Being awake is worse than being asleep. When you’re asleep, your mind can wander wherever it wants to. When you’re awake, you must face reality. My being awake was horrible. I was woken by a small scream. Little by little, I opened my eyes to see where this noise was coming from. In front of me was that boy. The Shibuya boy that had threatened me days earlier. He held two buckets of water, balancing them with pure skill. His dirty blond hair fell over his blue eyes. He set down the buckets of water, “What are you doing here?” I pushed myself away from him. Was he one of the boys that had attacked me yesterday? I couldn’t see their faces. It could’ve been him. It was most likely him. His eyes caught my bruise, “What’s that?” I hated him, acting like he didn’t know what happened to me. I glared at him, not saying anything. He sat down next to me, “Did you get...” He trailed off. I knew what he was thinking. I nodded slowly, unsure if I should trust him. “That’s not good.” I opened my mouth to let out a snarky comment, then closed it again. “Could you tell?” He tilted his head, “Yeah. What’s your name?” “None of your business.” I replied, still glaring. He shrugged, “Okay then. I’m Mateo. I’m a Shibuya, but you probably know that already.” I didn’t say anything. I did not have a good relationship with Shibuya’s right now. “Um, you never answered my question. What are you doing here?” Mateo’s gaze was inquisitive, not mean or prodding. I looked at the ground, “My village was attacked. By the Shibuya army.” It wasn’t really attacked, but it was invaded. I just didn’t want to accept the fact that we hadn’t been strong enough to defend. Mateo’s face was a mix of emotions. I could tell he was surprised, a little bit scared and fearful. “My name’s Anya, by the way.” He nodded, “I’m sorry, Anya. You’re the only kid in your village, aren’t you?” I nodded, “I was in the woods near the path when they passed by. I tried to warn my village, but I wasn’t fast enough.” My bottled-up tears threatened to spill over, “My mum was there. And my older siblings.” There was a moment of silence, “Would it help to talk about them?” I didn’t want to. “No.” My voice was sharper than I would have liked, but I didn’t care. I was sure he was the one that had attacked me on the path. Mateo shrugged, “Okay. Just stay out here then.” He picked up his buckets and left me. I cried. I cried out all the tears I left. They were gone. My family was gone. Shibuya’s were evil. Lyna had put me before herself. Why did she have to be so mature? I could take care of myself, couldn't I? I shook my head. Lyna had done what she'd thought was right. Lyna and Eriku were somewhere, probably being held prisoner by the Shibuya's. Jane was probably safe, with her Shibuya-supporting family. I thought about this for a while, about where Felipe and Azaire were, if they were safe. I assumed that Lyna and Mum were together, Lyna would never leave her side, just like she would never leave mine. I had left hers. Darkness began to fall, covering me in its inky black blanket. Holes poked through, stars dotting the sky. I sat there, too scared to go to sleep, thinking that a soldier would sneak up on me. I bet that Mateo snitched on me. I heard a slight creaking on my right and forced my body into a tight sphere. Hopefully no one would see me in the darkness. The noise stopped, and a lantern was lit. "Anya?" I knew that voice. I smiled, looking up, "Azaire?" "I don't know who Azaire is, I'm Mateo, remember?" He brought the lantern up to his face, illuminating it. In the soft light, he looked kinder than he was in my mind. My smile fell, “Oh, okay.” Mateo put down the lantern, “I brought you some food.” I shrugged, “I’m not hungry.” That was a lie. I just didn’t want to accept food from a Shibuya. I didn’t want to give in to him. Mateo smiled, “I thought you’d say that.” He set down a plate of food that I hadn’t known he’d been carrying, “So I’m just going to leave this here. I looked up at him, “Won’t your family notice that it’s gone?” He shook his head, his smile dampening into a sad frown, “My dad is gone, I have no siblings. My mom probably won’t even notice, and if she does, I’ll just say that it was me.”
I hesitated, before grabbing the plate of food, “Thanks.” Mateo watched me shove food into my mouth for a minute or two, “I've told you about my family, why don’t you tell me about yours?” I looked up at him, “I never knew my dad. My sister is like a mother to us, her name is Lyna. I have twin brothers, Azaire and Felipe, who are complete weirdos. My mum is...” I trailed off, not wanting to discuss it. “Sick?” Mateo stared at me knowingly. I tilted my head, “How’d you know?” Mateo shrugged, “I could tell. The way you were saying it, she’s either sick or dead, and I’d prefer to ask if she’s sick.” I nodded, understanding what he meant, “I love them all, so much. There’s other people too, Eriku is one of my best friends. There’s no one my age though, Enyana’s will usually avoid me at school, because of the path and all.” Mateo nodded, listening. When I didn’t continue, he looked me in the eye, “Anya, I’m really sorry, about me threatening you...” I glared at him, forgetting how he’d helped me, “Don’t.” He nodded, “Tell me more about your brothers.” I stopped looking at him, glaring at the ground, “They like to prank people, but they are amazing. Azaire is a troublemaker, all the way through. Felipe really cares about us, but he follows Azaire everywhere. I love them, but... sometimes I say the wrong thing.” “What did you say?” His voice was still soft, even after I had snapped at him. “I asked them why they would care, if they hadn’t before.” I took a deep breath, eyes and throat burning, “I haven’t talked to them since...” Some sort of bell rang, and Mateo’s head shot up, “I’m sorry, I have to go. It’s curfew for Shibuyas.” He stood up, pausing to look down at me, “Would you like to come inside?” I shook my head. He nodded, “Stay hidden.” And with that, he left.
