Chapter 8: The Central of Homen

The morning had passed, and the residents behind the barricades were increasingly imposing their presence. It was, in fact, past noon, and Yong Haeri turned out to be the only one awake in her group.

To pass the time, she unwittingly wandered the paths of the Central; a rather sophisticated name for the scene before her eyes.

As she had noticed upon arriving, this neighborhood was nothing more than a large, straight street followed by a circular one. Probably only the barricade protecting them and the bulky building at one end were notable peculiarities.

Haeri stopped walking on a sidewalk after wandering aimlessly around the place several times. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable; she couldn't deny it.

Everyone around her was talking, interacting, and helping one another, but she didn't know a single one.

She felt out of place. She was undecided about what she should do, or if she should do anything in the first place; important details, such as how this community worked, weren't conveyed to her in the introductions.

She soon attracted doubtful glances and unwanted questions behind her back.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I don't know you, so I have no obligations to you. Simple," she thought as she placed each earphone in each ear. Likewise, she had no intention of getting to know them, much less of helping them in their strange endeavors.

She then opted to enter the vast and distinctive settlement that stood at the end of the street, or rather, return.

This was the place assigned to them by the man who greeted them upon arrival; the place where her other traveling companions were now resting and where she should wait for directions.

A crowded room, but spacious inside. Its ceiling rose to 7 meters, while she was unable to deduce its length among so many people obstructing her view.

She only knew that it was large, very large; the number of rooms along its edges and the steps required to reach them through the hall gave her away clearly. It was, for sure, a huge athletics gym was now used as a meeting place by the residents of Homen.

"It must have been ironic for Gitta, too, that we ended up in such a place," she mused, dodging the crowd blocking her way.

She barely managed to reach the "living quarters" in a narrow corridor, although in reality they were merely rooms occupied by sleeping bags.

Apparently her companions were sleeping in one of the rooms across from her, so she chose an empty one, the one reserved for storing the supplies they had brought from their trip.

"Finally some peace..." she said to herself, closing the door, collapsing into one of the chairs, and taking her cell phone out of her pocket. "This will take a while... Gitta, you overdid it filling my phone with your Blues... Oh, wait, I love this one." Slowly letting herself be carried away by the rhythm, she kicked off her sneakers, pushed her chair away with her hips, and in gentle or abrupt movements that alluded to the waves of the sea, she raised her arms and moved her body; a sensual dance of complete freedom.

So immersed in her own world, she almost didn't notice the door behind her open.

"...!"

"Um, good afternoon... What are you doing?" asked the newcomer.

"I-I'm stretching a little... Gh... Ah. Just that."

This new guy would undoubtedly surprise even under normal circumstances. His defined hair, tall height, and fashionable attire made him look more like a member of a boy band than anything else.

In his hands, he carried two plastic bags that were about to join the pile on the only table in the room.

After carrying them, he took a breath and, leaning his hip against the table, took out a container of skin cream and applied it to his hands and delicate face. Haeri waited impatiently for him to finish.

"I thought they'd expect me at dusk in the food delivery section... You're one of them, right? The ones who arrived a few hours ago."

"So… I suppose you were the one they sent to guide us," Haeri said, sitting back down and putting her shoes back on. "As soon as a guy showed us where we'd be sleeping, he vanished like the wind."

"Heh, I understand. As you can see, they're always busy with something here, not to mention that most of them are elderly... Anyway, I think I have plenty of time for you. I'll tell you what you need, and you can tell Nisha and her colleagues."

"Nisha was... Oh, you know him?"

"Of course, and Garwin too."

"The guy who's trying to turn me into some kind of R. Coleman, uh..." Haeri stammered. The boy's smile indicated he'd found someone with whom he could have a pleasant conversation.

"Yeah... Pretend you didn't hear me, but... it's quite annoying. Sometimes I wonder why Nisha fell in with such bad company. I just can't 'process' it."

"Heh, got it," Haeri commented, rubbing the back of her neck. "What's your name?

“Lan Franco, yours?”

“Call me, Haeri, just a lost girl... We're not even from this country; we arrived by accident (in more than one sense of the word).

“So, Miss Haeri, you're as new to Central as you are to Manecia.”

“That's what I said. I'm here, waiting for the moment to... Wait!”

“?”

She had remembered something important: how they had decided in the mountains of Acracia that as soon as they reached a city they should contact each other.

Haeri searched her pocket for her cell phone and, using speed dial, called her colleagues in the capital.

“…”

Or so she tried. She slowly and disappointedly held the device away from her ear.

“There's no signal. But we're in a town...”

“That's a new-generation cell phone, isn't it? He didn't know the reason for her haste, but when he saw that she wouldn't use it, he asked.

"Let's just say yes, why?"

"Would you let me take a look?"

"…"

Hesitant to lend it, but she agreed.

"Pretty. It must have been expensive, I suppose. I doubt there's another one like it in Manecia."

"Don't you dare run away with it."

"Do I look like a thief?"

Haeri shrugged.

"…I couldn't even if I wanted to. With the new smart ‘invisible’ camera and holographic keyboard features… These devices even have a lock that recognizes and records the fingerprints and face of anyone who uses them, also sending that information to the network in real time. Simply put, they're useless in the wrong hands." Looking at it from every angle, he lingered for a moment admiring the shiny keyboard displayed on the device. "The wonders of technology within the reach of a few…"

"And it has more features than I even bother trying… Can I have it back? I'm expecting an important call; it would be a real problem to miss it, you know?"

“(Ugh, how suspicious…) Here you go, but I think you're forgetting something, or rather, you should know something.”

“What?”

“This cell phone can't possibly be of any use.”

“What are you talking about?”

“So, where are you from?”

“I'm American.”

“Yeah, me too. This is Manecia, after all. But what country?”

“…The United States. What does that have to do with it?”

“Let me understand… Were you expecting it to pick up a signal thousands of miles away? I don't know if you've heard this before, but our telecommunications companies no longer have agreements with others outside the country. You'd need to hire a local service, which would also be useless; the facilities aren't even working right now. They're saturated… or something like that I remember hearing.

“Well…”

That was a crucial detail that no one thought.

“(Dammit)… Four hours of flying in isolation to get here and find the same thing… How can we ever meet up with Eldan and the others again?“ She said to herself, though the boy managed to hear her.

“Meet up again?”

“I didn't come to this country alone, you know. Some of my companions split up to go to the… capital, I guess.”

“Really? They did? Matria is more like a 'demilitarized zone'… Why else do you think we'd be trapped here?”

“(Demilitarized… zone? I still don't quite understand them…) “Haeri thought, her thoughts getting confused. “It doesn't matter what they came for. I must find them and leave this crazy country as soon as possible.

“Well, if you ask me, I think it's important. Very important,“ Lan emphasized. “And 'crazy country'? …I think I know what you're talking about. For your information, it's very real. Don't let appearances fool you.

“… (Aren't we on the same page anymore…?)”

“You're one of those people who think a nation must look decayed to be poor… This is the 21st century, corruption is discreet, silent, and deadly, like a snake.” Sighing, Lan turned her gaze to the girl.”Let me tell you this you don’t know for being an outsider, people are afraid of having their possessions taken away, and others are incapable of opposing a government that was once on their side… That's why many ignore it with fake smiles, while people like me do everything in our power to help.

“(One more with stranger ideas, huh?) …”

“…Like I said, I'm not the only one. Nisha is with me. We both belong to a writers' group for the nation. It's more productive than what most people do for their country…”

“…”

“We publish novels written by our own hand, to donate the money raised to charity.

“(And why is he telling me all that? …) Oh, so that's what he does…”

“Avoid talking about him like that.”

“Uh… I didn’t say anything bad. It's just that the first impression I had of him was… probably that of a philanthropist, although I may be exaggerating a bit.

“You don't, not the Nisha from before, Lan expressed, somewhat withdrawn. “It's like he still wants to help, but without knowing how… I don't know how to put it… In a way, he's not the same person I knew anymore.

“(He’s just jumping from topic to topic whenever he feels like it…) You know everything about him, huh? Heh, when will I be invited to his wedding? Haeri mocked.”

Taking her elbow in one hand, the boy pointed his gaze to the side.

The reflex to avert a reddish face.

“For his kindness… He needs someone who truly appreciates him. Good people like us never get treated well.”

“A-Ah… (I better not have asked.)

The boy shifted his gaze to the cabinet where the bags he brought were lying. He approached it immediately in order to avoid the awkward atmosphere that had arisen, and opened one of them in search of something specific.

“…The hours at the Central are from 6 in the morning to 10 at night. Outside of that, the doors are locked. There are some women at the south end who manage the supplies; toothbrushes, soap… they will deliver them to you. No more than 5 minutes in the gym showers. Breakfast is at 7 in the morning, lunch at 1, and dinner at 7 in the dining room on the second floor…”

“Uh…”

He didn’t give her the slightest chance. He seemed to have gotten annoyed.

“When your friends wake up, remember to tell them the same thing.”

Taking a book out of his bag, he tucked it under his arm and left, though not before pausing for a moment at the door.

"In some countries, the motto is 'adjust to our culture or leave,' in ours, 'we respect your culture as long as you respect others.' It's a nice reminder for anyone who sets foot on this land, Haeri." Letting go of the door frame, he left. "Although... by now, no one will know who is a Manetian and who isn't because of that..."

"(Anything else I need to remember?)" Haeri mused sarcastically. (Did I miss something he said?...)

Sick of it all, she found some sheets and went to find the dorms so she could at least take a nap.

She entered one of the rooms reserved for women, and just after she threw herself onto the nearest bed and rolled into the warm sheets, a commotion was heard outside.

"Jeez... For real...?" Haeri complained, covering her head with her pillow.

-[Ø]-

The unbearable squeal was the cry of a baby under the lights of the gym's main hall, and a restless young red-haired woman was holding the baby in her arms, trying to calm it down, arranging it over her white trench coat gathered at her waist.

"Shh shh... Mmm... I'm definitely not good at this," she stammered, looking around. "Can anyone help me?"

Dusk was approaching, and the crowd was beginning to gather for the traditional coffee break. A group of elderly people were in charge of distributing cookies and slices of dry cake, with Doger Biast next in line along with some of his traveling companions. Xiomara stayed in the dorms because she was still upset with him. Nisha joined him.

"I recognize that whining," Doger said sarcastically as he poured coffee from the dispenser in front of him.

"Hey, Doger... Your coffee's going to spill... Doger, the coffee," Garwin pointed out.

"What? Oof! Almost..."

"Come on, let's find a seat."

"I know where."

In the direction of the noise, the person holding the baby was now a much older woman whom Doger also recognized.

"Yeah, yeah... Oh! Doger, boy!"

"Heh, Mrs. Termiane. I didn't think I saw you here in Homen."

"(Chase's mother?)" Garwin thought.

"And little 'Chase Jr.'? How's he?" Doger reached for the baby.

It wasn't hard to guess. That woman had the same skin tone, the same eyes, as that boy they let go to the capital...

"Hey hey, don't even think about it!" She slapped his hand away.

"Ouch!"

And the same attitude.

"When did you wash your hands? Go do it."

"But I put alcohol gel on..."

"It's not enough. Go on. Go."

Like a mother, the boy complied and looked for the nearest sink while the rest of the group said goodbye and sat down at the table to eat their snacks.

"Good afternoon," Garwin greeted. "It's a pleasure---"

"Good afternoon, kids. Ofilia Termiane," she replied sharply, rocking the baby. "Enjoy your meal, but first, please say thank you for the food."

"Oh, right."

After crossing herself, she finally started the conversation. Or more precisely, she started it.

"Is he still looking for them?"

"Uh... Excuse me?"

"There," Doger returned, sitting down and crossing himself as well. "Is everything all right?"

"Oh boy. You have no idea how bad we've been these past few days."

"Heh, I can imagine."

"It's nothing to laugh about."

"Miss Termiane, is that correct?" Izzy said.

"TERmiane." With an accent at first.

"...Mrs. Termiane. We arrived in Homen a few hours ago. And no offense, but we haven't received any explanation as to why this neighborhood was fenced off and called a 'Central.'"

"You were on that little trip, weren't you?"

"..."

For some reason—or no reason at all—Mrs. Ofilia was noticeably irritable. But Izzy has always been one of those people who doesn't give a damn about the attitudes of those she deals with, so she continued without hesitation.

"We know about the international crisis, but why did it come to this?" Mr. Stanford was in too much of a hurry to guide us-----

"That old man? The one they appointed administrator just because of the cowardice of Jeylon? He just arrived and he's already acting like a boss...

Garwin preferred not to say anything about what they were talking about his own father. And Izzy was listening.

"Who is Jeylon? If only I knew..."

"The supermarket owner, girl."

"?"

"I'd better explain," the woman said after glancing at her prehistoric clock. "This isn't the first or last time we've had riots, and you know it. It's normal for communities to organize and take action."

"So Jeylon is-----"

"That's what I'm getting at, dear," she stopped Izzy with her hand. "They've closed off this neighborhood... Although I know Jeylon isn't that smart, I heard that he and his friends offered to provide us with food and water until the riots pass, but since they left for the last time to collect supplies a couple of days ago, not a shadow of them has been seen. My God... What's happened to them?"

"It's quite a hassle dealing with looters day and night, and keeping so many people at the same time," chimed in the red-haired girl listening to the story beside her. "But I have a question. You know a lot about what's going on, but you don't seem to be the one who organized all this."

"Um... Excuse me for intruding, what's your name?" Miruno asked.

"Heh, they didn't even let me say that. You guys talk a lot," the young woman said, grabbing the shoulder of her companion, a teenager with olive-green eyes and a curiously oversized shirt. "I'm... Kyna, and this pretty girl is Mya. Don't say a word to her, or she won't stop talking until morning."

The girl showed a side totally contrary to that description.

"(Yeah, it seems like it...)"

"Yours is..."

"Miruno. Miruno Saggiatore, part of this group surrounding you. We all arrived in these chambers together, so we know each other."

"Oh... I see… It's a pleasure. Well, as we were talking...”

"I don't know anything," said Mrs. Termiane. "The one who told me something about it was Stanford, who's also 'on cloud nine.' It was a woman if I'm not mistaken, but SURPRISE... he didn't even know her name."

"Hmm, I see..."

"If anyone might know, it's Jey. Don't look at me. The important thing is that we're here, fine, safe and--- Ow ow... Shh now... now... You see what they're doing."

The baby was starting to cry again. Everyone was definitely talking too much.

However, this time nothing calmed him. Not even his mother's frequent pats.

"It seems Chase 2.0 is going to be more restless than the original," Doger joked.

"God forbid! I want my dear Zerick to be a grown and responsible man. And by the way, where has that spoiled brat gone?"

"He wanted to go home. You know what he's like," Garwin added.

"Of course I know. That's why I have gray hair in my 40s."

The baby wouldn't stop, and that was starting to bother the people around her. Including those trying to rest in the bedrooms; Haeri, who was emerging from one of them, stumbling from side to side as she walked.

Without a word, she sat down next to the woman and held out her arms for her to hand over the fussy baby for a moment.

She brought the baby closer to her face and stuck out her tongue. Usually, the 'making faces' method of calming babies doesn't work in reality, but she had a piercing that caught his attention, and he tried to reach it with his small hands.

"Nope, no touching," Haeri said, closing her mouth just in time.

The group smiled at the indifferent stranger doing something like that. She returned the playful baby to its mother's arms and sat next to Gitta Vintana, resting her head on the table.

"Thank you, miss."

"That always calms them down, for some reason," Gitta commented, looking at Haeri, who was still trying to fall asleep. "Did you test the cell phone?"

"Yes. It didn't work. Nothing works in this life..."

The young redhead, Kyna, looked at them both curiously for a moment before asking, she had probably noticed their sweet exchange of glances.

"You two are..."

"We're dating," Gitta replied.

Haeri nearly fell off the edge of her chair when she heard her partner say that outright. Needless to say, the others were certainly surprised.

“T-Totally unnecessary to say…”

“Heh.”

She glared at him, but seeing his soft smile, she could do nothing but hide her face, embarrassed. She had lost sleep.