1 - The Balcony

 

 

  Slate walks onto the balcony of his family’s mansion in the Upper Society part of Leegan County. He looks down onto the smaller mansions that cover the hill of the housing area of Upper Society. His family had always been part of Upper Society since the System was first put into place around 300 years ago. He bends over the railing to try to get a look at the hover rings that hold up their mansion.

  I wonder how many hover rings we have now since the most recent add-on to the main housing, Slate thinks to himself, trying to keep track of how many new hover rings they had needed to get for their new add-ons to the housing. “I will just have to ask Galaxy later on once she has returned from the School,” Slate tells himself.

  “Ask her what?” asks a sweet, silky smooth voice from behind Slate on the balcony.

  Slate whips around, startled by the sudden presence that he did not sense. He realizes soon that it is because of her aura being very similar to his own. She notices the surprise on Slate’s face from the words spoken by her.

  “My apologies Slate of the Leegans,” she says, kneeling in front of him to show her respect of his higher stature. “I did not mean to surprise you. I should not have been listening to a private conversation of yours or of any one else’s. Please forgive me.”

  Slate smiles down at her. He had always found it somewhat amusing when Mortals showed their respect to Crystals.

  “Meefa, please stand up,” Slate tells her, embarrassed by the kneeling for respect rule.

  She rises as instructed by her Keeper. Meefa holds her head low, not making eye contact. Rarely Mortals ever made eye contact with Crystals. It is considered not respectful and some very strict Keepers have been known to dispose of their Keeps for making eye contact.

  “Meefa, you know how I feel about no eye contact,” Slate says sternly.

She keeps her head down. “It is disrespectful for a Keep to look their Keeper in the eye.”

  “Yes I know that Meefa. My family has been here since the beginning of time. After all, this is Leegan County. I do not like talking to the top of your head though. Please look me in the eye. My family knows about my weird way of handling my Keeps and they have agreed to allow it as long as my Keeps only act that way with me. So please make eye contact with me,” he says, knowing that the smoothness in his voice would convince her to finally look up. And she does look up.

  Wow, Slate thinks to himself as he notices her large and beautiful eyes. He had forgotten that she had some of the rare eyes from the days before Counties were established. Their irises are a dark brown color, speckled with an almost golden tint. Inside of her irises, her pupils are a pure carbon black color. Around her irises is pure white with faint red veins running through it. He was so used to the eye colors of most of the people around him. Very few eyes had the color of the Weak Time.

  Slate remembers the so normal colors of him and his family. His eyes being the most common throughout the Leegan family with golden irises and pupils surrounded by a silvery color. He pulls the face of his siblings from his memory. His sister, Traceena also has the traditional eyes of their family while his brother, Roogan, has deep blue pupils with black irises, and dark purple surrounding it.

Slate watches as Meefa’s cheeks turn scarlet with embarrassment. Meefa presses her lips together to keep from smiling at him.

  “Tell me, Meefa, what are you thinking?” Slate asks, curious and knowing that she knows that she is not allowed to not answer him.

  Meefa bites her lip before answering his question, hesitating on the answer.  “Truthfully?” she asks. Slate nods with a slight chuckle. “I was thinking about how no one else in the Leegan family with your eyes could look as beautiful as you do.” This time, it is Slate’s cheeks which turn a scarlet red.

  For a moment they just stand there, looking into each other’s eyes which is one of the rarest things between Crystals and Mortals; especially with Slate’s family’s great stature in Leegan County.

  “Now what was it that you came out here for, Meefa?” Slate asks, reminding himself that Meefa is a Mortal and also that he is already engaged to Love Veena.

  She lowers her eyes again, obviously a habit of speaking to her Keepers in the past or to any Crystal. “Your mother, Galaxy of the Leegans, demands your assistance at the School at once,” Meefa recites from the message she had received a few minutes ago in her quarters of the Leegan Mansion.

  Slate nods in response. “I will go at once then.” Meefa turns to return to her quarters until summoned by another Leegan. “Oh Meefa,” Slate says. She turns around at the sound of her name. “Please take the rest of the evening off. Tell the rest of my Keeps that they can also have the evening off no matter what any other Leegan says, okay?” Meefa nods. “I understand that I have a few male Keeps. Please feel free to socialize with them. I believe that it is important for Keeps to find love.”

  Meefa nods to his request, thinking about how it would make no difference to her. There was only one person whom she wished to socialize with in that manner and it was forbidden due to the System. She watches as Slate bends his knees and then launches himself into the air and flies in the direction of the School.

  Meefa sighs and walks with her head lowered to the Keep Quarters and announces the news to the rest of Slate’s Keeps. As soon as his Keeps had heard the noise, she walks to her quarters to sit alone for another lonely night.

 

 

1 - The Balcony

Reviews

[Ally Baker]

haha no there is no reason for it, it was just an accident

[Laraine Davis]

I love it! You are so imaginative! I wish I could do that...
Oh, you probably have a reason for it, but the underlining of everything is making me dizzy...just thought I would point that out:D
ily!