Volume 1 p10 The line that cannot be uncrossed

It is 10 AM. Flawlessly, she sticks the landing. They are getting stronger each time, but it’s not there yet. It has to be perfect. It has a purpose. Her friends are learning backflips because they are fun, not Akia; she is learning the backflip as part of the sparring retreat: avoid a kick, give some ground, and then, when your opponent moves in, you strike hard. The landing needs to be adjusted, the feet must be staggered, and enough power is required to end the fight. Akia loves to spar, outwork, out-hustle, and outthink her opponent. Akia has a gymnast build: short, muscular, and mighty. Most opponents see a small girl; that is the first mistake. Their second mistake ends the match.

Akia and her friends have gathered at Walton Lake, west end, just beyond the bridge, for a morning workout consisting of gymnastic and martial arts routines. Other jumpers take their turn; the sun shines brightly. Akia buries her face into a towel, soaking up the small beads of sweat on her skin. She slips her brown bomber jacket on over a black compression crop top. Akia loves to wear compression gear, both pants and tops, usually black with occasionally red. She loves the power of those two colors. Her jacket does not fit her clothing style, and why she loves it is a mystery; much like herself, she is quiet, private, and avoids the spotlight; some would say introvert; Akia would say she lets her hands and feet do the talking.

She fights because she likes to and learned how because she needed to. Her mother’s choices brought her to this point in her life. Akia never knew her father; her mom probably didn’t either. Her mother went from one abusive relationship to another, some verbal, some not verbal. Akia had to hide and listen during the early days, scared, angry, defenseless, and unable to do anything about it. After many talks with her mother, it became apparent that her mother felt the same. Akia decided one day, around twelve, that enough was enough. She found someone to train her, and the dojo became her home away from home. She worked as a janitor for the dojo to help pay for the classes. Two years later, Akia made her stand, but the guy objected. Her mother had a choice, and she made the wrong one. Akia received a black eye for her efforts but got in three good shots before running away. The next day, she entered the foster care program. She has not seen her mother since.     

Akia got lucky; the family that took her is wonderful. The home Akia lives in is a loving place in a cul-de-sac on Floral St. The father is a product of the foster care system. He was placed in a good home that emphasized education. He became an accountant and now pays forward by helping those in need.

The house is about a mile from the lake—far enough away for Akia to get in a good run. The glistening lake is also good for her friends to get together and work out.

Akia steps away from the group and inspects her left air pods. “They must be going bad,” she whispers. Once she removes the right side, she realizes the hum she hears is not from the air pods. Her instincts kick in, and she goes on high alert. Scanning the area for potential threats she walks back to her friends. “Can anyone tell where the hum is coming from?” She asks her friends. They each give a strange look. “I do not hear a hum,” says several of them. How can they not hear the hum, Akia asked herself. It cannot just be me. As she continues looking for a source of the hum and any danger, Akia feels strongly, almost like a whisper, that the field is where she should focus.  Akia takes several steps toward the field that lies beyond the lake. The field is adjacent to Weber Elementary.

A wood-chipped hiking trail surrounds the lake. Many people enjoy the beautiful scenery along the trail throughout the day. The trail winds through the woods along the lake's north side. A section of the trail sits beside a low lake section, allowing you to feed the ducks and geese. The beautiful scenery the lake trail provides is not the focus for today. Today’s focus has more ominous tones. Standing at the west end of the trail, looking toward the north, is a person who was jogging but is now frozen. Akia spotted this person and began to walk toward her. The jogger is showing signs of interest in something in the field similar to Akia. Akia plans to find out why. Akia calls out to the person as she nears. “What is going on out there?” Akia asks while pointing. The person turns slightly to respond but does not take her eyes off the field. “I am not sure, she responds. I started hearing a hum while running. It became louder on this side of the lake. I stopped here to try and find the source. Something is telling me that it is out there.” “Tell me your name,” Akia said. “My name is Jet, what is yours?” Jet responded. “It’s Akia, Jet do you want to go see what is going on out there?” Jet paused as she searched her thoughts. Did she want to go out there? She wanted to find out the source strongly enough to stop running and look around, but going out there in the unknown was an entirely different level of wanting to know.  “I am not sure, Jet replied, it doesn’t seem like a safe idea.” Akia shrugs her shoulders in indifference. “If you change your mind, then feel free to tag along,” Akia says. “Wait…you are going out there? Just like that?” Jet asks. “Just like that, Akia says, if you are worried about being safe, don’t be. I will make sure nothing happens to you.” Akia starts walking toward the field. Jet is stunned by Akia’s frank response. I have never seen someone so confident, so sure of themselves as her, Jet thinks to herself.

Jet stands there, watching Akia walk away. Her small, thick frame is the perfect sprinter body; she is an outstanding sprinter. She is athletic, naturally strong, and one of the top athletes in her school. Usually, that is a wonderful life, and it is when she is at school. At home, that is a different story. At home, she is the fifth-best athlete out of five people. Her mom and dad were high-achieving college athletes in basketball and track. Her two brothers were all-state athletes in football and track. Everything in Jet’s house has been done multiple times. There was no achievement left for her to gain that would be special. No one pays attention. Jet keeps winning, bringing home medal after medal after medal, but all she hears is silence. When she does mention an award, twelve stories of greater accomplishment come roaring back, so she gives up. This leaves her feeling empty, deprived, and emotionally unbalanced; she hungers for someone in her family to say anything positive about her. Her confidence in herself is very low. This is affecting her current decision. She has none of Akia’s self-confidence. Jet decides that she wants to be around a person like that. So, she hurries to catch up.

Akia has made it to the lake's northwest corner, allowing Jet to catch up with her. Jet whispers, “Why are we just standing here?” Akia does not respond but points toward the field. Through the trees, hundreds of deer have assembled.  Jet gasped as she took in the overwhelming scene. Her sense of fear is escalating. “If we are going to understand what is happening to us, we will have to go out there, Akia said softly. Is that something you are going to be able to handle?” Jet nodded in response to Akia’s question, but it was also an attempt to convince herself.

They quietly make their way through the trees. Moving at angles, using trees for cover, snaking their way to the edge of the field. Once they arrive at the edge, Akia watches for a few minutes to see if anything would show itself as the source of the chaos.  She turns to Jet and whispers, “We will step out of the trees slowly to see what will happen. We have two things to be aware of. One thing to be concerned about is the deer; if they charge us, return to the trees and use them for cover.” Akia looked around one more time. Jet says, “You said there were two things; what is the second one?” Akia leaned to her right slightly and pointed over Jet’s left shoulder, “Four people are standing over there.” Akia says.  Jet’s eyes widen in panic; she slowly turns around. “What do you think they are doing?” She asks. “They are possibly doing what we are doing, trying to figure out what is happening,” Akia responds. Akia adds, “Ok, here is the game plan; we will step out into the field. This will alert everyone of our presence. Retreat to the lake if anything that could go wrong begins, and we will regroup there.” Akia takes one last look at Jet, “Make sure you understand what you are doing. If you step out there, you will cross a line that cannot be uncrossed. We have no idea what will happen next.” Jets nods her head. Akia and Jet enter the sunlight, exposing themselves to whatever controls the deer.

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