Hybrid: The Awakening

Chapter 15-Tristen

Date on Earth: Saturday, October 7

"Well?" Asher prompted. "Are you going to tell us what your plan is, or just gonna let us die of impatience?"

It had to have been at least five minutes since Diana said she had some amazing plan, but she hadn't continued. Instead, she walked off, supposedly searching for something.

Diana growled. "Every time you ask me that makes me more and more tempted to just not tell you altogether." She bent down to lift up another rock before stomping her foot in frustration.

"Have you guys seen a pink piece of paper anywhere?" Diana asked, annoyance seeping into her words.

Asher and I shook our heads while Tesha nodded. "I saw a pink paper earlier. Check behind that tree." She pointed.

"Great. Thanks." Diana rushed over to the tree and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper.

"This," she said, holding it up. "Is a little something I stole from the Axones."

"Why'd you steal paper?" I couldn't help but ask.

She sent me a withering glare. "I'm getting here. As I was trying to say, while I was held hostage by General Frosty, I was...threatened to do something." Diana shivered despite the warmer-than-normal temperature. "It wasn't anything too serious, surprisingly. The only thing he wanted me to do, in case their plan to capture you failed, was take you guys north and away from one specific place." She held up the map, pointing to a red dot. "I don't know what's there, but I'm guessing it's something that gives us an advantage over the Axones, and that's why the general was so insistent for us to not end up going there."

"So...you want us to go to that place?" I asked.

She nodded. "That's the plan."

"Using the Axone's threats against them?" Asher smirked, eyes gleaming with anticipation. "I like the sound of that."

My mind was focused on a different question. "What exactly did he threaten you with?" I asked her.

Diana's face paled. Her gaze shifted down and she swallowed. "My family."

I sucked in a breath. Asher straightened his back. "How did they even find them?" Asher asked, a rare shakiness heard in his voice.

Diana threw her hands up. "I literally have no idea. But somehow they managed to place a camera and a bomb in their house." Asher's face turned green, and fear flashed in his eyes.

"Will following your plan put them at risk?" Tesha pitched in quietly.

Diana bit her lip. "When isn't there a risk? There's the chance that the Axones will kill them as soon as they realize what we're doing," she choked up slightly, "but there's also the chance that they won't, so they can keep their leverage. And with the current circumstances....I think that's a risk I'm willing to take."

"You sure?" I asked. "If something were to happen to them..."

"I'm sure," she said with conviction.

Me, Asher, and Tesha stood there in silence, none of us quite sure what to say. It was so brave, what Diana was doing for us. Even knowing the risk, she was so strong. So dedicated. So-

Now is not the time to start swooning.

Asher's comment snapped me out of my mental ranting. "Well...does anyone know how to read maps? 'Cause I sure can't."

Diana mocked surprise. "Something you can't do? Who would've thought such a thing was possible?" Asher stuck his tongue out at her.

"Can one of you read the map?" I reinforced Asher's question, trying to ignore the prick of jealousy in my chest that had presumably come out of nowhere.