The Tides That Bind Us [AfroFuturism]

Out Of Bad Luck

"We're leaving," Pharah said, her voice raspy and frigid.

Zaharah opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Cammi was the Director's brother? She had no time to process the information. Pharah grabbed her by the hand and began dragging her back the way they came.

"Jade, Roddi, let's go," she said.

She allowed herself to be dragged, her mind too occupied by what had just happened. The way Skorpi reacted to him. Why? She wracked her brain for any recollection of his face and found none. Dr Will said her memories would return to her in time, but was it possible for some to be lost forever?

First, he'd commanded Skorpi, and now the mechpet was treating him like a long-lost friend. Her mind wandered back to the very first email she'd gotten from Cammi, the video. Then their conversation at the pocking pitch. When he'd commanded Skorpi and fixed her arm. She didn't know him—or remembered him, rather—but Cammi had given her what no one else would. The truth.

Zaharah bit her lip, her mind finally catching up with the present. "Pharah wait." She dug her heels in and pulled her hand free. "Please we need to think about this."

"Think about what?" She wheeled on Zaharah, cutting the air with her hand. "That bitch killed Devin. She killed Markus. You think her brother is going to help us?"

Zaharah winced as the words cut into her. "I know but..." She glanced back at Cammi who still held Skorpi in his hands while the little mechpet rolled around like a pig in shit. Skorpi wouldn't behave like that with anyone. Jade hadn't budged from her spot, and Roddi stood halfway between her and Zaharah.

"Where are we gonna go?" Roddi asked, his voice low enough so only they would hear. "It's going to be dark in an hour, and we don't have any money."

Pharah pressed her lips together and crossed her arms. "Anywhere but here. I'd rather sleep on the street."

Zaharah looked to Jade again, who was signing at Cammi. He nodded at her and signed back. And he can sign too... pretty good, as far as Zaharah could tell. She rubbed her face and looked back to Pharah. "I don't think it's wise if we stay out in the street at night. The police could still be looking for us. And I need to get to a computer so I can track the pod."

Pharah stayed quiet, and Roddi closed the distance separating them. "Look, I'd rather not be dealing with this guy either, but we are out of options here. We just have to cross our fingers and hope we've used up all our bad luck."

A hand landed on her shoulder and she turned to Jade who held out an electronic polaroid. It contained four photos according to the tiny green lights on the bottom. Displayed on the face was a photo of two men, one unmistakably Cammi with shorter dreadlocks and the other, their father. They were dressed up, black tie style, each with a flute of bubbly held up. Zaharah recognised the background as the ballroom of the Cylean Cybernetics tower, with its floating aquarium backdrop.

Jade swiped right on the polaroid and another photo popped up. This on featured Cammi with their older sister, Quelle. They stood on paddle boards—well, Cammi stood on his while Quelle was on the verge of falling off hers.

Another swipe, another photo. Zaharah's heart sunk at her smiling face staring out of the Polaroid; she couldn't be older than six or seven. Her arm was extended towards the camera, showing off the shiny metal.

The last photo was of Jade and Skorpi sitting by the big guinep tree outside their family's home. They both had on Santa hats, and the lights strung in the tree were like fireflies in the background.

I remember this photo, Jade signed. It was the Christmas after my freshman year in high school. Mom took it.

Zaharah swiped back to her picture, stared at it long and hard, yet she couldn't remember for the life of her when and where it was taken. And this guy had it, carried it around like some kind of trinket. She turned to Cammi. "Who the hell are you? Why do you have these?"