Connections part 1

“Celia…this sounds insane”

 Amara primly wrote in a letter to her friend, a letter which she would later deeply regret 

“But since you have made the clear statement that you won’t back down I shall accompany you.”

 Amara paused briefly before writing the next sentence because she knew that it would hurt her friend the most 

“I know that your family's death was unjustified and completely wrong-I do. But don’t you think that maybe this isn’t what they’d want?”

 Amara felt her heart rising into her throat, she felt horrible saying this to her friend, especially since her father had died only a few weeks ago on the underground railroad… 

“So this is your last chance to turn back” 

Amara finished. She signed and regretfully sent the letter. Amara couldn’t bring herself to accept the fact that she was living in a respectable house, with a family of english loving crazies living in new york during a war against them was enough for her to cope with. But her friend had been asking her to run away and go looking for freedom.They lived in a world where equality was not everything. it was unheard of for slaves and respected people to cross paths. at the time it seemed almost there to most. But not Amara,  she did not believe that the world they were living in was fair, equal or right. They lived in a world where people got kidnapped from their homes and sent across the world to work as servants and die.These factors made Amara angry. Anger was not common to see on Amara's face because she was a very patient, very kind and very caring person. But the situation in their world right now was angry enough. but even Amara's anger couldn't measure up to her friends. Celia had lost her entire family to people who came to her home in Africa and stole her away.She had described it as the most agonizing period in her life. Both her siblings,  her younger sister and her older brother were sent across the country while her parents were killed for trying to protect them. Their first master was cruel and didn't care what they'd been through, only what was in it for him. He made them slave away and it was terrifying to all three of them but then they wandered into Amara's parents guardianship. Amara's parents were not like most slave holders; they didn't make their slaves work as much and they actually paid them. but by that point  Celia was the last one standing with no family and no heart. Amara had been her only companion and the only thing that kept her going and now she was finally seeking justice for her family. And she was asking Amara to come with her. Amara would have to choose between keeping the quiet happy life she had here and her best friend. and since life hadn't been so quiet the past few months the choice was obvious.

 “I still can't believe you're making me do this.”

 Amara angrily remarked at Celia who is all ready to go and doesn't see the danger they're about to face. 

“You chose to come now, you have to stick it out.” 

 Celia always had a way of saying things, a way that made them sound doable so Amara decided she would stick it out.

 “We'll have to sneak on a boat and go somewhere safer.”

 By safer Amara knew she meant away from the war. They were not going to get any investigation done in a city that was raging with bombs and chaos.

 “What if we chose a side?”  

Amara knew what she was suggesting would tip her life upside down but she saw this going somewhere good- maybe.

 “ what do you mean choose a side?” 

 Celia was genuinely confused and puzzled by what Amara had just said. 

“I mean we could start by making connections, Rome wasn't built in a day Celia”

 Amara knew that when she said things like that Celia would have to agree because she had no idea what Amara was saying. That's another thing about her parents, even though they took good care of Celia when their friends influenced them to do otherwise they did and so at an early age Celia was denied education and didn't know much. It was only thanks to Amara she knew how to read and write.

 “Okay, fine we could try but I'm betting you they will catch us and bring us back and then I'll be sold on auction and you will probably ruin your family's reputation.”

 Celia said. She was tough looking but also very pretty. Her skin sparkled in the cheerful August afternoon light and so did her eyes, which were a grass green. Her long silky black straight hair spilled in curls over her torn clothes. Amara Had to admit that a girl like Celia wandering around the streets asking government officials if she could join their side would be more than suspicious. Slave owners who were on England's side asked their slaves to go and spy on the rebels' plans.Some were turned away but some were let in and that is how Rebels got defeated. if Celia was thought to be one of those people they would either 

A. sell her on auction

B.  bring her back to my parents and the whole mission would be off and I would have to return as well Andrew and my family's reputation.

I had to admit Celia was right, but we had to try. I looked more innocent than Celia with my short blond hair and big brown cow eyes in my silly overalls. So I would have to go,

 “ How are you going to pull this off?”  Celia looked skeptical at the sight of me ready to strive into that army tent and present myself as a friend not a foe.

 “ Well I'll pretend to be an orphan and say I need a family but I don't have any but I do support the movement that the rebels are doing so I'll just um… look I'll figure something out.” 

Amara  seemed skeptical herself about this plan but she knew that she would have to try something and if it didn't work they could escape the country- or something like that. I gathered myself together and confidently strolled up to the tent entered… and exploded into sobs. The whole room seemed startled by a little 12-year-old girl coming in and causing a fit.

 “What child?”

 one of the men groaned as if tired of little kids running in and crying hysterically. “I…lost…parents…a-” 

Amara broke out into sobs again-she felt like she was successfully selling the lie of a lost orphan who was fully invested in the rebels survival.

 “Your parents died?” 

one of the others asked, raising an eyebrow as if testing to see if it was true. Amara kept scream-crying and nodded aggressively. The men started clamoring not knowing what to do about a crying girl who just lost her parents and wanted to join them.

 “What is all this clamor!” 

somebody in the back of the tent boomed and out stomped…Amaras' father.