Melanin Wars

by Taquila Thompson

  I was about to open up my mouth to say something but she shook her head. She wanted to keep going.

  “It’s fine. I can talk about it. It’s fine,” she said before she kept on speaking. “On the night I was set to go the whipipo came. I immediately jumped out of the bed and out of the window. I snuck to look through the living room window and saw that they had my dad hostage and I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. That his reign of terror was finally over. I then grabbed the bag that I packed and left before they same. After that I wanted to find your group and join your dad. But when I found out that he got captured I started my own group. And the rest is how can I say, history.

  I nodded my head afraid to speak. They all had such sad upbringings, whereas Ahshay and I had it easy. I never really thought about how rough life could be for other people until something horrible happened to us. Life was unfair to this group and I could see why they were so close with each other. They had all been through some tough shit, that no kids should ever have to go through. And, I knew right then, at that moment that I made the right decision joining them because they would do anything to survive because they were already survivors. And I knew that no matter what, at the end of the day they would have my back. I would have there’s as well.

  The sun was higher in the sky and I knew that it had to be approaching midday. I knew that we had to be nearing the whipipo headquarters because everyone all of a sudden got quiet. And there was a slight tension in the air.

  “Okay, we’re about to be at whipipo headquarters. Remember to keep a light weapon on you at all times. Also, leave our stuff in the secret hideout like we always do. We go in through the weak point and do not and I repeat DO NOT draw any attention by making unnecessary noise. We got this,” said Tamoia. “In and out.”

  We all nodded our heads and walked down a little further. There was a group of trees and in the middle there was a deep hole dug out and everybody began to place their stuff in the hole so I did to. After it was all placed in the hole, Tamoia covered it up.

  “Are you ready?” she asked as she looked me directly in my eyes.

  I looked at her back, in her eyes. “Yes.”

  “Well, let’s go get this information team,” said Tamoia.

  I nodded my head and then we headed back through the path. After a few more steps we were standing near the back of whipipo headquarters. The building was massive. It was three stories high and stuck out like a sore thumb amongst it surroundings. But, they were cocky and wanted it to be that way. They figured that once they captured my dad they had nothing else to worry about. But hopefully we would be able to prove that they were wrong. That they should be afraid and we would no longer have to hide in fear.

  As I looked at the building, my heart began to pump faster with excitement. This was the first time that I had been this close to whipipo headquarters. I looked around the back along with the others and didn’t see anyone, so it should be easier to get inside without being detected.

  “Okay, as usual, three go in and one stays out to keep watch to make sure no one comes in. But, if they do then we all know the bird call signal. I’ll stay watch this time an let Tysim get his feet wet,” said Dezzie.

  “Are you sure? I can stay if you want,” said Rahz.

  “No, I got it. Besides, Tamoia needs another strong arm with her while she’s in there,” said Dezzie.

  “Yeah, but you and Tysim have that power together. You could probably use it in case of an emergency,” said Rahz.

  “Yeah, but we have no idea what to do with the power,” I said. “So that will be useless.”

  “Yeah, he’s right,” said Tamoia. “They don’t know how to use it so therefore Rahz c’mon and Tysim follow behind. We’re about to infiltrate the building. Be careful.”

  I took one look at Dezzie and followed behind Rahz. I made sure that my small weapon was secured in my waist line and kept it moving. Once we were inside of the building we immediately ducked behind the wall.

  “Rahz, check and see if the coast is clear,” said Tamoia.

  He stepped forward and looked around before he nodded his head. We then stepped out and began to slowly make our way down the hallway.

  “They have no cameras outside of the labs so that’s why the only thing that we fear is the guards catching us,” said Tamoia.

  “Okay,” I replied with my heart still racing. I still couldn’t believe that I was here in this building. After hiding for so long, it felt good to finally be getting my hands dirty and doing something worthwhile.

  We made our way down the hallways quietly. Since I didn’t know my way around I made sure to stick close to Tamoia and Rahz. As we continued to walk I could tell we were nearing the file room because their steps sped up. After awhile we got to this big metal door and Tamoia held it open as Rahz and I rushed inside.

  “Phase one completed,” said Tamoia as she closed the door.

  I looked around the room at all the file cabinets. There were what seemed like endless amounts and I wondered how they looked through them or figured out which ones to even choose.

  “Okay, since Tamoia and I know what we’re doing we will look through the file cabinets. You keep watch and look out of the window to make sure that no one comes in here,” said Rahz.

  “I’m okay with that,” I said as I positioned myself by the door.

  Rahz nodded his head and I watched for a few seconds as they looked through the files and then looked back at the door. There was no activity and I didn’t hear any footsteps. When I thought about it, they had me doing grunt work but I didn’t care. It beat just hiding out any day of the week. After a while I saw a big shadow coming down the hallway and my heart sped up. We were about to be made on my very first trip here. What were the odds.

  “Someone's coming,” I said.

  Tamoia rushed beside me and looked out of the door as well.

  “It’s not that big of a shadow. Could be just one person,” said Tamoia. “But, it doesn’t mean that they will come in here. A lot of people walk past this door everyday.”

  “Okay,” I said as I continued to watch the hall. The shadow got closer and closer and soon we could make out just one shadow. As it got closer I placed my hand on my handgun and prepared for the worst. The person was walking with a limp and familiarity shot threw me. This wasn’t one of the whipipo that was walking around. It was a melanin. I could tell because the suit he was wearing didn’t completely cover his skin up. And this wasn’t just a regular melanin. It was one that I grew up with. That I loved. That was always there for me.

  “Dad,” I whispered softly to myself. They lied to me.

  Chapter 10

  Tamoia’s head shot my way and I knew that she was shocked but I would know my dad anywhere. Even after all of these years. Aside from the limp, the man had all of the same features as my dad. The mannerisms were a little off though. My dad always exuded confidence, but this guy right here was nervous and on edge. Defeated. And my heart broke. What had they done to him?

  “Dad,” I whispered again but didn’t move. As much as I wanted to hug him and run up to let him that I was there I didn’t. I had to think about my team. I didn’t want to jeopardize their safety or mine, and he might not be the the same man that I remembered because he definitely didn’t look like him now.

  I looked over at Tamoia and she was watching me. But, she didn’t look as shocked to see my dad as I was. Especially after she told me that he was dead. Which let me know right there that she knew he was alive this whole time. She lied to me and I was pissed. But, we would discuss all of that after we got out of here because I knew it wouldn’t be pretty. She stared at me for a few more moments before she went back over to the file cabinets.

  My blood was boiling and I was fighting hard not to let my anger get the best of me. She could’ve told me the truth. After all, how could we be a team if all she gonna do is withhold the truth from me and my team. I wanted to scream but I knew that right now that would be
a mistake. If she knew then that meant the rest of her team knew and they all were a group of liars. Including Dezzie and she was the one I trusted the most. I was so upset that I was shaking. I looked down at my hands and electricity was forming in my palms. I was shocked because I didn’t know what to do. I tried to calm myself but I couldn’t and the glow grew bigger.

  “Uh, guys,” I said as I lifted my hands and electricity began to spark and crackle.

  Rahz and Tamoia looked over at me and both of their eyes went wide.

  “What the hell?” asked Rahz.

  “Oh my god,” said Tamoia, “How did this happen?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “It just started to spark up.”

  “Did your emotions change?” she asked.

  I shot a glare at her as if that was the most stupidest question she could ask me knowing what I just saw. “Yeah, my emotions did change. What do you think they are right now?”

  Rahz shot Tamoia a look and then glanced back at me. “You shouldn’t have lied to him. I told you that it would’ve been a bad idea. I think it would’ve been just as easy to process if he knew the whole truth.”

  “Well, I can’t tell him the whole truth while we’re in here because we are running out of time in here,” she said.

  “Well, we just can’t him walking around like the electric man,” said Rahz.

  “Tysim,” said Tamoia as she looked at me. “Calm your nerves, at least until we get outside. Please, before we all get caught.”

  I looked at her and tried to peel back my all of my anger. After a few moments the electricity began to subside back into my hands. I looked back at Tamoia and she smiled at me but I didn’t return it. I couldn’t smile at her right now. I could barely look at her right now.

  “Okay, well we got some files and I think it’s best that we go before your hands spark back up,” said Tamoia.

  I nodded my head and carefully and slowly opened the door. I looked both ways and signaled to them that it was clear. We snuck slowly out of the hallway and out of the back door. We met up with Dezzie and then grabbed our stuff. I waited until we got a little ways away before I finally spoke.

  “So, why didn’t you tell me about my dad? Did you think that we wouldn’t see him when we went in there?” I asked as I looked around at all of them hoping that they would give me an answer that made sense.

  “We honestly didn’t think that we would see him. We don’t always see him when we go there,” said Rahz.

  “But you knew that he was alive. You knew that he was alive and you told me that he was dead!” I yelled and I could feel the electricity building back inside of my hands. “Why?”

  “So you wouldn’t read the rest of the file,” said Dezzie.

  “And why not? I haven’t seen my dad in years and I had the right to really know what happened to him. I’m not a child I could have handled it and by the way, I eventually would have read the rest of the file. No matter what you told me.”

  “Well, to be honest I didn’t lie. Your dad is dead. The man that you knew as your dad is dead and you need to accept that. The man that you saw walking those halls is a shell of the man that you once knew,” said Tamoia.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked as I got even more upset.

  “What I’m saying is they broke him!” she yelled.

  Her words hit me like a ton of bricks and I felt like she was lying to me again.My dad was strong and a warrior. There’s no way that he would break like that. “Are you lying to me again? My dad wouldn’t become a pawn for the whipipo.”

  “Well he did. He became a pawn for the whipipo. He was tortured, experimented on, and beaten for two years before they finally killed the person that he was,” said Tamoia.

  The electricity began to spread from my hand to up my arms. It didn’t hurt but there were tingles that shot up and down my arms. It started to crackle again and I felt as if my arms were about to combust at any moment from the electrical energy. I knew that what she was saying was true because the man that I looked at looked as if nothing was behind his eyes anymore. And I just didn’t want to believe that my dad would get broken like that.

  “What’s going on with his hands and arms?” asked Dezzie as she stared at me in disbelief.

  “Apparently when he’s upset his power becomes stronger,” said Rahz.

  “Do you think that will happen with me?” asked Dezzie.

  “We don’t know,” said Tamoia.

  “So like I said why lie to me in the first place! You still haven’t explained yet! Even if the whipipo did break him I still deserved to know that he was alive. Even if he was a shell of himself,” I said. “You didn’t have the right to make that choice for me.”

  “Maybe, but it was something that I didn’t think you would want to hear,” said Tamoia.

  “Even if it was something that I didn’t want to hear I still deserved to hear it! Did you think being told that he was dead was something that I wanted to hear? Huh?” I yelled and a bolt of electricity shot from my hand and hit the ground leaving a burnt mark.

  Everyone stopped moving and looked at me. Even I was shocked myself. I didn’t know that I could do that and it even amazed me that I was able to do it myself. I guess anger was a very strong emotion.

  “Whoa,” said Rahz. “If he gets that under control it will come in handy later on.”

  “That’s if I stick around later on,” I said frustrated. “You all lied to me and my team. I know that we just met and you don’t know much about us but lying never solves anything and we never get anywhere by lying. You can’t possibly expect me to keep me and my team around after this big lie that you told.”

  I was frustrated and growing more irritated by the second. There was no way that they could expect me to stay around knowing that I was decieved.

  “Look, I know that you’re upset but look at what has happened since we joined together. You unlocked a power, got good food and shelter, and we are getting closer to taking down the whipipo,” said Tamoia.

  “We were doing fine with finding food and shelter on our own,” I said.

  “But is it as good as ours?” she asked.

  I remained quiet because I knew that she was right and I didn’t want to admit it. I liked the idea of having somewhere stable for me and my team but I don’t think that I could deal with the deception.

  “Just think about how your sister would feel if she knew about your dad. Do you think she would be able to handle it like you can?” she asked.

  I sighed and a lot of anger flowed out of me. I knew that she wouldn’t be able to handle it. She would want to come to whipipo headquarters and try to save him. As much as I would want her to know that he’s alive, her seeing him like that would destroy her. And as her big brother I had to protect her. It was for her own good.

  “No, I don’t think that she would be able to handle it and I would appreciate it if nobody told her either,” I said. Although it shouldn’t be a problem for them considering they lied to me.

  They all nodded their heads.

  I nodded mine in reply and we continued on our journey. The sun was now beating down real heavy on us and I was down to my last bottle of water. I knew that I should’ve reserved it but building up all of that electricity inside of me drained me and it was taking everything in me not to gulp it all down. As we got closer to the shelter sweat was pouring down my face and my back. I couldn’t wait until darkness came and it cooled down just a bit. The heat did seem more extreme today and I wondered if something changed in the atmosphere. We continued walking and then soon we heard a rustle of something in the trees. We instantly stopped and raised our weapons. We looked around and prepared for an ambush or one of the whipipo to come out. After a few seconds nothing moved and we assumed it was just an animal until Taqmaine stepped out. Rahz, Tamoia and Dezzie put their weapons down but I kept mine raised. She wasn’t going to trick me again.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked her. I thought that she and her broth
er would be long gone and that I would never have to see them again. Although, I couldn’t help but feel a little happy that she was okay. Despite our issues I didn’t want anything to happen to them.

  “I, I,” stuttered Taqmaine.

  “You know this girl?” asked Rahz with a raised brow.

  “Yeah, she’s the reason me and my crew made it onto the most wanted list. Her lil sister had a camera implanted in her eye to spy on us and I killed her. She has a brother to, but I don’t see him,” I said as I looked around to see if he would step out of the woods next.

  “My brother is dead. The whipipo killed him. I barely got away from them,” she said as she broke down and cried.

  I felt sympathy towards her but I didn’t want that to cloud my judgement and put the team in jeopardy. “Sorry to hear that.”

  “Tysim, was she bugged by the whipipo?” asked Tamoia curiously.

  “Not that I could tell,” I replied.

  “Do you trust her?” asked Tamoia.

  “No, I don’t,” I said and I saw Taqmaine’s face drop. But I didn’t feel bad. I wasn’t going to lie. I didn’t trust her. At this point, I only trusted the people on my team.

  “So, you wouldn’t let her join our team?” asked Tamoia.

  “No, she withheld what happened with her sister and put us all in danger. We could’ve died or been captured and she didn’t say anything. And I don’t think she’s learned from it. Also, nobody on my team is going to trust her and I don’t want that kind of tension since what we’re supposed to be doing is building a team that we can trust,” I said as I emphasized the word trust. I slowly lowered my weapon and placed it in my pocket because I didn’t feel as if I would need it at this point.