II: Heartbeat
Akshara wandered through the packed streets, pushing her way through the crowd. All of a sudden, she was grabbed from behind.
“Let go of me!” she shouted.
“It’s just me, Aksha,” Heko shouted above the crowd in his high-pitched squeak of a voice. His voice always made her want to cover her ears. But she didn’t now, because she needed a friend and Heko was the only one she had left.
“Don’t call me Aksha. You know only Iva was allowed to shorten my name like that!”
“I’m sorry,” Heko replied, sounding saddened. He let go of her and she turned to face the small boy. He was the same age as her, but he was much shorter and squeakier. Aracea, the old head priestess, had told her that this was just the way it was for boys. She did not fully understand but accepted the answer.
“N
