I hated that day.  Everyone clambered to get to me, asking questions and making comments.  Summer tried to intercept most people, but she couldn’t stop them all.  The same questions repeated again and again. People expressed sympathy and horror.  By the end of the day, the story Summer had concocted became a habit to tell.  One of the worse results was how David reacted.  He fluttered around me, gasping and sighing.  David wouldn’t let me do anything for myself.  Insisting on me resting, David bought my lunch, served me, massaged my shoulders, and fawned over me obnoxiously.  I hated David for his kindness.  I could only think that he was only slightly better than Ruben. 

Despite his best efforts, his attempts to soothe my sore muscles only made them hurt more. He had no skill as a masseur. When a teacher called him to the office towards the end of lunch, David turned to Ramiro. 

“Hey, Ramiro, can you take over?  She is all knots from the accident.  I am worried about her,” David asked Ramiro earnestly.

Ramiro said nothing and David left.  Thankful for the break from David’s constant touching, I ate my lunch slowly, my jaw still hurting.  Warm, strong hands began to knead my shoulders.  Unlike David, these hands were skilled, melting my knots almost instantly.  Startled I turned my face up to see Ramiro massaging my shoulders.

“Don’t look at me,” he said icily.

Straightening, I turned my gaze to my friends instead, who all seemed stunned.  They too quickly averted their eyes from Ramiro, who continued to massage my shoulders expertly.  I never would have guessed that Ramiro could give such amazing massages.  His fingers nimbly hit a spot that pained me greatly.  At first, my body tensed then melted like butter under his fingers.  A moan of pleasure escaped my lips and I blushed with embarrassment.

“Sorry,” I said quickly, looking at my hands.

“Keep your head up,” he told me, pulling my head upright. “You are straining your neck muscles when you do that.”

“Okay…”

After five pleasurable moments, the bell rang, and we all stood for the last half of class. Facing Ramiro, I bit my lip and spoke.

“Thank you, Ramiro, for that.  It helped me a lot,” I mumbled, unable to look him in the eyes.

“David was just hurting you,” he said flatly.  “I had to fix the damage he did.”

“I still appreciate it.”

My friends headed down the hallway, keeping their eyes on me. Drawing close, Ramiro whispered in my ear.

“I take care of what’s mine,” he whispered. “But don’t lie to me again.”

His hand gripped my arm painfully, hidden by our bodies.  Wincing, I looked sharply at him.  Before I could comment, he disappeared into the crowd around us.  Great another damn bruise. Stomping off, I found Summer waiting concerned.

“That was oddly nice of Ramiro,” Summer commented suspiciously.

“Yeah, it was until he bruised my arm,” I snapped, showing her my forming bruise.

“What? Why?”

“Because he knows I’m lying.  He told me that I’m not allowed to lie to him again.”

“Why does he care?”

“Because he a freaking psycho just like Ruben and the Reformers.”

“Shhh, Eri…not so loud.  People will hear.”

“Whatever…”

Storming off, I went to my next class.   At the end of the day, I made sure to miss the bus.  David and Ramiro strolled around the school, probably looking for me. I hid until they left.  Once everyone was gone, I hitched my backpack on and headed out the door.  The weather was crisp and smelled of spring.  Flowers and tree buds were beginning to pop up and some were even blooming.  I couldn’t deal with being home, so I had decided at lunch that I would walk home.  Slowly I strolled down the street, sticking to the sidewalk.  At a good pace, the walk home was about twenty minutes.  That day I planned to drag it out as much as possible.

After about ten minutes of walking, I knew I wasn’t alone.  He fell into stride with me, not saying a word.  Inwardly I sighed, but, honestly, I didn’t mind the company.  Finally, I turned to look at Arkon, who tilted his head and smiled softly at me. We walked silently for a while before I cleared my throat awkwardly.

“How was school?” he asked quietly, sounding as if he really cared.

“It was okay.  Boring as always.”

“People ask about your injuries?”

“No…they just stared.  People in this town just talk…they never find out the truth.”

“That is unfortunate.  You can use more of the medicine I gave you. It will help.”

“How do I know that’s true?  Maybe my bruises will look the same.”

“You should trust me.”

“I’m sorry if I have trouble trusting one of the men who has forced their ways into my life, threatening my own and my whole family’s safety!”

I stopped abruptly and looked at him blazing.  Stopping he looked at me smiling slightly.

“You find me amusing?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because you are so young.  So full of anger.”

“You can’t be much older than me.”

“Yes, but those few years make a large difference. And more happened in my life than you can imagine.”

“Like what?”

“I’ll tell you one day but for now it’s not important.”

Frowning I looked straight ahead, chewing my tongue.   So many thoughts were running through my mind.

“What are you thinking about?”

“What?”

“I asked what you are thinking about.”

“Oh nothing…I just have a small headache…there is just so much going on.  I just don’t know what to think.”

“About what?”

“Are you serious? Everything.  My home has been taken over by a bunch of psychotic ‘soldiers’. I was attack by the biggest psychopath of them all.  I can’t even talk to anyone about it because they will kill me!”

“You can talk to me.”

I slide a sideways look at him, raising an eyebrow.  Arkon laughed warmly and I felt a pleasant shiver run down my spine.  I liked the way he laughed.

“I know you don’t believe me but I’m not like them.  I have no interest in hurting you or your family or anyone for that matter.”

“You’ll have to excuse me if I have trouble believing that because of the fact that you are in a group that is planning on some sort of attack to my country.”

He smiled staring at the sky, tucking his hands in his pockets as he thought of his response.  Carefully he bit his lower lip and made a soft whistling sound.

“It’s complicated. I’m in this to help people…”

“By killing them?”

“Will you let me finish?”

This time he raised his eyebrow at me. Sticking my tongue out at him I fell silent.

“I’m in this to help.   There is a lot wrong in this world and this country seems to be a large source of it.  I don’t like the idea of war but if it will change things then it is what is necessary.  The end justifies the means. I am not a fan of many of my fellow soldiers, but they are the best.  They will help ensure our victory.  Their behavior is atrocious, but I am not them, even if we do share common beliefs and goals.”

“A war?”

I stopped and looked at him. 

“I thought it was just going to be some terrorist attack. I mean that could be seen as a war, but I have a feeling you are talking about a full-on war.”

Arkon stopped and looked at me.  His eyes locked with mine he nodded slowly.

“It will last as long as needed to end the reign of the present government.”

“W…w…what?  Are you crazy?  We have the only truly successful democracy for the longest length of time!  We were the first and it was just by fluke that we made it…it has worked this long…w…w…why do you want to fix something that’s not broken?”

“But it is broken, Eri.  How many times have the little people been ignored and the big businesses and elite controlled the government?  How often do the people of the US feel like they really have no say in the government?  How often does the government lie, make false promises or cover up important information?

“When a government no longer serves the people, it is up to the people to rebel.  It’s called civil disobedience.”

“It’s not perfect but what country is?  Every government lies and has its flaws, but that’s no reason to start a war.  It is no reason to kill people.”

“If we could change things without bloodshed, I would do it in a heartbeat.  I have tried contacting your government for peace talks and negotiations, but they are so arrogant they have chosen to ignore us. I bet you didn’t even know about that, huh?  That we have been trying to talk to them for two years?  They choose to ignore our warnings and pleas for them to listen.”

“But a war will cost so many lives…what about my family?  My friends? It just doesn’t seem right.”

“You will be alright. I told you.”

“And my family?  My friends.”

“I will do the best I can.”

“What does that mean?”

I could feel fear tightening my stomach. Arkon looked away from me.

“Things may happen that will hurt you very much.  I will do my best to keep them from happening.”

“I still don’t understand why.”

“Well, honestly, neither do I. But while we are free from that terrible realm why do we not occupy our thoughts with something more pleasant?  What do you like?”

The sudden change of topic threw me off for a moment and I had to think.  Stuck, I thought, not sure which question to answer.  Slowly I began to talk.  It felt forced at first, but Arkon was such a good listener that I found myself talking more and more.  Soon I did all the talking, telling Arkon about my friends, teachers, and classes.  I told him about my favorite books and movies.  He laughed as I told him about embarrassing moments with my friends.  His brows furrowed when I talked about David and Ramiro.

“David? Isn’t that the boy who forced a kiss on you the other day?” he asked seriously.

“Yes…he is a spoiled rich boy, who’s used to getting what he wants.  He’s no big deal, just annoying,” I waved off his concern.

“Yes, but I still don’t think being around him is a good idea.  You are meant for someone better.”

“I don’t have much of a choice.  We go to school together.”

Falling silent, Arkon pondered this.  Switching subjects, I continued to talk.  Dusk fell before I knew it.  It was then I realized we had been circling my neighborhood for hours.  Stopping in front of my house, Arkon smiled sadly.

“It is time to go in,” he told me, leaving no room for debate.

For a brief moment, I contemplated running, running and never stopping, never looking back.  Then I thought of Peter and Summer and knew that wasn’t an option.  Licking my lips, I followed him inside.