by Dayton Grey
A very pretty girl with fair skin and long, straight, black hair stopped talking to the cute girl next to her and leaned forward to read the message as it beeped onto her projection. With a giggle, she pointed at it to the girl next to her and they both turned back to look at Sabien and giggled again. He smiled and raised his eyebrows a couple times and typed off another quick message: Meet my brother, Geon. He’s still beta.
Geon smiled nervously not knowing what to do as the girls noticed him for the first time and whispered to each other and giggled again. Sabien put his arm around Geon and stared back at the girls, smiling and raising his eyebrows a few more times. Geon silently wished for the encounter to end quickly, but at the same time was strangely excited by Sabien’s brashness.
“That’s Bonsi and the cute girl on her left is Vaya. Bonsi is part Japanese and Central American. Vaya is Indian and French. She has an identical twin, too, her name is Vilu. Pretty much just as cute,” he said with a sarcastic wink. “Wait, maybe that is Vilu, I dunno.”
Geon laughed as the other students in the class typed off quick messages to each other and chatted quietly before the class began.
“Okay, CLASS LET’S SYNC.”
Geon looked down at the thin, handsome man sitting at a small table in the corner of the room. He slowly stood up and walked to the front middle of the room. He had a slight Central African accent and spoke with a confident tone. The class went instantly quiet. He was dark-skinned with sharp, pointed facial features and a thinly cropped head of coarse and curly dark hair. With a touch of a button on his LifeCuff, the center and right side of the board on the front wall behind him lit up with assignment information on one side and a freeform blank section in the middle, with the class name, professor’s name, and subjects of the day’s topics.
He walked over to the clear board and tapped a button signaling the commencement of class. On the left side of the board with all of the student’s names, Professor Tinashe clicked a button notifying the guardians of an absent student, and then turned to face the class. He wore a solemn expression on his face and moved and spoke with great deliberation. With his head down and hands crossed behind his back, he walked to the center of the room and said simply: “Watch the destruction.”
With a click of his cuff, the room went black and all four walls around the students lit up in a video of the sky, with a burst of light and a thunderous crack of lightning.
Dark rolling clouds flew around them as the booming sound of thunder shook the entire room and echoed from wall to wall. The sound of the booms reverberated from different corners of the room. The blinding flash of lightning scorched the surface of the screens and a few girls squealed in fear while others muttered “Wow!” and “Look at that!” in amazement.
Soon after began the soft click, clack, click, clack of hailstones, on the streets, buildings, and every susceptible surface around them. It grew louder and louder as the white crystals grew larger and larger and soon the deafening sounds of CLACK, CLACK, BOOM, BOOM, CLACK, CLACK, BOOM were echoing around them. The falling rocks began to pierce the glass of the buildings, homes, and PMVs in the city streets. People took for cover and those that couldn’t make it indoors were trapped under anything they could find.
Geon’s eyes were wide open and unblinking and he held his breath in shock and fear while witnessing the terrifying ordeal around him. It reminded him of when they ran from the flood, and the panic and awe that he felt that day.
The voice of a young girl yelled, “Mommy! Daddy! Please help! Over here, Daddy!”
A small girl was trapped lying face down in the street, nestled up next to a PMV. Giant hailstones crashed within inches of her, and shattered glass from the PMV was scattered around and on her body. She shrieked in horror while her parents sat curled up in the doorway of a restaurant across the street.
A man’s voice yelled out to her, “Keep calm, honey! I’ll be right there! Keep your head down! Protect your head!”
With that he looked to the sky, grabbed an umbrella like object from the restaurant and made a dash for it. The object seemed to have a hard coating on it, but it was still bending and flexing as each object made impact with it. He ran toward the PMV, dodging stone after stone and nearly having the umbrella-device ripped out of his hands with the force of the hits, finally reaching the girl. She jumped into his arms and held tightly as he tucked her head under his own to protect her and ran back to safety.
The screens faded to black and the sounds of the storm grew fainter and fainter until they were gone. They slowly lit up again, this time showing the grim aftermath of the storm. Property, PMVs, and city structures everywhere were destroyed. Metal and wood were gnarled and bruised and broken glass was scattered all over the ground. The wailing sounds and flashing lights of the EMVs could be heard all over the city, as they transported injured people quickly to the nearest medical clinics. People were crying, bleeding, and in grave pain. The earlier shrieks and cries of glee from the students were now silenced and only now the occasional sniff or sigh was heard in the classroom.
As the video faded out once again, the lights in the room turned on and the students sat up in their chairs again, some of them wiping their eyes. Geon was scared and saddened by what he saw and the reaction of the others in the room, and even though it was a video, it felt real, as if it just happened. In a way, for me, it did just happen.
Professor Tinashe reached down behind his desk and pulled out what appeared to be a large hailstone in a clear box and passed it to the first student in row one. It was nearly the size of a human head, jagged and white.
“It doesn’t seem so dangerous now, does it class? But when you consider the journey it has taken, from miles up in the sky, and the force and energy that is obtains during that journey, well, all of a sudden it becomes a weapon of immeasurable fear and destruction.”
Unbelievable. It’s like a cannonball falling from the sky.
“Okay, students. Let’s take a moment and talk about what you saw. How do you feel about this?”
A girl raised her hand in the front row and instantly her name at the front left board turned from red to green and popped up on each of their small desk screens as Angeline Toma.
“That was awful! I mean, I’ve seen small hailstorms, but nothing like that. I mean, it’s so sad. People probably died that day!”
“Yes, Miss Angeline. People certainly did die that day. Many people. This is something very important for you to all know. Proper planning equals better probability of survival. Say that over and over in your head. Does anyone know what I mean by that?”
Sabien raised his hand and spoke up. “I do, professor. What you mean is that we can’t necessarily predict the future. And we can’t necessarily prevent a storm like that or even guarantee survival. But with the right knowledge and tools, we can increase our chances of surviving and that’s all we can really do.”
Geon nodded in understanding and Professor Tinashe smiled. “That’s right, Mr. Sabien. That’s all we can do. But a seventy-five percent chance of survival is better than fifty percent. And fifty percent is better than twenty-five percent. And two percent is better than one percent. How so? Because the difference in that one percent might be life and death. So if you can increase your odds of survival by even one percent, would you choose to live, or choose to die? Do you all understand?” The class nodded in agreement. “Okay, then, now let’s talk about how to survive in a storm of this magnitude, and what you should do when it hits. Because whether you believe it or not, this will happen in your lifetimes. Maybe many times. And I want to make sure you all live long, happy lives, okay? Okay, good.”
He proceeded forward with the rest of the discussion and material for the subject and Geon found himself listening intently, learning more and more about the new world around him. Before he knew it, the sound of “ding-ding” came from the speakers, signaling the end of this class. As the students all began to get up from their seats, Professor Tinashe made one final statem
ent.
“This is the most important thing you will learn from me throughout this course. Remember, class, the world around us—Mother Nature—she has no emotion, no sympathy, no conscience, no restraint. When she strikes, it is with unrelenting and unbridled fury and power, her only goal is to achieve balance, no matter the cost. All we can do, as humans, is be prepared, and our only option, is react to her. Remember that, and it may one day save your lives.”
Those words rang in Geon’s ears and he felt suddenly short of breath as the memory of his parents and the destruction from that day flashed before his eyes.
He’s right. We must be prepared for anything.
Sabien nudged Geon from the back, knocking him back into reality.
“You okay, G? Look like you’re a little lost. It’s the first class and I know Tinashe can be a bit much. But, he’s one of the best. Let’s get moving, okay?”
Geon nodded and feigned a smile. As the two of them walked to their next class, Sabien’s LifeCuff lit up and a shaky live hologram of Kumuki popped up above it. The hologram showed only one half of Kumuki’s face as he was standing slightly out of the range of the camera.
Sabien and Geon laughed in unison as Sabien muttered to Geon “Kuki still hasn’t figured out this whole video thing. What’s up, Kuki?”
“Hey guys! Y’all ready for the next class? We’ll meet you in there!”
“Okay, Kuki, we’re on our way. Save our seats.” Sabien’s LifeCuff turned clear again and he laughed and shook his head.
The two walked through hallways teeming with other children and met with Allea and Kumuki outside their next class.
“Wait till you guys have your CE1 class today” said Sabien. “It’s really powerful stuff…”
“I heard about it.” Nodded Allea. “I just saw Jilma and she looked like she’d been crying!”
“Her and about ten others,” replied Sabien. “That class is going to be really interesting. I guess they figure we’re at an age where we can handle this kind of thing. And truth be told, it is important for us to know these things. You just never know…”
He and Allea looked over to Geon as he nodded in understanding. They turned and walked through the sliding door of their next classroom.
The rest of the day flew by as Geon attended his MechTech, NextTech, and Energy/Harness classes. All day he anxiously waited for afterschool activities. He didn’t know what JetSurf was, but the thought of some sport—any sport—excited him. He had a genuine appreciation of all things competitive and active and could barely contain his excitement to see what it was. He tried to pry more information about it from Sabien multiple times throughout the day, but only received infuriating shrugs for responses. It was only when we he was near his breaking point of anticipation that the last “ding” finally rang from their cuffs, signaling the end of the day.
Chapter 5
“You ready?”
Geon nodded and with an excited step, he and Sabien quickly headed out of the classroom building and toward the school exit. Kumuki was waiting there already, a broad smile on his face and anxiously squirming to get moving.
“Where’s Ally?” Geon inquired.
“She’s seconds behind us. She’s going to stay here to work in the lab for the competition. There she is!”
“Hey, guys!” Allea came bouncing up to the three of them and put her arm around Geon’s shoulders. “Sooooo, how was day one, brother? You probably learned so many things! Did you enjoy Professor Tinashe more or Professor Keiran? What about Professor Tran? He’s incredible! Did you enjoy NextTech better or MechTech? What about—”
“Allea! Let the boy answer!” Sabien interrupted. “G?”
“It was, well, different. It’s all a lot to process. But yeah, honestly, I loved it!”
The three smiled from ear to ear, seemingly pleased by Geon’s response.
“I mean, there’s so much we don’t know. So much we do know. And so much at our fingertips. I feel like, well, even one of us could help change the world, make it better for all of us!”
Allea nodded and smiled. “I feel that way too, G.”
“Of course, the food was gross, though. What else is new. But I was wondering, with technology so advanced since I last remember, why even have schools at all? I mean, why not just learn everything digitally, from home?”
“Good questions, G,” Allea answered. “For a while CARE did try that, but they realized that the learning wasn’t progressing in the way they wanted. They realized that while you can certainly impart knowledge digitally, there just is no replacement for human interaction. Knowledge without experience isn’t enough to prepare us for this world. You know?”
Geon understood and agreed. “Well, either way it was a good first day. But now I’m dying to find out about JetSurf so can we please get moving!”
“Okay, guys I’ll see you either at the waterways or back home. G, good luck and be safe. Sabe, keep him safe. Understood?”
“Aye, aye, captain Allea!” Sabien responded with a quick salute. “We’ll sync later.”
As Allea headed back to the lab in the school, the three of them began quickly walking with a group of other excited students. Geon noticed that almost every student appeared to be skinny and fit, with athletic builds. All except for one. He was a short, dark-skinned, round boy who was waddling just ahead and to the right of them. His thighs appeared to be rubbing against each other when we walked, so to compensate he had to walk with his toes pointed inward and swing his hips outward with each step. He had a large container with a red liquid in it and appeared to be slightly out of breath. Kumuki saw him as well and yelled out to him.
“Chiah! Come meet our new, um, old, um, I mean… our brother!
The boy turned to look at Geon and with a grimace, came hobbling toward them. He said nothing, but surveyed Geon from head to toe, sipping from his drink all the while.
“Geon, this is Chiah Armu! He’s got family from parts of Sri Lanka and parts of North Africa! Well, formerly Sri Lanka, of course. He does all the scoring for the JetSurf matches. Chiah, this is Geon Shay. He’s Allea’s brother and our ado-brother!”
Kumuki appeared to be more excited than usual as he gestured wildly between Chiah and Geon.
“Ado-brother?” Geon quietly said to Sabien.
Sabien smiled and quietly responded, “Adopted, G. Don’t worry. You’ll get all the terminology soon enough.”
Geon nodded and smiled at Chiah, attempting to back-five him. Chiah looked at his hand awkwardly and grunted, looking back forward again and slurping his drink. Geon turned and looked at Sabien inquisitively, wondering if his timing was off with his back-five attempt. Sabien responded with a wry smile, shaking his head from side to side, as if to say, “Don’t worry about it.”
As they walked, Chiah bumped into Geon a few times while swinging his round posterior from side to side.
“So, Geon.” He spoke in a deep mumbled voice with a heavy accent and ran the words together without much space between them, “Soyou… coolshoes.”
“Oh. Um, thanks,” Geon responded, confused by the random comment. “They’re the same as everyone else’s, of course.”
“YeadatswhatImeant,” Chiah hastily snapped back, sipping quickly from his drink and staring ahead of them. “Imeant… I like… allourshoes. Wehave… coolshoes.”
Geon politely nodded as Sabien stifled his laughter next to him. Kumuki nodded furiously in agreement while looking at everyone’s shoes.
As Chiah nudged Geon’s body a few more times, he attempted to make some more small talk while sipping his drink and breathing heavily. “So… yougonna… jointheteam… thisyear… JetSurf?”
Sabien jumped in before Geon could answer. “Not only is he going to join the team, he’s going to be my prodigy! I’m going to teach him everything I know. I know what you’re all thinking. To teach another human everything I know would take millenniums… eons even. But you gotta realize, I’m not just any other human. And that it’s me d
oing the teaching. Give me a week. That’s all I need.”
“Coolcool,” Chiah un-enthusiastically mumbled, focusing back on his drink. Kumuki and Geon both smiled, excited by the prospect.
“How much further is it?” Geon inquired to anyone who would answer. He noticed the pace of the thirty or so students had quickened.
“Moments, my boy. Moments.”
As they all followed the group of students around the corner of a building, a large level section of wetlands came into view. It had a complex array of snaking waterways, all surrounded by dry land covered in dry, dead growth. Adjacent to the waterways on one side was a tiered level of bench seating, and on the other side was a large, horizontal E-pillar, with a hologram projection of the students on the team. There was also a prefab near the edge of the water, which looked similar to their home, but smaller. Some of the students entered the structure, with boys on one side and girls on the other. The remaining students filed into the benches. As they got closer, Geon noticed unusual shapes in the water. Some looked like curved ramps, others looked like bars and hoops, and others looked like semi-circular spheres. He could hardly contain his excitement as he nudged Sabien and smiled.
“Kuki, Chiah, we’ll see you after. Enjoy the show!” Sabien said as he grabbed Geon and headed toward the prefab. “Listen here, G. The coach is notorious for being difficult. He barely likes me, even though I’m one of the greatest of all time, and he’s certainly not going to like the idea of letting you try out for the team, three weeks after we’ve already started practice. But leave that up to me, okay? That’s him there,” he said while pointing to a small, slender man with a very large head, who appeared to be studying a hologram from his LifeCuff. “His name is Rin, Coach Rin Aquila.”
