horrible cold

[warmfeelings]

Chelsa buries herself in her friends, and the warmth of the world that Harley isn't on anymore. She doesn't understand him. She never will. But there's Corona, sun-scorching and intense; there's Amdon, her oldest and closest; there's Anneia, sweet and smiling; there's Sandre, cuddly and fun; there's Tima, pretty-kindling and empathetic; there's Pacco, bright and deferent; there's Jony, hot as a kiln; Lionara hot as molten glass. And Aelise herself, who makes so many compromises but who does love Chelsa after all.

Harley wasn't like that one cold, cold girl, who - she wasn't even technically a sociopath. Sociopaths kindle like everyone else. She was just - cold. Like an airless environment in which no fire can burn.

But Aelise had her killed, and Chelsa made sure no one would miss her, and if anything like that ever happened again, Chelsa has every confidence that Aelise would make it right. Harley's one thing. He can just be - out of sight, out of mind. Aelise would never expect Chelsa to compromise on the existence of such a terrible cold.

Comments

[alicornucopia]

"I bet it's pretty," predicts Mehitabel. "Does anyone live where I'm going besides your aunt?"

[salus_populi]

"No one lives where you're going besides my aunt. Someone else does live in the orbital ring, but he's almost as big a secret as you are, and he doesn't know Kers is there."

[alicornucopia]

"Do I get to meet him ever?"

[salus_populi]

"Maybe. I'll have to think about it."

[alicornucopia]

"Why does he live up in it?"

[salus_populi]

"Also a secret. I'll tell you sometime, but I won't tell you today."

[alicornucopia]

"When is sometime?"

[salus_populi]

"I don't know. I have to think about it."

[alicornucopia]

Mehitabel frowns.

[salus_populi]

"I'm going to tell you when you're older; I haven't decided how much older."

[alicornucopia]

"Do you have a guess?" Mehitabel tries.

[salus_populi]

"I haven't had time to think about it properly. Not much more than ten years from now, I don't think."

[alicornucopia]

"Okay," says Mehitabel.

She opens up a little file on her tablet, and writes this down, in plaintext.

[salus_populi]

The elevator stops. Aelise gets out and leads Mehitabel down a short hallway to a large, ring-shaped room that goes all the way around the crown of the orbital tower.

It has windows. Big ones, angled down so you can stand at the edge and lean over the railing and watch the world stay in exactly the same position relative to your feet.

[alicornucopia]

Mehitabel peers down at the planet with fascination.

"I'm gonna fix it," she announces, after she has had a good long look. "So Chelsa doesn't have to hurt it any more to keep it alive. She's the worst medicine."

[salus_populi]

"I hope you can," says Aelise.

[alicornucopia]

"I will try very hard. I am very smart," says Mehitabel.

[salus_populi]

"Yes you are," says Aelise.

[alicornucopia]

"Where's your aunt?" Mehitabel asks.

[salus_populi]

"Somewhere in the orbital rings. She knows we're here; she'll be along."

[alicornucopia]

"Okay. What do I call her?"

[salus_populi]

"You call her Kers."

[alicornucopia]

"Okay."

Mehitabel goes on staring out the window. "Is there a lot of stuff people know about how Gifts work?" she asks.

[salus_populi]

"There's some. I don't know what qualifies as 'a lot'."

[alicornucopia]

"I want to learn it. It seems like it will help, I think."