Freedom Fighters: Twilight City (Book 1)

by Michelle Leyland

  “I guess so, it’s pretty busy and there are a lot of risks, but I love it.”

  “I can’t wait to finish training and finally start. What kind of stuff do we have to do?”

  “Different things, mostly protecting people and fighting against the bad guys,” he answers. “If you want to get in on all the action I guess you could help out with some of the missions.”

  “What sort of missions?”

  “It depends, last week Mick and I did a raid on one of Snider’s buildings and helped all his prisoners escape,” he replies.

  “That sounds so cool,” I say in awe. “I’ve heard everyone talking about it.”

  “Yeah it was good, apart from getting shot at by his troops,” he shrugs. “At least all the people are free now.”

  “Do you ever get hurt?” I ask concerned.

  “Not really, we all have to be careful and wear bullet proof gear to keep us safe, but sometimes I’ve got into fights or injured myself somehow, but it’s worth the risk.”

  When it gets late, we leave the bar and Rickie drives us back to the base on his motorbike. The security guard lets us through the entrance and the rest of the building is dark. As we walk inside all the lights are out, so Rickie flicks a switch to turn the stairway lights on and walks with me up to my flat.

  I feel sad when we arrive at my door and our date is over.

  “Thanks for taking me out,” I say, feeling really lucky. “It’s been fun tonight.”

  “It’s no probs. It’s been great seeing you, Star,” he strokes my hair affectionately and looks down at me.

  He puts his arm around me and my heart beats faster. He gives me a hug, holding me close, and I feel all warm inside and want to stay in his arms forever.

  We finally part and he stares into my eyes. I hold my breath, wondering if he’s going to kiss me, but then he looks away, like he’s holding back for some reason, and looks a little sad.

  “Star, I’ve gotta go away tomorrow for a mission,” he tells me. “I’ll be staying somewhere else for a few days so I won’t be around for a while.”

  My heart sinks. I know it’s only for a few days but I feel so sad at thinking of not being able to see him.

  “I’ll text you while I’m away,” he promises, “but it might take a few hours for me to reply to any messages; being a freedom fighter is pretty demanding at times.”

  “It’s okay, I understand,” I smile, feeling excited that at least we’ll still get to talk somehow.

  “And I’d really like to take you out again, so if you’re free maybe we can meet up when I’m back?”

  “Yeah, that would be great,” I agree, feeling excited at the thought of a second date.

  “I guess you’ll be busy training tomorrow morning, so I’ll see you when I get back.”

  “Okay,” I feel upset, hating to say goodbye and wanting to stay with him.

  “Later, Star,” he says and gives me a wink before leaving.

  “See ya, Rickie,” I reply and watch him walk back along the corridor.

  I go inside the flat, close the door and finally let myself breathe. Tonight has been magical, and now I know him a lot more personality wise, my feelings are getting even stronger. I just can’t wait to see him again and I know I’ll be daydreaming about him every second that he’s away.

  Chapter 6

  Sarah pounces on me the next morning, eager to find out all the details about my first date with Rickie.

  “So how did it go?”

  “Great,” I answer and smile. I’ve hardly stopped smiling all morning. I feel extremely happy as I tell her all about last night.

  “So, did you kiss?” she asks, grinning.

  “No, we just hugged,” I say, although I’m a little disappointed. Even though it was our first date I really wanted to kiss him and it seemed as if he really wanted to kiss too for a second, before he had to tell me the bad news about having to go away for a few days.

  Sarah looks disappointed as well. Obviously hugging isn’t the biggest gossip ever, “so you think the date went well?” she asks uncertainly.

  “Yeah, I think so,” I say. “He’s said he’s leaving today for a mission and he’ll be away for a few days, but he asked me out on another date.”

  “That’s good. Maybe you’ll finally get that kiss on the second date.”

  I blush and hope she’s right.

  Today’s training is ever more interesting. Bryan tells us we’re going to learn all about bombs, how to safety deactivate and defuse them. We’re all wondering if he’s actually going to trust us with a real bomb, but luckily he brings in an empty one and fills it with baking flour.

  It all seems complicated at first and we have to memorize a lot before he finally lets us have a practice on the pretend bomb.

  I manage to pass the defusing, but when I try to deactivate it I accidently set it off. I jump with fright as it explodes and covers me with flour. Sarah can’t stop laughing.

  “Nice try, Star,” Bryan says, smiling a little. “Maybe you need a little more practice at the end part.”

  Next lesson is self-defense which is a relief; at least I can do that right. I get my revenge as I successfully perform a self-defense flip on Sarah, and it’s my turn to laugh when she’s thrown onto the safety mat looking stunned.

  “Very funny, Star,” but she smiles up at me and says I’m perfect at that move.

  After lunch we spend the whole afternoon studying computer hacking, which is even more complicated than the bomb deactivating.

  “Isn’t this illegal?” I ask unsurely.

  “I suppose it is, but not if it’s used for the right reasons,” says Bryan wisely. “The police use it to solve crimes and now we use it for similar purposes.”

  My head hurts by the time training ends and when I look at my mobile I see a text from Rickie:

  Hey Star, how’s trainin going? xxx

  I quickly type back a reply:

  Ok I guess. I gt covered in flour wen I didnt get the bomb deactivation rite and I really cant do computer hacking yt. Hows the mission going? xxx

  I get a reply ten minutes later:

  LOL u wil get there wiv practice and I guess I cud help u out wiv the computer hackin Im pretty gud at that. Its goin ok thanx. Cant wait 2 get bak xxx

  I quickly rush up to my flat to have a shower and wash my hair, thanks to the exploding baking flour incident earlier; and then I head off to the bar that Carl’s friend works for.

  I’m feeling pretty nervous. I’ve never danced somewhere professionally before and tonight I will be sort of interviewed for a performing job there.

  There’s a girl aged twenty two waiting outside for me when I arrive. She’s wearing a sparkly dress with high-heals and has long red, wavy hair and green eyes.

  “You must be Starlet,” she says and shakes my hand, “I’m Phoebe, the manager of Indigo Bar. Carl has told me all about you.”

  I follow her inside and look around. The club is really modern with swish lighting, colourful walls and a bar along the side of the room. A stage stretches out along one end of the room, with coloured lights above it, and I can’t help but feel excited.

  “I hear you’re a dancer. What type of dancing do you do?”

  “Modern dance,” I answer. “I’ve made some routines for a few songs.”

  “Excellent,” she says smiling. “I’d love to see them, if you don’t mind?”

  I feel even more nervous now but I take my iPod and speaker out of my bag, start to play the first song and get up onto the stage.

  I begin the dance, my heart beating with nerves and I feel her watching my every move closely. I try not to let it put me off and get lost in the music, getting the dance perfect.

  Once I’ve finished two songs I look up to see Phoebe staring at me.

  “I think that should be enough,” she says and I quickly turn off the iPod.

  “I like it,” she says smiling. “You’ve got talent and you definitely have a slot for Sa
turday night.”

  “Really?” I’m surprised despite Sarah telling me I’d do great. “Thanks.”

  “Be sure to be here for seven pm. We’ll have to get a costume sorted and the lighting right, plus I’ll need a copy of the songs,” she tells me. “Your slot will be at eight o’clock.”

  “Okay,” I agree, still feeling stunned.

  On my way back to the base I quickly send a text to Rickie and Sarah to tell them the good news.

  Chapter 7

  The rest of the week seems to fly by. I’m so busy practicing my dance routines for Saturday night and working on freedom fighter training through the day.

  Even though the week has been fun, I can’t stop thinking of Rickie. I miss him, even though we haven’t known each other long and he’s not even my boyfriend yet; but we text each other a lot and I’m looking forward to see him again. I hope he’ll be back in time to see my performance, but if not I still have our second date to look forward to.

  When Saturday morning finally arrives I wake up and feel really nervous. Tonight I’ll have to dance on stage in front of all the people at Indigo Bar and it will be so scary doing it for the first time.

  I spend nearly all day going over my five dances for the show, making sure I know them perfect. Sarah arrives later on and helps me select clothes and does my hair and make-up.

  Half an hour later we’re stood outside the bar. I’m wearing denim shorts and a sexy purple top, with trainers as suitable dance footwear. Sarah has made me wear mascara, which makes my eye lashes look really long, and purple eye shadow with glittery blusher and sparkling lip gloss. My hair is straightened again and my blue highlights have been re-dyed.

  Sarah is all dressed up and has lots of make-up on as usual, wearing a pink vest top, a short skirt and high heels.

  “Good luck,” she says and gives me a hug before I go backstage. “You’ll be amazing, I know it.”

  “Thanks,” I say and feel anxious as I find Phoebe waiting for me.

  “Starlet, you made it,” she almost looks relieved. “Did you bring the music?”

  “Yeah,” I answer and hand over my iPod, containing the 5 songs I want to use.

  “Excellent,” she smiles. “You look great by the way; I suppose there’s no need to change.”

  “Thanks, my friend helped me with the look,” I smile, knowing I’ll have to pass on the compliment to Sarah.

  When it reaches eight o’clock, I stand near the stage with Phoebe, feeling even more anxious.

  “Are you ready?” she asks me.

  “I think so,” I answer nervously.

  Everyone else is too busy drinking or talking to notice me yet, but Sarah smiles over at me from the front of the stage, waiting for my performance.

  “Everyone gets stage fright at first,” Phoebe reassures me. “Once you get up there you’ll be fine.”

  I don’t believe her until I’m finally up on stage. The stage lights shine on me, the music starts and suddenly everyone’s eyes are on me.

  I still feel nervous as I begin to dance, but soon I’m so lost in the music that I don’t feel anyone watching me anymore and I just want to dance all night long.

  All five dances go well and I don’t make a single mistake. Everyone else must think I’m good too because there’s a lot of cheering for me at the end.

  I smile excitedly and thank them, then make my way off stage where Sarah is waiting for me, ready with a bottle of water.

  “Told you you’d be great,” she says as I accept the bottle and quickly drink it.

  We come out of backstage and walk towards the bar.

  “It was so amazing being up there,” I tell her, still buzzing from excitement. “I can’t wait to do it all again next weekend.”

  “Hey Star, really cool dancing,” I hear.

  I turn and smile when I see Rickie, “You made it!”

  “Sure I did,” he grins at me. “There’s no way I was missin’ your performance.”

  Sarah realizes that Rickie probably wants to be alone with me, so she quickly leaves. She signals to say she’s off to the bar and heads towards a good looking guy.

  “I’m really glad you came,” I say to Rickie, feeling myself blush.

  “So how about we go for that second date I promised you?” he asks and looks at me flirtatiously.

  I smile and melt inside, “Okay, where are we…”

  I’m suddenly interrupted by a loud crash nearby and look to see what’s happening, breaking our gaze. I see everyone begin to rush around, trying to get out for some reason, and I feel panic rise inside me wondering what’s going on.

  One of the bar’s windows has been smashed and the door gets broken through as four police officers enter the club and look around.

  “Run,” Rickie tells me and grabs my hand.

  He pulls me to the back of the bar, where we go through backstage and race towards a fire exit at the end of the corridor. He opens it and we run outside onto a private car park.

  His motorbike is waiting nearby and he quickly puts on his helmet.

  “Why are we running? What’s happening?” I ask as I quickly put on the spare helmet.

  “Those police officers are employed by Lord Snider,” he tells me quickly. “They’re hunting for freedom fighters.”

  My heart beats faster with fear and I feel tingles of anxiety at knowing that we’re probably being chased.

  “Here, put this on,” he says and takes off his bullet proof jacket and hands it to me.

  I quickly put it on, feeling touched that he’s keeping me safe and giving up his protection to help me.

  He gets on the motorbike and revs the engine, so I zip up the jacket and climb onto the back of his motorbike.

  I hear shouts behind us and look back to see two police officers burst through the fire exit and run in our direction.

  “Looks like they’ve found us,” he says. “Hold on tight.”

  I put my arms around his waist and he drives off at full speed, leaving the police officers behind.

  I hold onto Rickie tightly, scared of falling off when we’re going so fast. We race through the dark streets, the motor engine roaring as we go.

  My heart stops as I hear police sirens and look behind to see a police car following behind us in pursuit.

  “Rickie, they’re following us,” I shout to him over the noise of the engine.

  I hear gun shots from behind and cling to him even tighter, feeling scared even though I know I’m safe and wearing a bullet proof jacket to protect me.

  Rickie tries to go even faster and manages to dodge the shots.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll lose ‘em,” he shouts back to me and suddenly turns into a side street.

  I hear the police car brake suddenly and start to turn; obviously they didn’t expect this maneuver.

  Rickie races on ahead through more side streets, and soon there’s only the faint sound of a siren and no police car in sight, and we’re safely hidden in a dark alleyway.

  “I think we’re safe now,” he says as he stops the motorbike. “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” I answer, although I’m still holding him tight and my heart is beating so fast I can hardly breathe.

  “Why were they after you?” I ask. “I thought all freedom fighters had to keep their identities a secret?”

  “Most of us do but unfortunately they know about me,” he indicates over to a poster which is pasted onto a nearby wall. It’s a wanted poster with Rickie’s name and picture, offering a £10,000 reward to catch him dead or alive.

  “If you’re ever found out for being a freedom fighter you become a wanted criminal in this city,” he tells me. “That’s why you need to be careful, Star. I don’t want you to end up like me, always on the run.”

  “I’ll try to keep out of trouble,” I promise him.

  He sighs, “I’m so stupid, I shouldn’t have been anywhere near you in front of the cops. I had no idea they’d followed me to the bar.”

&n
bsp; “It’s okay,” I reassure him. “I was wearing a helmet for most of the time so they won’t know who I am.”

  “Still, I should have known it would be too dangerous. I’m sorry Star, I didn’t mean to drag you into that; I just wanted to get you away from them. I don’t want you to get arrested.”

  “It’s okay, thanks for helping me.”

  He smiles at me, “Come on, let’s get outta here before they do track us down. There’s no way I’m letting ‘em spoil our date.”

  He starts up the motorbike again and we drive off into the night together.

  Chapter 8

  We stop at a club further out into the city fifteen minutes later.

  “It’ll be a lot less chaotic here,” he promises me. “This is a secret freedom fighter club, they’ll only let in people who have ID. You have yours, right?”

  “Yeah,” I answer, feeling lucky that I had brought it along.

  The security guards outside check our identification cards and let us enter. The club is quiet; there are only a few freedom fighters here and they’re either sat drinking at the bar or on the dance floor.

  Rickie buys us both a drink and takes my hand and leads me outside into a garden area.

  “It looks so beautiful out here,” I say, looking around at the palm trees, plants and water features.

  “Yeah I guess it is,” he answers.

  We walk over a small, wooden bridge with a small garden pond below, and I look down and watch the goldfish swimming around it.

  I look up at the stars shining high in the dark night sky above me and feel as if I’m floating. Even though I’ve been shot at by police this is still one of the best nights of my life.

  “I always love looking up at the stars,” I tell Rickie as I feel him close to me. “They’re so beautiful.”

  “Yeah, but not as amazin’ as you,” I hear him say in my ear.

  I look up at him and blush at the compliment.

  “I’ve had an awesome night. I can forget all about the trouble in Twilight City when I’m with you and just be happy.”

  “Yeah, me too,” he stares into my eyes. “Y’know, now I’ve met you things doesn’t feel so bad.”

  “I know, if only things could stay as good as this,” I agree.

  I stare back into his eyes and he leans closer and kisses me. I feel fireworks go off in my head as our lips touch. We share a long kiss before we finally part and I begin to feel breathless all over again.