The Return

50 years ago the human race discovered another species superior to them. They looked like us, talked like us, and acted like us. But each one of them individually had their own special power, making them unique. However, a beautiful gem created by their ancestors united them. It gave them an opportunity to live longer than an average human, hope to keep a longer lineage.

Our leaders, who befriended the strange species, became greedy. They decided to deceive them, and take away their lives. This was to experiment and create better medicines for their own bodies, to benefit their own. Fortunately, many of their efforts failed. An old tale says, a hero took a stand to fight against these wicked men. He freed many of his own that were held captive, and hid them away far from humans.

Sadly, our leaders found out about the secret that kept them alive for so many years. They stole the gem that helped make this species strong and alive. The hero fought against them and disappeared. No one has seen him ever since. This other species were forced to remain hidden.

As a young girl, hearing this bone chilling story often gave me anxiety. Over the decades, our environment decayed and continues to since the battle. A search still goes on to find him and the rest of them. Now, it's time to bring him back. My brother Mason and I discovered a strange being in the cave. He was in a deep slumber. A series of unfortunate events lead us to him, and things got worse when he woke up. After discovering that he had strange powers, I realized it wasn't too late for him to save our system and fight for the rights of his species. The lost hero has returned. Or so I thought. 

~

"Catch him!" A loud and raspy voice rang through the entire cave. "That little thief snatched it from me!"

I looked to my left and saw a small and familiar-looking boy run towards me. As he got closer, I realized it was my little brother. He was holding an emerald green gem in his small little right fist, using his other hand to wave at me. "Marley! Marley!" He shouted.

I held my hands out to him, allowing his small body to run into my arms. "Mason!" I huffed a little when I felt him hug my waist tightly. "What's wrong?"

"You sneaky rat! Give it back!" The man in front of me, our boss's assistant growled. He took a step towards us angrily. I gently nudged him back.

"Don't come near!" I hissed at him, making sure my little brother was behind me. " Tell me! What's going on?"

"He was assigned to go through the coal over there and find diamonds." He said. "I caught him wiping one and putting it into his pocket! He was trying to steal it!"

"That's not true!" Mason, spat.

"Show me your hands, kid!" He shouted back.

Mason stuck his tongue out at him. "Nope!"

"Then I oughta--" The assistant took another step forward.

"Wait! Let me handle this, Mr. Hunt." I put my hand out and stopped him from moving any closer. "Mason," I looked down at my brother with a scowl. "Don't lie to me. Did you steal from the coal pile?"

Mason didn't reply. He just pouted before looking away. As sweet and cute as my little brother was, I knew that he had a bad habit of taking things that weren't his. He was also a bad liar. "Mason," I repeated more sternly. "If you have it, give it back. Now."

Mason looked down slowly and pulled out the green gem from his pockets. Reluctantly, he moved forward and held it out for Mr. Hunt to take. Mr. Hunt snatched it away, before raising his hand and ramming it down and across Mason's face. I felt my blood boil and stepped in between them immediately. "Don't touch him!" I was beyond pissed.

"Don't you say another word!" Mr. Hunt gave me a nasty look and shoved his finger in my face. "You and this mugger have been causing us trouble, holding back our project for weeks now! Today was the last straw! Pack your things, and get out!"

"Get out? You want us to leave?" I snarled. "You made us work a whole day and because a kid makes a mistake--"

"It's no mistake, kid!" He shot back. "You'll be paid a quarter of a days work for your troubles. Leave before I call in the authorities."

"A quarter!?" He HAD to be kidding! We just slaved for him a whole day and he was cutting off most of our pay! "Sir, please reconsider! My brother and I won't live off that little payment."

"You should've thought of that before letting him," He pointed at Mason, "run wild in my cave." He shoved the gem into his satchel and walked away before I could say anything else. I looked down at Mason, and he was still watching the ground with a grim expression. I sighed and grabbed onto his hand before leading him towards the exit.

Our supervisor tossed a small pouch at me, filled with a small number of coins, and nodded his head without speaking. He was disregarding us as if he was letting us know that our contract with them was completely terminated.

"Marley." I heard Mason's childlike voice call out. "Are we fired..?"

"It seems like it," I replied, my voice monotone. Mason paused for a few minutes and muttered out an apology.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault again. I keep messing things up."

I chose not to say anything. I was too exhausted and too disappointed over the recent event. As soon as we reached the exit of the mine, I felt rapid taps of water on my head. "Amazing." I snorted sarcastically. "It's raining. Mason, try and catch up, okay?"

Mason nodded. I tightened my grip on his little hand and jogged over to a train stop a block away. "How much are two tickets?" I asked the conductor.

"How far are you headed?" He raised a brow at me.

"We're going one hour south." I said.

"The kid gets in free. The adult fee is 4 gold pieces, sir."

I cleared my throat and looked into the small pouch. We only had 7 gold coins. I gave him 4 and decided to save the rest for our dinner later. I grabbed Mason into my arms and walked on to the train. It was going to be a long ride home. I was going to have to think about how we'd get another job. How we were going to pay our rent. How to survive.

"Marley."

"Hmm?" I hummed back.

"Why can't we find a job where we don't have to hide?" He leaned his head against my shoulder. His question made my heart ache a little. "Why do you have to disguise yourself as a man?"

Mason never understood that hiding my identity as well as his were for his protection. I didn't have it in me to tell him that there is an important reason why. Because of a horrifying event that took place 5 years ago, I took him in as my family to protect him. It was a promise I made to his father before he passed away. Mason is all I have left.

"The government doesn't allow women to work." I sighed. "But we have to live and eat somehow, so we have to hide." Was all I replied before going silent. I heard him hum quietly.

"Marley, I didn't mean to steal the diamond." He mumbled. His breathing softened. I wrapped my arms around him, allowing his head to rest under my chin. He was falling asleep.

"I know you didn't." I muttered, realizing that his wanting to take the gem wasn't a result of his habit. It was because of something much deeper. A secret I wasn't able to tell anyone.

~

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