18. Kayla?

"Ready?" I smile, shaking my fear from my face. Kayla nodded and I told her that we were going to play kickball.

Kayla and I jogged out to the field and the kids begged Kayla to play, even though she had never even heard of "kickball" before. Turned out, she was great! She stood in outfield for awhile, but she was strategically placed out of the way of balls. Somehow she didn't really do anything until the third round. And, when she kicked the ball, it soared over the outfielders. Our team shouted and she began running the bases. First base; she seemed slightly confused about what was going on. Second base; she smiled confidently. Third base; her head tilted and she stared past our team.

She ran right by us. We saw the opposite team returning with the ball and we shouted her name. What is she doing? I thought. She switched from a confused jog to a intent dash as she headed for the... nasty place swarming with guard people. I glanced around. I saw a black shadow to my left move, then another figure appeared to my right. They were heading for Kayla!

"Don't worry guys! I'll get her!" I shouted, both the the kids and the guards. I saw the shadows stop briefly, but when I caught up they began crawling again.

Since I could run in the open, I quickly passed them and continued after Kayla. I shouted her name over and over, but she seemed to be deaf and in her own world. She was going to run right into a swamp full of leeches! When I got close enough, I dove to the ground and grabbed her shoes. She collapsed to the ground and whirled onto her back. Her feet kicked wildly and one of her sneakers ended up smacking into my jaw.

Her eyes went wide, "Jake?!"

I released her, "I promised Aunt Biltnee I'd keep both eyes on you... I didn't think that'd mean nearly diving into that swamp!" I chuckled as I pretended to shake my head. Really I was looking around for the guard men. One saluted me and they both crawled away. As they left I turned back to Kayla.

"You know, you scared the boots off all those little kids back there. What in the name of Mike are you doing anyhow?" I asked.

She moaned, then blurted out something about kicking a lost earth, petting a bald stranger, and following a confused house.... I still don't know what she said, but she didn't seem happy.

She crumpled up into a ball and whispered more unintelligible sentences. She was confused, she was lost. I knew only bits and pieces of who she was, but I could tell something was wrong. Maybe not only with her, but also the rest of the world. My town was now guarded, I was supposed to babysit a girl who was horrified to be on earth, and I was threatened to stay away from a cloud of smoke for no true reason.

It was then I made up my mind. This was my chance, my chance to do something great. I knew what that fortress held, and I could try help someone who needed help desperately.

I helped her up and sighed. "Kayla, you were never on mars..." (I was trusted with this information... should I really give it away so freely?) "You just.... thought you were." She didn't believe me, as I had anticipated, so I decided to take her and show her.

I lead her into the cloud. She asked me again about my "doom", but I simply replied what I knew, "It's all just stories." Kayla didn't take well to the smoke, she coughed and gagged and I couldn't really say that I was proud at that point. I had found tricks to keep the smoke out of my lungs as much as possible during my hours of sneaking around here. Kayla had not, and it was my fault she was suffering.

I tried to put that aside as I guided her to the wall.  The sun was beginning to set, and I was glad. In the dark, it was harder for the guards to see us. As we stepped up onto the concrete foundation surrounding the fortress, I noticed a guard rounding the corner. I whispered, "Quick!" hoping she would hear and obey.

Instead she seemed to slow down. I dragged her and we slammed into the wall. I slapped my hand over her mouth and hissed, "Don't make a sound or you're dead!" I didn't mean to scare her, but I also didn't want her to ask another of her zillion questions.

"FREEZE!" The familiar word shakes me as I dart away from Kayla. I drop to me knees under the giant pipe that exits and reenters the fort through the wall. The pipe was made that way so, if service was necessary, the plumber could work from the outside, and the fortresses secrets could be safe. I chuckled as I did just that; work from the outside.

I snatched a crobar  that I had left right there the last time I had been in that spot. The last time I had been caught, actually.

I jammed the crobar into the small gap of two pipe links. I glanced back to see the guard stepping extremely close to Kayla. I leaned all my weight into the bar and willed it to pop. The crobar slipped and, instead of separating the links, it fell to the ground and cracked the concrete ever so slightly. The next second water came shooting out. The guard whirled around and left Kayla.

I dashed back to her and explained everything as briefly as possible. The guards shouted franticly and I pushed Kayla around the corner. I laughed, glad to shake off my worries for a second and celebrate one small victory.

A few steps around the corner, I groaned to see the sky, through the smoke, was still glowing red with the sunset. Kayla seemed to relax a little, so I guess that worked out. A guard came into view, a gun clearly outlined on his shoulder. I slipped away from Kayla and quickly set the guard unconscious. I snatched the guards padded cover suit, helmet and gun.

In a second I was dressed just like him and left the young boy on the concrete to wake up to a "FREEZE" from one of his guard friends! I dashed back to where I left Kayla, but she was gone!

"Kayla?" I whispered frantically. "Kayla!"

 I noticed the guard entrance and the tiny green light above it. The door slid shut and the light turned red.

NO, KAYLA!  I winced. You can't go in that way!