To Nina, some people just had that air about them.

It was an aura that she never thought she would be able to exude. Even as someone who had her own way of creating a sense of control, she had always known that there was a better method.

Instead of insulating yourself from outside factors to limit unforeseen events, there was always the option of changing the outside factors to suit yourself.

Nina watched as the figure descended. Small grey boots supported a pair of slender calves which disappeared under a white pair of three-quarter pants. The top half of the graceful figure was covered with a pastel blue short-sleeved sweater, long wine coloured hair drifting across exposed shoulders.

While the feeling that Nina had got from the others that had descended around her had been a mix of playful and relaxed, the woman before her gave her a completely different impression.

With a pair of intelligent hazel eyes that were shaped like almonds, her tanned oval face was framed by the hair which danced across her shoulders. A thin mouth which was slightly upturned into a grin added a sense of mischief.

But above all else, she had an aura that Nina rarely saw, and didn’t particularly like either. It was the aura that you were a part of their game whether you wanted to play or not. Although it wasn’t overbearing or cruel like she usually associated with such thoughts, the feeling was unmistakable.

It was an aura of authority.

She had felt this aura before in her working life. Usually, it came from people who were worlds away from her in corporate success, from people at the top of the food chain. CEOs, executives, company presidents, and other people that she felt would end up in similar positions soon enough sometimes gave her this feeling.

“Hello there,” the woman said as she gazed at her.

“What is happening to me?” Nina asked, recoiling at the inquisitive stare that seemed to be assessing her. Although they had been continuously falling through the sky for some time now, the ground was now noticeably closer.

“You’ve fallen through Caecus, and are now at the Skywall.” The woman noticed Nina’s questioning look and laughed. “I know it’s a little confusing, but right now we need to move. I can tell you more once we are past the Skywall.”

“Reiiiinaaaa!” a voice from above the pair rang out. Nina looked upwards to see a sixth girl plummeting towards them at incredible speed. Watching the girl who seemed to be the smallest of the group flatten herself out against the wind to slow her descent, she knew that she was falling too fast.

“She’s going to miss it again,” said the soldier-looking woman with a sigh, a set of piercing blue eyes revealed as her eyes opened.

“It can’t be helped,” said the leading woman with a chuckle.

Nina watched on with interest as the woman named Reina stared into the sky at the figure that was approaching like a comet. With a practiced motion, her hand shot out like a snake.

There, caught by a collar which protruded out from a pair of black overalls, was a young girl. With a smatter of freckles across a round face which has hidden behind a mop of blonde hair, Nina decided she was the closest to ‘normal’ looking in the group.

“Found it!” the girl said as Reina released her, letting her drift out of arm’s reach. Curious, Nina looked to the bag that the girl was holding.

“…..”

“Let’s have a look,” laughed Reina as she took the bag from the girl’s hand. After taking a quick glance at the contents, she looked over towards Nina with raised eyebrows.

“Do you usually eat this much?”

There, in her hand, was the bag of takeout that Nina had purchased just before ending up in this mess.

“…It was for a few days.”

“Perfect. We can share it then.”

“By the way, when you caught that girl…”

“Oh, Saela? She can’t control her flight so well right now. She’s new, after all.”

“Yeah, but why didn’t you fall with her? What happened to the momentum?”

“Shoes.”

“Shoes?”

“I’ll explain later,” laughed Reina as she looked towards the ground below. With a clap of her hands, the group around them snapped to attention.

“The window is getting quite small, it’s time we moved. Jade and Aline are on point. Svanda, bring the girl. Saela’s with me, and Trim, turn it off.”

With a series of affirmations, the group which had previously been descending in what had seemed to be a disorderly fashion, formed up and began to move. The music which had been playing the entire time was switched off by the athletic woman with a sense of reluctance as Nina felt someone grab her hand.

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“Spread yourself out like everyone else and don’t let go of my hand,” said the woman who Nina had pinned as a soldier.

Looking around, she saw that everyone in the group was now lying flat against the onrushing wind, all facing in the same direction. Mimicking their posture, she felt the hand which was interlocked with hers tighten like a vice.

“Everyone above seventy?” asked Reina. After receiving positive replies from everyone, she rolled onto her back to view the entire group which was falling just above her.

“Let’s go then.”

Before she could ask a question, Nina felt a tugging sensation from the hand interlocked with hers. Even though they were still falling through the sky, she also felt as though she was being pulled along.

“Umm… we’re moving?”

“Yep. You can call me Svanda,” replied the woman with a smile.

“How are we moving?”

“It’s the shoes. You don’t have any so I have to pull you along!” she laughed. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine, we won’t leave you behind. Oh, and don’t ask me how they work, because I don’t know.”

“You trust your life to something you don’t understand?”

“People live in tall buildings without understanding how they stand up. People ride in elevators without understanding how they are held up above tens of floors. People use cars without understanding how the motor runs, or planes without understanding lift. What’s the difference?”

Seeing Nina drop into thought, Svanda laughed again.

“If you want to know, you can ask Reina sometime. I bet you have a ton of other questions too, but it’s better to wait until we are past the Skywall before we sit down and talk through it all.”

“I’ll keep that in mind then, thank you.”

“By the way, I didn’t ask your name.”

“It’s Nina.”

“I look forward to working with you.”

“…Working?”

Nina watched as a grin crept onto Svanda’s face, the first real change that she had seen in her expression since they had met.

“You’re here because you’re very good at something, right? Reina doesn’t tell us until later, why people are selected,” she laughed. “That’s why we try and ask them earlier.”

I’m ‘very good’ at something? Nina thought to herself. While she would certainly class herself as capable at a number of tasks, she wouldn’t class herself as the best at any of them.

Her work was the only thing that stood out to her, but looking at the group of them flying across the sky, how would her office skills even be useful?

“I’m not sure what I’m good at.”

“I see.”

Nina wasn’t sure if she could hear disappointment in Svanda’s voice, of if she was just assuming it was there. A soldier and an office worker were at completely different ends of the spectrum, after all. Maybe they wouldn’t have much in common.

The pair flew on in silence. Nina could hear a discussion was taking place at the front between Jade and Aline, the two girls which she had seen mirroring each other earlier, but she couldn’t make the conversation out. Reina was keeping a close eye on Saela, who she had said was new to this experience. Was her situation similar to her own? Looking at the odd assortment of clothing and hair colours, Nina had difficulty picturing these people living up above her. Where did they come from, was it the land below?

More questions are stacking up, she thought to herself. Their flight path had caused the group to drift away from the city below them and out towards a forest some distance away. Approaching what Nina guessed was roughly a standard skydive height, she reasoned that her protracted descent would soon be over.

She soon found out that her prediction was correct.

As they approached the ground at a speed which was a little too fast for her liking, she suddenly found that the hand which had been tightly holding on to her own the entire time was suddenly detached. Before the initial shock that was preventing her from screaming had worn off, she heard Svanda chuckle behind her.

“Don’t worry, the field will pick you up.”

Confirming her words, Nina found herself suddenly decelerating. Feeling as though she was on a rollercoaster which was grinding to a halt, Nina closed her eyes. Opening them again, she found that she was now drifting towards the ground at a very slow speed.

“It will drop you the last metre, so don’t roll your ankle,” Reina said with a yawn.

The group coasted towards the earth for the last ten metres at a relaxed speed. Once her feet were around a metre from the ground, Nina felt the field lift as she plopped onto the surface.

After a nerve-wracking experience, Nina finally had her feet on solid ground. However, without even a chance to rest, the rest of the group was in motion again as Reina called them to attention.

“Trim and Svanda, scout the area surrounding the hatch. Jade and Aline will go and pack up the field generator and then bring it to the hatch. Saela and….”

‘It’s Nina,” she said in response to Reina’s questioning gaze.

“Saela and Nina are with me. Let’s get out of here as soon as possible.”

Watching as the group split up for their assigned tasks, Nina found herself falling in behind Reina as she marched into the forest that they had landed next to. Although the forest floor was clear of growth, the dense foliage above them blocked out most the sunlight, leaving the air around them not only dark, but damp.

Although she wanted to ask questions, Nina reasoned that this probably wasn’t the time. She didn’t even know who these people were, but she had already fallen into their rhythm. Not only had Reina ordered her around the second she met her, Nina had complied. She could hear Saela’s footsteps following behind her, but she was just as quiet.

Don’t have much of a choice though, do I? She thought to herself. She was stranded in an incomprehensible situation and these people seemed to have the answers that she was looking for. Svanda had also said that she was selected because she was good at something, and that Reina knew what it was.

How could Reina know her better than herself?

Looking at the back of the woman who confidently strode between the trees in a seemingly random direction, she was unsure what to make of her. The wine coloured hair drifted back and forth across her exposed shoulders as she turned to the left and then to the right. As Nina was about to muster up the courage to ask her where in fact they were going, Reina stopped.

“We’re here,” she said as she stopped in front of a large tree. Nina guessed that if the three of them all held hands, they still wouldn’t be able to reach around it.

Pressing her finger into a small hole hidden in a fold of bark, a small door opened to reveal the interior of the trunk. Much to Nina’s dismay, another hole in the earth surrounded by a familiar glowing line sat before them.

“It’s been tough trip, time to go home,” Reina said as she stretched her arms and neck. Looking at Nina’s expression, her intelligent face broke into a smile.

“So, are you ready to go again?”