by Jason Letts
“Oh, that’s nice of him,” she said.
“No, it’s not. I can assure you it is anything but nice. If he’s thinking about picking you, then there’s got to be a reason for it. And right now I can’t figure out what that reason is. Can you tell me why he might think you would be useful on a team? Is there something about you that you haven’t told everyone?” Aoi inquired.
“No, I’m not hiding any kind of power or anything. What you see is what you get.”
“Are you hiding something from me right now? Why would he want to pick you?” Aoi asked, more intensely.
“I’m not hiding anything and I don’t know why he would want to pick me. This is all news to me. Maybe if you’re so worried about it you should go ask him.”
This answer was far from satisfactory for Aoi, who pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. For an instant, Mira wondered if she would become violent again, but instead she stared deeply into her eyes, searching for something.
“You like him, don’t you?” she accused. “He is attractive.”
“What? No, I don’t!” Mira defended.
“Then why are you so nervous? I bet you’d like nothing more than to have him sweep you off your feet.” Smirking mischievously, Aoi abruptly stormed out into the blizzard.
All alone now, Mira stood still for a moment. She watched stray snowflakes slip in through the wallboards and collect on the floor like fine dust. Knee-deep tracks led from the entrance through the clearing to the path. She felt cold and anticipated returning home to a warm fire, but she also thought she was in a beautiful place and was happy to be there.
***
Mira spent a great deal of time that weekend thinking about her conversation with Aoi. She wondered why Vern would want to pick her for his team and why that would raise Aoi’s suspicion so much. When alone, Mira let herself pretend that it was because he liked her and thought she was pretty. Maybe Aoi had been more right about her feelings than she let herself believe.
But something else weighed more heavily on her mind. She thought about Vern and Aoi, the two students at the top of her class, and who would be a better leader. Both of them gave her an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had asked her mother about the likelihood that the final class leader would be a surprise.
“After spending ten years in school together, the chance of a surprise becomes pretty small,” Jeana said. Mira’s fellow students took class leader so seriously. They did afford Vern some extra respect, a special chair, and he helped them as best he could in return. Still, he took noticeable joy in doing what others could not, and he reveled in the praise and thanks he received because of it. Aoi, Mira thought, seemed to have little control over herself, so it would be impossible for her to manage an entire group.
Lying under numerous thick blankets on a cold and frigid night, Mira played out the fantasy of becoming class leader in her mind. She promised herself she would always act in their best interest and do everything she could to inspire them to greatness. But when she awoke, the dream she spun disappeared and the reality of her place set in. She was at the mercy of most of her classmates, and that wouldn’t change until she could overpower them.
Down in the basement, she had been working on something that would do the dirty work for her. Utilizing her new zinc batteries, she finally could store enough electricity to produce something menacing and imposing. The time had come to test her creation. She grabbed her dad and they went out into the snow-covered backyard to reveal it.
Standing on the frozen, solid sheet of snow, Mira pulled the cover off a small figure that stood between her and her father. It was a foot tall, much bigger than any of her walking toys, and had a human shape.
“I call him Crank, and he’s ready for battle. Don’t hold back now, but be careful at the same time. Ok, ready?” she called over to Kevin.
After he nodded, Mira clutched the remote and Crank slowly started to walk forward. One leg lurched in front of the other in a stilted, jerky motion. Kevin appeared under-whelmed. Mira pressed a button on the remote, waited for a response, and then mashed the button again and again.
Kevin took a few steps forward and gave Crank a strong kick with his boot, sending him flying over to the side. Now that the coast was clear, he ran after Mira.
“It was working before!”
“You’re in trouble now!”
“Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!” Mira squealed. She dropped the remote and ran, Kevin chasing behind her. They circled the yard, around trees and along the garden paths. He eventually got a hold of her and tossed her into a snow bank.
“I give up!” she cried after her father buried her in snow.
They went indoors and warmed up with breakfast and hot chocolate. Mira sat in a chair near the fire, wrapping a blanket around herself. She looked through the foggy windowpane at Crank, lying in the snow and collecting flakes. She left him outside as punishment for his failure.
“So what was that thing supposed to do anyway?” Kevin asked, taking a seat on the other side of the fire.
“It had a spring to launch itself through the air at you, which would knock you over and give me the option of either assaulting you myself or running away. But even if it had worked, it would be so difficult to use on a target that moved side to side.”
“Yeah, that sounds tough,” Kevin added, trying to sound thoughtful.
“The worst part about it though is how much energy goes into the walking. Walking is such a complicated movement, and it took forever so the thing wouldn’t tip over with the first step. As it is, uneven ground, a divot or even a hill, would be too much for it,” Mira said, sulking.
“What about if you had something that didn’t need to move? You could carry it and then toss it where you wanted it, and after it did its thing you would pick it up later.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” she said. “But people do move, and I’d love for it to be something that could be tough enough to create a barrier between me and any enemies.”
Mira and Kevin sat in contemplation of the puzzle before them when Jeana joined them.
“And I think it’s possible to make something that strong now with these new zinc batteries,” Mira said.
“So you were able to get the things you needed from Darmen Exchange?” Jeana asked.
“Well, I was going to, and I went there, but then the guy wanted a crazy amount of money, so I left. On the way out though, I met this guy wearing all kinds of metal, and it turned out he traded also. Yannick and I made a deal for the zinc and the magnets I need in exchange for a water filter I’m building. It’s turning out pretty well and I might have to build a smaller one for myself. You never know when that would come in handy.”
This story immediately caught the attention of Kevin and Jeana, whose uneasiness and suspicion became evident to Mira as she spoke.
“You can’t trust that man, Mira. He is not honest. I can’t believe you did that without talking to us!” Jeana scolded.
“So far I’ve gotten a bunch of things from him and he’s gotten nothing from me, so I don’t think it’d be a good idea for him to be dishonest about it,” Mira retorted.
“That’s not entirely what I mean. He gets a lot of his goods by stealing them.”
“Oh,” Mira said, taken aback.
“And you say he needed a filter for water? I’m not convinced that’s the truth either. I wonder what he really wants it for,” Kevin added.
“But I am already using the zinc, and I’m waiting for him to deliver the neodymium magnet. I need these things,” she said, wondering if the zinc in her batteries had been stolen.
Jeana and Kevin exchanged worried glances.
“How is he going to deliver it to you?” Jeana asked.
“He said he’s going to come find me. I gave him a strand of my hair.”
“I can’t put it any other way. What you did was foolish. Just think, now there’s someone who knows where you are every second of the day, someone who knows when you’re moving
and when you’re standing still. That’s valuable information, and there might be people who would trade with him for it. It’s only your anonymity that keeps you safe,” Kevin said, shaken and disturbed.
“What do you mean my anonymity keeps me safe?” Mira asked.
“We just mean that you might draw unwanted attention…because you are special.”
“Oh.”
“Look, if he comes to you, try to make sure there are other people around. You could tell him to meet you here and we could deal with him together. Make sure you get your hair back too,” said Jeana.
Mira felt guilty because she had made such a big mistake in her parents’ eyes. So many of the things they had talked about had just never occurred to her. She thought she had a lot to think about before, but now the weekend seemed like an awfully short time to get through all of the thinking she had to do.
***
As is so often the case, Monday morning came around way too soon. Snow continued to pile up, and now alternating layers of hard and soft snow covered the ground. The students trekked to school in heavy winter clothing, their uniforms buried underneath layers and layers. At the schoolhouse, the desks had been pushed against the walls, leaving a large open space in the center.
The students mulled around the space, talking and joking like they were at a dance before the music had begun. Fortst cleared his throat loudly to get everyone’s attention.
“Team captains will now make their selections for the Team Trial. There will be three teams, each with five members. Will the three captains please come forward?”
Mira took a step forward and then checked herself.
“Oh wait, I forgot I’m not a captain.”
Roselyn, Vern, and Aoi came to the front. They stood alongside Fortst and surveyed the remaining students.
“Roselyn will make the first selection, followed by Vern and then Aoi, and then they each will pick again. Whenever you’re ready, Roselyn.”
“Hmm.” She cogitated with one hand on her chin and the other on her hip. “This is difficult. I could really pick anyone. I guess I’ll have to go with…Mary!”
Mary’s face lit up and she pushed her way through the crowd. While Roselyn and Mary celebrated, Aoi scoffed and rolled her eyes.
“Ok, number one,” Vern began. “I’m choosing Dot.” Dot came forward, exchanged an understanding glance with Vern, taking her place behind him. Now that her turn had come, Aoi agonized over her decision. The gears turned painfully in her mind as she crunched and calculated. Some of the other students started to complain that she took too long.
“Alright, alright. Relax! I’ll take Rowland, his molding is just too useful.”
“First round pick, I’ll take it,” Rowland said as he crossed over to those who had been chosen. He motioned to give his captain a high five, but then perceived long-term consequences and decided against it.
After a lot of intense whispering, Roselyn broke from her huddle with Mary to announce her next pick. “We want Will!” Vern stomped his foot and clenched his fist, obviously displeased. Composing himself, he turned to those left in the crowd.
“Let’s get someone on board who can go the distance. I need you,” he said, extending a finger to the thin, red-haired boy. Kurt slipped between those standing in front of him and walked over to Vern and Dot. He did give his teammates high fives.
Aoi scanned the remaining lot and fidgeted. She saw only two options: Jeremy and Mira. This was the decision that would make or break her team, and she strained herself trying to see the answer. Jeremy could be useful in any number of situations, making it foolish for her not to pick him. But if Mira were so crucial to Vern’s formula then the benefit of disrupting that would be immense. Still, he hadn’t picked her through two whole rounds. Maybe he thought no one would want her and he could save her for the later rounds. She did come in last in the Tournament Trial after all.
Her mind went in circles, round and round, while the others waited anxiously. Finally feeling like it would be inappropriate to stall any longer, Aoi opened her mouth, still unsure of her pick.
“Ok, I am going to choose…Mira!” A ripple of surprise shook the other students who turned to look with renewed interest.
“Jeremy!” Roselyn shouted before Mira had even taken a step toward her team.
“You had better be worth it,” Aoi growled at Mira, already regretting her decision. Mira sheepishly took her place behind Rowland.
“I guess that means it’s my turn again,” Vern began. “I’d be a fool not to pick Dennis in the middle of the winter. Come on over here!”
After watching Vern’s enthusiasm, Aoi felt particularly bitter over how the situation had changed during the last round. This would be her last actual pick. The most undesirable one would be forced upon her. But a profound apathy took hold of her as she looked over the remaining pieces of meat. She concluded it didn’t much matter who she got stuck with.
“Mucky Chucky,” she sighed with disgust. The two other captains echoed her sentiment about the quality of the remaining players in their brevity, but they kept any noticeable signs of revulsion to themselves.
“Gerald,” Roselyn called.
“Sophie,” Vern said.
Andrew, the last one remaining, exchanged an awkward glance with Aoi and then shuffled over to join her team.
“That does it,” Fortst shouted. “We have our three teams. With Roselyn, Mary, Will, Jeremy, and Gerald. With Vern, Dot, Kurt, Dennis, and Sophie. And with Aoi, Rowland, Mira, Chucky, and Andrew. You have the rest of the day to prepare yourselves in whatever way you see fit, and we’ll meet bright and early tomorrow morning in the courtyard of Corey Outpost. Now if you’ll excuse me, I don’t believe it’s too early to go find myself a drink.”
The exciting news that tomorrow’s event would take place at Corey Outpost passed through everyone’s lips as soon as Fortst made his exit. The three groups separated so they could form a strategy. Vern’s group left the schoolhouse, presumably to visit the site. The two remaining groups positioned desks in opposing corners and began their meetings.
Aoi lined her team up against the wall. She looked them over and drew from their faces a suffocating disappointment. Of her five-person team, three members were dead weight. She put her hand to her face, spending half of her brain-energy on formulating a strategy and the other half wondering how it had turned out this badly.
“Rowland, can you make sure you have some material nearby that you can work with tomorrow?” she asked.
“Sure thing. I’ll be able to make something no matter what we’re doing,” he said. Aoi didn’t respond. Her thoughts consumed her. Turning her head away, she looked over at the group on the other side of the schoolhouse. Roselyn sat with her team in a close huddle. They laughed and joked lightheartedly. Was it really possible they were able to have so much fun? Andrew’s sudden voice tore her back to her own group.
“What should the rest of us do?”
“Anything you can,” Aoi said out of cold honest truth.
The group spent some time in silence. For Aoi, there didn’t seem to be any air in the world. They discussed a few more minor points, but the only thing they reached an understanding on was that no matter what they were doing, Aoi planned to do it herself. The rest were supposed to do what she said without getting in her way.
After a while, they heard the sounds of Makara dice coming from Roselyn’s group and decided that everything that needed to be discussed had been. They got up to leave, agreeing to get together early before the start to report any new ideas.
***
Mira waved goodbye to her teammates when they reached the big marble boulder, which seemed half as tall because of the snow. She watched them as they continued on to the outpost to buy candy, and she couldn’t help but share in Aoi’s disappointment. Her own aspirations were wrapped up with the fate of this team now too.
As soon as she made her peace with the likelihood that things would not turn out well, she turned
to take the path home, but a whispering voice came to her after only a few steps. Turning, she saw the man in the metal, Yannick, from a burrow in the snow on the side of the boulder facing the forest. She leaned to the side and came closer, slowly revealing more of his figure, which had been so close by but completely undetected.
“I’ve got something for you. Do you have something for me?” he beckoned. He reached into his jacket with one hand and removed a thin metal disc about as wide as an orange. Mira immediately knew what it was and her eyes grew large. But she had not forgotten the words of her parents, and so she kept a cautious distance and a wary vigilance.
“Where did you get it?” she asked, looking into his shaded eyes.
“It required some traveling, but I managed to get it,” he said.
“That’s not what I asked,” Mira snapped. “Did you steal it? Are you a thief?”
Unexpectedly, Yannick began chuckling. He looked over Mira, through her, and shook his head in amusement.
“No one takes the time to understand my business. They don’t care to look past the surface. Yes, I did steal this. I don’t always have to steal my goods, but this one I did. You still have the choice of whether or not you want to trade, but there is one more option too. Do you want to know more?”
Mira felt torn between her need for the neodymium magnet and the repulsive nature through which it had been brought to her. Anxious to delay the decision, she let Yannick go on.
“That’s good,” he said. “You might just avoid doing something foolish if you listen carefully. I can tell you right now there aren’t too many of these things around. And the shape and size make this especially rare. But I got one in my sights right away, and so I set out tracking it. It took me up north of Darmen, in the high mountains where people don’t rarely venture. I expected it to be lying on the ground, but instead this strange old man had it in his secret hideout.
“It didn’t take me long to realize what he was doing, experiments on people of an unnatural and sickening nature. Get this, your little piece here was in the machine he was using on ‘em. The stealing was easy enough, just waited till he fell asleep and then cut the machine open and took it out. Came back here in a snap.
