I was out eating. Well, to be exact, Damien, Arne, Naomi, Trik, and I were out eating. We went to a new outdoor Italian restaurant nearby in Phoenix, close to the edge of the city. The food was sublime! And each dish was beautifully crafted before being brought to our table by actual waiters! I actually felt a bit self-conscious due to how we were dressed. Ha-ha, we didn't fit in at all with the fancy décor and high-society customers.
Of course, the blissful moment didn't last long before our least favorite group of individuals let their presence be known.
Damien, Arne, Naomi, and Trik each looked up, sensing something.
"What's wrong now?" I asked.
"The Watcher HQs are being attacked," Trik answered.
My eyes widened in horror as I realized the vision was happening. I looked at Damien, my eyes pleading.
"Go, you have to protect them!" I told him even though I knew it meant leaving me unprotected.
He looked down at me, hesitating to move. I knew he probably thought it may already be too late, but I didn't care. He opened his mouth to object, but I spoke first.
"Don't let them die. I won't be able to live with myself if you all stay here to protect me while they're killed."
Damien answered her plea with determination.
"How can I deny such a selfless request..." He smiled approvingly. "We'll try to save as many as we can."
"Finally, a chance to see how strong these High Gods are up close and personal," Arne smashed a fist into their other palm as they grinned. "Even with the handicap, my defenses won't be broken so easily."
At the time, I didn't understand what Arne meant by that.
"Please be careful," I stated with concern.
"We'll do our best," Naomi replied, having switched to her other persona. "You should stay hidden for now. Staying here and hiding your energy should help."
"I'll head to the Russos," Damien declared as they each stood. "Arne, you're the slowest, so you should head back to HQ while Naomi flies to help the Sadios."
They each nodded before rocketing off. The wind generated from their takeoff blew their chairs and the food away.
"Come on," I told Trik as I grabbed his wrist. We were going to go inside and hide where we wouldn't be seen or detected, but I suddenly realized the flaw with that plan—if someone came after me, what would stop them from attacking the other humans...
"We have to leave," I told Trik. "We have to find somewhere to hide away from other people.
Trik looked at the restaurant; the people could be seen through the windows as they continued throughout their day, not a care in the world.
Suddenly, his eyes widened as he looked toward the sky. He gripped my hand tightly.
"Verin's coming..." he stated nervously. He lifted me unexpectedly and took off, racing past civilians and maneuvering between buildings until we were in an open space. He looked around frantically and then back in the direction Verin was coming from.
"Trik..."
"You need to run," he instructed me while putting me down. "I'll keep her distracted while you escape."
"What? No! I'm not leaving you," I objected. "We both can run."
"This isn't the time to be stubborn! Neither of us is fast enough to outrun her, and we're on our own. If you're still here when she arrives, there's nothing we can do to stop her from taking you away."
"But, Trik..."
"Dammit, Alissia! This is my chance to protect you. Let me do this." He pleaded. "I'll be fine; I'm not organic, remember? Mr. Heart can give me a new body later. Now go!"
I hugged him tightly as his lights and crevasses lit green and steam lifted from his body. Then, a thought occurred to me. If the base gets destroyed, he won't have a body to be brought back in...
"Wait, Trik—"
"She's almost here. Stop wasting time and go," Trik said, refusing to let me speak. Realizing that this may be my last time talking to him, tears ran down my cheek as I turned and ran as fast as I could.
****