BATTLE SCARS: (Indigo Symbols Book II)

Chapter Six: Disbelief

REINA:
After a while I was able to stand, stand and give him the evil eye, "Show me, show me just how great living here is better than being hunted." He nodded, and held out his arm, like he was a prince leading his lady into the castle. "Kiss my ass." I said. He laughed and went through the door first. I followed and immediately felt the change in atmosphere. We walked down a stone corridor, passing paintings and glass on small tables. There were lights hanging overhead and large chandeliers that twinkled. We turned a corner and I received a shock as I saw three kids, no older than nine or eight playing tag. One threw a frisbee of glowing blue light and it got one dead in the chest. He fell, giggling and said, "Crap, I'm it." The other two ran and he chased them down. Huntor sighed, but I heard amusement in it. I followed himand heard noise and smelled food. We entered a Entrance Hall and I saw, to my left, large wood doors that opened to a majestic Dinner Hall. There were so many people, all dressed in jeans and simple shirts. All smiling, joking, laughing. I felt a twinge of need, to be in there, to feel just as safe, just as free. "Behold." Huntor said, "The Indigo Symbol." "Oh, my, God." I stepped forward, my eyes going wide at the sight that met me. "Do you see now? Just how safe we are, and just how every life matters? For us to make this?" I turned, rage boiling instantly. "Kiss my ass Huntor. Just because you may be right, just because everyone is, seems to be enjoying themselves, that doesn't mean anything. Just because they're safe doesn't mean Veronica, Veronica." I stopped, refusing to feel that pain that came with the name. "Reina." His voice was soft and gentle as he said, "It's ok, I miss her too, I cared for her too, Reina it's—"Kiss my ass." I repeated, anger rising again. He chuckled. "Yeah, I really don't like him." I thought. Then I stepped into the hall.
The hall was amazing, was so beautiful. Huge chandeliers hung from the ceiling far above. The lights that flickered from within were all shades of blue, from bright sky blue to deepest turquoise. People of all ages moved about, talking, yelling, laughing, smiling. I slowly stepped, slowly walked forward, I passed a table where I saw the girl, Kitana, sitting with another girl. They held hands and smiled at each other while a boy teased a girl who sat across from them. I kept walking, my gaze landing on a long bar that housed the delicious food I smelled. There were hills of bacon, piles of eggs, stacks of pancakes. My stomach rolled and made it's own earthquake in me. "Hungry?" Huntor asked from behind me. "No I'm not." "Well, if that's your impression of a lioness, good job." "Asshole." I muttered. He laughed. Yeah, I was really starting to dislike him more and more. Then I heard a gasp from behind me and Kitana said, "Oh Joy look who's awake." Then another girl say, "She's good looking, I'll give her that." I turned, Kitana smiled at me and gave me a "Come here," with her finger. "Looks like I have company that doesn't involve you." I said. "Fine by me, don't get yourself too dirty. We just mopped up yesterday." I swung around and was tempted, really tempted, to slap him, but someone called his name and he turned away. I watched his whole demeanor change. He went from rude and harsh, to sweet and, and was that hunger in his eye? Was that lust that I saw? I looked for the girl who'd called his name and reveived a shock. she was short, and she carried herself with the kind of command he did. Her long black hair was out, her blue eyes danced and she swaggered over to him.
    He walked away and I was half tempted to try getting his attention, no, not even half tempted. Not because I was interested, because I really wasn't, it was just he was an asshole and deserved a good slap, that was all. But I went to sit with Kitana. That night I was shown to my room and it almost made me remember the ache in my heart where Veronica use to live. But I shoved it down, shoved her down deep inside where I wouldn't feel the pain. That night, that night, all the feeling, all the emotions, everything I went through showed up in my dreams. I sat at a table, across from Veronica in a restaurant. "Oh Reina Marie Estelle Loronzo." My heart jumped, she only used that when she was seriously pissed. "Veronica?" I asked innocently. Then I added, "Veranna." Her eyes went cold and flat. "Ok, ok ok ok. Look Veranna—"Estelle," She said it with such a perfect spanish accent I stiffened. "Look sister, you and I cannot continue like this." "Veronica, what—"Estelle, we have to go." She pernounced it with a y, rather than the l, like I said, perfect spanish accent. "I don't wanna go anywhere." I said stubbornly. "I wanna stay here, with you, just you." Her eyes softened, just a bit. "Reina. We both are in serious danger sister. We can't stay in hiding forever, not like this." She amended. "We need to go to the Symbol, that's where you'll be safest, where Huntor can train and teach you, where—"Veranna, I already don't like him for sending you away, don't make me give another reason. I don't wanna be trained to fight in some war, trained like a dog. Hell no." Her eyes went flat and cold again. "We have no choice Reina. We have to, it's our duty to protect our people, our duty to defend them, our—"Was it your duty when you chose to slaughter them?" I asked, my temper rising fast. "Was it your duty when you purposefully killed countless teens for them? Was it, when lives were lost because of you?" Veronica's face paled, paled fast. "Rey." There was absolute pain and horror in the name. 'Veranna, Veronica, I, I'm sorry, seriously, I, I—"Forget it." She got to her feet. "We've tarried too long. We'll no doubt have a tail on us." "Veronica, Veronica—"Save it." She snappeda, her eyes going cold. "Tonight I'll have to show you proof." The dream shifted and I instead stood by her side, watching her hands hover over the ground. Large sheets of gray tunneled out of the soil. She raised her hands, the sheets rose from the ground. My hands were already over my mouth, but s scream came out, muffled. 'Told you didn't I?" Veronica lowered all four sheets, then, never touching one, she moved her hands through the air, like some complicated version of sign language. In a few minutes she had a sword in her fingers. 'How, how, how—'i had to learn fast, learn from Huntor." She added. "He was the one who showed me a different path. The one who changed me, if he hadn't I'd have died a long time ago." Pain squeezed my heart, pain for her, and for Huntor. 'Veranna." she shook her head. "Reina you listen. This is real, the Indigo, Indigo-Warriors, Indigo-Gods. We, you, me, and another girl, are sisters from both blood and power. Our father had us with gaia, the Earth Mother, one of the oldest deities of the Greek or, Roman world. We have these powers for a reason damn it, that reason is to save our people from destruction and creat a new world with the Indigo." tears theatened the backs of my eyes, I hated it when she talked like this. That easy smooth voice, like she was calm, placid. but I knew, she was seriously pissed off. The dream shifted again and I endured more agony.