TWO HUNDRED FORTY-TWO: Hopping III

242

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Voices whispering about me. Voices not bothering to whisper.

 

<<That’s him. That’s the one from the news.>>

“He knows a lot of wizards.”

<<Do you think he flew here on that green thing? What’s it called?>>

<<…at one of the Apex hero programs. Probably because his whole family was killed by a supervillain.>>

“Alton?”

<<A commendation? I didn’t hear that part.>>

“That guy is Aiden. Go talk to him.”

<<You go talk to him.>>

<<I wonder where he keeps his tattoos.>>

“Hi, Alden!”

“Long time no see, Alden!”

<<Remember me from intake?>>

“I played pinball with him.”

“Alden Thorn.”

 

Voices telling me what they think about my status here.

 

<< For you and your friends the first time would be free.>>

“Free.”

“Of course it would be free.”

<<Don’t take that one. Take this! It’s usually for high ranks.>>

“This is the sample I give to S-ranks.”

<<Someone in your position might have heard something about Rabbit evacuation priority?>>

“Would you be interested in posting a video…”

<<…a review…>>

“…just one photograph for our Trime?”

 

Voices trying to make connections.

 

“I’d love to meet you again and talk to you about an opportunity that…”

“I saw online that you’re still traveling back and forth to Matadero?”

<<Got a job there?>>

<<Do the wizards there need any more food?>>

“Do you think they might like my company’s services?”

“A commended Rabbit! Let me shake your hand.”

“I’ve always wanted to see if my skill could make the cube even shinier.”

 

This is a lot, thought Alden as he moved through the conference space, and it’s so unreal after the last few days.

When he finally saw a nearly empty place, he rushed for it without considering that his actions might look like a retreat to his opponent. Natalie was eight displays back, at a huge booth that belonged to the Rabbit cleaning service Li Jean had hired for their Elites. They were discussing the possibility of her baking something that would be delivered in the new year to the company’s biggest clients, for their annual gift. Hadiza and Emilija were back there with her.

The oasis Alden had found was a space that had been reserved for an organization that was a no-show. A girl in pink ears with a pink fluffy tail pinned to the back of her jeans had stopped there, too. She was digging through some of the swag she’d picked up from the booths. Alden went a few steps past her, faced away from the crowded aisle so that he wouldn’t be quite as recognizable, and took up the same task.

If he was visibly busy, maybe nobody would run up to him, and this could be his breather before he headed upstairs to The Verne.

He was just saving his energy. Natalie was going to get stuck down here chatting with people forever, and then he would be laughing over his magic cinnamon rolls.

Wanting a breather isn’t a sign that I’m unfit for the real battle.

The paper bag crinkled as he rummaged through it. Most of the things he’d collected so far were advertising baubles and brochures. Very little of it was useful to him at the moment, but there were a couple of things that he could see the value of. He’d met a consultant here who specialized in wizard culture and the Contract. She took calls from Avowed having trouble during a summons and offered them a calm perspective and advice.

Alden had others he could call on now, but at LeafSong, he would have loved to know someone who provided that service.

There was also a Wright showing off supplies for interplanetary travelers. He had given Alden a soft, wedge-shaped object twice the size of his fist. It was a portable air conditioner that would chill the air around it for two days after it was activated.

Only S-ranks were getting the free air conditioner. And Alden.

The Wright must have thought I was likely to need portable air conditioners and be able to afford them. So it’s just advertising, too. But I do like it. He pulled it out of the paper bag. It was gray and squishy. At first glance, he’d thought it was some kind of pillow or stress ball. You will help me out in a terrible climate eventually.

“Must be nice.”

Alden stopped squeezing the air conditioner. When he looked around to see who’d said that, he didn’t expect the speaker to be addressing him, but they were. The girl with the pink tail had been joined by a tall guy in a black jacket with light-up zippers. He’d been at the Wright’s booth. Alden had found him somewhat annoying because he’d been talking too much and too loudly for anyone else around him to get in more than a word or two. In the past fifteen minutes, though, Alden had forgotten he existed, as one did with strangers one never intended to see again.

“No offense.” The annoying one held up both hands, like he was warding off a protest Alden hadn’t even made. “I’m just saying it must be nice to get all these opportunities other people would kill for.”

“You wanted the air conditioner enough to kill for it? I don’t think it’s necessary to go that far. The Wright sells them for money.”

Alden thought it was a lighthearted enough response. The girl giggled at it.

But the boy bristled. “I didn’t mean the stuff here. I meant everything else. You got a summons that everyone knows must have made you a millionaire, you had your own private apartment in intake—”

We were in intake together? Alden didn’t remember this person at all.

“—they’re letting you be in an Apex hero program, the wizards invited you to Matadero, they give you gifts, people treat you like an S-rank even though you’re a B like me. You’re probably set for life, and you don’t even have to do anything. I mean…good for you. But I’m just saying.” He glowered at Alden. “Must be nice.”

The huge room around them was filled with the noises of excited teenagers and skill demonstrations. The air smelled floral, and like chocolate chip cookies and recess since Alden still had his scented card.

“You remind me of someone who recently bothered me on a train.”

Confusion made the guy’s scowl slip. The girl with the tail blinked.

“What’s it even like?” Alden asked.

“Huh?”

“What’s it like to have so little going on in your life? Right now, I have goals for myself and a lot of stuff I’m worried about, and if all of that disappeared tomorrow, it would just mean I had the time to pick up some of the things I’ve dropped. Because I can’t find any way to do everything I want to do. Even spending a couple of hours hanging out here with friends is precious, and it costs me something.

“But you’ve got enough time to keep track of the last several months of some other dude’s life? And you’ve got so few problems that some other dude’s life actually feels like it is a problem that affects you. So you’re going to wander over here to the corner where I’m minding my own business and try to start…whatever you were trying to start.”

Alden dropped his air conditioner back into his bag and straightened. “If you can’t worry about chaos destroying entire worlds because it seems too distant, couldn’t you at least get a hobby?”

The saucer-sized eyes, the way both of them had gone slack-jawed…

Seems unfair of them to look at me like that.

He was irritated, but there was no snide bite in his own tone to match the final “must be nice” the other guy had delivered.

He ran through it in his head, looking for any part he didn’t really mean, and he came up empty-handed.

“Yep. I stand by it. I will not unsay what I have said. You should work on yourself and leave others alone. And… ” He nodded at the girl. “Sorry if I made you feel stressed or something. I think it’s fun you brought a tail to match your ears. Have a nice night.”

He strode away from them, only a brief hitch in his step when he saw that Emilija had come to find him. She was standing at the corner of the booth next door, looking at him with a tight smile. Her paper bag was held in front of her knees in what seemed to be an unnecessarily tight double-handed grip.

“Hi, Emilija.”

“Hi, Alden.”

She followed him as he made his escape. She’d gotten her shoelaces color-changed to a bright blue in the past few minutes. She must have run into someone showing off that particular skill.

“I think I’ll go upstairs now.” Alden said. “You want to come?”

“Mmhmm.” She nodded.

“Perfect. There’s no way Natalie can resist talking to that kitchen and cauldron skills club, so we’ll get a head start.”

“You burdered that man.”

“He did have a burdered look on his face. So I might have.”

The two of them stepped into an empty elevator car. Emilija was being unusually quiet

“I didn’t really say anything out of line…did I?” he asked.

<<No. You sounded cool.>>

She turned her gaze from the nautilus design on the door toward him. She’d put two tiny rhinestone stickers at the ends of her winged eyeliner, and Hadiza had most likely skilled them for her, given how much sparkle they had.

<<Do you think about what you just said a lot? About what’s going on out there. Chaos destroying worlds?>>

It took him a second to answer. “I’m supposed to say no, aren’t I?”

She shook her head. <<I only wondered. If it’s still close for you even now that you’re back home. Important to you. Instead of distant. Like you said.>>

“I think it’ll probably always be close for me.” He glanced away, but he was sure she was still watching him. “It’s not something I like. But it might be right to care more about what’s going on just a teleport away from here than the average person seems to. Someone has to be out there in it even if we’re not. So if we refuse to even acknowledge what’s happening…”

He knew how to finish the sentence. It was just that this wasn’t the right place for it. And the doors were opening, filling the car with food smells, laughter, and music.

<<If you want to go back to Apex early, you should,>> Emilija said quietly. <<I know Natalie asked you to help me get more attention or something like that. She means well, but that was a bit…>>

Alden slapped a hand to his chest as he walked out of the elevator. “Right in the heart! You overhear me saying my time with you is precious, and then you immediately tell me to get lost.”

<<I did hear you say that. And now I’m realizing that we aren’t treating you the same way. We all know you don’t enjoy this kind of showing off, but we still decided to make you come.>>

“You’re overthinking it. And I’m going to need you to focus on what really matters now—taking as many invitations as we can before Natalie gets here.”

 

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Elias’s Saturday Morning Show

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Episode #473

“Alden Thorn”

Clip Starts At: 14m, 32s

Date Recorded: August 25, 2037

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“Let’s see…we’ve covered romance, my embarrassing attempt to get a position with the Scorpius constellation, how your mom should stir up a hurricane for the Prime Minister the next time he expresses disappointment in her management of summer heat, what to get Fang for her baby shower, and celery. Celery is weird.” Cly Zhao stood on her tiptoes, on one foot, at the very top of the highest balance post in a small park in Apex.

“You’re going to fall when that thing rolls,” said Hannah Elber, clinging to the pole beside her with one hand.