Fu Tu re

1: We begin at dusk

A bike barreled down in front of Forti, halting all thought. Pedestrians sent glares after the cyclist for speeding at a red light. The other riders on bicycles, scooters, boards, skates, and blades who waited patiently did the same. Forti was stunned, and her eyes trailed instinctively after the retreating figure, but then she moved on. She had to immerse herself into her role.

Every single bird will be within an inch of their lives. There will be dead birds everywhere. The deer doves are pests! They're trying to kill our birds!

She smiled, humored by the idea. Maybe they did come from world 3. They should go back to where they came from, not causing a mess here and making all the animals strange.

Forti turned around a corner and entered an eerily empty street, but it was an old, stone church that wiped her delight clean.

The headquarters for the Solpolis chapter of Sempirege boldly stood at a pitiful height, tucked between a doorway into a drive-in tower and an old, retro hair salon that occupied the lowest and cheapest floor of another drive-in tower. It was like a stump between trees, looking the worst on its quiet, lonely street. Medieval. Abandoned. Unlike the glorious basilicas and cathedrals that dotted Solpolis. To complete it, the eight-pointed star cross of Pahth was perched at its peak.

In their pockets, Forti's hands balled into fists. Steeling herself to approach her destination, she pulled the strap of her messenger bag from her shoulder over her head so it crossed her torso. She checked that its flap was closed, fingers flitting over its two magnetic buttons. When she glanced down, her heart thumped through her chest.

Glass doors slid automatically open, and warm air rushed out to greet Forti. She enjoyed how it ruffled her hair and seeped into her clothes.

At the white prism counter positioned in the bare lobby, deeper within the space than it should be, sat a smiling human boy who looked about the same age as her. His cheeks pushed his eyes into black slits and his hair was combed and gelled neatly. She walked in front of him, put on a neutral smile, and he spoke in a friendly tenor.

"Hello, welcome to Sempirege. How may I help you?"

"Hi, I'm here to meet Rula Bargel." She replied in a matching, bright tone.

His cheeks dropped momentarily and Forti saw the slight dark of his eyes, but they disappeared as quickly.

"Do you have an appointment with Mir. Bargel? What is your name?"

"I don't have an appointment, but I'm interested in joining Sempirege."

The boy's eyes seemed to squint into thinner lines from his growing smile.

"That's wonderful! You don't need Mir. Bargel to sign up. Here. This is our form, you just need to tap your phone and that's it! Easy." He pulled out from underneath the desk a tablet, and after a password and a tap of an app, he slid it to Forti.

"We're actually having a congregation today. Once you're finished, you can join us in the main hall."

Forti looked down at the blinking request to tap a phone or valid ID card.

"Do you have a form I could write or type instead? I didn't bring my phone."

The boy was unmoving, but Forti's gaze was equally unwavering. Slowly, he pulled the tablet back to himself, tapped the screen a couple times, and handed it back, a smile fixed on his face the entire time.

Forti filled in as much as she wanted, and when she handed it back, the boy, still grinning, looked at the many blank boxes. She didn't even fill out a last name. No address, no contact information, but Forti saw his line of sight linger in the School or Work section. Of course it would. She goes to Valor Academy.