Undefined - The Zephyr Book 1 ? (completed)(#Wattys2016)

Chapter 7 - Cello

7 - Cello

"What do you think that was about?" Fellin whispers to me as we distance ourselves from Syianne after getting out of the rail-car.

"I guess she doesn't like me," I answer shrugging. "Nothing I can do about it."

"Maybe if you'd have introduced yourself instead of calling her names things would have worked out better."

I nod, he has a point. I usually have much better people skills. But then again, when it comes to making new friends, I'm a complete novice. Fellin seems to have a better grasp on the concept.

"Should I apologise?"

"Wait until she calms down," he advises. He doesn't give me time to ask more questions about social etiquette and appears to be openly excited about something.

"So you speak Tagrin?"

"It's the first language in Aafta, second is Medanese."

"I've never met someone who knows two languages. That's amazing!"

"Three." I don't like to brag, but I've never been in a place where knowing languages is considered cool.

Fellin raises his eyebrow at me in anticipation.

"Darabesh," I say. "I told you, we're near the border, most of the families are mixed. But Darabesh is very similar to Tagrin."

"Wow, I'm a little bit envious, my heritage is plain boring."

"What are you talking about?" I say. "You're a Quaine. Doesn't that mean you practically own the Zephyr?"

Fellin chortles at my comment. "Very well, I say from now on, less work, more food and pool parties!"

"Pool parties?"

"We're done with the cold West, my friend. No longer will we have eight months of snow in the year. Finally I will achieve my dream of seeing girls in bikinis."

I crack up. Fellin's appearance is deceiving, he may look like a little boy who hasn't hit puberty yet, but after 24 hours in his presence I have come to understand that he thinks very much like a dirty old man.

The three of us come to a stop outside the Zephyr gates. Two huge shinning steel doors set inside a fifty foot wall. They're the most unwelcoming doors I've ever seen, and they're sealed shut. I approach them anyhow and see the sign on the door indicating that the working hours of the Zephyr are between 7:30 to midnight every single day.

The Zephyr doesn't take weekends off. I look at my watch and turn to my two companions. "We've got twenty-five minutes," I tell them. My eyes flicker to Syianne's face, who's looking right at me with her huge eyes but I cannot really read her expression.

But then her gaze moves to the head peeking out of my pocket and she gasps. She stares as Risa climbs out of my pocket and, swelling in size, drapes herself round my shoulders like a scarf. Syianne doesn't ask about Alprines, she doesn't feed her curiosity with questions, she simply continues to stare in fascination as if I'm not even there at all.

By seven thirty, there's a huge crowd outside the Zephyr, but we're the only ones not in uniform. They all stand in unnerving silence. A few look at Fellin and greet him with approving nods, especially those inside the yellow and green spectrum of colour. I receive my very first taste of what it means to be an Undefined. For the crowd outside the Zephyr, even for the other Undefined within it, Syianne and I are nothing but air.

I look at her now and she looks at me, for a very short moment, although her eyes are just as enigmatic as they've been for the past half-hour. I feel as if I know what she's thinking.