Chapter 14-Koori
"It's okay," Ralya told Aruna Ni as she held her cousin's limp, cold hand. "We've almost got it figured out. We almost know what's happening. We're gonna find out how to save you."
She wondered if Aruna Ni could hear anything she was saying. She decided to tell her everything, just in case.
"We found out about the anigari," Ralya told Aruna Ni everything they knew so far. "So you see, we're so close to saving you. Just hang on."
"But none of that is true, you know," came a voice.
Ralya turned around in surprise. She hadn't sensed anyone there.
A tall, blonde woman stepped out of the shadows. Ralya recognized her to be Koori, one of the older students at the Academy. "I'm sorry if I startled you," she said.
"What do you mean, it's not true?" asked Ralya.
Koori's expression changed instantly to one of nervousness and fear. "I'm sorry I said anything. I-I can't tell you. They'll-" She stopped mid-sentence, then turned and fled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Have you seen Koori lately?" Ralya asked Brekk.
He shook his head. "No. Why?"
"I think she knows something." She quickly told him of her strange encounter with Koori earlier that day.
"That's weird," Brekk replied. "She just ran away?"
Ralya nodded. "She said we're wrong. She knows what an anigari is, but she's afraid to tell us."
"Maybe she's afraid they'll get her, too."
They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, then said at the same time, "We have to find her."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They found Koori a few hours later, sitting alone by the river that flowed past the Academy. "Koori!" Ralya called when they were still a few yards away.
The woman made no reply, as if she hadn't heard.
Brekk and Ralya came closer. "Could you tell us more about the anigari?" Brekk asked.
Again she gave no indication that she even noticed them standing there, so Brekk began to repeat himself. "Could you--"
"Go away!" Koori shouted. Brekk and Ralya jumped in surprise. Koori continued: "I don't want to tell you anything!" Then the tone of her voice underwent a sudden change and the volume dropped to a little below a whisper. "Don't you see? They'll kill me, too."
"Koori, please!" Ralya begged. "If we don't find out what an anigari is soon, more people will die!"
Koori shook her head slowly, her countenance that of one who has long ago accepted defeat. "It doesn't matter. They'll win anyhow."
"Who?" Ralya persisted.
But Koori would say nothing more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ralya felt hopeless and frustrated. Koori wouldn't tell them the one thing they needed to know. And people would keep dying until they found out. She had tried to relax and sleep on it, but so many things were going through her head that even Jedi techniques for aiding sleep couldn't overcome her insomnia.
Even as the early morning sunlight crept into her bedroom, the situation didn't seem any brighter.
Ralya sighed and went to get something to eat. Nothing could erase the problem at hand, she knew, but maybe something could
at the very least help her forget it. But as she passed her bedroom window, she stopped. Something was stuck to the outside.
She opened the window, then reached out and took the scrap of paper. It was a note from Koori:
I'm sorry about the way I acted. It's not safe for me, for any of us. We need to meet alone.
On the back Koori had drawn a crude map and written the time and place of their meeting. Ralya estimated that it would take them a few hours to walk there. She wondered why Koori would choose a meeting place so far away.
She reached to close the window, and looked out at the ground. Just beneath her window was a tangled nest of pale blond hair. And attatched to that hair was a very pale face.
Koori was dead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It's okay," Ralya told Aruna Ni as she held her cousin's limp, cold hand. "We've almost got it figured out. We almost know what's happening. We're gonna find out how to save you."
She wondered if Aruna Ni could hear anything she was saying. She decided to tell her everything, just in case.
"We found out about the anigari," Ralya told Aruna Ni everything they knew so far. "So you see, we're so close to saving you. Just hang on."
"But none of that is true, you know," came a voice.
Ralya turned around in surprise. She hadn't sensed anyone there.
A tall, blonde woman stepped out of the shadows. Ralya recognized her to be Koori, one of the older students at the Academy. "I'm sorry if I startled you," she said.
"What do you mean, it's not true?" asked Ralya.
Koori's expression changed instantly to one of nervousness and fear. "I'm sorry I said anything. I-I can't tell you. They'll-" She stopped mid-sentence, then turned and fled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Have you seen Koori lately?" Ralya asked Brekk.
He shook his head. "No. Why?"
"I think she knows something." She quickly told him of her strange encounter with Koori earlier that day.
"That's weird," Brekk replied. "She just ran away?"
Ralya nodded. "She said we're wrong. She knows what an anigari is, but she's afraid to tell us."
"Maybe she's afraid they'll get her, too."
They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, then said at the same time, "We have to find her."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They found Koori a few hours later, sitting alone by the river that flowed past the Academy. "Koori!" Ralya called when they were still a few yards away.
The woman made no reply, as if she hadn't heard.
Brekk and Ralya came closer. "Could you tell us more about the anigari?" Brekk asked.
Again she gave no indication that she even noticed them standing there, so Brekk began to repeat himself. "Could you--"
"Go away!" Koori shouted. Brekk and Ralya jumped in surprise. Koori continued: "I don't want to tell you anything!" Then the tone of her voice underwent a sudden change and the volume dropped to a little below a whisper. "Don't you see? They'll kill me, too."
"Koori, please!" Ralya begged. "If we don't find out what an anigari is soon, more people will die!"
Koori shook her head slowly, her countenance that of one who has long ago accepted defeat. "It doesn't matter. They'll win anyhow."
"Who?" Ralya persisted.
But Koori would say nothing more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ralya felt hopeless and frustrated. Koori wouldn't tell them the one thing they needed to know. And people would keep dying until they found out. She had tried to relax and sleep on it, but so many things were going through her head that even Jedi techniques for aiding sleep couldn't overcome her insomnia.
Even as the early morning sunlight crept into her bedroom, the situation didn't seem any brighter.
Ralya sighed and went to get something to eat. Nothing could erase the problem at hand, she knew, but maybe something could
at the very least help her forget it. But as she passed her bedroom window, she stopped. Something was stuck to the outside.
She opened the window, then reached out and took the scrap of paper. It was a note from Koori:
I'm sorry about the way I acted. It's not safe for me, for any of us. We need to meet alone.
On the back Koori had drawn a crude map and written the time and place of their meeting. Ralya estimated that it would take them a few hours to walk there. She wondered why Koori would choose a meeting place so far away.
She reached to close the window, and looked out at the ground. Just beneath her window was a tangled nest of pale blond hair. And attatched to that hair was a very pale face.
Koori was dead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~