Waiting for Amber Skyy

Chapter 26

I watched precariously over Speck's shoulder as she typed at lightning speed. Letters and numbers spilled across the screen in so many complex algorithms and whatnot, it started to make my head hurt. So I got up and started walking around a bit. We were in a local park, which was strangely bustling with a good amount of people. I assumed it was because of the beautiful combination of gold and copper trees. Many of them were taking photos and I swear there were more kissing couples than there were in a magazine. I scratched at my bare neck where the collar once was. Speck was able to dismantle it before we came into town, and I only experienced a few aftershocks until it unlatched from my neck. Its remains were stored in my backpack, since I was too nervous to leave its remains in the woods.

Speck was sitting on a bench, hunched over and glaring at the laptop we just stole. I could tell she was on edge as she wove through the mismatch of firewalls and stuff. When she started, she tried explaining it all to me about the process, but I lost it after she started saying words only a genius mastermind would know. Apparently she had to learn how to do this when she was originally training for ITex, getting past this stuff and all. Now she was turning it back on them, and, I think, she was getting through.

"Aha!" she smiled, then frowned, then grunted and started punching in more codes.

"Gentle on the merchandise," I seethed. It was the nicest looking computer in the Apple Store; it even had a glittery glow to the apple shining on its exterior. I shivered a bit and sat down next to her as she angrily typed. I looked around, hoping that none of those stupid Erasers were nearby.

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Earlier, we were just walking around the city, looking for any inkling for a computer store. There were a couple electronics stores, but they were under strict surveillance and it made me uneasy. We finally found a small strip mall just on the outskirts of the city and stumbled upon an Apple store. I remembered that you can literally walk in, play on what they had, and leave. It was almost like an attraction at an amusement park, without buying anything of course. When we walked in, a couple people sent us weird glances and started muttering under their breath. I remember peering up at the small cameras in the corners of the room; but thankfully, no obvious security guys.

"Hi there! How can I help you?" a girl shorter than me walked up. Her voice went down a little bit when she saw what we were wearing: slightly ripped clothes, worn backpacks, and tangled hair. I pulled my wings, if closer, to my back out of nervousness. Her tag said Amanda.

"Hi Amanda," Speck piped up. Amanda gave her a look of 'why is she talking and not the older one'. I couldn't help but smirk despite my nervousness. "We're looking for a computer."

"Oh- what kind of computer?" Amanda tried to put some spunk behind her voice, but it was obvious that she was wary of us.

Speck shrugged a little bit, "We kinda want one that has good wifi coverage, and sturdy." She glanced up at me with the most innocent eyes she could muster. "My older sister here travels a lot, and she's studying while we're on our camping trip." She huffed like she was upset about it. I couldn't hold back my snigger. Speck was way too good at this.

Amanda was slowly being hooked more into our lie, "Ah, I was going to say you look like you're camping." She looked me up and down, making me shiver. "Older sister, huh? What are you studying?"

Speck and I looked nothing alike, "Uh- computer science."

Amanda kept her gaze on me then let her guard down. "Alright, follow me, I have the perfect laptop for you." I gaped a little bit before shutting my mouth and hearing a small snicker from Speck. Hook, line, sinker. Amanda took us towards the back and showed us the laptop, explaining all of its features, and saying more things that probably made more sense to Speck than it does to me. We eventually agreed to have it after Speck pulled me to the side to "discuss" it. Instead, she said that she was going to wait outside for "our mom" so I could do the rest of the mini mission. I walked over to the counter where Amanda stashed the laptop in its case, charger and all. She told me the price and I pretended to dig into my backpack for my wallet. Once she opened her mouth to ask, "So are you really sisters or-"

I was out of there in the next second, laptop box in hand and trying to stuff it into my backpack. I couldn't, so I held it close to my chest as I ran. I didn't see Speck when I ran out, making me sigh in relief. I ended up at our rendezvous point breathless as she was picking the dirt out of her fingernails. She cried in joy and took the laptop box from me, when we heard a growl nearby. We both cautiously turned around to see not two, but five Erasers starting towards us. I backed up into the alley's wall and heard another growl from above. I glanced up right into a gun's barrel. The Eraser holding it grinned and said, "Bang."

I quickly grabbed Speck's hand and ran, gunshots pouring at us as I ran down another alleyway. Speck cried out that we had to split up, but I refused. No way was that a good plan. She was small, not fast, and an easy target for them. I could've easily taken flight, but that didn't sound like a good idea since I just tripped over a homeless man's shopping cart. He cursed at me as I scrambled to stand. Speck dragged me up by my sleeve only to be faced by another Eraser jumping down in front of us. He roared, and I swung Speck behind me just in time for it to swipe the air in front of me. My skin seared in pain, but it was only a scratch. I hissed at him, letting my ears relax and preparing my fists. No way was he going to hurt Speck again. I heard her cry out that there was more behind me, but just as I glanced back, the Eraser lunged at me. I dodged his jaws at the last second and sent a kick to his chest, making him gasp for air as I literally threw Speck down the alleyway.

"Run! I'll find you!" I screamed at her, dodging a second Eraser's claws.

"B-But-"

"RUN!" I shrieked, feeling a claw rake my cheek. Once I heard her feet patter away, I dove at the last second under one of the Eraser's arms, going back the way we came. I turned and stuck my tongue out at them. "Ready to play a game of cat and mouse?" I teased. All of them growled and lunged for me, but I was too quick. I bolted in the opposite direction of Speck, but kept my tail close to them so they wouldn't turn for her. I jumped over a fence. They crashed through it. I tipped over boxes. They plowed through them. Damn, nothing is going to stop them! I glanced back just as I leaped onto a fairly high ledge. A bullet whizzed by my head, and by this point I knew they were far enough from Speck to not cause harm to her. I saluted them a goodbye before jumping down and sprinting out of sight.

It didn't take me long to find Speck though. Her best place of hiding was a crowded, open area. And that was the local park. She was hiding in the bathrooms when I walked in. She nearly scared me to death, but I was also happy to see her. She had a few cuts on her face, but not enough to do much damage. She had to punch my side to keep me from hugging her to death.

"I'm just happy you're alright," I nearly sobbed.

"Yeah, yeah, do you want to find your parents or not?" she groaned, obviously as eager as I was earlier. I wiped non-existent tears away and nodded. I ruffled her hair and she gaped at me, slapping my hands as we went back out into the park.

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"I got it!"

I blinked and glanced at the laptop screen in front of her, which showed a complex list of files and things that only meant- "You hacked it?"

Speck beamed at me, "I hacked it!"

We exchanged high fives and I eagerly grabbed the laptop from her. She cried in protest, saying I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't, so I went to the little search engine provided and started entering my fake parents' names, when I heard somebody gasp.

"Do you see this? Have you ever seen this before in your life?"

"Never, but I heard they're fascinating. I mean, they can fly!"

Speck and I glanced up to see a couple aweing over the newspaper in their hands. I peered at it as they gingerly walked by, and I saw a picture of what looked like... flying kids. A group of them. Six of them. On the front page. The letters read: FLYING KIDS AND THE GLOBAL CRISIS.

I didn't even know my mouth was open until Speck finally shook my shoulder out of the shock. She stared at me with wide eyes, and I copied. We stared at the paper for a moment, then at the laptop in front of us. My finger was only floating just above the enter button. Flying... kids? I shot a sideways glance at Speck. She was clearly trying to rack her brain of anything she might know. What I knew, though, was that we weren't the only ones out there, on the run, and running from the place that we feared every time we even thought of it.

And they had wings. Just like me.