Chapter 2
The calm woman snapped her fingers to get the girl's attention. After a few blinks, she decided to step out of the car, and approach the beckoning woman.
"On behalf of the commonwealth, I would like to thank you for your service." All she could do is blankly nod in response. "If you two will follow me, I will have you registered and then I'll leave you to yourselves. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them now."
"I was just wondering, if you knew what this girl just did?"
"She did what comes naturally to her."
"Making objects fly is not natural."
"I beg to differ. This way please." She pointed in a vague direction below the platform. Directly facing the girl, she said the following. "If you are not too exhausted from your trip, could you please do the honors? I could call for another telekinetic, if it's too much for you."
"A what?" They both say.
"I'm sorry, I can ask for someone else who makes objects fly."
"Is that something everybody does here?" Mason comments.
"No, some people read minds. Miss, do you think you can take us down to that building?"
"I ... I don't know. Maybe?"
"Ahh, let me guess. Today was the first time you consciously used your powers, right?"
"Yes ..." she feels a bit sullen, though she is not sure why.
"I'll have someone else bring us down for now. You are more than likely exhausted." With that, the woman gazes in some random direction. Minutes later, a boy slightly older than Mason lands on their platform, startling the newcomer. Without so much as a word, the four people begin to glide to the building on the base of the platform. A few people walk around there, completely unfazed by the people who dropped out of the sky. Mason isn't sure if he will ever be used to that.
"The registration building is right this way, this shouldn't take long."
"Uhm, why are we being registered?"
"It's just a way to keep track of our citizens. We have so many refugees coming in, we like to have a file on each of them. In cases of separated families and the like."
"So does that happen a lot? Do people find their families here?" Mason asks as two spherical drones surround him and his companion, intermittently flashing. The girl is surprised to see something slightly familiar. The drones might not be as sleek and polished as the ones, she grew up with, but she still had not been expecting to see anything this technologically advanced outside of the Haven—particularly after traveling through the ruins surrounding it.
"Yes, in the best cases." The woman responds to Mason's question, as she does a spinning motion with her pointer finger, which make the floating orbs come to her. She says the words 'refugee' and 'shore child' into them, sending them back to the youngsters.
"Do you think you could find my sister?" He haltingly questions.
"Let us finish the procedure for now, there's just a few more things to record." The woman stands directly in front of Mason, drone hovering between them. "Could you please state your name, and spell it if you are able?"
"Mason Keid, M-a-s-o-n K-e-i-d." He answers abruptly, feeling patronized. The woman nods in approval and stands in front of the girl.
"What name do you wish to go by from now on?" This takes her aback. She could really have her own name? Not a placeholder, but an actual, personal name.
"Is 'Lys' alright?" she asks nervously, wondering if she should have taken more time think of a response.
"If you like it, then it's fine." The woman answers kindly.
With a little more confidence, the girl speaks 'Lys' into the drone. The woman touches a discreet button on each of drones, prompting them to display tiny, transparent, versions of the two, along with some words. Mason flinches a bit, Lys approaches them curiously. "We just need you to review our data. You know how it is, drones can't always be relied on." Mason can't quite relate. Lys is completely enchanted by the smaller version of herself.
"Okay, everything seems to be fi ... How does it know my age?" Mason asks cautiously.
"Basic Genetic Scan."
"Obviously." he responds dryly.
"Lys, do you want me to help you review your data?" the attendant offers.
"Allow me." Mason squats down to the girl's size. "Alright, it says here you're a shore child, have dark brown hair, and light brown eyes. Okay, look at me for a second. Yup, they got your eyes right. Do you know how old you are?"
"I think I'm 12?"
"Good, check that. Height seems close enough. Okay do you see this word? That's your name; do you like the way it looks?"
She shrugs, "Yeah?"
"How about if it looked like this? L-i-s!" he calls into her drone. The name rearranges itself for the new spelling.
"I liked the other one better."
"Fair enough. L-y-s!" he bellows again. He stands to face the woman. "I believe we're done."
"Splendid. Confirmed!" at the last word the drones fly into a technological wall of sorts. The lodge themselves into two empty sockets, where the begin to blink like all the other drones that appear to be in the wall.
"Your files are now being uploaded to our mainframe. Mr.Keid, I will initiate a scan for similar DNA within our databases. If your sister is in Gentry, we will know in a few weeks. Do you know where you will be staying?" Before he has a chance to answer, Lys cuts in.
"I was thinking of meeting up with Rosie, the shore child I grew up with. You can come with me if you want."
"Uhm sure, is that okay?" He asks the woman. She nods.
"Shore children tend to stick with each other. It should be easy to find you, since we are aware of her whereabouts. Do you need directions?"
"I'm sure she'll find me." Lys answers. The woman nods in understanding, as Lys walks out of the building, Mason following her confusedly.
"Okay, I still haven't become used to all this strangeness so, could you tell me what you mean?"
"Rosie had a way of knowing when things were going to happen, and she told me we would meet again. We'll probably run into her soon."
"So she could see the future?"
"Well, not really. She knew how long it would take for things to happen, but she could never guess what exactly would happen. Except if it was people she knew. Then she could predict when they would arrive."
"Could she move things with her mind too?"
"I don't think so, but I didn't know I could for most of my life, so who knows."
"I see." They walk in silence for a while. Occasionally, Mason would look towards the people they passed.
"So, you have a sister?"
"Yeah, an older one. Her name's Polly. She taught me my first letters."
"Letters?"
"The things you use to make words."
"I'm not sure I understand."
"Don't worry about it."
"... What happened to her?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out. I lost her a few years ago, during a dog raid. Most people would assume she was dead, but I think she might have survived."
"And you think she's here?"
"Polly was the first one who told me about a safe place. If she had to go anywhere, it would be here. Speaking of which, where are we going?"
"I would guess she's going towards the Power Core. It's where all Gentry natives try to go. 'Specially when we're shore children." The two of them turn towards the new voice.
"I've been told that the Core is what holds up the force field around the city, and what most likely gives us powers. Either way, it is why we could find our way here in the first place." A girl, Rosie, continues her little speech. Lys actually smiles at this.
"Am I late?"
"You came when I expected you."
"As usual. So are you really 'Rosie' now?"
"Are you 'Lys'?" In response to this Lys puts her hand on the other girl's scalp, and moves it about briefly. Mason struggles to keep himself from laughing. "What was that?"
"Mason says it's a way to show affection."
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"That's so strange. The people I live with show affection by squeezing each other. You must be Mason."
"Yeah, I am." He contemplates reaching out to shake her hand, before deciding against it. "Have you settled in here okay?"
"Yes, the family that took me in is really nice. Lys, do you remember those people who found us before the rest of the refugees?"
"The serious one, and the two who wanted to sneak into the Haven?"
"Yes, they're siblings, and they agreed to look after us."
"Does that include me?" Mason interjects.
"It should be fine. You're only staying with us until we meet another person."
"Do you mean my sister?!"
"I can't tell, but things will change then." With that, she takes Lys' hand and starts walking. Mason follows them anxiously.
As Rosie leads her, Lys takes a better look at her surroundings. The people seem to be comprised equally of Gentry natives and refugees, with a few shore children sprinkled among them. They're easy to recognize since their stances were different from the other two groups. Too rigid to be a native, yet not as guarded as the refugees. The buildings were a thing unto themselves. They were clearly in better shapes than the ruins, but lacked the meticulous devotion to symmetry of the 'Havens'. In fact, there seemed to be no order whatsoever. Every building was its own entity. Occasionally, they would spot someone levitating, or having a silent conversation. Lys could have sworn she saw someone pop out of nowhere.
"Does everybody here have abilities?" She asks Rosie.
"From what I've been told, you have to be born here to have abilities, and even then only one or two in a family tend to get them."
"And we ..."
"Were born here, but sent to the surface to help people find this place. I think they made sure we had powers of some kind first."
"How would they know that when we were babies? I didn't even know for sure until today."
"I don't know."
"Do you think it might have been those floating ball devices?" Mason adds to the conversation.
"The Drones? Perhaps. That would be the way to do it." Rosie's steps slow down. "Over there, that's where we're living right now. There are a lot of people in there, since they need some time to find some kind of ... what is it called? I don't know, maybe Mia can tell you."
Lys is a little overwhelmed once they enter the house. She had never been so densely surrounded by this many people. She tries to keep her cool in front of Rosie, who seems to be used to this already, and Mason, who only treats it like a small inconvenience. They go up a few stairs, and enter a room, where the two younger siblings are laying on the floor.
"Rosie, is that you? Did you bring something to eat?" The girl asks.
"No, just people."
"Boo, we have enough people here. You can't eat people." She complains.
"You can, if you close your eyes and pretend it's a boar or something." The boy interjects.
"That's disgusting!" She slaps her brother's shoulder in disapproval. He lazily slaps her back.
"Either way, do you remember my fellow shore child, Lys? She just arrived with a new friend of hers. Raye, Ty, this is Mason." Both of them sit up briefly for a halfhearted 'Hi'. Suddenly, Raye sits back up.
"Wait, I think I know you. Aren't you that stranger who was asking about his sister or something?" This question makes Ty curious as well. Mason responds by nodding quietly.
"Oh, sorry we left you behind. We thought you had taken off to some other place. Glad you could make it."
"Me too." Mason answers
"Did you ever find your sister?" Ty asks.
"Not yet, but I have a feeling she's in this city."
"Who's in this city?" A voice behind them asks. They turn around to see the oldest sibling carrying moderately sized bag on her left shoulder. "Whoever it is, we can't take them in anymore. I was already wary of taking you in. I probably wouldn't have agreed to it if Rosie hadn't told me it would only be for a few weeks."
"No more than a month or two."
"Okay, I'm sure you didn't say that before."
"It only became clearer once I met him."
"Dear Lord, I don't have enough food for all of us. I'll let you eat with us now, but you better find some kind of occupation soon. I have to put my family first."
"I understand."
"What's a occupation?" Lys curiously inquires.
"An occupation." Mason reflexively responds.
"I still don't know what that is."
"It's the way people here get food and stuff." Raye provides. "Well, at least regularly. You can also get a little food, if you help people out with some stuff."
"I'm only staying until I find my sister, and if you need me to help you get food, I would be glad to go with you."
"Do you have any practical skills? Anyway you could be useful?"
"I don't know ..."
"He can read, and drive cars. And he's really good at climbing." Ty snorts at this.
"Anyone can climb."
"What's a car?" Rosie and Raye ask simultaneously.
"Can you really read?" Mia asks. Mason nods. "How much?"
"I don't know, more than most people? I pretty much read every book I came across."
"Okay, we might be able to find you an occupation. Readers are rare here."
"Thank you" Mason stretches out his hand. "I'm Mason, by the way."
"Mia." She answers as she shakes his hand. Lys seems to find this exchange fascinating. She wonders if this was what he had been attempting to do with her when he first introduced himself the night before. "Hope you two like nuts and almond milk, because that's all I have right now."
"It's better than nothing." Mason answers, as the younger siblings rush to get the bag off their sister. The six people are soon sitting on the floor and sharing their meager feast. Ty and Raye take turns trying to steal from each other. After Mason and Rosie explain how to deal with shelled nuts, Lys uses her abilities to crack the harder ones. The meal is silent for the most part.
"How do you do that?" Raye suddenly speaks up, pointing to the freshly broken walnut in Lys' hand.
"I don't know. I just think about cracking it, and it cracks." Ty immediately begins glaring at a peanut in his palm.
"Don't be stupid, Ty. That's clearly something only she can do. Unless Rosie has been holding out on us." Raye says this as she grabs the nut out of his hand and snaps it in two.
"Sorry, my ability is not so flashy."
"I wouldn't call predicting the future unflashy." Ty responds.
"I can't see the future, I'm just ready for everything. It's like some people know it's going to rain, that doesn't mean they can see the future, that just means they have a good sense of how the weather works. It's the same for me, except a little...more."
"Do you think it ever rains here? What with us being underwater." Mason interjects.
"It hasn't rained yet since we got here, but we were only here a day longer than you two, so we have no way of knowing. There has to be some kind of freshwater here, otherwise people would be more dehydrated." Mia responds. The conversation flows on like this, and soon everybody is eagerly engaged in it, with the exception of Lys, who mostly remains silent. Their new companionship helps alleviate their hunger a bit. Even Lys eventually begins to feel at ease in this atmosphere.
However, things come to a halt when Rosie jumps to her feet. She opens the door, letting a drone whiz past her. It comes to a halt in front of Mason.
"Confirm. Are you Subject: Keid, Mason?"
Mason looks around for help, to which the others just shrug in confusion. Rosie calmly opens a window, and takes her place at the table again. "Uh, yes? I mean confirmed."
"Confirmation received. Subject: Keid, Mason. You have a message from the Census Office. Processing message in 3. 2. 1." At the last number, a small image of the woman who had greeted Lys and Mason on their arrival appears and begins speaking.
"Mr. Keid, we are happy to tell
you that our scan of the data-bank was much faster than we anticipated. Unfortunately, we were not able to recover a DNA type that matched your profile. However, do not take this as an indication of your sister's absence. It often happens that some people skip the registration process upon entering the Commonwealth. As it is not mandatory, we don't hunt for people without records, although it does make things a bit complicated. If you could state your sibling's given name now ..."
"Polly." He responds mechanically.
"We shall do what we can to glean any information on 'Polly', provided she is located within our borders. We hope you thrive here." Ty is slightly startled when the projected woman, echos Mason's utterance in the middle of her message. The projection now ceasing, the drone begins to speak again. "Message completed. Would you like to hear the message again, Subject: Keid, Mason?"
Without wondering if the machine could comprehend physical gestures, Mason answers by shaking his head. Apparently, the machine understands.
"Confirmed. Returning to Census Office." The drone then flies out the window. The quiet overwhelms the room. Raye attempts to break the silence, but Mia gives her a look that puts an end to that notion. Lys feels as if she should say something, but she isn't sure what. She looks towards Rosie, in the hopes that maybe she has some kind of idea of how to proceed. Rosie takes her hand and leads her towards the door.
"We will be back soon." She says by way of explanation. They go outside, to what is now the early evening. The strange, water-covered sky looks quite amazing with the initial colors of sunset. The unique layout of their location, makes the sunlight reflect in ways she had never imagined. She doesn't think even the Haven community could come up with anything more beautiful than this. Lys watches with a new interest for the common phenomenon, as Rosie drags her to parts unknown.
"This should be good." She says, as she finally stops tugging her companion around.
"Why did you bring me here?"
"I don't know yet. It's amazing, I sometimes don't even know what I'm going to discover, I just feel I need to be somewhere at a certain time now. It must be because I can move around now. Either way, there is probably something here you need to find."
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