Jaybird's Flight

Mentoring

After the archery session ends, Landon disappears, and I look for him everywhere: in the pavilion, in the Periculum, even Chelsie checks the Scarlet Clan compound, but he wasn't there. Finally, I give up before I search the entirety of Rotunda for nothing and went to see Pollux.

I creep down the dimly lit hallway to Pollux's office, wiping the sweat off my brow. The sweat is not for me, but Landon. He does not get spooked easily, but I do remember he said something about Pollux. What will Pollux say?

Pollux has always been my mentor, even more than Shan and Ainsima. He has guided and given me wisdom throughout my entire life. When I reach the office, I hear Pollux's bold and cheerful laugh. I don't knock, just slowly push the creaking door open.

"It will be fine Paramine just be patient. I think Shan wants to save the world just as much as you do, trust him, I know I do," exclaims Pollux. He and Shan turn to me as I walk in, "Ridley, what a pleasant surprise. Please, dear, come on in our meeting is over. You're dismissed Paramine." 

Paramine sighs, rolls his eyes, then composes himself and struts out. Though he does stop to assess me, I don't flinch under his gaze. When he sees I am not afraid of him, he continues on his way. He almost has to duck to get out of the doorway because of his tall and lean build.

Shan turns to me and says, "Hello, puella," Shan says. I roll my eyes. No matter how old I get, he will always call me that, but it's grown on me. "How was your archery session?"

"It was good," I lie. "I just have to get through the others."

Shan pulls me close into a side hug and kisses my forehead. "Inform your siblings I won't be home until late tonight. About Paramine- "

"Ignore him, yeah, yeah, I know," I say. "Love you, Shan."

"Love you as well, Ridley," he says as he walks out. After he leaves, I walk over to Pollux's large, wooden desk and slowly settle into one of the leather chairs.

"Yes, and as Shan said, please do ignore Paramine. He is upset that he lost the debate this morning, and can be quite scary when he has been defeated," says Pollux.

"I'm not scared of him," I counter, rolling my eyes.

"Well, you're scared of something, or else you wouldn't be here." I snap my head up in surprise, yet he just chuckles. "I have taught much over the years Ridley, but no matter how much I teach or how much you learn, we will always be human and always have fear. It is whether or not we deal with that fear that makes us brave." I nod solemnly.

"Speaking of fear, what did you tell Landon to make him get that scared?" I implore."It has been decades since I have seen him that scared. Not since the swamps."

"Ah, yes, I remember," says Pollux.

It was a clear day, and one of our instructors took us to the swamps almost outside Rotunda. The instructor gave us a list of plants to find, and the group split up. Ari and Chelsie went together, Hunter went with one of our brothers, while Landon and I went together. 

Everything was going great until we reached the bog. Landon climbed up a tree to direct me while I crossed. The bog's stench was thick, dangerous, and burned our noses. The swamps are one of Rotunda's main defenses and are supposed to protect from the terror beyond, but little did we know that it had been breached. 

After I made it across and Landon was alone, gang members surrounded and attacked him. He was all alone and young so, he couldn't defend himself that well. I watched him get slashed over and over again, hopeless. I tried to get to him but lost my balance on the rocks and fell in. The acid engulfed me and boiled my skin as I drowned in hellfire. Landon decided to jump, I don't know why, and we helped each other get to the other side of the bog. 

When we arrived at one of the beaches, his wounds were infected and oozed acid and puss. We didn't know where we were, it was dark, it was terrifying. For the next six days, we survived the swamps and almost died several times by either poison or gangs. We would wake up, and Landon's eyes were huge, surrounded by fear. They're stained in my memory. His scars are still on his back, but most of our scars are on the inside. 

Ever since the day we made it back, both of us know what the gangs are like and both of us have pushed ourselves every day so something like that does not happen when we invade the outside world.

 "So what did you tell him?" I inquire as I wake up from the past. He sighs heavily and tiredly almost like he was expecting this.

"I simply told him the facts when he came to the incorrect conclusion. How he handled it is not my fault; perhaps he wasn't ready. I gave him a head start."

"Pollux, what did you tell him?" He didn't answer my question.

"The Scarlet Clan raised him well."

"Pollux..." Why is he ignoring me?

"I saw his records for his battle strategies. Quite impressive if I do say so myself." I've run out of patience.

"Pollux!" I demand, "What did you tell him?" Yet he gazes at me solemnly, like I am an innocent puppy begging for scraps of chocolate. Pollux pierces his lips, gives me a more longing look that makes me want to rip my hair out of sheer annoyance. He opens his mouth to say something. Tell me Pollux. The first syllable is just barely out of his throat before the buzzing of an intercom interrupts.

"Pollux, sir, you are needed in conference room C," booms the disembodied voice of one of the secretaries.

"So sorry to cut this short," Pollux exclaims. He springs out of his chair like he is some sort of ballerina. His round figure jiggles as he bounds toward the door. "Maybe we can find another time to talk about the situation. Don't worry I am sure we will figure something out." 

That was Pollux's preprogrammed bring-meeting-to-a-close speech. Sometimes it doesn't even go with what he was talking about. He flees the room and leaves me sitting here, hands folded, and staring at the snow globe of Rotunda that is alive on the desk.