Zarin - Chapter 1

The flight panel was HUGE. Zarin couldn't stop himself from staring around it in wide-eyed fascination. There had to be a million people bustling around in the main lobby, and that wasn't even including the other hangers and hallways and everything else. People were shouting, throwing things, glaring at each other, as well as smiling and passing money back and forth. Zarin knew he shouldn't just stand there looking like a awestruck newborn, but part of him couldn't help it. It was like being shoved into an overturned beehive. He was just waiting for them all to turn on him like wasps.

The little ticket felt heavy in his hand, like it was made of something more then just paper. Where the crap was he supposed to go? There were so many different hallways and roadways to different places he wasn't entirely sure where they could all be going. Why would anyone ever need this amount of choices? This was ridiculous. And unfair. He was only trying to get to Roonib.

“Are you lost son?” someone asked. He turned toward them, biting the inside of his lip. The term ‘don’t talk to strangers’ flashed through his mind, and he almost laughed. Like any of those stupid little phrases mattered anymore. If they took him away they’d only be doing him a favor.

“How do I get to Roonib?” he asked, showing the person his ticket, “Flight seventy eight? What does that even mean?”

“You’re going to Roonib?” It was a woman. Zarin couldn't help but think that her response was ridiculously unhelpful. She was tall, her hair graying at the temples and giving her a severe look. She didn't look necessarily old, but she wasn't particularly young either. She fixed him with a look, as though trying to see into the twelve year old. Zarin put on his best smile, which probably made him look like he was about to steal her shoes.

“Yes,” when he was younger, Kaylynn had taught him to always address his elders by their proper titles. “Sir,” “Ma'am” “Mr.” or “Mrs.” it didn't matter, as long as he said them, and said them respectably. Then again, he'd always had a problem with authority. “Didn't I just say that?”

“That doesn’t exactly seem like a very good place to be now does it?” The woman questioned, “Why are you going there?”

“For the fantastic atmosphere,” Zarin said, scowling.

“Are you meeting someone there?”

“No.”

“Are you transferring to a different flight and going to a different planet, after you reach there?”

“NO! I just want to go to the criminal planet. It'll be a wonderful vacation. Where’s the hanger?” Zarin twirled his ticket impatiently, wanting nothing more than to get out of there. Actually, he wanted to go home. But that wasn't really an option either. The woman narrowed her eyes, considering him, then pointed him to the right corridor.. Zarin didn’t bother to thank her. The woman frowned as the boy marched away. She could see him shivering slightly, but didn't think it was from the cold. What was that child's story? She couldn't imagine why anyone would allow a child to go to Roonib.

A young boy walked up to her, a strut to his step. He paused and followed the woman's gaze, looking out after Zarin.

“At first glance he seems so young and innocent. And then he opens his mouth. . .” She sighed, shaking her head.

“Who is he?” The boy asked, frowning.

“I don’t know, but trust me, with looks like his and with the place he’s going, we’ll see him again.” she smiled, her slightly wrinkled face tightening. “We will definitely see him again.”

Zarin's palms felt sweaty, something he was trying fervently to ignore. Sweaty palms meant he was nervous, which he wasn't. Life was going to be just fine. He could already imagine his mother coming through the doors and rounding on him, probably yelling at him for leaving without even saying goodbye and then explaining that he actually was needed at home and they couldn't manage without him.

A pretty blond flight attendant walked up the aisle and stopped next to his chair, she smiled, “Hey, do you need any help with the seat latch?” her hand reached out to pull the buckle closed. Zarin snarled, his upper lip curling to reveal teeth.

“Leave me alone,” he growled, “I'm fine.” The woman jumped slightly, looking down at him then hurrying off. His entire body felt like it was shaking now. He pulled his knees up to his chest, trying to curl into as small a ball as physically possible. Why was she taking so long? Whenever Zarin ran away, Kaylynn would follow and bring him home. It happened every single time. Without fail. Where was she? Zarin could feel his heart pounding in his chest, he wondered if the entire shuttle could hear it. It was only ten minutes until lift off. She had better come soon if. . . she’d better hurry or the spaceship would leave.

And take him to Roonib.

Panic flashed through him like fire. He could feel it twist his stomach and burn through his insides. Roonib. The criminal planet. The planet where someone went when they wanted to escape the Emperor's laws. The planet that thrived off murder and theft and scams. It would be amazing, finally being somewhere he would really belong. They sold slaves under the table and beat children on the streets, just because they could. There was no law in Roonib. No prisons, or at least so he'd heard. He would fit right in, it would be amazing. Zarin tried to calm his breathing, tried to make his heart stop pounding, but it wasn't working. He had heard that the sky rained acid and there were no trees or vegetation on the entire planet. It was just mindless city, sprawled throughout everywhere. All powerful and all consuming. How was he supposed to survive. . . No! He would always survive.

The engine began to hum, making the seats vibrate and sending a tingling up Zarin's spine. Wher was she?! Why wasn't she coming for him? Surely his own mother wasn't going to let him. . . Wasn't going to. . . The image of Kaylynn's disappointed face looked back at him from his mind's eye. Her green eyes were the exact same shade as Kelly's, they would fill with tears when they looked at him, her face was as blank as a stone.

“Stop it!” He tried to keep himself from screaming, but only barely managed to keep his voice down. He needed to get out. This was a mistake. This wasn't supposed to happen this way. He needed to go. . .home?

His heart was still pounding, so he dug his fingers into his hair, trying to pierce the scalp. I'm fine, he thought, breathing deeply, I'm fine. Calm down, breathe, calm. He hadn't felt this panicked since the police had arrested him. The cell had been horrible; small, damp, and confining. No matter how hard he tried, he wasn't able to get out. When the police had caught him while robbing the jewelry store, he hadn't been prepared, hadn't listened to his instincts enough to escape them. He’d been robbing from jewelry stores for six months, trying to get something nice for the girl down the road. Katie had wanted a ring from this particular store. The store that had gotten him caught. She had been reaping the spoils from Zarin’s excursions continuously since he'd decided he was in love with her. It was surprising to him that the love and infatuation that had filled him during the past six months had vanished the moment the police’s flashlight had shined into his eyes and the cuffs had been snapped on his wrists.

The cuffs had been bad. They rubbed his wrists, binding and confining him. His hands were always free roamers, picking up random objects and sticking them in his pockets or even just moving them to a different locations. The cuffs had prevented all of that. He hadn't been able to get them off, and the panic had nearly sent him into a frenzy. But when they had thrown him into that cell. . . Zarin closed his eyes, his breathing beginning to calm, as he rested his sweaty forehead against his knees. He wasn't in the cell now. He wasn't bound, he could get away. But he didn't want to. He wanted to go to Roonib, it was where thieves like him lived. It was where he was supposed to be.

“Are you sitting all by yourself?” someone asked. It was a young woman. Probably in her twenties. Zarin didn't bother looking up to assess anything more than that. His gaze remained on his lap.

“Yes.” What did she want?

“Can I sit here?”

“No?”

“Oh, sorry.” she moved on. What was that about? Did he look that incapable? But he was capable, and he’d prove it to them. He’d prove it to all of them that Zarin Clyde. . .

Clyde?

“Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts, we’re about to take off and everyone must remain seated and buckled in until we’ve cleared the atmosphere, thank you.” the pilots voice clicked off the intercom. Everyone in the seats around Zarin began to buckle their seat belts. With a slightly quivering stomach, Zarin clicked the belt around his waist. The craft began to shutter harder, the engines really gaining power. Where was Kaylynn? Was she really not coming?

“Mom?” he whispered. Surely she would come. She had to come. She wouldn’t just leave him here. Would she?

The roar of the shuttle reached its peak. The large space bird began lifting itself up from the ground and heading toward the sky. The weight of the world crashed onto Zarin’s small shoulders, forcing him back in his seat. Gravity pushed down on him and for a moment he thought the weight would tear his lips down below his teeth.

It went faster and faster, picking up speed as it went higher. He sneaked a small peek out the window to his side and saw the ground rapidly getting further and further away. Planes were taking off from the airport next to the flight station, they looked tiny in comparison with the large space birds taking off next door.

Zarin shifted his gaze from the ground to the sky. The faint blue of early morning was rapidly changing to deep black. An eternal night sky was stretching out before him, the stars glittering in greeting.

And to his surprise, he liked it.

Soon Earth had disappeared behind him. The small blue green planet dwindling until it was smaller and smaller and then gone. Kaylynn didn’t come. Kelly didn’t wave at him from the mountain. But a whole universe stretched out before him. A new chance. New people. And with new people came loose pockets.

After all, Zarin was, first and foremost, a thief. And he wouldn’t stop thieving. Not for anything. Not for anyone. Nobody could stop him and he liked it that way. He could do this. He would do this, and prove to the universe that he didn’t need his family. He didn’t need his parents. He didn’t need Kelly. He didn't need anyone.

Zarin put his head on his knees so no one around would be able to see, and began to cry.