"Thanks." he says as he pats her head. "That's very considerate of you." He sighs. "I'm not sure what I want to become, myself. Maybe I'll also try to be a finder of people."
"Do you think they'll let us work together?"
"They better, or they'll have to face your wrath."
"What the hell is a 'wrath', and why do you think I have one?" at this Mason started to sputter.
The girls gave each other confused looks. Then Rosie looked towards him and began saying, "I would also like to know what a wrath is ..." At which the boy completely lost it. The girls had witnessed people laughing before, but never to the extent and volume that Mason was displaying. Rosie was a bit taken aback, and Lys was mesmerized. The cacophony also managed to garner the attention of the surrounding people. Once Mason realized this, he slowly began to calm down.
"Sorry ... Phew, just wasn't expecting that."
"Does this mean you're feeling better?" Lys asked hopefully.
With a smile on his face, he nodded before supplying a short, "Yeah."
This satisfied Lys, but her counterpart seemed less appeased.
"You still want to know what wrath is, right?" Mason asked her.
Rosie sighed. "You'll have to tell us later."
"Why?"
"Because it's your turn."
"No it's not. There are like fi ..." he said as he pointed in front of them, only to notice that she was right.
"I should stop doubting you."
"That would save time."
Mason cleared his throat before turning to the man at the end of the cue. "So, should I tell you my name or something?"
"There's no need for that, a drone scanned you as soon as you got in queue." The man said indicating to the machines whizzing by. "All you need to do is tell me what kind of work you're looking for, or at the very least what your skill-sets are. Although, is it safe to assume that you can read?"
"Yes."
"How good are you?"
"I don't really know. Why does that matter?"
"Well, if you only have a basic understanding of the craft, then we might have a position like ours open, yet if you are a bit more advanced there are some positions that we would need you to desperately fill."
"Oh, I'm not sure what 'advanced' means, but if it means 'really, really good' then that's what Mason is. He learned how to use an old vehicle just by reading a book!" Lys interrupted.
"Lys, calm down. Look, I'm sure there are better readers than me in this place."
"No, actually people with your reading skills are few and far between in Gentry. You are one lucky guy."
"I am?"
"Of course you are! After all, you are one of the few people who can get an occupation sponsored by the Commonwealth. That's almost in the same rank as the Clairvoyant's Circle."
"So, I would get paid?"
"Not exactly. Ironically, our Commonwealth doesn't officially have capital. However, you would have access to food, and whatever else is produced here." Mason took some time to comprehend this information. "What kind of work would this be?"
At this the man smiled. "If you just follow this drone, it should take you to someone who can tell you more."
"Mhmhm!" Lys interrupted again.
"Oh yeah, before I forget. My friend would like to know if there are any positions open for her, considering her role." The man gave a good natured smile to the impatiently waiting girl. "I'm sorry Lys, but if no group has approached you by now, then I'm afraid there isn't any position needing your skills as of yet. But feel free to come by when you're older, I'm sure there will be something open by then."
"Whatever." she said in a huff. Once again taking Rosie's hand, she heads in the direction where she thought she saw Mia.
"Aren't you going to come with me?" Mason asked.
"What for? I'm not 'advanced' enough to understand your occupation." Mason sheepishly let her go, with a look of resignation on his face. Fortunately, finding Mia wasn't too hard as she seemed to be leaving the area with heavy steps, muttering under her breath. In front of her a drone hummed ceaselessly as it lead her to some location.
"Did you find a occupation too?" Rosie asked when they joined her.
"No, just another errand. These are fine too, but I really want something constant soon. Standing in line every morning is not something I'm looking forward too."
"Sorry about that. So, what are you doing today?"
"Who knows? I didn't really ask. I'll know soon enough, and as long as it feeds us for another day it's fine."
"Do you want us to help you?" Lys offered.
"That's sweet, but I'm sure I can handle it by myself. Ooo, but if you could go home and check on my siblings I would really appreciate that. I love them, but I don't like leaving them alone too long."
"That would probably be for the best." Rosie agreed. "We'll see you in 7 hours and 47 minutes!"
"That's how long this is going to take?" Mia sighed in response. After that exchange, they went on differing paths. Lys feeling a little more despondent than before.
"What's going on?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're all over the place emotionally. Is something troubling you?"
"It's nothing, I just ..." Lys responds as she sees someone she suspects is from the Clairvoyant's circle walk past them. The ever present echo/hum adds to her irritation. "... I just feel like I should be doing something, but I can't figure out what."
"That's not too different from how I usually feel."
"Don't try to make me feel better, this isn't anything like your abilities. Everybody here seems to know what to do already. Mia is trying to find an occupation. Mason already found one. The twins ...?"
"I don't think they're twins, but they do seem to be the same age."
"... Whatever, they, them. They're not really doing anything but that's only because they don't want to. I'm trying to be like you, and just accept whatever comes my way, but so many things are changing and I just don't want to be useless, and ..."
"... it's fine. I may seem calm, but I'm nervous too. All of us are."
"How do you know?"
"I just do." She said, as she jumped in front of her friend defiantly. "Now we should probably hurry. If we're not home in 19 minutes, the 'twins' are going to start burning."
"The 'twins' will start burning something, or themselves?"
"Yes." With that both of the girls took off running. Before long, Lys grew impatient and created a platform under them, considerably shortening their trip. They arrived just as Raye picked up an abandoned matchbox.
"Hey there! Where've you guys been?" Ty greeted them
"All around the place." Lys answered causally. "Hey, are you two twins?"
Chapter 4
It turned out they weren't twins. There was however, only about ten months between their births. A ten months that Raye gladly lorded over her brother.
"So, for about two months a year, you two are the same age?" Rosie asked.
"Yes, for two sweet months my brother gets a taste of my age, as I slowly embark into the next one."
"Shut up already." Ty muttered defensively. His sister playfully patted his head, to which he retaliated by pushing her. This soon turned into a minor slapfight, which finished as suddenly as it started.
"So, where have you been all night?" Ty asked. It took Lys a second to realize he was talking to her.
"Oh, just around the place. Found some people who could the thing I do."
"Crack nuts with your mind?" Raye supplied.
"Among other things." Lys responded bemusedly.
"So ..."
"... What did you all do?" they inquired at the same time.
"Not much, just played around with our powers. Flew a little."
"Flew?!!" They exclaimed excitedly.
"Since when can you fly?"
"Is that how you got here?"
"Can you make us fly too?"
"Are you going there again, tonight?"
&
nbsp; "Is that all you did the whole night?"
"Why ...?"
"... then ..."
"So ..."
With each question the siblings would grab her face and force her to look at them, flipping it between them at an increasing rate. Lys involuntarily whimpered.
"Okay, I'm just going to take her, thank you." Rosie said as she removed her from their reach.
"Sorry." they responded sheepishly.
A moment of silence passed before one of them spoke again.
"So …" Ty started
"Would it be okay if we went with you tonight?" Raye continued.
"Uhm, I'm not even sure if I want to go yet. And why do you want to go anyway? The lessons are pretty useless to the two of you." Lys asked.
"Because we're so bored!!!" Bellowed Ty. Lys took a tentative step back.
"As my brother was saying, we pretty much have nothing to do. While you all are finding occupations, predicting the future, and flying, all we do is lie around and ask dumb questions. We would like to go exploring, but we don't know this place. We could get lost. Granted getting lost here is miles better than back on the surface, but I eat at this house, so I would rather not be gone for too long."
Lys contemplated the plight of the siblings, and looked towards Rosie for an answer.
Rosie shrugged in response. "They don't particularly need to be there, but there would be no harm in them accompanying you. I need a little time to asses it."
"See? Rosie says it's alright." Ty eagerly interjected.
"I don't know ..."
"Please." Raye tried again. "Who knows what will happen if we're left on our own much longer."
"On second thought, there might be someone Ty wants to meet." Rosie supplied.
"There you have it! Ty needs to meet someone there. You HAVE to take us now."
"He doesn't need to have this meeting now." Rosie clarified.
"Ahhh, too late! We already made up our minds." Raye exclaims.
"I didn't." Lys insisted.
"Of course not, Lysa"
"It's just Lys."
"Of course it is."
"What I don't understand, is if you're that bored why don't you find occupations of your own?" She questioned.
The siblings thought about their answer for a minute.
"We don't want to?" Ty tried.
"At least not yet?" Raye added.
"Why not?" Rosie wonders.
"No reason really." Ty answers.
"Technically, I can't have an occupation for another 5 months." Raye explained further.
"I guess we've just had to be on our toes for so long, we just want to relax a little while we still can."
Lys briefly glanced at their toes before responding to them. "I guess I could take you with me, if it's okay with Mia."
"Oh yeah, when's she coming back with the food?" Raye asked excitedly.
By the time their sister returned with some fungus and spices, they four had managed to finish what had been left of the nuts from the night before. As Mia prepared their first hot meal in months, Mason returned carrying a large satchel, looking exhausted.
"Whatcha got in there? Bricks?" Mia asked jokingly.
"Books. Though they might as well be."
"Books huh? So, you're occupation is reading?"
"Something like that. I have to organize them according to function. You know, determine which are stories, and which have information."
"Sounds riveting." Mia said in a tone that said something else. As if detecting this, he pulled a small parcel out of the satchel and held it out to her.
"I also got this, I hope it will go well with what you're making."
Curiously, Mia opened the parcel. Her eyes widened.
"Is this cheese?!" at this question, Raye and Ty immediately jump up and surround her. Lys and Rosie soon joined them, curious as to what the fuss was about. Within the parcel was a yellowish rectangular clod the size of two large fists. The shore children could vaguely remember eating something like this back in the Haven. The siblings were in complete awe. Ty appeared to be holding back tears.
"I thought there were no animals here, how is this even possible?"
"Apparently one of the group of refugees grabbed a calf from one of the Haven's before being brought here. It's one of the few animals here." Mason said by way of explanation.
Quietly, Mia cut a few pieces from the cheese. After throwing a few into the pan, she handed out the rest among the people surrounding her. Lastly, she gave a piece to Mason and took a bite of a piece of her own. She sighed as she swallowed the first bite. Ty finally let his tears drop, and Raye was not too far behind him. Mason also seemed to be overwhelmed by the taste. The girls enjoyed the treat too, if not quite to the same extent as the others. After a few moments, Mia nodded towards Mason with a serene look on her face, and a bit of gratefulness in her eyes. She then continued cooking.
"This cheese is exactly what I needed." was all she said. Soon, the entire group was gathered around their little table, filled with the comfort that hot food tends to bring. In this atmosphere, it was easy for Raye and Ty to get permission from their sister. Right after dinner, they headed out for Town Center. Rosie decided to stay that night. "There are only so much glares I can take in a day." was all she needed to say. It didn't take them long to make it to the Center, the siblings buzzing with excitement the entire way. Once they got there, the buzzing seemed to stop. The two were deeply impressed by the scene in front of them. As they observed the group of telekinetics, the girl that had brought Lys to this place the previous night, approached them. She noted that there wasn't a sign of the clairvoyant's this evening.
"Hi there, it's good to see you again!" she said cheerfully. "I'm sorry I left you on your own yesterday. Just got caught up with my friends. You do okay on your own?" Lys nodded quickly before the girl began speaking again. "Gah! I just realized that I don't even know your name anymore. I'm so useless." she faces the entire group now. "My name is Tilda Soulbinder, by the way."
"Lys. Oh and these are Raye and Ty ... Selle?"
"Yeah, we live with Lys."
"You have an amazing surname!" Ty suddenly exclaimed. When the three girls looked towards him in confusion, he slowly began turning red. "I just mean, compared to our name it's pretty cool. Our parent's didn't even like our name ..." he muttered towards the ground.
"Uhm, is it okay if they hang out with me?"
"Oh sure. Classics come here all the time."
"Classics?" the three of them asked in one voice.
"Oh right, I keep forgetting you just got here. Classics is what we collectively call people without powers. That or Classy's. We're mostly called Amps, when we're not just called by our various classifications. Though it's not that common."
"Uhm, what does Amp mean?" Raye asked.
"It's short for amplified. So we're divided into Amplified and Classic Humans."
"So, can a Classic become an Amp?" Raye asked nonchalantly.
"It's possible, but very rare. However, your best chance would be here, near the Power Core. This is where we are at our strongest."
"Nice!" Raye said in excitement. Ty was oddly quiet.
"So, wanna join us for a game or something?" Tilda asked.
The girls looked towards Ty—Raye unable to hide her smirk—to see how he was holding up. Seeing as he was still more interested in the floor, Raye graciously responded with a "We'd just like to take it in for tonight. But, maybe you could show us around the place sometime? We're really bored and literally have no idea what to do for fun here."
"Oh sure, I'd love to! Well we'll be over there, if you guys change your minds. Feel free to join us! It was nice meeting you!"
"It was nice meeting you too, Tilda!" Raye said enthusiastically as she slightly shook her brother. He just nodded a bit. As Tilda rejoined her friends a brief silence covered the group. This silence was soon broken by Raye, who was becoming more convinced that she had made the right decision in coming
here. "So, big guy. That was very smooth!" Ty only growled in response. "You think she was the person you were supposed to meet? Because, maybe you should have just stayed home." Ty determinedly began walking towards an open space in the area. The two followed along, with his sister keeping up her commentary. "No need to thank me for getting her to hang with us again. Though I gotta admit, it was pretty touch and go there. Maybe if you don't act like a weird loser next time, she'll actually like you. Or, what if Lys and I 'unfortunately' can't make it, and you wind up with her alone? Would you like that, or would you just completely bomb?"
"Quit it!!!" He screamed as he launched himself at his sister. This startled Lys, causing her to put up a wall between the siblings. Unfortunately for Ty, he was not ready for this obstacle. "Oof! What was that for? I wasn't going to hurt you. Or her ... Well, at least not much."
"Sorry, I don't usually do that. Over here my powers respond to my mood faster. I'm guessing it has something to do with the Power Core." She explained, surprised by her reaction.
"Hmm." Raye responded, which caused Ty to panic.
"I don't like that 'Hmm'. That's a 'Hmm' only reserved for crazy ideas that'll only make Raye happy."
"Oh, piss off! My ideas make everyone happy! You're just too young to appreciate my genius."
"I'm only ten months younger than you!"
"Ten and a quarter! But, that's besides the point. Lys sweetie, how good would you say you are with your force field thingies?"
"Do you mean my invisible walls?"
"You're adorable! No offense, but talking to Rosie sometimes feels like talking to a tiny adult. Don't tell her this, but you're starting to become my favorite!"
"Get to the point!" Ty badgered.
"I thought you didn't like my ideas, moron!" Raye retorted. Ty rolled his eyes at this.
"So Lys, would you like to play a game I just made up?"
"Uh, sure?"
"Perfect! Here's what I want you to do." She said before launching into her vision.
___
After fifteen minutes of practicing, Lys was ready to play the game. Although he tried to hide it, Ty was also intrigued by their activities.
"Is this size okay?" Raye asked after drawing a large rectangle in the dirt.
Sleep (Portraits of Gentry Book 1) Page 5