Planet: Eteran

First Insurgency War

AVA

Ava found Rayan Falae by his locker, where James disappeared into the crowd of students clamoring to get their lockers set up before trying to beat the clock for good seats within classrooms. Meryn shadowed her as they snuck up on Rayan.

"Need a hand?" she asked.

Rayan faced her in slow motion. "Oh, hey, Ava." He curled his fingers together. "I think I'm good now, thank you for your help earlier. I think I would've made an embarrassment out of myself if you hadn't."

"Hey," Meryn piped from behind her. "We were all new once. So, if you get lost, come tell me and I'll get lost with you."

"Don't you mean you'll help me find my way?"

"Nope, I meant we'll get lost together. Meryn Matthey, at your service." Meryn bowed, and Ava shook her head at her friend. "So... Odaport, huh? Big city with a capital B." He raised his arms up in the air. "Eastpoint must be very different. I've only seen Odaport in pictures."

"Yes." Rayan's smile tightened. "It is different. It takes some getting used to." He brushed his fingers through his hair and eyed the corridor James disappeared under. "I have to remember this isn't a big city."

Ava followed his direction, then tapped him on the shoulder. "Why don't you hang out with Meryn and I? We'll show you around the school some more and have a bite to eat if you want."

"Is that okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Ava swung out her datapad, then tapped the school map. "So, where should we go first? I know I gave you a quick introduction to Block A's classrooms, but we couldn't go into a better tour."

Meryn made a noise of longing as he held his stomach. "I dream of beautiful trees and food. Lots of it... specifically the food found in the cafeteria, a spot of fries with ketchup and gravy. Oh, and some cheese on top. Melted goodness in a heated box." He wriggled his eyebrows at her while Rayan looked between the two of them.

"I think he wants to go to the cafeteria," Rayan whispered. "Just a funny feeling."

"Finally, someone who speaks my language. I think we'll get along, city boy," Meryn teased, and Ava giggled while Rayan smiled with her. "Cafeteria, then! Best place in this school, if I do say so myself, but we're going to show you the best seats to enjoy your meal." He waved his arm out in a wide arc in front of Rayan before pointing at Ava. "Lead on, Captain Ranier?"

"Captain Ranier?" Rayan questioned with a tip of his head. Ava set up the directional map on her datapad before handing it to Rayan for him to study while she guided the two through the school corridors of Block A. It rounded into an open field, where a larger building formed a dome in the center. Benches hid underneath awnings and promoted outside excursions during lunch sections. Everything was fair game as long as it was on school property.

"It's just an inside joke," Ava explained as the cafeteria dome opened wide for them. Circular tables filled it while the holographic projection simply showed the outside. Artificial sunrays gave the illusion of open fields and sparkling grass. Ava smiled at the students bustling for their meals, slipping their school cards into the tablets to pick their food. It rolled out of a cook bot, quick and simple, but nothing ever beat homecooked meals. Ava smiled at Rayan, who switched his gaze to every angle while a couple of freshies bounced past them to pick a seat.

"Well?" Ava asked.

"It's..." Rayan followed the lunch line. "Quiet, and small."

"Really?" Meryn mused.

Rayan nodded. "At my old school, the lunch hall had several levels to it — usually to keep separate the different Quads. Here it's..." He scanned the entire dome. "Quieter, I also noticed some people eating outside. Is that allowed?"

Ava glanced at Meryn, who pursed his lips and shrugged. "Yes. Our school must be small compared to what you're used to," she went on before taking them into the lunch line. "The entire property is mostly land instead of buildings. We like to put it to use — so, it's allowed as long as you clean up after yourself."

Rayan hummed and drifted behind her. "Oh, and also... is it normal that everyone seems to know everyone?"

Ava stopped when the line did, though Meryn zoned in on the meals for the day. "Eastpoint is on the county border of Roxton, it's quite a long drive even to the main city. It wouldn't take more than an hour to walk all the way around Eastpoint if you're determined. Mostly everyone in town knows everyone..." She sucked in her lips, then chuckled. "I wouldn't go so far as to say we're all friends though. I'll sorta show you what I mean after we've grabbed you two some lunch — if you didn't pack any."

"My mom insists, but I know she's busy," Meryn said.

Ava studied Rayan when his facial features shifted into one of sympathy. Rayan shuffled forward with Meryn when the line sped along. "Yeah... Odaport is certainly different. It almost felt like I was seeing a new person everyday." He folded his arms. "Almost couldn't keep track of everyone."

Meryn whistled while they reached the counter.

Ava ducked between the rails and waited for Rayan and Meryn to grab their food. Across from her, leaving the dome, Yvonne and Kylie waved at her. Ava smiled, then repeated their motion as Rayan and Meryn returned to her with self-heating packets in their hands.

"Alright, let's keep going then," Ava said. "Meryn and I will show you all the good places to eat."

"And you better not tell anyone of our secret spot," Meryn grumbled behind him, and Rayan widened his eyes.

Ava left the cafeteria and back out into the expansive fields. Yvonne and Kylie headed for the largest opening awning. "I usually eat over there with Yvonne and Kylie when we need to plan out school events," she explained and came to a stop on the smooth path. "Let's see... Next school event should be the Scare Hall, but for now, you're my priority as a new student. Class Rep duties come first for me, and then it's coordination."

Rayan shrank into his shoulders and rubbed the back of his head.

"Ava does a lot," Meryn hyped, and Ava smiled at him. "Honors student. Class Rep. Student coordinator." He brought both hands up to his temples. "Sometimes I wonder how she does it."

"I have good friends," Ava said and tapped his brow. "That definitely makes it easier. Let's go." Ava continued on the white-brick path, pointing out any interesting things to Rayan. His schedule in her hand while he carried the map, she nodded at his classes.

"Seeing as we have the same classes save for some extras, most of our main ones will be in Block A..." Ava swiped through his schedule. "You also signed up for martial training?" Ava came to a stop at one of the wider buildings on the property, pointing at it. "Here's the gym. It's not as equipped as the fitness center in town, but I never had a problem with the school facilities."

"Good to know." Rayan flicked his gaze over it with another appraising gaze. "Yeah... our gym was taller than it was wide."

Meryn leaned forward. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we had several labels for our gym. Half the time you could climb into one if you really wanted to," Rayan explained.

Meryn eyed Ava. "Ollie would love that. You'd think he was born into this world climbing."

"Ollie?" Rayan mused.

"Ollie's another Block A student, in the same quad," Ava explained. "They adore wall climbing to the same level of Jon loving Starcross."

"And Jon really loves Starcross," Meryn said. "If that wasn't obvious."

Ava led them past a thinner, streamlined building with a point. "Here, you'll find most of the 'arts' classes. My brother, James, is taking classes here as well, so if you get lost trying to find your extracurriculars, he's your best bet. You and I share one art class — he takes photography."

Rayan frowned. "I don't... think James will help."

Ava folded her arms. "What happened between you two?"

Rayan held his chest. "I walked on the pitch and almost had my head taken off. I yelled at... them, not James specifically, but James was closest, so..." He shrugged his lean shoulders.

Ava scoffed. "Oh, don't worry about James. He can be a bit of a..."

Meryn piped up, "He's got the emotional range of a mushroom."

Ava waved her hands at Meryn, who grinned. "Well, I wouldn't go that far. James is usually in his own little world at school and can't see two feet out of his camera lens when wandering town. I have to deal with him at home all the time. He's a bit hard to figure out, but he is a nice guy. He looks out for his friends, just not good with new people," she explained, and Rayan relaxed. "I think if you give him a chance, you and him might have a lot in common. But, how about I show you the pitch again so you don't wander in when Jon's pitching? James is usually good at catching fouls, so I'm surprised he didn't this time."

"I'd really appreciate that." Rayan chuckled and followed her with a spring to his step.

It took a small walk to reach the pitch, and Ava stopped at the fence of the Starcross field. "Jon and his team usually eats on the bleachers. It's usually fifty fifty if James is there..." Ava raised her hands up to her brow to block the sun. "It seems that he is. Shall we go say hi?"

"Uh—" Rayan began.

Ava went through the entrance of the fence to rush up to the bleachers, where Jon wriggled his arms in show while he stood on a bench, while James ate his lunch in quiet contemplation.

"I'm telling you, this move will catch them off guard!" Jon boomed as she came closer.

"Catch them off guard is one way to put it," James said and lifted his head from his packed lunch. "Hey, Ava."

"Hey! I'm just showing Rayan around with Meryn." Ava stopped, then glanced back at Rayan, who hung back. "Come over here!"

"What?" Rayan called.

Jon switched on his heel. "No no no, let me show you how city boys talk, Ranier."

James plugged his ears.

Jon breathed deep, and then yelled with huge motions in his arms, "Over here, Rayan!"

Rayan blinked, then yelled back, "Why?"

"Because don't make me come over there and make you come over here!" Jon boomed.

James groaned. "How about talking at a normal volume?"

Ava studied Rayan, who tipped his head with a small quirk to his lips and a sense of peace flowing through his features. Sunlight settled a glow on his cheeks as debilitated and then nodded. "Okay!"

"Good!"

"I'm coming!"

"Come faster!"

Rayan rushed to join them.

Jon dropped to his seat with a satisfied grunt. "See? That is how you communicate in the city."

"Sounds obnoxious," James grumbled as he stuffed his face.

Rayan's peaceful expression dropped into the pits of the abyss, but Ava smiled. "Well, I think if you need to get a message across, that's one way to do it! I often have to project my voice during school events, or else no one would hear me otherwise," she said with a pat on Rayan's shoulder. "You'll get used to it, just watch out, your voice might echo around here."

A different glow settled on Rayan's cheeks as he held them and Ava smiled at the subtle motion. "Oh, I didn't even think about that."

"We got him, boys," Jon teased.

"Where are you going next?" James asked as he placed his bag on his lap and shuffled through it.

"I'll be showing Rayan where Meryn and I eat and then having some food before going home," Ava explained. "I hope we didn't interrupt any complicated strategy explaining."

"No, just Jon coming up with the 'wriggly worm' guard strategy," James said.

Ava nodded at Rayan and Meryn to check through her own bag for what Mom had packed for her. With all her books placed in her locker when she arrived at school, she frowned at the lack of a lunchbox.

Oh... I forgot again.

Rayan and Meryn turned to her with curious expressions when she escaped her bag with a small scoff, then jumped when James clicked his tongue, and she lifted her head back to her twin brother.

On the bridge of her fingers, he held her lunchbox through the handle. "I would've come to find you, but you were busy and also left home early so I didn't get a chance to say anything," he said, but when Ava went to lunge for it, he tugged it back. "I hope you don't mind, I stole some of your mallows."

"What a loving, doting brother I have," Ava grumbled, and caught the lunchbox when he tossed it to her. "Thanks, James."

James leaned against the higher bleacher with a shake of his head, and Rayan trained his gaze on him when he gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "Next time try and fit your own needs into that packed schedule of yours, Miss. Perfect."

Ava rolled her eyes at him before nodding at Rayan and Meryn. "Let's go. One more place and then we can crack these open and enjoy the rest of our day."

"Yes..." Meryn drawled as he hugged his lunchpack tight against his chest.

Ava headed for the fence, and glanced at Rayan, who kept his gaze trained on James, who no longer acknowledged the three adventurers. "I... guess I see what you mean," Rayan whispered to her and Meryn as the Starcross team disappeared behind the fence.

"Just imagine having to deal with him 24/7," Ava joked. "I love him, but he gets on my nerves sometimes." Ava hesitated, then dropped her bag at her feet to open up her lunchbox. "He knows I don't like mallows and never pack them... why'd he say that he stole some?" She opened up the lunchbox to investigate.

It was her usual. A small container of veggies and fruits in one small section. A sandwich in another. In the middle, a couple of sweet treats, which she often left empty. Ava dug through the bottom to tug out a piece of paper, and Rayan drew forward. "What is it?" Rayan tipped forward, his lips parting in shock at what she held in her hands.

"Did he take that picture?"

Meryn hovered over her other shoulder.

It was a picture of the stars, sprayed with perfect clouds glowing with sundown while their galaxy spun along its course. Ava twisted the picture around, where James' neat, devilishly beautiful handwriting scrawled a simple message, for someone who put words to paper on the regular:

These won't kill you. Enjoy.

Meryn growled, "I hate how neat his writing is."

Oh... I didn't even pack my lunch, did I? I was so focused on getting to school early...

Ava closed the lunchbox but held the photo tight in her hands. "As I said, James can't see two feet past his lens," she whispered and brushed the edges of the picture. "But, he's on a skill level that even impresses the photography professor."

"I can see why," Rayan said. "Can I take a look at it?"

Ava handed it to him as he studied the angles. "You into photography, Ray? Can I call you Ray?"

"Sure." Rayan investigated the stars. "No, I'm not... Well, I'm not much of a photographer, but I definitely understand the eye for detail it takes to take something like this and capture it in time." He waved his hands. "I mean, I wish I could take pictures of this level. It'd definitely make sketching a whole lot easier—"

"You said you liked art," Ava remembered.

"I—" Rayan sucked in his lips. "I mean... just as a, you know... something fun to do."

Ava noticed the withdrawn shift, and didn't pry.

Thank you, James.