The Twins

Chapter 2: Hope Blooms Where the Brave are

Part 4: Pink

    Panic rose in the twins bodies, shortening their breaths. Together, they bolted into a smaller cavern, out of sight. The footsteps and voices grew louder. It was a pretty large group.

   "What do we do?" Matthew screamed inside his head,"How did they find us so quickly?"

    "Alright team let's rest for a while and collect some water. We can't stay here very long captain wants us back soon." A voice echoed around the cavern. They sounded like the leader.

   The twins exchanged glances. Could they wait these people out?

    Shuffling feet and casual chatting began to fill the cavern. It definitely was a large group of people. To the relief of the twins none of them ventured into the side cavern. It seemed like their cover was intact.

   "Aww yeah feels good to sit down! My feet were killing me." A separate voice said, closer to the twins than the other voice.

    "Well maybe if you had taken my offer and let me get you better shoes it wouldn't be an issue." An older, more gruff voice replied.

    "You know that with how much we've been walking no shoes could ever help me. You could make shoes out of literal sunshine and rainbows and my feet would still hurt at the end of each day!" The younger voice retorted.

    "Your feet would go right through sunshine and rainbows. Rainbows are an optical illusion and sunshine would burn you if you were exposed to too much. Besides both of those are related to light and..."

   "Dude why do you take everything so literally? You got what I meant." The younger voice interrupted in an annoyed tone.

   "Actually I didn't. Making shoes out of sunshine and rainbows is physically im..."
   
   "Oh my God shut up already! I get it!" The younger voice snapped. They then laughed,"My god you really push my buttons."

    "Humans don't have buttons to push." The gruff voice informed after a pause.

    "Alright Rio let's dial it in. Don't want Kyra to drown you in the river." The voice of the leader interjected calmly.

    "Do you have something to distract me from my need to murder Rio, Garrick?" The younger voice, presumably Kyra asked.

    "Actually I do. Is it just me or does the river seem a little lower than normal?" Garrick replied.

    A pause. It seemed that they were thinking.

     "Yes. It is definitely more shallow. About three centremetres give or take." The gruff voice, Rio, replied.

   "Can you two go upstream and see if anything is blocking It's flow? I'd go but I think I'm going to have my hands full with taking care of everyone else on the team. Sometimes It's like they're all children." Garrick asked with a laugh.

    "That would be because they are. As are you." Rio answered. Both Garrick and Kyra sighed at that comment, one with annoyance the other with disappointment.

    "Thank you for the observation Rio." Garrick replied calmly.

     At that both Kyra and Rio turned the corner and walked right into Matthew and Marie.

    The twins jumped in surprise at the same time,"We're upstream?" Matthew asked, his voice shaking,"YUP!" Marie replied grabbing her brother and dashing deeper into the cavern.

    "...they're running away." Rio said.

    "No really? You're so smart Rio they should have made you captain. CAPTAIN OBVIOUS!" Kyra yelled back running after the twins herself.

   "We don't know where the cavern goes how will we get out of here?" Matthew asked his sister in panic.

    "I don't know! Why don't you use your powers dumbass!" She shot back.

    "...I...I'm not a dumbass." Matthew replied softly, which earned him a glare from Marie.

    Matthew groaned and tried to focus on his powers. Nothing happened.  He tried again. Still nothing. He growled and looked around him for some kind a clue and finally his token worked. It wasn't good news he received though.

    "It's a dead end!" Matthew called to Marie. She cursed and suddenly switched directions, punching Rio right in the nose. A moment later her fist was heading straight for Kyra when suddenly she dissapeared. Matthew stared at the space Marie had been a moment before in shock. A hand grabbed his shoulder and suddenly a blue light surrounded him and he was back in the main cavern.

   With the whole group of people staring at him.

   Marie reappeared just as the group turned weapons of all kinds on them, ready to attack.
  
   "Fuck." Marie said, eloquently describing their situation.

    A tall man with a red bandanna tied over his mouth was looking right at them, without any weapons.

    "What do we do with 'em Garrick?" Kyra asked

    Garrick squatted down to be at the same level as the twins. He looked each of them in the eyes before settling his gaze is Matthew,"Where did you come from?" He asked as if he already knew the answer.

   Matthew gulped,"a Saru Tokai camp."

    Garrick nodded. His suspicions must have been confirmed,"so you two are Saru Tokais?"

    Now it was Matthew's turn to nod.

     "Hopefully this should be the last question; to you recognize this face?" Garrick ached after a pause. Suddenly his face began to morph. His features softened and he got smaller, younger looking.

   It was the same face as the child who stole the twins' communicator during the raid.

   The twins looked at Garrick with awe and shock, unsure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

    "Yes I recognize you." Matthew answered softly, trying to hide his nerves.

    Garrick smiled slightly then stood back up,"Arms down people, we can trust them for now."

   Relief washed over the twins in a flood.

   Kyra seemed to notice this,"Don't get too comfortable. If we find out that you are involved with the government in any way you'll cease to exist faster than you can form your next thought."

    Just like that the relief vanished.

   The twins stood up. The group seemed to be largely ignoring the two of them. Only the two who captured them and Garrick were acknowledging their existence.

    "Are you two going to leave?" Rio asked the twins.

   Marie glanced at her brother,"we..uh....Weren't really planning to but we can if you would prefer that."

    "Yes that would be preferred." Rio answered in his monotone way.

    Matthew paused,"hey uh..Garrick?" He asked the leader who was still in the form of the child from before but had re-tied the bandana. Garrick turned around to face him.

     "Would you know anyone named Amani?" Matthew asked shyly.

      All three of the people standing before them paled and took a step back. Kyra and Rio whispered something to each other. 

     Garrick looked Matthew right in the eye, obviously wondering if he should trust them.

     "Yes...He's our captain, the leader of the resistance, and my closest friend."

     Matthew and Marie's eyes widened in surprise.

    
         "Oh."