Luka walked back with me. We had to stop at a bench to catch our breath. I sat down with a content sigh. Luka shot me a look. I just smiled mischievously. Luka shook his head, clearly anxious.
"Don't worry. I am not going to use the dare or favor...yet," I said. Luka groaned and laid back against the bench, defeated. "Great," he growled.
I paused, taking my time. "Actually, I want to ask my question."
Luka's eyebrows raised in slight surprise. "Should I be worried?"
I thought for a second. "Maybe?"
He scowled, not satisfied with my answer. "Well, spit it out then," he snapped.
"Alright, alright!" I looked down at my hands as I asked my question. "Luka, why do you act the way you do?"
Luka looked slightly confused. "Do you mean towards you or, like, everyone?"
"Well, I mean like Malcolm or Gram. You were pretty harsh on Gram."
He breathed out a heavy sigh. "Yeah… I just. I don't know, maybe I haven't grown up yet like Gram said. Maybe I am still stuck in the past."
He fell quiet with a distant look in his eyes. I watched him, sensing a foreboding story. He must have known that I was waiting because he finally continued.
"I was born in the slums of a planet that isn't worth mentioning. That planet is known to be home to criminals and some of the most dangerous entities in the world. Well, my parents abandoned me when I was seven, leaving me to fend for myself."
"I did everything and anything I could to survive. Some of those things I'm not very proud of. I was in a dark place until Gram found me. When I first met him, he told me had just escaped a slave camp and arrived on a cargo ship. At first, I despised Gram. His positive attitude and his goofy actions frustrated me. It seemed like he didn't take anything seriously. I didn't realize I was wrong until that night."
"I had been doing under-the-table deals with Malcolm." When Luka saw my surprised look, he nodded. "Yes, Malcolm did some pretty dirty things. Well, that night I was meeting up with Malcolm as usual and Gram had tagged along. As we arrived, agents from the Association surrounded us. It turned out that Malcolm had been caught and, to save his own skin, he sold me out. As punishment for crimes, he now has to serve as an agent in the Association for the rest of his life. Well, I knew I was done for until Gram stepped in. He tricked all of the agents and he somehow persuaded them to give us free blasters. We walked out of there with our heads high. I was so surprised by Gram's skills that my view on him changed. I came to appreciate his peppy personality."
"It wasn't long after that we met Astrid. She had been taken by human traffickers and had been brought here. She had had a normal life until her village was burned down and lost her family. So, it was the three of us. None of us had family, but we didn't need them. We were family."
"Eventually, our powers manifested and we helped each other master them. We started to rise in status on that planet. We became the renowned trio. One day, the Association sent the Old Guard to our planet. Apparently, they were after us. Gram ran into them when he was out alone and they told him about the Association. Gram, without the approval of neither Astrid nor I, brought them back to our base. I didn't have any other choice but to follow them. I was very upset at Gram for throwing away our freedom."
"Now, looking back, I don't know if it was for the better, but Gram insisted it was. I still think that our freedom has been restricted. Maybe I have been part of the darker part of society for too long that I have a hard time following the law." His face darkened and his eyes clouded with anger. I blinked.
I never realized that Luka had so much anger and hurt pent up inside. I finally understood his reaction to Gram. His trust in Gram was broken that day when the Old Guard came for them. Now, he thought that Gram didn't have the right to care about him. I would have never known that Luka, Gram, and Astrid had had such a dark past if I had not asked him.
Before I knew what I was doing, I hugged Luka. I think Luka was as surprised as I was. What was even more surprising was that Luka hugged me back. "Thanks Amara."
I blinked in surprise and then smiled. It was the first time I had heard him say my actual name. "You know," I said, "Astrid and Gram still care about you a lot and I think they are trying to reach out to you, but you won't let them in."
Luka sighed and gave me a smile that I knew so well. "Amara, out of everyone here, I think you understand exactly how I feel."
I realized he was right. I did understand.
He then stood up and grabbed his water bottle. I stood up too and walked back with him. When we reached the back door, he smiled at me again, waved goodbye, and then disappeared into the shadows, making it seem like he was never there. I was staring at the spot where Luka was just standing for quite a long time. The wind rustled my hair as I finally spun and marched into the house.