The Powered People

Chapter 12

People ate dinner in silence. Imani had tried her hardest to make ripe mangoes grow out of the surrounding trees. She distributed them to everyone (leaving the biggest ones for the kids), and tried to stay positive during the meal. But the kids had not yet recovered. The more opinionated ones whispered among each other. The shyer ones didn't even open their mouths.

Both Imani and Evian tried to mingle in with the kids a little bit. Imani still exchanged smiles every once in a while. Evian had completely given up on that. But Evie still leaned on Evian's knee, even as the mango juice dripped down Evie's cheek.

Taiga was still fuming from her latest argument. She ground her teeth, her jaw never hanging comfortably. She took out her anger on small things like aggressively biting her mango and slamming the core on the ground. She couldn't look at anyone calmly, she could only glare. Her tense muscles were pulsing. It was like she would explode if anyone tried to talk to her.

Nolan sat awkwardly, with his shoulders hunched. The kids kept on glaring at him as if the whole thing was his fault. Nolan didn't even have to make eye contact; he could feel the looks piercing through him. Nolan hadn't grown up around many kids, but he definitely knew that they weren't supposed to have this much anger for one person.

"So...how's everyone...doin'?" Imani blurted out to interrupt the awkward silence.

"Stop trying to make everything seem better than it is," Toby stated in his most solemn voice.

"I'm just tryin' to...I just wish for everyone to stop worrying so."

"Not going to help."

"I mean, you all are a little young for-"

"Oh, don't you dare play the same card as Demetri!" Taiga yelled, nearly every pair of eyes in the room rolling. "And we are in danger."

"But the kids don't have to-"

"They need to know just as much as we do!"

"How about we cut straight to the problem," Evian suggested, lifting Evie off. "If there wasn't anyone trying to control us, we wouldn't be worrying about it!"

Nolan decided to shut his mouth as people argued around him.

"We shouldn't be wasting all of our time worrying about this," Evian declared. "We should be planning on how to get the scientists to stop torturing us altogether!"

"Yeah! To hell with them all!" Taiga shouted.
"Language," Imani meekly reminded. Suddenly, a head poked out from the entrance. Meg timidly climbed into the room, saying, "Hey guys, Demetri's askin' for everyone to go downstairs. Or, down-ladder!"

She tried to laugh, but no one laughed along. Frustrated, she climbed back down. "A whole year of college for this."

The room all stood in silence, a little unsure.

"I mean..." Imani stated, inching closer to the ladder, "there's no harm."

The kids all gathered in the basement, all the adults rather upstairs or standing against the walls. Demetri sat on his mattress with a tiny, handcrafted ukulele that looked like it was decades old.

"Quick question," Nolan whispered to Evian. "Where did he get that."

"His homeland in Greece," Evian answered. When Nolan raised an eyebrow, she added, "Hey, not everyone grew up in a lab. Meg was in college, Taiga went to some fancy high school, and we had childhoods."

"But how did he get from Greece to-"

"Hey, who knows where life takes ya. I mean look at you!"

Nolan fiddled with his fingers and stared at the ground. Demetri started to strum the tiny, worn out ukulele, and sing a song that sounded like a childhood memory.

Down in Santorini,

The most beautiful place in the world,

In all of Fira

Nothing in sweeter

Than the little accordion girl

As Demetri hummed out the song, hints of an accent began to emerge. An accent he'd been forcing away. A smile crawled up his face. It was a grin that alludes only to nostalgia.

By the second verse, Demetri was singing about a pup (somehow), and Nolan started to drift a little backward. He glanced over his shoulder to see Macabre in the corner. She was closest to the ladder, and farthest away from Demetri. She clearly had entered last, following after everyone else. She leaned against the ladder, watching with a face that seemed oddly calm. She didn't seem to be smiling or frowning and instead seemed just...okay.

Nolan maneuvered towards her, a little tense. Luckily, everyone in the room seemed to be fixated on Demetri's song. He switched from walking sideways to tip-toeing forward every few seconds. Though the room was rather small, it took him a little while to get to Macabre. And by the time he got to her, Demetri was singing about how the little homeless girl would play her accordion by cable cars, where tourists made lines chaotic.

Nolan tried to exchange a smile (that wasn't returned) and stood beside Macabre as they listened to the song.

So when you're patiently waiting

Where you know that trouble is bound

You'll find a scrawny kid

Pup, and accordion

Playing the same old sound.

I could promise you completely

That anything you can pay

Be it euro or prayer

Whatever you could spare

Will be worth it to hear her play

Before Nolan could think too deeply into how "kid" could be rhymed with "accordion," Macabre blurted out, "If we wait too long, they'll get us themselves."

Nolan stared at her for a second, puzzled just to hear her speak. But she stared at Demetri once again and was silent. Accepting her wouldn't get answers from her, Nolan turned his attention to the very last verse of the song.

The sunsets down in Oia

Can't even compare to the whirl

You get to relive

For the kindness you give

To the little accordion girl.

The last note faded out, and the tone set in. No one clapped or said anything as if they'd seen and heard it all before. The kids all looked a little calmer than before. Demetri looked straight up joyful. However, the kids weren't smiling as wide. Like a song would completely flip their mood. But they all at least didn't look like they would explode from worry.

As the kids slowly drifted off, Evian stayed behind. She retreated right behind the other kids, waiting to gather up Imani, Taiga, and Macabre and Nolan. She pulled them to her side one at a time until everyone was there. As they walked as a group, she whispered, "No matter what Demetri says, we're getting the powereds out. No one's getting controlled."