Rehan was bored.

Waking up to the same scenery every day, helping his parents in the neverending tasks, going to the workshop, trying to please his unpleasable master, hanging out with his peers if he manages to sneak out, going back, keeping an eye out for his sister for the sake of everyone's well being, eating his meals, sleeping, shitting, walking, running, falling, breathing…

“You ungrateful brat,” once nagged his father when he complained, “you have no idea how valuable this peaceful life of yours is.” 

He indeed had no idea since his life was all he's ever lived. He needed some changes to be able to compare. But the strange look in his father’s eyes kept him silent that time. Sometimes, things are better off not spoken.

But something was off in his peaceful yet boring life. Feelings of excitement and curiosity were missing. Felisa agreed with him on that. Even their little camping adventures in the nearby forests were not as they used to be. They were getting sick of this tiny town that they knew every single detail about. So do the other younger people. 

“So you too are leaving?” said Rehan to his friend Majeer after sneaking out today. 

“Yeah.”

They were sitting on the roof of Rehan’s workshop, in the middle of the day, the sun overwhelmingly shining.

“Have you talked to your family?”

“I did, we’re trying to get in contact with a distant relative from the capital.”

“A relative, huh?”

Deep down, Rehan was slightly jealous. Never had he had a clear purpose in life so that he could leave everything behind. Majeer was a genius architect and always had these crazy plans that he scribbled in his authentic notebooks. Rehan knew, this small town that they’re looking at right now would never be enough for him, even when they were kids. 

He is so admirable, thought Rehan watching his friend’s gaze. He looked older, wiser, capable. 

“Aw, man!” yelled Rehan as he slapped his friend in the back, “Look at you growing up so well, time indeed flies.” 

“Shut up, Ren!” said Majeer, returning the slap.

“You gotta tell me all about the city girls in your letters.”

“Not gonna happen.”

“Hell, I am behaving like dad.”

Majeer chuckled and nodded slowly. 

“But don’t worry son, I won’t tell your dear Dima.”

His friend kicked him off the roof as his answer. Rehan, skillful as ever, landed on his feet commanding the ground to spread out the shock from falling. He could fall from anywhere and still walk away without a scratch. His sister thought of this as an overstatement but Rehan believed he was capable for sure. 

“I should return before the old man realizes my absence,” said Rehan, waving his hand without looking back.

“I hope he does!” yelled his friend. Lovely as ever!

Rehan sneaked in as quiet as he could, which was beyond his abilities since he never really learned to command sound. Being too tall in a small workshop didn’t help either. But his master didn’t respond. Deep down, Rehan knew that the old man can sense if he’s not around. It was a matter of his mood to make a fuss about it. Or not, just like today’s case. 

Rehan got back on the woodworking machine quickly trying to finish his unfinished project. It was a moving chair with tiny wheels attached that a client designed a while ago. His master loved the idea since his knees were not as healthy anymore. 

When it was time to leave, Rehan dropped everything in his hands and left his master by himself. He was a workaholic while Rehan wasn’t. He headed to the small bridge where he would meet his sister. Felisa wanted to practice again today, which they only do in the forest, as far away from the people as possible. 

When he saw his sister from afar, he started to run and jumped with all his power commanding the ground to increase the impact, and crash-landed right behind her, yelling “AAARGGHH!”

“HOLY SHIT! Brother, when will you grow up?” screamed his sister. The aghast look on her violet eyes was so satisfying! Rehan always loved to make his little sister annoyed. He chuckled. 

“You look the ugliest when you’re terrified,” said Rehan as he took the bag from his sister. He speeded up to avoid the upcoming nagging and dived right into the woods. 

They walked for a while. It was the same path they usually took. He knew it like the back of his hand. He knew any little or big animal they might come across and their behavior. So it was natural for him to be startled as soon as birds flew away, croaking. He immediately looked the way the birds dispersed from. He saw something far away, up in the sky, falling.

“Brother!” Felisa also noticed. Rehan mounted his guard for anything that comes from above while his sister, with a better vision, added “I think it’s a human.”

The falling object appeared to have limbs, then colors. Quickly it took the shape of a human and the human appeared to have long hair with the color of the sky. And he was doing nothing at all.

Without thinking, Rehan commended him to lift, with all his might and energy, and it did nothing. Was he too far away from his reach?

“Fez!” Yelled Rehan only to see her expression confused as well. If even she can’t do it, thought Rehan, that means…

“Move up the air below him!” said Rehan as he ran off towards the falling man’s direction, commanding his feet’ touch on the ground to be more effective. He would still be too far away to get there on time if what his sister was doing didn’t work. He was able to catch the now a little slowed down person in the nick of time, absorbing the energy from him, through himself, to the ground. Even so, they both fell. 

Rehan smelled something burning, the fallen man. Ignoring the immediate pain, he checked the strange man, which actually was not a man, on top of him. 

She looked terrible.

Finally something interesting, he thought, looking at the girl as he waited for his sister.