She Bleeds for Us: The Galactic Consortium 3

Chapter 4

Gabriel saw it for himself the next morning. He was on his way to school. He stopped, as always, to yell in at his cousin, Favour, to come to school. Aunt Marie appeared briefly and waved him on his way. She didn't like the two of them walking together.

It was a few blocks further on that he saw it. The restaurant was still closed. Across the side someone had spray painted a crude arm. Red drops fell from a jagged line in the arm.

Gabriel studied the letters, his lips working as he read. Above was Krio, the language most of them in ghetto spoke and beneath was English. The message was the same. "She bleeds for us."

Gabriel was bumped and nearly fell. He turned and stared up at a large man in military dress. "Got another one," the man said into a handheld radio. He recited the address.

He caught Gabriel watching him and scowled. Gabriel took the hint and hurried on.

Who was she? He thought of the sky princess, Sarasvat. Did she even know about the ghettos of Freetown? It seemed ridiculous. But who else could it be?

He strained his ears as he passed a group of older men, drinking coffee and talking. He didn't dare stop, but heard bits and pieces. He tried to catalog each reference.

"Stopped projects in Kambia, didn't they?"

Kambia was near the border, wasn't it?

"Still active in Guinea," the next man replied. "But not here."

"President Bundu, though, doesn't..."

Gabriel passed out of earshot and never learned what President Bundu didn't do. Guinea was the country to the north, Kambia was a city up that way, he thought. What had been stopped? Why were they still doing whatever in Guinea?

As he passed the next group he caught the word "Kambia" again. And, "Ganaka's been at the palace twice. Still no word."

He knew the name Ganaka. He was that general that served Sarasvat. He'd been fighting warlords all over Africa, a hero to many people.

"No more wars, not here, not anywhere," Uncle Issa said of Ganaka. "Never again. And good riddance."

"I'm still here," Holly told them that morning. The comment startled Gabriel. He thought she would be here for some time. Why was it remarkable that she was still here?

At the first break he wondered that out loud.

"They put all foreigners on notice," Mustapha scoffed, as though Gabriel was stupid to not have heard already. "Going to kick them out of the country. Take it back for us."

Gabriel's brow scrunched. Take the country back? Didn't they already own it?

"Take it back for whom? Bundu and his cronies?" One boy asked. He gave a start as Mustapha started towards him.

"You'll see," Mustapha growled. "Put the likes of you back in your place."

The threat didn't make any sense to Gabriel, but the raised fist had the intended effect of silencing the other boy.

No further information was forth coming, but something was going on. A military transport drove past the school's window that afternoon. The headmaster came by and had a whispered conversation with the teachers, Holly and their permanent teacher, Fatama.

A large group of men marched passed, chanting something. The only word Gabriel caught was "Barlay," the name of one of Bundu's political rivals.

He sighed and tried to focus on his books, worried about what going on outside the school.