Saphora: vol.1 Retention (The Athena Universe) (24 page)

Hydra had also informed Saphora that she was sent
by her mother to protect and train Saphora. To prepare her for the trip back home. Saphora, at first, out of an instinct not to leave Fran, refused to leave. But she immediately rethought her answer. She wanted more than anything to see her mother. Her father. Any family that she’d be able to see. Hydra had told her that she did not know exactly the powers Saphora had, nor the ones she would be able to possess in the future, but that she was there to do her best to help her learn to control and develop them. Saphora was understandably hesitant about showing her powers to anyone. She had almost hurt a few people, and she was a little more reluctant to do anything with them that didn’t involve protecting herself or someone else. But seeing as though Hydra knew her mother, it made her a little more willing to at least consider her help.

And at the same time, her mind was in turmoil. She concluded that the point of this training was not only to defend against Tebias or anyone and anything else for that matter, but also to fight in a war on Athena. Saphora may have had some gifts uncommon to humans, but she was by no means war-
savvy. She didn’t know the first thing about it. And she sure as hell wasn’t fit to go into battle. Especially not with people that could share, or even surpass her own “powers”. She didn’t want to fight in a war she knew nothing about. But she also didn’t want to abandon her mother like she had thought she had begun to think she had done her. Knowing that her mother was still out there, worried for her, enough to send someone to be with her, made her scold her insecurities. She couldn’t just leave her mother to face hell on her own. But what help could she be? A chunk of nerves were knotting up in her stomach as her thoughts went back and forth.

She was more or less silent during the car ride, aside from a groan here and there. But after a while, Maverick’s hesitance gave way, and he finally spoke up as they pulled up to a red light in town.

“So uh … Is she really going to be staying with me?” Maverick asked, referring to the silent Hydra that was sitting in the back seat of the Camaro. Saphora’s thoughts were interrupted, and she glanced back at Hydra, who was watching the road in slight fascination. Before Saphora could speak, Hydra answered.

“You have to be watched.” Maverick scoffed.

“Right, because I’m the alien race that has super powers. Yeah, me, the human with no powers.
I’m
the one that needs to be watched.” Maverick shook his head, his thumb thumping on the steering wheel. Hydra leaned forward, directing her attention to Maverick.

“Are you saying I am not trustworthy?”

“No, I’m saying I don’t understand why you need to be watching
me
so closely. I mean, what could I
possibly
-“

“You could expose Saphora,” Hydra
accused. The car grew silent, and Saphora’s attention was drawn back in. Her eyes somewhat fearful, and very skeptical. And now again, since meeting him, she was questioning whether or not she could trust him.

“How do I know you won’t go to your people’s authorities?
I am staying with you for Saphora’s protection until I am sure you can be trusted. But also for yours.”

“My protection?”

“Yes. I am not sure if Tebias will be back. But if he attempts to contact us again, I have a feeling he will be coming for you.”

Saphora looked towards Hydra with a grimace.

“For him?”

“Yes. Because he is human, the task of killing him would be relatively easy,” Hydra started. Maverick scoffed.

“Oh gee, thanks.”

“
He may end up trying to use him as a way to get you to agree to offer yourself.”

Maverick stayed quiet as he tried to contain his child-like giddiness at the mentioning that he may be important to Saphora. He looked slightly to his left, trying his best to hide the beginnings of a smile. Especially because of the fact that he had just heard his life could possibly be in danger. But somehow, the thought of dying because of Saphora’s attachment to him seemed to
trump the actual feat of dying.

“I don’t know. He seemed pretty strong to me …” Saphora denied.
Hydra smiled.

“That is only because you are inexperienced, Saphora. Sure, back home he would prove to be a challenge, but here? Once I train you, you will-“

“Train me to do what, exactly? Just what do you think I’m capable of doing? If you have already forgotten, I wasn’t even able to protect myself, let alone Maverick. What makes you think that I’m going to be able to do anything?” Saphora lashed out, turning her body towards Hydra as the car turned left. Hydra waited a moment, waiting to be sure she was done before responding.

“You are the daughter of
a Kiran and a guardian. Your power, once honed, will be greater than any other being on Athena.”

“What makes my parents so special? Who are they, to assume such a power from me? Just because they are royal?”

“No, it is not –“ Saphora raised her hand, shaking her head, and Hydra obediently silenced herself. Though she may not have fully accepted the roll currently, Saphora
was
in fact the heir to the throne, and Hydra would not disrespect her home with disobedience.

“It doesn’t make any sense. Why would I be so different? I understand here on Earth, but why on Athena, where almost everyone also has
powers? What am I, a mutant there too?”

“Saphora, please.”

“Come on, Saphora. Give her a break,” Maverick cut in. Turning her attention to Maverick, Saphora protested.

“And what about you, huh? You’re okay with possibly being hunted down because of me? Shouldn’t you hate me? Don’t you want to go to the police and tell them everything you saw? Get some cash reward or something?”

“What, and have you hate me in return? I would never do something like that. And even if I considered it, I doubt water goddess over here would allow me to even get near a phone.”

Saphora’s eyes squinted in confusion as she shook her head.

“How are
you
so calm about this, of all people? You could die, you know. We both could, if what she’s saying is true.”

Maverick shrugged. He was never really one to fear death. It was unavoidable. He was just wrapped around the fact that this meant that Saphora couldn’t avoid him. Not with Hydra demanding t
hat she stay in proximity to him. And hearing that she would be around Saphora, he concluded that she was his ticket to getting closer to Saphora.

“We all die at some point. It’s not really a big deal.”

“Not a big deal. So you’re okay dying at the hands of some fire wielding alien man?”

“Well no, but …” Maverick glanced up at the rearview mirror to get a glimpse of the silent Hydra. “But with my body guard over here, I figure she’s my ticket to getting to be around you.”

Saphora mouth slowly fell agape as they pulled up in front of her house. After all that, even that near death experience, he had the nerve to be excited about spending time with her. She couldn’t believe it. Was he completely daft? Her cheeks flushed when he finally took his eyes off the road to turn his head and look at her with a grin. She scoffed as her face burned and turned away, shoving the door open after unbuckling her seatbelt.

“I’ve never heard something so stupid in my entire life,” Saphora scolded, turning around and closing the door. Maverick rolled down the window, leaning over to look up at her. “If you don’t stop being so stupid, you’re going to get yourself killed!”
she shouted, standing straight. Looking through the window at Hydra. “If anything happens to him, I’ll never forgive you!”

Maverick looked on, watching her open the door to her house, turn around to get a glimp
se at them, then quickly turn back around and walk in, slamming the door behind her. It took a moment for her words to register in his mind before the grin started to tug at the corners of his lips. Hydra looked from the closed door of the house to the rather goofy looking Maverick with a look of slight concern.

“She’s right, you know,” she spoke up, making Maverick come to, and sit back in his seat, rolling the window back up.

“About what?”

“You
are
a little stupid.”

“Saphora?” Fran called out from the kitchen. Saphora had her back against the front door, which she was slowly slumping down. Fran walked out from the room, trying to get her towel-covered hand into the opening of a glass she was cleaning. But before she could make it into the living room, Saphora was rushing her way upstairs to her room, trying to avoid letting Fran see her singed clothing. She didn’t want to talk about another encounter with Tebias. That would only start more arguments that she knew she couldn’t win. Closing the door behind her to her room, she kicked off her shoes while pulling off her jacket, taking off her shirt, and tossing them into her closet. Doing the same for her jeans, she then walked into her closet, and rushed to find something to throw on as Fran called up the stairs.

“Hang on!” she called back
, pulling out a pair of sweats. Looking down to pull up those sweats, Saphora froze. Something on her thigh caught her attention. She squinted, her right hand letting go of the top of the sweats to graze over her skin. Something was off with the tone of her flesh. Her eyes widened when she recognized the odd colour to be the patterns that she knew to be on her back. In a fit of panic and curiosity, she turned herself around, turning her back to the full-sized mirror on the back of the door to her closet. The markings had spread. They were now covering the entirety of her back, as well as crawling down her right buttock to wrap around her right leg, stopping midway down her thigh. Her right hand trailed around her leg, as her body twisted in her observation.

“What’s happening to me …”
she breathed, as she turned around to see if the markings had spread to her front, aside from her leg. To her relief, they hadn’t. But she wasn’t exactly sure why it was relieving. Perhaps because they were unknown. But thinking about it, she couldn’t exactly name a reason to be fearful of them. She just wanted to know what it was, and why it was spreading.

“Saphora?” Fran called out again, coming up the stairs. Saphora swore under her breath as she ducked down to pull the sweats up and tug at the draw string before rushing to grab any shirt she could find. Pulling out a white tee shirt, she made the change, walking out of the closet and closing the door behind her in time for Fran to knock on her door.
She didn’t wait for a response when she opened her door and walked in. “Saphora?” she asked again. Saphora nodded, pushing her hair back from her face as she raised her head to look at Fran.

“Hey, Fran
. Sorry. I just,” she sighed. “Really wanted to change into some comfortable clothing. Long day.” Fran started a nod, her mother instincts ringing loud and clear. She looked over Saphora’s body, searching for anything that may have been hidden under her clothing, but found nothing.

“You go
t a ride home?” Saphora looked at her in question. “From that car that just drove away?” Fran crossed her arms, and leaned against the door frame. With a heavy sigh, Saphora nodded, and slowly walked over to her bed to sit down on it.

“Yeah, Fran. I got a ride.”

“From who?”

“A friend.”

“A
friend.
”

“Yeah?” Saphora looked up at her. “I’m allowed to have friends, aren’t I?”

“Well of course you are, sweetheart. But I would like to know them too.”

“Why? I’m like twenty something.” Fran’s head dipped down in slight laughter as she pushed off the doorframe and moved her hands to her hips.

“Yes, but I would still like to know them. I’m in my forties and you know my friends. Plus,” she said, going over to sit next to her on the bed. “While I may not be your mother, I do see you as my daughter, and I think I have a right to know … your friends, don’t you think?”

“I guess. Just … Maybe when I know them a little better?”

“Better? You got into a car with someone you hardly know?” Fran asked, tilting her head sardonically. Saphora tilted her head back and groaned.

“Fran. Don’t you think I would be able to handle myself if something happened?”

“I suppose. I just want you to be careful, okay? I don’t want any more phone calls. Okay? No more surprises.”

Saphora paused, taking those words into consideration. Her eyes lowered. The hope she had of one day being able to tell Fan everything, and still be accepted was spiraling fast.
Things were already on edge between them. There was no way Saphora could assume everything was going to end up going smoothly. So she bit the bullet, and forced herself to agree, silently preparing for the drift that would undoubtedly take place.

“Yeah, no more surprises.”

Fran smiled, patting her hand against Saphora’s back.

“I’m going to uh, go to bed, okay?”

“Okay … Well I’ve got to get up early tomorrow to head to work.”

“
The dragon is coming Wednesday, right?”

“Wednesday or Thursday. It depends on the weather,” Fran answered with excitement. Saphora attempted to smile at her response.