Trigger warning - Bigotry, self-deprecation

VINCE

As Vince entered the workshop he was hit by a flurry of emotions. The familiarity of an overly heated room filled with ideas stopped him in his steps. It was thrown together, but a workshop nonetheless. His heart ached. He needed to go home.

Half a dozen lights across the room flickered on. The Agostogian kid they called Stein already sat at a large workbench with a bird made of bronze, bigger than his own head. It took Vince a few moments to take it all in. In the center was a small homemade forge built into a big steel barrel, with dead embers. Stacks of books filled the room, matched only by the number of boxes filled with miscellaneous parts. 

The older boy who had just threatened him walked past him to a disheveled bed in the back and made himself comfortable. “You can use the other bed,” he said. “Stein doesn’t sleep much at night.” He pointed to the bed next to the workbench. It was built into a rescue boat from a Zeri navy ship. The benches and storage were torn out and replaced with a mattress. 

Vince walked toward the boat. His gaze wandered around the room in awe. Everywhere he looked was a mystery to him. In one corner was a big machine with a teacup at the bottom, maybe to make drinks, in another a giant fan he couldn’t even fathom what it could be for. Whoever created these things had a mind like his brother’s. An inventor. 

He walked past a box filled with tiny engines. The delicate mechanisms should have been impossible. Impossible in the world he knew anyway. 

“You should keep your shoes on,” the older boy said. Vince looked up. He had pulled out a notebook from who knows which pile of books and had begun writing in it. “We’re not really careful with screws. The thicker the better.”

Vince nodded and looked back to the small piston engines. “I’ve never seen them this small,” he said more to himself than anyone else. Vince felt like he was sinking as he tried to think through how they could create these engines. Every time he put one piece to another the image got more jumbled.

He looked to the older boy. “How did you make these?”

He shrugged. “Don’t ask me. Not really my thing,” he said.

Vince slowly turned to Stein. The boy fiddled with the mechanical bird in front of him. He twisted the gears masterfully. A shiver goes down his spine. He can’t quite place the feeling other than being so small, like a blind mole next to a hunting bird that just landed. He could feel the wind, but couldn’t see the threat. He could hear his own heart beating.

That didn’t make sense. Vince looked around the room searching for more answers. “I can’t hear an engine. How do you power this place?” He asked. His gaze traced the light wires leading outside. No one responded to his question this time. “Is the steam engine outside somewhere?” That’s the only thing that would make sense. They needed an engine somewhere.

Stein chuckles. Finally, someone gave Vince some attention.

“Please,” Stein said in an almost insulting tone. “Steam engines are so four years ago.”

Vince glared at Stein and stomped over to the boat bed. “Right as if a-” He stopped himself. Vince didn’t want to be threatened again. He aggressively brushed off the bed before sitting. He didn’t want to get any kirze filth on himself. “As if you would know anything about it.”

The older boy began laughing. At least someone found this situation entertaining. “Believe what you want, but we haven’t used steam power for anything but tea in four years,” Ludz said. 

Vince was beyond done with their madness. They couldn’t deny the laws of phyziks. “Then what do you use to power the light bulbs?” He asked superiorly.

“Ocean power! Duh!” Stein said. He twisted around on his bench. He spoke with excitement as he waved around his small screwdriver. “Pretty ingenious of me right. We get so much energy from the spouts might as well use it.”

Ocean power… Vince tried to grasp the idea. Yes, the ocean was strong but how would one get energy from it? It wasn’t a new concept; engineers had been trying for the better part of a decade to move beyond steam power, but it was still considered a radical idea.

For the first time, Vince really looked at Stein. It had become a habit for him to look past Agostogians. It was for most. Their people had been considered cursed since the last holy war and Stein had all of the typical physical characteristics of an Agostogian: blonde hair, dark brown eyes, and light skin. But actually looking at Stein all he could see was the spark in his eyes. It was a spark he had seen thousands of times before. His eyes were full of intelligence and creativity. Always thinking of new ideas.

He had the instant urge to feed into that curiosity. “How would you even use the power of the ocean?” Vince asked. The snark in his voice was almost instinctual when he talked to an Agostogian.

Stein smiled wide, not noticing. “I made this big water fan thing that sits at the bottom of the ocean.” As he spoke he used his hands to describe the shapes and workings of his invention. “It took me forever to figure out how to waterproof the wiring. You know to transfer the energy. But, once I realized I could encase it in rubber tubing it worked perfectly. I mean I nearly killed all of us a few times, but… it worked”

Vince listened in silence to Stein’s explanation. In theory, what he described was possible but Vince couldn’t believe that Stein thought of it himself and it worked. “And that actually worked?”

Stein tilted his head in confusion. “Of course. It’s the same concept as a watermill or windmill, just bigger and smarter. I call it a turbine.”

He was right. Once again theoretically it would work… Vince’s gaze drifted to the mechanical bird on Stein’s work table. “And let me guess you made the bird too?”

Stein looked back to the bird. “Maj?” He asked. “Of course, made her from scratch. Nothin’ but gears and washers at first.”

Vince laid down in the boat bed. He shook his head as he looked at the ceiling covered in wires. “Unbelievable,” he muttered to himself. Seeing all of this come from someone like Stein hurt more than he understood. Vince always believed a person as special as his brother could create like that. Knowing not everyone in the world could be as smart as his brother had always given him a little bit of relief. But, now after seeing Stein, all he felt was pathetic. “Anything else world-shattering I should hear about,” Vince asked numbly.

The older boy laughed from the other side of the room again. “That can wait until tomorrow. You should get some rest,” he said. 

He was really getting annoying, but Vince didn’t have much choice but to put up with all of it for now. He did seem like the biggest threat; he was literally the biggest person on the island. He was a good few inches taller than Vince and naturally muscular from island life. He wasn’t often intimidated by people, but since his family name wouldn’t protect him here Vince had to be more cautious. There were too many changes happening at once.

He tried to sleep. It didn’t work. His mind kept wandering as he stared at the flickering light. Even Stein had drifted to sleep at his workbench. Vince’s thoughts spun; nothing at this place made sense. Not the spouts, not Handi’s disdain for him, and certainly not Stein’s existence.

He needed to find a way off this island and back to sanity. Maybe if he could understand how the spouts worked he could come up with a way off the island. 

He could figure it out. He’s supposed to be a problem solver, a Girdwood. 

Yes, Vince was certain he could figure it out. His elder brother would certainly be able to, so Vince would too. 

They wouldn’t stop him. As if interrupting the very idea of leaving in Vince’s thoughts, he heard the older boy shuffle out of bed. Vince watched him walk to the workbench in groggy steps and flick a switch. The lights shut down and the room filled with sudden darkness. As Vince’s eyes adjusted, he could make out the tall outline of the older boy covering Stein’s shoulders with a blanket. He removed the tools from Stein’s hand and flicked a loose gear off his cheek. Vince was taken aback by the affection. He couldn’t really get a good read off of him. Sometimes he acted like he was about to bite someone’s head off the next he’d have a gaze full of care. He seemed grumpy throughout most of the dinner, but defended Vince and then threatened him. And he seemed to enjoy the children’s little show. Vince shuddered in disgust. How could they let children blaspheme the holy creation story?

Yet another thing on the island that didn’t make sense. Then again his first impressions of most of the islanders weren't exactly positive. Most of them were comparable to wild animals; he assumed Fiu was the only one somewhat civilized there.

“She’ll fly soon… far… very far,” Stein muttered in his sleep.

The older boy walked towards Vince. Vince closed his eyes pretending like he was asleep. Maybe he really would eat his head off. He heard the older boy stop in front of his bed. “I can tell you’re awake from your breathing. Get up,” he demanded too close for Vince’s comfort. He walked off, and by the time Vince gained the courage to open his eyes he had vanished from the room.

He sat up and wavered for a moment. If he didn’t do what the boy said now his life would just be more difficult in the future. It was easier just to listen and do what he was told. Vince walked out of the dark room. 

The moon lit the night, big and bright. It reflected off the spring surface. Vince expected the outside to be dark without any street lights. He never realized how bright the sky could be on its own. He walked over to the older boy at the springs dock. The boy sat at the end, with his boots off and trousers rolled up. His legs dangled in the water.

Vince followed his lead and kicked off his filthy boots and socks. He rolled up his trousers without a word and sat beside him. Vince dipped his feet into the cold water. After a moment of shivering his body got used to the temperature. He looked to the boy waiting for a response. He must have called Vince out here for a reason. Maybe he didn’t want Stein to wake up from his threats. They were subtle but chilling. Vince couldn’t imagine what might become of him if he were alone.

The boy took a deep breath and stared up at the starry night. “I don’t think we had a normal introduction, Vince. I’m Ludz,” he said, finally giving Vince a name for the new face.

“As if anything here has been normal,” Vince scoffed. 

Ludz nodded. His gaze lowered to the small waterfall. It trickled light but constant into the spring. He looked at peace in nature. Like a painting. His long dark brown hair curled delicately against his neck. The moonlight shone down on his content face. Vince could make out the honey shade of his eyes, the two small freckles under his one, and the sharp edges to his face, his looks weren’t unfortunate. But Vince also couldn’t deny that being around nature made everything seem just a little more beautiful.

 Vince looked down at his feet in the clear water. 

“Couldn’t sleep?” Ludz asked.

“No.”

“Same here.” Ludz chuckled. “Once Stein goes quiet I usually wake up. Can’t stand Conni and Will’s racket but can’t stand the silence more.” He had a friendly way of speaking that made him feel instantly familiar, which only made the earlier threats feel even more intentional. Somehow Vince didn’t dislike it. It put his concerns of retaliation at ease. He was soothing but hadn’t lost that slight authoritative nature either. Not soft, somewhere in the middle. He had noticed Ludz could flip easily between calm and understanding to playful and positive to assertive and direct, seamlessly making his words flow with intent. That intent wasn’t bad as far as he could tell either. It made him want to talk, even if it was about nothing or if it was about everything because he could sense at this moment alone that Ludz wouldn’t stop him.

Vince wiggled his toes, rubbing the mud off the edges. He looked up at the sky. The stars shone down on them as a bright reminder he wasn’t in the city, as a reminder that he was stuck there. Somehow he even managed to fail at riding a boat.

He sighed. “So his name is Stein?” He asked. Vince looked back down at his filthy feet. He chuckled to himself. “The genius kirze.” His voice was laced with an undertone of resentment. He shook his head.

Vince kicked at the water in anger. “What’s wrong with this place!” His yell was desperate. Everything was wrong.  He struggled to put his thoughts into words. “He- He shouldn’t be that talented. It’s not his place. He has no right being so gifted after what his people have done. It- It’s not right.” It wasn’t his place.

The water around his feet became murky. “It’s not fair…” he whimpered. “Not fair…” Vince was the one who was supposed to be at the best university in the country studying to be an engineer just like his brother.

His hand slipped into his pocket and clutched onto his broken pocket watch. It had been a going away present from his brother. A wish of luck in his studies. It wasn’t fair that he was stuck here with a kirze that was… already doing what he was meant to be learning.

“You done throwing your tantrum,” Ludz asked, with no emotion.

“No…”

Ludz smiled. “Too bad. I’m not in the mood for a pity party.”

“You really see nothing wrong with this? With this place. What about your families?!” His argument started off strong but he began rambling. “I mean I know Handi is weird and all, But Fiu made it sound like you all arrived here the same as me. I’m sure your families are all missing you, maybe even looking for you. I’m sure my family is looking for me. Don’t you care about them anymore?”

Ludz' expression turned sharp as glared at him. “Remember that line,” he said. 

Vince looked away, not able to stand his strong stare. “Sorry… I just don’t understand.”

Ludz’ expression soften. He let out a dramatic sigh. “I get it. Heck, we all get it to some degree.” He looks through Vince. “You live your life learning one set of rules and then a certain someone tosses them up in the air.” He smiles softly at the memory, and then suddenly his attention is back on Vince. “But, the good news is you have plenty of time to learn, cause you’re stuck with us. Get used to it.”

Vince rolls his eyes. “Yeah… So I’ve been told….” He wasn’t sure if that little speech was meant to be encouraging or not. He felt better after yelling into the night but he had more questions than ever. As they gazed up at the stars there was one thing Vince was certain of. “I can’t stay here,” he said to himself.