Gazers Among the Gods

Anabi

Anabi raised his fingertips to the sky, a cry releasing itself from his throat. Not of pain or pleasure. Anguish tore at his heart. Anger, towards the abandonment he felt in that very moment. His small being found no greater loss than that of being left behind, whilst his father stepped back and fled from this mundane life. Anabi has been a mistake, an accident that wasn't supposed to happen, a miscalculation.

When the nurse rounded the corner of the side alley she heard his cries. Hand hovering over her heart, her feet took her to him. His eyes were the color of stars and nebulas, a swirling universe of their own. He had the most hair she'd ever seen on a baby, a full head of thick black curls. Even though he'd been carelessly left behind by his father, the hands that had wrapped him in his blanket had done so with love and care.

At only a day old, Anabi knew this wasn't what he had wanted. He had come into this world, ready for a life of glory and achievement. This hadn't been in his plan. Much less in the plan of the ancient gods, who frowned upon his father as he left the scene.

Years later all Anabi would remember of his parents was that his father's eyes were made of stars and his mother's held kindness and warmth.

***

Ash and stardust crunched beneath iron plated boots. Shouts buzzed beneath heavy fire. Anabi crouched beneath the stairs of the old orphanage, holding two younger boys in his arms. The younger one was crying, his sweater stuffed into his mouth to muffle his voice. Anabi gave the boy a small pat on the shoulder, a grimace on his face. They had to stick it out, at least until the troops and medics had passed above them. There was no way Anabi would be able to tell which side was the one they were on. He wasn't even sure where he was supposed to be in the midst of all this war. It happened suddenly and without notice.

It began when the Gazers predicted the war, out of the blue. After years of peace in their sector of the galaxy, prophecies of war. And worse of all, a war of and for the gods. How was Anabi supposed to know which side he was on when he didn't even truly believe in the gods. Anabi felt the sweat, mixed with cement dust settling on his back, sticking into a paste.

"It'll be over in just a bit, they're just getting prepped, the fighting isn't actually anywhere near here." Anabi swallowed, the older boy was staring at him, his brow furrowed. Lies! His eyes screamed. Anabi looked away, ignoring his look. What Alexei didn't know wouldn't hurt him, he was too young for this kind of war. He knew the circumstances much less than Anabi, it didn't even concern him.

"Alexei stop crying unless you want us to be killed!" The brother shouted at him. Alexei's eyes grew wider, bigger tears threatening to spill over.

"Jerov shut up," Anabi mumbled under his breath. The boy was just making matters worse. Just a little bit longer, then they could try to make a run for it.

Dust settled on Anabi's shoulder, followed by a thunderous crashing sound and everything going dark.

The boys didn't have the troops to be afraid of, because the troops were looking for Anabi, both sides were. The crunch of metal boots was closer now. They thundered down the rickety stairs into the basement, beams of light cut through Anabi's darkness to find two young boys, brothers, huddling beneath a rotting table. One of the medics rushed in, embracing the boys and telling them everything would be okay. They nodded, their eyes meeting, vowing then to keep Anabi's prescence a secret. He was still somewhere in that room, but they would never find him under the cover of his darkness.