“You’re WHAT??! Mom, you can’t be serious! That’s the stupidest idea on the face of this planet! Dammit, Mom, it’s SUICIDE!!!”
Karis Stormglider knew her son wouldn’t be happy, but she hadn’t expected an outburst as passionate as this. “BJ, we have nothing to lose. If there’s any possibility this can be ended without needless bloodshed—”
BJ grabbed his mother by the shoulders and shook her fiercely. “Mom, there’s ALREADY been needless bloodshed; COUNTLESS avians have lost their lives! I can’t believe it, I WON’T believe it! You and Dad are complete IDIOTS to think it’ll work!!!” Anger coursed through his veins like hot lead. He tightened his grip, wanting to... wanting to... he was afraid of whatever he wanted to do, knowing he could never harm his mother. He released her and spun around, venting his fury upon the kitchen counter. “It’s just STUPID!!! STUPID STUPID STUPID STUPID STUPID...” each ‘stupid’ was punctuated with a fist pounded upon the smooth tile.
Karis reached over and gently stroked her son’s tousled blond hair, but he jerked away from her touch. He gave her a pained look, betrayed. “I can’t talk you out of it, can I?”
She shook her head solemnly.
“All right, fine.” He backed away slowly towards the front door. He knew he should apologize, should say goodbye on a more tender note, but somehow he convinced himself that he just couldn’t.
A choice he would regret for the rest of his life.
“I’ll be at the Quackstone’s,” he said, and slammed the door behind him.
The Resistance was lying low for the time being, so Garrett and Chantra T’i were home to console BJ... or rather, to listen to his rantings.
“I just can’t believe it!” Tears of frustration brimmed and threatened to overflow. “They’re blind, you know that? They’re so freaking loyal to their ideals that they can’t comprehend the truth!”
“I wouldn’t be so brash about slandering those ideals, Beej,” Garrett tentatively stretched out a fatherly hand to touch BJ’s shoulder. The 18-year-old didn’t pull away this time. “After all, it was those same ideals that your parents used to bring you up. And here you are, every father’s ideal dream for his baby girl.”
“DAD!” Kaaryn whacked her father smartly in the arm. He knew full well that she and BJ felt like siblings and the very thought of a romantic relationship made them ill. But the joke served its purpose; BJ laughed in slight annoyance, loosening the tension his anger was causing.
Chantra T’i looked seriously into BJ’s eyes. “You are correct, young man; they cannot see reality because they choose not to see. Hope is too precious to them to admit it may be lost. Can you understand that?”
BJ wrinkled his beak at her. “Yeah, but—”
“No excuses,” Chantra T’i said with finality. “Don’t be angry with them for the same reason you adore them.”
The young drake sighed. “Yes, ma’am,” he said meekly. She’s right, he thought. Well, I’ll apologize when they get home... ‘when they get home?’ What am I saying? He realized he was now clinging to the same indomitable hope that his parents were. BJ kicked himself mentally for his hypocrisy. Well, maybe they were right... maybe there’s a chance they will make it... yeah, right. That stupid hope. He couldn’t escape it — and now, come to think of it, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to.
BJ stared at the Holo-V all afternoon. He couldn’t help it. He was too worried to concentrate on helping with anything here, like he usually did, but would rather wait here with company than home alone. And they left him to his own miserable thoughts, for which he was grateful. He flipped channels occasionally, sitting through two bad soaps, three worse talk shows, a cooking show (which he didn’t mind so much), and some poorly-done kid’s cartoon. Nadia crawled up on the couch to join him for the latter. Normally he would have scooped the toddler on his lap and played with her hair, but this time he didn’t notice when she came nor when she left, nor the small bit of juice she spilled on his pants.
“BJ’s not feelin’ very good, is he?” she asked with genuine 5-year-old concern as she was helped into her nightie.
Kaaryn finished dressing her little sister and held her close. “No, Pepper, he’s not. He’s really worried.”
“Why is he worried?”
Kaaryn thought, pulled back Nadia’s bed covers and tucked her in. “Because,” she said slowly, “his mama and daddy had to go on a mission today.”
“You mean like our Mama and Daddy do sometimes?”
“Yeah, sort of.”
The little girl nodded with understanding. “He’s worried they might get caught by the bad guys, huh?”
“Yeah.” Kaaryn never ceased to be amazed by the perception of her little sister, by how little the child needed explained to her.
“Well, give him a hug and tell him not to worry, because they always come back. That’s what you always tell me.”
Kaaryn smiled. “Okay, Pepper. I’ll do that.”
After putting Nadia to bed, Kaaryn went out to the small area that served as kitchen, dining room, and den. She walked up behind BJ, about to deliver Nadia’s encouragement to him, but stopped. The words “Breaking News” flashed across the Holo-V screen.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” the newscaster’s trained voice was calm and even. “We have a breaking news report: a group of peaceful protesters, almost 30 of them, were captured about half an hour ago by the invading Overlords currently controlling the continent.”
Chantra T’i and Garrett’s conversation fell silent and they both looked up from the dining table to the deep-voiced Korsain on the Holo-V.
“This is only the second time we have heard of this group; for obvious reasons, they have taken great care to remain anonymous. Apparently they had hoped to present a petition and bargaining proposition to the Overlords, in an attempt to peacefully regain rightful possession and government of the city.
“We know little else about this group, except that others spoke of them as ‘idealistic and fanatical.’ Understandably. Although there is no official word yet, all protesters are presumed dead and we expect the Overlords to make this situation an example of their control. We will keep you updated as more information comes in.”
The callsign for the news station showed, then flickered back into the late night movie that was playing.
The room was silent save the sound of gunplay from the movie.
“Dead...?” BJ’s voice was small, disbelieving and hopeless.
Kaaryn felt her heart rise into her throat, and hot tears stung her face.
“You’re going to stay with us,” Garrett said, attempting a firm tone. But his voice, too, was unsure as he tried to keep his emotions reigned in.
BJ nodded blankly, still staring at the Holo-V screen. It seemed the room around him was unstable, only an illusion, and he was floating around in it, hollow and shocked. Finally he rose slowly and managed to find his way down the hall into the guest room, his room whenever he stayed. He sank down on the bed. His room... forever now. The thought hit him with shocking clarity like a bucket of ice water. One thing understood for certain through the daze... he grabbed a pillow and stuffed it into his mouth to strangle the anguished howl that escaped from a soul being torn to shreds.
Kaaryn wrapped her arms about her father’s neck and sobbed into his shoulder, wanting desperately to be comforted by his strong, protective embrace. The dusky scent and gentle but fierce touch of her mother enveloped her as well. Kaaryn’s heart went out to her best friend, her brother, and she wished that BJ wouldn’t choose to mourn alone.