The Air Out Of [Wattys2018 shortlist]

28

JESS' HANDS DISCREETLY INCHED TOWARDS THE TWO RIFLES LOCATED IN HER BACK POCKET. Avine was too busy taunting them to realize the small actions that resulted in life or death. His warriors were awaiting the next order. Although their guns were loaded and their hands held it close to them, it was not directly aimed at her, and she took this as an opportunity.

Avine could sense the anklet's presence. Jess' guess was the fact that he surrounded them for the purpose of acquiring the anklet. She inched closer to Scar, then while Avine's undivided attention stayed onto the irritated Aspyn, she whispered. "Think you and I could move that anklet through the window and get it to Louis?"

"Doubt it." He said. "Some guard will jump for it, then we'll lose the anklet."

"He can feel its power, dummy. It's on one of us, and he thinks it's with Aspyn." She sucked in a breath. "Wait. Ellie has the Ancient Covian Katana." Her voice is still a whisper, but when she looks up, she notices that Leo is looking at her strangely. She waves it off whispering the word, anklet, and katana to him.

He points to his pocket where she can see a small sword-shaped item hidden underneath the fabric. The katana.

"I see you've brought some company," She notices him eyeing the necklace around her neck, "I wonder how they'll do as servants." For some reason, Jess couldn't take him seriously. Instead of wishing for the floor to simply eat her up now than later, she began laughing.

She couldn't hold it. Every small gesture counted: from the impatient tapping of his fingers on his armrest, the mismatched way he sat to the way his eyebrows

From the small gestures including his impatient tapping to his eyebrows arching at every state and even the way his eyes dart back and forth towards the necklace around her neck, it almost appeared as if he was scared of its power.

He was facade-conscious.

Her hands were still tightly wrapped around the two daggers only mere inches away from a guard, but as soon as Avine whipped his head in Leo's direction, she knew that a fight was just around the corner. She gripped it tighter, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Leo wasted no time in unveiling the katana, to Aspyn's sheer disappointment. In a flash, he retrieved the silhouetted figure from his pocket and pointed it in Avine's direction. The soldiers now had all their weapons pointed at the four.

Jess reacted quickly moving her gaze around the room, just as Aspyn takes a step closer to Avine. The two guards beside him block her path. "Aspyn dearest, I'm sure whatever you need to say can be said from this distance." The guards have the spears in the 'X' pattern. "Remember, I have you surrounded."

Jess thought of the moments that left her in ashes. The day she was betrayed, stabbed in the back, laughed upon. There were several instances of such. The necklace only glimmers slightly. It's going to take more than that to wipe out the entire room.

Then she thought of her mother. The way life had wiped her out of her system, stripped her of a routine and left her psychotic. A widow at merely twenty - four. Her memory fled to a moment when she was two. It was the only memory she had. Her sister and she were running through a park when they had found to be their favorite spot. As siblings, they vowed to never forget its existence. Then her sister disappeared, and she had unwittingly broken that promise.

She was furious.

Avine's eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets while watching Jess and while distracted, Aspyn subtly inched closer to a nearby guard waiting to knock him out. The necklace was as bright as the pearl when it had gotten her attention. As bright as the sun on a hot summer day in a tropical country. But as it got brighter, it also grew hotter. The burn sunk into her skin forming its own dent in her body. A memory. She took them in the pain as it continuously sent tingles down her body but she didn't stop. Her blood was boiling. She could feel the nuclear war just beneath her.

No one deserved this.

Almost instantly, she released the potential energy stored inside the rock. It had to be enough. It was released as a shock wave, the pulsating disturbance resulting in a violent detonation. Explosive. Then, it sent more, and more, until it felt like she was carrying a laser beam on her chest. A shock condensation cloud was still visible overhead.

While the vision of the Avinians was clogged, Aspyn smoothly maneuvered her fist to their chest and pushed upwards. Jess unbuckled the loose daggers and began made her way around the circle.

Then she swung at the last one, tightening her legs around his neck. She threw him face flat and left him be. She made her way to Avine's throne just as Leo had, with his Katana. But there was no Avine. He just as well had taken advantage of the blurry sights and made a run for it.

Jess roared. "We will come for you."

Aspyn joined her side casually tucking her rifle back in its righteous position. Quickly, she dusted her pants and headed outwards. "Good job, everyone. But now, it's time we take refuge."

"In Avinian territory?" Scar asked, in shock.

"Yes. We've constructed some underground passages for the time being. Of course, we'll have warriors run out of the boundary for the show, but the main refuge will be here." She nodded. "Jess, it's nice to see you using your special, just relax, okay? I know it has you all worked up. Calm down."

She nodded limply, as Brea and Louis joined to usher them to the underground hideout.

Of course, Aspyn was being strategic by placing them inside Avinian boundaries but being safe at the same time. This was her war to win, still. But Jess could help the unwavering thoughts that she had wanted Jess to specifically be separated from the six-layer guarded switch that would enable her necklace.

Luckily, Ellie was at the palace. Moments like these are ones that Jess is almost sure she wouldn't make it out off living. It was terrifying. Her life balanced on a swing filled with possibilities never guarantees. They were surrounded with no escapes, she didn't think she could keep using the necklace. It simply drained her of all her energy.

Most of all, Avine was still alive and out there. In fact, he had escaped the room without taking a single scratch, the Katana had not even made it into his one kilometer range.

"Jess, the anklet is gone."

Ellie had to get to that switch.