ODE TO THE END: A BALLAD OF BROTHERS

CHAPTER 20

Naomi held close to Achim as they traversed the busy streets, but he could feel the lasso of her arms loosening. She was so taken by the wonders that she became blind to the obvious dangers. It was Achim and Achim alone who bore witness to suspicious weapons shops, underworld clinics, and shady salesmen. Back-alley dangers jumped in and out of his periphery, causing the dark boy to take a wide berth when the dark alley dealings threatened to spill violently into the streets. With the weight of a cruel world crushing him, Achim had to remain keen for the innocent beneath his brow.

"Naomi!" The dark boy shouted. "This way!"

"What is it--Ouch!" Naomi was yanked into a sprawl of people awaiting some sugar-fried treat. Once she was positioned properly, her back toward the road, she looked at Achim. "That hurt," she said.

Achim quickly shushed the sun-kissed girl. "Be quiet and keep your head down. We got trouble coming this way."

Naomi quickly followed suit, but she was compelled to ask, "What sort of trouble."

"Those gray guys again." Achim snuck a glance at a ten-man patrol on the approach. They soon came and went without incident, allowing Achim to ease his breathing.

"Are they gone?" Naomi asked.

"Yeah," Achim stated. "You can look now, but don't stare too long."

"Well that was a close call," said a giggling Naomi.

"We've had at least five close calls since we came into this town," said Achim. "There are way more here than we ever saw in the city."

Naomi stepped out from under Achim and peaked at the large squad disappearing into the crowd. "I don't think I've seen that many of them outside of the place my mom works." She then turned to Achim. "I know you said you were working with them, so meeting up with Warden might actually help us find your brother. But you're hiding for my sake." She gave Achim a tender look. "Thanks Achim. I appreciate it."

"What? What're you--" Achim was confused, until he remembered her request to stay hidden as well as his lie. "Ah, yeah. You were so distracted that I had to act fast. Still though, the people around here are avoiding those gray guys, so I don't think we will stand out by doing the same. Moreover, the agents on this side of The Divide don't seem as professional as the ones I went to. I want to avoid them too."

"Do you think they might not know about the search?"

"They wouldn't be here if they didn't know," Achim responded. "But if Warden is so big that they have people outside of the walls too, then I doubt information travels effectively. The fact that the entire organization is committed to the effort of finding Adlai means that something big enough happened that everyone needed to be informed. In other words something did happen on this side of York's Divide."

"I guess you're right," said Naomi. The conversation soon passed, and Naomi, eager to explore, quickly saw the opportunity for a new topic. "Now that the danger has passed, we should get something to eat. Maybe we can stop at a stall with a shorter line." Naomi reached for the money she always stuffed in her back pocket. It was a roll of crisp dollar bills. "I'll treat you for saving me."

"Put that money away, you idiot," said Achim.

"But it's just money," Naomi replied.

"Yeah! Money from your side of The Divide," Achim said in a hissing whisper. "You're supposed to be inconspicuous, remember."

"Well how are we going to eat without money to pay? I'm getting hungry," Naomi stated.

"You're hungry? Fine." Achim bit his tongue and walked off. "Come on. There's a place I stopped at to find work. All sorts of people gather there to pass around jobs and stories. We can listen as we eat and see if something about my brother comes up. But if we go, I have one condition."