Stargazer Pt.2 (Bonus Chapter)

Yamin and her mother sat down at the kitchen table with plates of food already set. As customary before any significant meal, they cupped their hands and said grace over the food.

“We thank you, Lord, for all the food we are blessed with. So be it,” both their voices sang.

Not a moment later, forks rose up and dug in. What a tasty dinner it was.

~☆☆☆~

As they finished eating, Yamin took initiative to clean things up.

Fwooob!

A bubble of water drew from the sink as Yamin placed her hand over a smooth black pad. The orb swirled and swished midair until Yamin took a small piece of chalky substance and placed it inside.

The orb of water bubbled up as the chalk dissolved, then she placed all the dishes from the day inside of it to wash.

Clink clank clink!

The plates and glass gently collided as she scrubbed them clean inside the floating water. Any particles of food that scraped off dissolved in the water, completely disappearing.

All the while a pair of eyes looked her way, longingly gazing at her with an infatuated smile.

“Mom, you’re staring again.”

“I sure am,” mother nodded.

“Can you not? It’s weird.”

Mother rested her chin on her hand, then her eyes widened. “Now I want to stare at you more. Just missing a second of your warmth makes me long for it again.”

“Creepy.” Yamin considered putting the dish washing on hold and moving into the living room, but it wouldn’t have changed much since both rooms were connected.

“Isn’t it funny how much importance we put on eyes? If I just sat here listening to you, you wouldn’t have a problem.”

Bfwooo!

Clank Clink!

Yamin took the dishes from the orb of water, then put on gloves and took hold of an orange glowing stone. She proceeded to place the stone on the plates and an aura of heat surrounded them, drying each one quickly. Then she put them back in the cabinet.

“True, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s weird.”

As she finished putting away the dishes, Yamin picked up a newspaper from this morning and unfolded it in front of her mother.

“Did you see the headlines? You’re research group is making history.”

“I didn’t see that.” Mother put her hands on the paper and pulled it close. “Research group 9 seeks to prove the connection between mana networks and storms in Esma…Pfft…” she pushed the paper away. “This is such an oversimplification of our study. It’s laughable.”

“What are you guys doing in Esma?”

“There’s a weather anomaly up north that’s been blocking travel and communication. I normally wouldn’t play the role of weathergirl, but the boss thinks the storm is caused by Nazalian ruins underground. Based on the information we’ve already gathered around that area, I agree.”

It wasn’t unusually for mother to explore and study ancient artifacts and locations of old, magic or otherwise, but dealing with weather was new territory for her, which added a extra layer of interest.

“What time are you leaving tomorrow?” Yamin asked.

“Noon.”

That gave them a few hours in the morning to spend time together. It wasn’t unheard of for her mother to disappear for weeks at a time when going on a work related trip, so they wanted to squeeze out every bit of family time they could.

But it also meant things would get very quiet around the home.

“Guess I’ll be taking care of the house for a while.” Yamin said, looking out the window to notice a few flakes of snow fall down. “Snow…?” She whispered under her breath.

A glance outside revealed clouds had tumbled over the sky. Hardly unheard of this time of year, but certainly an unexpected forecast. Maybe the news could shed light on the sudden inclement weather.

“Oh, how I hate leaving my little darling all alone!” Mother embraced the contemplating Yamin and held her up in her clutches. “Why must we part ways? I do hate it so!”

“Gah! I can’t breathe!”

Mother quickly put her back down, stepping back to give her space to take a few breaths.

“You’ll keep busy, right?” mother asked.

“Yeah. If this keeps up, I’ll be independent in no time.” She moved into the living room and picked up the remote.

Mother’s smile dropped. “Er…well…” her tone shifted and she tapped her long finger nail against the table. “How about I give you some spending money and you can buy something nice for yourself?”

“I’m trying to get a job, remember?” Yamin chuckled, turning the TV on.

“Yes, but do you really need one?” Mother leaned over their L shaped couch. “Jobs can be so difficult. And besides, people are mean to Kanai like you. Do you want to deal with that all day?”

“Seriously?” Yamin’s narrow eyes riddled with disappointment of her mother. “Mom, all the girls my age are working. I don’t even go to school anymore. You won’t even let me have a boyfriend!”

“And how much trouble has it saved you? Remember what those mean children used to call you all day?”

“And now for the Crown news report!” a news anchor on TV announced. “Skeptics continue to claim that the mana wells around the country are ‘not’ drying up. However, according to a recent scientific study, it was found that several wells appeared to be showing far less output as compared to last year, causing a major energy crisis. This has lead scientist to believe that the mana storied inside the planet is drying up and…”

Mother turned off the television.

A look of disgust overtook her face. She forcefully placed the remote down on the table and continued to glare at the television.

“Bastards!” she shouted. “What studies are showing the mana reserves drying up? And who are they calling skeptics?! They better not be talking about my work!”

Yamin was used to her mother occasionally getting heated when political discussions mixed with sciences, but seeing the contrast in her personality always caught her off guard.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to turn on the news mom…I wanted to check the weather.”

Mother adjusted her long hair, trying to collect her previous demeanor. “Well, it’s hard to watch anything on TV now without getting upset about something. Might as well get rid of that lousy box…”

Mother turned to Yamin, a fire in her gaze and stone cold tone in her voice.

“Yamin, you know that they’re wrong, yes? The planet makes mana for all of us. There is no end to how much it produces.”

Yamin grew up with that idea in her head. Scriptures stated it to be true, and her own mothers research largely depended on it as fact. Saying no would not only deny the truth of her religion, but also insult the very work her own mother did every day.

“Of course they’re wrong.” Yamin nodded.

“Good. You’re not in the dark like the rest of your generation.”