Her Redemption

5 – Avow

AMARI has been standing under the tree for about fifteen minutes. She was looking at the other side of the road where the huge gates of Markstown High School is located.

Above the huge gates was an ark that has the emblem of the school and the bold letters that reads Markstown High School.

Teenagers were starting to exit the huge gate. Several cars were also leaving the premises.

Days ago, she remembered Malakai telling her that her classes ends at five in the afternoon on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And today is Thursday.

She put her hands inside the pocket of the white jacket she wore as she waits for the gray truck owned by the woman she lived with.

She straightened when she saw the familiar silver car.

The windows were down. She catch a glimpse of Malakai laughing at the woman sitting on the passenger side of the car. The woman is smiling back at her.

Her eyes followed them until she lost sight of the truck.

With a sigh, she followed the throng of the teenagers walking as they bicker with their friends.

Amari did not know how long she has been walking. She found herself standing outside a known gadget store downtown.

From where she stands, she can see the different devices from the glass window. She was familiar with them. She owed several but she lost them when she left her place not long ago.

She watched people enter and leave the establishments with smile on their faces. The employees were too eager to assist the customers. Showing them what their products can offer.

Amari was born and raised in an era when people use traditional materials. A little too far behind compared to what the people of this modern time has been using.

Growing up, her people has not even thought of mobile phones. The method for communication was through a messenger. Thinking back, it has never cross her mind that an individual would be dependent over a cell phone.

Back then, the means of transportation was either walking or through the horses. However, Amari thought herself on driving a car as she lived through recent times.

She was thought to be strong. To fight using brute force. She can wield swords, spears, bow and arrows, and even whips. She become a marksman when necessary. She survived a warfare when bullets were the best weapon for winning.

But that was a long time ago.

With a deep sigh, she enter the store. A female employee approached her. An engaging smile is already plastered in her face.

“My name is Grace. How can I assist you?”

She told the woman what she needs. No longer than five minutes she exits the establishment. She is holding a paper bag with the logo of a popular tech industry.

When she passed-by a garbage can she threw the paper bag. The necessary document and the gadget already in the pockets of her jacket.

Amari kept on walking until she come across with a children’s park. The orange sky is already overhead.

She sat at the bench beside the lamp post. She lean her back on the back rest. The orange sky is spreading like a fire .

Somewhere in the world people were also staring at the same sky but theirs was blue. It would be as fascinating as the eyes of the woman she knows.

She sigh again.

A few days ago, just before Malakai and her met, she lived in the woods. The forest has been her sanctuary for a long time.

For twenty years, she lived in peace. The singing of the birds wake her up in the morning while the buzzing of the bat and other night creatures lulled her to sleep.  The neighborhood was too far apart. She made it that way so that no one would notice that she never aged.

She barely leave her hut. She only goes to town to buy necessities.

She has a garden of fruits and vegetables surrounding her tiny hut. She gets her daily rations from there. Besides, to reach the road from her cottage would take a two-hour walk. From the road side, she has to drive for an hour to get to town.

She was at peace for years. Her socialization was limited. She got visitor every five to ten years wherever she settle. It was enough.

The self-exile she made was not sufficient enough to pay for the sins she made. But she deserved the isolation she have at the moment. It is small a price compared to the betrayal she made to the only family she knew.

However, the serenity she attained came to an end when her neighbors allied among themselves. They accused her of witchcraft.

She wanted to laugh at them like a witch that she was accused of but contained herself. These people were just afraid of the unknown and they cannot understand.

Before she could even defend herself to the townspeople, she was attacked in her own home. Because aside from witchcraft, she was also accuse of seducing the husbands. No one allowed her to speak since somehow they thought that she could curse them to their demise.  

The townspeople have a very wild imagination of her existence. None of them got it right though.

She ran away. She did not bother to fight back when they started to hurt her. Humans were fragile. At least she can heal quickly compared to their delicate body.

She escaped them but she never left unscathed. She got a few lacerations and the deepest was the one she had on her side.

She kept on running until she reached the asphalted road. It was not the path where she usually go but it was the point where her feet led her. She was thinking of resting a bit to catch her breath but she was not able to anticipate the amount of blood she lost.

The moment she come around, she found herself looking at the bluest eyes she have ever seen in her long life. She was exhausted and her body is telling her to rest but Malakai’s eyes were pulling her back.

Those eyes reminded her of the past she wanted to erased from her memory. But determination she saw in her eyes reminded Amari to stay and fight back.

From the first time she met Malakai she already knew her kind.

The likes of Malakai were called mutants. They are carrier of X-gene. Their genes mutated at puberty where their special ability surfaces. Some mutants have super powers but others were not lucky enough to possess marvelous ability.

Mutants are already accepted in the human society. However, there are human who were racist enough to be un-accepting. Again these people were just afraid of the unknown and possibly from fear of knowing that they were on the weaker side.

Amari blinked her eyes when the lamp post beside her light up. All other lamp post did. The brightness coming from them illuminates the children’s park.

Her eyes went back to the now dark skies.

The stars glimmered.

When she was still a young lass she used to point where the big dipper was together with the other constellation. She often stared at the skies. Her sisters were with her lying on the grass.

She released a heavy sigh before standing. She put her hands back at the pockets of the jacket.

When she arrived at the apartment complex, she catch sight of Mr. Dela Cruz. He has the garbage bag in his hand. Maybe it was his turn to take out the thrash. Often, it was the boys who put them out.

She helped an old lady that lived on the third to carry the groceries before she finally gets to open the front door of the apartment.

Malakai provide a duplicate key of the apartment in case that she needs to go out to run some errand.

“Amari?”

She closed the door and turn the double lock on before she faced Malakai.

The tall woman is currently working. She has her laptop and other papers on top of the island counter.

“Where have you been?”

“I was out. I’m sorry I was not able to left a note.”

“Did to get yourself a dinner?” She shook her head. “There’s pasta in the fridge.”

“Thank you.”

She change into a more comfortable clothes before returning to the kitchen. After heating the pasta, she occupy the other chair opposite Malakai.

“Are you alright?”

“Of course.”

“By the way, I will be away for three days next week. The school send me to attend a seminar in the city.” The young woman grinned at her. “It was a really long drive though.”

“Need help?”

“I’m coming together with a colleague. I’m using my truck but she will help with the long drive.”

“Okay.”

She finished her dinner and clean the utensils that she used. She bid her goodnight when the tall woman called her attention.

“Something bothering you, Amari?”

“I’m fine. Goodnight.”

She knew that Malakai was following her movement but for now, she is pre-occupied with personal thoughts.