The Girl From The Right Arm

Chapter 18

The next morning Aria was woken up by the rays of the sun. Sighing, the girl sat up and rubbed her face. She felt the dried blood on her cheek. That would be a scar forever. Sighing she got up and hobbled towards a broken tent. There she took the tent and tore it into a long piece. Aria pulled up her shirt and tried as best she could to bandage her wound.

"How are you?" the girl heard Harriet ask behind her.

"Excellent," Aria smiled sarcastically at her.

"Sorry, that was a stupid question.", She sighed.

"ARIA! Are you crazy? You can't just mess with Janson and then throw yourself into a line of fire.", Another voice yelled at the girl.

"Thank you, Aria, for saving my life. You're welcome, Mary.", Aria talked to herself.

"ARIA!", Mary continued to shout.

"WHAT?" Aria turned around angrily. Behind Mary stood Vince and Minho's friends. "I've got really more important things to do right now than listen to your judgment, Mary. So stop yelling at me. Without me you'd be dead. And it was just a graze, not worth mentioning." The girl said urgently.

"Not worth mentioning? NOT WORTH MENTIONING? You threw yourself into a damn line of fire! And before that, half your face was cut open. Are you tired of life or something?"

"Don't yell at me Mary," Aria said calmly, "I also know that my face was cut open."

"Why did you do that?" Mary asked more calmly.

"Why did I do that? Why? Somebody has to say their opinion about this bastard! Besides, should I have let you die? Is that what you wanted? To die?!" Aria got louder. Her voice echoed across the square.

"No. I was just so scared for you. To see you lying there on the floor. I thought I had lost you.", Mary sobbed softly. Aria smiled lightly and gave Mary a light hug. Then she broke out of the hug and turned around. Aria let her eyes wander around the battlefield.

"What should we do now, Vince?" she asked, looking up at the sky.

"Start over," he sighed.

"What?" the girl jerked around.

"Start over. We bring the rest of the kids to the safe haven and then start all over again," he explained.

Aria laughed: "Without me!"

"What?" Asked Mary, who was standing next to Vince.

"I said without me." the girl replied.

"Why?" Asked Vince.

"Do you really think I'll leave Aris in WICKED's hands after I know he's alive. Do you think I'll start over. You can forget that. I'll try to free him, just like Minho. I won't leave him alone again." Aria said, walking towards Vince.

"Aria, look around you. WICKED just kicked us in the ass!" Vince sighed.

"Then it's time to kick their ass too," the girl grinned.

"Aria is right!", Thomas interfered, "This is not just about Minho. WICKED will never stop. They will always go on if nobody does something about it. That's why I will stop them."

"We'll stop them," Aria interrupted him.

"I'm going to kill Ava Paige," he continued.

"We both will kill Ava Paige." she interrupted him again. "What?", she shrugged when Thomas looked annoyed at her, "I want to have fun too. This bitch deserves to die."

"You're crazy," laughed Mary.

"I'm not forcing anyone to come with me, but I will not stand idly by watching WICKED tear more families apart and take the children's blood. You can't ask that of me. Nobody deserves to lose their family to WICKED.", Aria said. She stepped closer to Mary and Vince. "I will not let them take Aris away from me. Not once again! I will not stand idly by as he is hanging, half alive, half dying, on one of the sores and his blood is taken. I will not take part." the girl shook her head and looked in Mary's eyes. "You can't ask me to leave my brother behind."

Brenda and Harriet came to stand next to Aria. "Well, I'd like to have a revenge," said Harriet and smiled at her friend. Thomas stood next to Aria and smiled at her too. She smiled back.

"Nice speech, Aria. So what do you suggest?" Vince nodded.

Everyone looked at the girl expectantly and she looked briefly at the floor, then confidently up. "Follow me."

***