Can You Hear Your Heart

Chapter Eleven

Nerves start within me as I watch everyone run or pace at the alarm of a threat. Refugees and families get in their small apartment rooms while the medics prep up for any injured people. I walk towards the large room as the various screens all over the place give out the instructions to hide or prepare to defend.

Among the crowd, I feel someone take a hold of my hand. I turn to see my sister, Anna, walk by my side with the same worry in her eyes. "Sis. I'm glad to find you here. I need you to take one of the spare rooms to--"

"No," I quickly say. "There are others that need those refugee rooms more than I do. I'll be in the Grand Auditor Room."

My sister hesitates at my wishes until she sighs and gives me a firm nod. "Let's go. Dina's been called as well. I hear that all the meta humans need to defend in this one."

My stomach flips nervously at these words. The thought of Shaun and the risk he's taking makes my heart pound. I can't lose him. Not now when I need him the most.

We finally enter the large room as various soldiers prep up while others talk with their loved ones. My eyes immediately find Shaun and we both run into each other's arms. I let strongly him envelop me, and I close my eyes to fill up my heart with confidence. He lets go so he can put a gentle hand on my cheek and say, "Don't worry. I'll be right back. I promise."

"Anything can happen in a mission and you know that," I firmly say. The memory of the last mission we went to together runs through our memory. Where we have been tricked and hundreds died in battle. We were lucky that we survived. They were targeting meta humans...

Determination makes his eyes dark as he gives me a smile. "Don't worry. I will back." He then looks down at my belly and puts a tender hand on it. My heart jumps at the feeling of his hand as he says, "I'll be back for my favorite girls." I close the distance between us and let my lips taste his. If this is the last time, it has to count.

He gives me one last kiss and with a firm nod, walks towards the group of meta human soldiers ready to fight. I look back to where Anna is talking with a blonde man. I suddenly remember that day at the cafe when her eyes went sad. I observe the way she talks to him with this odd sadness in her expression. The man seems to want to say something. I can see how he struggles to find the right way to communicate with her. Either with touch...or with words. Then he finally decides to give her a tight hug and walks away with the other soldiers.

I start walking over to my sister as she does a sad sigh. I pretend to have not seen anything and say, "Are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh yeah." She quickly tries hard to recover her posture. "I'm trying to look for Dina." The moment she finishes her sentence, Dina appears with panic in her eyes. When she sees us, her muscles relax and she tightly hugs us.

"Are you two alright?" We both nod at her and then she gives me firm look. "Vivica. I don't want to know that you will in any way participate--"

"Don't worry, Dina. I already talked with Shaw." Dina gives me a small smile and nods. Then the loud speaker announces for all soldiers to prepare for walkout. Dina gives us both one last hug and says, "If anything happens--"

"Nothing will happen," Anna quickly interrupts. A set determination in Anna's eyes lay on Dina as she says this. "We'll meet you here once you get back."

"Okay," Dina says with determination. The moment she presses on her bracelet, the uniform designed for her starts to cover her whole body. She picks up her white hair up in a high ponytail and gives us both one last look. I know what she's doing. To those who fight, there's no promise that you will be back. So we look at our loved ones one more time just in case....