Off Planet (Asterism Chronicles Volume One)

Chapter 1

I can't believe he won't let me go. My father rode away telling me this may be his biggest job yet. I long to accompany him as he leaves, but his stern reply keeps me at bay. Watching him ride away on his hoverbike I just stood there, watching, hoping, praying for him to turn his back and change his mind. But he never did. He was just leaving my view when I realized I could go if I wanted. Looking around I noticed a lone hover bike sitting there with the keys still in it. With no owner around I made my decision. Nobody would notice if I just took it, right? Wrong. The moment I sped off I heard a yell with sirens following closely behind. My eyes teared up in the wind as I sped past the busy streets praying they would leave me alone. As I listened to the sirens sound grow I turned off into a side street and shut off the bike. Hiding behind it I waited, hoping the sirens die down.

"Hey, cousin" someone said behind me, with the slang and accent of the outskirts.

I jumped and turned around to see a boy of about 20 with long dark hair, blue eyes, and a dirty white shirt. The way he held himself said he was strong willed.

"Who are you," I said to him as he smirked.

"You running from the cops?"

"Who are you?" I said again.

"A nobody. Why are you running?"

Turning from this stranger, but still keeping an eye on him, I started the bike. "What makes you say that?"

"The fact that you hid in an alley and you waited for the sirens to die before leaving." He crossed his arms.

"Alright you caught me. What are you, police?." I got on the bike as he walked up next to me.

"Nah, cuz." he said smiling. "I'm running too. What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything that concerns you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go."

"I can help, if you help me. They are looking for two seperate people, we hang around each other and they won't suspect a thing." He looked at me pleading with his tired eyes. His frail frame hidden beneath his poor fitting clothes.

"I'm sorry, I can't. Plus I don't even know you! I really have to leave." I bolted away from him, leaving him alone in the alley.

I rode around the city looking for my dad for a couple days. I went to every space port and asked about him. No one had seen him. I waited at the last spaceport to think up another plan, when that boy came up to me.

At the sight of him I tried to hide my face, to no prevail.

"Hey, you left while I was still talking to you!"

"I had to go." Sternly I said walking past him.

"And why was that, eh cousin? You seem to be in the same boat you were last I saw you."

I just glared at his smirking face.

"Sorry about this," he raises his hand above his head.

As he said that, cops came out of nowhere. One grabbed my arm and put a cuff on one of my wrists. As he tried for the other wrist I broke free and sprinted inside.

"You said you'd let me go if I found her!" The boy said as he was being cuffed, struggling the whole time "you lied!"

I sprinted through the halls, but every turn there was a cop. I ran until I couldn't anymore, stopping and running into a closet I sat hoping they would leave soon. As I listened, I started to hear footsteps. Scooting back I knocked over a broom, causing it to fall on to a bucket causing a loud clang. I froze. The door swung open and I was grabbed and dragged out to the cop car, along with the boy.