Planet: Eteran

First Insurgency War

RAYAN

"Thanks for helping us unload, Garrett," Mom said while they unloaded boxes. Rayan lowered them onto the carts, tapping in settings while Mom carried boxes herself, hauling much more than either him or Mr. Ranier could do themselves. He checked over all his art supplies, and kept his head lowered when Mr. Ranier set a small box among his other personal tools. "You don't have to stay around though." A teasing smile twisted her face. "I'm sure you're dying to go see your children."

Rayan stared up at Mom's fellow soldier. He glared down at Rayan with sharp hazel judgment before turning to Mom. "It's no problem, Illiya. I'll be heading back home once we're done here," he said, cold and detached, and caught a key Mom tossed to him. "I've already told Maryse that I should be home soon." He tugged out a cigar, holding out a lighter over the edge and hid the cigar from the chill in the air. It lit up with a hush of embers, and he breathed in as he closed it, then nodded at Mom.

Mom grinned. "Alright. Rayan, can you take your boxes inside the manor? We'll sort through them soon."

"Okay." Rayan shoved his hands in his pockets and led the carrier through the barrier gate at the front of the family estate. He adjusted the boxes so none of them fell and broke the fragile brushes within before continuing up the gravel path to the front steps. He stood in front of the security lock as it scanned him, and when he inserted his keypod to finish, the double doors swung open with a welcoming beep. He guided the carrier inside the massive foyer, where stairs split into the upper levels. He shook his head at the negative, empty space. On one side, the living room, where an I-Screen almost had an entire wall to itself. On the other wall, a glittering fireplace with a barren mantelpiece. Across, the dining room, long to fit so many, but it'd be only her and him, attached, the solar, where a smaller table rested with an attached computer. He switched his attention to the double doors between the split staircase, and jumped when the door beeped behind him. Cigar smoke wafted into his nostrils, and he shuffled out of the way of Mr. Ranier and Mom.

Out in the middle of nowhere in a giant house — sounds like a bad start to some sort of thriller book. He stuck his tongue out, but sucked it back in at the cold look Mr. Ranier gave him. "Should I go... unpack my stuff and get out of the way?"

Another carrier came in with the rest of the boxes. "I'd really appreciate it, Rayan, but you don't have to get out of the way of anything. I have something to show you, so go pick a room and get settled." Mom nudged one of his other carriers towards him. "Leave your art supplies here, I'll show you where to put them."

Rayan nodded and took the carrier up the stairs while Mr. Ranier and Mom conversed under their breaths. Behind him, the carrier hummed with the weight it carried as he peeked in some of the extra rooms, avoiding the master's to take the one closest to it, where a balcony curved around the glass entrance. He undocked the carrier, and it floated down with a thump. He dragged all his boxes off the carrier, putting everything away while footsteps sounded outside the room. He spotted Mom take her own carrier into the master's.

Outside, the forest rustled with the breath of the planet. He frowned at the spots of civilization between the trees. Eastpoint.

"And you lived here?" he muttered.

"I did," Mom said. He jumped when she stood at his doorway. "You need any help?"

"I-I'm fine, Mom." He waved his hands. "Sorry, I'm just..." He twisted back to the window again, able to see the distant horizon. "This is weird. I don't know if I like it."

"I'm hoping this will be good for you," she said. "You'll be going to Eastpoint Collegiate for your final quad — a new start for you. This isn't the big city anymore, Rayan."

"Nope... just a lot of leaves." He spread out his bed with a huff.

"I like it," Mom said. "It's quiet. You can hear everything that the city noise blocks out. I did feel the same way when I moved to Odaport and then had you."

Rayan played with his sheets and found himself unable to look at her. "And you've brought me here because I couldn't get straightened out in Odaport? I just kept making trouble?" he questioned as he tossed over his pillow. "I got in a mess, couldn't recover from it, ruined it and got suspended from school." He strangled the covering, and scoffed. "That's why, right?"

Mom shook her head. "Far from it, Rayan." He sniffed and frowned when she opened his windows and the breeze swept in with a cruel vengeance. "It'll take some time, but I think you'll get used to it." Hands on her hips, she tipped her head. "I know, why don't you take a walk around Eastpoint — Garrett can show you around—"

"No, I don't need him to show me around!" Rayan gasped. "Just... give me a map or something. It's not like Eastpoint is huge or anything. I saw how large it was when we were flying to it." He folded his arms. "I can find my way just fine by myself."

Mom smiled. "If you say so. I'll give you a map." Datapad in her hand, she unlocked one of her infopods to hand it to him. "I still think you should go with Garrett. I'm going to set up something for you when you get home that I think will cheer you up."

"I'll be fine by myself," Rayan bit as he placed the infopod into his datapad before closing it and placing it on his belt. "I could traverse Odaport fine, I'm sure I can find my way around this place." Boxes off to the side, he left his room, and Mom followed behind him with a knowing gleam in her eyes. "Trust me, I have this." He rushed down the steps, past Garrett, who sorted through the rest of the carriers.

Mom gave a gentle laugh. "Okay, but if you run into some trouble or need more directions, give me a call. Garrett, can you give him your address so he knows where he can go if he can't find his way back here?"

"Sure." Garrett shuffled through his pockets, and held out an infopod. "Here."

Rayan swiped it from him and shoved it into his own pocket. "I'll be back." Out of the negative space, he bounced along the tracks and followed the path through the forest. Birds chirped on the lowest branches, but he followed Mom's advice to stay on the path. He reached civilization, but there was a lack of roaring horns and screeching tires. Of pounding music to lift through the air and parties on the streets. He shuffled along the sidewalk, following the map.

Let's see, there's a supermarket. I'll start there.

He walked, and walked, and walked some more. He passed a plaza, where a couple of kids came out with bags from one of them. He groaned and turned down another street as a couple cars rolled by with their whispers instead of their screaming engines. How hard is it to find a supermarket?

He twisted around a park, where a few children swung with glee off the bars, with their parents off to the side in careful observance. He glanced up at the incoming street. Why can't there be some sort of obvious landmark... He scratched the side of his head as he climbed up an uneven slope, going around the steel fence to follow it instead. It should be... around here? No...

"Get this one, Jamison!"

"Don't call me that!"

Rayan flipped the map around, and realised his mistake when he lifted his head.

Wind rushed past his face in a blur of sparkling colour and the chain-link fence shuddered. A Starcross ball rolled through the grass.

"Hey!" he snapped, twisting on his heel. "Watch where you pitch, ass—"

He froze.

Nearest him, a boy about his age stood ready for a fight, a Starcross netbat resting against his shoulder as he tightened his grip on it. He straightened himself out as the whole Starcross team stared at him with varying levels of alarm, with their backliner glaring hazel daggers in his direction. He raised his hands, causing the backliner to loosen his grip on the bat before smoothing out the dirty-blonde locks with a huff.

"I'm... uh... sorry," he forced out.

"Ya lost?" the goalie on the other end boomed with a clear Kestran dialect, and it sent a wave of familiarity through his heart against the silence of Eastpoint. "We didn't mean to almost take your head off! Guess our backliner is having a bad day." The bulky goalie released a laugh as the hazel-eyed backliner crossed his arms.

"Oh, yes! It's my fault some guy stumbles on the pitch, Jon! Maybe don't send the ball at mach ten at my head!" the backliner snapped.

"That's what your bat is for, James. You know I love you."

James rolled his eyes as the Starcross team came closer, and Rayan longed to scale the chain-link fence and run away from the sudden situation. He held his breath as they examined him, with the goalie parting the sea of his team. "Haven't seen you around here before."

"Uh... yeah..." He sank into his shoulders at James' examining expression. "I just... moved here. Yes." He tapped the edges of his datapad. "I got turned around, I meant to go to the supermarket and... took a wrong turn."

"How do you take a wrong turn and completely miss the supermarket?" the backliner named James questioned, and heat washed into his face when James came closer. "The supermarket is on the other side of town. You have a map, don't you?"

Rayan avoided his gaze. "...upside down."

"Hey..." Jon came even closer. "You sound like you're from Odaport."

Rayan hummed and sucked in his lips with a small nod.

"Why do you always have to pounce on people?" James asked with a disapproving twist to his lips.

"What? I get the feeling, dude." Jon clapped Rayan on the back. "Welcome to Eastpoint! I'm Jon! I'm from Kestra too, but from Irenu. I moved here quadrums ago, you should've seen me when I was trying to find my way around this place. I think I ended up in a tree."

"You're exaggerating." James sighed.

"You'd think so, but I was trying to find the school and... ended up in the forest park." Jon wiggled his fingers, then motioned for Rayan. "What's your name, new guy?"

"Rayan..."

"What?"

"Rayan." He gave Jon his datapad as he took out a pen and drew lines. "Sorry for interrupting your game."

James scoffed. "I wouldn't call it a game."

"Practice," Jon said in a sing-song before handing his datapad back to him. "There you are. Quickest route to the supermarket! Oh, I also made a little detour to a candy shop if you wanna, you know, click click—ow." Jon flinched when James swiped his arm. "What? I just want some candy."

"Then go get some."

Rayan relaxed. "Thanks, again, I'm sorry for... almost screaming at you," he said to James, faltering when he turned. His heart rumbled against his ribcage as the silence stretched on.

"Hm." James sniffed and stomped away.

"Don't mind Jamie," Jon drawled as Rayan watched James leave with graceful steps, almost floating across the pitch. "He's a prickly cactus until you get to know him. I just like giving him a hard time to make him squirm."

"I heard Yvonne compare him to a knife with a fuzzy pink handle," one of Jon's teammates pointed out.

Rayan zoned out of their conversation as another teammate joined James to pitch a ball between each other. He cracked it against his bat as it went flying to the goal post. Every movement deliberate and slow. He stuck his tongue between his lips, then jumped when Jon tipped around.

"Hey... you're going to our school, right?"

"Eastpoint Collegiate?" Rayan questioned.

"Yes!"

"Yeah."

"Awesome, then I guess we'll get to know each other then." Jon waved, then stomped back to his milling teammates. "Back to work, soldiers! We've got a varsity to practice for, and we are going to win this cup. Let's go." He slapped his gloved hands together, with his teammates echoing the motion of their leader. "See you later, new guy Rayan!"

Rayan raised his hand, but at James, who ignored him.

He rushed away from the Starcross pitch, through Eastpoint, back home as his heart sped with his feet. He stumbled past the gate, where the moving transport parked itself in a different spot. He rushed into the manor, breathing hard as Mom's footsteps sounded from upstairs.

"Rayan?"

"I'm okay," he said. "Just... you know..."

"Turned around?" Mom's brow flattened.

Rayan shuffled on his feet as she climbed the staircase to him. "Well, I have something to show you... why are you red?"

"Ran all the way here."

Mom chuckled, then motioned for him to follow her. Rayan kept close as she opened the double doors between the staircases, and it opened up with a hiss, and a staircase lowered itself into the core of the house's foundations. "Um... what are you going to show me?"

"Something I think will make this easier for you."

He followed Mom down into the basement, where a long corridor went into separate rooms, but she took him straight to the end. "Close your eyes for me."

He closed them, and Mom's hand rested on his shoulder, guiding him past a soft hiss. Something clicked to his right and hummed as Mom let him go, but he waited for her direction.

"Okay, you can open them now."

He listened, and lost the rest of his breath.

Another atrium opened wide to him. Lights plastered all around the dome. Along the walls, a washing station for paint brushes and tools, attached to a work table and several cabinets to hold his tools. In the center, a memory easel, with slots meant for paints and acrylics. Mom had set up his drawing board on the worktable wall, where empty papers waiting to come to life tucked in some of the drawers. He tucked his hands close to his chest, and stared at Mom.

"Do you like it?" she asked. "This place hasn't seen any use. I think someone like you could really make it pop." Mom waved around the entirety of the dome. "If you ever need references and pictures, you can put some in that panel. The hololights can be adjusted for different views... but I'll admit I'm not quite sure how to make it work." Her smile turned soft, but teasing. "I know you could make it work for you."

Rayan shuffled over to the workstation to spread out the brushes waiting for him. "That's... one way to put it." He tapped a sketch pen on the surface, then tested it on the whiteboard. It followed his motion in one stroke. "Is this what you were setting up while I was gone?"

"I want you to have your own space," she said. "I didn't want to mess with some of your tools, so I left them in the cupboards for you to sort through yourself."

Rayan dropped the sketch pen back onto the workstation and shuffled over to her where she waited, patient and understanding. "Thanks, Mom." He bit on his tongue. "I do like it. Are you sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be? You like doing this, don't you?"

Rayan tucked his shoulders into his collarbone. "I do, but... are you sure this place will be nice?"

"I still think you'll like it if you give it the chance," Mom repeated and set a hand on his shoulder. "It'll take time, Rayan."

Rayan nodded, and then embraced her. "I'm sorry. Thank you."

He tried not to cry as Mom returned his embrace. "Don't be sorry, Rayan, and you're welcome."