227 P.F.
Kellan crouched before the gathered kids, his eyes gliding from one child to the next. He flashed them a grin as he regaled them with tales of the Bastion. Occasionally he would glance towards the bonfire and tents maintaining his vigilant watch for Gideon and Ava’s return. His gaze returned to the children.
“You will all be amazed when your parents take you into the Bastion.” Kellan said. “Out here, we have the wilds. But the Bastion holds the prosperity of our ancestors. Instead of horses and carts, we have a system of trolleys that can take you from edge to edge within the Bastion!”
“What’s a trolley?” Joan asked meekly.
“Imagine a horseless cart that’s twice as long. Now imagine that cart moving at a steady and smooth pace from destination to destination.”
“Smooth?” inquired the young Matty.
“No bouncing or jostling around. It’s like you’re gliding along!” Kellan answered while ruffling Matty’s hair.
“My dad says the Bastions are leeches!” declared Perrin. “They always take from our farm and barely pay for what they take.”
Kellan frowned and thought for a moment. He nodded his head slowly and replied, “My dad has also mentioned the Bastion’s dismissiveness of the outposts. He claims that’s why it’s important to celebrate these festivals with our family and friends in the outposts rather than the Bastion.”
Perrin smiled as he relaxed the tension in his shoulders. “That’s right! We’re the foundation of civilization!” He flushed and looked away from the others muttering. “At least that’s what dad says…”
“That’s-” began Kellan before he was cut off by Ava scoffing.
“That is utter nonsense.” Ava declared. “Father says the foundation of our civilization lies in the people working together. Food from the farms is just a biproduct of our communities working together.”
Kellan paused in a retort along with the other children. None wanted to argue with the daughter of the Mercer family. Ava beamed with satisfaction at the silence while the others avoided eye contact.
Kellan closed his eyes and took a calming deep breath before opening them again. He plastered his best smile on his face, barely meeting the corner of his eyes. “Welcome back, Ava. Gideon. We were just talking about the differences in life out here compared to the Bastion.”
Gideon looked away as Ava boasted, “There’s no comparison to be made. Everything is better in the Bastion!”
Kellan quirked an eyebrow and asked, “Everything? Really?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know about that.” Gideon said as he waved to their surroundings. “For one, there’s a distinct lack of wildlife and trees the closer one gets to the Bastion.”
Ava blinked in confusion. “That’s why the Bastion is better. If you want the wilds, then just go to one of the nature parks.”
Kellan sighed in frustration. “Ava. Those parks are not the true wilds…”
“You’re right! They’re better in every way. Better lighting, clearer paths, and far fewer smells!”
“Spoiled…” Gideon muttered under his breath.
“What did you say?!” Ava demanded.
“Nothing.” Gideon replied as he looked to Kellan for support. “Are we ready for the next game?”
“You can’t just-” Ava yelled.
“Of course!” Kellan said while standing up, motioning for the other kids to get up. “We were just waiting for you to return with Ava.”
He turned to the other kids as Ava stared daggers in his back. “Another round of hide and seek?”
“No!” Ava and the children replied.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Kellan blinked in shock. “I thought all of you liked that game?”
“Too much cheating.” Ava spat out in Gideon’s direction.
“I agree. All the fun is lost on the game when adults are involved.” Gideon said as he shot a look back at Ava.
A blush streaked across her face as she looked away.
Kellan shook his head. “Fine. Fine. How about a simple game of tag then?”
“Who’s it?” Matty asked.
Ava whirled around prepared to say something as Kellan interjected. “I’ll be it this time!”
Ava closed her mouth with a nod. “That’s fine with me.”
Kellan checked for affirmations from the other children b6efore settling on Gideon who was looking away. Kellan followed his gaze to the tree line before looking back at Gideon. “Everything okay, Gideon?”
Gideon shook his head dismissively. “Yeah…”
“Are you good with me being it?”
“That’s fine…” Gideon said as he looked back at everyone else. “We should decide on the running boundaries.”
He shot a dirty look at Ava. “We don’t want any wild accusations happening after the fact.”
Kellan shook his head in disbelief. Why can’t these two just get along. There’s been nothing but constant bickering between them.
Kellan sighed. “Alright, what do you suggest?”
“No running beyond the tree line!” Ava demanded.
Gideon visibly relaxed and smiled. “Agreed. No running beyond the trees.”
Kellan looked back at the dancing crowds and imagined the kids tumbling into adults. He returned his gaze to the kids. “No running into the dancers.”
Gideon glanced away back to the tree line. “No trees or dancers.” He eyed the tents scattered about the green. “Just the green and tents then?”
“Sounds good to me.” Kellan said. “What does everyone else think?”
A chorus of agreement sounded out.
“Excellent!” Kellan said with a loud clap of his hands. He grinned wickedly. “You have twenty seconds before I start tagging! Twenty… Nineteen…”
He burst out in laughter as the others darted away from him. He followed their paths and studied their movements. Mark, Matty, and Perrin are sticking close together in the green. Kelly and Ava are heading for the tents. They’re probably thinking of using the tents as obstacles to slow me down. Eric and Joan are near the crowds. Easy pickings there. That leaves Gideon by the…
Kellan frowned as he saw Gideon jogging towards the trees. What’s he doing? He’s not going to cheat after being the one to declare the trees off limits, is he?
Kellan shook his head and set out for a jog towards Mark and the others. He glanced at Gideon standing near the trees gazing off into the darkness. A puzzled look covered Gideon’s face.
I’ll worry about him later. For now, it’s time to wrangle the others. Kellan set off into a run as he approached the cluster of three boys.
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Ava peaked from behind the corner of the tent. Her face contorted into rage as she saw Gideon standing near the trees.
“That lying jerk!” Ava huffed as she marched from the tent towards Gideon.
“Leave it alone, Ava!” Joan called out.
“No! He’s a cheat!”
“Technically he’s by the trees and not beyond them.”
“He’s breaking the spirit of the game!”
Wild screams of joy erupted from the cluster of boys running from Kellan. Ava squared her shoulders and continued her march towards Gideon.
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Gideon squinted his eyes as he peered into the darkness of the woods. He opened himself up to the flows that radiated around him. He felt something new out there in the shadows.
These flows were jagged and scraped against his mind as three distinct flows slithered out from the trees. They felt so much thicker than any flow he had sensed before.
Are they adults? Late comers to festival?
Two of the flows veered away while the third wiggled forward washing over him. He winced and pulled back from the sensation of his skin being pierced. He took a few stumbling steps back and examined his arms for any lacerations.
After examining the front and back of his arms, he sighed in relief. That’s the first time I’ve felt pain from the flow of vitava. What is that?
He felt a thin and prickly flow poke him in the back accompanied by Ava’s shout. “Gideon!”
He met her gaze and winced as the jagged flows that had veered away returned as if summoned by her shout. He danced under the harmful flow that swept wide towards Ava.
“Watch out!” Gideon warned.
Ava stopped and blinked around in confusion. “Watch out for what?”
Gideon was stunned in silence as she didn’t react to the jagged flow swirling about her.
“You don’t feel that?”
“All I feel is anger for you getting ready to cheat.” Ava screamed. “Again!”
“I’m not cheating!” Gideon defended. “Do you really not feel anything else?”
“No!”
Gideon jerked his head towards the trees. He held up a hand to silence Ava as he strained his hearing. There in the distance was the rustling of disturbed leaves. Something is coming from the woods. I’m certain of it.
Gideon stepped carefully away from the trees. His eyes scanned the shadows for movement. He called over his shoulder. “Ava, we may be in danger. We need to head back now.”
He winced as another jagged flow slithered from the depths of the woods and washed over him. He chanced a glance at Ava who paused in the middle of a retort upon seeing his pained face.
Together they started backing away from the trees as she whispered, “What do you see?”
He hesitated in his response, unsure of how to answer her. “Something dangerous. I think. I don’t know. I’ve never sensed something like this before.”
“Sensed? Don’t you mean seen?”
Gideon paused a moment before he replied, “Yeah… I’ve never seen something like this before.”
Gideon caught a blur of motion in the corner of his eye. Ava had pulled out a small black box, her thumb hovering over a grooved button. Her eyes met his before looking away in shame.
Why would she be ashamed of a good luck charm?
His attention was drawn back to the woods as he sensed more jagged flows joining the others. He called out, “Ava, we may have to run soon.”