Arcadia : The Hidden Child

Chapter 15

The knock on my door woke me up, so I covered my head with the pillow and let out a soft moan.  Maybe they would go away if I didn't answer.
"Araleigh, let me in!"
I could tell from the perky sing- song voice it was Venus and knew there was no way she was going to leave, so I waved my hand to disengage the lock and the door slid open.
"What are you still doing in bed?"
"What are you doing up so early?" I retorted.
"Half the daylight is almost gone."
I sat up.  "Really?"
"Yes!" She smiled.  "That's why I came to get you." She threw the sheets off me and pulled me to a sitting position.  "Drink this, it will help wake you up, as well as, help some of those bruises and scrapes heal."
I took a big sip.
"We can't have Tristan seeing you all banged up....he would have my head."
I spit my drink out.  "What are you talking about?"
"Araleigh...  I see the way you two look at each other."
"You must be mistaken."
"I'm not." She said so matter-of-factly.  "Go wash up." She gently lifted me from the bed and helped guide me to the bathroom.  "And hurry up." She said closing the door behind me.
She was still waiting for me on the edge of the bed as I finished up in the bathroom.  I threw my wet hair into a messy bun and made my way to the door.
"That was fast." She said standing up.
"I was scared you would come in after me if I took too long." I laughed.  "Thanks for bringing my clothes in."
"It's the least I could do."
"You could've let me sleep."
She laughed. "Definitely not an option, I have been covering for you most of the morning.  If you are going to drag me out at night and have me teach you air combat maneuvers, then you have to get up at a decent hour so no one asks questions...you always need to make the bell!"
We had grown incredibly close, almost like I had known her my entire life, after spending every day together these last few days. 
"I just love learning new things."
"Cash warned me you would try to get me to show you everything."
"You didn't."
She held up her hand. "No, I didn't tell him what we are doing, but if we are to continue then you have to get up at a reasonable hour so no one suspects anything."
"Deal."
"Let's go get some food in you." Venus said walking out of my room.
I grabbed her arm and she turned to look back at me. "Thank you."
"No problem." She smiled.  "I'm really just making sure I don't get in trouble." She winked.
She didn't get why I was thanking her and she probably never would.  These last few days have been absolutely amazing, she was here when I needed her to be and she didn't ask questions, almost like she knew exactly what I needed.
We grabbed our food in the cafeteria and found a place to eat outside.  They had opened up one of the walls and made a little patio area outside, just under a large tree, so as usual there were people hanging out in it.
"Do you want to go sit in the tree?"
"No."
"It isn't for everyone, some people are climbers, some are swimmers, others are fighters."
"Jup is up there."  I said waving back to the girl waving at me. 
Jupiter and Venus couldn't be more opposite.  Jupiter loved to study and read, and spent most of her days in the tree or the lab.  She, also, had short dark hair and dark brown eyes, which was a stark contrast to Venus's light colored hair and eyes, however, they were both tall, one of the few things they had in common.
Venus waved at her sister and motioned for her to join them. 
Jup smiled and held up her book.
"What is she reading now?"
"Who knows." Venus smiled.  "What time do you want to meet tonight?"
"The usual?"
"Sure."
"Hello ladies, did you save me a seat?" Cash said sitting down between us.
"I guess we did."
"Hey Venus, Ivan was asking where you were."
"Oh?"
"Yea, he's in the workout room, something about you spotting him?"
"Shoot!  I forgot," she grabbed her things and ran off.
"Now it's just the two of us."
"What did you want to tell me that she couldn't hear?"
"Mother has asked if you want to do another dinner sometime soon."
"So soon."
"Don't bite my head off, but I think she is realizing how much she missed you."
I nodded without saying anything.
"Well that is an improvement."
"I'm really trying," I added, "I had fun last time so we can do it again."
"Perfect, I already told her we would be over in a couple days."
"Wow, ok," I was a little taken aback.
"What"-
A large commotion in the main hall distracted us.  "What's going on?" I asked.
"I don't know, but I want to," he stood up and grabbed my hand, "Let's go check it out!"  He said pulling me across the cafeteria and threw the crowd.
We made it to the front door and I stopped, paralyzed.
Cash grabbed my hand.  "Don't look."
"I'm fine." I wasn't fine.... I felt sick to my stomach. 
There were a dozen bodies strewn across the front lawn of the hub and they looked like they had been tortured.
I started to walk towards them and I felt a hand grab my wrist to pull me back, "I told you I am fine Cash," I turned around and saw Tristan standing there, "Thought you were Cash."
He dismissed the screw up.  "You don't need to go out there." 
"What if they are still alive?"
"They aren't," he said simply.
"How do you know?" I pleaded.
"Franz has already scanned them all and they have been dead for a couple days now."
"A couple days?" I pulled my hand from his grip, "Why hold on to them?"
"I don't know."
The crowd was starting to disburse, the original shock factor was gone, although a few people stayed.
"We need to get you back inside."
"For the last time I told you I'm fine.  Why are you pushing so hard to get me back inside?" And then it hit me, "Charlie?"
I didn't wait for an answer, but ran out to the field, looking at each one of the dead bodies.  They appeared to all be from Earth, but after I looked at the last one, a brief relief surged through me.  No Charlie.
Tristan was walking up to me with that sullen look on his face.
"What are you not telling me?"
He reached in his pocket and pulled out a note, "This was found on the child's body."
"Child's?" I was so consumed with looking for Charlie, that I didn't even see their faces.