984 (Complex Series, #2)

Chapter Twenty-One

\I shake the thoughts out of my head. Charlotte appears in the doorway with the herd of kids. Kali asks, "What took you so long? It's been at least twenty minutes?"

Charlotte shakes her head, "Logan somehow managed to get himself locked in the stall, Katherine ran away, and Jennifer and Jason got into a little...heated discussion."

 Kali grins, "Was there any blood?"

"Thankfully, no. I probably would have offie fainted if there had been."

The kids move to their seats. Kali fills them in on their assignment to draw what they think the outside world looks like. 

After the kids have quieted down, for the most part, Kali asks me, "Are you interested in being a Teacher?"

I shrug, "The only other Pros I've seen is the Fields and a little of the Techs. Teachers seems better than that, honestly."

Kali says, "Anything seems better to me than the Fields."

Charlotte nods, "I can't imagine doing back-breaking work all offie day. But, I guess, it appeals to the people who enjoy being active."

"Can you deal with little kids? You have to be really patient. Here, Lily, come here."

The girl who must be Lily, slides off her chair and comes to Kali, "Yes, Kali?"

"Can you talk to Piper for a second?" Kali answers.

The girl tilts her head, "What about?"

 Kali shrugs, "Tell her about...you're favorite thing to do."

My palms sweat. I've never talked to kids younger than me. What should I even say? 

Lily faces me, "My favorite thing to do is see the other Pros. I wanna be a Techie some day, when I get big like you. Then I can play with holograms all day!"

"That sounds cool.” I smile at her, hoping it's the right thing to do.

Lily smiles shyly back, "I also like to draw on the holograms. I'm a good drawer-er-er. You wanna see some of the things I've drawed?"

"Sure," I follow her back to her desk. I look back at Kali and she nods encouragingly. 

Lily leads me to her seat. Other kids watch me as I pass. I smile and wave at each one. Their reactions are adorable. Some wave excitedly back while others just smile timidly. 

Lily points to the hologram above her desk, "This is my drawing of Kali. Do you like it?"

There is a head with a yellowish-brownish hair. The body, feet, and arms are straight, blue lines. 

Lily is looking at me, her mouth curled slightly in expectation. I gush, "Oh, that's amazing. You drew that by yourself?"

Lily's head bobs up and down, "Yeah, I wanna have a Pros where I draw all day long, but Kali says there isn't.  I'm gonna keep drawing, even when I get old."

The little girl sitting next to Lily speaks up, "Do you wanna see my picture? I drawed you!"

My eyes find Kali. She and Charlotte are talking animatedly, but they are both watching me.  I send Kali a questioning look. She nods, and continues speaking to Charlotte. It looks serious, Kali is practically glaring at the floor. I focus my attention back on the girl sitting next to Lily. 

She's pointing at her hologram. There's a picture similar to Lily's, a head atop a stick figure. But, this person has blond hair like mine up in a pony tail. I smile and once again praise her work. She beams at me.