A/n well here it is the new and improved chapter 2! again thanks to CaptainQuirk1701 and Rayrae118 for all their help and i hope you enjoy this chapter as much as i enjoyed writing it! please R&R!
Chapter 2
My name is Tom Leighton. I am 10 years, 8 months, 3 weeks, and 4 days old.
"Where's Starfleet" are the most common words running through my thoughts.
Two months ago, the top scientists of Tarsus IV, my dad among them, discovered a fungus eating away at the only food sources on the planet. They estimated it would eat through most of the fields in a couple of weeks. The guess wasn't even close. It had only taken 4 days.
Now, weeks afterwards, the fields were practically gone and there was little for us to eat.
No one had imagined the fungus would work this quickly, so we hadn't had time to go to the store and collect food to store away.
When Mom finally did get to the store, she had returned with a black eye, scratch marks littering her arms, and three broken knuckles…all for a box of cereal, a can of beef broth, a jar with a single pickle in it, and a small carton of milk. As Dad had warned us, the fear of starvation had turned everyone into animals, and that was just in the first few days! It was only thanks to God that people had had some food before all this started. Otherwise, they would have become hungry enough to kill.
Our cabinets were bare and our tiny store of food rapidly vanishing, despite the fact that everyone, even little 7-year-old Kelsey, was being careful of how much they ate. I realized that similar things were happening to other families and soon things would start getting violent.
…It was the night before I learned the meaning of "all hell broke loose".
Dad came home from the labs with a slam of the door, whispering anxiously. It had become such a common occurrence in these last few months that I barely even glanced up.
Strangely, even when he saw me he didn't stop murmuring to himself. After his first night, when he came home so angry that he broke his lamp, Dad had been careful of showing any worry around us kids.
Fear gripped my weakened and thin stomach when I noticed this. Whatever was bothering Dad enough to make him lose control in front of me had to be bad.
"How could things possibly get worse?" I thought, as I looked Dad up and down.
His shirt, which had fit him two months ago, now had to be at least two sizes too big. His pants, which had once seemed almost too tight, were now being held up by an old leather belt adjusted to nearly half its full size. I knew mom, Kelsey, myself, and the rest of the Tarsus IV population weren't doing mcuh better.
"Haven't we suffered enough?" I thought to myself, anger boiling in the pit of my stomach. "Where the heck is Starfleet? They should be here by now! Don't they care about as at all?"
"Tom," Dad sighed, running his fingers through his hair in agitation, "Go find Kelsey and take her to your room. Your mother and I will be there shortly, but we have to talk grown-up to grown-up for a moment."
Without hesitation, I nodded my head and went to the front door, trying not to show how much my father's actions were scaring me.
The last time I had seen my sister, she had been outside on her old tire swing. She had a wishful look on her face, like she wanted to swing back in time to a happier moment, when Daddy didn't come home whispering like a madman, Mommy didn't cry, and her belly was comfortably full.
As I stepped out into the front lawn, my eyes immediately fell on one of the old trees that stood just a couple of feet from the side walk. Hanging from its branches was Kelsey's old and well-used tire swing, empty and abandoned.
I felt my heart speed up, and fear gripped my stomach in what was becoming a far-too-familiar feeling.
I had looked outside ten minutes ago and she had been there.
I knew Dad would have said something before I went outside if Kelsey hadn't been in her swing when he came home.
I would have heard the door open if she had come in.
So where was she?
Dad had to have been home no more than 5 minutes, so Kelsey couldn't have gotten far.
I swept my eyes from one end of the block to the next, and sure enough, I saw two figures. They were staring into the windows of the old Andersons candy store, which had been ransacked, robbed and burnt down just a couple of weeks ago by a man petrified by the troubles to come.
I sighed in relief and annoyance as I identified the midnight black hair and tiny build of my sister and started walking towards the pair.
As I got closer, I recognized the person she was standing with.
It was a man that, if I had to guess, was probably in his early to mid-thirties, with greasy brown hair and hard hazel eyes.
He was one of governor Kodos's armed guards, who had been posted to our block after the first week to keep people from destroying everything in a panic.
The closer I got, the more apparent it was that the man wasn't looking in the store window in hope of seeing a sweet treat that may have survived the flames, but rather was looking at Kelsey.
The expression on his face, though, was the same that a starving person might give to a piece of candy: a look of wild hunger that I knew wasn't a good thing for little Kelsey.
The man suddenly reached up and stroked Kelsey's midnight locks, then grabbed her arm. I felt a shiver run up my spine and I knew straight away that I needed to get Kelsey out of the man's sight. I picked up my pace until I was in a dead run.
"Kelsey!" I called, hoping that my voice would be enough to get the man's attention away from my sister.
They both turned to look at me, and as I stopped next to them the man let go of Kelsey's arm.
Breathing hard and watching the man warily, I told Kelsey about dad wanting to talk to us. Kelsey, who was looking at the man with big startled eyes, just nodded and stepped closer to grab my hand.
For a moment, though, I couldn't move. I locked eyes with the man, and the ice ball that had taken up residence in my stomach grew. Being ten, I was starting to recognize the different "vibes" good people and bad people gave off, and I knew this guy was not good news. The look in his eyes made fear seep into my bones, although he was smiling at us in a way that to anyone else would have looked warm and amused.
"Well, I guess you'd better hustle along then, kids," The guy chuckled, his voice smooth and friendly.
With a nod, I turned and tugged Kelsey along, probably a little faster than I should have, seeing how much smaller she is. I nearly dragged her off her feet in my haste to get her away from the man.
It wasn't till we were inside with the door closed that I relaxed. Kelsey was now safe, away from the man's gaze.
In true little-kid fashion, she seemed to have forgotten all about the man now, and headed for my room. I followed, making a mental note to tell Dad what had happened when I got the chance.
When Kelsey and I walked into my room, my parents were there waiting for us. Mom was sitting next to Dad in one of the two fold-up chairs that they brought whenever we were going to have a particularly long talk.
I froze in the doorway.
My family, who had been so healthy barely two months ago, looked ragged and frighteningly thin. Mom, who had always been small anyway, was constantly tugging the collar of her shirt up a bit, and wore a belt tightened to its smallest size. Kelsey's jeans were sagging so low on her tiny legs that the only thing covering the top of her underwear was her long shirt, which looked almost like a dress. Everyone was a bit paler, with dark rings forming around their eyes and skin stretched taut over their cheekbones.
I glanced in the mirror hanging on my door. My own clothing was sagging a bit, though the shorts I wore had a drawstring and so didn't hang off my waist like Dad's, Mom's, and Kelsey's did. But my shirt was just as baggy as theirs, sliding down to expose one of my bony shoulders. Underneath the fabric, I could see the ladder of my rib cage becoming more and more noticeable. My face was as
pale as theirs, with the same darkness around the eyes.
"Where's Starfleet?" I bitterly asked myself, trying to swallow past the sudden lump in my throat and moving to take my place next to Kelsey on the bed.
Almost immediately, Kelsey snuggled up against me like she used to when we were younger and listening to bedtime stories from our parents. Like I used to then, I wrapped my arm around her waist, trying to ignore the way her hips seemed to stab at my thigh.
"Kids," Dad sighed, "Governor Kodos dropped by the lab today…it seems like it's going to take Starfleet a bit longer than we thought to get here. The relief ships they sent out were attacked by a couple of Klingon warbirds two days ago…"
Dad trailed off for a second, but I hardly noticed. Rage was burning its way through my veins like a deadly poison. Tarsus needed food now! Even a four-year-old could see that! And the stupid Klingons had just doomed everyone on Tarsus IV to another two months of starvation.
"But things should be okay now!" Dad exclaimed suddenly, his words catching my attention again. "Governor Kodos said he has a plan to make things a bit easier on every one, and he'll have it started tomorrow."
Dad's voice sounded cheerful for the first time in months, but somehow apprehensive at the same time.
"What's he scared about?" I thought to myself. "This is the best news we had heard in months!"
"In fact," Mom broke in, "Kodos has invited us and 200 other guests to join him tomorrow in the square, where he'll explain how he's going to solve the problem!" Mom's voice, unlike Dad's, was confident and happy. For the first time in what felt like forever, a genuine smile graced her face. I could practically feel the excitement and joy rolling off of her.
Mom's excitement seemed to relight Kelsey's flame, because suddenly she leapt from my side with a happy squeal and wrapped her arms around our parents' necks, forcing them to bend down and wrap one arm each around her as she started bouncing.
For a second, a grin spread across my own face and I almost copied Kelsey. But the look in my dad's eyes stopped me in my tracks.
It was a look of fear and suspicion, and it wiped the grin off my face in a heartbeat.
Something was wrong with Dad, and I couldn't figure out what it was. I mean, here we were, getting the best news we'd heard in a long time, and Dad was acting as though he didn't trust it.
The meeting only lasted a few more minutes before Mom and Dad told us to get some rest. By that time I had put my thoughts about the look in Dads' eyes away and my happiness had returned. I crawled into bed with a broad smile, for the first time in so long that it made my cheeks ache. I fell asleep soon afterwards, the smile never leaving my face.
When I woke up it was still dark outside. Glancing at the clock by my bed, I saw that it was only 12:30 AM. Over the course of the past two months, it had become common for us to be woken by hunger pangs in the middle of the night.
Just great. My dreams, which had been my only escape from reality lately, had been interrupted, and I doubted I'd be able to get back to sleep easily. With an irritated grumble, I pulled myself out of bed and headed towards the kitchen, hoping a glass of water would help me ignore my hunger for a little while longer.
It was on my way there however that, I remembered what Mom and Dad had told us about Kodos, and it was all I could do not to whistle an annoyingly happy tune as i stepped into the kitchen to grab a glass.
As I was on my back to my room though I heard my parents whispering in their room. For a second I considered just walking back to my room, but curiosity got the better of me. I tiptoed over to their door, put my ear to it, to listened in.
"Really, Richard, I don't see why you're so worried. I mean, this is the best news possible. Kodos has finally found a way to help us! And yet, you act like you're facing a rampaging bull with only a pin whistle. Why?" Mom whispered.
"Yeah, why," I thought to myself, Dad's concerned expression coming back to haunt my mind.
"I don't know, Mary Ann. I just have this bad feeling, that's all. When the governor dropped by today, he asked if we had any solutions to fix the fungus problem. Of course, we said we didn't. Then he gave us this weird assessing look, and said he had a way to fix the problem, before turning and walking out. I don't know why, but I felt like I was being condemned rather than reassured. Then later, as I was leaving, he stopped me and told me he wanted me there tomorrow to see what he was going to do. He told me to be sure to bring my family. The look in his eye when he looked at me…it was like he thought he was so much better than me…better than my family. He looked at me…like I was a …a bug that needed squishing," Dad choked out, sounding as though he were literally drowning in stress and fear.
I felt my frown deepen as chill settled deep in the pit of my stomach. I had never heard Dad say things like that, and I had certainly never heard him so scared.
"Oh honey, it's probably just stress on both your parts. I'm sure he didn't actually mean to come across that way," Mom soothed gently.
"Yeah, maybe," Dad sighed, sounding beaten.
"Tommy." A soft voice whispered behind me all of a sudden.
I spun around to find Kelsey in her light pink PJs, clutching the teddy bear she had fondly named Tom-Tom after me, and staring at me with her wide emerald green eyes.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice curious but thankfully still quiet.
"Nothing," I whispered, straightening up.
Thankfully, Kelsey didn't seem in a mood to press the issue.
"Tommy, can me and Tom-Tom sleep in your room? We had a nightmare," Kelsey whispered, quivering a bit with fear.
I tried to give her a comforting smile, but my mind was too preoccupied for the expression to look genuine.
"Sure, Kelly," I replied, and swung my arm around her shoulder, guiding her back to my room.
When we got back, I let her crawl into bed and lie down next to the wall before lying down myself. I felt exhaustion pulling at my eyelids, but just as I was about to fall asleep again I heard Kelsey say something. Reluctantly, I pulled my eyelids apart and rolled over to look at her.
"I'm sorry, Kelly, what was that?" I asked, exhaustion coloring my voice.
Couldn't she just shut up and quit fidgeting?
"I said, do you think Kodos really can help us?" Kelsey repeated.
I sighed, but her voice was so hopeful that I couldn't bear to tell her what I'd heard Dad saying.
"Yeah, Kelly, I do. Now please go to sleep," I said. As soon as the words left my mouth, I winced: I hadn't meant to let my annoyance show. Still, I was too tired to feel guilty for long.
I was just drifting off again when something else woke me. Kelsey had leaned over and very gently kissed my cheek.
"Thank you, big brother, for letting me stay the night in here…that dream really scared me," I heard Kelsey whisper.
Now I really felt guilty. I reached out for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. When I felt her squeeze my hand back, I allowed myself to fall asleep again, smiling for the second time that night.
My name is Tom Leighton. I am 10 years, 8 months, 3 weeks, and 5 days old.
When I woke up again, it was light out and Kelsey was shaking my shoulder.
"Mommy said it's time to wake up and get ready to go to the square!" Kelsey exclaimed, her excitement apparent to even my half-asleep brain.
I groaned and nodded as she jumped up and cheerily skipped out of the room.
The sound of her so happy was enough to drag me out bed, and I slowly walked over to my closet. Digging around for a second, I found my favorite pair of jeans and the T-shirt with my favorite band's logo on it. I was starting to feel pretty excited as well.
I quickly put on the clothes, sighing as I grabbed a belt to hold up my pants and tugged up the slipping shoulders of the shirt. The only thing that fit me anymore was my sneakers. Normally, I would have been upset by this, but I pushed the unpleasant thoughts from my head, promising myself that today would change everything and I could finally start regaining the weight I had lost.
"Tom lets go! We are going to be late!" Dad yelled down the hallway agitation clear in his voice for all to hear.
With that, I rushed out and met my parents and Kelsey by the front door.
The first thing I noticed when I got there was that Dad was as pale as a sheet and wouldn't stop fidgeting.
Last night came back to me in a rush, and I knew his fears had only intensified since then. Uncomfortable with seeing my dad, who had always seemed so strong, look like he was about to bolt towards the mountains, I turned my attention to Mom and Kelsey. They were practically glowing with happiness, and a smile spread across my face to match theirs.
From where I stood I could hear Kelsey's stomach rumbling. No dinner last night and no breakfast this morning meant we had to be incredibly low on food.
"Kodos, you'd better have a good plan," I thought to myself, trying to ignore my own complaining stomach and reaching forward to give Kelsey's shoulder a reassuring pat.
"Let's go," said Mom, losing her glow a little as she looked sadly at her hungry children.
With that, Mom put her hands on Kelsey's and my shoulders to guide us out and Dad touching the small of Mom's back to guide her through the door.
We were mostly quiet on the way there, each lost in our own thoughts, though Kelsey occasionally broke the silence to ask a question or hum a tune.
When reached the square, I felt my breath catch. There were so many people there! I mean, Mom had told us there would be at least two hundred, but it looked more like two thousand!
It looked like Kelsey and I were the only children there, and that most of the families without kids had been invited. I tried not to feel to smug that Kelsey and I were the first children who had the honor of being the first to find out about Kodos's plan. But that feeling was stopped in it's tracks anyway as Kelsey tugged on my hand.
"Who's that?" she asked, pointing in the direction of the courthouse wall. She sounded curious and awed at the same time.
Huh. I hadn't realized that I could name everyone in this square until Kelsey pointed out the one person I didn't know. He looked a little older than me, and was the only one in the crowd who looked bored rather than curious or excited. He was also the skinniest, I noted.
His blonde hair was a ruffled mess, like he had been constantly running his fingers through the golden locks. He wore faded blue jeans tied around his waist with rope, a black shirt that, like everything else, sagged a little, and a brown leather jacket, the kind you'd wear while riding a motorcycle. The jacket was baggier than all of his other clothes, as though it were made for an adult rather than a young teenager.
But it was his eyes that caught and held my attention. They had to be the bluest blue eyes I had ever seen in my life. As cheesy as it sounds, they reminded me of the sky on Earth. (On Tarsus, the sky was purple.) They were pretty eyes, that's for sure, and they were taking in everything from where he leaned against the brick wall. The thought "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important" was written clear as day in those eyes.
Suddenly, his gaze settled on something, and I saw something besides boredom enter the boy's eyes…suspicion, maybe? Curious, I followed his gaze, and found myself looking at a long line of Kodos's men, all holding phaser rifles. For a second I felt fear grip me again, but logic pushed it away.
"Kodos is probably just being careful, what with so many people gathered in one place," I thought, shrugging my shoulders.
I finally remembered that Kelsey had asked me about the boy.
"I don't know, I've never seen him before," I answered her.
"Well, he's cute," Kelsey, said, much to my surprise.
I didn't really know whether I should snort, laugh or groan.
"You're seven. You shouldn't think anything but puppies and kittens are cute," Dad broke in, sounding amused though still tense.
I glanced at Kelsey, who was laughing, before tracing her gaze back to the rough-looking boy. As I looked at him, I suddenly I felt safe, like he would protect Kelsey and me.
"But why would he need to do that? It isn't his job, that's what Mom and Dad are for," I thought, thoroughly confused as to why I felt a connection with this mysterious boy.
The boy must have noticed I was staring at him, because he looked toward me. His glance settled on Kelsey for a second, making her giggle and blush, much to my amusement. Then he looked me straight in the eye.
For a long moment, we just stared at each other. I felt like we were talking, though I wasn't quite sure what we were saying. Then he nodded his head in greeting and went back to looking around, the bored expression reentering his eyes. I glanced down at Kelsey, who smiled at me.
"I think I'm going to go talk to him," she said. Kelsey had never really been a shy person.
"You'd better stay…" The rest of my sentence died in my throat as she took off in the boy's direction. I heard my parents chuckle and shot them a grin over my shoulder.
Curious, and feeling the need to keep Kelsey in my sight, I followed. When we reached the boy, he glanced at us and nodded again in greeting.
I felt pretty embarrassed, since I didn't even know the guy. But now that I was here, I couldn't find it in myself to leave, so I did the only thing I could do. I drew myself up to my full height and nodded back.
"You're cute!" Kelsey announced by way of greeting. My shoulders and jaw dropped in shock at her bluntness. I wasn't sure whether I should be embarrassed by her actions, or laugh my butt off.
Surprise flitted across the boy's face, but only for a moment. Kneeling in front of Kelsey, he gave a charming smile that made her blush.
"Is that so? Well, that's a pretty big compliment coming from someone as pretty as yourself." The boy's voice was soft, gentle, and filled with warm amusement. Kelsey giggled again, her face turning pink.
"And who is this? Your boyfriend?" The kid asked, switching his attention to me for a second before looking back at Kelsey. I knew the kid was joking, but still floundered for a second.
"He's my brother, duh," Kelsey said, giggling and reaching out to smack the boy's arm.
The boy chuckled and gave me a grin that said, "Your little sister is so cute". I grinned back and surprised myself by actually using my vocal cords for once.
"So, you got a name?" I asked.
The kid glanced at me again, and was about to answer before seeming to think better of it. He stared at the ground, biting his lip in concentration.
"What, did you forget your own name?" Kelsey teased.
The kid sent her a mock glare before finally deciding what to say.
"No I didn't, thank you very much." His voice and eyes were teasing as he sent a playful pout at Kelsey. "Call me J.T."
I nodded. It fit him fine, but I had a feeling that wasn't really his name.
"I'm Tom Leighton, and this is my little sister Kelsey," I said, before Kelsey got the chance. She glared at me, but I ignored it. For a moment, J.T. glanced between us.
"I can tell you're related," he finally said.
I raised an eyebrow at that. Most people had trouble believing Kelsey and were related; after all, we looked nothing like each other. I had my mom's brown hair and Dad's brown eyes, while Kelsey had Dad's shoe-polish-black hair and Mom's bright green eyes.
"Really?" Kelsey asked excitedly. For reasons I could never figure out, she was always disappointed when someone said we looked nothing alike. Mom had once told me it was because Kelsey looked up to me and she wanted everyone to know we were related.
"Yeah. I mean, none of your major characteristics are the same, but you have the same nose and smile exactly the same way," J.T. said with a laugh.
Kelsey's face lit up like Christmas had come early. I shot J.T. a thankful smile, which he returned.
"I think I could like this kid," I decided.
Suddenly, J.T.'s eyes flickered to the guards again. Now that I thought about, he'd been glancing at them throughout our conversation, with a guarded and wary expression entering his eyes.
As he glanced back towards us, his eyes took on yet another expression…protectiveness, I thought. Why would he feel protective of us? We had just met, and there was no danger. (Later, I would learn that J.T. was guarding and protective of all those that came into his care, and this was far from the last time I would see that look in his eye.)
Suddenly, J.T. glanced over my shoulder.
"Hey, are those your parents? I think they want you," J.T. said, standing up.
Turning to see for myself, I found my parents motioning for Kelsey and me to come back over. I was a little disappointed that I had to leave a new friend so soon.
"Yeah, that's them. Come on, Kelsey, I think the ceremony is going to start," I said, trying to ignore the sadness I felt. I had no idea why, but there was just something about this kid that said, "I'm your friend and you're safe with me."
"Awww, but I want to stay with J.T.," Kelsey whined.
I was about to protest when J.T. knelt back down.
"Hey now, we'll meet again. But for now, you should probably go back to your parents," he said. His voice was impossibly gentle, more like somebody talking to their child than to a girl they just met.
Despite his attempts, tears filled Kelsey's eyes.
"I don't want to leave," she sniffled.
I expected irritation or annoyance to cross J.T.'s face, but instead an amused smile pulled at his lips.
Suddenly he snapped his fingers, making both Kelsey and me jump.
"I got it!" J.T. said, standing up and digging around in his pocket for a
second.
After a moment, he found what he was looking for and kneeled down again to meet Kelsey's eyes.
"I knew there was a reason I picked this on my way here," he said, opening his hand to reveal a flower.
It was one of the native flowers, which looked a lot like an Earth lily except for the coloring. It was a deep sapphire blue with hot pink stripes running horizontally along each of the petals, and the stem was a bright gold. Any other year, these would have been common flowers. Now, though, it was probably the last beautiful vegetation in all of Tarsus IV.
Oddly enough, it was also Kelsey's favorite flower.
I knew vegetation was scarce right now, and I should have been mad that J.T. had picked it, but as Kelsey's eyes lit up in wonder and happiness I couldn't find it in my heart to be mad at him.
With a laugh, J.T. tucked the flower behind Kelsey's ear and into her hair, sealing it there safely.
"Why don't you take this to remember me by," he said. "It's such a nice flower and it looks good in your dark hair. A pretty flower for an even prettier girl."
His wink made Kelsey turn bright red, and I couldn't help but chuckle. Kelsey shot me a glare, but J.T. just smiled at me.
"Now will you go back over to your parents?" J.T. asked. "I promise we'll meet again. You two are too much fun for me to stay away long."
Kelsey looked like she was about to protest, but to my surprise a stern fatherly look came into J.T.'s eyes and she relented.
J.T. gave her a kind smile and stood up. The second he was on his feet, Kelsey tackled him, hugging his waist tightly. Though surprised, he slowly put his arms around her to return the hug. After a second, though, he pulled back and smiled.
"Go on, you've kept your parents waiting long enough," J.T. said, his voice soft and parental.
Kelsey nodded, but before she turned to leave she motioned with her finger for him to bend down again. With surprising patience, he did.
The second he was back down to her level, Kelsey quickly kissed his cheek, then turned and ran off, blushing furiously, before J.T. and I had time to react.
J.T. stood up slowly and turned to me.
"She sure is a brave little one, isn't she?" J.T.'s voice rang with amusement.
"You have no idea," I laughed.
"Well you'd better get back over there, too." J.T. said, and for a second I thought I saw a flash of the sadness I felt flicker in his Earth-sky blue eyes.
"Yeah, I better," I said. I didn't leave: I was trying to figure out how to say good-bye, but the words and a simple wave didn't seem appropriate, and I certainly couldn't hug him or kiss his cheek!
So I settled for what I saw my dad do when he was greeting or saying good-bye to friends: I stuck my hand out. I saw amusement once again shining clear as day in J.T.'s blue eyes as he reached out and grasped my hand in a firm but friendly handshake.
I was about to let go and head back to my parents when suddenly the intercoms buzzed on.
"The revolution is successful. But survival depends on drastic measures. Your continued existence represents a threat to the well-being of society. Your lives mean slow death to the more valued members of the colony. Therefore, I have no alternative but to sentence you to death. Your execution is so ordered, signed Kodos, Governor of Tarsus IV."
J.T.'s hand froze in mine and I felt my mind go blank as suddenly the guards around us lifted their phaser rifles and fired.
Screams erupted from the crowd and suddenly people were stampeding around us. Phaser shots went flying past us and some people dropped, never to get back up again.
J.T. grabbed my wrist and started dragging me towards a nearby alley.
Suddenly the shock wore off and images of my parents and Kelsey flashed through my mind.
"Let me go! I have to find my family!" I shouted as I struggled against J.T. His grip was surprisingly strong for such a malnourished kid.
"I'll find them," J.T. shouted over the racket as he jerked me out of the way of a phaser blast and shoved me into the alley, "Run! I'll find them! GO!"
Fear gripped every part of me and I did the only thing I could: I followed orders and ran, trusting some guy I'd just met to keep me alive and bring my family back to me. I didn't glance back, because if I did I wouldn't be able to run away.
Then suddenly, over the noise of all the screaming and phaser shots, another scream rang out in terror. It made my blood run cold. I knew that scream.
For a second, I considered running and saving my own hide, but then Kelsey's sweet innocent face flashed in my mind and I didn't have a choice anymore. She was my sister and she needed my help.
I spun around and found myself running back towards the chaos, not even bothering to notice the few lucky people who were running past me, having found the one escape not guarded by Kodos's men.
I didn't expect to find Kelsey as easily as i did, but there she stood, at the edge of the crowd farthest away from me, with fear etched onto her face. I started running towards her, dodging people or knocking them down. My only thought was to get to Kelsey.
I was too late. A guard had spotted her before I had and had already taken aim. I screamed. What was I screaming? I don't know. I just felt it tear through my throat as I swam through the crowd, trying to get to my sister. I expected to see her drop at any second with a gaping hole in her chest.
For one second there was that danger. The next second there was J.T.
I still swear to this day the kid popped out thin air. He grabbed Kelsey up into his arms and ran, the phaser fire so close I saw a scorch mark appear on the back of J.T. Brown leather Jacket. J.T. didn't seem to notice just how close he came to be getting killed as he just continued to run, kelsey now in his arms her head tucked safely under his chin and her body covered almost completly by his.
I felt my legs go watery in relief. J.T. and Kelsey were heading towards the alley. They needed to hurry, though, cause the guards had noticed how people were getting out, and were now shooting their way towards the exit to block it.
I tried to follow, but almost immediately I was cut off by people running and shoving each other.
I saw one woman with a swollen belly showing she was pregnant, and with a start I recognized her as my science teacher, Mrs. Crawford. I saw her trip over one of the too many bodies.
Nobody stopped for her. I could hear the sounds of bones crunching and then a bloodcurdling scream cut through the air and then stony silence.
I never saw Mrs. Crawford get up.
But as sick as all that would make me feel later, for this one instant I was concerned only about getting myself out of there.
I glanced back up, just in time to see J.T. shove Kelsey into the alley. For whatever reason, J.T. turned to look back.
Even from across the courtyard, I could see his eyes shining bright with horror and fear, but also determination. He wasn't going to go down without a fight. He was about to turn and run, and for a cold second I realized that he thought I was up ahead. He would unintentionally leave me here to die.
"No!" I mentally screamed at him. "I'm not ahead! Please don't leave me!"
Before he had fully turned around to run for safety, I caught his eye. Exasperation and fear, which I later realized was directed towards me, shone in his impossibly blue eyes.
For one horrid second, I thought he might just turn and leave anyway. Heck, he had already tried to save my butt once, and like an idiot I had come back.
This was my first lesson never to doubt J.T.
The kid yelled over his shoulder, presumably at Kelsey, and then took off running in my direction. I felt relief once again crash over me as I fought through the rapidly thinning crowd towards the one person I hoped could save me.
20 feet from him. Come on, I had to make it.
15 feet and closing with surprising speed. Fear lent my jelly-like legs
strength.
10 feet.
I saw the rifle rise in the corner of my left eye.
5 feet.
J.T. took a flying leap and tackled me.
He was only half quick enough. The phaser fired. J.T.'s body hit mine. My head snapped to the right, opening up the left side of my face.
Then searing, harsh pain wiped all thoughts from my mind. Dimly, I felt my back hit something soft but wet. The ground was covered in blood, I would later realize.
I heard a voice screaming, but I couldn't understand what it was saying. The only thing I understood was the searing, bursting pain coming from the left side of my face, mainly in my eye.
I felt like I was being raised and then moved very quickly.
"Yes," I thought as blackness began to come over my mind and the pain began to ebb, "Yes, angels, take me away from this planet to the pearly gates and make this pain go away."
My vision cleared slightly one more time before darkness came over me. I could see blurs of movement that I was sure was the sky the angels was carrying me towards.
The last conscious thought I had was, "My angels have pretty blue eyes."
Then the world went dark, and I knew no more.
end chapter 2