Thief (The Ichor Series: book 1)

Chapter 9

    Skylar

I tried to look around me but my eyes were still pulsing a bright white color. It was like I was staring into the sun itself.

As I slowed my breathing, and tried to listen to my heart beat and feel the blood moving through my veins, I started to regain my sight back slowly. But I didn't understand what I was seeing when I finally was able to see the mayhem in front of me.

All of the Bandits and thugs were lying on the ground in a circle, most of them were face down in the dirt. I looked in a full circle to take in my surrounding. They were are sprawled out, like they were blown back by some force.

Did I kill them?

I looked around once more before I let the guilt wash over me.

I killed them. I killed them. I killed them.

Those three words kept repeating in my mind. I couldn't stop saying it to myself. Eventually it wasn't just repeating in my head, I was saying them out loud as I clutched my stomach. I felt the churning of emotions everywhere in my body.

My tears were running down my face as everything seemed too real. Too focused. Too wrong.

"You didn't kill them Silly. They're just unconscious...and some."

I jumped off the ground and into the air ten feet off the ground.

What in the name of...

Who the...

I don't...

As I looked up to the voice which had come from above me, I saw a shadow flash past across the sky with a jacket flapping in the wind and then land with a thud.

At first I thought it was that boy from earlier that saved me, and my heart swelled with relief. But as I looked longer, I noticed that it was someone else. And my heart deflated like a balloon as I felt the dread of dealing with another person wash over me instead.

The boy was standing with his back against the setting sun, so I had to look right into the blinding light, so I only saw a silhouette of him. But from what I could tell, he was a bit taller than me, and he had a thin, lanky frame. But you could also tell that from the way he was standing, he wasn't like anyone from this district.

He didn't have the lanky, thin boniness like everyone in the Maila District. Here, you were normally so thin that you could see your ribs protruding out. And you had a slight hunch from bending down all the time to look for food and from the weight of the world on your shoulders if you had a family to take of as well.

At least, that's what I've been told.

I wouldn't actually know for sure because even though I was abused and starved, it never was as bad as everyone that actually lived on the streets of Maila District.

"Whatcha think?" He said.

I stared at him blankly not understanding. I must have tuned him out as I was studying him.

"What do you think about the device?" He repeated.

"I...uhm...wasn't listening..." I said, blushing slightly from being caught not paying attention.

He smirked at this like he was all that. "Am I that attractive? Geez, I guess that means I don't have to try as hard anymore to get girls. By the way, my name is Theo." He said with a wink.

I blushed even more at this. He obviously could see my face from where he was standing because he started snickering after he said that. Jerk.

He started to explain the device that was in his hands after a little while. It was a small metallic orb that glinted in the setting sun while it fitted perfectly in the palm of his hand.

"It's a stun gun basically. But instead of only being able to shoot one person at a time, you can program it to affect a whole crowd and leave out whoever you want. It stops all of their organs for three seconds so that they drop to the ground convulsing, and then it paralyzes their limbs while they're on the ground. Their organs have started working again by this time but because this device is so powerful and a bit faulty, there's an electric storm in their heads. So my guess is that they'll probably be in a coma for two to three days because they're so big."

"Cool." I said with a bland face, acting like I had seen those so many times before and it wasn't that great. But in actuality it was amazing to me. To have a device so powerful that it can take out twenty grown men in an instant and have them in a coma for a few days.

I had so many questions for him about it, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing how amazed I was by that small device. Not after he teased me like that.

By now the sun had set, so I could clearly see him now. And I saw his entire posture change when I said that. His shoulders slumped and his face fell. The light from his eyes went out and his hands dropped to his sides.

I felt slightly bad. I hadn't been expecting that response to what I had said to him. I felt like I had to make it up to him in a way. But I didn't know how.

I had to ask him one question that was rattling in my mind though. "Where did you get it?"

His eyes light up again and he looked like he got shocked by lightning from all the excitement contained within himself.

"Oh! But that's the best part!" He exclaimed, "I didn't buy it from anyone. I made it all by myself. Nobody has this yet. And as long as I'm alive, no one will have this technology except for me. I plan on getting into the Elite Squad. And this here, is my ticket in."

"Elite Squad? What is that?"

"Only the most respected soldiers of the country. They work right beside the King and Elders, and they are the top of security and everything. It's a really big responsibility but that's my goal. And I can be in the Elite Tech Squad. Building new weapons and technology for everyone...One level above my mother and father..." He trailed off as he realized he had said too much to me.

We stood there staring at each other, wondering what we should say next to the other person.

"So..."

"So..."

"Stay away from her!"

Theo and I whipped around at the voice. It was echoing in the alley so we didn't know which direction it was coming from.

There was no one behind me. But when I turned back to Theo, I saw that his face was pressed up against the wall with his hand behind his back.

I ran over to Theo not knowing who had him pinned. But I still ran over to try and help him get free.

I grabbed hold of the other persons arm to try and get him off of Theo, tugging and pulling with all my weight, but he wouldn't budge. It was like he was made of stone.

Suddenly though, he let go of Theo and grabbed me by the waist pulling me to his side.

"Nice to see you again Skylar."

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Towards the Sun by Rihanna