Young Prodigies: Secrets

Violet

Saige is being such a brat! I thought to myself as I looked at her, but she ignored me. Zahra is a nice person she just needs time to adjust to us, and there is nothing wrong with being nice to her while we wait.

I took the address from Sara and thanked her again after Saige walked out.

When we got back to the plane, I decided to set the plane to Oakland, but Saige beat me to it. She used the microphone to yell, "We will arrive in an hour so be ready, losers!"

I spotted Zahra sitting on the couch. She had her bag of stuff that she brought from home. Tears swelled in her eyes as she stared at a picture. I didn't want to sneak up on her so I decided to hint her that I was there, "Hey Zahra, what up?" She looked up from her picture and wiped away her tears. She didn't say anything as I sat on the other edge of the couch. I smiled, "What do you have there?" She pointed to a little girl that was so older than six and whispered, "That's my sister, Tabia, she's five." She pointed to two adults, "That's my mom, and dad." Tears streamed down her face, and she immediately wiped them away. I frowned, "Are they still in Egypt." Zahra didn't look at me, but she answered, "My parents are, but my sister isn't." I didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but curiosity got the better of me, "Where is she?" Zahra shrugged, "I don't know. We were supposed to be foreign exchange students together, but something happened and we got separated. I don't have any communication with Tabia or my parents."

I got the feeling that it wasn't good, but again curiosity got the best of me, "What happened?" Zahra looked at me, and some more tears came out of her eyes, and down her face. She didn't wipe them away this time as she explained, "It's a long story, Violet." I smiled, "I have time."

Right as I said that of course something had to interrupt us! Xavier and Sam were flying a remote control helicopter, but it crashed and it Zahra in the leg. She flinched and put her legs up onto the couch and hugged them. She tucked her head into her legs and whimpered.

Xavier and Sam realized she was crying and walked next to me. Xavier whispered to me, "What happened? It didn't hit her that hard, did it?" Zahra lifted her head, and confessed, "No, it didn't I just have a wound on my leg that reopened." She rolled up her pant leg, a little bit, and revealed a third degree burn. She continued, "The only reason I'm a foreign exchange student is because it's the only legal way to get out of Egypt, right now." Xavier sat down on the chair, "Why would you want out of Egypt." Zahra avoided eye contact and continued, "Egypt is at war right now, and it's not safe. My best friend got killed by a bomb while she was getting water from her family well. Bombs are going off everywhere." She looked down at her leg. She grabbed some gauze out of her bag, and started wrapping it, "Me and my sister were on our way out, and I got burned really bad. I pushed my sister into the car trying to ignore the pain and got her to safety. But when she was safe, I had no more energy or willpower to try to get in the car with her. I told the driver to go, and I collapsed. My mother rescued me, but by time my father got me to the place I had to get to my sister had already left." She tied off the gauze and wiped the blood off of her fingers. She continued, "I miss her, and every time it's dark I start hallucinating. I see bombs exploding everywhere, and Tabia laying on the ground lifeless. I also panic when someone touches me because of Lisa. That girl was terrible, and I couldn't do anything. Her mother was just as crazy as her!"

I wanted to help her, but I didn't know how. I have never went through anything even remotely like that. I don't have the slightest clue what that must feel like, and I don't have siblings so I don't know what it is like to lose them. I scrambled through ideas on how to answer her and break the awkward silence, but Sam beat me to it. He revealed, "I don't know what it would be like to lose my sister. She's all I got. My parents are both in the Smithonian military and don't really have time to talk to us. I mean I can call them at any time, but there is always a high possibility they will tell us to call again later or not even answer at all." Zahra bowed her head and stared at the picture of her family. Xavier continued on the conversation, "I have a lot of brothers, and I would do anything for them. I'm sure that's the same with your sister, huh?" Zahra looked up from her picture, "Yes, I would take a bullet for her." Xavier reassured her, "Okay if that's the case, we will try to track her down for you, okay?" Zahra's eyes widened, "You could do that? Really?"

Sam smiled, "Sure we can, but it may take some time." For the first time Zahra smiled, "Thank you! Thank you so much! But wait..." I cut her off, "What?" Zahra's gaze washed over all of us, "Why are you guys being so nice to me?" I replied, "Why wouldn't we?" Zahra smiled, "I don't know, just forget about it."

Saige yelled from the other room, "WERE HERE, LOSERS!" I got up and grabbed my spare bow, and quiver. Zahra limped to the plane's door, Xavier grabbed his bow and quiver while Sam packed medical supplies and water.

It wasn't as hot as it was yesterday, but it was around 90 degrees out. Zahra sat down and gathered a pile of sticks. We all watched her as she somehow crafted a pair of sturdy crutches. I smiled in amazement, "You're talent is art isn't it?" She smiled, "Yeah." She pulled out a piece of wood that every now and then I seen her fiddle with, but it wasn't just a piece of wood. It was whittled into a little doll. She showed it to me and replied, "It's for Tabia, she loves it when I make her dolls."

Saige walked by Zahra and took the wooden doll out of her hand, and through it on the ground, "Oh how nice, Zahra, but while you talk about your life. Someone is dying that's the only reason we're here right now." I glared at her and picked up the doll. I gave it back to Zahra, and declared, "Let's get moving, Sam how long till we arrive at Lila and Lily's house?" He checked his watch, "About an hour."

I checked my surroundings, "Where's Saige?" A distant scream pierced my ears, "SAIGE?" She screamed again, "HELP!" We all ran deeper into the woods, and unlike the last woods we were in there wasn't a dirt trail. We found Saige on the ground. Her arm was pussy, swollen, and black and blue. She whimpered, "I was bitten by something. It hurts really bad, and I can't get up." Her voice quivered. Zahra bent down next to her and started asking questions, "Why can't you get up, Saige?"

Saige didn't reply immediately, but you could tell she was trying, "I can't see straight, and I..." Her voice trailed off as she closed her eyes. Sam bent down next to her, "Saige!" Zahra tapped him on his shoulder to get his attention, "She's not dead, Samuel, but she was bitten by the Smithonian Wood Spider whose bite is highly poisonous! She just passed out, but we don't have much time." Sam got up, "What do we have to do?" Zahra ordered, "I need you to find the Smithonian Wood Spider, but don't get bit! Bring it to me, but it has to be alive. Its poison mixed with a few things I don't want to mention will work as an antidote." I told the others to go, and offered, "I will sit with you Zahra if you'd like?" Zahra smiled, "I'd like that." Saige started to shake uncontrollably, and Zahra sighed, "Hurry up, guys." She whispered, "She's running out of time, as soon as the venom gets to her heart she's going to be gone!" I gazed over at Saige, "Why is she shaking like that?" Zahra frowned, "Her body is rejecting the venom. There is nothing I can do to help her until the boys get back with the spider!" Zahra's voice went from calm to panic in matter of seconds. I heard something coming from our opposite direction I grabbed my bow and nocked an arrow. I heard Zahra unsheathe her sword from behind me. We both stood in silence as we waited for it reveal itself, and when we least expected it to a Smithonian cougar jumped out of the bushes. I let my arrow fly, and it pierced it in the leg. I didn't want to kill it, but I will have no choice if it gets any closer. I quickly nocked another arrow as I seen another one jump towards me, but I was too late. The cougars claw pierced me in the stomach and I dropped my bow. Zahra fought it off and sheathed her sword. Everything was a blur, and I didn't know what was going on. I looked up at Zahra who ripped her pant leg and wrapped it around my waist. I managed to mumble, "What are you doing?" Zahra seemed like she was in a panic, "I'm trying to stop the bleeding. How are you doing?" I mumbled something I couldn't even understand, but I managed to keep myself awake. The pain started to spread through the rest of my body, and I resisted the urge to sleep.

Zahra yelled at the top of her lungs, "HELP! PLEASE!" Immediately Xavier and Sam tumbled through the branches and leaves. I think it was them at least. I mean they were really blurry. I let my eyes close, but someone kept shaking me, "Vie, stay awake." The voice sounded like Xavier's, but I'm not sure. I heard background noises. Zahra exclaimed, "You found the spider Samuel, good! Help with Violet, please." My ears started ringing and I fell asleep.