Sweet Felony

The Battle Begins

Aru felt the ground beneath her feet shake. 

In her peripheral vision, Aru could see her friends frantically looking around. Brynne and Aiden regained their composure first, pulling out their weapons. Mini was next, drawing out her staff.

Turning back to Kara with an expression that bordered on pure panic, Aru felt her heart pound.

"I need to leave," Kara said, as yells erupted from the encampment. "If I'm gone too long, he's going to notice."

Aru knew who Kara meant by he. "Be careful."

Urvashi looked incredulous. "Why would you want to let her go? We could hold her as leverage over the Sleeper."

Kara shook her head. "Da- The Sleeper knows I'm too fast to get caught this early on. And on the other hand, he doesn't care. If I'm not helping him, then I'm dead weight. And we know how he deals with dead weight."

Aru grimaced. The fate of "dead weight" would've been hers, had she not escaped the Ghataka headquarters fast enough.

Hanuman, Urvashi, and Subala looked amongst themselves, speaking quietly.

Finally, Hanuman lifted his head. "Go. Don't make us regret this."

The two guards in the room released Kara from their hold.

"Thank you," Kara said to the adults, before turning to Aru. "And Aru?"

"Yeah?" Aru asked.

"I don't know how much I can help you, little sister, but just know that I've got your back."

Aru allowed herself a smile. "Thank you."

Kara nodded from the doorway. "Always."

Kara turned around fully, before disappearing from Aru's line of sight.

Aru turned back to her friends, knowing full well that by the time they went back into the hallway, not a trace of Kara would remain.

It was just how her sister was, too used to leaving.

Subala spoke up. "I'll gather our combatants. You all know defensive protocol."

Aru nodded, and from the corner of her eye, she could see her teammates nodding too.

"Go through the exit in the armory," Subala continued. "Pick up your weapons of choice while you're there too."

Urvashi gave the team a solemn look. "Above all, stick together and stay safe."

"Good luck, all of you." Hanuman said.

And with that, the council members exited the room.

Aru spoke up. "Well, you heard Subala, we need to get to the armory."

Aiden stepped toward the doorway, scimitars in hand. "Come on, everyone."

Mini ushered the twins out of the room, while Rudy tagged along.

The group of kids hurried down to the armory, as explosions rocked the encampment. Aru watched, as Alu fighters scrambled to grab their weapons, to embrace those they cared about once last time, before heading out into war.

Mini swung the door to the armory open, clutching her staff. "Hurry."

Aru, Rudy, and the twins nodded.

Aru headed into the armory, making her way to the case where she had kept her old gun and knives.

The weapons, remnants of her time as a Ghataka, had been saved by the Alus after the failed raid all that time ago.