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Chapter 7.2
“Not to be rude,” Eason said, sounding like he was trying to be as rude as possible, “but what do you want, Sarah? You never do something like ‘help’ unless you can get a story or some gossip out of it. I won’t allow you to make the situation worse for Nyla.”
Sarah snorted while rolling her eyes. “I don’t gossip, Eason. I share information. Everything I share is true. It’s clear you don’t understand how valuable such talents are. But I have no interest in doing that to Nyla. I want to help make things go smoothly for her.”
“You know you can address her. She’s sitting right here and speaks perfectly fine, probably better than either of us,” Eason grumbled, irritated at being reprimanded.
Taken aback, Sarah turned towards Nyla with eyes as the size of saucers. “I’m sorry Nyla, I wasn’t trying to ignore you.”
“It’s okay,” Nyla s
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“How can you do that?” Sarah demanded, stopping her twirl to rush at Nyla and look intently at her mouth. “Smile, I mean. You shouldn’t be able to.”Nyla sat down and grabbed the sack lunch Eason offered. “I don’t know. Eason taught me how to do it by explaining to me what happiness feels like. Since then, I’ve been able to smile when I want to.”“Nyla,” Eason hissed. “I don’t think this is a good idea.” He jerked his head in Sarah’s direction. “You can’t trust her.”“I can hear you,” huffed Sarah. “And you can trust me.”“I trust her,” Nyla surprised herself by saying. She just had a feeling that everything would be alright with Sarah.Grinning victoriously, Sarah inched closer to inspect Nyla’s lips. “Happy? So that means you can feel happiness?”“Yes.”“W
What Is Love? Chapter 8.1
While wiping the thick fluid out of her eyes, Nyla heard the crowd laughing loudly. “Look at the killer now!”Nyla stood there, unsure of what to do. Covered in blood from head to toe, she knew that her clothing was ruined. She stared silently at the crowd before her, who were all laughing and jeering at her. Something fiery and hot rose within her, and her hands balled into fists.Don’t do anything. Don’t do anything.The clatter of someone climbing down the ladder froze her tormentors. “Oh shit,” the leader called, turning and rushing down the stairs. The rest of his group quickly followed.Nyla turned carefully in the puddle of blood and waited for Sarah or Eason to open the door. She could hear both of their voices bickering behind the wall. Their conversation ended when they swung the door open and saw her.“Nyla!” Sarah screamed.Eason rushed to her side, slipping on the bloody f
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The door opened, startling her. “Oh, there you are. Come in, come in.” Edmond ushered her inside. His tone was perfectly pleasant, no hint of anger remaining. The sudden change in him made Nyla uneasy. “Sit,” he directed her to the chair in front of his desk. Nyla sat.Without preamble, he said, “You did well today, Nyla.”Nyla stared at Edmond stunned, forgetting that he expected a reply. After several moments she hastily said, “Thank you.”With a great sigh, he settled himself into his chair. A self-satisfied grin appeared on his lips. “I’ve leaked the events today to the media. Your lack of response when attacked has garnered intense sympathy. One of the students took pictures, and we’ve been able to retrieve them and slip them to the media as well. My campaign has recovered from the backlash of your introduction, and the MRP approval rating has gone through the roof. In fact, my entire campaig
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Gunfire echoed around Nyla as she sprinted through the night. She didn’t pause as her platoon members called out to her.“Major!” she screamed, her voice hoarse from breathing in the smokey air.An enemy soldier emerged from the night and sprinted towards her. She sent him flying with one swipe of her arm. He hit one of the few trees in the town square with a sickening crunch before falling to the ground, dead. Nyla didn’t give the body a second glance.Out of the darkness, the labored breathing of hundreds of men rose, but Nyla sought only one: the Major’s. She knew his breathing better than she knew her own. Finally, the signal she had been waiting for appeared – she heard him whisper her name. In seconds she was by his side behind the half wall where he had taken refuge.There was blood soaking his front. “Major! What happened to you! Where are you shot?”
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Edmond insisted that Nyla return to school the next day, despite Veronica and Eason’s protests.“Really, Edmond? After what happened yesterday? Let the poor girl have a day of rest!” Veronica chastised.Eason added, “Seriously, Dad. I can go, but let Nyla stay home today.”“I can go,” Nyla piped up. She had been standing in the doorway unnoticed.“See, Nyla says she can go,” Edmond declared, finishing the argument.Walking towards the hovercar, Eason leaned over and whispered, “You don’t have to do this, no matter what Dad says. Mom will back you on this one.”“No, I want to go to school.” She added at his dubious glance, “I want everything to go back to normal. I don’t want to have to think about it anymore.”“If you say so.”To their surprise, Edmond got behind the wheel again. Exchanging glances, Eason and Nyla s
What Is Love? Chapter 10.2
“They’re not private enough for him,” he replied, watching the hologram greet Sarah.“Is something wrong, dear? Why are you calling me from school? Did another incident occur?” the little hologram woman asked.“No, Mom, nothing like that. I was calling to see if Eason and Nyla could come over after school.”The tiny figure froze for a moment before she started nodding her head, craning her neck as if trying to see them. “Eason Braun? And Nyla? Yes, of course, that wouldn’t be a problem. I’m meeting with the Governor in a few moments, do you want me to ask for them?”Sarah raised her head towards Eason, who nodded. “Yes, Mom, that’d be great. We’ll see you when we get home.”“Love you, sweetie. See you all later!” The call clicked off, and the hologram disappeared.“Well, that’s settled then,” Sarah sighed. “I should w
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