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Even when fleeing for our lives, Ama’s as calm as stillwater, Kassiana Rivernova chuckled.
This thought splashed across her mind as she cascaded down the stairs and spilled onto the grated steel platform. Just ahead, her cousin and best friend, Amára Rivernova, had delicately landed and bounded toward the exit without losing rhythm. She slowed her pace just long enough for Kassi to catch up. They weaved through armored vehicles, whisked past a pair of confused Nemalís Royal Guards and burst out of the gated front entrance.
It was another beautiful day on Paradise as the morning daylight illuminated their surroundings, including all their usual hiding spots.
If we just get to the water, we’ll give them a real chase!
Gavish Bay was only a few strides ahead. Heavy boots of soldiers drummed the path behind them. Throwing their laminated-glass helmets on, the auto lock sealing with a hiss, Kassi and Amára raced through thick underbrush to the mossy overhang and dove ten meters down into the crystal waters of the Bay. For Kassi, it wasn’t a clean dive, but deep enough to grab some momentum.
Swimming two strokes beneath the surface, Kassi pushed forward as she mentally scanned her body for tension, found the source and allowed it to release all while taking two deep breaths to regain control of her diaphragm. She belted a Haraki Hîm—a siren acceleration song—and lit up two of the five bulbs on her sonopack. Unsurprisingly, Amára had already lit four.
The thrusters on Kassi’s feet ignited and propelled her through the clear blue water, her body straight as a torpedo. Amára did the same, but with four bulbs lit, she also had use of her hand thrusters and started to pull away.
“Wait for me!” Kassi shouted in Evéik between verses of her incantation.
Amára veered wide to peer behind her at Kassi who struggled to catch up. Amára slowed. “Do you think they followed us?” she asked.
“Should we check?” At this speed, they couldn’t twist their bodies to look behind them without spinning out.
“We’re probably far enough,” Amára said. They lifted out of formation, whipped their feet forward as if reaching the end of a very long jump, and forced a hard stop.
Suspended in the water, their eyes darted in all directions for any sign of their pursuers. Sunlight streaked the water giving them a clear view in all directions. There was no sign of the soldiers.
Kassi heaved an exaggerated sigh, “Ghost of Sheebah, that was close!” As trained sirens, they both forced slow, deep breaths to steady their breathing.
“Let’s never do that again, Kassi,” Amára said, turning off her thrusters and hovering in place with rhythmic flutter kicks.
“What? It’s just the Nemalís Royal Guard.” Kassi shrugged. “What’s the...”
“Those were not Nemalís Royal Guard, Kassi. They were speaking English–like Gaians!” Amára, usually so self-assured, had a look of unnerving fear in her eyes. The same look Kassi’s older brother, Caesar, had the day Kassi almost drowned. That was the last time she had seen it, and that was eight years ago–when she was seven. Seeing it again, now in Amára’s eyes, Kassi suddenly realized something was very wrong.
“Then who…” A flash of movement caught her eye–too quick to be marine life. Squinting, she spotted three soldiers torpedoing straight for them.
Amára’s eyes followed Kassi’s. She inhaled sharply as her face went pale. “It’s them!”
Kassi’s heart raced as she wondered who could possibly scare Amára like this. She tried singing, but her voice caught in her throat. Her sonopack coughed, already exhausted of all its energy. Without another incantation, she would be a floating whale carcass. Her arms flailed as she tried to move
Amára had already powered her suit and blasted off, slicing through the water. “Kassi? I can’t see you! You with me?”
“Ama! Help!” Kassi’s mind rattled through her siren meditation exercises. She scanned her body for tension—everything was tense! So she tried to focus on the awareness of her surroundings—sight, smell, sound—it was all chaos. Nothing calmed her ragged pulse, not even the calming rhythm of their spoken Evéik. Uneven breathing prevented her from sustaining a single note that would power up her sonopack. Without it, Kassi’s only option was to hide. Her eyes frantically swept the seabed for caverns.
There!
She dove, muscling herself downward in her pressurized wetsuit. Stroke after heavy stroke. She could almost reach the entrance. Her fingertips stretched to grab hold of the rocky lip when a strong hand lurched forward and seized her arm.
Kassi shrieked as she spun to face a square-headed man with a flattened nose and a face like a bucket of smashed crabs. Looking into his menacing eyes, Kassi kicked and squirmed to break free. He held on, his grip like carbon steel.
A woman with a brunette pixie bob and a weasel face caught up to him, swimming alongside and aiming a square-paneled, shoulder-mounted sonic cannon directly at Kassi’s head. It wasn’t the cannon they often used for sports–this one was military grade, the kind that could cripple or even kill. The woman’s mouth creased into a thin-lipped smile. Desperation swept over Kassi as she twisted, kicking against the man’s chest with all her strength but she couldn’t slip his grasp. The woman sent a high-frequency sonic pulse directly at Kassi. Thin as a needle, hot as white-blue flame, sound pierced the helmet and ruptured something in Kassi’s throat.
An explosion of lightning pain flooded Kassi’s body. Her neck was burning like fire, the rest of her body cold and pale as if on the brink of extinction. She gasped for air. Nothing came in. Her helmet was intact, her suit’s gills still functioning. The air was around her, but her throat constricted and prevented it from filling her lungs. Kassi clutched her chest just below the helmet.
Amára sped into view and spotted Kassi, terror in her eyes. She rushed to her cousin, reaching out a hand. A third soldier intercepted, grabbing her and forcing her back. She was shouting something, but Kassi only heard muted tones above her own panicked thoughts. She saw the tears streaming down Amára’s cheeks. Kassi’s life was slipping away. With her last drip of consciousness, she wished she could apologize to Amára for dragging her to the Rosenbridge portal. It was all Kassi’s idea.
Just as she was about to pass out from lack of oxygen, Kassi felt a cool stream of air trickle into her lungs. The swelling in her throat subsided just enough. Kassi wanted to quickly gulp down air, but her inflamed throat prevented it.
As if disappointed to see Kassi breathing again, the square-headed man lurched forward, unlatched Kassi’s helmet and ripped it off her head. Water flooded in before she could take one last indrawn breath.
Blurry vision blackened at the edges. Her body went limp as she stared at Amára’s screaming face and thought of her final moments with her family. Her last words to her mother were spoken in anger. She would never get to say goodbye.
—————————
Kassiana heaved for air as if she just crashed through the surface of the ocean. She blinked, feeling unease creeping in the darkness around her. With her face to the ground, sharp, broken tiles pricked the bare skin of her left cheek. Long, dark braids spilled across her face.
The fog in her head slowly cleared as she sat up, her eyes straining to make shapes in the diminishing darkness. She was in what appeared to be an abandoned church with high brick walls and an arched ceiling of dark woodwork dripping in fluorescent graffiti. The cold night sky slithered through broken stained-glass windows and a few gaping cracks in the walls and ceilings. Collapsed, wood-carved pews and altars littered the tiled floor. Trickling water echoed in the distance and an overpowering smell of stale urine filled her nose. It made her stomach wretch.
Her body gave a violent shiver. Even with her wetsuit on, it was freezing!
Sheist! Where’s Amára?
That’s when she noticed all the other teens strewn across the floor. A couple of them groaned back to life. Kassi propped herself up on her knees and squinted at the faces among the deep shadows, her vision blurred. Her gaze rapidly swept back and forth. She forced a deep breath and released the tension in her body. Calm! I gotta find Amára.
Scanning again, she spotted her—passed out on the chilled floor. “Ama!” Kassi tried calling out, her voice barely croaking a sound. She coughed to clear her throat.
Amára looked peaceful as she slept, completely oblivious. Her deep brown hair, a stylish razored comb-over bob, was beautifully tousled even now. Kassi patted her own braids. They were a frayed mess. Kassi shook her friend’s shoulder vigorously, and said in Evéik, “Ama, wake up!”
Amára stirred, groggy eyelids peeling open. She grimaced and focused her deep green eyes on Kassiana, such a beautiful contrast to her dark brown hair. “Kassi?”
Kassi sighed with relief. “Ama! You with me?” she tried to say, but her voice was so hoarse.
“Yisu,” Amára sat up and studied Kassi in the darkness. “What’s wrong with your voice?”
“My voice?” Kassi instinctively felt her throat. A cold chill crept up Kassi’s neck as the image of the square-headed man and the woman with the sonic cannon fought through her hazy consciousness.
I drowned! How am I still alive?
Kassi heaved gulps of air as if she were still helmet-less underwater. Hands trembling, her body swayed back and forth, over and over again.
Amára apparently noticed the abrupt change. “Kassi, you with me? Kassi?” But her melodic words seemed so far away. Kassi was
suddenly tiny–microscopic, surrounded by an infinite, encroaching darkness that swallowed her up.
It was like nothing she had ever experienced, as though someone else was in control of her body, and she was stuffed into the farthest corners of her mind. Panic swelled like an inflating balloon inside her chest.
Amára placed a gentle hand on Kassi’s back and repeated, “Breathe, Kassi. Just breathe. In and out.” The soothing touch provided a lifeline for Kassi to pull her back to her senses. Kassi listened, forcing the focus onto her breathing. After a few long minutes, her pulse evened out. The enveloping darkness subsided. Kassi resurfaced to find Amára beside her, a concerned look on her face.
“What happened?” Amára asked. Kassi shook her head, still focused on her labored breathing. Amára continued rubbing Kassi’s back as she surveyed their surroundings. “Do you know where we are?”
Kassi studied the room, steadying her pulse enough to answer, “I think this is Earth! It’s too filthy and rundown to be anywhere else.” Her raspy voice poked through the silence.
“Earth? How’d we get to Earth?” Amára said, her words naturally rhyming as they often did in Evéik. “Last thing I remember, I followed you to the GDC’s Rosenbridge portal.”
Their parents had left Kassi and Amára at Palace Rivernova while they looked into an incident in Viracocha on Planet Astera with the Nemalís Royal Guard. Even though they were specifically instructed to stay put at the palace, Kassi convinced Amára to trail behind to see if they could help, or at the very least watch and learn how their parents handled the situation.
“That’s all you remember?” Kassi said. “They must have narcotized you.” In her gravelly voice, Kassi tried recounting the traumatic experience to Amára without letting herself slip into a panic attack.
“Ghost of Sheebah! That really happened? I thought that was just a nightmare!” Amára said.
“I know,” Kassi said, rubbing her throat.
“Kassi, I’m so sorry! I tried to help, but…” Her voice trailed off as she stared into space.
Kassi heard vague stirrings from others scattered across the church floor. Amára must have noticed it too. There were at least a dozen of them wearing full-body siren wetsuits like Amára and Kassi, boots and gloves included, with only their helmets and sonopacks missing. She thought she recognized most of them from school, but the dark shadows obscured their faces. As one of them rustled and sat up, Kassi identified Macks Sinclar--always the tough cha in school, with muscles bulging out of his shirts. He was also grandson to Catarine Fresia, one of the original founders of the Paradise Planets. Glancing at the others as they began to move, she soon saw their faces and realized they all had parents or grandparents on the Council of Creators, Paradise’s governing body.
"How did we get here?" Macks massaged the side of his head as his eyes swept over his surroundings.
Kassi and Amára stood and quickly helped the others to their feet as they all shared what they last remembered.
"I was retrieving a loose disc that went out of bounds when an unfamiliar song blared in my helmet."
"My cousin and I were exploring the Gundah River when I heard a song."
"I was just swimming in the ocean outside our estate when I heard it."
"Shhh, quiet," said Ama. "We were all abducted, narcotized, and brought here. And I highly doubt it’s a coincidence our parents are all in the Council."
"And they think they can keep us? We’re Nemalís! And most of us are sirius sirens,” Macks said, flexing.
“Without siren suits,” Ama reminded them.
“That won’t stop me,” Macks said, marching to the door.
“Wait, this could be our only shot at escape,” Amára said, rushing to reach the door first. “We stick together!” Macks nodded.
Leaning into the heavy wooden doors, Amára peeked her head outside. Kassi peered over her shoulder. No one in sight. They
slipped out into the windy, dark night.
“Where is everybody?” Kassi asked, shivering.
“Let’s not wait to find out,” Amára said as she padded down a wide, cement staircase that led straight into the water. Whatever street lay hidden beneath had since been swallowed up by the ocean’s rising tides. There were no signs of life anywhere. Starlight frosted the vacant hills and rooftops.
Reaching the edge of the steps, Amára slid both legs into the water. She touched the bottom with the water almost reaching her knees. “F-f-freezing!” she said. Before anyone could follow, she was already sloshing ahead to scope out the area. Kassi jumped into the icy water and hurried to catch up.
“Maybe there’s a Rosen-comm nearby,” Kassi said to Amára.
“If there is, it’d be up this way,” Amára pointed to buildings at the crest of a hill. They climbed up the slight incline out of the water to the top of the hill. With a better vantage point, they looked around. Whatever place this was, it clearly had been deserted for generations. They scoured the buildings in hopes of finding a working Rosen-comm device that would let them communicate with their home planet of Nemal, the first of the three Paradise Planets.
“There’s gotta be a way back to the GDC!” Kassi croaked. “Maybe we can find our helmets and sonopacks.”
Sonoluminescence packs—commonly known as “sonopacks”—each contained five metallic, spherical bulbs filled with heavy water. With a small glass window at the center, the bulbs looked like miniature, old marine diving helmets. These were mounted in a hydrodynamically shaped backpack that latched onto the back of a siren wetsuit. The siren suit helmets were made of armored glass that provided a full 360 view. At the base where the helmet was sealed to the suit, were the gills. This allowed the suits to breathe underwater by drawing the oxygen out of the water. Every sonopack had a built-in canteen, a hydro-cask, with tubes piped directly into the siren’s helmet so they could drink water without having to remove their helmets.
“I doubt it. But maybe there’s a boat.” Amára waved them back toward the ocean.
A woman’s voice from behind them made Kassi jump, causing her to slip into the mud. “Even if you did find a boat, where would you go?” She said in fluent English from the shadows, her voice rich and euphonic like a prized cello at the hands of a master. “This island’s hundreds of kilometers from the nearest land, and you’d have to slip past all the U.N.O.E. yachts patrolling these waters.” There was a ripple of electric snaps as at least a dozen people around them powered up siren wetsuits and beamed white spotlights on their patch of grass. Kassi shielded her eyes and blinked rapidly until they adjusted to the brightness. The night sky above was no longer visible and the facades of the surrounding houses were pocked with deep shadowy recesses.
A woman stepped forward into the light. She was a short, curvy woman with perfectly shaped eyebrows in an autumn-colored siren wetsuit. Her brown hair, a wavy cut with curtain bangs, fell to her shoulders. She wore a bronze pendant necklace around her neck. Something Kassi might see her grandmother wear and yet this woman couldn’t have been over thirty. Her gaze swept over them, smiling with her chocolate brown eyes as if excited to meet them. Kassi and the others turned to run just as a cadre of heavily armed soldiers surrounded them, cutting off their escape.
They regrouped and turned to face the woman. Amára stepped forward, directly in front of Kassi as if to shield her. “Why have-eh you abducted us?”
The woman inhaled and raised both eyebrows, as if offended. “Abducted? Oh bless your little heart. We didn’t abduct you. We brought you here as our guests.”
“Don’t listen to her, chas.” Macks Sinclar said, jutting out his chin and folding his arms. “My father told me about her. This is Ravana, and she’s raving ludicray!”
“There’s no need to be cruel,” Ravana said, a trace of anger hidden behind her controlled voice. “We brought you here to expose you to what’s really going on. Despite what your parents think, you’re old enough to know now.”
“Know about what?” Kassi asked over Amára’s shoulder.
Ravana eyed Kassi’s burn mark on her neck, “You must be Kassiana.” She took a step toward Kassi, but Amára sidestepped to cut her off. “I’m sorry for what they did to you. We revived you minutes after you passed out to avoid any permanent impairments,” she paused as if waiting for a show of gratitude before continuing, “I told them explicitly you were not to be harmed. Rest assured those responsible will be dealt with.” She cast a disapproving look at a few soldiers cowering in the shadows. It was the square-headed soldier and the woman who had blasted her with the sonic cannon. Despite the promise of repercussions, the woman still cast a wicked, sadistic smile at Kassi. Kassi fought down her inner trembling, her hands wringing each other tightly.
“So does that mean you’ll heal my voice-eh?” Kassi asked, her hoarse voice quivering.
“Believe me I would,” Ravana gave a sympathetic smile. Maybe it was even genuine. “Unfortunately none of us are skilled healers equipped to handle an operation like that.”
“You said you brought us here to show us something?” Macks i
nterrupted, scowling.
“Yisû. We’re here to show you the deplorable conditions of the Gaians–the people of Earth,” Ravana said, striding across the grass to face outward toward the ocean. “Gaians are surviving on poor food rations, living on top of each other. They’re violently abused and enslaved by the U.N.O.E. Many of them like my father have died because...,” Ravana’s voice shook, as if she were about to tear up. She paused to find her calm and continued, “Many die of common maladies your siren healers could easily cure. Meanwhile the Council of Creators, your parents,” she turned to face them, “rule three large, wealthy planets and refuse to open the portal. You have more than enough space, food, siren healers and resources to help them. I need your help to convince your parents to open the gates and free the Gaians.”
“I thought they didn’t want our help,” Kassi said. Everyone knew Earth was a dilapidated planet, but Kassi had always been taught it was only because of their corruption, needless wars, and planetary negligence.
“Yisû, they hate-eh paradisers,” Macks added.
“They only hate you because you don’t help, and because you tax them for what little they do have,” Ravana said, shaking her head.
“We don’t tax them! Why would we?” Amára said. “We already have everything on Paradise-eh.”
“Yisû, you do have everything. And why do you think that is?” Ravana asked. A few beats passed in silence as everyone considered this. Ravana continued, “This is why we brought you here. To show you the truth!”
“So once we see this, you’ll let us go back home-eh?” Amára finally asked.
“I wish it were that simple,” Ravana said, lifting her eyes at the soldiers around her. “All of us grew up on Earth. We had to train all our lives and battle against the toughest competition to finally win the Siren Games and earn our place on Paradise.” The Siren Games was a global tournament held twice a year. Sixty-four teams composed of the universe’s top underwater athletes ages eighteen and under, known as “sirens”, came together from all across Earth to compete in three elimination rounds before facing off in the fourth and final round, the Ship Races. The first four teams to finish the race earned a place for them and their families on the Paradise Planets. “That’s the only way any of us ever had a chance of living on one of your Paradise Planets. Not only is it unfair. It’s dangerous! People have died in the Games!”
“But aren’t Gaians in charzhe of the Siren Games?” Amára asked.
“That’s not the point! Are you even listening?” Ravana broke composure and heaved a frustrated sigh. “There shouldn’t even be a Siren Games in the first place. People shouldn’t have to earn their place on Astera, Aruna or even Nemal. All three planets should be open–to everyone!”
“Why should we believe anything you say?” Macks narrowed his eyes.
Ravana paused for a beat, then shrugged. “You don’t have to. We’ll take you to the mainland so you can see for yourself.”
“But,” Amára said, “why can't we go back home-eh once we see everything?” Kassi nodded, shuddering from the cold–or perhaps from the fear. At this point, it was hard to tell the difference. She noticed a few of the others were huddling in groups to share body heat.
Ravana massaged her temples and turned to the soldier next to her. “Griff, do you mind?”
He was only slightly taller than she was, plump to the point of slight obesity, with blonde curly hair parted down the middle. Nemal catered to such a healthy lifestyle, overweight people were extremely rare–Kassi had never seen one up close before. In Griff’s bright blue eyes, Kassi saw sincerity as he spoke. “We need you to compete in all four rounds of the Siren Games.” Kassi heard gasps of protest around her. Even though Paradisers had their own Intergalactic Sports Leagues, they all watched the Siren Games–the foremost sports competition in the worlds. The best siren athletes in all the worlds clashed in the fiercest of competitions with the highest stakes. Winners earned a Paradise passport, granting them a place on Paradise. Griff continued, “This will prove to your parents just how difficult and unfair this is for Gaians who just wish to come to Paradise for a better life. And maybe while you’re at it, you could even convince them to accept those of us that are different. Let us into the higher planets as we are.”
“One thing at a time, Griff,” Ravana said.
“Of course,” he said with a quiet nod.
Kassi nervously twirled her fingers through her long braids as the teens around her grew more vocal with their objections.
“Gaians have been training their entire lives for the Siren Games,” One of them shouted.
“Yisû, how are we supposed to compete against that?” Another said.
“I’m sure you’ll find a way,” Griff said.
“The Games have already started!” Amára said.
“You’ll have to wait until the next ones,” Griff said.
“That’s not for another six months!” Kassi heard a few of the others shout.
“Which will give you plenty of time to see how the Gaians live,” Ravana said calmly.
“So you’re forcing us to wait here for six months?” Macks jabbed a finger downward at Ravana, muscles flexing under his tight wetsuit. He was at least a full head taller than she was. “Didn’t you zhust say the Games were danzherous? People die in the Games?”
“We’re not forcing you to do anything,” Ravana said, pressing a hand to her heart. “We’re asking you to do the right thing here and help the poor Gaians.”
“If you’re not forcing us,” Kassi began, “then we should be able to choose-eh not to compete and go home-eh.”
“Doesn’t matter anyway.” Macks turned to Kassi and the others, but spoke loudly enough for Ravana to overhear. “Our parents are probably on their way right now to get us.”
“Your parents aren’t coming for you. We convinced the U.N.O.E. to close Earth’s side of the portal,” Ravana said. Gasps of shock echoed around Kassi.
“I don’t believe-eh you!” Macks whirled on Ravana. Wavy brown hair fell in front of his face as he tucked it behind his ears. “My father told me you’re a liar. You lie and manipulate-eh people to do what you want. That’s what he s--”
“I do no such thing!” Ravana raised her voice. “Your father’s the one who lies about everything. He’s the reason you have no clue what’s going on down here!”
“Take us back to the portal, or else-eh!” Macks clenched his fists, poised to charge like a raging bull.
“Listen.” Griff stepped in between Macks and Ravana with his hands up to diffuse the tension. “There’s no need to fight.”
“Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness, young man,” Ravana said, the corners of her mouth tightening. “I know when it comes to helping and caring for the Gaians, I wear my heart on my sleeve. But don’t think for a dynamic second that makes me soft. Maybe you even think you’re doing the right thing. Bless your little hearts. I can’t blame you. Your parents never taught you right. But at the very least, they should have taught you that violence only causes more violence. It doesn’t solve anything.” Turning toward Macks who was still coiled, she lifted her empty hands.
In an instant, Macks jumped forward and swiped a soldier’s dull-gray sonic rifle, tossing it to Amára. He decked the soldier with a right hook, buying Amára enough time to fill her lungs and burst into a Gelt Hîm, a siren dueling song. Directing high frequencies at Ravana’s chest, she tried to strike before Ravana could shield and minimize the blow. However, Ravana had already drawn her sonic rifle from her holster, the mouthpiece to her lips.
Positioned to defend, she performed a sonic shield that diffused Amára’s attack. Ravana then launched into her own counter, firing a sonic punch that knocked Amára off her feet. She hit the ground hard, but bounced back quickly. Back on Nemal, Kassi had seen her duel many times before, and she had only ever lost once. That was to Kairos, Kassi’s oldest brother, who happened to be the reigning dueling champion. Amára shook off the blow and retaliated with another Gelt Hîm, striking Ravana with such force that even her shield song didn’t hold. Ravana stumbled back, clutching her chest and for a
moment, Kassi thought her cousin might win this. Amára must have thought this, too. Others around Kassi joined in the fray, adding to the chaos as they helped Macks who had successfully subdued one soldier and was tussling with another.
Ravana responded with a powerful blast that took Amára off guard. It was a direct high frequency attack that induced instant nausea, causing Amára to double over and vomit.
Kassi knew Ravana could easily kill Ama at that moment. She had to do something. Scrambling to snatch the sonic rifle that had spilled to the ground, she pressed it to her mouth and tried performing a shield song. With her broken voice, nothing came out. Even with a healthy voice, Kassi knew if Amára couldn’t beat Ravana, Kassi didn’t stand a chance. Behind her, she heard Amára groaning from the ground, clearly in no condition to resume her duel. If only she could be the one to defend her cousin, instead of it always being the other way around.
Ravana didn’t waste any time launching into her next powerful attack. Just as Kassi began feeling the effects of Ravana’s attack, Macks broke free from his scuffle with the other soldiers, snagged a sleek, silver sonic rifle out of the holster of a distracted soldier and launched a sonic strike. The width of the blast stunned Ravana and a few neighboring soldiers, knocking one of them onto the ground. Ravana took in the blast and remained on her feet, skidding backward as if struck by a strong wind. Her suit must have been upgraded to absorb higher decibels. It was enough to halt her attack on Amára as she pivoted and performed a shield song. The second Macks ran out of breath, Ravana countered with a violent Gelt Hîm. Her mood darkened as she faced Macks, as if it were personal. The intensity increased, becoming dangerously lethal–much more than was necessary to win the duel. The amplified high frequencies struck Macks with such force, Kassi heard something inside him burst. His body arched violently and spasmed until he crashed onto the soggy ground in a lifeless heap.
Kassi gasped in horror. Screams of shock and terror erupted from those around her as all fighting came to an abrupt halt.
Ravana looked shaken. “Sheist! Sheist! Sheist!” Her heavy breathing quivered and her eyes teared up at the sight of Macks’ b
ody on the ground. “I told you…violence never solves anything! When people refuse to see the truth, this…” Pressing hands to her face, she turned away.
Griff stepped forward. He looked rattled, constantly tugging on his collar and sleeves as if his wetsuit no longer fit. Clearing his throat, he said, “Now please, do as we say so there are no more unfortunate accidents.
“We'll be separating you to various cities around the world where you will study and train for your chance to compete in the Siren Games. We’ve assigned two grips who will supervise you and make sure you have what you need. They will treat you respectfully and honorably, and you will be expected to do the same.”
“We can’t stay together?” Amára clamped onto Kassi’s arm.
“You need to win the Games on your own,” Griff explained. “We’ll also be changing your names. You don’t want Gaians finding out you’re Paradisers, or “disers” as they like to say. As you already know, they hate your kind.” He nodded to the other soldiers. They dragged the others back into the group before forming an arched line facing the group of abducted teenagers. “We need you to understand how serious this is. We can’t let you go home until it’s finished and the Gaians are free. We can’t do this without your help.”
“What’s to stop us from reporting you?” Amára asked.
“Report us to whom? The U.N.O.E. already knows you’re here. They also want us to convince your parents to open their side of the portal to all Gaians. Despite our differing reasons, our interests are aligned temporarily. If you or any Gaian reports us to the mediation officers, nothing will happen. If anything, they’ll punish you for it,” Griff said. “And they monitor all the Rosen-comms, so don’t bother trying to call home. We’ll allow you to communicate with your family when the time is right.
“When you wake up, you’ll be in your new home. Hopefully, in time, you’ll come to understand why all of this is necessary.”
Ravana joined her soldiers as they drew their sonic rifles and began chanting a Humav Hîm, a siren narcotic song. Most of the soldiers had a common sonic rifle–dull gray handle with a wire-mesh mouthpiece on one end and a flared amplifier on the other. Ravana had customized hers with a smoo
th obsidian black handle arched slightly, featuring custom finger grooves, a mouthpiece with black wire-mesh grille, and a broad amplifier on the end rimmed in gold.
UNEVEN SKY
Save your breath and breathe
In a dreamless sleep
Where your mind drifts away
Always out of reach
You’re all stars from the same uneven sky
It’s your time to come down, share that light
You’re a ghost in the void
Of an endless sea
Everywhere you turn
There is only me
You’re all stars from the same uneven sky
It’s your time to come down, share that light
They’re all moths to the flame
And they don’t know why
It’s your choice if you save them
From that fire
*IN EVÉIK*
Zînar i japáb tuví japat
Lev în sînyom dormiat
Ubi ándesh poþ tuví kiliat
Méshû mun van tordoiat
Káthách dari li mara punîm ski ástarûtóbé
Bud tuví agité ki chom mun fam, mat sîm orûat
Bud în gwébé lev li koré tuvat
Van în ikirîm þalasaat
Tabi val tuvat
Ebi bud hanya mwaat
Káthách dari li mara punîm ski ástarûtóbé
Bud tuví agité ki chom mun fam, mat sîm orûat
Bud lenûtóbé ki li daver amni vodat
I sápéré néz dag tuvat
I bud nayalí zishé li loshin bud dar vier tuvat
Bud dar vier tuvat
