Chapter Song Distant leaps to Circinus | Happenings (Foley Constant)

An orange-hued dot slowly bobbed up and down as it approached him. It was a color close to a Cosmos flower. Blankets of rain obstructed his already limited vision, but he could see that the bead of light in front of him was also affected. There was a lot of sway in its movements and the occasional dim meant they were blinking.

Those guys don’t blink that often, maybe just a child? They would have done something by now.

There was nowhere for him to hide, aside from a small tree, but it wasn’t thick enough to conceal him. I guess I’ll just have to talk to them. With that thought in mind, he was ready to try and yell, but the overbearing sound of thunder and rain was too much. “I can’t even hear my self,” he said aloud, confirming what he’d just said.

Fine, maybe they can make out a hand signal from there.

He raised a hand into the air and motioned for them to stop. When he did so, the two orange dots stopped moving and dimmed a bit. Are they squinting? With a wave of a hand, he attempted to make a friendly gesture. It was a useless effort though since everything in front of him was a gray mess. Trying to discern anything outside his range was futile.

Whoever they are, they know I’m here now.

One of the eyes disappeared. A long range signal? Huh. Not all that friendly. One eye open in a situation like this could only mean one thing.

“Okay, got it.” He mumbled aloud.

Zeais looked directly into their eye’s, focusing solely on the inner light that seemed to be looking at his. A girls voice as clear as day began to speak, her words resonated within his mind.

*I almost didn’t notice you* she said.

Well, that's hurtful.

A voice that would've never been heard so far away and in such heavy rain, continued. *Are you, abnormal?*

Zeais had to convey his own words too, he imposed his words through the faint light of his eyes.

*No, why?* Zeais asked.

*I felt someone watching me while I slept a while ago. They’re always out there, watching.* He could hear a slight hostility in her voice.

Sleep? Out here? Who would do something like that…

*Sorry, no, they are just gray and I don’t have any cracks in my eyes. I haven’t seen any other children so far, especially Abnormals.*

*Is that so… You talk normal enough.* He could hear the hostility leave her voice, she sounded more approachable than before. *If you’re on this road, did you come from Don’te?*

A wave of relief washed over him, she didn’t seem like she meant harm.

*No, I only came from the forest near there, to visit the merchants.*

She said nothing for a moment, a blink was the only thing signifying she was still there.

Well, this is awkward.

*If you don’t mind me asking, do you have any herb wrap? I have a cut and need to get going so I don’t get sick.*

Her silence continued for three more seconds until she broke eye contact. The brightness of her orange pupils returned soon after. *I have enough to give you if you’re hurt. You didn’t carry any on you?*

Zeais checked his pockets, he wanted to make sure he didn’t have any in hiding.

*Nope, I had some earlier in the day, but I’m sure I dropped it long ago.*

*Hmm, I see. I’ll bring you a bit then if you don’t mind.*

*Of course not.*

*Alright..*

She started to move toward him, her orange glow growing bigger with every step. If he had to guess, she may have been about 100 meters away. He felt like judging distance color was a lot easier than before. Even a couple of miles away was easy to spot if the other children were coordinated enough when they tested it.

While Zeais waited for her to approach him, he couldn’t help but remember the other colors of children he’d seen before. The ones he had trouble with were shades closer to black, but that was hard for most children. I wonder if Eloy is doing good? His fearless friend popped into his mind for a second. He didn’t think about him long, before he knew it, the girl was close enough to where he make out her silhouette.

The clothing she wore flapped in the wind, especially the hood that covered her head. The sound of her splashing water was audible and he could hear the droplets of rain hitting her jacket. The girl faded into view for Zeais, like a fish showing itself in murky water.

The vivid orange eyes she had, were deep and radiant to Zeais, much brighter than any other child’s eyes he’d seen. Her hair draped over her forehead in a low wild bob. The tips of her hair were deep orange but only looked like a light shade of gray for him. Unable to point out specific features, it was a hassle anytime he wanted to ask questions or needed to point things out.

She held a stoic look upon her face as if she were uninterested in anything going on.

Not much for expression huh.

With her blank look, she held out her hand, holding what he presumed was the herb wrap. The girl looked into his eyes and he stared back. *Here,* She said through word of will. The wrap emitted a faint glow from her clenched fist.

Zeais held out his hand and she placed it in his palm. He gave a small nod *Thank you, this helps a lot.*

The girl furrowed her brows as if he’d said something strange. She shook her head and looked at him. *We take care of each other, no need to thank me. Adults and abnormal are the only things you can’t trust.*

With that statement, she took her leave. Without giving him time to form a thought, she walked passed him, turning into a blurry silhouette as she disappeared into the storm. Zeais could only stare into the gray abyss she walked into with only one thought in mind.

Weird.