of the human, scowling at him. Maddox just chuckled.

"It's hard to take you seriously when you're eating bacon like there's no tomorrow, Shorty."

"Shut up, Maddox." He growled.

"Alright, alright." Elye deflected any further conversation by attacking the omelet that had been put in front of him. He unintentionally listened in on the conversations going on around him, thanks to his excellent hearing.

"Pass me the salt, will ya?"

"So, do you think I'll make it?"

"I heard that today's going to be a visiting day." Elye turned his ear to the last one. Something about that just felt wrong. Elye found himself thinking back, and finding that his memory just didn't seem to be filled with fog anymore. He remembered the last time the possible adopters had visited, mainly because they ticked him off so much. It recalled him of a time a fair had been held in their part of the city of Moroborough. Elye had left the orphanage behind to enjoy the large crowds, stalls and music. Seeing a large crowd of people clustered up on a sidewalk, he slipped his way to the front of the crowd to see what the big commotion was all about. He watched the parade with mild enthusiasm, sadly noting that he probably wouldn't remember much of this wonderful day. Right in the middle of the parade, a loud trumpeting sound filled the air, and he heard people gasping. A large group of people surrounded a bright colored float, and they were breathing fire. The smell of firecrackers filled the air and the dancers danced elegantly, like swans. But what made Elye's breath catch in his throat were the massive elephants pulling the entire thing. The most magnificent one had to be the leader of the herd.

The beast was mighty, with gold caps on his large ivory tusks. His large ears flapped like sails in the wind, and he trumpeted mightily once more. Paint lined his wrinkly, grey skin, forming bright and beautiful pictures. As Elye looked into its dark, black eyes, he saw something wise and powerful there. He felt bad for the elephant, reduced to something as a novelty to be paraded throughout a city, to be gawked and stared at. But, he reflected sadly, at least he's not alone.

This startled Elye. He couldn't remember many of the details- such as what the other elephants looked like- but the fact that he could remember at least one thing vividly. Not just one thing, but he also recalled that he felt very much like that poor elephant on the last visiting day.

"I think that's wrong." He said quietly.

"Why do you say that?" Maddox asked, puzzled.

"We just had a visiting day two weeks ago."

Elye remembered how proud he had been to find out that his memory was no longer going to be causing him problems. However, the nightmares had continued long after. He had no idea what caused them, but they came anyway. Running his hand through his hair again, he once more dismissed the nightmares as he thought more about the task at him. He hadn't quite gotten rid of his doubts, it seemed. Ugh, why do I hesitate? He thought, frustrated with himself. Is it because she saved me from those kids that one time? Or is it because she accepts me for what I am? Or is it the work she does? Elye recalled the times Sarah had helped him out, intentionally or not. The biggest time was possibly the first time they had ever met.

Elye was just aimlessly walking. He had no where to go, no one to trust. He felt unwanted, like nobody needed him. Despite having a visiting day only one week ago, they did have yet another visiting day that day. The orphanage had really emptied out in, as most of the recent parents that had come were found compatible with the kids. Most of the younger kids were adopted, and even some of the older kids. Even Maddox had been adopted into a new family. It had been years since the day his memory had stopped acting up, and yet he was still living in the same small room at the orphanage. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the human boys until they were upon him. Elye didn't even fight back as they assaulted him. There was no point in it.

"What are you doing?" A calm, female voice asked. The boys nearest to her spun around. She was average height, with black hair and a dangerous glint in her steely blue eyes. Soon, she was fighting against the boys, and Elye had to admit that she had some good moves. However, he had his own problems as he dealt with the leader. The stronger boy eventually got him into a headlock, right as the girl had finished with her problems. She was starting to move towards them to help. What am I doing? Elye asked himself, telling him to focus on the problem at hand. If he had the time, he would have smirked right before he sank his teeth into the boy's arm. He let out the most girliest, unmanly shriek Elye had ever heard before running off. The girl approached him with a warm, genuine smile.

"Sorry about that. You're lucky I'm around, I've seen much worse happen before I was able to interfere." She held out her hand to him. After catching his breath for a moment, he hesitantly accepted his hand and stood up.

"Thanks." Elye paused, not knowing what to say. So many surprising emotions filled him, and he needed a moment to sort his head out. He ended up blurting out the first thing that landed onto his head. "Where did you learn to do that stuff, anyway?" He spat out some of the boy's blood that had collected in his mouth on the ground and wiped his mouth on his sleeve, while he waited for her answer.

"Oh, my older brother taught it to me." She said casually, waving her hand. Elye regarded her carefully. She talked like she didn't expect a reward, or even his thanks. He liked that. It wasn't often that people helped each other out of the good of their hearts. "My name's Sarah Westburn, by the way."

"Elye. Elye Byland." He said, flashing one of his rare genuine smiles. He then turned and walked away. He knew he owed her much more than just his name. Sarah was the reason he had started fighting back. A complete stranger had made him realize that, whether he wanted it or not, he was here. So, he just needed to make the best of it he could. She had made him realize that he had meaning, and that he needed to put that meaning to good use. He began studying for a law enforcer. Elye was thrilled when he realized that he had gotten into one of the leading law universities at a young age.

Elye smiled, but then turned back to a neutral expression. It hadn't been long after that when he had been chosen by the Akura government for a special task. His mission: Keep tabs on the leading human students in the law school, and his number one target was Sarah Westburn. The government had pulled some strings, and they ended up in the same campus house. Leron had become Elye's contact, and he visited him once every month, more when he received the coded messages. When Elye learned that his task was going to be a huge help in the fight against humans abusing Akuras, he was even more eager to help out. Running his hand through his hair again, though, it made him wonder. How is pulling in someone that has helped so many Akura into this going to help?

 

Sarah was getting sick of this. Honestly, how blind does Elye think I am? She thought, mentally rolling her eyes. She had watched him sigh, frown, blink and run his hand through his hair for the past half hour. It had become increasingly obvious that something was bothering him, and it was a little upsetting to her that he wouldn't tell her. As he ran his hand through his hair once again, she finally had enough.

"Would you stop doing that?" Sarah snapped.

"Doing what?" Elye asked, puzzled. She just rolled her eyes.

"Every time you get nervous or unsure, you began running your hand through your hair. What's bothering you?"

"Nothing!" Sarah instantly became on guard. She could see Elye's defences had instantly gone up, and he had tensed.

"Elye. I'm not stupid. You're going to tell me, or I'm getting someone else involved in it. I'm sick of you not trusting anyone. Not everyone is out to kill you, ya know. It wouldn't hurt you to reach out every once in a while." Something seemed to break inside Elye, and he slumped down onto a nearby bench. Sarah watched with narrow eyes. He ran his fingers through his hair again, and mumbled something to himself. It seemed he finally reached a decision, and he looked up. Sarah was a little startled to see all the emotions in his eyes- it almost seemed like he was scared.

"We need to get away from here as fast as possible."

5: The Akura, Chapter 5

Sarah took a moment to study Elye. This wouldn’t have been the first time he had lied to her. Often, when it was clear he was upset or unsettled, he would snap at her that it was none of her business when she asked if he could use help. She hated that about him. He was suspicious to the point it was stupid. She didn’t understand why he was like that. He was constantly afraid that he would say something to a human, and that they would use that against him. She didn’t see anything in his amber eyes, but Elye was one of the best actors she knew. Sarah felt a little guilty for doing this, but it was for his own good.

“You’re lying to me.” His head snapped up again.

“No! I’m not! You have to believe me!”

“Why should I?” This caught him off guard.

“I-”

“Everytime I try to help you, you close yourself off. You avoid humans as much as possible, but yet living with one hasn’t done anything to you at all! You’re self centered, Elye. You can’t put yourself into anybody else’s shoes. That scares you. You’re weak. It isn’t that hard, if you would just try to reach out to somebody else for once. I don’t care how much better your hearing is, or your smell, or if you have elliptical pupils or not. Human or Akura, we both have the same hearts and minds. We both feel emotions. In fact, if you don’t believe me, it’s scientifically proven. Not every human is a cold hearted killing machine that wants to stab you in the back or kill you. It’s just the same with Akuras:  not all of them are good. So for once, I want to know everything. If you don’t tell me, I’m continuing down this street without a care in the world. In fact, I’ll skip and whistle while I’m doing it.” Sarah folded her arms and stared Elye down. She knew she had been harsh, but this had been bothering her for quite awhile. Sarah Westburn was not a person that liked to be lied to. Elye thought this through for quite awhile.

“Alright. But first we have to go.” Sarah nodded. That’s fair. Elye hurriedly dragged her to a quiet park. It was the one closest to their house, the largest park on the campus. She knew that Elye would often run off here when he had a problem he needed to think through. He kept looking over his shoulder, like he expected someone to chasing them. Once they were deep within the forest and far from anybody else on the path, he stopped and faced her. Sighing, Elye ran his hand through his fiery hair.

"Honestly, I don't know how to say this without sounding crazy."

"Just tell me. That's all you have to do." He nodded, then paused for a moment.

"I never knew my parents." He started slowly. Sarah had to admit, this totally caught her off guard. However, she held in her questions and gestured him to go on.

"Ever since I can remember- and a little before that- I lived at a local orphanage. I was having major problems with my memory. For the longest time, everything was hazy. I had trouble remembering everything. Unless some strong emotion burned itself into my memory, the day might as well not have happened. However, I got better. It didn't really help, though." His eyes had become distant, and somewhat sad.

"Nobody wanted me. All the younger kids were adopted with ease. With some of the older kids, it was a little more difficult to find good matches, but eventually most of them got adopted too. Nobody wanted the problematic one. The freak with problems in his head. All anybody cared about was trying to 'fix' me, so I didn't have to be their problem anymore. I retreated inside myself, thinking that if I showed I didn't care they would leave me alone. That just made it worse. My only escape was the library and the woods. It didn't matter if I remembered what happened or not, there was always something new to discover. Even that didn't stop them from trying to pry into my head. Psychologist after psychologist." Finally, Elye paused for a long, shaky breath.

"I didn't care anymore. Nothing mattered to me. I could've died and wouldn't have cared. Nobody else would have either." He laughed, but it was a cold, mirthless one. "I don't know which one scared me more."

"But I pulled through that one, too. I began studying, putting myself to use. I figured that I might as well do something with my life. I began caring again, about what was going around me in the world. I still could never trust humans, though. Still can't. Eventually, I got into Marblegreen. I was elated when I learned that. I was, however, worried about where I was going to live. I was desperately hoping to find a way to move out of the orphanage, but couldn't find a way. I was walking in this park when I was approached by an Akura. He was part of the government." What?!? Sarah blinked rapidly, allowing her surprise to show on her face. It was very rare that an Akura government worker was found this far away from their capital, Eracion. Elye took the liberty to continue with his story.

"He was high ranking. He said that the Akura government had been tracking me, and that they had a special mission for me. He told me that I was going to be keeping tabs on the most high ranking human students at Marblegreen, particularly ambassadors."

"Wait." Sarah interrupted. "You're saying that..."

"Yeah. I was supposed to keep tabs on you." Sarah was surprised to find that she wasn't as caught off guard by this as she felt she should be. Actually, she considered, it explains quite a lot. "It's still a little weird to think that you were observing me, though."

"What, you observe me. Send in a report every month, in fact."

"Okay, I'll give you that. So what happened next? Why are we standing in the middle of the woods in the late afternoon?"

"That's where things get a little complicated."

 

Leron was nervous. This was the first time he felt this scared and unsure in a long, long time. He hadn't read the letter. But he had been thinking over the newest orders he had taken from the higher ups, and he thought he had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen. Even before that, he had been questioning what they had been doing. It was a little shady, a very risky. Leron, however, wasn't worried about himself. He became very distressed when he thought about what might happen to Elye. What will happen to him if he comes? What will happen to us all? What would the government do if he doesn't come? What if the human government found out? Leron took deep breaths as he focused on calming his frantically beating heart. Focus on the problem at hand. He eventually spared a glance at the car. The car was nice- leather seats, tinted windows that could roll down, and the entire thing was a sleek black. A large duffle bag that was stuffed with 'supplies' rested on the floor at Leron's feet. He knew it contained a fake license plate, a screwdriver, and for a worst case scenario, rope and a blindfold. The solar powered car stopped at a red light, and Leron spared another glance at the driver. Very plain looking, but strong and heavily muscled. Leron was pretty sure his name was Brody, or Brian. Something along that line. He was also sure that he had only spoken about two words the entire trip. The awkward silence stretched on as they pulled up into their spot, out of the way and innocent but with a good view of the spot. Surprisingly, it was the driver that broke the silence.

"They should have been here by now." The driver grunted, looking back at him.

"Hmm." Leron kept his head against the window. Another long stretch of silence, and then:

"I'm going to go look for them."

"Is that a good idea?"

"I have my gun." Leron patted the spot where his pistol was hidden underneath his black jacket. Getting out of the car, he closed the door and into the square. Pausing for a moment, he looked around. No Elye, no Sarah. His heart beat faster as he walked in the general vicinity of the campus. His mind had gone into overdrive, desperately trying to figure out why Elye wasn't there yet. Maybe he's not coming. Leron wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about that, but he felt strangely satisfied. It seemed like something that the old Elye would choose to do.

 

Elye could see the shock on Sarah's face. I can't really blame her. It's not everyday that someone you've lived with for months tells you that they're supposed to kidnap you.  Eventually, she composed herself.

"So... How do I know I can trust you?"

"I wouldn't have told you if I was actually going to take you to there." Glancing around, he noted that it was becoming later in the day. It was going to become dark soon. He felt as if he should be panicking, but instead he felt calm. He had finally made a decision, and the events had been set into motion, whatever those events were. Elye didn't have to deal with the decision anymore. Focus on one step at a time.

"I believe you." Elye looked at her, startled. He caught her eye, and was surprised about what he saw there. Sarah looked like she truly wanted to help him, and believed him. She trusts me. Elye was terrified to learn this.

 

Sarah could see that Elye's mind was going into overdrive. She too, was racking her brain trying to come up with an idea on what to do next. No offense, Elye, but planning and thinking ahead isn't exactly your strongest point. Elye's breath suddenly caught, and he tensed. She whipped around, trying to figure out what he had noticed. She squinted- it was getting harder for her to see. Well, no duh, of course he's going to notice it before you. Better senses, idiot. A young man came running out, heading straight towards them purposefully. He wore a dark jacket, and a dark blue shirt underneath that. The dark grey cargo pants flapped slightly loose around his legs, looking very unofficial. His dark black hair almost looked blue in the patches of sunlight that filtered through the trees, it matched his dark eyes. He's an Akura. No surprise there. Other than a raven tattoo over his left eye, there was nothing out of the ordinary about him than- That's a gun, isn't it? Sarah thought. Cursing violently in her mind, she turned to Elye.

"Elye... Should we be running?"

"I don't know."

"Elye!" The man called out, waving. Sarah noted that he kept both his hands far away from the slight bulge on his side. She also noticed the way his gaze lingered on her, analyzing her.

"General Coroy, Sir." Elye answered warily. Something briefly flashed through the man's eyes. Suprise? Hurt? Guilt? It was gone before she could identify the emotion. A tense silence lingered in the air as the man halted.

"A little surprised to see you here, Elye."

"Expecting me anywhere else?"

"Wasn't sure. You didn't show up at the rendezvous point. Decided to come find you." Elye remained silent. Looking at him, Sarah realized that this was no mere passerby or government grunt. This is someone Elye respects and trusts. Sarah wasn't quite sure how she felt about that.

"What are you going to do?" Elye asked him, folding his arms.

"Shouldn't you be asking that yourself?" Coroy responded quietly. Sighing, Elye's hand ran its way through his hair.

"I don't know." He admitted.

"Well." The second Akura began. "The Akura government's gonna be chasing after you two. We're going to need a plan, but first we need to get out of here."

"Wait, what do you mean 'we'?" She asked.

"Oh, sorry. Don't think I ever introduced myself, Sarah." She flinched slightly when he said her name. "Leron. Leron Coroy."

"I'm Sarah, Sarah Westburn. Though, I'm sure you already know all about that." She had to smile slightly when they both fidgeted slightly and muttered.

"Anyway, I figured since you two didn't show up, you guys wouldn't have a single clue about what to do. Seems like I was right, you need my help."

"You mean it?" Elye asked hesitantly.

"You bet." Leron flashed them a smile, and that's when it hit her. Leron and Elye weren't trying to hurt anybody. They were just desperate to achieve a goal, something they both obviously strongly believed in. Innocent bystanders were what all three of them were. Sarah wasn't sure what their goal was, but she did know that she could trust them. Even if they don't trust me. Yet.

 

They had jogged back to the house to make their plans. It was around six thirty, and all three of them wanted to brainstorm what was going to happen before the end of the day. Sipping on some juice boxes Sarah had found in the refrigerator, all three of them sat at the table. In the middle was a ticking kitchen timer, counting down the estimated time until the Akura government found them.

“Alright. First off: Why don’t we go to the human government?” Sarah suggested. A notepad was resting on her knee, and she chewed slightly on the pen.

“They’d never believe us. Even if Elye somehow did convince them of the truth, it might just make things worse.” Leron answered. She immediately crossed that off her list. The slurping of juice boxes and the ominous ticking of the clock filled the air.

“I’d like to know the person in charge of this operation.” Elye said eventually. “You know who it is?” Leron considered the question for a moment.

“I might have an idea, but I haven’t been in contact with that Akura for years. Also, it’s more than likely that there is more than one ringleader involved in this.”

“Do you think that if we found these Akura, the human government would take action?”

“Probably. We would need someone that knew how the Akura government works, who is most likely responsible for this, and someone who would be willing to help us.” Sarah replied. Elye turned to look at Leron.

“I think I might know somebody.” He said slowly. “Her name’s Terry Hartel, currently retired. One of the most high ranking Akura in the government, but resigned around thirteen years ago. I haven’t been in contact with her for quite a long time, but last I knew she was living around a small port city named Marrowbridge. It lies north of here, a small, quiet area. She’s strict and very formal, but it’s likely that she’ll help us. Also, she’s one of  the most knowledgeable when it comes to the government, both human and Akura.” Leron looked at Elye and Sarah, and Elye looked at her. She shrugged.

“Sounds like a plan to me. Once we’re there, we will make more plans.” Chuckling slightly, she continued. “This all still feels a little surreal to me. We’re doing something that could change our entire society forever, and here we are, sipping juice boxes.”

“Guess we better start packing, then.” Elye said, flashing her a small smile and tossing his juice box into the trash. Following his lead, they stood up and headed upstairs.

 

Elye had dragged out every suitcase they owned, throwing in clothes and other assorted items they would need. There was also the slight problem of Leron, and what he was going to wear. After they had gotten that sorted out, Elye had emptied out his book bag and thrown extra things into it. It was mostly taken up by his sketchpad and drawing materials, a couple of drawings and pictures he didn’t want to leave behind, and a small crystal dragon he had always had, apparently even before he came to the orphanage. Glancing at his tablet, he felt a little sad. Most of his drawings were kept on there, but Leron said that they couldn’t bring theirs. Said that we’d be tracked through them if we brought them. In a flash of inspiration, he downloaded all his pictures on a spare flash drive he had. Elye threw that in there too. Sarah had already finished packing and was collecting any money from around the house, while Leron was raiding the kitchen.

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he left outside and went to the car. It was a large car, a sleek dark red. Elye checked to make sure it was charged. Luckily for them, they didn’t use the car too much, so the solar panels had charged it completely and the battery used for storing the extra electricity was full too. Sighing, he leaned up against the car with Sarah as they waited for Leron to finish gathering up their supplies. Eventually, he broke the silence.

“You didn’t have to believe me, you know.” He said awkwardly.

“No problem.” She said, waving her hand as if it was no big deal.

“Seriously, why did you? You have everything here. One of the best educations you can get, an entire career laid out for you, and it was very likely that you would earn a very high ranking government position. You’re going to just throw it all away?”

“I-”

“I think we’re ready to go, everyone.” Leron said as he stepped out the side door, shoving one last bag of groceries into the back seat and unwittingly interrupting their conversation.

“Leron. Leave your gun. You’d probably ending up hurting us if you actually tried to use it.” The general chuckled at this.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Taking out the pistol, he pulled out the cartridge and tossed it into the grass in the front yard. The gun he threw into the shrubs that lined the walk by the house. “Now we’re ready to go. You mind if I drive?” This last part was directed at Sarah, as the vehicle was actually hers.

“Not at all, considering you’re the only one that actually knows where to go.”

“Great, get in then you two.” Sarah took the seat behind the driver’s seat, pushing some of the food bags back onto the seat next to her. Elye took shotgun, setting his bag on the floor beside his feet. Then the trio drove away from the locked house, where the only sound was the kitchen timer on the table.

Tick, tick, tick…..

 

6: The Akura, Chapter 6

They drove in silence. Elye was sketching something out in a sketchbook, and as Leron glanced into the rear-view mirror, he saw Sarah reading a worn, paperback novel. He was focusing on driving. After all, it wouldn’t do them any good at all if the got in a car crash and shipped to a hospital. Leron had to admit, though, it was incredibly boring. The adrenaline from the first momentous rush had slowed to a trickle, and worry was starting to slip its way into Leron’s mind. Stop. He mentally scolded himself. What happened to cool, collected General Coroy? Focus. You’ll be alright. You’re stronger than this, we can make it through this. He smiled a little, then relaxed his grip on the steering wheel. It comforted him to have a more clear mind. Switching on the radio, he turned on some quiet classical music. It filtered through the car, soothing him with its melodious tune. Eventually, Leron was able to enjoy it along with a stunning sunset. The blazing sun was muted by scarlet, gold, pink and orange that had been pulled over it like a curtain of fire. The entire thing was framed by an ever darkening blue sky and clouds that looked like pink cotton candy. We’re going to need to find somewhere to stop, eventually. He realized. I can go for about half the night, but I’m going to need my sleep.

Eventually, Elye packed up his sketchbook, and his eyes closed. Leron was now alone in the car. The sky covered them, stars twinkling above him. He was thinking about stopping the car and waking someone else up to drive. Driving for eight hours straight was taking its toll on him, plus he really wanted to stretch his legs. He hated being stuck in one place for this long. Multiple long, loud blasts on car horns coming from ahead of them snapped his attention back to the road. In the other lane, a fancy white sports car was weaving in and out of the other cars. As it zoomed down the road and out of sight, Leron shook his head. Stupid, idiotic teenagers. A groan alerted him to the awakening of Elye.

“Mmm… What’s going on?” He mumbled. “Haven’t caught up to us, have they?”

“Nope, just some random, reckless driver.”

“Hey, you want me to drive?”

“You awake enough to do it?” Elye chuckled.

“More awake than you are.”

“Do I really look that bad?”

“Terrible. You been sleeping well?”

“Not at all.” The younger Akura raised an eyebrow at him.

“Why?”

“Anxiety. I’ve been thinking about what we might have to do for a while now.”

“So you did read the letter?”

“No, but I had some suspicions long before. It was insanely risky, what we were doing. Also, that letter spelled something was up. Haven’t slept well for awhile.”

“You didn’t have to come with us, you know.” Leron had to admit, this caught him off guard. He shrugged nonchalantly.

“I wanted to. I figured you would need help, and if you didn’t want to come, I knew I wouldn’t be able to force you. Plus, I would be punished if I didn’t come back with both of you. No sense in staying.”

“Alright, sounds legitimate to me.” It was a good thing not many people drove at night, because it was at that point Leron looked at Elye for a long, hard while.

“You’re saying you didn’t trust me?” The young Akura looked back with a small amount of guilt within his eyes.

“I honestly didn’t know. What if this was the Akura government’s plan to lure us in?”

“I never thought of it that way.” Leron confessed. Looking ahead, he noted that an exit was coming up. Turning onto it, they found themselves in a small town. Pulling into a 24/7 stop where you could buy drinks and snacks, Leron shut off the car.

“I’m going inside for a moment, I’ll be out soon.”

“Alright, I’ll drive afterwards.” Elye turned in his seat, looking back at Sarah.

“She still asleep?”

“Yeah.” Pushing open the door, Leron stepped out into the cool night and walked inside.

 

After watching Leron push open the door and disappear behind the advertisements on the glass windows, Elye also quietly exited the car. Sitting on the front of the car, he enjoyed the quiet, cool, night wind ruffling his fiery hair. For once in a long while, his mind felt pleasantly empty. It was as if thoughts and worries he didn’t even know he had were removed from his mind. The car ride up here had given him a lot of time to think. Leron is sincere. He really did come of his own free will. He leaned back on the windshield and stretched out, looking up at the moon. It was just a sliver, a tiny cut out of the night sky. He reflected on the offer the Akura government had made him. At the time, the made it seem like a choice. And I still believe what we’re fighting for. The recent events, however, had brought him to his senses. I was used, trapped. I was so desperate, I was blind and caught in a cage. This made Elye angry. If there was one thing he hated, it was being used or cornered. Though, I suppose the best way to trap someone is to let them think that they still have a choice. Leron then exited the building, snapping Elye out of his rueful musings.

“You ready?” He asked. Leron nodded, and that tired action just highlighted his lack of sleep. His black jacket was rumpled, his black hair slightly greasy and disheveled, and rings were starting to form underneath his eyes. Slipping off of the car, he got in the front seat as Leron moved his bags out from under his feet and threw him the keys.

“Was she asleep the whole time?”

“I think so. A rock is a lighter sleeper than she is.” The former general chuckled at this, then buckled up. As they hit the road, he was out within a few minutes of driving. Elye was a little nervous, as he hadn’t driven much but he soon got back into a rhythm.

They switched a couple more times that time, Sarah even woke up at one point and drove for a while. Sunrise found them at another small town, eating breakfast at a rundown diner.

The entire restaurant smelled of cooking oil and fried food. The sharp smell of alcohol wafted through the air, sickly sweet. The stinging smell of cigarette smoke also accompanied it, though both smells were muted and old. The worn red booths had some tears in the seats, but someone had made a decent effort to repair them. The floor was checkered black and white, somewhat offending to the eyes. Questionable stains still lingered on some of them. Flickering lights hung from the sealing, and every time they flickered Elye flinched. By the time their food had come, Elye was about ready to punch out every single light. And that stupid radio. Annoyed, he crunched into his bacon. Finally, he decided to ask the dreaded question.

“How much longer?”

"Four more days!" Leron replied cheerfully. Sarah just rolled her eyes and took another sip from her coffee. Meanwhile, Elye muttered some vulgar words to himself.

"Aw, come on you two. At least there have been no problems so far." Leron tried to look hopeful.

"Well, now that you just jinxed it, we're all going to die." Sarah replied moodily. The rest of the breakfast was eaten in a sullen silence. It's not if the Akura government will catch up with us, it's when. When they do, how long can we avoid them? Elye had a feeling he wasn't the only one with these questions weighing on his mind. Leaving a small pile of bills on the table, the three of them stood up to leave. Walking out into the grey autumn world, he was refreshed by the clean, cold, fresh wind that swept leaves swirling around them. The small group had actually parked at a rest stop a bit aways, almost out of the town. Sarah had suggested walking into town to get something to eat while the car charged for a bit.

Lifting his face up to the cloudy sky, he took several deep breaths. Elye still hadn't gotten over his new found freedom and choices. With a sense of clarity and purpose he never remembered having before, he was almost giddy with excitement. That wasn't to say he still wasn't wary. By nature, Elye was a cautious Akura. There is the still extremely high chance that we will be caught. We cannot let our guard down, even when we think we are alone. If we remain vigilant and make smart decisions, we will make it through this.

 

Much farther down south, a sleek, black, Akura government vehicle had pulled up to Sarah and Elye's house. The on campus neighborhood was quiet, so no one noticed the two Akura officials get out and walk up to the small house. The smaller one, a woman, glanced around the place. It was nothing special, identical to the other houses on the streets. Light blue, with a black roof covered in solar panels. Many windows were scattered throughout the two floors of the house. She had to admit, they looked totally out of place in the laid back area. In their matching black, fancy outfits emblazoned with the Akura crest. Reaching out a small hand, she knocked on the door. No answer. The two shared a knowing glance. Stepping back, she nodded to her partner.

“Your turn.” Though he looked like he could’ve been a star football player with his large build and abundance of muscles, her partner didn’t tear down the door. Instead, he took out a small device and scanned the keypad and lock. After waiting for a moment, he checked the small screen. Turning to the keypad once more, her partner typed in the code. A click announced that they were into the house. Stepping inside, he motioned for her to go in.

“Ladies first.” Silently accepting, she pushed the door open and let herself in. The first thing that struck her was how quiet the house was. Turning right into the kitchen, her eyes fell on the table. A kitchen timer was there, having obviously long gone off. Beside that was a notepad. Splitting up, she and her partner both inspected the house. It was clear that someone was in a rush to get out, but took the time to think things through by the things missing from around the house.

“Where do you think they went?” She turned to her male partner, seeking his advice.

“Honestly, I don’t know. They could be anywhere that they could blend in or hide easily, and that doesn’t narrow down our chances of finding them much.” They both paused as a ringing signalled a message in their earpieces.

“We found them.” She raised an eyebrow at her partner, somewhat surprised at how quickly the fugitives had been located.

“We located recent records of a car that came into a repair shop. The license plate and description match the target’s car. They stopped at a small town.”

“Where do you think they’re heading?” The male asked into his small microphone.

“Most likely Marrowbridge.”

“Marrowbridge?” Now it was her turn to speak. “Why would they head there?”

“General Coroy has connections there, namely with Retired Terry Hartel. They are probably headed to meet her.”

“Why?”

“We don’t know. Could be that Leron is leading them into a trap. It also could very well be that they think she will hide them.”

“Doesn’t she remain loyal to the Akura government?”

“Yes, but she doesn’t know of the plan. Also, she trusts Leron. Hartel would believe him.”

Glancing at her partner, she met his eyes.

“Your mission is to apprehend them before that, but alive. The government will want to hand out punishments, if appropriate. If the human is killed, the plan will not be able to go into action.”

“Mission accepted. We will go after the targets immediately.”

7: The Akura, Chapter 7

Elye was driving Sarah crazy. He wouldn’t stop pacing back and forth, muttering to himself. It was almost twelve in the afternoon, and the trio still hadn’t gotten back onto the road. Somebody had broken into the car early this morning, while they were at the diner. They hadn’t taken anything, as the three were all carrying the money for our trip split up between the three of them and there was nothing of value in the car. Leron was sitting in the uncomfortable plastic chair beside her, flipping through a magazine and generally looking bored.

    “Elye. Calm down. We’ll get on the road once the window is repaired.”Sarah said, finally fed up with him walking across the tile floor.

    “But what if the government catches up with us, Sarah?” Elye asked worriedly.

    “It’s going to be okay. Sarah’s right, calm down, Elye.” Leron said, not even glancing up from his magazine.

    “Westburn, your car is done with repairs. Will Westburn pick up their car?” A gravelly voice said over the intercom.

    “That’s us.” She needlessly informed them. Leron and Sarah stood up as Elye walked ahead of them to the front desk. The receptionist handed them the keys as Sarah filled out some more paperwork for the car dealership, then headed out to get their car.

 

He missed their glory days They had said the things they wanted without the fear of any government. They had supported their cause with bold, loud actions, not fearing the consequences. Protesting with loud, violent voices nearly won them the battle. The mysterious man scowled into his drink. Hunched over a dark table in an even darker bar, he would seem like another middle-aged drinker. His clothes were clean, but his hair was greasy and stubble was evidence that he hadn’t shaved for at least a few days.  At least, we would have won. The human reflected angrily. We were so close. But then… Aggravated, he took a long drink from his bottle. He had been well respected, with plenty of soldiers under his command. That had all changed that day. Taking another swig from his drink only to find that it was empty, he abruptly stood up. Throwing some cash on the counter, he threw on his black trench coat then stormed out of the bar. The ringing of the bell contrasted sharply with his mood. Turning to walk down the street, he froze.His eyes followed the three figures walking down the opposite side of the street, trying to see if they were who he thought they were.

They both had grown older, and taller. The two were traveling with a girl, but there was no mistaking that fiery orange hair, and those equally memorable amber eyes. Shifting his gaze to the other male, he took in the black hair and light pale skin. He watched intently, looking for the sign that would confirm his guess. There. It had been many long years, but there was no mistaking that raven tattoo. Shivers of anticipation ran up his spine, as he hurriedly walked back to his run down house. Memories of what seemed like centuries ago flashed through his head. The riots, burning buildings and causing chaos. Rowdy speeches at their main base, and the entertainment. Leader will be very, very, interested to hear this…

 

Driving was a very, very uninteresting task as Sarah found. Elye had moved his fortress to the back seat, so Leron could give her directions. Currently, however, they were just driving on one long, straight, highway. Leron had fallen asleep, and Elye was staring out the window. The sun shone brightly down, but it was cold enough for the mild breeze of heat to be comfortable.

“You never answered my question.” Elye said suddenly.

“What question?” Sarah replied, taking her eyes off the road for a moment to catch his eye in the rear-view mirror.

“Why did you come?” Sarah focused back onto the road, pondering his question for a moment.

“Well,” She began slowly after a long stretch of silence. “I trust you. Before then, you had never given me a reason to not trust you. And even when you told me that you were spying on me all this time, the fact that you told me means that you weren’t planning on hurting me. Therefore, I can believe you when you say that Leron isn’t going to betray us.”

“Hmm…” Was all Elye replied. Sarah thought that he was going to eventually reply, but then realized  that he had slipped off into sleep. A smile spread across her face, which was broken by a huge yawn. If this entire trip is this boring, I’m likely to fall asleep at the wheel.

 

    Elye was wandering through another small neighborhood. He desperately needed to stretch his legs, and get out the pent up frustrations.  No space to stretch my legs, sleeping in a car seat for almost two days and no bacon for too long. Elye was tired, and his mind tended to make up its own, twisted logic and thoughts when he was tired. Thinking back on it now, he wasn’t sure when he got the slightly strange taste-some would call it an obsession-with the food. All he could tell was that it was something he had when he came to the orphanage, maybe even before that. It got to the point that he became surly and grumpy when he hadn’t had any. It was absolutely his weirdest quirk, even Elye recognized this. He also knew that Sarah had mentioned it in her monthly reports more than once. Still half asleep, it wasn’t until he felt the uncomfortable prickle on his neck that he actually took in his surroundings. Someone’s watching me. He realized uncomfortably. Glancing around, he tried to act casual but then realized that he had walked quite some ways away the main building. This section of the large parking lot was empty and to his right the little park was also deserted, most likely because of the gentle pattering of rain that was starting to pick up speed. Turning around, Elye caught a flash of dark blue. Turning his piercing gaze on the person following him, he studied them. The person approaching him was dressed in a crisp, navy blue shirt, emblazoned with the Akura government crest. Heart beginning to pound in his chest, Elye also took in the nice black pants and small mouthpiece. The way they were heading directly towards him didn’t calm his fears any. Is that a… gun?!?  He wondered, beginning to panic. The distance between them was starting to close, and Elye had no clue on what to do. The government worker reached for the holster by his side, and that’s when he ran.

    Bolting down the sidewalk, all Elye could hear was the pounding of feet behind him. He’s got a gun, he’s got a gun, he’s got a freaking GUN! That ran through his head like a chant, accompanied by the drums of their pounding feet. In an instinctual action, he veered right and into the small group of trees in the outdoor area of the rest stop. It was just in time to see something blur past him, and his sensitive ears picked up on the agent lightly cursing. Pounding forwards, he dodged a tree. Risking a glance backwards, he saw him reloading the gun. Elye turned forward and bolted. One moment, Elye was sprinting as fast as he could. The next, he was sailing through the air. Lying slightly winded and stunned on the ground, the government agent was on him in a flash. The Akura wasted no time in firing, and Elye’s mouth turned bitter with disappointment. To think, the three of us were captured because I tripped on a tree root… This was the last thought to enter Elye’s mind, as his vision spiraled into darkness.

 

    Leron was just coming out of the main building when he saw her. He mentally went through every single curse and foul word that he knew as he pretended to be very interested in getting a long drink from the water fountain between two vending machines. It was impossible to miss the Akura crest on her dark shirt, and he wasn’t the only one that noticed this. Ignoring the few strange looks, she continued to carefully scan the area. I’ve got to let the others know. Leron’s heart sank, however, as he watched her cock her head. It was a sure sign that she was listening to someone radioing in over her earpiece, and the way she strode off purposefully left no doubt in his mind. He forced himself to calm down and walked back to the car. Sarah heard him approaching and put a bookmark in her novel.

    “Has Elye come back from his walk yet?” He asked apprehensively.

    “No. Is something up?”

    “We have trouble.” The general replied grimly. Sarah instantly went pale. “They found us.”

“What are we going to do?” She asked, getting out of the car.

“First, we need to locate Elye. He may not know of the threat, or worse. Then we get in the car and don’t stop driving until we get to Terry.”

“Sounds good.” The duo continued in a tense silence. The station wasn’t exactly busy, but there were a decent amount of other humans and Akura there. Suddenly he pulled her over, out of the way. The agent had met up with her partner, and he was speaking to her hurriedly. She ran in a different direction, and the male Akura jogged swiftly back the way he had come. Leron bit his lip, trying to make a decision.

Most people would make the decision to split up, but the general wasn’t like most people. He had a very accurate sixth sense when it came to danger, and this allowed him to make split second decisions that not other many people could make under pressure. Right now, this sixth sense was telling him that it was a very bad idea to split up. Also, it was telling him that he had to follow the male Akura. And Leron was never wrong.

“Let’s follow the male one.” Sarah glanced at him questionably.

“What makes you say that?” He shrugged.

“Just a hunch.”

Staying far enough back so that they wouldn’t be noticed, but close enough to keep him in their sights. Their worry deepened as they walked farther and farther away from most of the other people at the rest stop. Leron couldn’t suppress his sharp gasp at the sight of what came next. Elye was slumped up against a tree, a tranquilizer dart still lodged in his neck.

 

8: The Akura, Chapter 8

Sarah was crouched with Leron behind a large bush in the park area. It was the perfect place to ambush Elye, she realized as she shivered in the downpouring rain. The parking lot to their left was deserted, and they were a decent ways away from the restop. Glancing sideways at the general, she flicked a wet strand of brown hair out of her eye. He was chewing on his bottom lip slightly, eyes locked on the problem.

"So, what's the plan?"

"We ambush him. Someone needs to be bait. The other comes at him and surprises him. aWe knock him out of the picture, grab Elye, get in the car and run.”

“Sounds decent enough.” Sarah turned back to the scene. “I’ll be bait.”

“Good, because I was just about to leave anyway.” She just rolled her eyes and watched as he slipt into the rain. She squinted, trying to keep an eye on the Akura agent. It was hard, and it was one of the few times she wished that she had the sharper eyesight of an Akura. That’s enough time. She decided, before advancing. Sarah was crouched low against the ground, trying not to lose her balance and slip in the mud. It was only when she could make out his form without squinting in the dark rain that she began her move.

“Sup, mister.” She strolled out from behind a large tree, waving casually. “It’s a bit wet, don’t you think?” His hand dropped to the tranquilizer pistol at his waist. By the way he was purposefully walking towards her, it was already loaded as well. Ducking and weaving, she darted between the trees planted on the grounds.

 

It was her, he could tell. Leron closed his eyes, and took deep, calming breaths. He focused on his ears and sharpened his hearing. The sound of rain beat in his ears like a strong drum. Suddenly, he could make out the sound of the Akura grunting and cursing in the rain as Sarah taunted him. It’s now or never. With that final thought, he darted out from behind the tree. He rushed the agent’s back as he fired the tranquilizer darts.

“Ugh!” The Akura grunted as Leron tackled him from behind. The rolled on the muddy ground, each trying to pin the other. He somehow managed to wrestle the pistol away. The agent reached for it, but he jumped him again and it was kicked away. In his peripheral vision, he saw Sarah grabbing the gun, while Leron continued wrestle with the agent. Sarah rushed towards the struggle, but hesitated. Just fire the gun already! Leron thought, but then the other Akura punched him square on the face. The guy was about as strong as he looked, and he could feel blood running down his face in his daze. Suddenly, the sharp sound of the gun bit through the air. The agent clasped his hands to his neck where the dart hit him, then went out like a light. A small squish was heard in when he landed on the wet ground.

Leron took a moment to steady his vision, and once Sarah stopped swimming in his vision he accepted her hand.

“Thanks.”

“That was a pretty nasty punch he landed on you in the end there, Leron.” She replied, looking him up and down. “Also, you look like you took a mud bath in your clothes.” He just rolled his eyes, though he did try to wipe some of the mud on his clothes off. They both turned to Elye, who was still slumped over at the base of the tree. Sarah met his eyes.

“I’ll go get the car.”

“Stay hidden. They can’t do anything to you in the middle of a crowd.” She nodded and jogged off.

Leron looked at Elye. When he was awake, he acted and talked like someone beyond his age. When he was asleep, however, Elye looked completely different. His form was somewhat smaller and thinner than most, and he was a couple inches shorter than most people. He looked peaceful, though his face turned down in a slight frown. This gave him the appearance He walked over and pulled off his muddy, black sweatshirt. Better than nothing. He draped it over Elye’s shoulders. It won’t do us any good if you get sick. Looking down, he caught sight of a wet, silver line on his left hand. Crouching down, Leron gently rolled up Elye’s sleeve. His breath caught slightly when he saw the scar. Oh, the memories you bring back. Leron shook his head slowly, clearing his thoughts. Standing up, he watched the streets cautiously until Sarah pulled up in the car. He picked up the still sleeping Elye, hooking one arm around his legs and the other around his chest. Elye’s head rested on his chest. Sarah got out of the car, opening the back door. He set him down on the back seat, pushing him up into a sitting position. Buckling the seat belt, Leron got back into the car. Silently, they drove off.

 

Elye’s eyes flickered as he slowly woke up. I’m… moving? As he remembered the circumstances that he fell into unconsciousness, his head snapped up and surveyed his surroundings. He relaxed as he recognized the inside of Sarah’s car, but he was confused as to how he got there.

“Hey, sleeping beauty's awake!” Leron teased. The general twisted in the passenger seat so he was facing Elye. His raven tattoo scrunched as he winked at him. Sarah didn’t say anything, but she caught his eye in the rearview mirror and smiled at him.

“So how are you feeling?”

“Pretty good in general, but my mouth feels like it was stuffed with cotton balls.” Leron smirked at him.

“Probably cause you were sleeping with your mouth open, ya know?” Elye just rolled his eyes then looked out the window.

Truth be told, that was the best sleep he had gotten in a while. The nightmares that had started before the trip were bad, but on their first night it was even worse. Not only that, but they seemed to be getting more detailed and realistic. The screams of pain, the cruel laughing, the chants for blood, these all haunted his dreams at night. And he had no idea why.  

 

9: The Akura Chapter 9

 

    It was the old nightmare, the one he hadn’t had since he was living in the orphanage. This time, everything seemed much sharper and clearer. He could distinctly hear the sound of footsteps echo away from wherever he was. Elye still couldn’t see, the room was pitch black. The undying pain wrapped around his neck was unbearable, though he tried to ignore it as best as he could. He could feel the grit and dirt on the floor, but this time he could feel the cool stone walls around him too. He was curled up, in a corner. The pain around his neck was too great, he could tell that he was fading. Elye tried to cry out, ask for help, anything, but all that came out was a tiny whimper.

“Elye?” A small voice whispered out into the darkness. “Is that you, Elye?” He lifted his tear stained face and tried to call out once again. Again, his voice failed him. Another smell cut through the death and blood surrounding him. It was another Akura, though his smell was dampened by dirt and blood. The other one shuffled nearer to him, and Elye heard a small gasp. He lifted his head up, which simply caused the pain to increase. Suddenly, arms were wrapped around him, and his head was resting against someone else.

“Is….you…” Another voice whispered out in the darkness, but it was faded and incomplete. He couldn’t tell if it was because the dream was breaking up or if he just couldn’t hear the other person.

“We’re over here.” The second stranger moved closer to them, and he did hear an audible gasp, then a broken sob. This time, Elye could tell that it was his hearing fading, along with the warmth of the person holding and the pain snaking around his neck. Knowing the dream was fading, he tried to grasp on to the few words he could hear.

“Wha...What have they done?!? What did they do to Elye…?” The second person had joined, leaning up against the two of them. Their broken sobs cut through the air, as the first person tried to comfort them. Elye could feel himself slipping out of the dream, then...

...He was awake, and in Sarah’s car once more. Elye looked around for a moment, trying to calm his beating heart. The trio were driving down a dark highway, other cars around them. Some cars were parked along the side of the road. In the nighttime, it wasn’t unusual for people to stop along the sides of the roads, choosing to save their solar power for the next day.

“You okay, Elye?” Sarah asked, her eyes meeting his in the rearview mirror.

“Yeah, it was… Just a nightmare.”

 

It had been two days, and they had been driving non stop. After the incident at the restop, they had driven for a while. Once Elye wasn’t groggy from the tranquilizer anymore, they had pulled over at another stop where they could clean off some of the dried mud that had collected on their clothes during the fight. Leron in particular attracted a few strange stares. After that, they continued on. And it’s still raining. Leron idly thought, watching the rain out of the window. He had noticed Elye’s increased tiredness, and it seemed to him as if he was in some sort of daze. He had approached Elye about it, egged on by Sarah, but he had managed to dodge the question. As he watched the rain spattering and rolling down the glass, he couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen next.

 

In another place, someone else was watching the rain. The mansion was normally a pleasing brick design, though other parts of the building were painted a rich blue. However, the large amounts of rain turned everything into various shades of gray. It wasn’t the rain that made the figure hurry towards the front of the mansion. The snarling brass lion door knocker clashed with the its pleasant, albeit gloomy surroundings. The figure, however, didn’t seem to notice this as he rapped sharply with the metal circle on the large oak doors. The doors swung indoors, showing off the grand entry way.

“The master has been expecting you.” A well tailored butler had appeared from out of the shadows. The man’s sharp gaze lingered on the servant, then he slowly nodded. “I shall lead you to his office.” Their footsteps were muffled on the blood red carpet. The butler swung open the door, after rapping smartly with a white glove. The stranger swept into the room, and the door quietly shut behind him.

The room didn’t seem to be any different from other study you might find in any other mansion or even in a library, but the stranger knew different. The abnormally tall man in a suit standing in front of the large window turned and smiled warmly.

“Ahh, welcome. I was expecting you.” He gestured to a chair on the other side of his sleek, smooth, wooden desk. They both sat down, the tall owner of the mansion is his comfortable office chair and the expected stranger in the other, less comfortable guest chair.

“So.” The owner began. “What do I owe this visit?”

The stranger arched an eyebrow. “You haven’t heard?”

There was a twinkle in the taller man’s eye, as he pulled out two wine glasses and set them on top of the random pieces of paper that seemed to accumulate on everyone’s desk.

“I’ve heard a lot of things.” He looked at the stranger again, but this time the light twinkle in his eye taking on a strangely different light. “So why don’t you tell me what you’ve heard, we can figure out what I have not heard, and then we’ll talk.”

The stranger wore a very amused smirk and leaned forward. “There are rumors going around the ranks.”

    It was the other man’s turn to raise a sceptical eyebrow. “The ranks are gone, my friend.” He replied, as he began pouring a rich, maroon wine into each glass.

    The stranger shook his head, slowly. “They’re not gone. Just disbanded. And, like you, they’re just biding their time.” Accepting the offered glass, he took a small sip of the drink. “Do you, by any chance, recall the entertainment at the base?”

    “Actually, I do.”

    “Well, it just so happened that those three seem to have gotten quite busy after their rescue.”

“Hm.” The other man took another sip of his wine, contemplating the meaning behind these words. “Do they know anything?”

“No.”

“Then that is good. Though, tell me, what does this have to do with anything.”

The stranger laughed. “My good friend, you really have been  laying low. So low, that all the information goes over your head.”

“That’s why I have you.”

“There are rumors within the ranks, that we won’t be disbanded for much longer.” He slid a file onto the table. This time, the owner of the mansion set down his glass and put his full attention on the papers before him. The stranger watched his expressions carefully. After a while, the man looked up from reading.

“This is what’s happening?”

“Yes.”

“Why doesn’t the Akura government head them off at their destination?”

The stranger paused for a moment, considering this. “It’s likely that they don’t want her to know about their plans, probably because she won’t approve and deliberately draw attention to what they're doing, effectively shutting down the operation. Also, the leader of this attempt might have some personal reasons for not wanting to chase them all the way to Terry’s doorstep.”

“I see.” The owner digested this information, then slowly stood up and watched the rain out his window. He turned and faced his visitor again. “The rumors may be right.”

10: The Akura, Chapter 10

 

    Sarah couldn’t help but wonder what this Terry Hartel character was like. She knew that she was the woman that used to hold Leron’s position, but she had retired. Sarah’s respect for Leron had grown once she realized they were indeed going to be seeing the legendary woman. She was particularly famous for leading a mixed army of the humans and Akuras to the main base of the Black Edge. Sarah frowned deeply as she recalled the many passages about the group in their books. Though the group was only shut down recently, it was a huge deal. Although it had been years since the all human terrorist group had been shut down, the huge scars still remained.

    The Black Edge, from what Sarah had read, was a highly organized and very dangerous group composed of humans that wanted the Akuras dead. They had committed hundreds of terrible murders and crimes. They were most famous for setting ablaze an entire district. Entire houses had been left untouched, but the homes of Akuras and their allies were burnt to a crisp, often with them inside. It had taken many, many years of searching but the two governments had finally been able to take them out. Hundreds of arrests were made, and the group was scattered. However, Terry had retired almost immediately afterwards. Some said that what she had seen had finally gotten to her, others said that she had become close to the leader of the human forces, and when he died she snapped. It wasn’t necessarily that easy, though. They had quite a few supporters, Sarah had recalled sadly.

It was a calm, summer day. She was walking home from school with her older brother. She was nine years old, but seeing her older brother was a treat. He was much older than she was, and Sarah didn’t often have time to see him or talk to him. They were laughing, walking in the park. Suddenly, her older brother became quiet. She looked up at him, concerned.

“Brother? What’s wrong?” He glanced down at her, smiling distractedly.

“Oh, it’s nothing, Sarah.” He reached down and ruffled her hair. “Hey, why don’t you play on the swings for a moment or two? There’s someone I want to talk to.”

“Alright, big brother!” She had happily run off to the nearby playset. She watched her older brother walk across the large field, where some big kids were playing soccer. They had stopped for a break, and their coach had come over. The group seemed to be laughing about something. When her brother came over, they quieted down some. He said something to them, but Sarah couldn’t hear what was going on. After a while, the older man started yelling something at her brother. Sarah would recognize the curses when she got older, but at the time she had no clue what was being said. After a moment or two more, her brother shook his head and walked back towards her.

“C’mon, Sarah. It’s time to head home.” She slid off the swing and followed him in silence.

“Brother, what happened back there?” Sarah asked after a bit. Her brother paused and looked at her.

“Sarah, I want you to promise me something.” He had knelt down so that the two could see eye-to-eye. “Promise me that you will never stand by when others are hurt.” Sarah looked back into his sharp eyes.

“I promise.”

Finally, they were arriving at Terry’s house. It was located on the far edges of the port town Marrowbridge. It was a average sized house, and it wasn’t anything special. Instead of parking in the driveway, Leron directed Elye to park on the road. They quietly stepped out of the car and shut the doors. They stood awkwardly for a moment or more.

“Well.” Leron said, breaking the silence, “Let’s go.”

 

Terry Hartel had seen more than most women could handle. But Terry Hartel wasn’t ordinary, and she certainly wasn’t human. This Akura had led an army, and watched her fellow leader die beside her for what they believed in. She was certainly was glad of what she had done, but watching her comrade die was the hardest thing she had ever done. Terry was something of a legend, particularly among the Akura. Leading a large group of specialists, along with humans, keeping both groups together long enough to track down the main base of the Black Edge, then planning and leading a successful attack against the Black Edge? It staggered both governments.

When Terry went to tell her superiors, they didn’t think she was telling the truth. Hundreds of arrests later, they acknowledged that she was being serious.

General Hartel was scouting out some of the deeper and much darker depths of the underground base, when she saw the true reason she resigned. No, no, don’t think about it. She scolded herself. You aren’t allowed to think about that. Sighing deeply, she padded barefoot downstairs. As the sun rose and slipped through her window, Terry made hot apple cider. Stirring it slightly, she waited. Once the sun had risen enough that her living room was somewhat illuminated, she sat down and pulled out her book.

“John, there's something I need to tell you." Emma said nervously, tapping her fingers together. "I-"

She was interrupted by Sam. "Hey, Emma! I have something for you!"

"Guys-" John tried to get a word in edgewise in the following bickering.

    The doorbell rung. Terry didn’t process this. She then blinked. The doorbell rang. She flipped a page.

    The trio stopped suddenly, when everything went silent.

    The doorbell rung out again. I wonder who that is, at this time of day. The Akura took another sip of cider. The doorbell rang once more. I should probably answer that.

 

    Elye was still tired. He suspected that he may have been gaining a bit of insomnia. So he wasn’t sure if the strong feeling of deja-vu was real or just him not getting enough sleep at night. General Terry was every bit as intimidating as the current history textbook pictures made her out to be- but there was also something else there. She had smooth, dark skin and sharp amber eyes. Her long, blond hair was tied in a loose ponytail. Her features fit her in a way that only Akuras could only manage. She just stood there for a moment, arms crossed, leaning on the door frame.

“What do you want?” She said bluntly. This seemed to snap everyone out of their trance, and Leron stepped forward.

“Retired General Terry.” He nodded respectfully.

“General Leron. It’s been a long time. What brings you to my doorstep on an autumn day, with company no less?”

“It’s rather a long story, ma'am.” Her eyes lingered on Sarah, and stopped on Elye. He shifted, unsure of what to say or do. What if I make a fool of myself, or do something stupid? This is the Terry Hartel after all. What if she doesn’t like Sarah? What will we do if she can’t help us? Eventually, she nodded.

“You should come in. I can tell we have a lot to talk about.” They all filed into the house, standing inside the doorway somewhat awkwardly. The deja-vu feeling wasn't going away, in fact it seemed to become stronger, especially as he saw Leron standing next to her. Finally, Hartel decided to break the silence.

"You two look exhausted." She noted, nodding towards Elye and Sarah. "Head upstairs and get cleaned up. You all are lucky that I have enough guest rooms." Slowly, he trod upstairs behind Sarah. Shuffling like a zombie, Sarah went into the closest guest room. Elye chose one a little farther down the hall. He collapsed on the bed after pulling off his shoes, and burrowed underneath the thick comforter. Elye closed his eyes, sighing. Then, the images began teasing him. Flashing pictures of grotesque faces, taunting him. A strange darkness trying to strangle him. Blood, death... He snapped his eyes open once more. Come on, now, Elye, you're safe. Don't think about it. You aren't in those haunting halls, or places of torture. He shuddered, pulled himself out of bed and stuck his head into the hallway. He could hear the two generals making small talk in the kitchen downstairs. He quietly made his way into the bathroom. He undressed and stepped into the shower, letting the unrelenting water pelt him.

Elye cleared his mind, standing there for a while. He rested his forehead against the cool tile wall. Then, slowly, mechanically, he went through the task of cleaning himself. It was nice, to focus on one mundane task and forget about the reality outside of the bathroom. Eventually, though, he had to turn off the water. He borrowed a towel and quickly dried himself off with it. Leaving it crumpled up on the floor, he put back on his boxers and sweatpants. Stepping quickly back into the guest room, he threw his shirt onto the floor and collapsed back onto the bed. This time, the darkness overcame him, and Elye slept.

 

"So, what brought you here, Leron?" Terry asked.

"Well," he began, watching the steam rise from his coffee cup. "Things are changing, and we need your advice on what to do next."

The female Akura raised an eyebrow. "Spit it out, Leron. I can't help you if you don't give me the full story." The younger general sighed. He suddenly seemed old, and tired.

"The Akura government is unsatisfied. They plan on kidnapping several humans that will have a large impact on the government. Likely, they will use them as hostages. They will try and pressure the human government into passing better laws for the Akura." Terry sucked in a breath.

"This is bad." She said shakily. "This is really, really bad." She took another shaky breath and continued. "If they succeed in this, it wouldn't go back to discrimination. It wouldn't even go back to terrorism, it'd be worse. Leron, if the government pulls through with this plan, not only would it weaken both governments in the future, but we would have a full out political war, along with a huge rise in violence."

"I know. That's why we need your help. We have no idea how to stop this. I know I took over your old position, but you had it for much longer and you got to know more about the government and the people in it than I ever will. We need your help on what to do next."

"Leron, you're going to lose your job."

"I know."

"You will probably be thrown in jail, and the governments will be in an uproar."

"I know."

    "The person you trust the most will lose trust in you."

    "I...know." General Hartel rubbed the bridge of her nose, obviously trying to get rid of an oncoming migraine.

    "Alright. It's getting late, I suggest we follow Elye's and... What was the human's name?"

    "Sarah."

    "I suggest we follow their lead and go to bed. I'll hopefully have an answer for you three by the end of tomorrow.