I didn’t sleep that night after the brutal attack from the Day Stalkers. I saw two friends slaughtered, one of whom was carrying a child. The baby had been ripped from her womb and ingested in front of her.
Mindy was her name. She was to learn from me about living in Akana. We were planning to send her to Akana so I could use my gift of projecting, of leaving my body and traveling, and gather information from the Sybaris through her. We were hoping she would be chosen because of the baby, and I could tap into Mindy when she went to the city of the Ancients. Once there, I could discover their weaknesses in order for the rebels to take them down.
That plan had changed at the hands and mouth of a Day Stalker. I had strongly suggested to Davis beforehand that we didn’t need to send Mindy; I could find the Ancient City and go there myself.
Because I was a ‘Mare’, I was sought after by both sides. To the Sybaris, I was life, I gave them the ability to create a new species that was invincible. To man, I was the ultimate weapon, because I easily could defeat the Sybaris.
To some I was a blessing, to others I was a curse. I had not only the ability to travel out of body, but to make things happen. I could pick up a simple stick, believe it was a mighty weapon, and destroy the enemy with just the power of thought. That portion of the gift was still not within my control, therefore I was dangerous to anyone around me.
Who cared if I was in the City of Ancients, and if I were a danger to all of them? They, the Savages, the Elder Sybaris, the Day Stalkers, had to be eliminated from this world for man to finally be free.
Even knowing the weaknesses of the Sybaris, we still needed a plan of attack. A strategy of war.
We had been struck by an unexpected battle which weakened us. This battle was the reason I left when the sun rose.
The death of Mindy hit me hard, but not as much as the death of Marie. She was a mother figures, a woman who was kind without asking for anything in return. I trusted her and loved her. She was also brave.
When the Day Stalkers came, so did Nito. Nito was a Sybaris with great power. She was a leader, and she had been around for thousands of years. She was there when men first defeated the Sybaris and rose when man fell.
Not only did she hate me, she wanted me, and Nito would stop at nothing. I found out my mother was giving in to Nito’s bribes.
Once I didn’t return Nito came for me. Marie battled her and lost. I couldn’t stand the thought of anyone else from Angeles city dying because of me.
I left as the sun began to rise in the sky, leaving a note regarding my departure.
It had been nearly a month since I had left Akana, and it was time for a choosing ceremony to occur. I needed to make it back for the ceremony, to be chosen, to get inside the Ancient City. To defeat not only the Sybaris, but mainly Nito.
She was the head of the serpent that needed to be decapitated.
Davis, I believe, would understand my reasoning. As leader of the rebellion, he may not like it, but would know it was their best option.
I knew Davis before I arrived in Akana. He was there when I was little, when my mother took me away. He was a welcome sight when I arrived in Angeles City.
I also met Tanner. He was the first one from the rebellion side that I came in contact with. A year or two older than me, Tanner was different than the males in Akana, or even Esperanza Straits. All males in the Sybaris villages had long hair, and everyone dressed the same.
Not Tanner.
He wore tan pants with big pockets. His shirts had short sleeves with writing on them. Tanner was colorful. He spoke fast and lazily, using the word ‘man’ to address everyone.
I liked Tanner. When I received another warning that his life would be taken next, I couldn’t take that chance.
He found my letter, chased after me, and begged me not to go.
His eyes cried out to me, and I turned away.
I didn’t look back, I kept going, praying that he would forgive me and understand my decision.
My journey from the town of Lyons Estates was a long one. I had to make it to the Salton Sea and then cross it to Akana.
The gatekeepers, hideous monsters with minds, would decide my fate. Surely they would let me in, if only to let Nito choose me.
Davis and Marie had gone to great lengths to integrate me into Angeles City, to make me like everyone else. They taught me and showed me things. I was educated on the history of Man. Everything I had learned in Angeles city, the mindset, the clothing, the way of talking, would have to be traded once again for the way I was expected to behave in Akana. Silent, proper, and subservient.
It would be an act, but one I’d take on.
When I left Lyons Estates, I took with me the best clothes I could find, rations, my time capsule box that I brought with me, photographs of Marie, and a smaller version of the book called The Bible that Davis gave me to read.
I prayed to their God because I was certain my gods had abandoned me.
Without a direction, I followed my heart and rode east, hoping to find the sea.
I did not want to return to that life, however, it was what I had to do.