Chapter 9: The Central of Homen. Part 2

“You guys are like a jack-in-the-box, heh.”

“(We barely met. I'm not an 'open book' to tell you my life story...)”

They continued casually discussing what had happened.

By then, Chase's mother, Ofilia, was already chatting with other women in a corner of the gym, having entrusted the baby to Doger, who was playing with him.

She was working on the community chores. As soon as someone saw Nisha, he was taken by the arm and forced to help in the kitchen alongside Kyna and Mya.

Meanwhile, Xiomara and Haeri watched the rest of the group playing as if they were exempt from responsibility in a park on the outskirts, throwing passes with an American football that Garwin had brought among his many trinkets.

"Pass it!" Garwin shouted, raising his hand in the distance.

Izzy was in charge of throwing the ball into the air while Sein, Garwin, Miruno, and Gitta had to catch it.

That's right, even the "newcomer" Gitta was participating in the game, and seeing that he was quite capable, Garwin happily showed him how to catch the ball correctly.

"You have a lot to tell me, Gitta," Garwin commented, making sure only he could hear. "You know. Don't mention it to the others, but... I also have a certain interest in someone in our group."

"Really?" he replied with some trepidation.

Not out of curiosity, but because Garwin had so much confidence in him, a foreigner he'd just met. It felt like the same feeling as starting a new school life at a different high school. No one knows you, so you can be whoever you want.

“Did you move? Sure, if you don't want to answer, I'll understand."

"Moving?"

"Exactly. Heh, that moment when you go to your girl’s house so often that it feels like you live there. And before you know it, you even have your toothbrush in her bathroom."

"I understand... To be honest, their parents don't like me very much," Gitta said.

"I see. Don't worry. It usually happens at first."

Meanwhile, the game's spectators were resting on concrete chairs not far from them.

"Try not to overexert yourself, Miruno," Xiomara commented, watching the panting boy sit down next to her.

“Ah ah uff... How embarrassing... I haven't even been able to 'steal' a single catch from Sein... Ugh... Ah...”

“Don't think that. They've been playing much longer than you.”

“Yeah... That must be why...”

“Hey, I want to play too!” Doger said, approaching. “Come on, pass it, Izzy.”

She was close to doing so until Garwin intervened, approaching the group.

“No, buddy. Not at all. Apologize first.”

“Apologize? For what? What did I do wrong?”

Garwin just nodded to Xiomara. He guessed she was upset for him yelling at her on the bus the day before.

In a way, Xiomara was used to fighting with Doger; they'd known each other for a long time, after all. Their 'post-argument' arguments didn't really go beyond not talking to each other for a while.

“...Fine. Sorry, Xio.”

“...It's okay.”

"Sorry for...?" Garwin added, annoying them.

"Yelling..." Doger muttered, patting the girl on the shoulder.

"...”

"Okay, now for a hug."

"Don't go too far, man."

"He he. I see what we needed was a break. Now run!"

"Heh."

Following the signal pointing toward Sein in the distance, Doger covered the distance in the blink of an eye, chasing Sein to prevent him from catching the ball thrown by the sturdy boy. Of all those present, Doger was perhaps the only one who could keep up.

"Oops, I think I missed a trick," Garwin stammered, flicking his wrist.

The ball flew toward some fenced settlements. Sein stopped right in front of the fence and took advantage of his height to try to catch it, but he could do no more than graze it with his fingers.

"Tsk!"

It looked like it would be an incomplete pass, but Doger didn't stop for a moment; he placed a hand on the fence and caught the ball before it hit the turf.

"Gah! Ah... I did it... I almost broke my tailbone, but I did it." He stood up, kicking the dirt off his back and raising the ball in the air in victory.

"Touchdown!" Garwin announced. "That's why you don't miss practice."

They both pointed at each other, celebrating wildly, in full view of everyone else, including Lan Franco, who was approaching with his own group.

"Something wrong, buddy?" Garwin asked.

"...We need help moving the supplies we got from the last drop, especially what you brought with you in your minibus. You'll get it ready for the next load."

"Oh, excuse us. I was planning on unloading it completely before nightfall."

"That reminds me," Lan added. "The prayer will be then."

"We won't forget. I promise."

The group quickly scattered in search of something to do. Izzy was the only one who knew exactly where to go.

She'd been listening to the whispers Ofilia and her friends were having at the gym entrance from the very beginning. After all, they hadn't come to the Central for any other reason than to find out information, especially from Nisha's mother, although everything indicated that only the supermarket owner would know something about it.

Still, that wasn't the only topic Izzy needed to discuss. Nisha, seeing when she asked to be in the same room as the gossiping women, knew very well what else she was going to discuss.

"(You're not going to tell them, are you)?" he thought, finishing up his chores in the kitchen.

He apologized to the girls he was helping and hurriedly headed to the same room as his companion, who was still waiting at the door, about to knock on it.

"Izzy, I don't think-----“

"That woman you mentioned..." she murmured. "She may have been your mother."

"...Yes, but... She's not here."

"That's why we need to find that man... Jeylon."

"Is that all?"

"If there's nothing else I need to know..."

"Iz, I think we shouldn't involve them in... Well..."

"Nisha," the young woman said, fixing her pale eyes on the boy. "I know exactly what you're referring to, but in retrospect, we'll have wasted our time trying to be any different."

"But Iz-------“

Before giving him time for another reply, the young woman knocked on the door, and within seconds, an older woman, a friend of Ofilia's, opened.

"Kids, can I help you with something? We're 'in a meeting' (Ah, what beautiful eyes)."

"Excuse me, may we come in?"

The room they were meeting in was none other than the gym's changing room. Surrounded by lockers, only a table and plastic chairs were placed in the middle, occupied by Mrs. Ofilia and other adults who were seriously discussing matters related to Homen Central. When they saw the two unknown youngsters enter, they fell silent.

Nisha felt somewhat uncomfortable by the atmosphere, unlike Izzy, who stepped forward and introduced herself to everyone without delay.

"...Greetings, my name is Izzy Rylee, and I have a proposal."

And with those words, she began her long speech.

Moments later,

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" the elders laughed.

It was expected. No one would take a young girl seriously who seeks to start a revolution.

"Th-These kids, ha ha, these kids are hilarious..."

Nisha and Izzy didn't say a single word in the face of the mockery until Nisha broke the silence.

"Ha ha yeah... Just kidding, just kidding. We just saw you guys were worried and wanted to cheer you up."

"It wasn't necessary, kid," said one of the men. "But it's good that the young people care about us. Being supported while we're in charge of responsibilities is gratifying, without a doubt."

The others reaffirmed his point.

"Yeah... He he, we just wanted to help."

"The best thing you can do is take care of the children and help with the chores this place requires. No crazy ideas," one of the women clarified, clasping her hands. "Okay! Let's prepare the prayer, let's go, it's almost time."

Inviting everyone to leave, the two young men were the last. Nisha was about to walk through the door, but when he turned around, Izzy was subtly looking at the papers they had left on the table.

The bus routes from the Central to the supposed supermarket. The number of people, the necessary supplies...

"Hm... They did a good job with logistics and distribution," Nisha commented, reviewing the papers.

"...They won't listen to anyone but adults."

"But... We are too."

"Without hair, being overweight, having children, a job, and being over 40, you're not considered one," Izzy murmured.

Outwardly, she seemed calm, but Nisha knew she was no longer in a good mood.

"And that 'adult' thinking..." Iz added, taking one of the maps, "will make things even more difficult than they already are. But at least we can learn some things from this place…."

They were penciled charts that neatly organized the distribution of resources among every man, woman, and child (and baby) at the plant.

However, they presented a problem, or rather, a detail.

There were only a few of them.

They barely covered a couple of weeks from that day. It turned out to be short-term planning, and for Izzy, who saw further ahead, it would be an understatement to call it merely 'a worrying development.'

She then handed the map to Nisha and waited for her response, but he didn't want to comment on the matter. She knew well in advance that they had arrived in Homen looking for his mother, and at the same time, they would make their way east.

The question was whether they shared goals, both those they had set for themselves since they left Los Canes, and those that appeared now.

How many of them would remain?

"...”

"We'll find a way, Nisha. I don't plan on abandoning them."

Night had fallen, and the citizens of Homen Central were gathering for prayer. Not a single one was marked absent.

The residents of this city and its surroundings were well known for their humility and cooperative spirit, so even in times of peace, communities would often gather to celebrate whatever was on the calendar.

Morning had dawned, and the citizens of Homen Central were gathering for breakfast. One group didn't show up.

There wasn't enough food for the following week, and as planned, it was time to load supplies. They had to risk their last minibus on that task, the vehicle Garwin had driven and now wasn't even allowed to board.

"The group is defined," one of the men behind the wheel announced, restricting Doger's entry.

"Are you serious? Man, this vehicle belongs to US."

"Technically, it was the property of the San Ramael Institute," Garwin corrected him, completely calm. "Remember, I allowed them to use it as they wished after fixing it."

"That doesn't seem like a fair deal to me," Doger turned stubbornly. "You messed up."

Garwin walked right up to the driver's window and, resting an arm on the edge, spoke with him one-on-one.

"Excuse us for bothering you. Please understand that we want to help you. Our intentions are good." He paused for a moment, seeing that he wasn't convinced. "Hm... What do you say we do the following? You mentioned you weren't making stops due to looting. In that case, you'll drop us off halfway, and you'll reach the supermarket. We'll take care of collecting whatever we find in the surrounding area."

"No... I'm not sure... It's dangerous," the driver stammered.

"You'll need as many hands as possible to attend to the specific needs of each resident. You entrusted us with that very task, that's why we know," Garwin replied. "Mrs. Marta needs her antibiotics, old Francis his blood pressure pills, Gerald's crutches haven't been collected from his home yet, Rohni's wheelchair needs a replacement, which he keeps in his closet... I could go on, but I think it's clear there are belongings that need to be returned."

The man was surprised by how quickly the newcomer had adapted to the Central. They say that what interests you the most is best learned.

He was about to reply again, but after thinking about it for a moment, he agreed.

"Very well, kiddo. We'll take you for this one time. Once you're done, we'll pick you up when we return," he clarified. "We have room for... four more. How many of your classmates are we talking about?"

"Hm... I'd say about four or five. If we all fit in properly, there shouldn't be any problems."

"Very well, you can all get in," the man said, unlocking the doors.

"Thanks. I'll go call the rest. We'll be back in a minute. Come on, Doger."

He shook the man's hand and returned to the gym. Doger was close behind.

"I thought disappearances only happened in Matria," Doger commented, removing the bandages from his hand. "Well, it's not like I know much outside the capital."

"Actually, there was a pretty well-known one... but my memory is playing tricks on me right now."

"So, who else is coming? Heh, I'm too restless to be doing anything..."

"I'll ask Nisha, Sein, and Izzy. If Gitta and Haeri are also up for it, it’ll be a perfect."

"Oookay!" Doger patted his companion on the shoulder and quickened his pace. "I'm going to the bathroom! Don't leave without me."

"Hey, Doger... Well, I guess I'll have time to pick up a few more 'things,'" Garwin said to himself, seeing the young man running away.

Back at the gym, he walked around it, dodging some trees along the way, until he reached the small recreational park where the others were.

Haeri listened to music with her earphones on, next to Gitta, who was nimbly exercising on the swings and gymnastics equipment they'd abandoned outside the Central to make room. Some kids tried to imitate him, but to no avail. As he'd said, he did practice rhythmic gymnastics after all.

For his part, Sein was passing the time by throwing the ball in the air and catching it while chatting with Nisha and Izzy.

"Alright guys, it's a done deal," Garwin warned them.

"I'm surprised you convinced them," Izzy commented. Sein agreed.

"Yeah, what a surprise. They're a little... annoying, don't you think?" I mean, with their strict schedules and all that...

"Without it, this place would be chaos, Sein," Garwin replied, raising his index finger. "Anyway, they allowed us to accompany them on one condition: to get off in the middle of the road."

"That doesn't do us much good," Izzy said. "But it's a start. Thank you, Garwin."

"Heh, it's nothing. That was very kind of the gentleman. Then, raise your hands if you're going. It'll just be picking up a few belongings."

Besides him, Izzy, Sein, and Nisha raised their hands.

"1, 2, 3, 4... And Doger... What about you, Haeri, Gitta...?"

The stranger had barely paid any attention to what they said but he felt he owed them a favor for providing him and Haeri with food and shelter where to stay for now.

He turned to look at his companion.

"Haeri, are you going too?"

She had no intention of moving from her comfortable seat.

"Thanks but no thanks," she replied, returning the earphones to her ears and gesturing with her hand for him to go. "I'll wait here for you. Have fun."

"...”

"Oh, that's right. I need something. Could you come closer... Izzy, right?" Haeri asked.

Izzy leaned closer and leaned her ear so they could whisper closely.

"...I remember they had enough for everyone in the room of----“

"I know, I know. But... I need that specific brand, or else... Would you do me a favor? Only if you want..."

"I understand."

The other kids wondered what they meant.

Thus, the participants for this new excursion to the city of Homen were decided.

What had happened to the supermarket owner, Jeylon, and his followers? What was the whereabouts of Nisha Quinto's mother? What risks really threatened the Central? Who was waiting for them out there?

Questions remained, and the group was finally taking the first step toward answering them.