Halo: Heroes Awakening

5. In Careless Hands

Sina

Sina was panicking all the way back to her treehouse. She ran with large bags of money through the town, trying her best to keep to the shadows.

Auntie Lucia was going to kill them. She wanted to kill Malia. Sina wished she was less brave, less willing to put her life on the line. As much as Sina cared about her people, she knew half of them wouldn't do the same.

"Where are we going?" Sud yelled as they darted through the forest. "And what are we supposed to do now?!"

Sina's tree house was deep within the rainforest so that the Police would never discover her potion practice. She had been undercover for years, and bringing Jack and Sud to her safe space was making her blood go cold.

She stopped beneath the ladder and leaned against the bark to take a breath. "You... you can't tell anyone about this. Remember that!"

"She's not going to tell anyone we were involved right?" Sud asked uneasily.

Sina glared. "Of course not! Do you even know her? She gave her word and she'll stick to it!"

"She got arrested, what's going to happen to her?" Jack asked with a frown. "I don't want her to take the fall by herself."

"Then you go turn yourself in as well," Sud answered harshly. "Don't be dumb! We have the money now we have to decide what to do with it."

"We're going to give it back to the people," Sina said pointedly, not liking Sud's tone. "Don't forget why we're doing this. The King is taking our power as people by limiting us in any way he can. We need to care for our own first."

"I'm keeping my bag to restore my parents business, or so they can buy a new plot of land," Sud decided. "I don't care what you guys do. I want to help my parents first."

"That's fine," Sina sighed. "We can keep something for ourselves, but I'm going to give mine and Malia's bags to our community garden and businesses."

"I'll do the same," Jack said with a nod. He looked up at the giant tree house above them, his green eyes amazed. "Is this where you've lived all this time?"

"Yes, do not tell anyone about it. I'm a private person," Sina told them. "Come on, let's keep the bags inside for the night. You guys can sleep over before we go explain to Auntie Lucia Malia's situation."

They climbed the ladder up toward the trapdoor, which Sina pushed open with one hand while holding the bags between her teeth. She tossed them into the corner when she finally made it up, flinging herself onto a chair to think.

Jack and Sud looked around like they were in another world entirely. There were so many plants and books, it looked like a witch den. Pictures of the anatomy of mushrooms and colourful rocks lined the shelves and walls of her home.

"Shouldn't we be trying to get Malia out?" Jack asked into the silence. Sud scoffed at that moment.

"Go against the Royal Guard and police? For something that was her idea anyway? Yeah right!" He ranted. Sina shook her head, mentally accepting that she was wrong about him.

She had thought that experiencing the loss of his parents livelihood would give Sud the compassion and drive he needed to rebel with them, but she was disappointed. It was too late to back out now. And it's not like she could kill him.

"I'm just saying," Jack said annoyedly. "I'd be panicking right now if I was her."

Sina took a heavy breath. It was hard to keep calm but she had to or she would scream. "Malia is a tough girl and she'll survive. I'm going to figure something out, and we are going to save her."