“Dang it!” I snapped as I tossed my phone onto my nightstand. “Why are plane tickets so expensive?” It had been a day since my grounding and I was trying my best to formulate a plan to get out of the house to catch a flight to New York. However, nothing I had planned is seemingly going to work. The biggest problem was buying a plane ticket to New York. The island has an airport that we can use that takes us to three of the biggest airports in America. That being the one in New York, Denver and California, however I had no money and didn’t have a written permission to get onboard anyway.
My second biggest problem was currently sitting underneath my bedroom window all day. Momma’s hyena spirit had been posted down there all night, and I had no way to possibly get past her. Her hearing was amazing and her eyesight was even better, plus she could spend weeks outside of my momma’s gemstone before she needed to go back and recharge her physical form. Even if I managed to get away, she would chase us down and possibly knock me out or destroy Aisu’s physical form so she would have to return to the netrix gemstone around my neck to recharge.
Then I would have to deal with an angry momma, and I am not ready to face her wrath anytime soon.
“What are we gonna do?” I asked, looking towards Aisu who was lying on the ground, looking just as annoyed as I was.
“What can we do? There is literally nothing that we can do to get out of here.” Aisu let out a sharp roar as her entire body seemed to tense up from anger. “We have no one that will help us, all of your friends said no.”
“Don’t remind me.” I had asked my closest friends to reconsider and help me pull off an escape attempt. However, the problem was since most adults treated the children on the island like their own, it was not uncommon to be punished by an adult that wasn't actually their parent, and all of my friends feared my momma’s hairbrush just as much as I did. “I doubt anyone else would be willing to help me…” Then an idea came to my head or rather a certain person came to mind. “Unless we asked someone that wouldn’t really care and would just want to cause mischief.” I quickly reached over and grabbed my cellphone, relieved that it hadn’t cracked when I threw it on my nightstand.
I did have one more ally that I could rely on to help me, and she just happened to owe me a favor.
An hour or so passed before finally I heard someone knocking on my bedroom window. My momma said I could leave the house however, she did make it clear that I could invite someone over if I wanted. I had a feeling she wanted me to invite Beatrice over so we could kiss and make up. However, I needed a break from my best friend for a bit. I walked over and opened my window up revealing a tanned skinned girl with dark red hair and a matching pair of almost evil looking eyes filled with mischief. She was of Spanish descent and was quite possibly the biggest mischief maker on the island right now. She had a lean athletic body with powerful legs and hips, a bit of warm air spilled through my window as she gently flapped her bright red wings to stay a float. I was always a bit jealous of people with flying animal spirits since it also gave them the ability to fly as well.
“It’s good to see you too, Mrs. Whisperwind.” One of my newer friends Valeria Longshadow greeted with a cheerful wave towards my momma who was probably working in our large garden. “And don’t worry, ma’am I am gonna make sure she stays in this room all day.”
“Can you please just get in here already,” I grabbed her arm and practically had to drag her into my room.
“Keep your panties on, Verona. I am just making small talk to help you out.” Valeria unsummoned her wings and landed down in my desk chair, kicking her muddy shoes up on my clean desk in the process. “Your mom likes me a lot, she even wants me to possibly be her mentee if I can keep my grades up… thought something tells me if she finds out what your little plan is and that I helped you do it. She is probably gonna choose someone that she can trusts more than me.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
Valaeria smirked at me showing off her extremely white teeth. “Come on now, I understand why you are doing this and as long as you are sure you will be fine. Than I will give you all I got.” Her smirk suddenly faded as she folded her hands together, almost looking like a mobster from a movie now. “However, I need you to promise me one thing. Do you think you can do this? I may be new to this entire island, but I have heard rumors on this Violet Liger. So look me in the eye and tell me you are sure you can do this or I will fly right out the window.”
As I stared into Valeria’s vulture-like eyes, for a moment I wanted to call all of this off. Leave it to the pros like they say, but I was more determined now than anything, and those brief moments of hesitation burned away as I replied. “I am ready, besides I am not going alone, I have Aisu. I have my daddy once he finds me there and this Joshua Cash guy is gonna be there too. Three are better than one.”
Valeria nodded her head. “Alright then,” she reached into the fanny pack around her waist and threw something over to me. “Then you are gonna need that.” I caught a large brown bag that rattled a bit from coins. “I am giving you 20 gold and I am sure that will get you a pretty penny in the states.”
To some receiving 20 gold would have been amazing, especially in the states or in other countries where this was still worth a lot. However, here on Tarun's, deep in the island’s and deeper in the waters that surrounded the island. Precious metals such as gold, silver, copper and iron were very common. All of our currency still runs off those materials, we still use gold, silver and copper coins to pay for things. A bit old school compared to all the other nations if I was being honest, but if it wasn’t broken don’t fix it. Since the United States was very much interested in the gold that our island could create naturally. There were atms in most cities that you could put a few gold coins in and get out a lot of money for them.
“I can’t take this-”
Valeria interrupted me. “Don’t worry about it, I get a new allowance in a week so I will be just fine until that day comes, and I still have a bit more saved up so that is another plus.”
I hugged that bag to my chest for a moment. “I will pay you back in full, Valeria. I promise.”
“Of course you are, I would be pissed if you didn’t.” Valeria folded her hands together and gave me a toothy grin that I knew was usually calm before whatever naughty storm she was brewing. “Now what are we doing to break you out of here?”
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Valeria left a few hours later once we had planned out every last detail for tomorrow night. Both to make it look like she was really here just to keep me company, as well as cause I really needed someone to keep me company. I was never a fan of being grounded, and unlike other times where I wouldn’t have any of my electronics or would be stuck in my room all day. While I had access to all of those things for this grounding. I wanted to go outside, I knew hundreds of good spots on the island to just relax and read. I wanted to go to the school's arena to find someone to spar with or join in the many sports we liked to play, such as soccer, lacrosse, baseball and basketball.
It's summer break so what kid wouldn’t want to go outside and play?
Right as I opened the door to go and get something to eat, I came face to face with my daddy’s who’s hand was paused mid knock. “Hello there, Verona.” He greeted lowering her his hand back to his side. “Can we please talk?”
After my talk with momma last night, I had refused to talk to him or my momma for the rest of the evening and most of today. I had only allowed Sevil into my room, since she sounded on the verge of tears, to talk to me. However, no matter how cranky or rude I was feeling, I could never stay mad with my goofball of a father for long. So I threw my arms around his waist and rested my head against his stomach. “I’m sorry.”
My feet were lifted off the floor as he lifted me up into his arms. No matter how old or big I got, it brought me comfort to know that he would always be there to lift me up when I couldn’t stand on my own. “I know,” he whispered back before sitting down on my bed and placing me on his lap. “I can’t fault you for being mad at me and mom, however we know that once you put your mind to something you will find a way to get it done no matter what.”
“I just want to help you,” I responded, silently hoping that I could convince him right here and now that I should go. Then me and Valeria wouldn’t need our plan in order for me to get to New York on my own. “Daddy, just hear me out, can’t I give you a sales pitch or something? Just give me two minutes.”
The edges of his lips curled up at that. “Verona you could give me a thousand pitches, with an infinite time limit and my answer would still be no. However, I could give you three reasons why you are not going.” My dad held up three fingers and put them down with each point he made. “One, Katherine, regardless of what has happened in the five years since she left, will still want to take you from me. Two, you are too angry and too full of hatred to help in this mission. Three, you want to kill her and that feeling is enough to cloud one’s judgment. It causes narrow vision and against Katherine, that will get you killed.”
“Aren’t you going to kill her?” I questioned, “isn’t that point of this entire mission?”
“The point of this mission, young lady.” My daddy said his voice becoming a bit stern now. “Is to capture Katherine as well as stop Hezakiah Wallace, however if she happens to die during the conflict that is okay. However, the council made it clear they want her back alive.” My daddy lifted my chin slightly so I could look at him in his bright violet eyes. “I promise you that you will get closer for your mother sins once this is all over. I will bring Katherine in and I will make sure that you can let out everything on her, in a safe environment. This is gonna end very soon and then we can both move on and truly accept all the good that God has blessed us with since we lost so much.”
I nodded my head before burying my head back against his chest and covered myself up with his long hair like it was a blanket. “I’ll see you soon,” I promised.
“I am sure we will see each other sooner rather than later.”
My dad had no idea how true those words were.
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I watched my daddy race down the street on the back of his much larger animal spirit, Thanani. He was a jaguar like Aisu but held more wisdom and strength than her, he was much like a second father as Leela was a second mother. I still felt his arms wrapped around me in a tight hug, and kept his parting words close to my heart. “Stay strong for me, Verona and when I come back I will hold you up like I have done all your life. This old cornerstone isn’t gonna break anytime soon.”
I believed his words, but I just couldn’t trust them. Katherine was gonna be there, she was somewhere in that city, and as long as the violet liger was alive. There was no stone strong enough she could not break. So I had to get ready to put my plan in place. He was getting on the flight at nine o’clock and if all things worked out. I would be getting on the flight at 7'o clock that night and hopefully arrive in the city at either midnight or later. I already had a plane ticket ready and a forged paper that said I had permission to travel and meet with my “aunt”. Would never have guessed that Valeria had those kinds of talents, how she got that plane ticket I had no idea but I didn’t want to know.
I nearly leapt out of my skin as someone patted my shoulder. “Are you okay, Verona?” I looked up at the concerned face of my momma.
In order to keep the act up, I looked up at her with an angry look in my eye before pushing her hand off me and stomping back into the house. “Make her think you are upset, so she gives you space.”
“Verona come on,” I heard her call after me, but I kept going until I reached my bedroom and slammed the door shut behind me. I climbed up onto my bed and covered myself with the blanket she had knitted me three years ago. There was a faint knock at my door and I could smell her dark chocolate perfume before the edge of my bed sunk down a bit. I felt her hand on my shoulder. “Verona, I know that this is hard for you, I know that you are scared and worried baby girl, I know you madder than hell at us for keeping you stuck here. Just please understand that, I love you like you are my own, and I wouldn’t know what to do if the worst happened and Katherine took you from me. Well I would chase you down till the edge of the earth if I had to, but I don’t want to risk that.”
“I know,” I said softly. “I just want to be left alone right now, please.”
The edge of my blanket was lifted up from my head and I felt her kiss the top of my head. “Alright, just know that I am right down the hall if you need me.” She carefully placed that blanket back over my head and gave me a pat on my back before she stood up and closed my door.
As soon as that door was closed, I stood up to my feet and silently made my way over to the window for phase two of my plan. I opened the window up and quickly climbed down from it and as soon as my feet hit the ground. I ran as fast as I could down the path leading from my house. I needed to test something and I might be risking my ass by doing this however, I had to see how fast Momma Leela would respond. I maybe got about 30 feet before I was knocked off my feet and sent rolling across the grass. I ended up on my back and grunted a bit as one of Leela’s paws was set firmly on my chest and I found myself staring into her dark golden eyes. “Come on Verona if you are gonna try running off, at least give me a challenge.” She said in her usually playful voice but this one held a darker more firm tone mixed in.
A moment later I heard a sigh followed by a shadow the covering my entire body. “That was quicker than I originally planned.” I looked past Leela’s head to see my momma standing over us with her arms crossed over her chest. She lifted up one finger and simply said. “Strike one, Verona, let’s not get to strike three.”
“O-Or what?” I managed to grunt out trying to still pretend to be angry.
My momma didn’t answer, instead her animal spirit lowered her head downwards and began to cackle like a mad woman. “Trust me, little cub. You do not what to know, however it will hurt you way more than it will hurt me.” Momma Leela suddenly jumped off me and in a moment she had Aisu pinned to the ground in her weak attempt to pounce on her. “Gotta be quicker than that, little Aisu.”
My momma took a firm hold of my arm and lifted me to my feet but she did not let go. “March!” She ordered firmly, giving me a single sharp swat to my backside to get me going. “And lord forbid if I have to chain you to your bed to keep you safe from yourself, Verona, I will gladly do so.”
I had to ignore the slight sting that was starting to spread throughout my hindquarters and gripped my gemstone to talk to Aisu privately. “How long did it take for her to react?”
Aisu thought back to me. “About 10 seconds, she was mostly watching to see how far you would go and once you left the driveway she was on you.”
I smirked a bit as I thought back. “And how long does it take for you to get to top speed?”
“Five seconds give or take.” I could practically feel her smirking back at me.
Everything was going according to plan, I gripped my gemstone a bit harder and found the right connection. See jepei users could not only connect their thoughts to their animal spirits but we could also connect our thoughts to friends and family as long as we had both grabbed each other’s gemstone and allowed permission. It could last up to a day that way and could be served by either pair at any time they wanted. “Valeria, we are gonna have ten seconds before my momma and her animal spirit catch on, is that enough time?”
“That is more than enough time.” I heard her think back. “You are gonna owe me big time if your momma catches me. I doubt a freaking smacking is gonna be enough of a punishment for either of us if this doesn’t work.”
“I will owe you more than a favor or two when this is all over. I promise. Just be in the sky at 6 cause we need to be there at exactly 6:55 before they take off. That way they can’t stop us or land.”
“How is your momma not gonna guess you are heading to the airport?” Valeria questioned. “Because if they cut us off there, then we are screwed.”
As we entered my house, I was ordered to go upstairs. I saw out of the corner of my eyes, my little sister was looking at me from behind a corner. “Don’t worry about that, I can lead them off my scent, after all. I have a sweet little sister that enjoys telling on me just as much as she loves being near me. All I need to do is fill her head with plans of me running off to the dorms to spend the night with a friend and that will send momma on the warpath for a good few hours.”
“You are far too smart for your own good,” Valeria thought back before going silent on her end. “Me and Nightshadow will be ready, just make sure you are, cause if things look bad I am leaving.”
“I understand.” As I left her thoughts and made my way past Sevil. I suddenly said a bit too loudly to be considered a whisper. “I was just going to the dorms tonight, you dummy.” I chose a more childish insult since I was not dumb enough to have Sevil tell my momma I said a more serious swear word.
I sat down on my bed once more and looked over at the clock on my bed. It was now 9:45, it was gonna be a very stressful few hours to say the least. However it was worth it.
It was worth, getting one chance to end my pain once and for all.
However, there was one thing worrying me. I was going through so much to out smart one of the smartest women on the island, I could only imagine what planning I would need to out smart the most deadly one on the planet.
I wish I had thought a bit more about the first of the two. Cause I forgot something my momma told me once when she first married my dad. “I always have an ace up my sleeve, Verona. It is how I have stayed alive so long.”
I had no idea what that ace was until it was too late.
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