Day of the Mission

Lilia and the others were waiting at the back gate. The Headmistress was with them, and so was Stella, who had a box at her feet.

Druid and Bryson looked very dashing in their evening wear. They were going to Outpost 23 by vehicle, with Mr. Chesterfield as their escort. In contrast, the rest had the honour to trek through the Wastelands.

Driving by car would take a couple of hours at most, so it would take quite a bit longer on foot. But Lilia didn't mind; she'd rather trek through the Wastelands with all its dangers than be trapped in the car any day.

She didn't even want to think about that.

Then Lilia got distracted by a squeaking sound and looked up as a squirrel hopped the gate. Lilia couldn't help but follow the little guy's movements. His thoughts were full of finding food.

Suddenly, the squirrel stopped, realizing that he wasn't alone. Then, in a panic, he scurried away, his mind screaming, "Danger!" like his little world was about to end.

The little guy's antics made Lilia smile as he ran from one tree to the next. Animals' thoughts were easier to handle than the more complex thinking creatures', maybe because of how straightforward they were. This was another reason she liked being in the Wastelands.

But not everyone was as overjoyed as she was. Whereas Terran and Shadow were indifferent, Heather was pouting. "I want to drive."

"Having a fourteen-year-old in front of the wheel stands out too much," Druid denied.

"I can drive a lot better than any of you," Heather huffed. And I'm a mechanic, so I can fix anything if something goes wrong."

"Heather," Terran groaned, shaking his head.

"I don't deny that your skills are top-notch, but…."

"Would you rather be stuck in a car when you can be out there?" Lilia added, waving her hand in the direction of the Wastelands.

Heather's mouth gaped open. "But…" She looked conflicted. "Fine, I'm faster without the jeep, anyways," Heather reluctantly agreed, but she was still pouting a little.

Headmistress Weatherly looked bored. "Can we get a move on? Lilia, you're up." Her eyes glare, burning a hole in Lilia.

"I hate this." She sighed, running her hands through her hair.

"I don't care if you hate it, do it anyway," Headmistress Weatherly ordered. "This could save your life."

Terran hesitantly asked, "What's going on?"

Druid stepped in. "Lilia's trying something. Just watch."

Lilia breathed in and out and closed her eyes. Her mind reaches out to something always there, the Link she shared with the other Lumeye. She began to hmm, moving her fingers with each note she sang. Taking on the role of conductor, Lilia searched for the right tone to see if her musicians, the other Lumeye, would respond in kind. She touched a note. No, that's not right. Then another. Closer. Let's try this again. There!

Lilia opened her eyes. "If you can hear me, raise your hand."

The other five Lumeye raised their hands.

Lilia's smile was a little strained. "Good, it worked."

"What's so special about it?" Bryson asked. We all know that she is a telepath." He sent out needles Lilia's way. "I don't like hearing your voice in my head."

"Same," Lilia rubbed her head, but that's all she did. Lilia doesn't like explaining how her abilities work; it's too tiring.

Fortunately, Stella spoke up instead. "It's like a closed-circuit communication device. Since static interference is high in the Wastelands, the Headmistress…um…." Stella's eyes turned to the older woman.

"I 'persuaded' Lilia to work on it."

Persuaded? It's more like hounded.

The Headmistress continued, "Basically, you can communicate telepathically not only with Lilia but also with each other. So, I surmised that this mission would be an appropriate time to test it."

The twins looked at each other wide-eyed before conversing telepathically with each other.

"This is so cool!" Heather squealed.

"I always wanted to try this!" Terran eyes were bright with excitement.

The volume! She winced as she mentally muted them. The twins kept chatting, and thankfully, Lilia couldn't hear them anymore.

Lilia once again kneaded at her head. She slipped her headband down to cover her eyes and placed her headphones on her ears, trying to keep the pressure tolerable. Unfortunately, she was prone to sensory overload, and having five other minds crowding in on hers didn't help one bit.

She grabbed her flute case, which she strapped to her back—clutching it like a security blanket.

Lilia felt a hand brush against her arm, and the information overload slowly ebbed away. She uncovered her eyes slightly to see the concerned face of her little sister. Lilia smiled faintly. Stella always made her feel better.

"I'm fine." Lilia gave her sister a pained smile. "The connection just needs time to stabilize." She closed her eyes again.

After a moment of relishing silence, Lilia could finally think.

"Lilia, you're attention, please." Lilia glanced up and saw Headmistress Weatherly staring back. Her words seemed harsh, but there was a look in the older woman's eyes. Was the Headmistress showing a bit of concern? She does have a heart…  a tiny one, at least.

Lilia patted Stella's hand, indicating it was okay to let go, before turning to the Headmistress. "Yes, Ma'am."

Headmistress Weatherly stared at Lilia for a few seconds. Then she turned to the others. "Okay, let's get this over with. I have better things to do with my time than being here. You all know the plan, so let's review the plan. Shaw we? Bryson and Druid are to attend the party. This time, you two are the distraction. Make sure to stay close to Major Hatten as much as possible." She instructed.

"Yes, Ma'am!"

Headmistress Weatherly addressed Druid alone. "Druid, please make sure that you don't do anything unnecessary. The last time was a real mess to clean up."

Druid smiled sweetly. "Yes, Headmistress."

Headmistress Weatherly looked like she didn't believe her. She turned to Bryson. "Bryson…"

Bryson bowed with his hand to his heart and arrogantly said, "I will take care of it."

Suck up! Lilia thought.

"Good." Headmistress Weatherly continued, after a pause, "While you two are distracting Mr. Hatten, I want Lilia and Shadow to sneak in to look for anything useful. Anything that can be used against that asshole…?" Headmistress Weatherly couldn't help but show her seething expression before reverting to her usual blank face. "Terran and Heather will stay at the rendezvous point. You'll have a bird-eye view, so watch out for any trouble. Heather, make sure your sniper rifle is ready." She glared at them warningly. "Be on your guard at all times. Your attentiveness and prompt response may save lives."

Heather was poking Terran. In response, He was attempting to stop her. They looked up when they felt everyone's eyes on them. "Yes, Ma'am!" The twins said together, straightened up, trying and failing to look serious.

Lilia couldn't blame them. She had a tough time staying awake herself. She was itching to get out into the Wastelands, finish this mission, and return to bed afterwards.

Headmistress Weatherly sighed while she rubbed her forehead.

"Moving on… I gather you made the time to memorize the outpost floor plan, guard rotations, and exit points. Still, just in case…." Headmistress Weatherly gave Stella a 'move it along' look.

Looking flustered, Stella stepped up and handed each Lumeye a folder. "This is the dossier on Major Hatten. Plus, schematics of Outpost 23 and guard rotations. Please make sure to give it a good look over," she said, giving Lilia an accusing glare.

In response, Lilia widened her eyes. How dare she assume that Lilia couldn't do the simplest of tasks? She glanced inside the folder. Okay, maybe it was good to have…for reference's sake. Looking at the others, Lilia was relieved she wasn't the only one who decided to keep it.

Her relief quickly turned into anger when she saw Bryson scoffing at the folder, crumbling it into a ball, and tossing it to the ground. Before Lilia could make a move, Stella was already gathering the papers. "Bryson," she said, tsking her tongue. "Don't throw it away like that. Resources are scarce." For them, living in the middle of the Wastelands, making good use of reusable resources was a matter of life and death.

Bryson straightened, and with his chin in the air, he turned his back on Stella. "I don't have to listen to someone as insignificant as you."

"Bryson!" scowled Druid, and she lightly tapped his shoulder. He scoffed but didn't move away from her touch.

Angrily, Lilia balled her hands. She wanted to hit Bryson. But Stella just shook her head and rolled her eyes. Yeah, Bryson was always going to be Bryson. Nothing was going to change that.

Headmistress Weatherly was tapping her heels on the ground with impatience. "On a side note, The WMPs will be there." The WMP stands for Wastelands Marshall Patrol, and the Cities despatched them to keep the Compounds in line. Their presence was expected at any Compound function. "So be tread carefully."

In the corner of Lilia's eye, and saw Druid looking up with a startled look. What was that about? Lilia was curious, but right now, the Headmistress gave them a look that said, 'Pay attention to me, or else.' So, if Lilia wanted to live, it's best to listen.

Headmistress Weatherly clapped her hands together. "Remember the rules: Stay within eyesight of your partner. Don't use your abilities unless necessary. And be careful. You're no use to me dead or, even less so, captured," Headmistress Weatherly stated, giving them a long glower to make sure they understood.

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Dismissed!"

Outside of Towa

Know the phrase "Time heals all wounds"? Well, that's bull. It festers and bleeds until death finally comes. It could be ignored, but the scars will still be there, waiting for the perfect chance to grab and drag a person back to hell, kicking and screaming if necessary.

Rachel's scar was watching in silent horror while the rippled skies crashed down, right on top of her home, as it disappeared into dust.

Still, years had passed, and she could never forget…