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Chapter 2- Aiern

I'm updating this for a sci-fi writing contest and have not found a good song for the theme song yet.
Also, yes the art is mine. :)
Edit: found something, might change it though. This is just what I had stuck in my head while I was writing....

Chapter 2- Aiern
(Theme song: the highway man by loreena mckennitt)
It was Wednesday, the 23 of June. Nathan's mother had managed to find a job, and so he was no longer allowed to accept any food Shane managed to scrounge up for them. Which was definitely a good thing because Shane was having trouble finding any food at all. The baker had gone ahead and hired someone, because the story had gone around that some dirty homeless guy was working for him and it had put a stain on his shop's good name. He didn't dare beg anywhere with a lot of people because that was how the few homeless people who did get caught got caught, and honestly he sometimes felt like he would rather starve to death than beg money from strangers; but of course he usually changed his mind about that when he was actually starving to death, also when Anna went. He couldn't stand her to go alone, the other kids were old enough that they hated it as much as him, and she would insist upon it.
"but Anna-"
"shhaannne!! I'm huuunnnggrryyyyyyyy!! ...you don't HAVE to come with me."
"Oh nonsense, of course I'm coming with you! It's a big city, you could get lost! And besides, Im hungry too. But you know, couldn't we... aaaa... Oh fine." He stopped trying to pull out his hair and found that one finger had gotten tangled in it. Anna giggled and yanked on his arm.
"OOOWWW! OW!OW!OW! HEY!"
She had made him literally yank out his own hair. It was still tangled around his finger too, " ow... That hurt. I bet I have a little bald spot there now. Anna-" He looked around for her. Little hands grabbed his sides from behind
"GAAAAHHHHHHH! NOOOOO!" He jumped so hard he banged up against the park sign, which they had been standing a bit away from due too the institute worker being there.
she was laughing so hard she couldn't even stand up anymore. He opened his mouth to laugh with her, but something stopped him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He turned around, but saw nothing except for the institute worker who was perched up on top of the sign post. He turned back to Anna- but wait... the worker! He whirled back around and caught him staring at them. His head quickly snapped back forward.
"What are you looking at?"
The head swung back around, his gaze was disconcerting, dead, haunted almost, but he was looking AT Shane, he didn't give a fig for those silly labels, what did they matter.
"You." he cleared his throat, "and her too. What are YOU staring at?"
Shane studied him. Unhealthily pale skin, untidy dirty blond hair, clean shaven, thin(though not the starving kind), and that black uniform coat that all the institute workers wore. The guy plucked at his sleeve distractedly, "So...? Are you staring at me, or vaguely off into the distance behind me?"
Shane balled up his fists, he wanted to scream at that man, ask him- no demand to know, to know what they'd done to his parents, where they were, if they were even alive. He doubted he knew. But never the less he felt that way about all the insitute workers.
"Hello?" the man raised an eyebrow, " I apologize for not dying from your intense glares, but that's not how things work."
"OH JUST SHUT UP! -sorry Anna, had to say it- JUST SHUT UP!! I'M NOT STUPID! IT'S NOT MY FAULT! OK! IF IT'S ANYONE'S FAULT IT'S YOURS!!"
"I get the distinct feeling that your mistaking me for someone else."
"I DON'T KNOW WHO THE- WHO ON EARTH- YOU ARE!! AND IN ALL HONESTY I DON'T CARE!"
"Thanks. No one does."
"BUT YOU ARE-" his sentence died, what had he just said? "wait... No one cares? Or no one knows who you are...?"
"Oh you caught that did you, I thought you were on a complete rampage." he tilted his head to the side like he was talking to a child, "and really I'm not the one to be directing your rampage at. In fact I'd join you if..." he stopped suddenly as if he had been about say something he hadn't meant too and his expression turned dark, "...I'm assuming the institute did something to you."
"None of your business."
"Fine. Ill find out. Glider 153: computer."
"What?"
"Ssshhh!"
The glider floated over to him, and he started typing on it.
"Ah! So those things are computers too."
"Yes. Of course." he didn't look up.
A vaguely awkward silence ensued. Anna trotted over so she could see better,
"You have good balance." she piped up.
The guy looked down at her, "hmm? And why would you think that?"
"You have been perched up on that sign post this entire time."
"And? Maybe I have to be here all day and get bored, so I figure out how to sit on things."
"That sounded kinda weird." Shane leaned down to Anna, "go on back to the playground for now, I'll be there in a bit."
"Did it?" said the other guy. He looked back down, "hmm, can't find you."
"Wait... Do you have records for EVERYONE!?"
"Apparently not." he whacked the side of his glider as if that would help.
"You don't even know my name."
"Picture recognition."
"You took a picture of me?"
"Yes. Does that bother you?"
"N-no. But-"
"What I can't understand is how you've managed to evade having yourself entered. Have you been living under a bridge for your entire life!?"
Shane debated saying 'yes' just to throw him off, but then the institute would know that he was homeless, and according to his hypothesis would get ride of him somehow.
"No. Of course not."
"You look like you have."
"Rude."
"Is it?"
"Yes."
"Mmm... In any case you never went to school."
"I could have been homeschooled."
"I think not since you say 'could have been'. If you really had you would have said so outright."
"Alright Sherlock."
"What?"
"Sherlock. You know, the classic, most people have to read it at school. Like 20 different TV shows made off of it."
" 'Most people have to read it at school' meaning you probably didn't. Did you watch the TV shows then?"
"No. ...And I just- have a friend who didn't have to. Why would you care?"
"I'm analyzing you. -NO IM NOT! Shut up aiern you idiot."
"My name's not aieran."
"No it's not ...it's my name."
"Kind of girly."
"It's pronounced 'ai-ern' not 'a-er-in' "
"Also... you talk to yourself." Shane leaned against the other sign post. He had figured out what aiern was doing. He was playing a game, what you might call 'a game of wits'. If Shane lost aiern would have figured out who he was and that he was homeless; if aiern lost then Shane would have proved himself smarter than him, also aiern wouldn't know he was homeless and would enter incorrect information into his entree on Shane.
"Off subject. Irrelevant." Aiern glanced away.
"Your lonely."
Aiern froze, "You're not so bad... you would do well in the psychological department."
Of course he knew what the phsycological department was, the institute was more technically known as "the institute of science, technology, and psychology". But why would he say he'd 'do well'? Was this guy -aiern- planning on kidnaping him or something?
Shane chucked out the questions, and tried to change the subject to something more familiar, "You're more talkative than usual."
"Than usual?" Aiern said thoughtfully.
"Yes. You're here every Wednesday. Neither you nor any of the other institute people ever talk much."
"That wasn't very smart to say."
"You don't like the institute either."
"Just because I don't LIKE he- it, doesn't mean I can ignore people watching us."
"I don't."
"Then you must come by here often. Almost every day... Every day... by a park." he glanced back at his gliders empty screen, then at Shane, running his eyes over him, not looking AT him this time, reading the labels, "You don't have a house, do you."
Shane took a step back, his eyes veiled, "That's ridiculous."
"Where is it then?"
"You're with the institute, why would I tell you."
"If you had a house, then you would be in my computer."
"You check people into your computer when they're at home... Or when they start going to school."
"Good. But don't change the subject."
" I'm not homeless." Shane's heart thumped in his chest, he was on the brink of disaster.
"Prove it." Aierns smile wasn't a smile, it was a wolf's grin as its prey is caught.
"Ok."
Aierns smile stayed plastered on his face for a moment then disappeared as Shane started walking away.
"Hey, wait!" he jumped onto his glider and flew over,"Your just stalling! I am right! I have to be right! You're clothes are old and torn, your shoes are highly used, your hair is a birds nest- you got your finger stuck in it for pity sakes! "
"Thank you. But I really don't need fashion tips from Mr. Hasn't-left-his-house-for-the-past-ten-years."
"The accuracy of that statement... well, never mind."
Shane ignored him and turned down the street that lead to the bakers house.
"Almost there."
"In my defense psychology isn't my department."
"What is?"
"Technology. Although it used to be experimentation..."
"Experimentation?"
"I mean science."
"What made you switch?"
"I didn't."
"Ok so you were switched. Why were you switched?"
Aiern went silent for awhile. Shane realized he must have hit on something.
Shane looked up at him, but Aiern looked away, "I don't know."
"That's a lie."
Aiern turned and looked him straight in the eye, "No it's not." he tugged on his sleeve.
"Mmm... Nope. You just don't want to tell me."
"You don't deserve to know."
"Owch"
"Good."
"What you like inflicting pain on people?"
"NO! NEVER! I AM NOT LIKE-" he stopped himself with difficulty and resumed in a calmer voice, "No. I am not. I hate people like that." He folded his hands behind his back.
'Sounds like a specific person' thought Shane, but he couldn't dwell on that now, "We're here." They stood in front of the bakers house.
"How do I know that this is your house?"
"I rent it along with this other guy, he's a baker or something, usually isn't home until 7 o'clock or so."
"So you'd have a key?"
"It's inside. I was only going to be gone for a few minutes."
"So you left it unlocked, and this baker is at work, so he wouldn't have locked it while you're gone."
"No... Unless he came back to get something. I doubt it though." Shane crossed his fingers and walked up the porch.
'Please be unlocked please be unlocked please be unlocked.' No one EVER left their door unlocked.
'Please be home taking a nap.' He reached out his hand and turned the door knob.
Locked.
He stood there not wanting to turn around and have to admit defeat. He joggled the door again... Nothing.
Just then a white car drove into the drive way. It was the baker. Shane wasn't sure if he was saved or in that much more trouble for trying to break into someone's house. He ran over to the car as the door opened.
"Please help me just one last time," he whispered furiously, "It's this institute guy, he thinks I'm homeless, please tell him I live here, please please please!!"
"Shane." The man frowned, "you nearly ruined my store's reputation."
"Oh so you do know each other at least," said aiern coming up behind them on his glider.
"Bah! He's bad enough to be homeless, so I can understand why ya' thought so. Pay his rent as well as mine half the time I do. Idiot." The baker pushed Shane's head away roughly and walk up his steps to unlocked the door.
"Ya... Sorry about that ...and thanks." Sorry for almost messing up your career, thanks for saving me again.
"No." Aiern said to the baker, "Your wrong."
The baker turned, "How so?"
"He's not an idiot." He turned his glider and flew away.
Shane let out his breath, and slumped against the car. So he'd been right, but he couldn't have done it with out the baker, "Thank you!"
"Ya ya whatever, don't like them institute people. Now get your dirty self off my clean car!"
"Sorry! Sorry! I'll really try not to bother you again."
"Better not!"
                             ***
A woman's scream, following the buzz of a glider across the sky.
Someone else was chosen today.

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