MARIEL

24 ~ Good Game ~

"Are you ready, Ahdam?"

The boy looked up from tying the black shoes with the white check mark. He was sitting on the floor beside his bed, and his eyes met those of Adela as she entered his room. A white man in a black uniform stood behind her, and a pistol was on his hip. Ahdam was used to seeing him since the incident at the pool. He, or someone else in the same uniform, followed them everywhere.

There'd been no retribution, much to Ahdam's surprise. In fact, after the pool incident, his daily life continued as normal. Despite this, he still felt on edge, especially since he knew his father was at risk. Would his father be punished for his sins?

He didn't want that. It would destroy him, especially if it was his own fault. Still, he tried not to think about it. He tried to remember the words of Mr. Spears and find courage in them. After all, it wasn't until after he met Mr. Spears that he'd realized he had courage to jump from the diving board.

There must have been something good, something special, about that man.

Ahdam stood up and nodded.

"Let's go have some fun before bed then, shall we?" Adela smiled brightly and stretched out her hand.

Each time Ahdam left the room and walked the hallways of the underwater facility, he seemed to notice more rooms. More sections. More people who looked like him. His curiosity grew each time. He wanted to know what else happened beyond the walls and the closed off rooms. Were there others like him? Other kids? Did they have parents trying to rescue them too?

He often wondered about Adela. Was she forced to be here? He didn't know. But, he noticed that day by day she looked less sad. He wanted to know why that was. Would she leave him?

Ahdam didn't want that either. In fact, he'd grown to see her like a mother. He desperately wanted his own mother back, and they continued to promise that he would see her eventually, but only if he behaved. Maybe that's why he felt on edge. Perhaps they did not intend to let him see her again.

Ahdam shivered and grit his teeth. He would see her again. His father would make sure of it.

The uniformed man opened one of the double doors to the basketball arena and stopped. Ahdam heard him speaking to someone in the big room, and his voice echoed. The boy understood 'I'm sorry', but did not know the rest of the statement. the pitch of the man's voice ended in a question.

A sharp, female voice in the arena responded. "No. Come in."

The man stepped aside and allowed Adela and Ahdam to enter. The seating areas were dim, and only the lights above the basketball court were on. The lights cast a ray of bright light against the wet, blonde hair of a familiar woman leaving the court with a backpack slung over her shoulder.

Ahdam let out a gasp. It was the angel-demon!

The guard stood to the side as Adela guided Ahdam towards the basketball court. As they walked forward, Ahdam watched the angel-demon approach, and their eyes met. He saw that her face was badly bruised, and he wondered if someone hadn't been nice to her.

With a serious face, the angel-demon bowed her a head a little, acknowledging him. It was strange being acknowledged like that. Normally, people talked to him like a child, with pity, or with disgust. This realization almost startled him and, without understanding why, Ahdam reached out and caught the angel-demon's hand just as she passed.

The angel-demon stopped walking, the backpack resting over her shoulder, and swiftly she turned her head to look at their linked hands. Her green eyes were wide, her lips parted, and Ahdam realized that he had startled her.