The Arks: Over Heaven (by Ben)

Chapter 60.5: Broken Facade

Part 1/3

Night was already beginning to cover the entire ARK in a blanket of darkness.

Tiffany sat at the dining table, a light pinned at the piece of paper that contained the encrypted message Star had given to Samuel. Tiffany was inspecting the lines, and writing something down at the bottom of the paper. The gills that lined her neck after she had entered the cave were now gone, along with the loud heartbeat that filled the air like loud drums in a war.

Andres was taking swigs of his energy brew while staring out at the pen of dodos that was outside his home. He reached into his pouch and pulled out handfuls of berries, tossing them into the crowd of birds. Instantly, they all began to dive and dash for their share of the meal like vicious hounds. Andres sighed.

Footsteps clacked on the hard wood behind him, and Samuel approached, resting his hands on the window sill. Andres looked at him with eager eyes, like a puppy begging for treats.

“Hi Samuel!”

“Hey,” Samuel replied, looking out into the crowd of Dodos. He rubbed his hand on his left wrist, where there was no implant. How many knew about it now? One, two?

“Only Aurora and Skyler,” Samuel thought to himself, “But they know I might as well not need one.”

Samuel felt like he was missing one more person, but he passed it off as his imagination. Samuel looked at Star, who was sitting on one of the dining table chairs. She seemed much more awake now, and was watching Tiffany intensely. She was wagging her tail excitedly.

Andres turned to Samuel.

“You know, you’re very mean to that woman.”

“Aurora?”

“Yes. The valedictorian,” he said with a frown, “Why are you so mean to her?”

Samuel groaned and clenched his fists.

“Because we made a deal. She’d treat me as her equal, but she’s not been doing me any favors with her irrational feelings.”

Andres put a comforting shoulder on Samuel, and he flinched.

“Not everyone can be like you Samuel,” Andres told him, “I think she’s trying her best. Cheer her up, please. It hurts seeing a kind man like you go out of your way to berate her.”

“You think I’m kind?”

“Of course. You spared me. You went out of your way to warn me,” Andres said, “You didn’t have to do that. I’m really grateful for that. Those scouts under the Crimson Crusader wouldn’t hesitate to kill me.”

“If Aurora tried to kill you, why are you so defensive about her?”

“Because I forgive her for what she’s done. It was a misunderstanding. She feared her safety just as much as I feared mine.”

Andres’ hand slipped off Samuel’s shoulder, and Aurora walked past the window, pausing before she took a seat on the soft grass, looking out onto the waterfall. She hugged her knees, and Andres nodded his head at her.

“I think you should apologize. I think it will make her feel better.”

Samuel looked on past her, and after making his decision, removed his hands from the sill and began to head out the front door. Before opening the door up, he heard the squawk of Star. Samuel turned around, and Star nodded her head at him in approval. Samuel nodded back, and after leaving shut the door behind him.