The Fillmore Ch 6

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NM


Chapter 6
         Zoey awoke to sun streaming through her lavender curtains. Yawning, she stretched languidly, not quite ready to leave the warm, fuzzy place between awake and sleeping. She’d had a dreamless night for the first time in as long as she could remember, and she felt well rested.
         Remembering Alyssa, she turned to see an empty chair, with the blanket neatly folded and a note addressed to her on top of it. Zoey was surprised to find she was mildly disappointed about the other girl’s absence. Brushing those thoughts away, she sat up and grabbed the note. Alyssa had had to make it to a class that morning, but wondered if Zoey would come and have lunch with her afterwards. She was deeply pleased as she read the note. When she first saw that Alyssa was gone, she had thought that the girl was trying to avoid an awkward parting. She feared she’d done or said something wrong to Alyssa, but the note allayed those fears.
         Zoey turned on the pre paid cell phone Claire had provided for her. She’d said all new residents get one, and she could take it when she left, but she would have to buy her own minutes then. She punched in the number from the note and saved it. She would have just enough time to eat with Alyssa before going to Claire’s office. Claire said that she was assigning her to a Politics class, and a Self Defense class. Both would start that day, being as it was Monday. She was excited for the Politics class, eager, even, to learn on the topic. The idea of being touched by a classroom full of strangers while having to hit some of them, terrified her more than she could say. Sighing, she dragged her butt out of bed and took a shower.
         As she was getting dressed, she hammered out a quick message to Alyssa, letting her know she would have an hour to hang out. She slipped into some shoes, and was soon crossing the courtyard toward the dining hall. Pushing through the double doors, she spotted Alyssa immediately. She was sitting at the same table as the previous day, still alone, and reading a book.
         “Hey,” she said, sliding into the seat across from Alyssa.
         “Oh, hey,” she replied, marking her place in the book and putting it away. “Sleep alright?”
         “Yeah, actually, best I’ve had in awhile,” she admitted, “how ‘bout you?”
         “Uh, the same. And that’s saying something!” the girls shared a laugh and went to get food. They ate quietly, both finding themselves a bit shy, but it was an easy silence. Eventually, Zoey started asking about Alyssa’s classes. She was taking a writing class and self defense, plus she had an affinity tutor. Zoey then told her about the classes she would be starting that day, and her misgivings about self defense.          
         “I just don’t think I can hit someone!” she exclaimed.
         “Just tell Claire what you told me, she’ll help you out! Trust me, I was scared about the affinity classes and she helped me get comfortable with my ability.” Zoey was quiet after that, not sure what to say. She still hadn’t been completely open about her life before coming here. Just then, Sarah walked by their table and Zoey seemed to catch her eye.
         “Oh, Zoey…” she stopped and let out a short laugh, seemingly amused by her seating arrangement, “do you want to come sit with me? I’m sorry I didn’t catch you sooner.” She stood there, looking expectantly at Zoey.
         “Actually,” she said innocently, “Alyssa was kind enough to accompany me to lunch today. I’ll have to pencil you in for next week though.” Zoey fought to maintain her composure, suppressing the laugh building behind her ribs. The other girl just lifted one eyebrow and looked at both girls.
         “Okayyy… whatever floats your boat,” she said, turning on her heel and walking off to her own table. Sitting down, she leaned forward and said something to the people seated there, who in turn looked over at Zoey and giggled behind their hands. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to Alyssa, who was shoving her book into her bag and stumbling away from the table. Zoey stood and called after her, but she disappeared through the door. Checking the time, she saw she only had a few minutes to make it to Claire’s office. Sighing, she grabbed her purse and headed out.
         Four hours later, she walked out of her Tai Chi class. She expressed her fears to Claire, and she’d suggested Tai Chi as a temporary substitute. She warned Zoey that she had to learn basic self defense to be registered as a shifter, then asked her about her day. From some reason though, Zoey wasn’t ready to share her experiences with Alyssa. She thought if the situation were reversed, she wouldn’t want the other person to tattle and make more trouble, she’d be humiliated if that happened. Instead she simply said she’d had lunch with a girl on her floor, and left it at that. Claire seemed satisfied at her vague answer and sent her off to Politics.
         She’d learned that shifters actually have a sort of small government to deal with the crimes of their own. They also had some laws, the first of which were published by the Lady when she was a few centuries old, calling them the Basic Laws. She stated that purposely hunting other shifters was a crime punishable by death. Hunting or harming humans except in self defense carries the same punishment. Apparently, though, it was generally accepted for a shifter to kill the object of their transformation, as it was generally unavoidable. Those laws were permanent and could only be changed by the Lady Herself.
          There were other laws, created by the councils. Each county was ruled over by a council of thirteen shifters. They handled things like funding for orientation centers and shifter registration. They also responded to minor complaints and crimes between shifters. A council of nine, on the state level, dealt with serious crimes, and ran damage control. If a shifter exposed them to humans, they would dispatch a group cover it up and deal with what was left over. They only had so much authority though. Everything else was run through the High Council, three shifters who oversaw the entire country. They mainly dealt with decisions the other courts could not agree on, but also all execution orders. Death, as a punishment, was rare, and reserved for those who broke the Basic Laws.
         The councils are similar to courts, in that they are for purely for law making and sentencing purposes. Those on the council rarely carry out a sentence, but they can hire one of several groups for their purposes. Only the High Council can employ mercenaries and assassins though, people or groups whose sole purpose is to kill. Acting without a contract is a huge deal, and punished by the High Council.
         These groups make up guilds, which are basically careers within the shifter community. One could join a guild if they wished, but it was strictly voluntary. A shifter could choose to lead a “normal” life, living and working among humans, or they could seek work in one of the guilds. There were guilds such as Security, Guarding, Medical, Research, Counseling, and many others.
         Zoey reviewed all she’d learned that day as she walked from the Rec Center. Tai Chi had left her feeling relaxed and rejuvenated, and had given her time to think about Alyssa. She’d decided to look for her after class and make sure she was okay.
         She made it to the Dining Hall a few minutes before they closed for the day. She hurried in and grabbed a couple left over slices of cheesecake and asked to have them packaged up. Taking the bag, she went back to her dorm and headed straight for Alyssa’s room. She only had to knock twice before the door swung open.
         Alyssa stood there, her short black hair sticking up on one side like she’d been laying on it. Her eyes were rimmed with red and seemed brighter than usual. Zoey held up the bag.
         “Uh, can I come in? I wanted to talk to you…” she trailed off as Alyssa nudged the door open and turned around, disappearing into her room without a word. Zoey took that as an invitation and followed her in, closing the door behind her.
         “Look, about earlier-” she started before Alyssa cut her off.          
         “Don’t,” she said sharply, “don’t feel sorry for me. It’s almost worst than being a social outcast, being pitied.” She sighed, raking her hair back from her face. “I don’t think you should be seen with me again.” Zoey looked at her in shock, her mouth hanging open.
         “How can you say that? I thought that-”
         “Yeah but I saw you with Audrey yesterday, and Sarah the day before that. They like you, and you might still have a chance to get into the “In Crowd”. Everyone knows they get the best guild offers, they have connections. I don’t want to mess that up for you.” Zoey’s mouth snapped shut and she frowned at Alyssa.
         “You really think I care about Sarah and her friends? Audrey thought I was nuts when I said I was going to sit with you. I thought it was appropriate to make people feel welcome, but I guess that’s just me. Sarah can take her “connections” somewhere else, I prefer friends,” she said firmly. Alyssa softened immediately.
         “You mean that?” she asked softly.
         “Why else would I bring you cheesecake?” she smiled, holding the bag up again. Alyssa smiled back, but then looked shyly at Zoey.
         “Would you, uh, want to stay here tonight? I’ll take the chair again…”
         “I’ll just bring some blankets over from my room, the carpet is cushy in here.” She ran off to her room, returning in her pajamas with a arm load of blankets. The two girls settled in, side by side sitting up on the bed, and Alyssa turned on the TV. They were quiet again for a little while as they ate the comfort food, but soon relaxed and began talking. Alyssa told her about her ability and the incident of it’s manifestation, and Zoey told her a little bit about her childhood. She left out the bad parts, telling her only about her happy memories, which were few, but special to her. They talked about their deepest fears, and greatest ambitions. Both girls just listened to each other, neither offering words of sympathy, nor passing judgment. They talked into the wee hours of the night, as Zoey had slept in late. Neither realized when their hands had drifted together, and their fingers entwined. Zoey blushed, pulling her hand away and made her bed on the floor. She lay awake, for a long time, just listening to Alyssa breathe. She thought she’d never felt so at home anywhere in her life.