3: Those Scions?

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MONDAY EVENING

"What kind of consideration rubbish is the government cooking up to take our phones away for a day?" Reyna scowled, the reddish-brown hair on her head giving her a fierce look.

"I don't think it's a bad idea, I'm sure we can do without our phones for one day." Richard shrugged from the open arch in the kitchen.

The group of friends gathered at Richard's-as they usually did-because his place was bigger than theirs. Unlike the rest of them, he didn't live in the standard hostel; one room, bathroom, toilet, and kitchen. He occupied a two-bedroom flat courtesy of his father, Mr. Street, who was a well-known businessman.

Union operates an interesting system of capitalism where all companies created are to be handed over to the government after six years. Mr. Street had handed over a total of three companies and was currently on his fourth. It was common knowledge in Union who Mr. Street was.

"Yeah, and I don't know why you have a problem with it, Reyna, it's just one day. Plus, it's so everyone can be motivated to leave their houses and socialize." Kachi scratched the full eyebrows that buttressed his pretty-boy looks and shiny brown skin.

Seated in different places, the friends argued about a bill the town representatives were trying to pass. A bill which would make Thursday, the school-free day, also a phones-free day.

"AI, what do you think?" Kachi asked, causing three other pairs of eyes to turn to her. Art preferred the group calling her by her initials, Isshin was the exception.

"You always ask her what she thinks as if she has the final say. You guys are the ones spoiling her." Reyna narrowed her eyes at Kachi, a frown gracing her features.

All eyes moved back to her, scrutinizing, affirming the thought that had crossed their minds a few times since the resumption of the new semester. Which was that Reyna seemed to be angry a lot more than usual this semester.

"Just sampling opinions, Reyna." Kachi gave her a sceptical look from where he sat beside her on the long, grey sofa before turning to Art with a slight smile.

"I don't know where my phone is half the time so I don't care." she yawned, throwing the crime novel she'd found on the bookshelf in Richard's room, to Isshin.

"Sounds about right." Isshin smiled as he caught the book, placing it on the stool beside the armchair he sat in. His smile quickly turned into a yawn.

"I have thirty thousand followers on 'Touch," Reyna huffed.

"We all have thirty thousand followers Reyna, everybody has the same amount of followers," Isshin said quietly and he was right, the government wanted social media to not drive people insane so they ensured that everyone had the same amount of followers, there wasn't a like button and comments regulated.

"Yeah but you guys don't care about your followers as much as I do. When was the last time any of you posted an update on your pages?"

The room suddenly became quiet as they all stared at Reyna. Her statement had them wondering why she cared so much about 'Touch' so much.

Lack of attention at home? In school? Art wondered, cocking her head to the side.

Before anyone could think of a reply or speak, Reyna burst into tears.

What the fuch? Art frowned.

"Diego," she sniffed, referring to her boyfriend. "He forgot our six-month anniversary." she cried.

Richard left the kitchen and came to sit beside Reyna on the floor. Kachi did the same.

"He's not worth your attention, Reyna, it's good that you guys broke up." Kachi patted her on the back.

"Six-month anniversaries, I didn't know that was a thing," Isshin said thoughtfully from where he sat on the armchair

"I'm sure he didn't mean to, Reyna, have you called him?" Richard pursed his lips.

Three of them spoke at the same time and this seemed to amuse them as they looked at each other and tried not to chuckle. Art shook her head, fighting the urge to roll her eyes at them.

Dolts.

Kachi's response was somewhat predictable as everyone knew he had feelings for Reyna even though Reyna liked to pretend she was unaware. The first time it became obvious was their first year, a month after they had all become 'friends'. They had all been having a random conversation about relationships-as most single people do-but Reyna and Kachi seemed to be the only ones particularly interested in it.

'What's so wrong with dating someone younger than you?' Kachi had pressed Reyna for an answer as they walked ahead of the rest of the group-who were sipping orange juice from a transparent plastic cup with a straw-and away from the restaurant.

'I don't know, the fact that they're younger? Less mature? Inexperienced with relationships?' Reyna had asked as if it were common knowledge.

'Not all young people are all that though, some are handsome, mature, funny, and intelligent.' he finished, obviously talking about himself.

'But not in relationships, as long as the guy is younger than I am, count me out.' she shook her head.

'Wait, what if he's only a year younger?' Kachi looked to be at a loss. Understandably because Kachi and Art were soon to be nineteen at the time while the others were already nineteen.

'A year, a month, a day, N and O, no.' Reyna said with an air of finality as she walked faster.

Kachi stopped in his tracks and sighed, turning to us only to realize he had been caught. 'What?' He shrugged defensively.

Richard, Isshin, and Art simply stared at him with knowing looks.

Back in the present, Reyna paused her crying. "You think we'll break up?" She asked with teary eyes, her heart pounding in her chest as she waiting for a reply from Kachi who had previously assumed that she was already single.

"Oh, you guys haven't broken up yet? That is ju-Ow." Kachi yelped as Richard stretched his arm and slapped him on the back, so he wouldn't finish the sentence.

"Oh, I'm sure it's all..." Richard tried to give a better answer while Kachi shook his head, his curls dancing as he did, trying to dissuade Richard from encouraging her to hold on to the boyfriend in question. Perhaps it was partly selfish of Kachi to do so but he and Art saw some things they would have preferred not to see in their first year, and the subject of those unwanted sights was Diego. They had silently agreed at the time, never to speak of it.

Reyna turned to Richard. "Really? So why doesn't he call anymore? He only sends me short texts and when I call, it's awkward."

Art sighed, rolling her eyes before walking to the fridge to get ice-cream. She didn't feel sorry for Reyna, after all, she always pretended not to realise that Diego didn't love her. But Art wanted her to stop crying because she looked like a clown anytime she cried, and Art did not want to laugh. So she opened the fridge and took out a cup of ice-cream machine, closing it and grabbing a spoon. Walking to Reyna, Art offered her the items.

"Here."

"AI, you're being nice to me." She grabbed the ice-cream and opened it before putting a spoonful in her mouth, crying as she ate.

Don't laugh, she cautioned herself as Reyna looked hilarious with a spoon in her full mouth, tears dripping down her face and her facial muscles contracting. She looked like a baby throwing a tantrum over breakfast.

The boys, on the other hand, were not so efficient in restraining themselves. Richard excused himself and went to the bathroom, Kachi snickered, and Isshin covered his face with his hands to stifle a laugh.

Art shifted into a more comfortable position on the sofa, staring at Reyna who was still eating ice-cream but crying less. I couldn't fathom myself being in her position-no emotions, no problems.

"Reyna, I think you should ask him what he wants and if the relationship is going somewhere, so at least you know what you're doing." Isshin quelled his amusement and was now giving advice.

"Yeah, you're right." She muttered, staring at the now empty cup.

"You want another one?" Richard asked as he walked into the room.

"Yeah." She answered in a low voice.

Richard moved to the fridge, throwing another cup to Kachi who was half kneeling, half sitting beside Reyna.

What are they scheming? Art wondered as the boys shared a look.

"Hey, keep your head high, you're wonderful and if he has chosen to take you for granted then he's not worth your tears." Kachi wiped a tear from her eye with his thumb, telling her what they all seemed to be thinking.

Reyna sighed, wiping her eyes one last time before hugging Kachi. "Thank you, you're the best." Her arms went around his neck.

Isshin, Kachi, and Richard shared a look of success and when Isshin's eyes met Art's, he winked, getting an eye-roll in return.

*

"Kachi and I will be going to the gathering tomorrow," Richard said tentatively an hour later.

"Oh yeah. Remember the girl I told you guys Richard and I met at the mall the other day?" Kachi asked, throwing an arm around the sofa.

"Yeah." Isshin nodded.

"Well, turns out she attends The Gathering of the True on Tuesdays." Kachi grinned. "Richard wants to see her and I have to be his wingman. Anybody else wants to go?"

"Yeah, why not? I don't have practice on Tuesdays." Isshin answered, referring to the sport he played, tennis.

"AI?" Richard raised a hopeful eyebrow.

"No. I saw a gathering online, looked interesting." She shifted her eyes to his briefly, changing her position on the sofa, so her legs and head were hanging over its arms at either end.

"Really?" They all turned to her with surprised looks as Isshin asked the question. "Which one?"

"The Gathering of the Scions," she answered as she had stalked her classmates on their touch page to find out which gathering they belonged to. After

"The gathering, of those scions?" Reyna's eyes widened.

"Yeah, those scions?" Kachi whistled, no longer smiling.

"I don't think going there is a good idea, AI." Richard frowned.

"Why not?" she inquired.

"Because they're like a cult, they wear dark hoodies when they gather, and they do these weird chants in the woods," Isshin stated, giving his best friend a worried look.

"But none of you have been there before, have you? So technically it's hearsay." she swung her legs slowly.

"It's popular hearsay, AI. Plus, one of their members died last semester. They said he was used for some ritual in their cult." Richard replied, mirroring Isshin's worried look.

"No smoke without a fire, AI, no smoke without a fire," Kachi added.

She turned to see Reyna giving her a worried look as well as Kachi. Oh, that serious huh?

"Really, Art, don't get involved with those people." Isshin's face contorted into a deeper frown.

She stared at her best friend, who was seated beside Reyna at the foot of the long sofa, with her head hanging off the chair. The more she looked, her heartbeat picked up and she wished she was sitting next to him so she could brush the frown lines off his face and reveal the smile she loved. Surprised at her thoughts, she quickly looked away and stared at the front door instead, planning her escape from the set of eyes that conveyed displeasure.

*

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