His Little Heir

Your Majesty

     "What's the big deal?" Leon plopped into the dining chair with his arms crossed, "It's not like a fictional bird is gonna come to life and pluck our eyes out or anything!"

     Ahmad pulled the chair opposite to his and sat, "Well this 'fictional bird' may or may not have let's say... a billion people egging it on."

    "D****, that's at least twelve."

     The general slammed his fist into the table and grit his teeth; his eyes flashed a deeper red than blood, pouring into Leon's soul. He blinked, temporarily blind sighted by the outburst, and leaned back into the chair with widened eyes.

    "Would it KILL you to take these things serious?! I'm sorry your majesty, but just because you and your girlfriend are having problems doesn't mean that you can ignore everything else going on in your life!" Ahmad's face flushed. He took a deep breath, then leaned his elbows against the table, "I-I'm sorry, but, man to man, you need to step up."

     "Well what do you want me to do?! Daya still hates me-"

     "And rightfully so."

     Leon rolled his eyes, "No, but seriously, I-I can't do me without her. I've just been so alone-"

     "It's been two days. To hell with your excuses." The general  brushed him off with a half hearted smile, tapping the pads of his fingers against the worn down table.

      Leon squinted as if he was trying to shoot lasers from his eyes. Two days, yet they felt like years. How could they lose eachother in just two days? How could everything they built, every sleepy promise and lingering smile, just shatter like that?

     Did he cause this, or did Daya have doubts all along? Leon ran his fingers through his hair. Did he even want to know?

     "Know what? You're right." He clasped his hands in his lap, "You win! You got me! Game over, right?"

     Ahmad's opened his mouth, closed it, and pointed at Leon, "Wow. I'm... strangely proud of you?"

    "I try."

     The general unlocked his phone and slid it across the table. Leon looked down at the thumbnail of the video, and her eyes locked with his. He memorized every inch of Daya's face in this moment, her widened eyes and sombered lips, and looked up at Ahmad, who only nodded at his finger hovering above the play button.

     Her voice came through the speakers firm and confident, like a dog pointing at its master's prey, but he knew better. Her body screamed for a distraction beyond the stage; it silently begged for this all to end, yet stayed obediently rigid under her control. Daya could've smiled at death in this moment. Leon knew she could've fooled it, because even a force as fierce as it was, nothing could mistake her trojan smile for what it actually was.

    A cry for help.

    "They are murderers." She says.

     And just like that, this all made sense. Daya had come home yelling that day. Maybe frustration had wore her patience thin, but a new foe had arrived on the plains. She had to fight regardless.

     What still puzzled him, though, was how Austin got involved. Leon tried to jam that piece of the puzzle anywhere it could fit, but each try only left it more cracked and jagged.

     He pursed his lips and stared at Ahmad in awe. He arrowed his eyes; if Don was mad at her, then who else was?

    "Just how many allies does Quishea' have?" Leon laughed nervously.