ALPHA KARIM I ran as my legs could carry me out of the forest No one was awake. I ran into my tent immediately, searching for Laika, but she nor her belongings were there. I knew she had moved out of the tent after I slapped her, but seeing the room devoid of her presence, made me want to fall on
ALPHA KARIM I paced outside Morpheus' tent, rehearsing what to say to Laika when she comes out. She must believe me. She must believe that I am for real and could never hurt her. She must believe that I am back to my senses and that this was not a scheme to get her back and kill her. But no matt
ALPHA KARIM Sekani clashed his swords together and glared at me with poison in his eyes. He was mad and ready for the consequence of fighting me. I was not mad at him; I deserved his madness. "I know you are mad at me, but..." The words had barely left my lips when he lunged at me and s
LAIKA "Are you alright?" Morpheus asked again for the hundredth time. I smiled and nodded. Part of me did not want to leave Titan pack, but I had had the height of it. Karim hit me and would continue if I did nothing to stop him. Maybe I made the right choice following Morpheus away fro
LAIKA Silence hovered over us like ripe peaches as we ate. I caught Ari's eyes averting from me each time I looked up. Then I also noticed that she often stared at Morpheus too. It hit me. To Morpheus, she was a family friend, but she was in love with him. A case of unreciprocated love. It w
LAIKA We retired for the night, and Ari returned to wherever she came from. I was given the most enormous room in the house with the biggest bed to feel comfortable. I lay there staring at the ceiling because I could not sleep. The moon streaming in from the window made sleeping even more diffi
LAIKA I was able to get some alone time with Ari after breakfast. Claudia went off to do something somewhere, and I met Ari alone in the kitchen, humming a song to herself while doing the dishes. I walked in and took the ones she had rinsed already toward the plate rack. "I did not
LAIKA We made our way through the streets as dancers wriggled their bodies to the rhythm of the music produced by the drummers. Morpheus, Ari, and I made our way through the euphoric crowd. I would not say I was not enjoying the festival. I wore a bright smile as Morpheus led us through the