Planet: Eteran
First Insurgency War
JAMES
So, Rayan lives on the other side of town from me?
It wasn't a path he often took to the outskirts of Eastpoint. It was closer to school than anything else. He followed Rayan through the small road deeper into the forest, folding his arms. Let's see. He can take this road straight into the heart of Eastpoint, where the supermarket is... but somehow got turned around and ended up on the pitch which I know is in the opposite direction. James scoffed, causing Rayan to glance at him with wide eyes.
"I'm sorry," he echoed.
"I wasn't thinking about that." James held his tongue as he thought of his camera. It took his entire allowance to get it fixed plus new parts — and then Rayan Falae met the difference without the bat of an eye. He tipped his head when Rayan pointed to an intricate gate when the road veered into a semi-circle at its base.
Oh, you know what? This explains a lot.
Hedges tucked against the fence protecting the entire property. Cobbled pathways led to a giant manor, where smaller bushes peeked underneath the first floor, curved windows. Rayan headed to the gate, and slipped his ID into the panel with his own soft huff as it beeped and slid open. James tried not to gawk at every perfect angle and symmetry of the manor. Irritation crawled along his knuckles without his camera to fit into his palms as Rayan motioned for him to come closer as they reached the front steps.
"Don't mind the... emptiness. We're still in the middle of unpacking," Rayan told him as he opened the double doors, and a SAI panel squeaked next to the closet.
James measured the foyer as he followed its lines to every other room. It expanded higher into a second floor full of doors and walkways, while the staircase split to a second pair of double doors. Something meaty filled the air, and he tried not to think about what Mom made at home as Rayan held his hand out.
"What?"
"Your coat?"
James considered his hand, then took off his coat to hand it to Rayan before adjusting his grip on his tools while he placed the coat into the closet, where a free hangar twisted from inside. "Who else lives here?"
"Just me and my mom," Rayan mumbled as he closed the closet. "I don't think she's here though."
So... alone, basically. In this giant manor. James took off his shoes and set them to the side to follow Rayan as they came closer to the source of the tangy smell.
In the heating apparatus beside the oven, several prepared plates of food sat and lazily spun for even temperatures. James glanced at the fridge, where the panel listed everything within while Rayan crept closer to the heater. "Are you hungry?" Rayan asked as he slid it open. "You... didn't have any plans did you? If you want to go home we can just set up your pictures."
"What, and go hang out with my dad?" James said with a scoff. "I do want to get these somewhere safe though, if you don't mind?" He thumbed his backpack handles when Rayan twisted on his heel and closed the heating apparatus, and the food continued to go in lazy circles.
Rayan's hands drifted on the counter as he turned to him with a hollow smile to match Ava's at the dinner table. One not born of happiness, but of trying to get by. "Right."
James stepped to the side to let Rayan pass by him and back to the main foyer. He peeked outside the back door, where a small shed took up one corner, and a pool occupied another, shielded with a bubble barrier to protect against the colder months. He twisted on his heel to catch up with Rayan, who opened up the doors between the split staircase, and he frowned at the staircase which led into a bunker. Rayan tapped the light panel, then twisted to him. "It's down here."
"This is sort of like a start of those thriller books where the victim gets led into a dark pit and then the next moment, they're a murder case for the protagonist," James observed.
Rayan glanced down the bunker. "It really does, doesn't it?" he whispered, then held out his hands. "You can give me it if you don't trust me."
It's weird... I actually kind of do. James scoffed. "I'm not scared of you, Rayan. I'm pretty sure I could take you. I've taken down people larger than you." He joined Rayan on the staircase. "I'd rather do this myself anyway."
Their footsteps echoed on the staircase as Rayan hummed. "So... you like mystery novels?"
"I like a lot of genres." James studied Rayan through the silence, who twiddled his fingers. "Do you have any particular taste in books? What do you like to read?"
"I'm... I mean, sometimes." Rayan rubbed the back of his head. "What do I like to read?"
"That is what I asked."
Their footsteps continued to echo as the bunker expanded into several other rooms. Rayan stopped outside the largest door at the end of the hall, then tipped his head. "I don't know. I'd probably read anything. Anyway, it's here, off to the side. Don't mind the chaos." And Rayan opened the door.
James snapped his mouth shut when it opened wider into an honest to goodness artistry and photography dome. He switched his attention to the workbench, where several sketches lined the board, tacked on with careful consideration. Colours blended in together, all in a perfect line. Paintbrushes sat in holders beneath the workbench along with the scattered pencils on top of it. James resisted the urge to rush over and investigate as he drew his attention to the easel in the center, where a half-finished planet took up a penned horizon blank of colour.
"Here," Rayan said to his right. "It should hold the back up until your camera's fixed."
Does he even know what it actually does? James folded his arms and slipped the chip into his palm. "Quite the expensive set-up. I'd kill for something like this."
"Just like a thriller novel?" Rayan grinned.
James eyed the sketches of the images Rayan snapped with his head instead of a camera. He smiled at them, then slipped the drive into the side of the panel while Rayan nodded and headed to the workbench without another word, where a light glow settled on his cheeks as he pushed all his unfinished, but no less wondrous pictures away.
"Did you draw all of that?" James questioned as he tapped in settings on the panel, and it uploaded his pictures.
"Oh... uh..." Rayan tipped forward to hide his face. "Yeah, I did. Most of it is stuff I saw on Kestra." He took off one pad, where streets coiled around graffiti walls. "That's why I decided to walk through Eastpoint. I thought... it'd be easier for me to get used to this place if I sort of... put my own view on it." He curled his fingers against his chest and hid deeper into himself. "I wanted to view the world through a lens I can see — create with my own hands, instead of what I'm stuck with when I don't." He closed his golden eyes with a soft sigh. "Sorry."
He lost his grip on the photopanel at the familiar words, but twisted back to it when it beeped. "You take what you see and bring it here," he mumbled as he opened up another menu. "If you can't catch it in a perfect frozen moment..."
"What?" Rayan lifted his head.
He picked the picture he slipped into Ava's lunchbox, and expanded it. Lights around the dome dimmed to fine points, while deep twilight filled the walls and ground with splattered galaxies to fill the negative space. Stars flew across the sky in frozen moments as Rayan released a small gasp, and James stood in his frozen picture, embraced by its astro power.
"I didn't know it could do that," Rayan rasped before walking around the dome.
"I mean, why would you? You're not really into photography. Our school has one of these, but on a smaller scale," James pointed out as Rayan joined him at the panel. "Like I said, I'd kill to use a photo dome of this scale."
Rayan stared at him through the dark. "I mean... you could always come over and use it if you want."
James jolted at the proclamation, but Rayan stilled around the stars. James pursed his lips and folded his arms. "Really? Just like that?"
"Just like that," Rayan said. "Listen, I know we got off on the wrong foot a couple weeks ago, but I think... I think I want to be your friend. If you want to, that is." Rayan hugged himself and hid his elbows against his sides. "I know I'm not very good at this... even if you don't, you can always just come over and use this if you want. I won't bother you when you do."
James studied the photopanel, then sighed. "I'm not that much of an asshole," James said and found himself smiling at Rayan. "I mean... sure, I guess we can hang out... see where that leads." Rayan beamed, true and unfettered from the pain and hopelessness of before, and James waved his hand. "Just one thing, Rayan?"
"Yes?"
"If you're going to sketch some places, let me know. I know better ones, and I need to make sure you don't get lost."
Rayan nodded, then jumped when a door opened in the distance while the SAI chirped. "Mom," he whispered, and rushed out of the artist dome. James switched off the photo panel to follow. Up the steps of the bunker, they stumbled into the foyer as a tall, imposing woman hung her coat in the closet, then switched to them with ice-blue eyes and black hair tied into a sharp bun.
"Rayan..." Her gaze settled on James, then widened. "You must be James."
James glanced at Rayan, who shrugged. "That's me, have we met?"
"It's been a long time, so I wouldn't be surprised if you don't remember me." Mrs. Falae chuckled. "I last saw you when you were a baby. You've grown a lot." She laced her fingers together. "Garrett is one of my oldest friends."
Great, is he here too? James leaned around her, but she was alone. "Yeah... Dad's talked about you sometimes."
Mrs. Falae smiled and didn't pry. "Did you check dinner, Rayan?"
"It's ready, Mom."
"I guess I'm having dinner with you two," James spoke. "If... that's okay."
After dinner with Dad... I don't think I can stomach being at the same table as him right now. I don't want to ruin Ava's mood...
"I always make a bit more in case we have guests," Mrs. Falae said with one smooth motion of her hand. "You're more than welcome, James. You boys can go sit at the table, I'll join you soon." She shuffled through her coat pockets and grabbed a line of infopods. "I just have some last minute work to do."
James slipped to the side to let Mrs. Falae pass, while Rayan echoed the motion while she made her way up one half of the stairs.
"You're going to stay?" Rayan asked.
James shrugged. "Why not? Free food." And I don't have to deal with Dad.
Rayan laughed like Mrs. Falae. "Okay, then let's go and eat." He stepped down the corridor into the kitchen.
"Rayan?" His name slipped out of his lips before he could stop himself.
"Yeah?"
Underneath the astro heavens, he forced out, "Thanks... for helping pay for my camera. I can't really... get a new one right now."
Rayan smiled wider, but something curious fluttered in the autumn browns. "It's not a problem, James. It was kind of my fault."
James scoffed and caught up to him. "I'm the one that scared you. I didn't think you'd be that jumpy. I thought being from a city you'd be desensitized to loud noises. Considering you and Jon hollered at each other from across the Starcross pitch—"
"Well, you caught me off guard," Rayan argued. "That's not the same."
Lightness filled his chest, while painted edges flowed into a frozen world.