The Girl From The Right Arm

Chapter 13

The first rays of the sun shone down on me when Aria woke up. She yawned and rubbed her face. Next to her lay Harriet and Sonya. The nights in the scorch were cold even when they were in the mountains. They had their sleeping bags tied together and so they warmed theirselves with their body heat. Body heat was the best remedy for the cold.

"Sonya! Harriet! Wake up. You have to go to your guards", Aria said and shook them both awake. Sonya was the first to sit up, yawning. Harriet always took a little longer.

"Thanks for waking up, Aria. We would have probably overslept.", Sonya grinned at her. Harriet just growled in agreement and crawled out of the sleeping bag.

"I'll get something to eat," she told her friends and got up. She shouldered her rifle and shuffled off.

"You're going in the wrong direction, Harriet. The food is in the opposite direction," Aria called after her, giggling. Grumbling, Harriet turned and ran back. Meanwhile, Aria got up and pulled on a shirt. She put her pistol and knives in her gun belt. Even if she wasn't on guard today, Cranks or WICKED could attack.

"I'm going to Jonas. Vince wants to talk to me about where we're going tomorrow." she said goodbye to Sonya. Then she turned around and ran to Jonas.

"Take care of yourselves!" she called after Sonya. Sonya just nodded, laughing, and disappeared with Harriet in one of the cars that would go to the guard posts. The sun was shining down on them and it got hot. The wind gave some refreshment, but it swept the grains of sand in front of it, so that they flew in Aria's face. The girl took one of her black scarves and wrapped it around her face. Only her ice-blue eyes could now be seen. With quick steps she ran to Jonas tent where Vince was already waiting for her.

"Good morning, Vince." she whistled as she entered the tent. "Good morning, Jonas." she also said to Jonas. The two just looked at her and nodded to her. While Jonas went back to his radios, Vince spread the map.

"What do you propose to Aria? Where to go next?" He asked her.

"The spies in one of the WICKED buildings gave us new coordinates for small laboratories. There would only have to be around three soldiers there. There will definitely be new information and medication. Jackpot would of course be one of the children," the girl explained.

"We could set up camp near one of these buildings and attack during the night. They are not far from here." she looked at Vince and pointed to a point on the map.

"Are there cranks there?" He asked.

"I can't give you a sure answer. They can settle anywhere, there are more and more," she sighed. "But there are no dark places in this region. No tunnels, no buildings. Just a few hills. Many cranks certainly won't be there. But a few could still be there," the girl explained. "What I mean by that is that there could be cranks anywhere. We can never be one hundred percent sure that there aren't any cranks there. There's always a risk," Aria said quietly.

"I know that too, Aria." Vince sighed.

"The only place without cranks and without WICKED is the safe haven.", Vince said and looked at the ground.

"And that's exactly why we're trying to save as many children as possible so that they can get to the safe haven." the girl smiled.

***

Aria was at Mary's when she heard cars pull up. "Mary?! Why are they here already? They shouldn't have been there for a few hours," the girl said nervously. Hopefully nothing had happened to Harriet and Sonya.

"I'm sure it's all good, Aria," she smiled at the girl. Aria didn't listen to her and ran out of the sick bay.

"Have you checked 'em, Harriet?" she heard Vince ask.

"No. But I know him. And I trust him." Aria heard the familiar voice of Harriet. What was she doing here?

"But I don't. Check 'em!" Said Vince. Aria laughed out loud. That was Vince. Always suspicious. She ran around the tent and saw the group standing together. One particularly caught her eye.

"Aris?"

Tears welled up in her eyes and Aria sobbed. She ran the last bit towards the group and stopped next to Vince. "Is it really you?" she asked quietly. Aria sobbed again.

"Aria? What's up, darling?" Vince asked worriedly.

"Mary! Say that I'm dreaming. That can't be real! Say that I'm dreaming." she sobbed in despair. She was hallucinating. It was the only way she saw him standing in front of her.

"You're not dreaming, Aria." Mary put a hand on her shoulder.

"Aris." Aria sobbed and ran towards him. She ignored the questioning looks of the members of the right arm and the group that had arrived. She only saw him. The girl hugged him stormily. She had him again. She had her big brother again. She sobbed happily. The girl broke away from him with a smile. "You really are. You are alive! I thought you were dead.", she smiled and put her hand on his cheek. She had him again.

"Who the hell are you?" Asked Aris.

Her smile froze and Aria immediately took a step back. Tears of joy opened the way to tears of anger and disappointment. He couldn't remember. She had him back and yet he was so far away.

"Aria! It's all good," Mary hugged her lovingly.

"Nothing is good. He can't remember me and certainly never will." Aria shouted angrily and pushed Mary away from her. Aria turned around in anger and ran away. She ignored the calls behind her.

***