Star Seekers

Chapter 1, For Freedom

Wind was slashing my face as I ran. There was no place to run; no place to hide from them. The Sky Hunters. I don't even know how I got into all this in the first place. I was just a normal 13 year-old girl. One day, I was free and careless. The next, looking for something physically impossible for the human eye to see. My life: telling the story of someone else.

"I can't run anymore, Katherine!"

"Run! We need to keep running! Run, Ali! RUN!!" I screamed to my future daughter, Ali, as she yelled to me. Ali was slowing down, and fell. I yelled "ALI!" and turned around and ran to her. She had passed out. I picked her up into my arms, dodging a net, and continued running. The weight of Ali slowed me down a bit, but nothing compared to the chain around my leg. I had picked it up, and was holding it. But when I grabbed Ali, it was near impossible to carry both. I still managed to carry both, though.

I was frantically looking around, turning any corner I saw and crossing through any building that had its doors open.  I had been running for nearly six hours, and still had no place to go. I turned one last corner, into a backyard, and gave in to the screaming, tearing pain in my legs. I hadn't been prepared to run that far, and the result was a dislocated knee cap, and at least five pulled muscles. I looked down at Ali, lying out cold next to me, and thought of only one thing.

Water.

My legs were of no use now, so I crawled using my arms into the house, and found a sink. I thought all my prayers were answered. But when I turned on the faucet, no water came out. I wanted to scream in agony, but if I did, the Sky Hunters would find us for sure. My left leg was bent in a way it shouldn't, all thanks to my knee cap, and I started making my way out to the backyard again, where Ali still lay, getting more and more dehydrated every second. I, too, was dehydrated, but I had nothing to drink, nothing to give at all.

I was sliding open the door when a hooded figure jumped the fence to the backyard Ali and I were in. The figure saw Ali right away and grabbed her in its arms.

"NO!" I managed to muster out. "Leave her alone!"

The figure took no regard to me, and continued examining Ali. I crawled as fast as my arms could carry the weight I held. It was for sure a Sky Hunter that had her. As I finally reached within three feet of them, the figure turned its head at me. I closed my eyes. I was preparing myself to die just then. But when I opened them, I didn't see a masked or scarred face at all. It was a female face, more worried than anything. I just laid there, stun in my eyes. The person held out a hand to me, and in it, suddenly appeared a canteen of water. It was warm and dirty, but I didn't care. It felt wonderful going down my throat. I quickly stopped drinking as soon as I remembered Ali. I leaned closer to her when the women stopped me with a wave of her hand.

"But, Ali..." I said.

"Katherine," the woman interrupted. "Water won't help her now. She's gone too long without it. Finish it." I drank the rest of the water, feeling guilt every sip.

"Is she-" I started to say. I thought that it was very strange how the woman knew my name, and I had never seen her in my entire life.

"Katherine." She interrupted me again. "She's fine. It's only that water isn't strong enough for her now. Come with me. I have something stronger in my hut. It is also safe for her."  She nodded toward Ali. Then, with one gentle sweep of her arms, she picked up Ali, and me in her other arm, and walked. I was too tired to run, my legs were torn in various places, and I was too thirsty to care. Plus, she had offered to help me and Ali. I know that in the position that I was in, I was not supposed to trust anybody, But I was too tired to even remember my own name or what I was even doing. So, with the warmth of the woman's body, and the gentle rocking of her walk, I allowed myself to fall asleep. For the first time in months.