Chapter 88

Chapter 88: 88 It was a shorter walk than I expected to get back to your Aunt’s flat. I’d flown around this area before which made me think it would be a lot more taxing on foot but that turned out to be wrong. Or maybe it was because I finally felt like I was doing something. The electronics shop nearby had a little sale going on and it just happened he was trying to get rid of a whole box of old charging cables that had been made obsolete with the advent of everyone using USB-C, so I got to snag one for just a few dollars with a plug adaptor thrown in too. It was almost like things were going to get better. Then I started to notice the people on the street. Not the people exactly, but the way they were all standing in small groups huddled around someone holding a phone, or even just standing off on their own with their eyes glued to a device. Since smartphone started being a thing, it’s been common to see people completely absorbed while walking around but I hadn’t seen something like this on this scale before. Unfortunately, I couldn’t understand what they were muttering about so instead, I hurried on home. The energy was electric as I squeezed past people meandering in the street outside and there were even people in the lift still glued to their phones or tapping away at messaging apps. Then when I finally escaped the metal box and made my way to the end of the hallway, I saw that someone was waiting for me by the front door. "Hello Amethyst," I said in greeting as I walked up to the woman, getting my key out of my pocket. "Misha, is Bran with you?" Amethyst asked. The sudden mention of you cut into me and I dropped the key. As I crouched to pick it up I answered. "He’s been kidnapped," I said quietly. "Kidnapped...?" "Heya Misha!" called out another unexpected, but not unfamiliar voice. "Melody! Eh, and Coral too? What are you two doing here?" The two girls had clearly taken the lift up after me and were also buzzing with excitement, the one that everyone else seemed to be buzzing with. "We wanted to talk to you about something..." Melody started to say as she looked Amethyst up and down then glanced at me. "This is a friend of me and Bran’s," I explained. "Amethyst." "Hi." "Hello." "Amethyst, these are Melody and Coral." "Ah." The gu-huo-niao gave a polite nod. "Perhaps we can head inside to discuss further...?" "Right." I’d never tried to charge anything in the flat (even the kettle was a stove based one) so it took me a hot minute to find the power outlets. Once I had, I plugged in the phone and slotted in the SIM card then set it aside. It was going to be a long wait. "When was Bran taken?" asked Amethyst. "Have you found him yet? Who did it?" "He-" "Bran’s been taken? You mean he’s been kidnapped?" asked Melody, eyes wide. As I stood up a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me and I fought to figure out what to say. "Yeah," I finally said. "But I’m going to get him back." "But..." "Have you eaten, Misha?" asked Amethyst. "You look pale." The question sounded foreign to me. "Uh, I guess not, but-" Without waiting for the rest of what I had to say, Amethyst took me by the arm and deposited me on one of the cushions by the coffee table. Coral said something to Amethyst who nodded, then both she and Melody both went out the door. "Where are they going?" I mumbled. The mention of food seemed to have been the last straw and I was finding it hard to even keep my eyes open. "They’re just going to get food," explained Amethyst. "You just rest first." So I did, folding my arms on the table and resting my head on them. I heard Amethyst go into the kitchen and fumble around with the kettle, but the next thing I knew, the front door was swinging open again, intermingled with the voices of Coral and Melody and the smell of hot food. I must have fallen asleep. "I don’t know what you like, so we got a bit of everything," said Melody as she helped Coral take out the different containers of food from the bag. "Oh, thank you..." I mumbled as my brain slowly came back online. "How much do I owe you?" I then asked. "Owe me?" asked Melody. I indicated the food. "Oh, no no, our treat," she said, waving both hands. "And, uh... I was wondering if I could ask you something." Coral had gone to the kitchen to help Amethyst get proper plates and cutlery so it was just Melody and me in the living room. I eyed the girl. "About the dream?" I asked. "Huh? Well... kind of, I guess," Melody replied. She settled down on one of the other cushions. "So, what you and Bran did to help Coral that... I don’t know how much of that was actually real and how much was just a dream I had. But..." She also glanced at the kitchen then turned back to me. "Coral and I are together now," she added with a happy whisper. I hadn’t been expecting that but the sudden news did actually make me feel happy. "Congratulations," I said genuinely. Melody beamed while blushing. "Well, anyway, I was thinking that maybe all that stuff was real since," she pulled out her phone, "Have you seen The Unity’s stuff?" "Oh, something about ’physical computing’ or something? I haven’t actually seen the presentation but..." My voice trailed off as the video played on Melody’s phone and the image came to life. "Teleportation," came a male voice over the speakers, "The epitome of travel. Just imagine being able to instantly move from your home to your workplace and the savings you’d make on time..." It went on but I wasn’t listening. Instead all my attention was on your pixelated figure standing next to the man giving the presentation. "That’s..." "That’s Bran, right?" Melody finished for me. "I thought it looks like him." She motioned to take her phone back from me but I kept on holding it and instead rewound back to the beginning of the presentation. "What the hell is this...?" "That’s what I wanted to ask you," said Melody. "Well, actually that’s what Coral wanted to ask you." I looked up at the mention of Coral’s name. You and I had had dealings with Melody but not so much with Coral, especially if you didn’t count her Dream Coil. Coral returned to the table with plates and cutlery and sat opposite Melody. "Melody told me about what you helped her with before. And what you helped me with. You and Bran, I mean," she said. "Oh." "And so when I saw that," she nodded toward Melody’s phone I was still holding, "I thought you and Bran would be the best people to ask about it." "...How so?" I asked. Right now I was feeling even more out of place and disorientated than before. How was I supposed to help or guide anyone in this state, especially when you weren’t around. Coral portioned out the chopsticks and spoons as she spoke. "The company, The Unity, they have a website where they talk about what they’re offering. It’s impressive, and even though I know they should be puffing things up, it’s still very impressive, and that..." She looked to Melody who gave her an encouraging look. I’d tended to think of Coral as a spirited, strong individual so I was quite surprised to see her now suddenly so vulnerable. She took a deep breath. "If this technology becomes mainstream, how much do you think it’ll end up costing?" she asked in a rush. Ah, now I understood. "More than you can imagine," came Amethyst’s voice as she emerged from the kitchen, teapot and large mugs in hand. From the scent, I was pretty sure she’d brewed up some of your calming tea. "Do you know something about this?" I asked as she sat. After finding out she wasn’t human and was a lot older than she looked, I’d kind of relegated her to the more... curmudgeonly section of my mind, so discovering she was so up to date on the latest topics was a bit of a surprise. Amethyst sat and poured four mugs of tea. "No," she said. The collective mood of the room dropped and awkwardness replaced it. "But," she went on, "I know how this has been done in the past." "Wait, the past?" I took the mug I was offered but did not drink. "You mean this has happened before?" "In a way," replied Amethyst as she handed out the other two mugs. "In years past, when there was no separation between the natural and the supernatural, certain beings exchanged favours for coin."