Siblings-Sokeefe Story

Chapter 88: Asher POV

"So are we going to use the drone to spy on the Remember Refugees?" I asked, walking up to Audrey.

The young woman hesitated, as though she was holding something back.  Eventually she replied, "We don't know where they are."

I looked down, knowing I hadn't thought of that.  Audrey gave me a sad smile and sat down at the couch.  I sat down beside her, both of us still in the loud room, drowning out the noises of the many elves.

"Are you okay, Audrey?" I asked, looking up at her with what I hoped were convincing eyes.

She nodded slowly, her hand finding its way into her pants pocket.  I bit my lip, watching as she grabbed something and pulled out her fist, leaving it closed and hidden. 

"So what do we do?" I asked quietly. "We don't have any leads--"

"But we do," Audrey interrupted, her face a mix of emotions. "We do have a lead."

"We do?" I questioned, giving her a curious look.

Her fist finally opened, revealing a crumpled piece of paper.  She brought it to my hand and let me take it.  I opened it and read it silently.   Once I finished, we just sat in silence for a minute, the revelation sinking in.

"What do we do?" I finally asked, my voice barely coherent in the throng of elves' voices.

"I guess we don't have much of a choice," Audrey replied, her voice faint with worry. 

"But they didn't even tell us what to do! Where to go!" I exclaimed. "How are we supposed to prevent the future that only they can see?"

"I...I don't know," Audrey replied, turning away from me. "This just feels like checkmate. Someone we love is going to die before sunset. And there's nothing we can do about it."

"But there has to be something we can do!" I exclaimed, my patience for her petty party running out. "You've defeated them before!"

"It was a long time ago! And our memories were erased!" Audrey finally exploded. "I don't know! I don't have an answer! IS THERE EVEN A SOLUTION?"  Hot tears were running in waterfalls down her cheeks, and she desperately wiped them away, only to have them replaced with many more. "Emma and Sienna aren't back yet. Everyone else was kidnapped and I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, Asher. I don't." She took deep breaths, her chest rising and falling as she desperately searched for air.  Her face was red from her sudden change in emotion, and her cheeks were stained with tears.

I stared at her for a minute, not quite sure what to do.  It was like all hope flowed out with those words, leaving the air dry and uncomfortable.  Tears began to well up in my eyes.

If Audrey had lost all confidence in them and Emma and Sienna were kidnapped...

Where did that leave the good guys?

As losers? 

Did that really mean the Remember Refugees won?

But that wasn't how it was in the movies!  The good guys always won.  Why couldn't real life be the same?  

"I'm sorry, Asher. I--" she began.

"It's fine," I interrupted, standing up and walking away from the couch.  She tried to reach out and grab my hand saying, "Asher, wait--" but I brushed her off, walking away from the crowd and to my bedroom. 

I sat down on my bed and picked up one of my inventions, fiddling with the interface.  Tinkering and inventing calmed me down, taking me away from the real world.

It was what helped me get through life before Emma and Sienna came along.

The thought of them, so far away, who knows where...

Not even all the inventions in the world could take away the pain of them leaving his life forever. But Audrey was right, they were at checkmate.  

But if only this were simply a game of chess. 

A/N Life is kinda like chess. Except more is on the line than a bunch of pieces of plastic or other materials. 

In Asher's case, it's lives.

Sorry the more emotional and depressing chapters seem to be longer. These seem easier for me to write, perhaps because there are more words to put down. 

Sorry that it is still short! Hopefully Emma will have the next chapter out soon! ;D

Ciao,

SiSi