Tabitha Chirrick - Overshadowed

When it was obvious no one was coming, he stood. At his station, he found the file he loathed to open and did just that, recording the incident. This was the fourteenth time he had erupted and nearly killed — or actually killed — someone in all his years of life, due to this heat . He sent a brief note to his doctor, then finished the vocal recording with some hesitation, saying in fear, “Even if only for a moment… it felt good this time.”

The sun was beautiful, but xite, it was hot, too. Tayel wiped a sheet of sweat from her forehead and took a panting breath. Water wasn’t scarce in camp. The local government had an easier time providing it than food, and there were water basins at every gathering area, but sometimes the walk over took too much willpower. It was that hot. Not one breeze blew by, either. Tayel was miserable. And sunburned.

Refugees walked by her campsite, the lines of them almost as endless as the crowds on Delta. Their walk hinted at how long they’d been in camp. New ones fresh off the shuttles trudged forward with tired faces. Acquainted ones strut past with purpose, sometimes even contented expressions. No matter how bad life got, people had to move forward with a smile eventually. At least that’s what Jace kept telling her.

She blinked the sting of sweat out of her eyes and focused on the divide in the tents across from her. The dark haired, dark skinned young woman in the Sinosian clothes sat in the grass, pulling twines of it out of the earth piece by piece. She didn’t seem to be doing anything out of the ordinary, but Tayel knew the woman watched her.

“But the whole collection probably cost well over two thousand gafs,” Jace continued, “I’m not even sure I’m ever going to find another holo Xander card again. You have to understand, that thing is rare .”

“If you’re trying to get me to leave, you’re on the right track,” Fehn said.

“Sheesh, I’m just trying to make conversation. I thought you were supposed to have busted out of here by now, anyway.”

“My plan of escape has been overcome by boredom. Don’t you have other hobbies?”

Tayel returned her gaze to the tents across the way. The day before, the Sinosian woman watched her and Fehn play an entire magball game. Jace said she must have been enjoying the entertainment like so many others, but then why had she sat so close to them at dinner the night before that? Tayel counted all the encounters: the magball game, dinner — multiple dinners, actually — the space around their tent, and even at the docks.

She couldn’t believe it was coincidence. The woman wasn’t vying for inclusion; Tayel had tried to start a conversation, but the woman walked away. Fehn said to pay her no mind. That the Sinosian probably just resided in their tent cluster and so showed up a lot. But despite his dismissal, Tayel caught him eyeing the tall, toned woman on more than one occasion. Considering how the two of them arrived together at the docks, it was hard to believe he didn’t know something about her.

“Remember, Tayel?”

“Huh?” She turned to Jace.

“When Jasper ripped that nasty fart in astronomy, and one by one we all just started gagging until Mr. Abethi let us out early?” He held a nursing talon to his side while he laughed through every word. “Oh, Alhyt, you humans and your digestive systems.”

She gave him a distracted smile. “Yeah well at least we don’t regurgitate food for our young.”

“She’s got you there, Feathers,” Fehn said.

In the other tent cluster, the woman had vanished. Tayel sighed.

“You okay?” Jace leaned forward, his eye ridges arcing worriedly.

“That Sinosian was over in the other tent cluster right now,” she said.

“Oh.”

“You’re sure you don’t know anything about her, Fehn?”

“Alhyt, Red. Who’s stalking who?” Fehn rested his hands behind his head at Jace’s laugh, ever so pleased with himself.

Tayel was preparing a retort when the camp bell went off from the nearby gathering area. One ring. Two rings. She perked up and smiled so wide, her burnt lips split. Magball time.

“Coming?” she asked as she stood. “You’re signed up for the first game, too, right?”

“Yeah, because it wasn’t hot enough,” Fehn grunted. His trench coat folded off his thighs as he stood.

“You wouldn’t be so hot if you weren’t wearing all that.”

“Wouldn’t be so hot if you didn’t play, either,” Jace said. “You could hang out and watch with me.”

“I’ll see how I feel when I get there, but I might as well tag along with you both.”

“You’ve been tagging along with us for days ,” Tayel said.

He really had. She wasn’t expecting the belligerent imperial to stick around long enough to make small talk, but since discovering they’d all been assigned to the same tent cluster, he’d hung around enough she might’ve introduced him as a friend. Might’ve, if he’d admit to knowing something about the Sinosian.

“I can leave you alone if you prefer,” he said, sliding his gloved hands into his coat pockets.

Tayel waved her hands. “No, no, it’s fine, I was just — xite, aren’t you boiling in that?”

He grinned. “Just a simmer so far.”

The three of them left their bonfire pit for a golden dirt path tracing through the valley of tents. Guards had set up the magball field a little ways past the dining area they were assigned to. So not a long walk. Along the way, they passed restrooms, washing basins, and out of nowhere, a giant eir crystal in the small clearing that’d been empty just yesterday.

Tayel halted, and her jaw dropped. The momentarily pristine white stone, big as a taxi cruiser, floated idly above its glowing pedestal. A small handful of aetherions fired on it, and it changed from red to blue to yellow to red again depending on the type of aether that hit it.

Seeing it reminded her of the eir crystal pendant she got for Mom, and that opened a floodgate of memories. Mom using the aether to decorate her ceramics. Mom’s almost insane laugh while watching her favorite romantic comedy. Mom’s smile as she took the eir stone necklace in her hands just a few weeks ago. It was all such a juxtaposition to where Tayel thought Mom might be now. She was either dead, or alive — scared, and injured. Imagining her that way was almost worst. Lost, alone, swarmed by raiders, limping around every corner, wondering why Tayel abandoned her. Tayel’s stomach twisted.

“Wow,” Jace said. “It looks exactly the same.”

“As what?” Fehn asked.

“The one at my school. I guess it makes sense; these things don’t really vary in appearance, but, I don’t know. Kinda makes me wonder if any of the other aetherions made it out.”

“You’re an aetherion?” Fehn asked.

“I wish I wasn’t.”

“What? Why? You have so much power. You can defend yourself at any time. From anything. You’re a walking, breathing weapon.”

“Hey!” Tayel said. “He’s not a weapon.”

Fehn blinked. “Right. You’re right. Sorry, Feathers.”

“It’s okay.” Jace tapped his talons together. “Hey Tayel, do you ever wonder why we haven’t come across anyone we know from Delta?”

Tayel shrugged. “There’re a lot of people here. I’m sure someone made it, and we just haven’t run into them.” She had wondered, though.

“I hope so.”

She patted his back and continued on, leading the way. Years ago, she’d cried over the idea of not being an aetherion. The ability to wield the aether was genetic, but her mom’s talents hadn’t passed to her. Tayel wanted to be special. Different. But seeing Jace stay after school every day for mandatory aetherion supervision scared the desire out of her. While the extra class was advertised as a way to train students in their abilities, Tayel suspected it was a method for keeping track of them. The true oppression of aetherions had diminished long ago, but society still feared those who, as Fehn said, were considered weapons.