A Spy's Keeper (Chapter 9)

~~~~~Akemi~~~~~

It's been 4 days since Akemi's encounter with what she learned to be the Yanomami people. The day they entered her temporary secluded hut, she remained calm and complied with them. The 'Nok-lanok' or the 'family' (what they referred to themselves as a whole) welcomed Akemi into their tribe with some reservations. She was not allowed to be alone, which was kind of awkward for her since she was used to privacy, and she was only trusted with certain tribe chores. Akemi was assigned to go gathering fruits with the other woman on some days and others she was assigned to watch the tribe's youth with a few other woman. Everywhere she seemed to go, no male was in sight. In the four days she had picked up some of their language and they tried to learn hers.

"Berry. B-E-R-EEE."
"Bareeh?" Simi asked with a smile.
"Close enough," Akemi replied in their language.
"You. Akemi." Another woman asked looking up from the bush where she was plucking ripe berries.
"Yes?"
"No man?" she asked laughing. All the other woman giggled showing their shining white teeth against their luminous dark sun-kissed skin.
"Hahaha... not really. But soon." Akemi replied while picturing Gerard in her mind. She was planning on leaving in three days, enough time for her to speak with the tribe leader and plead for an escort to the nearest town or place of civilization.
"You... no virgin?" Simi joked while tossing a berry at Akemi's face.

"I am virgin." Akemi stuck her tongue out at the girls while they laughed. Many of them were surprised since in their culture it was custom to marry at fourteen or fifteen. Akemi though, was way over the age limit. "So are any of you married?" Akemi asked in a curious tone.
Fourteen of the fifteen women that were inside the small hut laughed. "We past age of being virgin!" One of the eldest pointed to a girl of maybe thirteen. "She get married when sun rise tomorrow."
Akemi internally shivered. She could not even comprehend the thought of being sold off to some man at the age of thirteen. Despite her feeling she held in her emotions and said, "Congratulations, you must be very excited."

The girl simply smirked and looked away. Looks like Akemi wasn't the only one with ill feelings towards marriage. When all was done inside the hut Akemi headed off in the direction of her small little abode where she recently stayed with Kotare, the village's spiritual leader. She looked down when she felt something tug on her dress. It was the little girl from the hut. She must have followed me here, I thought to myself as I stopped to talk to her. "What's wrong?"

The little girl sniffed and began, "I no want to marry. Enuma wants to... and I'm scared."
"Enuma?" I asked picturing the sixteen year old boy who had an undying love for bugs.
The little girl looked around and caught the sight of her mother staring at her and whispered in Akemi's ear, "I know you want to escape. Tonight is bonfire for meeting of clans, you slip away then. No one know. Mother will help you." She pointed to her mother who had now looked away and busied herself with tribe chores.
Akemi's heart gave a leap. A chance to escape, she thought as she walked away from the little girl and walked into her small hut. Gerard I'm coming.
~~~~~Gerard~~~~~~<

Five more minutes.... He thought as the loud banging on the door continued.
"Get up you worthless piece of-." Right then Ryssa walked into his room and grabbed all the sheets off Gerard. He laid there freezing for a few minutes before he groggily got up and faced Ryssa.
"Now you've been sleeping for five days straight. Don't you think you it would be ok if you got out and enjoyed what this private island has to offer?"
Gerard snorted. "It would be much better if I had someone to enjoy it with."
Ryssa sighed, "I'll get a boat ready for you. This time hopefully you won't crash it."
"I'll try really really hard not to." He said in a bittersweet voice while ruffling his hair and stretching.

Izen raised an eyebrow and was about to go off on a tangent when Ryssa shoved him to the door. "Be ready by around three o'clock ok sweetie?"
Gerard curtly nodded. "Yeah sure."
As he began to make his bed and get ready for a shower he pondered about Akemi's situation with her parents. "I bet you they drugged me," he said to know one in particular in the room as Ryssa's comment about being asleep for five days popped into his mind.
"How did she deal with such... insane parents?" he shook his head with disbelief and walked towards the shower. Discarding his clothes he hopped into the shower and turned the water to scalding hot. Immediately scolding himself as his skin began to sizzle. When he was done it was around two thirty so he decided to catch a last look of the beach. The crystal clear aquamarine water shone and rippled in the sunlight creating a tropical scene on the shady beach. Coconuts were scattered about, making the beach look like the centerfold for a paradise calendar.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Izen stood beside him also taking in the view of the island for his last time.
Gerard jumped startled by his baritone voice. "Yeah it's....peaceful."
Izen nodded in agreement. "You'll find her Gerard I have no doubts about it." He punched him gently on the shoulder. "No doubts about it ok?"
Gerard looked away from the sea and into the Izen's aged eyes. "I'm sure I'll find your daughter Izen. And honestly is there any room for doubts?"
Izen laughed a profound rumbling in his chest. "No, I guess there's not."
Gerard nodded and looked at the azure sky, "Then screw three o' clock, I'm ready to go."
They walked off into the distance, the sunlight blinding them until their figures were completely hidden; both the men had the same thing on their minds. How's Akemi?