"Clark, man. Calling me West makes me feel like I'm 50 years old."
"Right. So, Clark, have you ever kidnapped anyone?"
"No, but I'm sure there are kids who deserve it."
"I mean--"
"Yes, no, I have never taken on a kidnapping case. This is my first time."
The fields are much better. The school is so clean. Even though the place is too flat and too maintained, it's still nature. There were dark clouds in the distance, ominous, but I figured I'd have enough warning if it rained.
I was lounging in the back of a portable classroom in the back half of campus. The classroom is made into a beautiful L shape, blocking my view from all directions of the main teaching building. The only window in the classroom faced away from me, and it was high enough on the wall that someone would have to purposely look in my corner to spot me. I think this is unlikely for any teacher, and what student would report an unsociable kid for hanging out?
With my luck, I might catch the stubborn kid. Or worse, it's Matt, and woe betide me.
At least I have access to the internet again. My phone was one of the first on the US market to have a true 4G connection, and it was faster than any other phone. Obviously it sucks compared to my home network, but it's a lot better than the crappy wifi at school. I was checking the forum post from last night. This is forced and unnecessary, I'm well aware of it. I checked again this morning. An hour or two later, I tried again. I doubt I'll get any reply by tonight. Most of these planks are now shipwrecks.
In the meantime, I also logged into my private IRC and got it up and running. Kyle and a few others signed as well, as did Blake. But that doesn't mean anything; he always logs himself in. I've bugged him about this a few times. He was automatically tagged by my bot a few days ago - that was the last time he texted. I looked through my journal, but there was nothing I didn't remember. Then it dawned on me.
One of the logged in users is Jacob. Jacob is in the same class as Blake now, unless I'm mistaken.
I opened his DMs and started poking him, asking him to reply. Nothing came back. I waited anxiously, watching the cursor move up and down in the text box, as if I was hypnotized. The screen stubbornly refuses to print a new line.
“Dov lavac?”
Her voice was closer than I thought. I was startled and immediately put my hands up in a defensive gesture, but I needn't have worried. There is only one person on the planet who would curse Etolin.
There she is. Stand with the balls of your feet slightly tilted. She was ready to act immediately. Her eyes were piercing and the most beautiful deep blue. If I close my eyes, I can imagine the first day I met her. She was wearing a handmade elf costume, a tremor hanging from her shoulders, and stammering in broken English, as if she had just immigrated from overseas. Same as coming here. She could barely make her words understood - but at the same time, I could feel how graceful and powerful she was. Even now, seeing her as she was all those years ago, I can still see that fierce, brave hunter hidden inside her.
She covered her mouth with her hand, as if she had said something wrong. I thought this was odd, since Jane had never been reluctant to engage with the more colorful parts of the elf vocabulary, but then I noticed her friend a few steps away, looking concerned.
"Hi," I greeted awkwardly, then relaxed again.
"Carl, why are you here?" Jane asked. She seemed to calm down quickly.
I shrugged. "It feels like a walk. What about you?" I'm embarrassed to admit the fact - I can't even find a simple classroom. In response, she pulled a laminated piece of paper from her pocket and showed me her press pass.
"Ah, skipping class. That's it."
Jane rolled her eyes.
Her friend finally spoke. I tried to remember if I had seen her before. My gut instinct leans towards no. "Jen, do you know this guy?"
"Um, yes. I'm Carl. Carl, Sarah." Jane gestured to each of us in turn.
"Sarah?" I interjected.
"What does that mean?" Sara asked pointedly. Jane also looked confused.
Shit. I haven't learned the full story yet. Back in the first year or two, before we broke up, Matt used to gush about this girl he had a crush on, Sarah. Blake and I would gush whenever a girl came up in our conversations, but Matt only had eyes for her. When he had the chance to ask her out, he was so unsure, and (this was Matt before) I called him out. I didn't know she was Jane's friend. Suddenly, his reluctance made more sense.
This gets tricky.
"Nothing," I said quickly. "It doesn't matter."
"No—no," said Jane. "You won't get away that easily." She lowered her voice so Sara couldn't hear. "Am I going to that Sierraville?"
My love for Torreen has never been better. I try to learn a wider vocabulary, I'm too busy to study in detail, and I have lots of more interesting things to do. I always feel like I sound ridiculous when I say it. In fact, anyone who wasn't an elf would be foolish to say such a thing. There's a wind-like quality to it that's not taught, the way the sound moves through the sentences. I could never understand it.
Jane is very talented. As far as I know, she is the only one who is fluent in Etoli
e person. Her voice sounds so perfect and my ears fill with joy every time she uses this language. Jen spaced the words out a little so I could understand them more easily, but usually it flows like a river through the woods. She once tried to explain to me how it was connected to the wind and trees and some other natural crap. I didn't really notice - until she started singing.
I can't describe hearing Jane in Etoli
e the feeling of singing. Transcendence is probably the best English word we can find. If it weren't for the fact that I never want this song to end, I might die happy.
Jane's expectant gaze brought me out of my memories. Oh, right. She asked me a question. I glanced pointedly at Sarah, still looking at both of us curiously. Jane sighed and turned to her friend. "Hey, Sarah. Can you leave us alone to talk?"
"What's wrong?"
"Remember what I told you?" This shocked me. What the hell is Jen doing? Behind our backs? Forget it, behind Matt's backs? She may not have been on the team as long as the three of us, but still.
Sarah nodded. "You owe me a favor, Jenny."
"Jane." Jane and I both corrected without thinking.
Sara frowned, but turned around and walked a few steps, watching for any students or teachers around the corner. Seems like a good friend. Jane came over and sat next to me, smoothing the grass. She leaned against the movable wall and closed her eyes. She frowned.
"What happened?" she asked, eyes still closed.
I hesitated. "I don't know if I should tell you."
Jane opened her eyes wide and gave me a dead look. "Shall I remind you what I can do to you with my little finger?"
I smiled, but deep down I hid an honest heart. I've seen what Jane can do. Not with her pinky finger, but still. She earned those titles, not just for show.
"…Matt likes her a lot. I guess it's her anyway."
She looked really surprised. "He told you?"
I shrugged. "We spent a lot of long nights that first year stuck in the barn's hay loft or in the stables. We didn't have much to do. Blake and I made him talk, and he just kept talking about her after that. . You know how much he loved giving speeches. The description matched, so I'm pretty sure it was Sarah. She was always his one and only, at least for the first few years."
"Oh," Jane replied nonchalantly. She closed her eyes again, a little listless. She looked incredibly exhausted.
"For Du Balencel?" I asked tentatively.
"Ah, no. Yes, I'm fine, but come on. I'm sorry," Jane added, rubbing her temples. "English please. I have trouble remembering how to use it. Ala dou dae
dalasas valsyl masadalel, s
ekkiva litashav. "
"…Your mother too."
She giggled. "You have no idea what I said, do you?"
"Some kind of--some kind of squirrel brain?"
"I'm glad you understand my insult. I don't want it to go to waste." She leaned against the corner of the room and yawned. “What the hell is going on with migraines?”
"Consequences of magic?" I ventured.
"It doesn't usually feel like this."
"You're the expert."
When Jane's eyes reopened, she must have noticed the smell of regret in me. "I'm sure you'll feel it one day," she said quietly.
"I have no idea".
I looked up at the sky and saw a bird flying down and landing on a rooftop near us. The dark clouds have dispersed, leaving an empty blue space above us, hiding an endless void. I picked off a blade of grass and threw it at the bird. Almost immediately it grabbed the air and crashed to the ground, defeated. The bird tilted its head as if laughing at me. If we were still in Sierraville, it might be, as an elf magician eyes.
If we were still in Sierraville, an arrow would pass through it in a second. Can't take any risks. But we didn't, which meant I might never learn magic. "I couldn't even get a line..."
“Etole
dei," she added. You know, that's the problem. What do you think you're eating. Like you can suddenly learn some spell."
"I've learned my lesson," I murmured.
Jane's eyes closed again and the frown returned to her face. "I'm not the best teacher."
No, that's not what I want. I never wanted to make Jane sad. I immediately regretted saying something I shouldn't have said. I have to find a way to walk back. "You're a good teacher; I'm a terrible student."
"My only student learned nothing," Jane pointed out with a laugh. "But it's a good idea."
"Yeah," I said. "Maybe I'm not suitable for learning magic."
"Anandelph said something."
"I think I've heard that before," I said sarcastically. It was Jane's turn to pick up a few blades of grass. Of course, her expression hit my face right when I opened my mouth. I was spitting everywhere, spitting grass and dirt in my mouth.
"Thank you," I barely heard her whisper over the whistling wind. We sat quietly for a while, enjoying the sunshine and breeze.
Jane opened her eyes again and glanced skyward. "It's almost noon."
"Yes," I agreed, looking up. It took me a while to remember the significance of this. "Correct! Your...um...what's it called?"
"And some things you can't pronounce." Jane smoothed a patch of grass in front of her and dropped to her knees. "Do me a favor?"
"gone?"
She smiled. "I'm sorry. Normally it would be fine, but I'm exhausted and I really need this right now. A little privacy might help me focus better."
"But..." I started to ask the obvious question, but Jen interrupted me.
"No, I don't know if it still works. Obviously, I haven't had a chance to try it yet." Jane looked determined, anxious, and a little annoyed. I was worried about her, but I had to step aside and let her figure it out. For better or worse, she had to give her ritual a try.
"Before you," I interrupted. She opened one eye and just started to raise her arms to the starting position. "You know, Sarah's still here."
"Oh!" Jane looked like she had really forgotten. I looked at her more closely and realized how weak she was. Her eyes were red and lowered, and her whole posture seemed tired and depressed. Did she sleep last night?
"What did you say to her?"
"Something just happened. I can't say anything else." Jane bit her lip, opened her eyes and looked at me.
I sighed. "Matt will make you suffer"
"I know," she said nervously. "But he'll understand, right?"
I didn't answer. Jen and I were both thinking the same thing. When his orders aren't followed, Matt turns into a pretty scary person. Yes, he usually has the best plans, and there are times when it's necessary to call his men down - but still. This is very different from the person who takes everything for granted and never likes to get involved in anything serious.
"So, I'm going to hang out with Sarah," I added awkwardly after a moment of silence. I stood up and walked over to Sarah, who was leaning on the far corner of the portable. She had been watching the children running around on the track in physical education class, her eyes glazed over.
Sarah is a beautiful girl. Blonde, tall, well-proportioned. I understand why Matt has had a crush on her for so long. Before we left, he said that she was the only girl in his life. It's kind of weird, I've never seen her. Also his sister's best friend (I guess). Strange relationship, in my opinion.
But who am I to judge? Especially after some of the relationships I've been through... Yes, Matt is free to love whoever he wants. None of my business.
"Are you going to stare all day?" Sara asked, still staring at the track.
I drank it all in one gulp. How did she notice me?
Am I really that bad at moving now? I should be able to sneak up on a lone average teenager, even on rough ground. This is so sad.
"I'm sorry." I stopped next to her and looked at the track. As far as I know, nothing interesting happens there. Sarah seemed to agree with me at the same time, and we both turned to look at Jane.
"What is she doing?" she asked dumbfounded.
"Stay here and don't talk too loud, okay?" I touched her arm gently and she started walking toward Jane. She stopped and turned to look at me strangely. Did I do something wrong? I immediately let go and she continued to lean on the laptop without saying a word.
I can't blame her for being curious. Jane was now sitting with her knees pressed into the grass. Her arms weave a strange dance throughout her body, hitting specific points with regularity. There was no discernible pattern, but there was a grace to the way her hands moved through the air. She kept mumbling short phrases, bursts of Atolinese that I couldn't hear clearly from this distance.
In one of my few attempts at persuasion, she explained it in more detail, describing it as something akin to meditation. I knew it had something to do with her magic, but beyond that I knew nothing. I have to admit, from an outsider's perspective, this does look weird.
"But seriously," Sara said more softly, "what is she doing?"
"She was concentrating." That was the closest explanation I could give at the time.
Sara raised her eyebrows. "Are you all on drugs or something?"
"God no. I'll never touch them. Waste of my brain," I snapped. This is a bit harsher than I thought, but in Sylkaed
This is a tough question for me after what happened in the market.
"Oops, I'm sorry. Forget what I asked." Sarah turned and looked at Jane.
"I'm sorry," I added. "I'm having a weird day."
Sarah sighed. "Both you and her. It's like she was replaced by an alien overnight. But she still understands me and she's definitely still my best friend. I still love her to death." She shook her head. "Why am I telling you this?"
"Because I'm here, and because I'm one of the very few people in the world who knows what's going on," I answered honestly.
Sarah looked at me strangely. "...Yes." She shrugged. "Jane won't tell me anything about that. I suppose you'd say the same?"
I paused, considering my answer. "I'm not qualified to tell you."
"What kind of lame no-answer is this?" she snapped. She has a bad temper. I can see why they like her. Well, Jen, at least. Old Matt might have liked that, but I'm not sure he'd still feel the same way.
"Okay," I conceded. "I can tell you, but Jen can tell you more, and better. There's a lot I don't know, and some things I'm not sure she wants others to know. Beyond that, we're not the only ones involved. two people."
"Matt too, right?"
My eyes opened a little wider. "Did she tell you?"
"Not exactly. But it's close enough." Sarah frowned. "Look, I can keep a secret. Jenny:"
"Jane".
"Damn. Okay. Jen knows this about me. So take it slow," Sara continued, "but remember you still have friends. Right?"
"……Right."
"Okay." Sarah was a little happy. "Then what's going on...what's going on?" She pointed vaguely at Jane, who had already accelerated to the third stage.
"Again, it's Jane's business."
"It's no fun," she sighed. "So, your name is Carl?"
"Yes."
"Sarah". She held out a hand.
"Nice to meet you." I shook it vigorously. Of course, Jen had told me her name a few minutes ago, but apparently she likes it to be more formal. In fact, I'm grateful. This is the rule. It reminded me of the court, and all the nobles I needed, and I needed them to fight each other.
After the pleasantries, we all turned to watch Jane's ceremony continue. It should have only taken a few minutes to complete, but she did it anyway. This means something is wrong. I took a few steps toward her.
Her eyes immediately opened wide and her hands dropped to her sides. She adjusted herself so that she wasn't sitting on her feet, which in my opinion was very uncomfortable in the first place. I sat down across from her, just outside the circle she had formed on the grass. "Jen?" I asked uncertainly.
"I tell my life," she said slowly. Her head moved from side to side, searching for something I couldn't see. "Vei totevas Vei vaselvas etola, dasa..." It looked like she would be using Etoli all day long if I didn't interrupt her
e murmured to himself.
"Silayan," I snapped. Jane immediately jumped out and stared at me in confusion. It took her a few seconds to come to her senses.
"...I'm sorry. I'm not sure what happened. I think I felt something, and I kept touching down, but I guessed it was the wind..." Jane stopped talking again. Sarah glanced at me quizzically.
"Don't look at me," I replied with a shrug.
Jane started. She looked like she had forgotten we were there again. "Sorry. Hi."
"Hello," Sara said. "Have you come back from the Cloud Realm?"
"Illusion?" Jane asked doubtfully, and then her face lit up. "Fantasy!" she grinned. "How could I forget Yunjing?"
I felt left out. "Illusion?"
"None of your business," Jane and Sarah said in unison. It sounded rehearsed, like they'd said it a thousand times. Apparently this was a joke I would never understand.
No matter what. As long as Jane wasn't so sullen, I could live with that. I hate seeing her like that.
"get out of class must be over soon, right?" Jane asked, glancing sideways at the school's main building.
I took out my phone and checked the time. "No. There's still plenty of time."
Jen looked at my phone with a strange expression. I didn't know what she meant and it worried me a little. I couldn't understand half of what she said, but when we were out in the field, I usually knew what she was going to do. "What?"
"Can I borrow it?"
"Where's my phone?"
"It could go on..." Jane's face contorted with frustration.
"internet".
"Yes." Her face turned red with embarrassment. I think it's cute, is it too scary? She's clearly struggling, but I think it's cute and I'd love to help her. Does this make me a horrible person who enjoys making others uncomfortable just because I'm one of the few who can help?
As I began to reflect on myself, Jane began to grow impatient. She snatched my phone from my hand.
"Hey!"
“Calm down, kapa.
-basal, "Je
snapped. "I just need a minute." She scurried back to the corner, scrolling through the menu. I'm very curious as to what could be so urgent.
"What are you doing?"
"Don't worry." She started to hit something. I resigned myself to finding out later. I doubt she remembers how to clear her browsing history. It even tracks browser history.
Sarah seemed to have given up entirely on understanding. She stood aside and looked at us silently. I wish she would just disappear. Sarah doesn't belong here. Not for us. She is not part of our group. She didn't experience the pain and suffering, nor did she feel the power and magic. She's just an ordinary person.
Jen and I were special in a way that Sarah couldn't possibly understand. She shouldn't understand.
But she's Jane's best friend, and maybe that's what Jane needs right now. I think I can understand. I also have a best friend who I really want to meet.
"It's all good," Jane said at last. She handed me the phone and I pocketed it without looking at the screen. "Thank you," she smiled at me.
"no problem."
Sarah interjected, killing the moment. "So are you going to explain about the new language? Or why are you suddenly speaking in an accent I've never heard before?"
Jane turned to face her. "Sarah, I..." she started, but I cut her off. I wanted to save her the trouble.
"We can't. But you'll be doing Jane a huge favor by acting like she's just learning English."
Sarah's eyes widened. "That bad?"
"No," Jane replied, rolling her eyes at me. I shrugged. She continued, her accent softening considerably. "I still understand English. Just not as good as Eto—"
"Jen," I interrupted her warningly. She stopped just in time. This may seem harsh, but any terminology, any detail, anything leaked to the wrong third party can spell trouble for all of us. I'm just taking care of her.
Sara narrowed her eyes. "Hey, let her talk."
"No, he's right," Jane said quietly. "I'm sorry, Sarah. Take it seriously. I'll tell you if I can. Soon."
She hesitated, but nodded. "I want you to keep your word. I'm really tired of this."
The raindrops began to patter again. After a while it turned into showers roaring on the rooftops around us. We all looked up, stunned. A few minutes ago the sky had been almost clear. Was this just a regular downpour in Oregon? I glanced at Jen and she seemed surprised too. I've seen her do amazing things before. Changing the weather to our advantage in battle is even her specialty.
"Jane?"
She answered me immediately. "No." Our thoughts were the same as usual. "bring it on!"
We put on our coats and hurried towards the nearest entrance. It rained heavily. We got in before we got wet. Luckily, the portable unit has a slightly protruding lid, otherwise we would have gotten wet almost immediately.
Sarah glanced at the nearest clock. "We should get back to class."
"Yes," I replied.
"What are you going to do?" Jane asked me. She has a point. I could barely hide in the pouring rain.
"get out of class is about to end. I'm going to the restaurant now and said I was let out early. I'm going to find a table in the corner."
"Sel
ou. see you then. Jen started walking away, and Sarah hurried after her. I didn't envy Jen now. Sarah looked like she was having a hard time getting away. There was no way Matt was going to let her join our conversation at lunch, though. As soon as we met Blake, There are serious plans.
* * *
The food wasn't as bad as I remembered. Sure, most of it is bland, run-of-the-mill American food, but it could be worse. To be honest, I kind of miss pizza, even a humble pizza like this. Pizza and soda are something Sierraville could definitely use. I don't know how to carbonate the brine and spice in there, but maybe Jen and I can devise something with magic.
Magic, right? We have magic. Who would want to live on this stupid planet if you had magic.
However, my idea of improving the quality of my life had to wait because the only person who had ever achieved anything with Elf etola walked into the cafeteria. Or more accurately, jogging. Jane was weaving in and out of the crowd, looking like she was trying to get across the room as quickly as possible without attracting attention. To be honest, she doesn't have much skill in this area. For better or worse, she spends most of her time on the edge of the room. The city and the people are my territory. Jane's home in the forest.
I saw Sarah a few steps behind her, trying to get Jane's attention and point her in the right direction, but apparently failing. I stood up and waved to both of them.
Jen spotted me immediately and walked straight to the corner where I found a table, completely abandoning her route. This is an unpopular corner simply because it is the farthest from the tee line. Most kids don't care where they sit as long as they're with their friends, so they'll unconsciously be drawn to the other side by default. Great for someone like me as we occupied the other half of the restaurant. Of course, relatively speaking. It's not like we were alone but here, there was plenty of space between the two groups so we could talk without worrying about being overheard.
Jen sat across from me, Sarah next to her. Almost in unison, they took their lunch home in the ubiquitous brown paper bags. I raised my eyebrows.
"No offense, but Sarah can't be here."
"She knows—" Jane started, but Sarah interrupted.
"I know. I'll leave as soon as Matt gets here. But until then, I'm still with Jen, so that's it."
I raised my hands defensively. "Okay, okay. Sorry." I finished my lunch and looked around the cafeteria, pretending not to be interested. Jane took out her food. She made a few brief gestures and murmured something under her breath. She did this every time she ate, but never explained the significance to me. I just think of it as an elven ritual. Not worth my time to figure out.
Sarah certainly had no idea what she was doing. Jane didn't notice, and after a while, she went back to eat her lunch. Jane took a bite of her sandwich and frowned, but continued eating regardless. Her face dropped slightly.
I am anxious. Jen seemed to be getting further and further away from the strong girl I knew. I don’t want to lose that unique beauty, that confident and fearless warrior. But how can I help her?
Jane and Sara ate in silence, with Sara occasionally giving Jane a concerned glance. I want to know what's going on. Did something happen between us being separated and meeting here? Or is it because Sarah is always nosy? God, I wish she would leave right now.
I guess that’s something to ask Jane in the future. I don't have time now because Matt is heading towards us.
one person.
I tried my best to restrain myself from falling over on the spot. Questions exploded in my mind one after another like fireballs. Where is Blake? Why isn't Matt with him? Why did Matt leave Blake behind?
So what should I do now?
I could only vaguely hear Sarah making up some sort of excuse to Matt, and then disappearing quickly. He sat down at her place and pulled out his own lunch, which was identical to Jane's. Matt asked me something, but I didn't hear him. I can't hear anything. The noise in the room had turned into a dull roar, a rushing sound that threatened to overwhelm me completely.
I got kicked hard in the shins. I crackled back into existence.
"What on earth is this for?" I snapped.
"Focus," Matt replied firmly. "We need to talk."
"Don't be ridiculous," Jane said gently. "Carl, are you with us now?"
I glared at Matt. That kick made absolutely no sense. I can still feel it in my legs. "Yes, I'm here. So talk."
Matt frowned. "Karl, if we're going to do this..."
Jane interjected. "No, we don't. Carl, let Matt talk, okay?"
"English, Jane."
"Damn it." Jane slapped herself lightly. "Sorry, Matt."
"That's good. Any questions?"
"Sort of," she replied, her face serious. She didn't want him to worry. There was no way she was letting him know how much trouble she'd been in all day. She and I will keep this a secret. "Mom thinks I'm learning a foreign language now, but other than that..." she said, her voice low.
"Okay, that's good enough," Matt sighed. "She ate scrambled eggs, right?"
"Eggs!" cried Jane, sitting up stiffly. Embarrassment washed over her face and after a second she relaxed, eating her food with a guilty expression.
"Huh?" I asked, really confused.
Matt grinned. "She couldn't remember the name of the egg," he explained. Jane picked up a grape and threw it at him. He dodged it easily.
"Sildavaca," she murmured, but a smile crossed her face.
They are very casual. I can not understand. We have more pressing things to do. A matter of life and death. I put my fist in the middle of the table - it was a little louder than I intended, but I made no excuses. Both fell silent.
"…a little dramatic, Carl," Matt said. This sentence was originally a joke, but his tone suddenly became cold. But I don't care. I'm done.
"Blake," I snapped.
"I haven't seen him," Matt replied, in that annoyingly calm voice he'd been using all day. Before I could answer, he raised his hand. Doesn't necessarily mean anything. Maybe he didn't come today. You know he always skips early morning classes. Our first two lessons were of little value. "
"But I called this morning and got nothing." I said slowly.
"Even his parents don't know?"
"No. But that's not surprising, they never come home in the morning. His father is gone and Adela doesn't get off work until nine." Maybe there's still hope. I can't consider other options. not yet.
"But he just happened to come today," Jane said.
Matt nodded. "Yes, he will. That leads to another possibility."
"Stop it," I said.
"Carl, we have to find a way, if he-"
"Don't fucking say that," I yelled. A little too noisy. The people at the next table looked over in surprise. I lowered my voice again. "He's just home."
"Carl..." Matt started, but I'd had enough. I stood up and walked away, picking up the tray and throwing it into the nearest trash can. One nosy person started telling me nonsense about garbage collection and how pallets shouldn't be thrown out. I walked right through them and out the front door.
My best friend is still alive. He must be.
