City Of Shadows

Chapter Four: Simon/Bse's Story

    “Heeheehee! Come on, Simon!! I know you can catch up!!!” Starlight giggled. “Hey, no fair!! I can't keep up with you!! It's late and I'm half asleep!” I laughed, smiling. It was about 9:30-ish, not as late as I put it out to be. However, I was tired. I mean, we had been running around the whole afternoon and I just wanted to curl up in her arms and fall asleep. Starlight stopped and ran back to me. “I'll just stick by your side then. We can walk back home if you'd like,” she answered. I smiled. If I hadn't left my world for Mobius, I would have never met such a sweet, cute, kind and all out amazing girl. Emy women are a bit rude when it comes down to it and none are even my age. But Starlight, well, even though she's not an emy, she's my age and almost everything I find attractive in a girl. I mean, we're opposite in what you might call categories, me being a demon and her being an angel, but I still love her. Nobody can make me think otherwise. We were meant to be together. I don't want to lose her to anyone. “Alright, Star….” I replied, smiling. She nuzzed my cheek and kept at a pace beside me. I kind of moved close to her, like almost rubbing up against her side. Starlight just flashed me a smile and put her arm around me. Weird thing is, she was just a bit taller than me, but I still felt way shorter than her.

     “Bse! Aye, wake up! It's 9, dude,” I heard Twi shout. I opened my eyes to find her shaking me. Was I dreaming? “Uh, sorry….I just didn't wanna wake up,” I said, embarrassed. Twi smiled and messed up my hair. “Idiot,” she laughed, “your little Juliet is up.”

             I blushed when she said Juliet. Did she know I had a crush on Starlight? “W-Who?” I asked, playing dumb. “Starlight you idiot,” she replied, laughing afterward. I blushed as I got up and walked past her.  

         “Starlight? You here?” I called out. I saw her shadow around the corner, where her room was. I proceeded to peer around it and saw her. Her back was turned to me with her angel wings out. She hummed a soft song, signaling I was fine to enter. “Hey, Starlight, you okay?” I asked.  

  Wump! She hugged me, giggling. “Heheheh! Alexis told me what you said while I was out yesterday,” she giggled. I blushed red. “She did?” I questioned eyes wide. “Yep, she did indeed. You're so sweet, Simon,” Starlight answered, her eyes locked with mine. Her smile was warm and cozy to see again. It felt as if I were still dreaming. “I-I was really upset about…losing you……I-I felt as if I'd-,” I started. Warm tears ran down my face.

             Suddenly, I felt her wings wrap around me and her. “Shhhhhh, it's going to be okay. Please, don't cry,” she whispered. My heart was beating quickly. She had never been this close to me, even if she was scared. She placed her hand on my chest and faintly smiled. I blushed and placed my hands over hers. She looked up at me and smiled. “Mobians and Emys aren't really alike but….I think they can fall in love with one another,” I whispered. Starlight smiled and nuzzled my cheek. “It doesn't matter if you're an Emy or a Mobian to me, Simon. I love you for the person you are,” she commented. Her eyes were soft and calm.

              “BSE! STAR!! Get running!! We've been found!!” Alexis shouted, running into the room. Her eyes were wide and fearful. Starlight jolted around, her eyes filled with terror. “What?!” she cried, irises small. I could vaguely see her teal blue eye color through her shiny eyes and pupils. “The others are holding them off!! Get ready for another battle, guys!!” Alexis answered, eyes fearful, but firm. Starlight held her bow and arrows tight. “Very well…” she sighed. Starlight hated fighting, but she knew she had to help her friends. I grabbed her arm, my piko hammer at my side. “I'm not letting you fight, Star. I've made it my job to protect you and may all h*__ be let loose on me if I stand by and let you get hurt,” I said, voice sure of my words. Starlight looked at me, her eyes scared. “S-Simon….I don't want you to get hurt…..” she whispered, crying at the thought of it. Alexis grabbed both of our arms, pulling us off. “Yo, we gotta get going. Anti-Gun ain't gonna leave politely,” she commented, running. I yelped at being pulled, but ran with her. Twi, Arch and Cam were already fighting off a two officers when we came up. “Got ‘em, let's get going!” Alexis proclaimed, running north. The others followed in hot pursuit. I knew I couldn't just find a portal to the Emy world like I could on Mobius. Nope, I we had to run like h*__ to find somewhere to hide until we were found again. Starlight flew up above Alexis, pulling her and me up. I kicked my feet around for a second, but relaxed afterward. She knew what she was doing…right? Yeah, she had to have known. Not the first time she's flown with more than one person in hand…right?

        “Alexis…..should I use-,” Starlight started. “Nah dip, Star! Obviously you need to. Question is, can Bse stand the shock of the attack?” Alexis answered. “Shock?” I wondered aloud.  “The attack is called Thunder Shoot. The person who is flying sends the two he or she is holding as an electrically charged cannon ball at the enemy. The tactic is usually affected, but it usually shocks whoever is shot…of course not deadly, but it stings…” Alexis explained. “Oh…well, if it's a mild shock…I can take it.” I answered. Alexis nodded, smiling. “Aye, Arch, Cam, Twi! Yall three able to cover the ground attacks while we take on the air?” Alexis asked. “H*-- yeah! Let's get this battle on!” Cameron exclaimed his rifle in hand. I could tell he was back to normal now. Twi and Arch nodded. “A-Okay! Here we go everybody!” Alexis proclaimed.

               The fight was on. All of us were skilled…or most of us…in fighting. I was worried about Starlight. Would she be able to battle against this brigade of soldiers? The past times she had gotten injured, but made a quick recovery and attacked again. In the end of the fight, however, she was always the odd one out….beaten where she was bleeding in more than one or two places. However, I knew that Arch, Twi, Alexis and I would keep Starlight safe and could fight very well. There was no way I would any harm come of my sweet May. No way. No how.

          Starlight used Alexis as an electric cannonball and hit one of the soldiers down into the dirt. Alexis came back like a boomerang, snagging my ankles with a heavy tug. “Simon…you sure you are okay with this attack? I don't want you to get hurt…s-so it's fine if you want Arch or someone else to take over for you….” she questioned. “Do it, Star. I can take it,” I answered, sure of my words. “O-Okay….” Starlight murmured, firing me as a cannonball at a soldier. I kicked it in the face and sent myself flying back to Alexis and Starlight, snagging Alexis's ankles. “Not too bad for a newbie at this, Bse,” Alexis joked. I rolled my eyes. “Ha-ha, Alexis. Very funny,” I answered sarcastically. Starlight squeaked, getting shot in the arm. The wound bled badly, but Starlight tried to hold back her tears. I growled as I let go of Alexis's ankles and ran up to the gunman, ready to land an open tackle on him. “Bse! Watch o-,” Alexis started, her words cut off by a blow to what I assumed was her belly. Starlight skidded back on her heels, getting grabbed by another soldier. It turned out that we were losing. Would we be taken back into captivity by Anti-G.U.N.? Would we die?

       I took out my rage with a head-on tackle onto the gunman. The man grabbed me, pinching his nails into my stomach and slowly twisting it around.perfectamed, gagging as I felt hot blood in my mouth. Starlight tried to pry the man off of me, tears running down her face. “Stop it!! You going to kill him if you don't!!” she sobbed, yanking with all her strength at his arm. I landed on my butt, Starlight getting grabbed in place of me. She squirmed in the man's grip, only to get her wings pushed in where they would pop if he continued. Starlight stopped struggling and let herself go limp. I ran up toward the man, sending a heavy blow to his side. He lurched back, dropping Starlight. Starlight caught herself and went on to set Twi and Arch free. I grabbed her arm. “No way, Starlight! You are coming with me somewhere safer!!” I yelled, pulling her back. Her teal blue eyes read pain. Could I have upset her? “Simon…please….we have to help the others!! We can't just leave them at the hands of Anti-G.U.N.!! We have to free them!!” she sobbed, looking me dead in the eyes. I sighed and nodded. “If you get hurt, I'm going to grab you and run off though….” I sighed. She nodded me an okay and dashed to attack the soldiers pinning down Alexis and Cam. I attacked the ones captivating Twi and Arch. However, we both got knocked down. “Nya! Simon!! There's too many!! Are we going to-,” she screamed, sobbing. She feared being locked up in Anti-G.U.N.'s laboratories again. They would surely keep us in hyper-sleep for observation or inject deadly chemicals into our bodies. I growled. “There's no way I'm going to let that happen again!” I shouted, trying my hardest to break from their grasp and into Starlight's warm, comforting arms. Her eyes read fear as the men lifted Alexis's unconscious body up and placed her in a capsule to be taken back to the laboratory they came from. Twi, Arch and Cam had already been placed in one and loaded into the trucks. Starlight crawled over to my side, mud covering her face, body, arms and lower legs. She pulled me into her arms, pressing her face against my chest and cried. I held her against my body, placing my face on her head. I knew deep in my heart this would be the end. I might lose her for good after we got taken back to the lab.

     “Starlight….we will come back and save them later…..right now….let's get running…..,” I growled, carrying her and running away from that place. Wham! I was knocked down, dropping Starlight. She skidded away from me on her side, getting knocked out. Both of us were lifted up and unwillingly placed into capsules and loaded onto the truck to be driven back to Anti-G.U.N.'s laboratory.