Free Worlds Apart by Luke Loaghan Page A

her bent arm. I wrapped mine around hers, and we started marching in sequence like communist solders. It was great to hold her arm, even if we were just having fun. She was so warm, so full of life and energy. And as usual, she smelled great.
    I noticed her jacket’s fine brown leather. It was a fighter pilot’s jacket, very expensive. We were far from a safe neighborhood.
    “You look great in that jacket,” I said.
    “Thanks. My father just bought it for me.”
    I could feel the icy stares of eyes following us. I glanced back. Three thugs, undoubtedly Deceptors, followed about twenty yards behind us. They were walking much faster than we were, and I didn’t want any trouble, not with Delancey at risk of getting hurt. She seemed oblivious to their presence, and I didn’t want to alarm her. I knew that her expensive new leather jacket had caught their eyes.
    “Delancey, do you think you’re faster than me?” I said.
    “I know so. I could beat you in a race anytime,” she gloated.
    “I will race you to the subway on the count of three, and I won’t look back,” I said. I started counting, “One…” and Delancey took off, running as fast as she could for the subway. When I saw that she was well ahead, I turned around and faced the hoodlums. One wore a belt buckle with a capital D on it. Deceptors.
    “Empty your pockets!” one yelled.
    I tried to run, but was quickly trampled to the ground. I tried to get up, but caught a few kicks in the chest. I pushed one of the guys down, and ran for the train. They chased after me. I pulled a ten dollar bill from my pocket and dropped it. They stopped chasing and took the money as I entered the subway station seconds later. The Deceptors fought each other over the ten dollar bill, like a pack of wolves fighting over a carcass.
    Delancey had already crossed the turnstiles and was entering the platform.
    “I won!” she boasted, panting heavily. “Wow, what happened to you?” she asked noticing my disheveled appearance.
    “Delancey, I slipped on a banana peel and fell, otherwise, I would’ve won.”
    I brushed myself off as we both walked up the platform. I glanced behind me, but we were no longer being followed.
    Delancey and I waited for the train, which was delayed. Fifteen minutes passed before a train arrived. I was glad I had thrown the Deceptors the ten dollars. The fifteen minutes that we waited for the train would have been enough time for them to have taken her jacket, and worse.
    “David, what are your plans for college?” she asked.
    “I would like to go away, although my father objects. I’m going to apply to some state schools. What about you, Delancey?”
    “I think you must really like my name,” she said.
    “Is it that noticeable?”
    “Well, you go out of your way to say it, and every time you say it, you smile, like a kid getting candy.”
    “Well, Delancey, I guess I do like saying your name, Delancey. Such a great name…Delancey how did you get your name?” I tried to change the subject.
    “My father picked it. It was his grandmother’s maiden name on his mother’s side. His family has been in New York, in some way, since colonial times. Even Delancey Street was named after them. But it was not the name my mother wanted for me.”
    “Oh? What did she want to name you?”
    “She wanted to name me Suryanna, after the Hindu God of the Sun. My mother always says that when I was born, it was like the sun came up for the first time. But my father was, and still is, so controlling, that he wouldn’t have it. So Suryanna became my middle name.”
    “They’re both beautiful names, and so different from anything I’ve ever heard. I guess either way, your name was meant to stand out. I was named after my grandfather; he and my mother were really close.” We exited the train in lower Manhattan, and we walked four blocks to the restaurant. I wished the restaurant was two miles away. I loved spending time with Delancey.
    The icy winds of