Fairy Tales

The In-Between Part I

“I’ll be fine,” Kenney repeated over and over. “I’ve been training for this my whole life. I think I can handle a few stray cats.”

Mileena squeezed him tighter at the mention of the savage race that lived in the In-Between. “I know. It’s just not fair that you get to leave and I don’t.”

Kenney chuckled and patted her auburn hair. “It’s dangerous out there, Mil. You’re safe here — in the Dome. I’ll be back before you know it.”

By the supply house, the commander called his troops to order. Reluctantly, Mileena released Kenney as he and the rest of the Guardians stacked hover carts full of food and goods that would be taken to another city across the In-Between. They strapped plasma guns to their backs and sharp knives to their belts. When the hover carts were covered with thick cloth tarp and secured with rope, the Guardians paraded to the Courthouse, where the only door to the In-Between rested. Kenney sent one last smile to Mileena before disappearing into the grand state building.

When the doors shut behind the group, Mileena didn’t waste a second to turn and run. She darted through the twisting, confusing streets curving around mix-matched buildings of dazzling crystal, blinding white stucco, and the occasional old Hardiplank. Mileena turned a corner and squeezed into the alley between two buildings — one of which was marked for deconstruction because the vinyl was an eyesore.

Finally, she reached the edge of the city. Hoping she had made it in time, she climbed an old trellis on the side of a house. Out of breath, she sat down on the roof and huffed out a laugh.

There, on the edge of sand dunes, glinted polished armor and hover bikes. The sun beat brutally down on the Guardians as they hurried to complete their mission. At night, they would find cover on one of the many floating islands made of hard-packed dirt and blowing sand. There, they would have a better chance at avoiding an ambush from the Ari — humanoids with fur and cat-like ears who were skilled in camouflage and battle. Very few had ever seen an Ari and lived to tell the tale. But those who did refused to speak more than running into them and escaping as fast as they could.

Mileena prayed silently that Kenney would come back to her.

✸  ✸  ✸

A week had come and gone, and Kenney was still out there, in the desert, possibly alive, possibly dead.
Mileena’s stomach roiled at the thought of Kenney’s lifeless body abandoned on a battlefield. Her mind kept giving her gruesome images of throats ripped out, arms cut off, and the sound of a snapped neck.

Just a few more hours, Mileena told herself, and he’ll be back. I hope he comes back.

The next three hours were torture. When the time did come to welcome back the survivors, all the loved ones and friends of the Guardians stood anxiously waiting in the plaza in front of the Courthouse. Every time Mileena had passed this crowd, there were people crying, smiling, fainting on the floor, or rolling over each other with joy. She spotted Kenney’s family in the mass. His mother fought tears and held her husband close as the oldest brother distracted the kids. All of them had dark circles under their bloodshot eyes.

Far ahead, the doors to the Courthouse slowly opened. The crowd hushed and the air stilled as hundreds of people stopped breathing in one anticipatory moment. Someone walked through, and the crowd surged forward.

Mileena darted out of the way of stomping boots and crying mothers. She lost Kenney’s family in the din, disoriented and afraid of being run over by surges of families rushing to their loved ones. Her ears rang with the hysterical laughter of someone finding her husband and the squeals of children reuniting with their dad. It sounded like a successful trip. But where was Kenney?