Sweet Felony

Hiding

Kara watched as her sister slowly approached the house.

She needed to stop.

Please, Aru, remember what you were taught as a Ghataka. Remember what father will do to captured gang members.

But to her horror, Aru kept moving towards the door.

Their father was asleep at the moment, but he had always been a light sleeper. If Aru knocked on the door or rang the doorbell, he would wake up.

And, well... that would be the last of Aru.

Kara panicked. There was a tree outside her window. She tugged her combat boots on, quietly slid the glass open, then leapt from the sill onto the nearest branch thick enough to hold her weight without snapping.

Leaves fluttered down to the lawn below, but Aru didn't seem to notice. When her sister's back was turned, Kara leapt down from the tree, like a leopard. She raced up behind Aru and clamped a hand over her mouth, her other arm clasping around her shoulders.

Aru initially struggled, but Kara hissed, "Aru! It's me!"

When Aru had quieted, Kara released her.

"Kara?" Aru asked. "What are you doing out here?"

"I had to warn you," Kara said. "You can't be here."

Aru glanced up at their house. "But... I live here."

Kara glared at her. "You know what the Sleeper will do to escaped gang members, right?"

Aru's face blanched. She knew, and it was always lurking in the back of her mind, but she'd never been able to convince herself that her own father would actually kill her. "He... he'd make an exception."

Kara shook her head. "No, Aru. He won't. If he sees you, he will put a bullet through your head."

"Then what do I-"

A light switched on in Suyodhana's bedroom. Kara gripped her sister's wrist.

"Run. We need to run. Now."

The two bolted down the street, footsteps no louder than the sound of falling snow.

Only when the house was out of sight did they slow down, gasping for breath.

"If-if I can't go home, where do I go?" Aru asked shakily.

"I found a tiny abandoned house," Kara said. "It's not far. Come on."

They jogged the rest of the way, ducking out of sight of the occasional passing car. Ten minutes later, they reached a small old shack, with peeling brown paint that made it blend in well with the small patch of trees surrounding it.

"Here?" Aru asked.

"We have no other choice," Kara bent down and pulled out the small knife she always kept in her boot. She extended it towards Aru. "Take this. I'll be back tomorrow morning with some food and water. And clothes. You definitely need clean clothes."

"Thanks," Aru breathed, giving her sister a quick hug. "Be careful."

"You be more careful," Kara said.

Aru nodded, and then Kara was gone, having slipped back into the night's shadows.

Aru quietly padded into the shack. The door only had a rusty bolt, but she slid it shut. It squeaked as it closed. The windows all had broken glass, and the shutters were falling off. The floor looked smooth enough, but she didn't take off her shoes. There was no furniture save for an old-looking desk and a pile of dirty white cloth in the corner. Aru dropped Kara's knife, along with the stick-slash-mace she'd taken from the Alus onto the desk. She shook out the cloth and arranged it flat on the floor as a makeshift bed. She took off her jacket and folded it up for a pillow.

Not much, but it'll do for now.

She stared up at the ceiling and picked through the thoughts clouding her mind.

Had the Alus discovered she was missing yet? Had someone heard the sound of her breaking the window? Had Kara gotten back home safely without Suyodhana finding out? What if he had found out? What if someone came into the shack while she was asleep and found her? What if there were hungry wild animals in the woods behind the shack?

Oh, shut up, she scolded herself. No use panicking over what-ifs.

Her makeshift bed of dirty white cloth and her jacket wasn't very comfortable. She shifted. Her back was sure to have some knots in the morning.

But the moon was almost at its peak in the night sky, and so Aru closed her eyes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A particularly loud songbird's call woke her up early the next morning. Aru scowled. If the bird had been within range, she definitely would've taken Kara's knife and chucked it at the annoying thing.

The Wolf sat up and stretched. Sure enough, her back ached from the hard floor. Her hair was a mess. She shook out her jacket and slipped it back on before the crisp morning air could get to her.

Her mouth was dry, but she didn't have any water.

Great. Splendid. How marvelously peachy.

Shut up, Aru told the sarcastic side of her brain.

But then there was a knock at the door of the shack. Aru's hand shot out to grab the stick-slash-mace.

"Aru?" Kara's voice filtered through. "It's me."

Aru let out a relieved breath before getting to her feet and unlocking the door. Kara stood there with an old grocery tote bag.

"Here," she shoved the bag at Aru. "I can't stay for long before Dad gets back, but there's water, food, some of your clothes, soap, money, and one of my extra guns, plus ammo."

"Thank goodness," Aru said. "You're a lifesaver."

Kara grinned. "I've taken more lives than I've saved, but I'll take the compliment. I'll be back as soon as I can. Be careful. There are groups of rowdy teens that like to frequent this area."

"Noted," Aru said. "You be careful, too."

Kara shot her a two-fingered salute before walking away, looking like a regular teenage girl who wasn't a notorious gangster and trying to protect her sister from getting killed by their own father.

Aru closed and bolted the door with a sigh.

My life is messed up.