Infinite: Power

Chapter 3: Bright

Los Angeles, United States.

Year 2009

Stawen was sitting quietly as the Orphets examined the young boy. Orphets – a ridiculous name resulting in the mix of 'prophets' and 'oracles' – were wise and all, but irritatingly slow to do everything. To speak, to walk, to decide. Stawen leaned his head on his palms as he waited. The boy's name was Bright and he was standing in middle of the temple's Chamber to be questioned.

"What is your full name, boy?" Lawren, one of the Second Line of Orphets, asked to the mildly scared boy as he walked around him in circles. To Stawen, it was like staring at a lion intimidating its prey.

"You might as well bark too, Lawry, if you're gonna put that face."

"Quiet, Stawen." Mildred, one of the First Line of Orphets, said to him. He shrugged. Around fourteen of the Orphets were sitting on the circular stone stairs of the chamber. All of them were dead serious.

"Bright's not gonna want to speak if you don't change your faces."

"Quiet, Stawen!" Now Lawren glared at him, angrily. "We are not the enemy, so he has nothing to fear."

In the end, Stawen was roughly invited to leave the Chamber. Little he cared about it, since he knew everything about the boy and didn't need to hear his information twice. As he walked past the doors of the chamber, it was surprising to see Felix sitting down on the floor, leaning his head against a wall with his eyes closed. He stood up before the white haired boy.

"So?" He asked, cheerfully. "How did the hunting go?"

"Good, I think." Felix replied, opening his grey eyes. There were purple circles under them and a recently grown beard. He looked hardly younger than twenty seven, even though he was only twenty two. "Don't call it hunting. They're not animals."

"All humans are animals, in a way."

"They are not humans either." 

"Ah, give me a break, Felix! So? Any problems?"

"I just have to wait to see where he'll fall."

Stawen reached out a hand to help Felix to stand up. But the boy rejected it.

"Naw, I'm tired." He said and patted the spot beside him. "Why don't you sit here with me, Staw? I always thought this wall was comfortable to fall asleep."

"Call me 'Staw' one more time and you're dead,"

"Your name should be easier to pronounce." Felix shrugged. Stawen sat down and stared ahead of him. Instead of another wall, there was a gigantic mirror.

"Hey, look." He pointed to their reflection. "Aren't we like two drops of water?"

"Identical." Felix rolled his eyes. "How's the Orphet Judgment going?"

"Boring. I picked him up where he fell and he hasn't said a bloody word ever since. He was in shock. Next time, you'll do it." Stawen buried his face on his knees, closing his eyes.

"I can't do everything." Felix complained, leaning his head against the wall again. "Time traveling is goddamn exhausting now. Has Bright asked about me yet?"

"No. Which is great because I don't think I could explain to him why one day you were an eighteen-year-old brunette darling and next second, you were a creepy white haired kidnapper."

"But still a darling," Felix poked Stawen and both laughed a raspy laugh with their eyes closed. "I see. Well, you should have seen Emmett. He probably thought I was a ghost or a demon he'd have to exorcise."