Selection (Book 2 of P.O.E. chronicles)

Secret Origin of Tom Triole Part 8

The crowd of people that streamed past us were shouting, waving and shoving against each other, and yet they were doing so in an orderly chaos. They all seemed accustomed to the craziness and soon, we were smacked in the middle of them, too.

I made sure I was behind Abigail and when she reached her hand out towards mine without looking back, I hesitated. I knew she did it because she didn't want to loose the people behind her. I peered forward and saw that it was Natalie in front of her. Good.

Tentatively, I reached out and grabbed her hand. She turned around when I finally did and I looked away from her, afraid that I would blush again.

Hyper aware of our intertwined hand, I looked around me to distract myself. The city was a mash of stone and concrete, and some structures were clearly older than the Citybase itself. The grey cobbled stone paths, the exposed waterways as well as some of the building design were uneconomic for a high-density living quarters. I could make out some skyscrapers in the distance, which meant the city had an old and new quarter.

We were walking deeper and deeper in the old quarter and soon, we were led to a small alleyway and into one of the oldest house I had ever seen.

The air was cooler inside and the lack of lighting meant we could barely see. Abigail's hand tightened around mine and I froze. What should I do?

I squeezed her hand back and she didn't respond. That was the right thing to do, right?

Trevor turned the lights on and a girl appeared. She practically sprinted into his arms and everyone laughed. It was amusing to see Trevor flustered.

"We've found the kids, Is Nirmal here?" Trevor asked. Who was Nirmal? Was she the one looking for Abigail? He said kids, were they looking for us, too?

"She just got back from the north; I will inform her right away," the girl who jumped on him said and exited back the way she came. Before I could ask any questions, Fred spoke.

"Nirmal? Nirmal Ganesh?" Fred asked. I could see his face that he knew something. Ganesh, why did that ring a bell?

"You mean Ganesh, as in Yasim Ganesh?" Nate cried. That's it! The surname of an Original. Nate actually remembered before me, I needed to get my brain checked.

"Yes," Trevor answered and then had a good look at Fred. Something passed between them and I squinted at the duo. Fred was hiding something.

"You are not supposed to know this much. Nonetheless, the situation isn't normal and Nirmal will explain everything," Trevor said just as the girl that jumped on him reentered.

"Hi! Follow me please!" she practically exclaimed the words. Out of the corners of my eyes, I saw Natalie nudging Abigail before she followed the girl.

The corridor we entered was dark and narrowed to the point where it only fit one person at a time. We were led through dozens of turns and it was clear that they designed this place to be confusing and easy to defend.

"Nirmal, they're here," Mei called out and moments later, we were summoned into a spacious office. Behind a wooden desk sat a young woman who looked to be about five to ten years older than us with the colouring of those who came from the India Citybases.

"You must be Abigail," she exclaimed at Abigail and walked over to shake her hand. Hwy did they keep singling her out?

"I'm glad you have all been found. I'm setting off soon and I would hate it if I missed you." Nirmal said. So people were looking for all of us, but why?

"Thanks..." Abigail responded slowly. It was clear that she wasn't sure what to say, either. Nirmal seemed to be aware of our state f mind since she told us to have a sit.