Soul Lovers

Being Strong Is Our Only Choice.

In an unfamiliar environment, filled with screams, flames, smoke and bloodshedding, at the corner of the c*****e, a little girl and a little boy huddled together shivering and sobbing, the little boy who seems to be the eldest held her sister's hands,

"Trinity, don't cry, Mum and Dad will be back with our brothers," He told as he immediately held back his tears, but that didn't stop his sister cries, seeing what was happening around her, she couldn't possibly stop at that moment then the boy closely held her closer to him, "Don't worry Mum and Dad are surpassingly strong, they will find a way back to us... Trinity, don't forget Dad's sayings," the little girl sniffled, she looked at her brother with her puffy, wet eyes,

"We never know how strong we are... until being strong is our only choice." she sniffled, her brother smirked a little.

"That's- "

"Hey!" Someone shouted from the smokes, they both looked at the direction of the voice with their eyes widened, "Ha! another children to extinguish, why are they freaking many children on this land?!" the person said, coming out from the smoke with his hands held up, levitating small rocks engulfed in flames while stirring his fingers then he licked his mouth with his tongue. "this is... intriguing!" without hesitation he swung his fingers at them, moving the small rocks engulfed with flames to them in which the brother went to his sister's front, blocking the hit, it pierced through his body reducing the impact, fortunately it went no further from the boy's body and dropped to the ground right in front of his sister.

The boy grunted as tears run down his cheek to his sister's face, "See... Dad was never... wrong." he said softly then fell to the ground, his sister blinked looking at the man then at his brother as hot tears ran down from her eyes, uncontrollably.

" Brother?!" she screamed, looking at the scorched holes on his brother's body.

"Huh?! How come I didn't get both of them in a go?" he scratched his head as he walked closer to them, "Is like I'm getting really old, silly me." he said,

"Please heal my brother, I will do anything for you... I will do anything... please don't let him die." She cried,

"Huh?! Anything you say. Let me think, oh I got it. this is what I want you to do." he clenched his fist. "Go meet your brother!" he yelled then about punching her, her brother strongly held the man's ankle, the man stopped his fist and stared at the boy on the ground, "Huh?! Now the children are walking dead?! But that won't stop me!" he kicked the boy over and over again, the boy hand merely moved from his ankle, "still not giving up?! Huh?!" the man looked at the girl then back to the boy, raised both hands up. "Okay. Okay. Okay I give up. I will not hurt your sister, can you please let me go." he pleaded, the girl sniffled while staring at his brother on the ground.

"Brother?!" then slowly he removed his hand from the man's ankle, "Huh?! Thank you." then he smiled. "But I lied," about kicking the girl, suddenly a gush of wind pushed the man into the flames from afar as he screamed while being burnt alive.

The girl crawled to his brother, slowly tapping him, "Brother?! Brother?" she sobbed,

"I'm sorry little one, he's gone." A voice told, the girl glanced at the voice's direction, she saw a hairy middle-aged man with a bloody wound on his left eye, adorned in an iconic suit of armour on his chest coming forth out of the smokes while holding a book. Reaching the girl the man looked at the girl wet eyes. "Let's leave here this is not a place for kids like you." the girl immediately shook her head.

"No! Never! Why are you people here in the first place... Why?!" she whimpered, then slowly her eyes closed as she fell from the shock and tiredness but was gently stopped by the man's other hand.

He carried her on his shoulder about walking away, he looked at the boy on the ground.

"You did well in protecting your sister to the end and I, Jared will never forget that." He said as he left the scene.

-

Sniffia woke up, from the bed, held her head, slightly opened eyes looking around the room.

"This same dream again. Ugh! My head are in pain." She yawned and stretched then tears rolled down her cheeks from both eyes, she slowly touched it, looked around the room and at the window noticed it was morning at the Inhumane village, after some minutes, walking around Grandma's house, seeing that no one was at home, she walked outside, stood still beside the door way scanning the whole village as everyone in the village were busy doing their activities, she drew in a deep breath, then walk around,

"Sniffia, Sniffs, Sniffs?!" someone called from behind, She refused to answer and kept on looking around for Peirce and his Grandma, Node came in running to her front, panting, "Sniffs," he exhaled, "or should I still call you foxy," he said in a sentimental tone, Sniffia looked away and went the other way, Sniffing for Peirce or his grandma, Node sighed then held her hands. Sniffia immediately looked at the hand holding her with her venomous little eyes,

"Hey come on, I'm the youth leader… "

She clenched her fist, "I hate it when someone touches me." She fumed, Node removed his hand and swallowed, "What do you want from me," she asked, Node stood still,

"People are attracted to people because of what they do or what they have," he looked at Sniffia, "am curious, foxy, what do you see in the mudla-Peirce?" He asked, Sniffia slightly opened her mouth as she remembered what Peirce told her last night,

-

Flashback about last night.

"Tell me. Why do the villagers hated you?" she asked, Peirce immediately stopped what he was drawing and looked at Sniffia, then he flashed a smile,

"Wow, I didn't expect this kind of question from you."

"Just answer... don't mind me," she turned her face away, "forget what I asked earlier," she raved,

"No. No. I will tell you but it was a shock for me because you aren't the type, I expected to ask me that kind of question, well you are the only one I talk to apart from my Grandma." He sighed, Sniffia moved closer to Peirce,

"So tell me." She said, Peirce nodded, slightly blushing, he cleared his throat,

"Where should I start from, hmmmmm?"

"Anywhere." Sniffia said, moving more closer to him, he swallowed,

"Okay. Grandma... never told me." Peirce responded, Sniffia blinked.

-

"Sniffia, Sniffia, Sniffs." Node called her back from her flashback, she pursed her lips, shook her head then walked towards the swampy area, "Wait!" Node yelled, Sniffia looked back, "Are you looking for Peirce?" He asked, "then, he is… " Before he could finish his words, Sniffia left his front moving towards the swamp closer to the river bank behind the village,

"He must be here," Sniffia confined, Node widened his eyes,

"How do you know he is there or did Peirce tell her beforehand?" Node thought, on reaching there, Sniffia saw Peirce kneeling, facing the swamp bank, Sniffia walked to him, noticed Peirce was nursing some plants on the it,

"Hey," Sniffia called, Peirce raised his head up, his face brightened up,

"Is good to see you this early," he said with a smile, Sniffia looked at Peirce kneeling in the mud nursing the flowers floating on the fairly on the water surfaces, he looked at Sniffia then at the mud stain on his clothes.

"Oh, the name mudlark, was originated from me doing some stuff in the mud, not because of being dirty," he looked at the other side of the swamp, "and I played with the swines over there," as he was talking, slowly the flowers, opened each petal to the sun as it rose, Peirce looked at it immediately, "See they are blooming." He cheered, Sniffia looked at the flowers in amazement while Node stood still staring at Peirce and Sniffia from afar, suddenly Peirce stood up, "See, this flowers do grow no matter the conditions—You guys never believed me anyway!" he yelled raising his hands helplessly in the air. "We will never know if no one has sow any seeds yet!" he yelled yet again, then looked at Sniffia as she shockingly stared at the flowers floating then someone walked passed them.

"Fake!" the person yelled back at Peirce, then went on his way, giggling and murmuring to himself, Sniffia knelt down placing her kneel in the mud,

"Flowers growing from a water this dirty and muddy and... " Sniffia said smiling then she leaned closer to the flowers and sniffed one near her, she looked at Peirce.

Despite being born in a dark and dubious life, he rises above adversity. she thought.

Peirce looked at her, Sniffia blinked and looked away. "What do you call these flowers?" she questioned while looking at the flowers basking beautifully to the sun, Peirce scratched his head,

"A name?" he looked at the flowers then at Sniffia, "A name? Hmmm. Yes!"

"Yes?"

"No! No. I mean I have a name." he looked at the sun, tenderly rising.

"Lotus!"

Sniffia nodded, "Lotus. Lovely name." she said with a smile, Peirce was shocked, then he knelt down near her,

"Did you just say, lovely?" he asked to be sure he heard her right, Sniffia ignored his question, as she sniffed another flower, "Lotus, can I call you that? You said it's lovely,"

"Yes? No! I don't like it as my name, Sniffia is fine by me." She stated, looking at Peirce, he felt disappointed then stared at the flowers, suddenly mud splattered on his face, he looked at the direction where the mud came from to his amazement, it came from Sniffia tossing the mud on her hand smiling, she packed another mud with her other hand, put it together and was about throwing it at him, she smirked. "I think you need a bath,"

Peirce widened his eyes then he smiled, immediately, he packed some mud with his hands, Sniffia looked at him, shook her head.

"No... No, you know I hated this," she fretted, leaning back,

"Too late," he beamed, threw the mud at her which splashed on her neck to her chest, Sniffia looked at her body then looked at Peirce, breathing heavily, she groaned, Peirce swallowed,

"Am so dead!" he said about crawling backwards, Sniffia jumped on him as they rolled in the mud, later turned to be a fun between two of them, filling the atmosphere with laughter and mud.

Meanwhile Node was staring at them the whole time, some villagers who were behind Node saw them also, then they whispered to each other,

"Isn't that Peirce the Unlucky," a teenage boy said, "Who is that girl with him, haven't seen her before,"

"I can't believe it. Jon must see this, don't the girl know what happened to people who walk with the Unlucky?" a woman said, Node heard everything then shook his head and left the scene.

Peirce grandma suddenly came to Peirce and Sniffia front, they paused, dropping the mud in their hands, immediately pointed to each other, she narrowed her eyes.

Then smiled to their directions.