Reign Storm

Court Gesture

Erin had not slept most of the night. Her mind was too busy making up possible scenarios. Gabe let her have the sleeping mat and he rolled up in two of the blankets on the other side of the room. It didn’t really seem that he had slept that well either, tossing and turning as much as he had, but if he wasn’t going to bring it up she certainly wasn’t going to. Having no idea what time of day it was or how ling they had been down there made for a really long night when the door opened it was a great relief.

            The two people from the previous night came. The woman glowed. Literally. Her skin glowed like from some over the top magazine add for moisturizer. She stayed by the door while the man came forward. “Come on you two, time for breakfast.”

            Gabe and Erin looked at each other. There wasn’t much to do about the situation at the moment.

Gabe got up first. “Great,” he rubbed his hands together. “I’m starving.” He crossed the room and helped Erin up.

            They were escorted between the two people, the luminescent woman up front and the man behind them. It seemed clear to Gabe that they must all have gifts too. He hadn’t seen a normal human since he was converted. As they moved through the building they passed rooms with people in them. There was a group cheering on two playing ping- pong. It reminded Gabe of a hostel. People playing cards, reading on couches, having quiet conversations at tables.

            As they passed through the halls the smell of bacon grew stronger. The general feeling was like that of family. There was no trauma. Just people together, enjoying what ever activity it was they were doing. They were brought into a room that had several long tables and benches to sit at. Each table had it’s own set of salt and pepper and various sizes of other kinds of sauces. There was a couch and some armchairs that faced the fireplace that was in the room but they were faced away from the tables. Coming into the room you could see now the source of the smell. A kitchen off to the side was bustling with people as they attended to the frying of meat and boiling of water.

            Erin grabbed Gabe’s arm. Her expression was a mix of wonder and confusion. At least that’s how he interpreted it; it’s how he felt at least. There was no desperation hanging over their heads. No huddling and platitudes of hope. It felt like summer camp to him. Except for the very tangible sensations of Erin’s grip on his arm, the smell of fresh cooked food, and the brightness of the sun coming through the windows in the kitchen he thought he might be dreaming the whole thing because if he was dreaming he would be really mad at himself for being so very complete in its delusion.

            There were people eating at some of the tables. All of them looked at the two comers as they were taken to an empty table set with plates, cups, and forks. The luminescent woman no longer glowed but stood aside and showed them the table. “Sit where you like.” She smiled. The other man that had been escorting them still had not said anything but watched as they took their seats and then stood at attention to one side of the table.

            Erin took a spot by a window and sat with her back to the table to look out of it. Gabe sat next to her watching the room. It was uncomfortable as people were opening looking at them and talking to each other. He was sure that if he had enhanced hearing that he would hear them talking about the Americans that have just arrived. He wasn’t entirely sure what the big deal was, he didn’t tell them anything directly. If they had a mind reader he wouldn’t have to.

            Erin leaned on the windowsill completely oblivious to what was happening behind her. Looking out the window she could now see that they were on the second floor. The street below was empty still, like it had been the day before but from the above vantage point it was that much more clear that they were maintained. She could see more of the buildings too and some rooftops. They were in the middle of rebuilding; there were scaffolds and tools left out around some building. She looked to the sky. The sun was trying to break through the cloud layer, even in its weakened condition it still cast shadows. The clods churned and rolled over one another, the wind blowing them along. She sighed. Her breath clouded the glass close to her face, drawing a happy face in it she felt the chill of the glass. What month was it? She had no concept of time now.