02-20-2020, 11:35 AM
19th February 2020
Anna Larson has been sick. It was just a bad cold, nothing major, but it meant she’d taken a few days off school and, inconveniently, left the spare phone she used for communications with the Matriarchy in her locker. She’d taken to carrying it with her to school since the warning in November that hunts for Auroras may be taking place. She’d become concerned, thinking school was a good place to corner her since she’d be unwilling to risk the lives of children - not that she was an adult herself. The 17-year-old had only spent a few years in Eiria and had no strong ties to the place.
On Wednesday, when she returned to school after two days off, she checked the messages during the morning break and her eyes went wide. Withdrawal, so soon? She was thrilled. Since starting at Leighton High School, she’d watched the other teenagers make plans for their future, make their own choices. Many of them, including her friends, had been extremely excited to see what would come in their adult lives, and Anna had always felt a little sad that her fate seemed to already be written. But now she had a chance to forge her own path.
She went outside at lunchtime, and called the number for the Aurora support line, as instructed to do if she needed assistance in returning to Kerlile.
“Good morning, please state your identification number,” came the voice on the other end of the line, though a yawn could be detected. It was much earlier in Kerlile than Eiria.
“24556987,” Anna replied, and waited for the person on the line to confirm her identity.
“Miss Larson, hello,” said the voice calmly. “May I ask if you are in any immediate danger?”
“No, I’m calling to ask for assistance in getting home. I don’t believe I’m at any particular risk, but as a minor I may have difficulty travelling alone.”
“Understandable, yes,” the voice on the other end said. “We can look for someone to accompany you, how quickly would you like to leave?”
“As soon as possible,” Anna said, checking nobody was nearby. “I kind of hate my part-time job here, and I’d prefer it if I wasn’t here by the weekend!” she added in a low voice.
“Janitor at the Leighton Hydroelectric Plant? Doesn’t sound particularly fun, yes,” laughed the person back in Kerlile, which made Anna relax a little. When she was growing up, some of the employees at the Aurora Centre were horrible, others were kind and fun to be around. She was pleased this was one from the latter category.
“Can I go to the embassy perhaps? Or maybe make my way to Xiomera, there’s a lot of flights from there,” suggested Anna.
“You would be safe if you reached Xiomera, we have an arrangement with them. I’d caution you against going to the embassy, it may increase any suspicions. I’m just checking if we have any agents in the vicinity we can send to you immediately… yeah, we’ve a couple people in Xiomera we can send over. We can have you on a flight tomorrow.”
“Thank you!” Anna beamed. “I’m looking forward to coming home, the people here are so annoying. Naive, and the people in school talk about the most boring topics. I look forward to actually being able to have an intelligent conversation.”
“I’m sure,” chuckled the voice. “You should continue as is for the time being. Good luck, Anna, and we’ll see you soon.”
*
Li Fengchao had received her message on Sunday, but it took her until Wednesday to make the arrangements. She had a busy time in her position, as secretary to the Chief of Staff of the Rén Self-Defence League, and given she was dating her boss, she didn’t want to run out without any notice. It would have just been rude, and the relationship wasn’t entirely just to further her influence. It was also quite good fun.
It didn’t occur to her, at any point, however to disobey the order. She was very disciplined, and she knew that if Kerlile wanted her back they had a good reason to ask. It also meant she’d never have to meet with certain politicians again, Hsieh Pai-han among them. She wasn’t particularly keen on the Laeral Unbowed! leader. He did not seem like one who would be friendly to the Matriarchy.
She packed light when she left, not having much which she felt the need to take back to Kerlile. She didn’t know what her future held, and she hadn’t disliked her life in Laeral, but she was open to seeing what would come next. It was raining at the airport, not particularly strongly, but enough that she wished she’d bothered to bring her rain jacket. She pulled up the collar of her coat as she hurried inside and checked in. She would change planes in Lauchenoiria, to reduce suspicion. Direct flights to Kerlile usually had an overt purpose.
Fengchao watched the clouds as she flew west. She’d been planning to read, and had a novel on her lap, but she couldn’t focus on the words. She felt slightly melancholy, but she wasn’t sure why. It couldn’t be the order, she hadn’t been overly attached to Laeral, but it was something. Perhaps the uncertainty of the future, and perhaps that she knew this was the end of the Aurora Programme. They hadn’t said so, but she felt it. It was obvious, clear, that things in Kerlile were changing beyond recognition. What place had she in this new order?
She sighed, and lay back in her seat, closing her eyes. Her life had been meticulously structured since the age of three, she was unused to uncertainty and unplanned change. They had been taught to adapt, to embrace change smoothly and without complaint, but it was a skill Fengchao had rarely had to put into practice. She shivered slightly, finding the plane too cold and the circumstances too upsetting. The world was changing around her, and she was going to have to adapt in a way she never expected. She was still young, at 27, she would cope - but she was unsure how.
Anna Larson has been sick. It was just a bad cold, nothing major, but it meant she’d taken a few days off school and, inconveniently, left the spare phone she used for communications with the Matriarchy in her locker. She’d taken to carrying it with her to school since the warning in November that hunts for Auroras may be taking place. She’d become concerned, thinking school was a good place to corner her since she’d be unwilling to risk the lives of children - not that she was an adult herself. The 17-year-old had only spent a few years in Eiria and had no strong ties to the place.
On Wednesday, when she returned to school after two days off, she checked the messages during the morning break and her eyes went wide. Withdrawal, so soon? She was thrilled. Since starting at Leighton High School, she’d watched the other teenagers make plans for their future, make their own choices. Many of them, including her friends, had been extremely excited to see what would come in their adult lives, and Anna had always felt a little sad that her fate seemed to already be written. But now she had a chance to forge her own path.
She went outside at lunchtime, and called the number for the Aurora support line, as instructed to do if she needed assistance in returning to Kerlile.
“Good morning, please state your identification number,” came the voice on the other end of the line, though a yawn could be detected. It was much earlier in Kerlile than Eiria.
“24556987,” Anna replied, and waited for the person on the line to confirm her identity.
“Miss Larson, hello,” said the voice calmly. “May I ask if you are in any immediate danger?”
“No, I’m calling to ask for assistance in getting home. I don’t believe I’m at any particular risk, but as a minor I may have difficulty travelling alone.”
“Understandable, yes,” the voice on the other end said. “We can look for someone to accompany you, how quickly would you like to leave?”
“As soon as possible,” Anna said, checking nobody was nearby. “I kind of hate my part-time job here, and I’d prefer it if I wasn’t here by the weekend!” she added in a low voice.
“Janitor at the Leighton Hydroelectric Plant? Doesn’t sound particularly fun, yes,” laughed the person back in Kerlile, which made Anna relax a little. When she was growing up, some of the employees at the Aurora Centre were horrible, others were kind and fun to be around. She was pleased this was one from the latter category.
“Can I go to the embassy perhaps? Or maybe make my way to Xiomera, there’s a lot of flights from there,” suggested Anna.
“You would be safe if you reached Xiomera, we have an arrangement with them. I’d caution you against going to the embassy, it may increase any suspicions. I’m just checking if we have any agents in the vicinity we can send to you immediately… yeah, we’ve a couple people in Xiomera we can send over. We can have you on a flight tomorrow.”
“Thank you!” Anna beamed. “I’m looking forward to coming home, the people here are so annoying. Naive, and the people in school talk about the most boring topics. I look forward to actually being able to have an intelligent conversation.”
“I’m sure,” chuckled the voice. “You should continue as is for the time being. Good luck, Anna, and we’ll see you soon.”
*
Li Fengchao had received her message on Sunday, but it took her until Wednesday to make the arrangements. She had a busy time in her position, as secretary to the Chief of Staff of the Rén Self-Defence League, and given she was dating her boss, she didn’t want to run out without any notice. It would have just been rude, and the relationship wasn’t entirely just to further her influence. It was also quite good fun.
It didn’t occur to her, at any point, however to disobey the order. She was very disciplined, and she knew that if Kerlile wanted her back they had a good reason to ask. It also meant she’d never have to meet with certain politicians again, Hsieh Pai-han among them. She wasn’t particularly keen on the Laeral Unbowed! leader. He did not seem like one who would be friendly to the Matriarchy.
She packed light when she left, not having much which she felt the need to take back to Kerlile. She didn’t know what her future held, and she hadn’t disliked her life in Laeral, but she was open to seeing what would come next. It was raining at the airport, not particularly strongly, but enough that she wished she’d bothered to bring her rain jacket. She pulled up the collar of her coat as she hurried inside and checked in. She would change planes in Lauchenoiria, to reduce suspicion. Direct flights to Kerlile usually had an overt purpose.
Fengchao watched the clouds as she flew west. She’d been planning to read, and had a novel on her lap, but she couldn’t focus on the words. She felt slightly melancholy, but she wasn’t sure why. It couldn’t be the order, she hadn’t been overly attached to Laeral, but it was something. Perhaps the uncertainty of the future, and perhaps that she knew this was the end of the Aurora Programme. They hadn’t said so, but she felt it. It was obvious, clear, that things in Kerlile were changing beyond recognition. What place had she in this new order?
She sighed, and lay back in her seat, closing her eyes. Her life had been meticulously structured since the age of three, she was unused to uncertainty and unplanned change. They had been taught to adapt, to embrace change smoothly and without complaint, but it was a skill Fengchao had rarely had to put into practice. She shivered slightly, finding the plane too cold and the circumstances too upsetting. The world was changing around her, and she was going to have to adapt in a way she never expected. She was still young, at 27, she would cope - but she was unsure how.
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