The Blues of Atlantis | ✔

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Kara placed her finger to her lips, and motioned to her to disappear. Nerina nodded and she grabbed Kara's hand as they faded away. Whether they actually crossed over to another plane of existence, she didn't know.

This disappearing trick came in handy now and again. She didn't quite understand how it worked; whether they manipulated the water particles in the air, or created some type of mirror shield, but it was awesome.

The trick would explain why her people were rarely seen. When someone thought they spotted one, they would quickly disappear, leaving the person wondering if they were losing their mind.

If only she could have learned this earlier, she could have avoided all the bullying. Run around a corner and just fade into nothing, instead of having the girls follow her into the bathroom as she tried to hide.

The footsteps and voices got louder, it sounded like they were right around the corner. She didn't recognize any of their voices.

"Why do we get stuck on patrol duty? I want to see the man who's caused Russ so much trouble." The voice sounded more like a boy than someone who was old enough to serve in an army.

The men were standing right in front of them when the radio squawked, letting them know that the girl had escaped and that Kara was helping her.

"Looks like you might see some action soon, boy," his older male companion stated.

When the men walked by, it caused a cobweb in her hair to flutter down over her face. A tickle rose in the back of her nose as she silently tried to blow it away.

Uh oh

Not good, so not good. She tickled the roof of her mouth with her tongue, hoping to stop the sensation, but it only made it worse. If she didn't have bad luck, she wouldn't have any luck at all.

She tried to swallow the sneeze, causing only a slight squeak to break free from her lips. Hopefully, they would assume it was a mouse. The youngster jumped at the sound and spun around.

"I heard something."

"You're always hearing something, it's just a mouse."

"That wasn't no mouse."

The man held his fist up to the boy's face. "Are you questioning me?"

Nerina's muscles tensed at how the man was treating his young companion. She hated to see anyone disrespect a kid and would love to give the man a piece of her mind, but she stayed silent.

The three men continued walking down the hallway, away from them until another sneeze slipped out unexpectedly, and this time there was no keeping it silent. The saliva that squirted out of her mouth fell like snow to the ground.

"I told you. I told you!" the youngster said, grinning from ear to ear. "I knew someone was here."

"Shut it!" the other man growled to the boy, lifting his gun in their direction. "Okay, reveal yourself."

Kara squeezed her hand before letting it go, revealing herself to the men. "Cool your jets, boys, it's just me."

"Where is she?" The older man asked.

"I told you. It's just me, Clay"

Why would Kara even reveal herself? She heard the radio, too. How did she expect Nerina to find her way out of the maze? As if the woman heard her, Kara stuck her hand behind her back and pointed down the hall, and then signaled to go right.

Kara sniffled. "I had no choice, she made me do it."

"Why were you hiding then?" Clay kept his gun trained on her.