Alton looked a bit surprised, and Sistine just looks surprised that I know her name. However, she puts her hand on the hilt of her knife.
“Who are you?” Sistine says.
“Bella Anderson,” I lie.
“You’re lying,”says Alton.
“Am not.”
“She’s lying, Sistine. Her real name is Naidia Lorea Mickleson. Bella Anderon is her alias,”says Alton. I scowl at him.
“Naidia, why are you here,” Alton asks me.
“Why would I tell you? Besides, you leading this and it being totally unfair is why I’m here in the first place!”
“So, Miss Sistine Machiavelli, where are you from ,”I ask.
“Redwater. You?”
“Swvelvonsky.”
“Oh.”
We stay silent for a bit, Sistine and I just looking at each other, and Alton staring at his feet.
“W-We should get moving,” stutters Alton. He and Sistine started walking ahead, but I quickly catch up to him. We stay silent for a bit. Then I start humming. Force of habit. I only do it when I’m bored, or when I’m walking, namely with who I don’t really talk to. So, I guess I do that at meetings.
Sistine has mainly kept to herself. I think she’s just scared. I guess I would be too, if I was in her place. Well, I have been in her place before, sort of.
*Flashback*
A young Naidia stands by her brother, Ben, while he watches his sister Lorela train. Naidia is hiding behind Ben.
“Naidia, she won’t hate you or hurt you. You’re her younger sister ;she’ll just be kind. She won’t hurt you, I promise,” says Ben.
“How do I know that? You or her could just be waiting to hurt me. Besides, she has that weapon,” Naidia said. She wanted to say more, but that was all the English she spoke, minus her name.
“She won’t hurt you, I promise.”
Lorela saw Ben and waved to him, then looked at Naidia. Her face changed a bit, then it contorted into a big smile. She waved to Naidia, and headed out of the room.
“Hello Ben. Who is this,” Lorela said.
“Lorela, this is Naidia. Our sister,” says Ben.
Naidia waves at Lorela, and smiles.
“Nice to meet you, Naidia. I’m Lorela. Ben- Wait, Ben. Can she even speak English??”
“Some English. Not much. I don’t know if she understands us.”
*Flashback End*
I look ahead. Alton and Sistine are ahead of me, WAY ahead. I must’ve stopped. That doesn’t happen often. Odd. I start running to catch up to them…and slam into a tree. OWWWW.
“Naid, are you alright,” asks Alton.
“Yes. I just-“
“We should stop. Are you sure you’re alright,”asks Alton.
“Yes.”
Sistine sees that we are stopping, and jogs over to us.
“We’re stopping,”she asks.
“Yes,”says Alton.
I get up to move, and feel something trailing down my leg. Blood. From a scratch on my leg. Odd. Alton must’ve seen the blood, because he gives me a bandage.
“Thanks,” I mutter.
“Welcome,” he says. Our faces get a bit closer, with me on the ground, and Alton trying to bandage my leg.
“What are you two doing ,”asks Sistine.
“She was bleeding,”says Alton quickly. He nods at me, gives me the bandage, smiles, and walks over to Sistine. They start talking, and I can’t hear them.
I’m still suspicious of Sistine. That girl and Alton have seemed to be more friendly then normal. Well, more friendly then he is to Marnie, Leon’s sister. Marnie, who is also a thief. Odd. Maybe Sistine managed to get some sense into him. I hope she did; that’d make life so much easier. Besides, I have tried to get sense into Alton. Sistine, however, is actually close to his age, while I’m 15. Alton’s 20. That gets annoying after a while, especially when he tries to remind me 24/7, 365 days a year. Or so I think. I have only been a Guard Captain for a few months. However, Alton and Lorela were good friends, so I met him when I was 12.
*Flashback*
A red haired, green-eyed, tan man walks out of the room that Lorela was just in.
“Captain Lorela, who is this,” he asks.
“Alton, this is Naidia. She doesn’t speak English, so I don’t know if she can understand us. She’s my sister,” says Lorela.
Alton crouches down, takes one of Naidia’s hands, and gently squeezes it.
“Nice to meet you Miss Naidia. I’m Alton,” he says gently.
Naidia waves her other hand at him.
“Alton, she’s twelve, according to Ben, and she still doesn’t speak enough English to understand a teacher here. That’s a bit worrisome. You have any ideas,” asks Lorela.
“I do know ,” says Naidia.
“She speaks,” says Ben.
“Oh, just shut it Ben,” says Lorela.
“Well, you could always give her private lessons before you send her off to a school. Or she could just pick up bits and pieces of English, then give her lessons. I could teach her, if you’re too busy,” says Alton.
“Alton, you really would? That’d be great,” says Lorela.
“I could also teach her how to handle a weapon. Or I could teach her patience, if she’s anything like her older sister,” says Alton. He playfully nudges Lorela’s shoulder.
“You could teach her either of those. Besides, I’m not impatient, I just like to do things quickly,” says Lorela.
“What ever you say, Captain,” says Alton.
*Flashback End*
I laugh a bit. Alton has taught me something: That the best situations are when you and your Lieutenant are old friends. That might make the envoy a bit more bearable. Although, it’s only Alton, Sistine, and I. That should make it easier. Well, and Elena, if she ever shows up.
I quickly scale a near-by tree, and scout from the branch. Forests, rivers, and a sun that is setting. A calm evening. Sistine and Alton are down below, trying to sort things out. I just stay up in the tree. It’s quieter in the tree. However, there are birds. A lot of birds.
I hop down from the branches, and land, almost falling on my knees.
“Apparently I’m really trying to kill myself today,” I mumble.
“Yeah, you are. Better get used to it,” says Alton.
“Oh, shut it. Besides, you haven’t had to put up with people who actually try to kill you, and do it for a living.”
“Oh, but I have. Do you remember the war?”
“As much as I don’t want to, I still do.”
“See.”
Sistine seemed to have caught on to our bickering, and she was listening. Huh.
“I think I’m starting to like Sistine,” I say.
“Yeah. She’s at least bearable, unlike some people.”
“Shut it. Besides, you’ve known me for about 2 months, and I find you the least bearable person I’ve ever met, and I’ve met some very unbearable people.”
“Sure.”
“I really have.”
“Name two people, minus myself.”
“Ok. One, Beth, Regina’s secretary. Two, Nathaniel, who is a friend of Marnie.”
“So?”
“I named 2 people. I win.”
“Fine. Swordfighting practice?”
“With Sistine watching?”
“Yes.”
“Fine.”
I get up and finish wrapping the bandage around my leg. Alton helps me up, then drops my arm. He’s still wary of..that. Well, I still am. I have a very good reason to still be afraid.
I quickly unsheathe my sword, and Alton does the same. I tap his sword, and he does the same. We fall into a normal position, and Sistine watches us as we do. It’s quite easy, Alton’s really the only person I’ve played against that knows more then I have. Most of the guards are better with pikes, or something such as that. They almost always rely on strength. I rely on quickness and cleverness. However, that’s almost always because I’m the smallest.
Then, Alton drops his sword. Odd. He turns around, and looks at something. I look over his shoulder, which is a bit hard. He’s a lot taller then I am.
A bird. A big bird, one that has a paper with him. Who could’ve…wait! That’s the bird Leon and I use to communicate! Odd, what’s it doing here? Well, Alton and Sistine just can’t see. Technically it’s against the law for someone(Such as a noble) to be married to someone lower in social status. Or to be in love. I really don’t like that law. Leon has never been one for that law, and I think a lot of people don’t like it. That rules out a lot of things.
The bird sees me, and I wave toward me. Leon and I had named the bird, and we had named it Clev. Clev as in clever.
*Flashback*
A 14-year old Naidia and a 15-year old Leon have a little baby bird. A little bird that has a broken wing. A flying drone, as Naidia would say.
“We should take care of it. However, what should we name it,” says Leon.
The bird shakes a bit. Clev, for clever.And for a nickname, we can call it CLev. I mean, it had the cleverness to stay alive,” says Naidia.
“I like it."
It is interesting how much English one person can learn within a year. Naidia had learned a considerable amount. However, one of the main reasons she had learned so much English was because of the nightmares.
" Come on, Naidia. We should leave. Bring the bird.”
“No.”
“Come on, my girl.”
“Fine.”
*Flashback End*
I shiver. Clev was the reason Leon and I got along. Clev was the reason we met. I owe so much to that little bird.
Clev lands on my hand, and nudges me with her beak. I pet her, and take the letter from her. It says:
Dear Naid,
I got the letter. Why are you following him? You know once he finds out, you’re dead. You know when you should run; you were gifted with this. Don’t trust anyone, namely him. You know better. What would Lorela do?? Think.
Clev, the bird, says hello.
-Leon
Ok, so what he is telling me is not to trust anyone. Well, I do trust him. I don’t trust Sistine. Or Alton, but I have my reasons. I have reasons for many things, many of which are not important.
“Naidia. Are you in there,” says Alton.
“Yes, just a bit distracted. The letter was from Leon, by the way. If you didn’t know.”
“Well, I didn’t know. Thank you so, so much.” That was sarcasm. Alton and I have a lot of sarcasm. It’s one of our best ways of communicating. Or German. Or Swelvornskian. Both of my native languages. In Swelvornsky, we spoke Swelvornskian and German. It was hard to learn English, but I learned it. Leon taught me a bit, Alton taught me a bit, Lorela taught me a bit, and Ben taught me a lot. It was a circle of learning, in my early Redwater years.
I quickly scribble back a response:
Leon-
I know not to trust anyone. We’ve been over this before. Besides, I did this of my own free will. He’s already found out; I’m still alive now. Lorela would support it; standing up for what’s right. Apart from my gift of knowing when I should run, I also know when I should trust people. And I was gifted with musical ability. So, just don’t underestimate me.
-Naid, your me.
He always used to call me his Kuken, especially now. I guess I am like a baby bird. Maybe not all the time, but most of the time.
He called me his girl, because he knew I wouldn’t let anyone lay a claim to my heart, but yet he did. I always found it odd. He always found it odd. It was a circle of odd.
I give the paper to Clev, and pat her on the head.
“Do you need something to eat,” I ask her.
She nods her head at me. I give her a little leaf, for her to bite.
“Alton, I’m going to go find Clev some food. Be back soon,” I say.
“Ok.”
I start to walk into the woods. Clev hoots at me, and I pet her beak. She sits on my wrist. It’s a bit normal, like how Leon and I would always take care of her, or when we would bring her into the woods.
*Flashback*
A young Naidia-about 14- races into the woods, followed by Leon.
“Bet you can’t catch me!”
“Bet I can!”
They run, laughing as they reach the forest.
“You know, having a baby bird is going to be fun,” says Leon.
“Yeah.”
“Namely when you have named the bird Clever.”
“Sure.”
*Flashback End*
Why am I even thinking about this? This will only make me hurt more. This is just to distract me, I tell myself. To keep me from wondering even more.
Is Regina alright? Is Elena alright? Does Ben know where I am? Leon knows, but has he told Marnie? Is Redwater alright? Is..arrgh. I must stop thinking. It’ll only get worse. Like my nightmares.
Nothing good can come from this. Well, minus Regina being found. I miss her. I really miss Regina. That’s the sad part. I don’t see how it is a sad part but it still is.
I quickly find Clever some food. We need to keep moving, her and me. She’s my reminder to keep moving, try to find home, and I should try to find a place where I feel safe. I must keep moving. I must keep moving, for Regina. I must find Regina. Once I find her, I’ll go back. I’m not going back until I find her, and bring her to Redwater.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
