Broken
She walked through the small door, ducking to prevent an otherwise certain concussion. Or maybe not. Her long black dress glided across the rotting wood floor. A small shining halo rested slightly above her long dark hair. She stretched, her dark brown eyes shining in the scarce streams of gold shining through the cracks in the wood. Something crept from behind her, a small creature. Dark purple, dark pink and black streaks fell across the creature's scales as large pupils slipped out of the shadows.
“Good evening Nightshade. Ready to go?”
A small noise escaped the dragon-like creature.
“Well then, I guess I’ll have to take that as a yes.” Her voice was like melted obsidian sliding through the ocean.
Nightshade rubbed her head around the girl’s ankles and ended up cradled in her hand. She smiled.
“Let’s go girl, we have work to do.”
There was a sliver of orange left on the horizon as the dragon and the girl left the decomposing house and crept through the shadows of the ally. They peered through the cracks in the crumbling buildings.
“There, Nightshade, that’s where we need to go.”
The girl was pointing to a large formation that used to be a weapons company, now just a cracked representation of the previous, grand city.
“What do you hope to find there?” A deep, husky voice came from behind them.
“Who are you.” She seemed a little too calm, Nightshade on the other hand had a look of sheer terror on her face.
“Well,” A man slipped out of the shadows, he had blue/green eyes and short brown hair. “My name is Sebastian.” He smiled. “I know what you’re planning on doing and I can promise you, it won’t work.”
“Look I have a plan and I promise you, it will work.” She shot back glaring at him. “How do you know it won’t work? And how would you know?”
“Because I’ve tried.” He shot back. “I’m just trying to help you not die. Oh and who are you and what is that?” Sebastian was pointing at Nightshade.
“That is Nightshade, she’s my dragon. My name is Sara.”
“Well then Sara, maybe you could tell me your plan, and maybe, just maybe, I could help you.” Sebastian winked.
Sara rolled her eyes, “Fine.”
“Sara I’m telling you, it is not going to work.” Sebastian was getting really worked up.
“And you know because you’ve tried?” Sara shot back.
“Yes, I have. Do you not get what will happen to you?! Look, I lost my sister because she decided to break in there. I don’t want you to die either.” His green eyes were struck with pain.
“Sebastian… I’m sorry for your loss but I have to. I can’t let Nightshade die and she will if I don’t do this. Bash, I’m going. With or without you.” Sara sighed as she held me close to her.
I looked up at Sara, her golden brown eyes glinted with determination as she stared down Sebastian. Sebastian shook his head, his hair that was previously gelled up, was now falling over his eyes as he looked at her and shook his head.
“Sara, please.”
“No, I’m going! I swore to keep Nightshade safe and that’s what I’m going to do. If you’re really that worried, you can come with me.” Sara’s voice had turned from sympathetic to annoyed.
“Fine.”
I grinned as I recognized the tone of defeat in his voice. I liked Sebastian. He was really smart, he knew DC, or rather what was left of it much better than we did, and he was a sweetheart. I think Sara was glad he was coming, actually it was pretty obvious after the beautiful smile that lit up the face I know and love.
“Ok so, we need to get into the Pentagon as fast as possible. It’s the only place that still has weapons after they transferred them. We enter here,” Sara was pointing to the small opening in the fence that continued through the side of the building. “The good thing is that the security was wiped out in the invasion.” Sara continued. “We will have to grab everything we can once we’re in because some of the electropups are still active and are very capable of attacking us. Once we have gotten all we can, we get out. Clear?”
“I don’t like you doing this.” Sebastian was glaring at Sara.
“I’m not.” She replies.
“We are.”
A strong breeze flew through Sara’s hair as we crouched by the small hole in the wall leading into the Pentagon. She looked straight into my eyes and nodded her head towards the inside where who knows what was waiting for us.
“Ladies first.” I winked as I gestured for her to go in.
She sneered at me before creeping in, me close behind as the tiny dragon slipped in after us. Sara stops soon after we enter to point at a large snarling beast standing at the base of a chest. A small grunt from Nightshade asked the question I had hesitated to ask.
“We have to distract it somehow, what if we made it go to sleep?” Sara suggested.
“Sara, I’m kind of thinking that Rover here doesn’t need to rest.” I replied. “One of us has to be bait while the other two grab the weapons.”
“Who’s the bait?”
“You?” I smirked as Sara glared at me, her eyes shredding through my skin and making me laugh. “Oh, I’m sorry, Nightshade?” I threw another option her way and got the same response. “Sara, both of us will be able to carry more than one of us and her.”
“Bash,”
“Sara… Come on. She can fly, we can’t.”
“Fine.” She picked up Nightshade and kissed her on the head. “Are you up for this?”
Nightshade nods, looking a little worried and I picked her from Sara, “Hey, you can do this, if he comes one way, you go the other. And don’t get eaten.” I winked at her and she smiled back.
Sara let the dragon go and she slips over and confronts the electropup. I watched her for a minute, the small shadow teasing the aggravated robot, slowly pulling the pup away from it’s treasure.
“Bash, let’s go.” Sara whispered and as we glide through the shadows, I notice something I’d never seen before. A small glow above her dark hair.
It’s been hidden for the past few days, but I guess it just slipped out. The only thing I’m worried about is if Sebastian saw it. If he did, he’ll want an explanation. What would I say? I can’t tell him why we’re here, and I don’t know how he accepted the fact that Nightshade is a dragon. He’s so nice and if he found out, he’d leave us. It’s nice to talk to someone who talks back and Bash knows about DC. He’s essential to our survival. He can’t know. He just can’t. But what if he saw it? Will he ask me? Does he have the guts? Or does he just think it’s his mind playing tricks on him? I don’t know. Sebastian!! Give me SOME sign, at least one! Ugh, what am I doing? I’m in the middle of an escape mission and my dragon is very capable of become wire food. I can’t think about this right now, we need to get out and make sure Nightshade doesn’t die.
“Well, that was fun. Can we do it again?” Bash inquired carefully.
“What kind of screwed up definition of “fun” is in your head?” I asked laughing.
Sebastian smiled and looked at me. He watched me for a minute and then his gaze fell back to the chest by our feet. He slipped open the lock and the lid creaked open.
“What’s in it?” I pushed. He was just standing there… Was everything alright?
“Ummm... Sara?”
“Yes?”
“This isn’t what we thought it was,”
“Bash, what is it?”
He turned the chest and inside was a huge wad of paper. I picked one up and looked at it.
“Hello Sara. I know you’re on Earth. I’ve been watching you. When you gonna tell the guy? He has to know sometime. Oh! You don’t want to tell him! Cause you think he’ll think you’re a freak. Don’t worry sweetie, you are. Well I must be going, I certainly hope he wasn’t with you when you opened this.”
I looked up in terror to see Sebastian holding a piece of paper.
“Bash…”
“Sara, what is this? I know you’re on Earth? What the hell?” Sebastian’s face grew scarier as he got angrier.
“I can explain!” I yelled desperately. “Please, just let me explain.”
“Fine. What is going on?”
“Bash! Please, talk to me!” I pleaded.
Sebastian ran his hands through his dark hair, his back turned to me. I wish he would talk to me, give me some kind of indication what he’s thinking.
“Sebastian?”
He turns and looks at me, his eyes filled with sadness. He walks over to Nightshade and pets her on the head.
A small whisper escaped from the prison it was kept in,
“It was nice knowing you.” He looks back up to me, grabs his backpack and starts walking away.
“Bash!” I ran after him. His head turned but the only thing I was met with was betrayal. “Sebastian, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean for this to happen!”
“When were you going to tell me?” His voice appears, surprising me with the low volume. “Sara. When?” I’m starting to think that he might be less scary if he was yelling.
“I… don’t know.” I answered, my eyes shifting to the metal beneath me.
“See, that’s what it is Sara, you can’t tell me the truth.” The hurt was back in his eyes giving me a pit in my stomach.
“Sebastian! What do you think I just did?” I yelled, tears started falling down my face. “Do you think this is easy for me. Do you think I didn’t want to tell you? This is hard for me too, I’ve wanted to tell you since I met you but I…”
Bash cut me off with a hug that made me start sobbing.
“Hey, hey. Look at me. It’s ok. I overreacted. I just didn’t understand why you wouldn’t tell me this. You’re special Sara. Heck, you’re a freakin’ angel.” His bright green eyes shone from under his dark hair as a small wink crept across his face.
I’m ok with it. Yeah, it will take me a while to get used to it but, you know, whatever. Sara means well and that's all that matters. The only question is, is she dark, or light. I know there are two but I don't know what she is. I’m afraid to ask because I don't want her breaking down again. But I have to ask. Ok. Here we go.
“Sara, are you dark or light.”
Sara looked up from brushing Nightshade and stared at me.
“You know what they are.” She murmured.
“Yeah, I just… don't know what you are.” I looked into her dark brown eyes, hoping for an answer.
“Well, what do you think I am?” Her eyes almost instantly switched from guarded to playful.
“I refuse answer that. Whatever answer I give, bodes badly for me.”
A smile played along Sara’s lips and I realized.
“But you know that. Oh. How dare you!” I accused.
Sara’s smile formed fully and she winked at me. My eyes narrowed and I raised my hands in defense. “Come at me, bro.” I said returning her wink.
“Oh, you asked for it.” She smiled, accepting my challenge.
She stood up and we circled for a minute. A fist came at my face but I grabbed her wrist before it made contact. My leg came up and caught her side making her fall and I towered over her, a smirk across my face. We sparred for a while until she decided to give up, two bruised hands came up in front of her face while she yelled,
“Ok, ok! I give up!!”
I smiled in victory and extended an arm to help the heap on the ground to it’s feet.
“Ok, I won, now tell me. Dark or light?” I asked leaning against a wall.
A small crimson tear came from her lip and she wiped it away and sighed.
“Dark.”
“You don't like that you’re dark, do you?”
“You tell me,” a voice came from her, but it was different from her usual one. She seemed, unemotional.
Then I noticed the shiny black shadows coming from her back. Wings.
“Oh Sara.” I looked at her, a face watching the ground. I tilted her head up to look at mine. “Sweetie, it’s ok. You have wings. Don’t be ashamed, you have wings. You are capable of doing anything you would ever want to! And, you look even more bada** than you usually do.” I winked and Sara smiled. “Come on. We have work to do.”
We worked day and night for five days trying to create it. The perfect weapon. The one to help destroy the Guardians and help restore our city. Lucky for us, it’s just DC that was attacked so as far as we know, the rest of the world is fine. It’s been about a month since the bombing and I’m starting to get a little worried why none of our stars have sent help for their stripes. It’s probably nothing, I don’t know why I’m worrying. The thing that bothers me the most though is the fact that Sara doesn’t belong here. I don’t know how she’s gonna live here. I mean, if we fix DC and get rid of the pups, is everyone else going to accept her? I know I do, but not everyone is like me. Ugh.
We are waiting, watching, that horrible thing. The thing that wrecked our city. That stupid electropup. I don’t know who made them. Or why. But when I find out, they’re going to get it. I know I can help save our country but can Sebastian? Is he up for this, for us flying up and dropping the bomb? I’m worried about him because I don’t know how he will react to this because it’s the same way that his city was destroyed. By bombs.
She flew me up into the air and I dropped the bomb, Nightshade fluttering beside me. Sara flew up further to shield us both from the shrapnel. And that's when I saw. That it wasn’t just DC. I saw. The country. And the one word that slipped from my mouth was…
Broken.
