Children of the Sun

Chapter Seven

"Greener Days, huh?" Jake's dad retorted once again, after they had all eaten food together. "I do believe I have heard some of my colleagues have been acquiring products from them. Even some of the other repair people left to go work there too, if I recall correctly."

They were back in Jake's family's house. The four sat in a living space after having finished their food. The table before them was made of a mismatch of various woods to make the upcycled surface. The chairs they used were made from bamboo.

Jake frowned. "People really believe that those weird objects are going to be the next new energy provider?"

His father shrugged and shook his head. "I couldn't tell you, to be honest. I firmly believe that the technology we have now is well enough. Solar, wind, and water, though we have been slowly transitioning to exclusively solar and wind over the last several years."

"What is the source that they claim will not do any harm to the earth?" Evan asked.

"I couldn't tell you. I haven't been in the place myself, so I haven't examined the technology."

His father then said he needed to step into the makerspace nearby and work on some projects, leaving the three alone together.

"So how do we find out without staying too long?" Solana asked.

Evan looked at his tablet. He was viewing a city map in the area that Greener Days was located. "We could visit again, but I feel like it might be a risk to our safety. That man in the green suit gave me an uneasy feeling," he explained, zooming in on the building on the map.

"I am glad you felt that too. It felt as if the air around him choked me up. I couldn't move or speak until you had called out to me."

Solana leaned in to look at him. "You know you have powers that you could use to defend yourself, right?"

Jake nodded. "I do, but I felt as if I couldn't use them. Maybe I need to be more confident in them."

Solana moved her chair closer to Jake. "Guardian, you are confident. You and Evan both went into that Old District to find me. You both braved whatever monster that was out there too."

Jake blushed. "Well thank you, Solana. I will remember that if we ever meet that man again."

"I have a feeling we might," Evan replied.

The three came to the conclusion that they were going to need to return at night, after the placed closed.

"It is our best bet to avoid those people at the entrance or the man in the green suit," Evan explained. "We could check out what lies behind the building, and perhaps that might have a secondary entrance that will be less occupied. Or even just easier to enter from."

Solana nodded. "The three of us will need to stick together this time. I didn't catch sight of that man in the green suit, but I do not want us caught off-guard."

The three continued to work on their plan. Greener Days occupied a ton of space, more than typical trades or workshops. Based on the map coverage, there was a walkable area from behind the building that also ran along the sides. They decided to look there first.

Evan informed his family he would be staying over at Jake's house for the evening. Jake called his own family to see if Solana could stay over too. They agreed, and requested Jake leave her family's contact information at the house.

Evening came quickly and the three headed out on their bikes once again. They knew the path to Greener Days now so it was much easier to get to this time.