Chapter 4: Gaia

  “So, you seemed to have liked your bed. I tried to wake you, yet you refused to wake,” Wilma spoke, her tone pyful.

  Vistilia had sat down, and was now eating breakfast along with her family. In effect, they had just seemingly resumed their lives as if this was all as it had always been. Living in this rather rge mansion, that is. Vistilia didn’t know what to make of it.

  Sure, she liked the fact that they lived in a big city now, yet she had no idea on how they got here so fast. The city was said to be at least sixty miles wide at its most. Vistilia didn’t really understand how they had gotten there in the night when they were riding a carriage, yet she supposed it didn’t matter.

  “I see that look you have,” her father said, “if you’re wondering how we got here so fast. It’s mainly because of the waterways in this city. You see, there are channels and waterways built all along the main roads and throughout some of the minor roads of this city,” her father said, then her mother spoke up and continued expining.

  “Artificial currents are created to better transport things along these waterways. In effect, it makes living in the big city much easier,” her mother said, “You didn’t answer my question though, little one. How do you like you room?” she asked.

  Vistilia nodded her head and smiled, grabbing a fork and digging into her food. With that question answer, she was happy. She opened her mouth to answer the question.

  “I like my room a lot. It’s smaller than I expected, but I’m fine with that. I like the Library though,” she said, and Leris nodded his head.

  “I knew you would,” he said after eating a piece of egg on his pte, “I knew you would like that room. There is a lot of knowledge in that room, and I expect you to use it,” he said, with a pyful smile.

  Vistilia returned it, she was happy right now. The mood was high as well, as if the world itself agreed with her. She dug into her breakfast, eager to start the day properly. The family continued to eat, their small talk filling the space that was obviously meant for much bigger families.

  It was only after about half an hour of this, that the three of them decided to go on a walk outside. The city was rather safe, as safe as could be in the center no less. While Leris, her father of course, had work the next day they didn’t have to think about that quite yet.

  Her father got up along with her mother and made their way to the entrance to the house proper. Vistilia followed them, not actually knowing where the entrance to her home y. The door to the entrance was near the stairs, on the wall that y to the right of the stairs coming down.

  Her father opened it, and her mother held out the door for her as they all walked through. The room on the other side was long and looked just like the dining room. except it cked the dining room aspects, and instead held many pieces of furniture that Vistilia had never seen before. These must have been from the house itself.

  They moved quickly through the room itself. Soon, they were at the front door. Her father opened it, and daylight was caste upon her sight. Vistilia held up her hand, trying to blink away the spots burned into her retinas.

  Her mother decided to pick her up then, as if she was a toddler instead of the five year old she was. Her mother grunted slightly at the weight of her child, and looked at her with upturned brows. She hadn’t picked her up since she was two, and now she regretting it.

  “How heavy are you, little one?” she asked, and Vistilia simply leveled a bnk look upon her, “sorry,” the mother mumbled under her breath.

  The three of them looked out upon the city before them, and Vistilia couldn’t help but suck in a quiet breath. It was a depiction of serenity. The streets before them were clean and clear of any filth. The buildings themselves were rge, even for earth standards. The roads were wide.

  They were wide enough that they might have been counted as highways or high traffic roads in her past life. Lamps lit the edges and center of the roads. Or rather, road. It was a singur thing, enough for many carriages to drive abreast if they needed to or could do. They were painted as well, with arrows depicting which way one could travel.

  Shrubbery y along the sides of the road. Government employees could be seen trimming them, in the morning sun. It was a rather nice thing to see, that in a world where steel was seen as a commodity, that this type of pce was possible. It warmed the little girl’s heart to see this.

  It was then that she actually looked straight ahead. The mansion that her family now lived in was a raised section. Ahead of her was another house, this one looking just like her own home. It reminded her of the suburbs that dotted America. On the front porch of the house that was framed of wood and stone, was a girl.

  That little girl, silver of eyes and brown of hair, locked eyes with Vistilia the instant they noticed each other. A smile graced the girl’s face, and she ran down the steps of her own home to make it to the street. Vistilia shook her head, looking up at her own home. The roof was tiled with red terracotta, the walls were made of dark grey stone, bordered by strong and deeply brown wood.

  Vistilia looked back down to the road, her parents carrying her to said road. They had smiles on their faces. Noticing the fact that Vistilia was likely to have another friend. As her parents neared the street, they looked both ways, before crossing to the other side of the street.

  As they stepped onto the mystery girl’s side of the street, the girl walked up to them, eager to meet people it seemed. Vistilia’s mother smiled, letting her stand on her own two legs as she set her down on the ground. The mother seemed to relived to set her down, even though she was the one to pick her up.

  The girl looked at Vistilia, her happiness palpable. Vistilia, meanwhile, was more confused as to why the girl would be this happy. She soon figured out why.

  “Hi! I’m Gaia! I live here!” the girl said as she pointed to the mansion in which shew lived, “the person who used to live in your house was mean, so I’m very happy to have another friend to talk to,” she expined, Vistilia nodding along.

  “Well, I’m happy that you’re happy,” Vistilia succinctly said, slightly overwhelmed at the pace that the other girl was setting.

  It was then that Gaia’s father decided to exit his home, a mug of hot tea in his hand. He looked down at the newly arrived family. He smiled, his own silver eyes and brown hair marking him as the one that Gaia seemingly took the most from.

  “A pleasure to make your acquaintance,” he spoke, his tone friendly, “I can see that you’re the new family that has moved into the old office home,” he said, his tone warm as he met them on eye level as he stepped onto the sidewalk.

  “That we are, mister?” Vistilia’s own father said, fishing for a name.

  “Oh, forgive me,” he said, his tone apologetic, “My name is Terrence, son of Gaius,” he said, as if dropping the name of the High Regent was common pce.

  …

  Before the two adults could respond to that name drop. Gaia grabbed the other girl’s hand and turned to her father. She spoke, her tone light for what she was about to ask the other girl soon.

  “Father, could I show Her around the street?” she asked.

  Her father turned to her and nodded his head after gncing at the other two parents. Gaia smiled, her mood soaring to new heights as she rushed off. The other girl, while she wasn’t really strained to run this fast, still nearly tripped as they went along.

  She rushed down the street, and then stopped as they had gotten far enough away from the adults. Gaia looked at the other girl, her brows raised but nothing much had changed about her face. Gaia nodded her head at this, and started to move down the street at a normal pace.

  The streets were clean of crime, trash, and overall dirtiness. Yet, Gaia couldn’t help but be paranoid. The little girl that she was leading by the hand was rather perplexed, more than anything right now.

  She then stopped, about half a mile away from her home, and spoke. The plot of nd that they were in front of y bare, grass having taken it over and kids having abandoned or simply pced their toys there. It was used often by the children of the center of the city as a pce to py. Yet, right now, it was a meeting pce.

  “Why have you pulled the both of us here?” The silver haired girl asked, her face bnk and slightly exasperated, “I’m Vistilia by the way. Want to py?” she asked rather sarcastically.

  Gaia looked at the other girl with an exasperated scoff of her own. Vistilia herself simply went along with her as Gaia dragged her over to the grassy patch, out of the way of prying eyes. She then asked her question, hoping that the answer was something that she could use.

  The two of them sat down in the middle of the patch. Vistilia was confused and Gaia eager, yet apprehensive about the next minutes of her life. She spoke, her question lingering in the air.

  “Ok, this is a hard question to ask,” Gaia said, then took a breath, “Do you have dreams of another pce? Dreams that show you a nd of stone, gss and steel? A nd of vast streets, and machines that would make your head spin?” she asked, expining herself more.

  “I get dreams of these nds. In those dreams, I’m an adult woman, with you walking by my side. Except, you’re also an adult. The both of us are holding hands, and ughing at each other’s jokes,” she expined, earning a brow raise from the other girl.

  As she said this, the little girl grew a grin across her small face. It was a strangely adult-like look that the five-year-old adopted. It was as if she was like Vistilia herself, Vraelin.

  “No, I don’t,” she said eventually, “I do have dreams of that nd, but you aren’t in them,” she said.

  The other girl looked saddened by this. It was as if the day had been ruined for her. Vistilia blinked as she saw the girl begin to cry. She hadn’t realized that this girl cared so much for this dream she had. How could she, though? she had just met her.

  Yet, Vistilia had to do something. So, she leaned forward from her seated position, and hugged the girl. While this was her first choice, she rather wouldn’t have her shirt dirtied by this new girl. Then again, she had slept in this shirt.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that you cared so much for this dream you’ve been having,” she apologized, then pulled back and looked into the other girl’s eyes, “is there anyway that I can repay you?” she asked, and Gaia nodded her head as she wiped off the tears on her face.

  “Yes,” she replied, “first hug me again, then be my friend!” she said, and Vistilia did just that, she leaned forward and gave her a rather awkward hug.

  That day marked itself as a turning point in both of the little girl’s lives. Sure, the dreams that Gaia has been having, and the strange demands she gave to the other girl might drag the both of them into situations that neither of them like. At least they’ll have each other at the end of it. That’ll soon count for something, right?

  …