Secret Of The Moon's Daughter: Daughter of Artemis Sequel

4-Fireworks

Chapter 4:

~Fireworks~

We walk out of the darkly lit room trying our best not to make any noise. I flash the beam down the hall and see if the coast is clear. No one. My excitement must be contagious because Ellee starts to smile. We sneak into the kitchen and... no one. I grin and motion to Ellee, 'Let's go.' We walk into the pantry, stuff a few snacks into our bags, and start walking towards the back door. So close. I almost have my hand on the knob when, "Wait!" A strangled cry sounds the air. I gasp. Ellee worms behind the fridge to hide leaving me alone. 'What a friend,' I think sarcastically. I slowly turn around. Oddly shaped shadows slide across the walls and play with my vision. I still hear the boom of fireworks over the San Francisco Bay in the background along with my pulse pounding in my ears. Out from the shadows a small figure emerges. "Please take me with you. I can't stay here. My mother tortures me. I'm alone. There is no one here for me." The small girl pleads and cries. 'Mother?' I think. No one has a mother in an orphanage... unless, "Who are you?" I ask suspiciously, already knowing the answer. "Aliyah Corren." She announces. Corren. The name rings in my ears and images flash across my mind. 'Lady Corren's House of Orphans,' I think. The orphanage is named after Mistress Corren. "You are Lady Corren's daughter?" I ask. I remember seeing a woman in the alley behind the orphanage slapping a young girl a few weeks ago. That must've been Aliyah. "Yes." She replies dejectedly. She comes closer into the beam of my flashlight. I see a small girl of about 12-13 with sun-crisp tan skin, golden blonde hair that glowed like specs of gold were weaved into her roots. Bright blue eyes like a summer's sky stared back at me with a dire need radiating through her to me. Escape. Bruises line her arms and face. I can't stand the sight of this poor girl. So sad. "How can we take her with us, Lyra?" Ellee asks moving out from her hiding spot. "Please! You can take me to the city and drop me off on a trolley. I just need help getting out." She pleads helplessly. "We can't say no to that." I tell Ellee. "Fine. Come on kiddo. Quickly." Ellee commands. "I'm 13!" Aliyah says defensively. "What are we going to tell the boys..." She mumbles to herself. It's in her nature to be skeptical so I don't argue. "Just go with it!" I reassure her. "Come here, Aly, let's go." I lead. I flash the beam across the room. Nothing. We tiptoe across the tiled floors and quicken our pace into a quiet run. We swipe our key cards and the door noisily slides open. For a moment I feel we're going to be caught but with the commotion and noise of the celebration I don't hear anything unusual. 'Freedom' I think. I feel as if the word is passing through all of our minds. 'A great day for independence' I laugh silently to myself. The single idea ignites a small flame in my body I haven't felt in a long time. We walk out into the gleeful night full of commotion and I smile. As the door closes behind us a question pos into my head. "How did you know?" I ask Aly, liking the new nickname. "I don't know. I had a vision this morning of 2 girls with flashlights in the kitchen and somehow I knew everything that was happening. Somehow... I don't know..." She says. After this crazy day a part of me believes her. The other part thinks we've all gone nuts! "And so I've been down here waiting all night packed and ready waiting for you to come, just hoping that you'd let me come with you." She says dreamily. I look back, 'Goodbye' I silently bid farewell to my lifelong home. Then I grab Aliyah's hand and pull her along. I don't know why I feel so connected to her but she feels like my little sister, and so I'll treat her as such. We meet up with the boys in the front and they stare at Aly, confusingly. "Leo, Jason, Percy. This is Aliyah Corren. Aly. Leo, Jason, and Percy." I introduce. "Corren...? Why does that sound familiar." Leo asks. I point to the tattered sign hanging over the doorway. "I thought you were dyslexic?" I ask him. He follows where my point is handing and realization dawns on him. "I had a while to decipher." He says accusingly. "Just a quick stop!" Jason mocks. Ellee punches him in the arm and I laugh. "So... what now?" Aly asks. The boys look lost in thought as us girls wait in anticipation. "Is she coming with us?" Percy asks. I nod pulling Aly closer. Percy shakes his head as if this changes his plans. "Well... Somehow we have to find Aurora, Annabeth, Piper, and if they fail, The Goddess Artemis. Somehow that name sends a spark through my body. And I feel better. Stronger.