Tribes of Bavilan pt 1

<p><br/>Chapter 8<br/><br/>Wren<br/><br/>"She's right, it is your birthday today, Alda! Woot woot. How lucky can you be to have such an awesome adventure on your birthday!" I leaned over to my sister and nudged her. She smiled back at me but remained silent. The others didn't seem to be enjoying the ride.<br/><br/>"As I was saying…" Geilas continued. "Your parents, the real ones, were the rulers to 4 of the 6 Tribes, and magnificent rulers they each were. They cared for their people, and they cared for the other Tribes success. But we all, every Tribe, became so complacent. We became too comfortable in our way of life and that ultimately led to our downfall."<br/><br/>"While we all believed we were living in bliss. The 5th family was recruiting individuals to overthrow the other 4 families so they would become the Supreme ruler of all Tribes. This family believed that for us to truly be a united people, we needed to do so under one law, and one Lord. Rumors circled in Bavilan and eventually reached the ears of each of your parents."<br/><br/>"Instead of taking the threat of the 5th family seriously, your parents cast the rumors aside. Their pride and privileged life led them to think that no threat could weaken the world generations had built. They depended on the order of my Tribe, the Amazons, to lead the charge against anyone going against the law and order of Bavilan. They could have never guessed what would happen in the days to come."<br/><br/>"What happened to them…our parents?" I asked Geilas, hoping that we would be able to meet them. Her face answered my question, and I knew that was one dream that could never be answered. Afterall, none of us could ever be that lucky.<br/><br/>"Parents…you really believe this shit Wren!" Ember, our little hot head screamed. "Where were our parents when we were being abused, where were they when we were being abandoned or treated like trash. As far as I'm concerned the only family, we have is each other!" She held Alda closer to her, needing the tender comfort to calm her before she really lost it.<br/><br/>"Ember, please, we promised we would listen. Let's just try our best and we will talk at the end. What is the harm is listening? We have no where else to go, we don't know where we are, and I feel like we are…safe here with Geilas." Alda finally used her soft tone to soothe the fire rising in Ember.<br/><br/>Visibly, Ember relaxed, but there was still a fierceness in her eyes that said she was not happy to be here.<br/><br/>"What do you mean abused and abandoned!?" It was Geilas' turn to yell as she slammed her fist on the arm of her rocking chair. Her plastered smile was completely gone and the look on her face was one that gave Ember a run for her money. She looked as if she was ready to march into battle as the warrior Goddess she was.<br/><br/>"She means, we didn't have the best of lives. The only reason we know each other is because we were all sent to Ms. Hanafrey's group home for troubled girls. We were all…hurt in some way and abandoned by our parents. We suffered alone until we found one another." I spoke up.<br/><br/>"I think you should tell me what happened to each of you before we continue." Geilas composed herself and looked at me as if ready for me to start.<br/><br/>So I did, I told my story first.<br/><br/> <br/><br/>***Wren's Story***<br/><br/>I grew up in a loving home. My parents were amazing! They encouraged me to follow my dreams and to seek adventure at every turn. They taught me to use my head in every situation. They inspired my curiosity, and they gave me room to grow into my own passions. Naturally, with parents as cool as them, I wanted to follow in their footsteps.<br/><br/>My mother was a crime novelist. She would shower me with mysteries and let me help her with plot twists. I'm not sure if she ever used any of my ideas for her books, but she let me believe they were great enough for her.<br/><br/>My father was a scientist. He was always encouraging me to test my theories. "The important thing is to never stop questioning" he would say this Albert Einstein quote to me daily, reminding me to always question life's mysteries.<br/><br/>They were great parents!<br/><br/>As I grew older, I was less inclined to hang out with my parents, wanting to find my own way. They of course allowed me to spread my wings. I made friends and lots of them! All of my friends seemed to love my parents. Like they were really the cool kids on the block. I was ok with it, mainly because I believed they were cool too.<br/><br/>This girl Jerrika invited me to her weekend birthday event and I was so excited. My parents were happy for me and got me everything I would need for the weekend. Beach toys, cool beach towels, nail polish and make up kits…the works. I was all set for a magical weekend with all the other 12 years old girls at my school.<br/><br/>The weekend was amazing, and it flew by. As the weekend came to a close, I called my parents, and no one answered. Though this was strange, it's not the first time my successful parents had missed my calls because they were busy writing or researching.<br/><br/>Jerrika's mom offered to drop me off at home since we couldn't get ahold of my parents. When we pulled up at my house, both of their cars were there, so my friend's mom waved goodbye to me and was on her way.<br/><br/>I wish she had stayed…<br/><br/>When I walked in the house there was a foul odor. Like the trash hadn't been taken out in a month. I went to the kitchen and the can was empty, no dishes in the sink, nothing out of the ordinary. I looked at the door off the kitchen and started to smile.<br/><br/>My thoughts went straight to an experiment gone wrong…and smells horrific. I chuckled to myself and headed to my father's at-home lab in our basement. I was never going to let him live this down. He had stunk up the whole house. <br/><br/>When I reached the bottom step, still laughing to myself, I was met by a sight I would never have thought possible. There on the floor were both of my parents, laying in their own blood. Their bodies were barely recognizable. If it weren't for the clothing they wore and my mom's necklace, I would have never known it was them.<br/><br/>They had clearly been brutally attacked. Both had deep animal like scratch marks across their faces and necks. Their hands were bound, and the final blow looked to be a gunshot to the head. <br/><br/>I screamed as loud as I could for minutes, sobbing at the sight of their bodies. Who would do this to these sweet people? Who would take them away from me? My thoughts were reeling. I knew what I needed to do, question everything.<br/><br/>I squared my shoulders and went upstairs to call the police. When they arrived, I was in shock. I didn't speak for 5 days. The scene of my parents playing over and over in my mind. I kept asking questions in my head, performing my own investigation.<br/><br/>When no family came forward to claim me, I was sent to Ms. Hanafrey's home. Only now the flame that burned inside needed to know what happened to my parents. So, I continued to sneak out to investigate. I would follow leads and undermine the police. This of course got me into more trouble, truly earning me a spot in the group home.<br/><br/>To this day, I don't know what the strange marks were or what happened to my parents. All I knew was I was alone until I met Ember, Alda and Meadow.<br/><br/>*****************<br/><br/></p>