Alicia

Alicia wondered if she’d angered some sort of deity to warrant this bad luck. She’d barely taken a bite from her first meal in three days when Trent had come prancing into her room and whispered, “Time to go.” And now, she was stuck in the woods on an empty stomach and a head full of vengeful thoughts. She could’ve sworn a bug was crawling down her back but at this point, she was well past caring. “Add it to the fucking pile,” she muttered.

“Well, at least we’re still alive,” Hope sighed, tossing another twig into the campfire.

“Why’s that always our only silver lining?” She groaned. The soft howling of the island breeze made her shiver. Trent was out searching for food and the boys were looking for more wood. That left the girls to tend to the fire. Alicia’s stomach growled in memory of Zakir’s orange pastries.

“Come on.” Hope offered her a sly grin. “The two of us alone. Sitting around a campfire. Waiting for the guys to bring us our meal. There’s definitely worse ways to spend the evening.”

“I suppose.” Alicia pressed her knees to her chest and sighed. “I guess this is it, huh? One way or another, this ends tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Hope grimaced. Her voice took on a serious note. “Trent said it’s going to be the hardest one so far. There’s a chance we won’t make it.”

Alicia wanted to say something mean or snarky but some part of her refused. She tried justifying it. This is the girl that put me in jail. I can give her all the hard time I want.

But she couldn’t do it. No matter how hard she tried, she could not bring herself to hate her. But if she could not hate her, what else was she supposed to do? She lowered her head and exhaled sharply.

“I’m joking!” Hope laughed. “Come on, chin up! Of course, we’ll get through. I mean, we survived a freaking dragon, for crying out loud. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Alicia looked up at her. She’s got that same stupid smile as Zaheera. “Don’t jinx us, idiot.”

“Crap! I’m so sorry.” Hope winced and crossed her fingers as she attempted to rectify her mistake. “Tomorrow’s gonna be absolutely terrible and we’re all gonna die in horrible ways. There, fixed!” She breathed a sigh of relief.

Alicia chuckled. “Is that how it works?”

“I don’t know, okay?” Hope rolled her eyes. “But hey, anything to save our butts, am I right?

Alicia recalled seeing Hope’s injuries when she’d fought the dragon. The very sight of them had made her quiver in fear. No one deserved to be hurt that badly. Hope had known what was at stake, what could have happened to her. And yet, she had jumped willingly into the jaws of almost certain death. She was lucky to even be alive, let alone healed and upbeat like this.

To be ready to do that again… Alicia did not know if she was brave or just psychotic. She wondered what truly drove her to do those things. Just as she was lost in thought, her gaze wandered to Hope’s forearm bandages. She was still wearing them even after all her other bandages had been removed. Was the injury really that bad?

“Your arms okay?” she asked.

Hope reflexively crossed her arms and shrugged dismissively. “Yeah. I mean, no. Not yet. They uh still need time to heal.”

Alicia raised an eyebrow at her. Something was not right. She got up to help. “Here, let me have a look. If it’s a sprain, I know a few tricks.”

“No!” Hope exclaimed and snatched her arms away. “It’s fine.”

“Weren’t you the one always going on about not keeping secrets that might fuck up the mission?”

Hope averted her gaze. “This won’t affect the mission, I promise.”

“Then why won’t you show me?” Alicia demanded.

“Because I don’t want to!” Hope yelled back.

Seeing that there was no getting through to her, Alicia backed off immediately. “Fine, don’t tell me.” She walked away to return to her seat but something caused her to stop and wonder, If this was the other way around, would she have given up?

Alicia took a deep breath and sat next to Hope. The former hero sulked and moved away from her.

Oh no, you ain’t getting rid of me that easily. Alicia smirked, took a deep breath, and spoke, “You know, for the longest time, I used to hate myself.”

Hope glanced at her from the corner of her eye.

“I used to think that all the shitty things that happened to me were somehow my fault. That I deserved to be unhappy.” Alicia exhaled and continued, “So I ran. I ran from my life, from my family, from myself even. But it did not help. No matter where I went, I still felt like shit.”

She glanced lovingly at Hope. “Until I met you.”

The former hero perked up all of a sudden. She stared questioningly at Alicia who only retorted with a gentle smile. “You helped me face my problems head-on. If it weren’t for you, I’d have never met my sister again. I’d still be moping around in a corner somewhere, complaining how my life isn’t fair or it’s the universe’s fault I ain’t doing well. I’d still be running. You helped me even when I gave you every reason not to. So, thank you. Thank you for being a stubborn dummy. You gave me my life back.”

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Hope shook her head in disbelief. “Alicia, I… I don’t know what to say.”

“My name is Aliyah,” she answered proudly. “Whatever it is you think you need to hide from me, I promise you, I can accept it.”

Aliyah held Hope’s hand within her own and spoke in the softest voice, “Because I love you.”

Hope stared into nothingness with her mouth agape. Then, she looked back at Aliyah with tears in her eyes.

Aliyah was losing her goddamn mind. Oh, crap. Oh, shit. Did I mess up? Did I say it too soon? She had expected a smile. She’d anticipated apathy or even disgust but tears? No no no, she was not prepared to deal with this. She hastily attempted to patch things up. “Yeah, like, you know, I…”

Before Aliyah could fully open her mouth, Hope pulled her in and planted the warmest kiss on her lips.

Fuck, that feels good. She tastes like strawberry lip balm!

Hope then proceeded to do things with her tongue that Aliyah didn’t think were possible. It was mind-blowing. Like a million little fireworks going off in her mouth. Aliyah had goosebumps on her goosebumps. The jungle simply disappeared around her. She no longer heard the whistling of crickets, the crackling of the campfire, or the distant chuckle of the boys on their way back. Even the nauseating smell of detritus was taken over by Hope’s strawberry scent. For a moment, it was just them, alone in the universe.

“So, as I was saying, there is no way in hell that Blue Samurai can defeat Red Samurai, alright? Even if he had the rest of the Cyborgs on his side, and that’s a big if, he’d still- wait, are the girls making out?” Sebastian dropped his firewood and nearly had a heart attack.

Hope looked at him with a coy smile. “This is exactly what it looks like.”

Alicia pulled away in dismay. Guess I’ll have to ask about her bandages later.

Ren grabbed Sebastian as he fell, letting his own firewood fall to the soft forest floor. Unlike his friend, his expression was more curiosity than horror and bewilderment. “The two of you are… lovers? Since when?”

The girls looked at one another, then shrugged innocently. They’d never gotten around to defining their relationship and now was hardly the right time. What were they? Aliyah pondered. Girlfriends? No, that felt too fast. Besides, they’d never been on a real date, unless they counted camping in the middle of nowhere while on the run from the law. Friends? No, that didn’t feel right either. Friends did not stick their tongues down each other’s throats. What about that thing Ren said: lovers. That felt good. It was sweet and savory and just the thing she wanted, like Zakir’s pastries.

Aliyah raised her head and answered him, “Yeah, we’re lovers.” Hope gripped her hand and gave her an approving nod.

“Huh, cool,” said Sebastian shakily. His tearful eyes were fixated on Hope. Her silent apology bore into his face like a pneumatic drill and shattered his heart into a billion pieces. Through ungodly effort, he kept his composure and wished her luck. With voiceless steps, he walked away from the campfire and did not cry until he was certain they couldn’t hear him.

Trent emerged from the darkness with a wide grin. “As much as I enjoy the bittersweet throes of young love, we have something rather important that deserves our attention. Wouldn’t you agree, Miss Hastings?”

“Did you find any food?” said Hope bitterly.

“If only.” He groaned. “Not for a lack of trying, mind you. The jungle is lousy with fruit and it is far too late to go hunting. So, unless you’re planning on eating bugs, the dinner plate is empty. Much as it pains me to say this, we’ll have to begin the operation on an empty stomach.”

“Shit,” Aliyah muttered.

“Shall we get to planning, then? Miss Hastings, be a dear and fetch your friend. I need all hands on deck for this.”

“It’s fine. I’ll tell him later,” said Hope.

“Are you certain? I will not have you risking my operation because your friend is not in the mood.”

“I said, it’s fine. I take full responsibility. Just let him be for a while, please.”

Trent considered the air around him. All three of them eyed him with the same begging expression. He loathed it but after three days of exhausting travel with no food or rest, he lacked the will to protest. In the end, he clicked his tongue and relented. “As long as you understand the consequences. In that case, gather around people. This will likely be our last council.”

He grabbed a stick and began drawing in the sand nearby. “The location for our final heist will be the Headquarters of the Mitsurugi High Council. The impenetrable fortress: Kazanagi. A five-storeyed castle surrounded by fifty-foot-deep trenches. Only one entrance, the drawbridge guarded by one hundred soldiers on a slow day. No forest cover, no vegetation to hide under. Snipers on the roof can spot you from a mile away. Since Roland knows we’re coming, expect even greater security.”

“How do we get in?” Hope interjected.

Trent traced a symbol for each of them and pointed with his stick. “Disguises. Miss Miller and I will sneak into the city to steal uniforms. We should be able to get at least one without drawing any attention. Ren will sneak into the fortress as one of their own and gain access to the surveillance room. Then, it’s up to your friend to gain control of the cameras. It’s all Roland’s tech so it shouldn’t be too hard,” he said, pointing the stick at Hope’s symbol.

“What am I doing after we get the uniforms? Kinda doubt you’re letting me sit on my ass while you people do all the legwork,” said Aliyah

“But of course, Miss Miller. You play the most crucial role of all. Once we control the cameras, you will infiltrate the castle and disable the main power supply. It’s located somewhere around here, so proceed carefully,” he said, drawing a circle near the back wall.

“And how in the world am I getting through the snipers?” She protested.

“Miss Hastings will use her skills to take care of them. Hopefully, they shan’t present too much trouble, what with all her experience breaking into buildings.”

“I’m not invincible, you know?” said Hope. “How will I get close to them without getting shot?”

Trent tossed a leather pouch in her direction. Hope recognized it as the same one he’d handed to Sebastian earlier, the one full of strange marbles that could create holographic projections. The former Knight had used them to fake his death not too long ago. She felt sick to her stomach.

“I’ve made some modifications,” said Trent. “The projections should render you temporarily invisible as long as you don’t get too close to the targets. I trust you can handle the rest.”

“That still leaves one question,” Aliyah interjected. “What’s your role in all this?”

“It’s cute that you still doubt me, Miss Miller. Once the power supply is compromised and the snipers are down, I will make my way in, locate the server, and blow it to kingdom come. With that, Justin Roland will be powerless to make his move and we shall have saved the country from a great catastrophe.”

“So, this is it, huh?” said Hope. “Three weeks of torture and near-death experiences coming to an end.”

“Indeed. Once the operation is complete, you shall be free to go home. I’ll transfer the funds to your account as soon as I am able. Remember, Roland knows we’ll be there tomorrow. If you get caught, there will be no trial. There will be no jail time. If you fall to his men, you will be executed on the spot. I hope you all understand what’s at stake here.”

No one dared to speak up.

“Well, in that case, that will be all. I thank you all for joining me on this mission. Trust me, you’re doing the right thing. Try to get some shut-eye. You’ll need every last ounce of strength you can get. We embark at six in the morning. Tomorrow, everything ends,” he spoke with rare softness.

“Tomorrow.” Aliyah sighed.