• Friday, October 1 - P.A. •

“So-” Maybelle leans against the door frame of the Daycare Room, “-how’d your date with Matt go?”

Edison turns, brow furrowed confusedly. “Date?”

Maybelle rolls her eyes. “You and Matt went out last night. Together. Potentially romantically.”

Edison shakes his head slowly. “I don’t think it was…romantic.”

Maybelle shrugs. “That’s why I said potentially. Still, how’d it go?”

Edison turns back to the kids. “Good. I like underground. I like Matt.”

“Ooh! I’ve been wondering when I was gonna hear you say that!” Maybelle laughs.

“How were you so sure I would?” Edison inquires, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Just a hunch.” Maybelle shrugs.

Edison hums and walks over to help Isidra with a toy.

“Did you two learn anything about each other?” Maybelle asks.

“I showed him my scars,” Edison answers.

“The ones from Victor?”

Edison nods. “He let me explain. I think he understands.”

“That’s good. Did you learn anything about him?”

“No.” Then he pauses thoughtfully. “Well, I learned he can swim.”

Maybelle snorts. “I suppose that’s something. He didn’t tell you anything personal? Where he’s from? What his most shameful scars are? Nothing like that?”

Edison shrugs, looking at her. “He doesn’t have to tell me everything right away. I certainly haven’t told him everything.”

“But you told him something. Don’t you think he should return the favor?”

“He will when he wants to.”

Maybelle nods slowly. “I suppose that’s true.”

The subject drops when Rusty’s and Jackie’s parents come up the ramp. Edison nods to the kids and watches them pack up.

“You’re such a big help, Edison,” Lily -their mom- says when she and Filbert get to the doorway.

Lily is a very tall woman -a proud six feet- with long, dark orange hair and light skin covered in freckles. Her pale blue eyes are warm and loving, and Edison hopes he never sees them angry.

Filbert is the same height as Edison with waist length dark brown hair, hazel green eyes, and warm sepia skin. Something about him is sad, but he hides that under his undying love for his family.

Edison smiles. “I’m glad.”

“Don’t you have a watch shift after this?” Filbert asks.

“Yes.”

“How do you have the energy for that after dealing with the kids all day?”

Edison tilts his head and glances at Maybelle. “I don’t...deal with them.”

“They don’t mean it that way, Ed,” she assures him. “It’s another way of saying take care.”

Edison nods slowly. “Oh. Well...I don’t know, I guess. It’s how I grew up.”

Filbert hums thoughtfully and smiles when Jackie runs up to him.

“We’ll see you again on Monday,” Lily purrs, taking Rusty’s hand.

Edison nods and waves as they walk away. Oren passes them on the ramp and smiles to Edison cheerfully.

“Hey there,” Maybelle greets as he stops in the doorway.

“Hello.”

Isidra looks up when he hears Oren’s voice and abandons his toy to trot up to him, babbling excitedly.

Edison chuckles. “He’s telling you about the walk we took today.”

Oren nods. “Ah.”

Isidra beams and Oren rubs his head.

“See you on Monday, Edison,” Oren says.

“See you on Monday,” Edison agrees and walks into the room to pick up the toys.

Maybelle helps him and stands by the door while he goes through little details. “Hey, why is everyone telling you they’ll see you on Monday? Don’t you have the kids on Saturday and Sunday too?”

Edison shakes his head. “No. This district is strange. Other than watch, there’s no working on Saturday or Sunday.”

Maybelle hums. “That is strange. What are you going to do then?”

“Watch, probably. I’m thinking of going on a run with some of the guards,” Edison admits and Maybelle visibly frowns. Edison notices, but says nothing about it.

As he locks up the Daycare Room, Maybelle walks away. She trots down the ramps to the restaurant on Level Two, sitting at the table in the corner. The restaurant is almost empty, with only a few people sitting here and there. Maybelle taps her feet on the floor as she thinks over what Edison said. She looks up when Ekua walks over to the table, sitting down across from her.

“What’s goin’ on, May?” she asks.

“Why do you think something’s going on?” Maybelle wonders, twisting a bird shaped salt shaker in her hands.

“You’ve got that ‘something’s going on’ look. Is it about Matt and your brother?” Ekua leans her arms on the table.

Maybelle sighs. “No, but it is about Edison. He wants to go on a run outside the district.”

Ekua nods. “Gotcha. Why’s that bothering you?”

Maybelle shrugs heavily and sits back, still holding the salt shaker. “He never lasts long in districts. All it takes is a week and he’s ready to run back to the Outlands like we’re not finally somewhere safe. Even before…”

She shakes her head and sets the bird back on the table. “Sometimes I wonder if he even wants to be safe.”

Ekua hums thoughtfully when she’s sure Maybelle’s done. “I get where you’re coming from, but you have to remember that you and him had very different lives. Where you grew up feeling safe around other people, he feels crowded. A district can easily become overwhleming for someone who isn’t used to people the way most of us are. So if he needs to go on an occasional, dangerous run into the Outlands, it’s probably just to blow off steam.”

Maybelle nods slowly. “You’ve got a point.”

Ekua smiles gently. “It’s okay, Maybelle. We all get worried about each other.”

Maybelle nods again and looks up when Ekua gets up.

“I gotta get back to work, but feel free to hang out. It’s not very busy today,” Ekua says and ruffles Maybelle’s hair as she walks away.

In the kitchen, Ekua bounces around different work stations, cooking and prepping and cleaning. Boredom catches her after around half an hour and she collects a package for the guards at the front.

“I’ll be back in a bit, Dane,” she says.

“Alright,” he replies.

Maybelle is still at the table when Ekua leaves the kitchen, so she waves for the girl to join her. She does.

“Where are we going?” she asks.

“We’re delivering meals to the front guards,” Ekua answers.

Maybelle nods. “Edison is probably there by now.”

Ekua looks at her. “Do you not want to see him right now?”

Maybelle seems almost surprised by the question. “Of course I do. Just because I’m worried about him doesn’t mean I don’t want to see him. Besides, I doubt he’s really talking to anyone but Matt and I know how easy it is for him to close off when he’s with too many people.”

Ekua chuckles and looks up as they get to the bottom of the ramp.

“Did you ever have a brother or sister?” Maybelle asks suddenly, a nervous tone to the question.

Ekua glances at her and nods. “Yeah. Not by blood, like you and Edison, but that didn’t make them any less family for me.”

Maybelle tilts her head curiously. “How does that work?”

“My real family died when I was little and the Roarers took me in with no questions. They took care of me and raised me into the person you know. They meant the world to me.”

“What happened to them?”

“Nothing happened to them. That I know of.”

“Then why are you talking about them like they’re gone?”

Ekua smiled sadly. “I left when I was thirteen, for a girl who wound up...not being who I thought she was.”

Maybelle nods, looking down. “I understand that.”

Ekua pats her shoulder and gestures for her to go up the guard stand first.

“Ekua! Deliverer of substinance and flavor!” Matt greets cheerfully.

Ekua laughs as she sets the meal box on the table. Matt grabs his portion and lets the others go wild. Edison doesn’t move from where he’s sat on the edge of the stand, staring out at the cars almost intensely.

“Oooh, sandwiches!” Matt sings and takes his first big bite, falling into the chair behind him dramatically. “Ekua, you’re a culinary mastermind.”

“I’m going to assume that means you like it,” Ekua chuckles.

Matt nods enthusiastically and looks down at Edison once he’s swallowed. “Hey, Edison. There’s food.”

Edison nods as a half hearted response, but his eyes don’t move.

“What are you staring at?” Ekua finally asks.

Edison just shakes his head.

“He’s been like that for nearly half an hour,” Oren tells them. “All he does is shake his head like that when we ask.”

“That doesn’t concern you?” Ekua wonders.

“We figure he’ll tell us if it’s something bad,” Oren says.

“Have you seen him do this before?” Matt asks, meeting Maybelle’s eyes.

“Yeah. He does this when he’s hunting. There’s probably a deer or something out among the cars,” Maybelle suggests.

The guards all nod and settle down.

Matt’s done with his sandwich almost before the others had even started theirs. He sighs and melts into the chair with a happy smile. “I love your food, Ekua.”

Ekua snorts. “I couldn’t tell.”

He grins and starts to say something else when a loud scream comes from the grove of trees to the left of the district wall.