Hybrid: The Awakening

Chapter 20-Tesha

Date on Earth: Monday, October 9

"Here ya go! One boat for our favorite newcomers!"

Teddy had come knocking on the broken door early in the morning. The sun was just starting to rise, and a thin line of fog blanketed the ground.

He led us to what I could assume was a dock. Tied up next to it was a small wooden boat with two pairs of oars.

"Will there be enough room for all of us?" I asked the man.

"Might be a tad bit tight, but it'll work," he responded.

I rubbed my eyes tiredly. It had been hard to wake up. For the first time since being on Nibura, I had a decent sleep, only having my sleep disturbed once.

Sneaking a glance at Asher, I recalled what happened the previous night. He'd been trying to sneak out, saying he needed some fresh air. Which, considering how uncomfortable he seemed to get in small areas, made reasonable sense.

But when he arrived back, he looked shaky and on edge. Something he saw must have really scared him.

I had waited patiently for Asher to explain what exactly had happened the night before, but he tried acting like nothing was wrong. Even so, he stayed distant and was quieter than usual. If Diana and Tristen noticed, they didn't say anything.

Diana walked over to the boat, rocking it slightly with her hand. "Well, I don't want to be cramped, so I vote for Tristen to stay behind. He'll take up the most space anyways."

"We are all going, no matter what," I stated firmly.

Diana sighed. "Worth a try."

Teddy spoke up. "I really can't tell y'all how thankful I am. We've been dealing with this for awhile now, and us folks have started losing hope. Whether you succeed or not, y'all are our heroes."

He turned away and said, "Wish you folks all the luck in the world!" before disappearing behind the wooden buildings.

I turned around to examine the boat once again. It was hard to believe the water vessel could hold up the weight of all of us, when even sitting empty in the water, it seemed to be sinking. With every small ripple, the boat let out a small creaking noise.

Tristen let out a sigh and wrinkled his nose. "Can't believe we're really doing this."

"I agree with Unicorn Boy on this one," Diana mumbled. "Like, seriously. What's the point?"

"We have been over this already," I said, trying not to convey too much annoyance. "And I do not intend to repeat myself again."

A voice I hadn't heard all day spoke up. "Well, we might as well get it over with then. The sooner we leave, the better." Without hesitation, Asher jumped into the boat, holding his arms out for balance as it rocked.

"Why are you so eager to leave?" Tristen questioned. He just looked away.

"No reason. But we've already been here a day. We probably shouldn't stay much longer."

"Okay, that doesn't sound like the Smiles we know at all," Diana said, squinting her eyes. "Wanna tell us what's up?"

Asher reached up to run his fingers through his hair. "It's nothing, really! I just think that we should try to get to the spot on the map as soon as possible so we'll be safe."

I felt dread build up in my chest. "Asher, what did you see last night when you snuck out?" Diana and Tristen's eyes widened and they looked at Asher in anticipation.

"It's nothing!"

"If I hear you say nothing one more time, I'll slap you," Diana threatened.

"Asher, this is really important," I tried to reason. "If the Axones have caught up with us-"