Children of the Sun

Chapter Four

Jake, Evan, and Solana reached Evan's house in no time. Jake was relieved there was no sign of any monstrous being throwing things at them either.

"My research is upstairs. Let's put the bikes away and check it out," Evan stated, mostly to inform Solana of what they were doing now. The Child of the Sun looked confused but amazed at everything around them.

"So these are buildings in where you live and stay?" Solana asked.

Jake nodded. "We call them homes. Home is wherever people can find shelter, family, and love."

"Intriguing."

Solana walked on her own, tiptoeing on her bare feet to get the best look at the house. She then walked along the many plants and grass and began to touch them with her hands and feet. Jake watched, amazed to see someone his age experiencing things for the first time.

"Is it weird?" he asked her.

Solana looked over to him and tilted her head. "Is what weird?"

"Experiencing all of this," Jake said as he motioned his arms around. "It looks like you didn't have this where you came from."

"It is hard to say what I had before I woke up in your Old District. I have knowledge, I have language. I know of words you use, but to see them in a tangible way is, as you said, weird."

Jake nodded, attempting to fathom his understanding of what she must be going through. 

Evan put the bikes away and then opened the front door for them and beckoned. "Let's get up to that research. The more eyes I have up there, the easier it will be to find."

Solana eagerly followed Evan into the house. Jake trailed closely behind her. He felt he couldn't let her get too far without him. He wasn't sure if that was the guardianship or not.

Solana admired the whole house as they went up to the roof. She made comments about how interesting or intriguing things were or looked. Jake couldn't help but wish he could see the world through her eyes.

Jake helped Solana reach the roof. Her legs seemed better, but not all the way healed. He wondered if Children of the Sun could heal faster than others.

"Okay, so I know I had relevant research around here somewhere," Evan muttered as he began to look around.

"There are a lot more papers around than I expected," Solana commented, sounding annoyed.

Jake looked at her. "Is something wrong?" He could sense it in her.

"Seems rather wasteful."

Evan shook his head. "Oh no! It's all made from bamboo, which grows really fast. Plus when I can transfer it digitally, I recycle the paper and start over with it."

That seemed to ease Solana. "Oh, well...that sounds far less wasteful."

"I can promise that our city believes in being the least amount of wasteful," Jake added. Solana smiled at him, sending a slow warmth his way. He felt that she had some powers herself, but he couldn't be too sure on what they are.

Evan continued to go through his papers and research. Jake looked as well. He wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for, but he knew he could probably tell when he would find it.

"Here's one," Evan stated, "This one talks about the other flares that happened."

Jake and Solana moved in closer to also review the forms. Jake scanned the page. There were pictures of places all over the world. Other cities, open land, farms, and even over the oceans. Some caused similar craters, while others did not.