That fateful night, Starre was falling asleep in bed. She could hear the TV humming in the other room, and John and Nina laughed together. Stevan was probably on the computer, typing away on instant messenger. All was peaceful.
Suddenly, Starre felt herself become wide awake. She didn't know why, or how, but she couldn't retrieve the sleepy feeling she'd had before. So, she lifted the egg from its basket, and began to talk to it.
"I wonder why I woke up," she said to it. "Do you think someone called me?"
She waited for a response. And, to her utter shock, she got one.
The voice echoed in her mind. It was the voice of someting young, like a small child, but it was like no human voice she had ever heard. It was the voice of a thousand little bells clanging together, striking beautiful notes. The voice spoke one ominous word:
Hide!
"What?" Starre whispered. This was not at all what she had expected.
Hide! the voice repeated, with much more urgency. Go now! Hide! Too late save them! They come!
Starre suddenly heard a heavy knocking on the door. Her eyes widened, and, looking back at the egg, knew that something was wrong. She rushed to warn her family.
Too late save them! the voice said again. Not now! Go hide! They come!
Starre, at a loss of what to do, looked between the egg and the door. The knocking sounded again, and voice called, "open up! Eurasian poliece!"
And Starre knew. Groaning to herself, she lifted the egg into her arms, and slipped into her closet, closing the door.
You fix, not now but soon. the voice assured her. No talk.
Starre groaned in frustration when she heard the door open. Muffled voices eminated from the outside rooms, slowly increasing in volume. Some voices sounded pleading, while others sounded angry. Starre heard Stevan shout, and she reached for the doorknob.
NO! the voice said loudly, startling Starre into hiding again.
The voices became understandable suddenly, and Starre knew that she was no longer alone in her room. She held her breath, listening to the conversation outside her closet door.
"...american citizen!" Nina protested furiously. "He has his papers, he can prove it!"
John's muffled shouts mingled with Nina's angry words.
"No," a gruff voice replied. "He's still property of the Kin jail in Eurasia. We've got papers to prove that."
"No, you don't!" shouted Stevan. "I've researched your system. You keep no organized records! It says so on countless websites --"
The next thing Starre heard was something heavy hitting the floor. "Keep out of things you don't understand, boy," another gruff voice growled. Starre noticed that the men did not deny Stevan's claims.
They were taking John unrightfully! Kidnapping him! Starre flushed with rage. Why?
They mad, the voice said simply. He run 'way, they mad. They take back.
But that's not fair! Starre thought back, wondering if the egg would be able to hear her.
So you fix, the voice replied, like that was as simple as tying one's shoe.
They'll take him back to Eurasia! she cried in her thoughts, wondering what in the world she could do to help then.
Then, you stop them first. The voice said that with such finality that Starre turned away, placing her full attention on the conversation outside.
"Put 'em with the others," one man grunted. Starre realized with a start that she could no longer hear any sound from John, Nina, or Stevan. What were they doing to them?
The silence Starre heard for the next several minutes nearly made her sick. She could hear the muffled voices of the men every so often, shouting commands every once and a while. Then, she heard one voice that nearly made her scream.
"This looks like a bedroom, oi?" the man said gruffly. "Yathink there's anyone hiding in here?"
"Let's check," another voice said quickly, and Starre heard the sounds of a hurried search going on. They'd check her closet, she was sure of it.
Now what do I do? she thought, wondering if the egg-voice would be able to hear her.
It did. You trust me, it said firmly. Starre nodded, swallowed hard, and kept quiet.
"Here, the closet," a voice said, and Starre held her breath in a terror that she'd only felt once before -- she didn't know quite when, only that this terror was not new.
Then, suddenly, she got a rather tingly feeling, first in her fingertips, then throughout her whole body. What's going on? she asked the egg voice, but she got no reply.
The door swung open, and the man peered in. To Starre's amazement, he looked right through her! He dug around in some clothes in the back, shouted "nothing," and slammed the door shut again.
Immediately, the tingling sensation subsided. Starre blinked. What just happened?
You safe now, the voice said firmly. Now you be quiet.
Starre nodded to herself, deciding that the egg voice knew what it was talking about somehow. But it wasn't without fury that she listened to the voices fade, until she heard nothing.
Go! the voice hissed. Get the license!
Starre, her eyes widening at the chance to save her family, burst from her closet and rushed into her living room, clutching the egg to her chest. Ducking below the window, she chanced a peek out.
"34TYU," she muttered to hereslf. "Remember that, 34TYU."
Then, the truck drove away.
Moaning quietly, Starre rushed to the phone. It was time to call 911.
"Hello, you called 911," the operator said gently. "What's wrong?"
"Men came," Starre gasped, suddenly terrified. "They took my mom, dad, and brother! I hid. The license to the truck is 34TYU. They're Eurasian. My dad's Kin, we got him out of the jail and registered him as a citizin --"
"There'll be time for that later," the woman said firmly. "34TYU, correct?"
"Yes."
"And you are...?"
"Starre Copper."
"Is there anyone else with you?"
Starre glanced at the egg. "Kind of...well, no. No one that can help me much."
Humph.
Sorry, Starre thought quickly. But it's true -- you can't do much.
Can.
Just --
"Are you alright?"
"Oh, yes, sorry," Starre said quickly, realizing that she'd just missed what the woman had said.
"I told you that we're dispatching a road crew to pursue the truck with your given license plate. We'll look for anything suspicious on our way as well. Some other officers may come to question you about the suspects."
Remembering the man that had looked in the closet at her, Starre nodded. "Alright. I'll wait."
"Try to be away from windows," the operator instructed her. "Make sure no one can see you from outside."
"Yes, ma'am," Starre said. "I will."
"Do you want me to stay on the line?"
"No, thank you though. If I hide, I think I'll be safe."