The night sky was crystal clear, revealing the glistening stars above. Aaron stood in a middle of a meadow, gazing up at the stars without knowing how he got there in the first place. There was no breeze, no sound, only darkness, and silence. He was so mesmerized by the beauty of the night sky. Never did he have the leisure to view this beautiful scenery. Never did he see the night sky as perfect as this.
After the stargazing, he turned his attention to the mysterious meadow around him. The long grass reached just below his head. The tips of the grass brush gently below his mandibles. He stroked a few pieces of grass, feeling the smoothness of their thin surface. He breathed in the unfamiliar scents of his new environment. What a mysterious place this was. It was like a mirage of an unseen world. Could this be a dream?
In the darkness, a human being wouldn't be able to see his surroundings without using a light source. A Poleepkwa, however, can sense his surroundings by using his sensors to detect objects and any living thing within their proximity. Like humans, they can't see very well in the dark but have to rely on other senses that humans don't have.
Aaron began running through the thick meadow, moving swiftly and silently as he enjoyed his freedom from curfew and repression. This place is the perfect playground for him. He felt like he could wander endlessly within this strange environment and explore it. He ran as fast as he could through the tall grass until something stopped him in his tracks. He saw what had appeared to be a woman who was down on her knees with her hands pressed together near her chest, in the way that humans pray to their deity from what he understood. He could faintly make out the familiar features of her face.
"Sequoya!" Aaron clicked softly.
She looked up at him and grinned. Even in the darkness, he could see that it was Sequoya. The reflection of the stars sparkled in her eyes hypnotically.
"Aaron," she said softly and held out her hand to him, "Come with me."
Aaron grasped her hand while she stood up and led him out of the meadow. He had no idea where she was leading him to, but it didn't matter much to him as long as they were together.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
Without giving a response, Sequoya pointed straight ahead. Aaron peered in that direction curiously and could only wonder where that direction would lead them to. They left the grassland behind him and walked on a shallow, glistening river. The coolness of the water made Aaron shiver, and he pressed himself closer to Sequoya. She lifted him and carried him while she walked further upstream. Unfazed by the water's freezing temperature at her feet.
"Why are we on the river?" he asked curiously.
"To cover our tracks," she replied.
"But why? Nobody is following us."
"I don't want anybody to know our secret hiding place."
"What secret hiding place?"
"You'll see."
Aaron could see that the further they walked upstream, the wider and deeper the river had gotten. Finally, when the water reached above Sequoya's waist, Aaron climbed up onto her shoulders and wrapped his arms around her head. Sequoya chuckled at him and began to wade up the river as the current grew stronger.
Up ahead, Aaron could now see the mist of a waterfall where the water grew even deeper. Sequoya waded close to the side of the river to stay in the shallow area and continued onwards toward the waterfall.
"There …" she said, pointing toward the waterfall, " …behind the waterfall. That is our secret hiding place."
Aaron gazed at the waterfall nervously. "Are we going through the waterfall?"
"No. We're going around it."
"How?"
"Hang on!"
Aaron squealed as he felt the cold water rise beneath him. Sequoya waded deep into the water and swam closer into the blinding mist. Aaron held onto her firmly until she found a rocky ledge and pulled herself up onto it. Aaron suddenly lost his grip and slipped off. Sequoya grabbed him quickly before he could fall into the water. She pulled him up safely onto the ledge before lifting herself. She grabbed hold of his hand and led him along the rocky ledge and closer into the mist of the waterfall.
The ledge was narrow but a perfect walkway for Aaron. Sequoya occasionally leaned closer to the rock wall, brushing along the hard surface to prevent falling. She tightened her grip on his hand to ensure that he didn't slip once again. Through his hand, he could feel himself drawing the warmth from her soft human hand.
He stayed well away from the edge as the sound of the roaring waterfall grew louder. Finally, they reached an opening of a hidden cave. The mist slightly cleared their path as they neared the entrance. The pitch blackness of the cave instantly illuminated as a strange indigo light glowed unnaturally within a pond in the middle of the cave, making the cave walls and the ceiling shimmer beautifully like the crystal stars of the night sky.
"It's beautiful," Aaron said as he stared in awe.
"This is where I go to escape the world," she said and led him to the pond. "And this is the pond of wonders."
Aaron peered curiously into the pond. He gazed up at Sequoya with questioning eyes.
"Where does the light come from?" he asked.
She peered at him with friendly eyes and merely replied, "Love."
Aaron looked up at her and tilted his head, "Love?"
"Yes." She lifted him into her arms and cradled him delicately. "The love of friendship." He closed his eyes and pressed himself closer to her.
"I'm glad to have a friend like you, Aaron," she said in a fading voice.
"Me too!" he replied and nuzzled himself into her arms like a child drawing comfort from his mother.
In the distance, he heard a Poleepkwa calling out Sequoya's name, followed by a series of unfamiliar clicks. Clicks of the true Poleepkwan language that he did not yet understand. The warmth between him and Sequoya was taken away unexpectedly. He opened his eyes to find Sequoya whisked away by an unknown, large Poleepkwa.
Aaron tried to run after her but felt someone grab him from behind. He struggled fiercely to break free as he helplessly watched the Poleepkwa take Sequoya away from him. Oddly, she didn't appear to be fighting back.
"Let me go!" Aaron clawed and kicked at whoever was holding him back. He watched the waterfall mysteriously disappear, and the river below it turned to the ice where he saw the Poleepkwa carelessly have Sequoya onto his side and run off into the darkness.
Aaron was then released, and he picked up a Poleepkwan scent as he turned to face the unknown perpetrator. Unfortunately, he only saw the black silhouette of a faceless Poleepkwa, who seemed to vanish into the darkness of the cave. As soon as he was gone, the indigo light of the pond grew brighter, and everything grew silent around him.
"Sequoya!" he called out into the opening from the cave. He ran out onto the icy river, searching as he called out Sequoya's name over and over again. Finally, he ran into the darkness, only to trip and fall onto the ice. He turned to see what he had tripped on and found that the ice was breaking all around him. He scrambled to his feet and ran toward land, only to find that the icy river had consumed the land.
The ice cracked beneath his feet as he desperately tried to run back to the cave, which suddenly seemed so far away.
"Aaron!" he heard Sequoya's voice call out from the darkness. "Run!"
He glanced behind him and saw several dark silhouettes coming toward him fast. He ran from them, whatever they were. But, Poleepkwa or not, he could only sense danger. Before he could reach the entrance of the cave, he felt something grab his leg and pull him away. He clawed at the ice, trying to get away, but it seemed no use.
The thin ice broke apart underneath him, and he was dragged under the ice-cold water. He felt strong arms wrap around him so tightly and squeezed him painfully. He writhed ferociously, fighting to break free from the pain that was so intense. In the midst of it all, he thought he heard Oliver's voice calling out to him. It started as an echo and then became louder and more straightforward.
"Aaron! …..Aaron!"
Before he knew it, he had awakened to find Oliver looking over him with a concerned look on his face.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Aaron blinked his eyes and looked around, still feeling the aches on his sides from the vivid nightmare that seemed so real. "I'm okay."
"Did you have a nightmare?" he asked.
Aaron looked away and shrugged his shoulders. "Why do you ask?"
"You were shaking and twitching. You hit me and woke me up."
"I did?" Aaron replied, feeling bad. "Sorry."
"It's okay, Aaron," Oliver said and patted him on the back. "I forgive you. It was just a bad dream."
"Yeah!" Aaron somewhat agreed, though he still felt a little frightened about the dream. "Just a bad dream."
After school …
Aaron and Oliver walked back to Christopher's shack by themselves after school. Unfortunately, Christopher had to work a little overtime and instructed the younglings to walk straight home without him.
"I think the elders should teach the other younglings more about the mother ship," Oliver said. Aaron only nodded his head in agreement without saying anything.
Oliver rambled on about their day at school. Aaron didn't pay too much attention to him but pretended to listen by nodding his head occasionally, replying, "Yeah!"
The images of his nightmare haunted him throughout the school day. Even the elders had sensed his discomfort and pulled him aside to question him. The only thing he could tell them was that it was just a nightmare and nothing more, although it had felt all too real.
"Aaron? What are you thinking about?" Oliver asked after realizing that he wasn't listening to him.
Aaron looked at him and smiled. "Sequoya." he simply replied.
Oliver blinked his eyes and replied, "You like her."
"Of course!" Aaron said. "She is my best friend."
"I thought I was your best friend," Oliver replied teasingly.
"Yeah, but she is different."
"She is human! What else could be different?"
Aaron grinned at him, knowing that Oliver truly understood his friendship with Sequoya. He never showed any jealousy toward Aaron having another friend. A true friend at that.
The younglings arrive at the shack to find the front door wide open. Oliver trilled excitedly and trotted into the shack, sensing another Poleepkwa inside. He knew who it was, but Aaron approached the open doorway cautiously and hoped that the Poleepkwa hadn't been snooping around his things.
Aaron stood by the doorway and peeked inside. The Poleepkwa appeared friendly, greeting Oliver as soon as he entered the shack. Aaron peered at the Poleepkwa, who didn't take notice of him. He thought he had seen him before, and the yellow Poleepkwa speckled with black and brown spots. The Poleepkwa is one of Christopher's friends helping him with the secret mission. Whatever the secret mission was, it had to do something with the mother ship.
The Poleepkwa had all sorts of junk piled on top of the bench. He sat down as he began sorting through each item. Oliver climbed onto the seating next to him and chattered on about school. The Poleepkwa seemed to focus more on his assortment but listened to the youngling.
"Oliver!" Aaron interrupted him.
"Yeah?" Oliver turned to look at Aaron.
"I'm going to see my friend now. I'll see you later," he said, keeping his gaze on Oliver as the Poleepkwa stopped what he was doing and looked at him.
"Okay! See you later." Oliver said and continued his chattering.
Aaron turned and walked out of the shack before another word could be said.
After he vanished through the open doorway, the Poleepkwa turned to Oliver and waited for him to finish before he asked, "Who was that?"
"His name is Aaron. You remember him, don't you?" he replied.
"Aaron? Of course, I remember him. The last time I saw him, he was a hatchling."
"He doesn't seem to remember you."
"Of course, he was only a hatchling."
Aaron trotted along the path between the rubble. Three younglings were chasing each other within the junk pile up ahead. Two of them ran by Aaron, and the third one bumped into him hard, nearly knocking him down.
"Move!" the youngling squawked.
"You ran into me!" Aaron snapped.
"I don't care. Get out of the way!"
The youngling shoved him, trying to knock him on the ground, but Aaron only stumbled back. The youngling went to go run after his friends, but Aaron quickly kicked one of his legs, making the youngling squeak in pain as he fell forward and landed flat on his face. Aaron stood back as the youngling rolled to his side and covered his face as he began to cry.
Although he was quick to retaliate, he felt bad knowing that he did not intend to hurt him. He went to help the youngling get up, but he felt two large hands grab him from behind and jerk him away from the youngling, and he went sprawling on the ground. He looked up at the older Poleepkwa, who scolded him for hurting his younger brother. Aaron's eyes grew wide in shock as he saw the red and black markings on his gray surface, clearly indicating that he was a Poleepkwan gang member. Aaron quickly backpedaled away from the Poleepkwa.
"I'm sorry." he frantically apologized, "I didn't mean to hurt him."
"Shut up!" the Poleepkwa squawked and kicked dirt at him. "Get lost, you little bastard."
Aaron turned and ran without looking back. He ran until he reached the barbed wire fence, feeling a little relieved that the Poleepkwan gang member didn't pursue him. But, unfortunately, poleepkwan gang members would show no kindness and remorse for those they hurt, even if they were a youngling or human child.
Seeing that Sequoya wasn't there waiting for him on the other side, he decided to wait for her. He glanced back once in a while to make sure that the angry Poleepkwan gang member didn't approach him. He was still there within the rubble, watching his younger brother play with his friends. Aaron thought it was odd for a Poleepkwan gang member to be out in the district in broad daylight. Every once in a while, Aaron would catch the gray Poleepkwa looking at him as if he were watching him too.
Aaron went through the fence quickly as soon as the Poleepkwa turned his head away. He didn't want to be watched and have the Poleepkwa discover his secret meetings with a human. He trotted along the fence line toward the alleyway, peeking through the fence to make sure that the Poleepkwa wasn't glancing back at him. Luckily, he was too preoccupied with his supervision.
When he reached the alleyway, he decided to keep going to the hotel where Sequoya was staying. He glanced around, hoping that no MNU officers were patrolling the area. It was risky enough to leave the district without adult supervision and permission from the MNU. But, of course, he had been out of the district to be with Sequoya for the past week, so sneaking out wasn't giving him much thrill anymore. This time it was his turn to come to her.
As he neared the street, he stopped to look around, still keeping an eye out for the MNU. Before he could cross the street, he heard footsteps approaching behind him. That's when he sensed another Poleepkwa. Aaron ignored him and continued walking, walking across the street to the hotel. Halfway there, he stopped when he heard the Poleepkwa click "Wait!"
He turned around and nearly pissed himself when he saw that this Poleepkwa was a gang member. He looked similar to the one in the district, but he was much bigger in size.
"Don't be frightened, little one. I'm not going to hurt you," he said, seeing that the youngling was startled and apprehensive. "I have seen you before, but I don't remember your name."
Aaron wanted to turn around and dart for the hotel, but reluctantly he stayed, knowing that it would be impossible to outrun this large Poleepkwa. Every fiber of his being warned him to stay away from this Poleepkwa.
"Tell me your name!" the Poleepkwa demanded, making the youngling shrink back.
"Aaron," he replied nervously.
"Aaron?" the Poleepkwa muttered. "What's your real name, Aaron?"
"I don't know yet," he said, inching his way back to the hotel.
The Poleepkwa tilted his head, "You don't know your true name. How sad!"
He knelt down and grabbed Aaron's arm, pulling the youngling closer when he noticed him slowly backing away.
"You are here to see your human friend. Right?"
Aaron picked up his scent. There was something familiar about it. He couldn't grasp why it was so familiar in his thoughts, and then it hit him.
"You!" he narrowed his eyes at the Poleepkwa accusingly, who gave him a puzzled look. "It was you. At the park. You have been watching us at the park."
The Poleepkwa narrowed his eyes in a challenging look. "What are you going to do about it? Aaron," he said his name in a mocking tone. "Are you going to tell your human friend? That won't be necessary. She already knows."
Aaron glanced around fearfully and helplessly. He was in no position to defend himself or Sequoya against this beast. He cringed when the Poleepkwa placed his other hand on his shoulder.
"I can use a smart youngling like you. You should consider joining us, our brethren, in our fight against the human race." he offered to the youngling.
Now it was Aaron's turn to give the Poleepkwa a puzzled look. "If your fight is with the human race, then why do I see the gang with the Nigerians?"
"To defeat your enemy, you must become your enemy. Become his friend, and then betray him. I'm sure they don't teach you that in school."
Aaron glanced at the ground and shrugged. He didn't see the human race being the problem. The real problem was them. The Poleepkwan gang, along with their so-called friends, the Nigerians, and the MNU being above them all, enforcing too many ridiculous rules and regulations that the Poleepkwa are forced to follow.
"Think about it, young one. Maybe you can bring along your human friend for us to play with." he implied with a sadistic tone. With that, he loosened his grip and stepped back, allowing Aaron to slip his hand out of his grasp and back away from him.
"Aaron!" As soon as he heard Sequoya's voice, he turned and ran halfway across the street to her. She stood outside the front doors and watched him dash toward her. When he got close enough, he hopped into her embracing arms.
"I missed you!" he clicked softly to her ear.
"Awe, I miss you too," she replied. "I see you've met Arus."
"Arus!" he snapped and looked back at the Poleepkwa, watching them intently from a distance.
"Do you know him?" she lowered her voice inconspicuously.
Aaron looked at her, slightly nodding his head.
Without saying anything else, she turned and went back into the hotel, holding Aaron close to her securely.
"We'll talk inside." She whispered to him.
Aaron peered over Sequoya's shoulder, seeing Arus giving him the cold stare. The Poleepkwan gang member watched them go inside. The very place where he was forbidden to enter. He stormed back into the alleyway, kicking a dumpster in the process, leaving a dent. As much as he hated to admit it, he had grown envious of the youngling, who had more of Sequoya's attention. If he wanted the same, he would have to change his tactics.