The Golden Walker

Not Just Eleven Kids

"There are more like you out there." Lise said to her younger individuals. "Aww, I thought WE were the only SPECIAL ones!" Aria huffed. "Don't be rude, Aria. Everyone is special," Arika told her. "Well? Like whom?" Anshu asked, a curious look in her eyes. "I admire your curiosity. And yes, I observed. There are some others in Earth, 2 or 3. I know some of their names. The first I think, was Emma Liuda. She reminds me so much of Cather." "You're talking about Em! Wait, who's Cather?" Kuttu said. "It's complicated. But I can't imagine how alike they look, except in personality. That Emma has a pure heart." Kuttu smiled. She was so proud of her friend. "And then, there's Sarvaya Misty Parvae Ca...Goodness, her name is long." "It's S.P.C Misty for short. What's your interest with her?" "Well, she possesses incredible psychic powers. Her prediction is amazing. It could possibly help in the coming future," Lise replied. Kuttu wasn't surprised. Her bestie was pretty good at predicting stuff. "And Yita...She's quite fearless. Jane told me so herself. And yes, she's helping me observe." "Another one would be Liuda's brother. Can't remember his name. That one seemed a little, uh..." Jane stopped her sentence in fear of offence. "Weird? Yeah." "BUT! I remember Cather had a cousin. Surtin. He was Persephone's and Hades's son. Prince of the Underworld. Basically, the prince of the dead and this guy could be somehow relevant to him." Jane replied. "HOLD UP. WHAT?! MY friend, Sajus, a prince?! You talking about the right guy?" Mittu asked, a little skeptical. "Yup."

A thirteen-year-old suddenly barged in, holding a tray of tea. He put it down and approached the discussion. "Hey, Curls." He ruffled Kuttu's hair. "Shut up, Harit. I'm only two years younger than you. Call me Curls again, I'll make sure yours are ripped out of your scalp." She growled at him. He raised his hands in surrender as the others giggled. It was in mid-May, and they'd been staying in the little house in west Loosi for about a month already. She had been surprised how Harit and Mr. Taryan, or Ethel as he preferred to be called, so warmly welcomed in strangers claiming to be rebels from Xandivander. A few days into being there, they celebrated Mittu's birthday with pomp and delight. So many presents had greeted her that morning, completely overflowing the kitchen. Kuttu knew she couldn't do much, since they were in hiding, so she made sure to give her sister as many hugs and kisses as possible. She secretly thanked the Taryans later. They had cut off all communication with Earth, since if they issued even one message to their parents, Salzar would come after them and point a knife at their throats. They all knew what happened the last time somebody sent a message. It was how Laila found them. The video calls with Em. So, with a hurried explanation about a bad virus in Michigan, Kuttu cut ties with her best friend too.

"Sooo! What's happening?" Harit asked. "Um...none of YOUR business." Jiti said a little rudely. Those two were very alike, since both were tall, athletic, and intelligent. So, they were always competing. They made every freaking thing into a competition. Like whom could get Mr. Taryan's glasses first from his study, or who could make Lil'ta her favorite snack the fastest. "Aww...are you just disappointed that I WON, and YOU LOST? Too bad, so sad!" He made pouty expressions at her. "I swear, if the others weren't here, I would have you in a headlock right now, Harit." Jiti said with gritted teeth. Kuttu just quietly sipped her tea. She was just not going to get into that. "Everyone! Lunch in 5 minutes!" Lil'ta called from the kitchen. It was pretty evident, though, since you could see steam wafting from the little kitchen. Eager to get out of the conversation, (since nobody wants a headlock) Harit quickly ran to the table and sat down on a chair far away from Jiti. She was more than fine with that, of course. "You must depart in two days or so, my dears. Same goes for you, Harit. Since you're the bodyguard for the Queen, I need you to be there." Ethel told his son as he wolfed down the food. "Aww...c'mon Dad. Really? Isn't Ishon gonna be on duty then?" "No, he caught dragon pox. So, you need to be there." "WAIT! Harit's only 13! He can't be a bodyguard, he's just a kid." Mahi objected. "Mahi, special young boys and girls start training to become protectors of the queen from the age of 5. It's been tradition for years." Anshu told her. "Oh...but in the midst of it, he'll die, or get seriously injured trying to protect her! Aren't you SCARED, Harit?" she looked at him, trying to figure out his blank expression. "No. He can't be. It's his duty. The Taryans of Loosi have been protectors of the queen for years. We cannot back down from this. It is our homage to the queen." Ethel said wisely.