Bounty Hunter

Chapter 5

          "He looks nothing like you," I declare. "Yeah I take after my mom, She's Atterian," "All though I do have one feature similar to him," he remarks brightening. "I have blue hair," he proclaims. Leave it up to Kai to try and distract me from the present issue. I cross my arms annoyed at his lack of focus. "What you don't believe me? Look at the roots! I dye it so that I attract less attention," he says bending his head. His statement proves true as my eyes confirm the electric blue hue at his roots. He sits up straightening his back. The perfection of his dark hair is disturbed by an agitated hand. He stands up and I imitate his sudden movement. "We have to leave before my dad recovers. I'll explain everything later." I look at him concernedly. "What's going on?" I ask warily. "My dad sent out a public message of your face to the alien black market." "What exactly does that mean!?" "It means that anyone who's part of the alliance will be out for your blood. You're officially associated with me," he says. I rub my forehead anxiously and the tension in the room rises. "You're going to explain all of this alien politics to me. But first we have to clean this wreck," I say trying not to panic.

        We set about tidying up and restoring the room to its former perfection. Kai orders Gizmo around, instructing him to fix the broken window. I watch, impressed, as a light emerges from Gizmo and envelops the fallen circle of glass, and returning it to the window. I retrieve my phone from the desk and stalk over to the door. "There's a local Starbucks nearby. You can explain everything there," I say irritably. As he follows me out the door he has the audacity to attempt banter. "I told you we'd meet again," he says cheekily. "You've just uprooted my entire life. Now is not the time for jokes. Oh and since my life is at risk now, I'm going to need a gun," I announce. Impatiently I hold out my hand. His eyes widen slightly taken aback. "Right now?" "Now," I insist. His mouth quirks downward in surrender. To my surprise he actually pulls out the sleek gun I used before. I take the gun and slide my fingers down its smooth exterior. "We should go to my house before we get coffee, I have a holster that'd fit you perfectly," Kai informs me.

        We arrive at his house and we wait at the entrance as Gizmo zips away to bring me a holster. He returns with a thick black holster that fits around my waist like a second skin, and conceals the gun. If anyone were to hug me they would never be aware of the concealed weapon due to its thinness. I look up to see Kai gazing intently at me. Self-consciously, I pull my shirt down to hide the holster. "Stop staring at me," I say insistently. "I wasn't staring at you!" he protests. "I was just spacing out," he adds. I rolly my eyes at the ceiling and push my way out the door.  Behind me I can hear Gizmo's whizzing sound and Kai's heavy footsteps lumbering after me. Once we reach the local Starbucks we find a place to sit in the corner of the shop. There's no fear of being overheard due to the store's loud chatter. Gizmo's presence accompanies us hidden by a cloaking device.

        A problematic situation presents itself when my eyes land on the couch. The only place left for us to sit is a small loveseat. I sit down and try to put some distance between us, but even so Kai’s thigh touches mine. With an internal sigh I submit to the awkwardness of our situation. Unlike me, Kai seems untroubled by the contact of our legs. I turn to face him and open my mouth to speak. "You only have a few minutes to explain this mess," I inform him. He takes a deep breath as if preparing to recite a long speech. "I'll start off by telling you a little more about myself. I'm basically the product of an accident. Typical drunken mistake, one night stand type of thing. My mom raised me on her own," he says plainly. "The alliance is very elusive and shrouded in mystery. I've been hunting them since I was 12 and I still don't know everything about them. Today is the first time I actually met my dad. Of course he doesn’t know that I'm his son, much less that he even has one. The alliance is like the alien version of what you call the mafia. Except they're ten times the threat. I've been hunting them ever since they invaded my home and murdered my mother. I won't bore you with the gory details. As a 12 year old boy newly orphaned, I had no choice. Bounty hunting was the best way to pick myself up, and the best way to keep myself off the streets. The alliance will destroy Attero's economy if they're not opposed. I can't let them take away my home," he states firmly.