Chapter 16
A few days later, Omi and Kila where taking a walk through the forest. Kila was still wearing the dress Omi gave her, and he couldn't have been happier.
"You know, Omi." Kila started, "Being with you has brought me joy and happiness I would have never gotten back at the factory."
"I'm glad to hear that, meeting you has given my life new meaning. I'm glad I was able to help you, otherwise I don't know where I would be right now." Omi said, a tone of sadness in his voice.
"I think.." Kila wrapped her arms around his neck, "we both have what we truly wanted."
"I couldn't agree more." he said and they kissed.
Little did the happy couple know that they were being watched....
A pack a sligs were watching them from the cover of the forest.
"Is that her?" one whispered to the BBS that was leading them.
"That's her." the BBS whispered back, "Looks like Larhik was right, she did turn against us."
"So what's our orders now?" another slig asked.
"Larhik said that in the case of her betrayal to bring her back alive so she can be interrogated and executed." the BBS replied.
"Aw we don't get to kill her?" the first slig said.
"She would kill us before we even landed a blow." the BBS said, "so we'll put her to sleep first with this handy dandy drug the Vykkers gave us."
"What about the other one?"
"We can do as we wish to the other one." he said as he loaded a tranquilizer dart into his gun and took aim....
Kila yelped as something struck her in the arm.
"What's wrong?" Omi asked concerned.
Kila reached and yanked out the dart that was in her arm. She looked at it horrified, she knew what it was.
"Oh no..." Kila muttered. "Omi run!"
"Wha...?" Omi looked puzzled.
"I said RUN!" Kila shouted as she pulled him along in a dead run. Behind them a pack of sligs including a BBS, jumped out of the bushes and gave chase.
Oh please let us make it to the village before the drug takes effect. Kila thought. Normally she would have fought them, but with the drug in her system and Omi in danger she couldn't risk it. They may want me alive, but they won't hesitate to kill Omi. And I can't let that happen.
Fate wasn't so kind to her, she could already feel the effects of the drug, and they had taken a wrong turn. Now they were looking down a steep grassy hill, the forest continued at the bottom of the hill. Kila, now really feeling the drugs effects, sank to her knees.
"Kila we can still make it, let me carry you." Omi said.
"No, I would slow you down, go on ahead without me." Kila said weakly.
"No, I am not leaving you behind!"
"Omi.." Kila could hear the sligs closing fast, "they'll kill you, and I don't want that to happen now go!"
Kila, using what was left of her strength, pushed Omi down the hill. He rolled and disappeared into the bushes below. Kila, tears in her eyes, forced herself to stand and faced the sligs.
"Whatz the matter girl? Yer boyfriend leave you behind?" the BBS said with a laugh.
Kila, with was energy she had left rushed forward and grabbed one of the sligs from behind and broke his neck. She then collapsed, the drug now taking full effect, and went unconscious...
Omi stood up slightly stunned from what just happened. No, she didn't just sacrifice herself to save me, it can't be! He raced back up the hill, ignoring the pain of the minor injuries he received. When he reached the top all he found was a dead slig and one of the feathers from Kila's dress.
"No," he said picking up the feather, tears welling up in his eyes, "NNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
Chapter 17
Omi staggered into the village, grief stricken. Abe and Cili spotted him and ran up to him.
"Omi, what happened?" Cili said concerned, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, but Kila...," Omi started.
"What did she do to you!?" Abe demanded.
"She did nothing to me father." Omi insisted Nothing other then steal my heart.
"I don't believe that, what did she do?" Abe pressed.
"Abe lay off!" Cili snapped at him, Abe recoiled at her outburst, "Son, tell us what happened."
With a nod, Omi told them what had happened. Abe paced nearby, scowling.
"Oh Omi," Cili said when he finished and embraced him, "We'll find a way to get her back."
"No." Abe growled.
"What?" both Cili and Omi said in shock.
"Don't you get it? She's been playing a game with you. Playing with your heart and staging her capture so that you'll convince us to try to rescue her. It stinks of a trap."
"She would never do such a thing!" Omi shouted.
"You never know.."
"But I do know, father! Have you forgotten what my power is? I know what she is feeling and I never once sensed that she was faking it! And Squawks was there too, he never reacted to when she admitted her feelings toward me!"
"She probably figured out a way to mask her true feelings from you." Abe insisted.
Omi, now burning with fury, lost all control and socked him. Abe fell to the ground and looked up at him shocked.
"Dam you father! You have never given me a chance to prove myself! Not once at all! If you won't help me rescue her, then I'll do it by myself!" Omi grabbed a nearby warriors spear and ran off. Abe just sat there looking a mixture of shock and depressed. Everyone else was too shocked to say or do anything.
When Kila woke up she found herself in a jail cell, chained by a foot to the wall. She looked up and saw Larhik on the other side of the bars, sneering at her.
"'Bout time you woke up." Larhik said annoyed.
"So I wanted to sleep in a bit." Kila replied sarcastically.
"Funny. So what's the deal here Kila? You did so well for us, why did you betray us?"
"I was told the truth. And I decided I no longer wanted to be a part of you sick organization!"
"Pity, you had such great potential. Very well then, you will be executed for your betrayal. And it will be done in the arena. We will see just how many opponents you can kill before you die." Larhik walked off howling in laughter. Kila put her knees up to her chest and sobbed.
Omi, will I ever see you again? she thought. Then she heard someone tap on the bars. She looked up again to see Steinix.
"I suppose you're going to bash me for betrayal as well?" she said.
"No." Steinix said, surprising her, "I just want to know, what changed you?"
"I meet a male. He saved my life, he showed me a new way of life. A way of life that I was always meant to live. He..." she choked back a sob,"gave me happiness. Happiness I never felt before."
Steinix nodded in understanding. He then knelt down a rolled something to her; a small bottle of liquid.
"Its a stimulent, take it just before they take you into the arena. Maybe, just maybe, it well help you survive long enough to be rescued."
Kila took the bottle and hid it in her dress. "Why are you helping me?" she asked.
"Before you were forced into training, you gave me joy and happiness. Something I have longed for ever since they took you from me. You gave me a reason to start looking for a way out of this hell hole. Perhaps, when you are rescued, I can go with you."
"Steinix, I never knew you...felt that way."
"Before you didn't care, how I felt. But that's in the past now, and I should go before they find the guard I drugged."
"Be careful Steinix."
"I will." Steinix took off, leaving Kila to ponder what will happen next.
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