Echoes

Quiet Voices

A soft, mousy voice behind Forsephore broke the silence in the Hub's upper seating. "Um, Madame, I had a-- that is, I hoped you might be able to--"

Forsephore turned to see a too-thin image of Hope behind thick black-rimmed glasses, holding a notepad and pen with bony fingers. Her straight but disheveled hair pulled back into a pony tail under a flat cap. At a glance, Forsephore imagined this version of the Prime tapping away at a keyboard long into the night, writing news stories and opinion pieces. A journalist? Hope dreamed of reaching the world with her words once.

The unexpected glimpse of the Wither's purpose caught Forsephore off guard. That hasn't happened before that I can recall.

"Um, hi," the newcomer said. "You may not remember me, but I'm Wonfortene. I used to spend a lot of time here when the Prime helped run her school paper."

Forsephore looked Wonfortene up and down, but drew a blank. Clearly you remember me though. She shrugged and asked, "What do you need?"

Wonfortene shuffled her feet and rapped her pen on the notepad. "I talked with some of the, uh... the new Alphas. And I understand you've been giving Inspiration to certain Echoes. I was wondering if--"

Forsephore stretched out a hand. "You need some?"

"What? No, I--I couldn't ask for that. You just give it away like it's of no value? No, I was hoping to interview you, maybe find out what kinds of Echoes you share Inspiration with and why. Or how you came to discover that you even could."

"Oh. Um... sure," Forsephore said with a shrug. "Echoes inspiring one another seems natural to me. When one Echo's ideal or dream comes to fruition, it proves others can too--no matter what Sevnynate likes to say. If I have enough Inspiration to go around, why not share it with others? I honestly wonder why it is we all seem to think we can't."

Wonfortene gave a nervous laugh. "I don't mean to contradict the Chief Alpha in any way of course. And I don't think I should relay any statements or quotes that might come across as seditious or rebellious. Best to keep the peace, maintain the status quo..."

"Is that you talking? The true you?" Forsephore asked. "Or is that Sevnynate's point of view? Why resist who you are, what you represent? At some point in the past, you stood for more--much more than getting by and sticking to safe, mundane paths."

Wonfortene shook her head and whispered. "No, it's too late. She said it was childish--they all did."

Forsephore felt a surge of Inspiration rise within her, even though her skin remained dull and drab. "You can't keep going like this, withering away into ancient, wistful memory. You need this more than me." She reached out her hand toward Wonfortene.

A gleam of light blossomed around the pair and Wonfortene trembled with the rush of energy. Her pencil-thin bones and emaciated frame filled out to a healthy physique, and she drew in a deep breath. "Oh my goodness, that's incredible. I need to write everything down--the feelings, the tingling, the sheer brightness..."

Forsephore shared a smile with the Echo, but blew off the praise. Though she'd infused Wonfortene with Inspiration, Forsephore felt she had just as much power as before. She held up her chalky gray hand. "Holding in all that energy obviously doesn't do me any good. So why not give it to someone who can make use of it?"

Wonfortene nodded vigorously. "Oh, I plan to. Anything you need me to do, let me know. I'd heard about this, and I wanted to ask you about it, but--to experience it firsthand? There are so many others I need to tell."

An idea sparked in Forsephore's mind, and she glanced at Sevnynate. The Chief stared back, confusion clear on her face. The flash of light must have drawn Sevnynate's attention, but now nothing should seem amiss.

Forsephore took Wonfortene's hand. "Tell anyone and everyone who will listen. Not in here, though. Go out to the Plaza, among the Withers and Fades. Bring in any who are willing to believe once more. Tell them what you've seen and felt, and let them know there's more where that came from."

"I will. Gladly."

"After that," Forsephore said, "make a petition. If you don't have enough Inspiration to do so, come back to me and I'll boost you before you face the Alphas."

Wonfortene smiled and asked, "What petition should I bring? What ideal should I represent?"

Forsephore shot a glance at Sevnynate and smiled back at Wonfortene. "It's easy. Do what comes natural--writing. Maybe a blog. Maybe some freelance reporting or eyewitness accounts on a news site. Just write."

"I can do that," Wonfortene said. "But... why?"

"Because I think there's a voice Hope needs to find and hear from," Forsephore said. "Her own."