Chapter 18: Oasis

Oasis

She nearly fell flat on her back; knocked one of the chairs next to the hammock out of the way.

Earlene Gresham quickly moved from that balcony to the first floor, rushing to find Chase or Jevo in such a hurry that even Vines could feel her, falling flat on his butt from the rooftop where he was sleeping.

The impact had only woken Rousset, who slowly got up, wondering what had happened.

In that room, which contained nothing but a bed she shared with Chase and a beauty table, something else intrigued her.

In the midst of the argument heard in the next room, she saw herself in the mirror, touching her slicked cheek, for some reason.

"...Why am I crying?"

It was her makeup that was slipping under her eyes, revealing her small freckles and a look of confusion in the look reflected in the mirror.

The door was suddenly opened, and Jevo and Earlene were gripping the handle, agitated.

"The police?!"

The duo still hadn't said a word. They were somewhat confused by Chase's exclamation upon suddenly waking up, but they ignored it.

"What…? No. Come on! There's..." Jevo continued.

There was the group outside the entrance.

Unlike the others, Vines was standing massaging his aching back, and Brawell was keeping a distance; the rest surrounded one of the bodies on the asphalt in the quiet neighborhood.

They didn't lie motionless as they had thought. At times, they suffered from small twitchings. Additionally, their limbs had small wounds.

"It's like... they're dreaming?" Earlene stammered.

"I'm afraid they won't wake up. No, they are not," Jevo said, gently moving one of them. "What's going on here? Ugh, my head is..."

He wasn't the only one. Chase held his forehead. His body ached, his head even more so, making it difficult to analyze the situation they were in.

"Tsk..."

He shifted his gaze toward the settlement they'd come from, switching between it and the people around it. He noticed the balcony where Vines had slept, still with the lights on and the bodies forming a funnel on the street.

By inference, it seemed they were heading toward the house.

Going from empty neighborhoods to this was disconcerting.

Where they came from, when, and why they'd arrived at the entrance were questions he wanted, and didn't want, to know.

"Should we call 911? I'm just saying," Vines suggested.

"What are you going to do? Send them a letter with a bird?" Chase commented, annoyed by the pain. "There's no signal, not even a phone in the house."

Hearing him talk about a letter reminded Earlene of the one she'd been carrying in her pocket all this time.

"Ah, Chase, I have this..." She quickly extracted it, handed it to the boy, and pointed it west. "It's from that building. Look, over there."

He examined the letter, which looked like a real estate billboard. It listed an extravagant residence, the same one her friend mentioned, and a short note detailing a message and an address. Details he paid no attention to.

"A homeless shelter, or something like that. This address was..."

"Now what do we do?" Jevo asked.

He had no idea either.

Carrying them all to Matria Hospital was unthinkable. But just leaving them like that...?

"Obviously we'll take the most logical course: get out of here," Chase declared. "I don't know what the hell is going on, nor do I expect to find out. Let's go before we get framed for this mess."

"..."

None of them seemed in the mood to argue. They'd already started walking, scrutinizing each other, avoiding stepping on any of the bodies on the street, when Earlene stopped them.

"Wait, Chase. The little dog..."

"Are you serious?" He sighed. "...Go and open the door. If it bites you, don't come crying to me."

Vines threw the keys to her, who, picking them up for her failed catch, hurried back into the house.

"They run away and leave that animal locked up and without food," he murmured from nearby to Chase. "How irresponsible and inconsiderate people are, man."

"..."

They watched as the dog sped out the door, cruising along the asphalt in the distance, almost as if it knew exactly where it was going, and on the opposite path the group would take.

"Earlene, come on," Jevo turned around, waiting for her.

She'd gotten distracted near the entrance, staring at some pink roses in the garden.

Then, she shook out her shirt and followed the others toward the shelter, another property belonging to the Saggiatore family.

"Do we have to go up there? Ugh..."

Fortunately for them, only a few kilometers and a now empty street separated them from their destination.

The site was visible uphill. So prominent that it put even the most luxurious settlements surrounding it to shame. Yet at the same time, it had a humble design that camouflaged it quite well; with the same light brown tones as the neighboring apartments.

Exhausted and in pain, they arrived at the compound. Reluctantly, Chase rang the bell and, with it, the loudspeaker next to the door. The only way in was through it, since a tall wall secured the place.

They had no way to use 'alternative methods' to get in, so they had to do it the old-fashioned way: knocking on the door.

"Who is it?" came over the loudspeaker.

Without even a greeting, as if it were the manners of a child, and indeed it was.

"Excuse me," Chase said, with a formality that was almost laughable coming from him. "Is this the Saggiatore refuge? I heard their doors are open to anyone who needs help right now—"

"There’s no bread! Goodbye! Gsk ha ha," they responded with laughter. It was more than one person playing a joke on them.

"These fucking brats... Open the door!"

"Hey...!"

Clearly Chase wasn't in the mood for pranks.

Was anyone?

Jevo was about to intervene again to converse like civilized beings, but it was Rousset who unexpectedly took the first step.

She tossed her curly hair a bit and raised her amber eyes to the door's lens.

"Could you let us in, pleaseeee~" she said in a gentle tone, with the eyes of a scared puppy.

"Um... Well..."

The youngster agreed almost immediately, and so the doors opened. Rousset only shrugged at how easy it was.

"You were cornered by every woman's deadly weapon, kiddos. Hah," Vines mocked, walking through the doors with the others.

Around 12 years old. They were only three boys whose dignity was just subdued with a nice gesture, although one of them still looked unhappy.

"Who are they?" he asked bluntly.

"That's what I should say, child," a voice answered behind him, unsettling the boy.

A woman was leaving the shadow of the main entrance and crossing the stony path where everyone else was, silently followed by a formally dressed man wearing a blue beret.

The group finally paid enough attention to the place amid their lethargy.

It was a vast garden they found themselves in, surrounding the entire building; two stories high, mostly made of fine wood and supported by pillars as white as the dove perched on one of them.

A Greek palace.

Again, there was an incongruity between humility and luxury, but after the settlement they'd been in, it wasn't surprising.

"What brings you here, may I ask?" the woman questioned.

With Arab features, she was a woman who visibly looked tired, and despite being around 40 years old, her hair had several gray strands. Her condition was what one would expect from someone in their 80s at that time.

Sensing a certain familiarity with her, Rousset changed her own mood to answer her. "Thank you, and sorry if we bothered you; we read here that this was a shelter, that's why..." Rousset commented as she handed her the paper Earlene had handed her.

The woman looked at it reluctantly and massaged her eyes, sighing for a moment.

She knew what it was all about.

"Hm... I see. You're welcome. Please come this way. And Paul," she turned to look at the children first. "You... Close the doors. Next time someone knocks, let me know first, okay? I can't leave you alone for a second..."

"Okay..." replied the boy, who seemed to be the leader of his group, before heading over to it not without taking one last look at Rousset's voluptuous body. "Uhm… We're going to play with the PS inside. Come on, guys."

"PS? You have a PS9 here?" Chase asked, clearly interested. The boy turned to look at him with a smug gesture.

"Are you kidding? We have a PS11."

"Heh, that's not true... Could this kid show me around instead of you, ma'am?"

"...Go ahead."

Watching them chatting and getting carried away with their hobby as they entered the "mansion," Earlene wanted to go too, but she wasn't as brazen as her friend, so she preferred to approach and ask about what had been distracting her since they arrived.

"Um... Is this a theater?"

"Excuse me, miss?"

"That's music... I think."

"...First, let me introduce myself properly, young people. My name is Bemi Perke, in charge of this... shelter. We haven't had many visitors lately, so I'll show you around personally. And before we begin, please keep in mind that your stay will be temporary; until the riots calm down."

"...”

"That said, let me guide you. Form two lines and follow me. Shall we begin with that introduction?" Obeying, the group walked along the stony path to the side, crossing a parking lot.

"(They even have parking!?)" Vines thought, still scanning the surroundings. "Heh, what's next? Tubs of hot chocolate? Clean clothes?"

Earlene laughed at what he said. He was right, and he wasn't the only one to notice.

A curious detail that characterized the Republic of Manecia was the scarcity of vehicles, a product of its "stagnant modernization" and independent provinces. The few existing ones were used almost exclusively for commerce and public transportation, making them a precious resource not easily found in any private residence.

They then arrived at a flowery garden at the rear of the place, bordered by tall columns that shadowed the audience listening to the performance. Under the rays of sunlight that escaped through the leaves of the surrounding trees, the artist played her music in front of the young audience.

Her chords were subtle, soft, and melodic, as if it were a children's story. And, in fact, they listened attentively to that story. The maiden in white in front of them called herself Cadie Saggiatore.

Tall, pale skin, beautiful figure, and with a radiant smile, she paid complete attention to her small audience and singing.

She hadn't yet noticed the arrival of the new group, but they were more than amazed by her sheer presence.

When she finished, some children applauded while others gaped at her.

The maiden stood up and, thanking the children, addressed the group behind them.

"Greetings," she said, combing the black hair that hid her smile. "Did you like the tune?"

The supposed security guard following them nodded, picked up her guitar, and headed into the mansion without a word.

"Wonderful as always, Miss Cadie," Mrs. Bemi replied, clasping her hands. "Even to adult ears, you're still captivating."

"I sincerely appreciate it. Please allow me to introduce myself." She turned to look at the rest of the group and bowed slightly, a hand on her chest. "My name is Cadie Saggiatore. It's a real pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all ours, Miss Saggiatore," Vines replied, shaking her hand with a big smile.

"If you could allay my uncertainty, and without being a nuisance, were you the only ones to come this time?"

Vines stood still for a moment, trying to "process" the question nestled between those words he wasn't used to hearing. He glanced at Earlene before finally answering.

"Um... Sure, we're the only ones..."

"And Chase..." Earlene added.

"Ah yeah, Chase too."

"Oh... I see," Cadie murmured, then looked up again. "It's a blessing that you enjoy peace and well-being. Any help you need, please don't hesitate to ask for it."

"...Thank you?"

"I'm asking, have you satisfied your hunger?"

"Excuse us for bothering you..." Jevo replied.

Earlene was holding her stomach as if she were about to have a breakdown.

"Oh, no, no bother," she smiled peacefully. "Come this way. It shall be a pleasure having you to join us."

Following her toward some white outdoor tables in the distance, Vines purposefully hung back a little to discreetly check out her body.

"Phew, Vines might like what he sees…" he mumbled next to Jevo.

"You mean the lady?" he replied.

"Heh, you know who I mean."

"...It's because of people like you that we can only see women through windows or screens nowadays."

"They don't know what they're missing."

"...(While it's strange that they'd just let us stay like this, at least we have a place to stay. This is like an oasis)," Jevo mused, massaging his temple and ignoring his degenerate friend. "I'll ask later if they have any painkillers..."

Meanwhile, the curious Earlene approached Cadie to ask another question.

"Your last name was... Saggia...tore, wasn't it? Are you related to a boy named Miruno?"

"Oh, could it be that you really know him!?" she exclaimed happily.

"Um, yes, he studies with us (I knew there was something about her that reminded me of him)."

"I hadn't realized until this moment, you two wear the same uniform. Such a surprise. By any chance, do you recognize the names Xiomara? And perhaps, Doger?

"Yes. We all study at San Ramael’s."

"Ah, what a lovely coincidence."

"But... they couldn't come with us. We went on a field trip to study, but... some of them will take longer to finish it, I think..."

"It is a real shame. I returned a few days ago... I am dying to see them... However, I shall continue to wait for them to return then."

"Do they live here?"

"Sorry for interrupting," Rousset intervened, following closely behind them along with Brawell, although the latter's presence was barely noticeable. "Since you were talking about uniforms, do you have any dresses? Or really, any clothes in my size would do. I don't have a change of clothes today."

"We haven't even showered," Earlene added, without any embarrassment.

"I did bathe... (Don't say that out loud, girl)," Rousset thought. "Although if you also have showers that would be great..."

"Well..."

"We have wardrobes, tubs, and storage rooms," Mrs. Bemi answered for Cadie. She didn't seem to like having such demanding visitors. "Just remember what I told you when you arrived. If you follow those instructions, there will be no problem using them."

And so they did.

It was already past noon, and the group finally sat down to have a late breakfast, in the company of other strangers. These turned out to be mostly boys and girls barely in their pre-teens, so it was a boisterous meeting about 'dessert time’ and ‘when we would come back to play videogames.'

Afterwards, they finally entered the real “mansion”; two floors supported by columns led up as far as the eye could see, the hallway opened, a large living room, a variety of rooms, and a more sophisticated design than the exterior. It seemed as if they were entering a world they'd never seen before.

After a visit to the showers, the group left the closet, which contained all kinds of sizes and styles, as if it were a store. Chase only needed to change, eat, and, well, do everything else he had to do upon arrival.

He spent his time sitting in an armchair in front of a huge, flexible, flat-screen TV with a video game controller in his hands. Beside him, the boy who greeted them at the entrance and his friends were watching. This one, however, had some kind of gloves he used to play.

"Chase, you can use the showers now," Jevo warned, passing behind him.

"..."

He didn't respond back.

Seeing that they were ignoring him, Jevo continued on with the others.

Paul, the boy, didn't ignore them at all. When they turned their backs, he gestured with his hands to Chase, highlighting Rousset's captivating "lower back”. Only his friends laughed subtly.

Staring into space, Chase didn't respond for a while.

"Heh, these precocious kids thinking about stupid things..." he said. "I used to eat dirt at your age, not pay attention to that."

"You spend your time staring too. Don't lie," Paul replied, annoyed.

"I won't deny it."

"…"

And he smiled at his honesty.

"Look closely, I'm about to beat you in the race..."

"A-Ah, yeah."

"Remember the bet."

"I won't lose even if I'm distracted," Paul said confidently. "BOOOM, FIRST PLACE! In your face!"

"Shit!" Chase threw the game controller at the couch. "It was only because I'm not used to these controllers."

"And I gave you the easy ones. With these gloves, you would have a stroke or something, HA."

"This brat's very funny, uh? Very funny... Fine, I'll go get the ice cream. Where do they have it?"

"Over there," the boy pointed toward a room diagonally across from them. "In the grey refrigerator. And you have to serve it too by the way."

"... (I’m starting to lose motivation...)" Chase thought, reluctantly complying.

He got up from the couch and headed to the room they indicated. It was near where his own group was talking with Cadie.

"Are you done playing?" Jevo repeated as he saw him pass. "The showers are in those rooms, and next to them is the closet."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming..."

Opening the door to what turned out to be a dining room, Chase walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a box of ice cream. He grabbed some plastic spoons from the side and just after closing the refrigerator door, he paused momentarily at what he saw.

“Uh…”

Sitting at a small table with his wife and children was the person he least expected—wanted—to see, impossible to mistake because of his dark trench coat.

“Look who we have here…” Chase muttered, tired.

Henroy Fanous, his former biology teacher. Noticing they'd spotted him, the professor aggressively dropped his fork on his own plate, signaling that he was fed up with crossing paths with them.

To be continued…