Legacy of the White Raven: Volume III

Chapter Twelve: Rude Awakening

    The gloomy morning light filtered into Lydia's bedroom through a lone rose window and gently caressed the cozy confines of the youngest Allender's room with a lingering haze. Lydia shifted under the bed covers, causing the pointy-haired boy android standing bedside to turn his head and focus his digital blue eyes more closely on her sleeping form. Axel studied her resting features carefully, then a fond smile eased its way across his angelic face.

     His creator had taught him many things before they were abruptly separated by the sometimes callous hand of Fate, but the feelings Axel now harbored for the eternally teen-aged Allender resting near under his watchful care were beyond anything he was ever prepared for. He pondered often if his creator, the brilliant Dr. Lars Henriksen whom he often referred to as Father, had intended for him to develop such depth of emotions and devotion. Afterall, love was a word he couldn't recall Father ever using, yet it was the only word which seemed to fit the overwhelming attachment he felt for Lydia.

    The sleeping beauty stirred again, rolling her head across the pillow while her body shifted restlessly under the covers. Axel swept the bed with a doting gaze, noting how the comforter draped over Lydia outlined her delicate shape all the way to her uncovered head. With her raven-black locks splayed across the pillow, her lovely face seemed afloat on a splash of ebony so pure it glistened even under the dull morning light.

    As the boy android committed every detail of his beloved's sleeping appearance to the files of his electronic memory, Lydia awoke suddenly with a wide-eyed gasp. Sitting straight up as fast as she could, she snapped her head in Axel's direction with an alarming look of panic that made the boy android turn on his heel to face her urgently.

    "What's wrong?" He asked hastily as he approached the bed.

    Lydia glared up at Axel's concerned expression, then gulped as she blinked and seemed to focus her thoughts. "It's Corbin, he's in danger," she uttered knowingly, with a calmness that was dire and unsettling.

    Throwing the covers back in a hurry, she hopped out of bed in her nightgown and darted past Axel to her closet. Turning to follow her, the boy android watched as she desperately snatched out an armful of clothes then rushed past him again into her bathroom to get dressed. He followed again but stopped just outside the entrance to the bathroom.

    "What are you planning Lydia?" Axel inquired.

    "We have to go help him," she shouted from within the bathroom.

    Axel furrowed his brow at the idea as he stood at the doorway and considered their options for help. "But Gideon and Amanda are asleep in the basement, and it's still morning so they'll be confined there all day. And Shade is gone too."

    "That's why it's up to us," Lydia's voice called out, full of resolve and no hesitation. She snatched the bathroom door open and emerged fully dressed. Wasting no time she shot past Axel, grabbing his hand and towing him along as she headed out of the room with an urgent stride. "My gift will lead us to him," she confirmed while tossing a bouncing look back at Axel over her shoulder.

    The boy android nodded his understanding, then as they neared the grand stairway he pulled Lydia back to scoop her into his arms. Gasping in surprise as she was taken off her feet and cradled against his chest, Lydia secured her hands around his neck and watched the stairs disappear in a whoosh of android speed as Axel descended the stairway with calculated precision. Reaching the bottom floor of the manor, Axel kept up his accelerated pace as he headed towards the garage where Gale's sedan awaited.

    "Every second matters," Axel proclaimed compliantly as his focused eyes charted their  path ahead and his legs churned more swiftly than Lydia's ever could. Lydia smiled up at her android love as she rested in his snug embrace. Stretching her head enough to land an appreciative kiss on his cheek, they hurried off together towards rescuing Corbin.