Chapter Five: Jomo

Jomo Falx Venus 5 May 19th

I simply board the hovertrain, not knowing where I am going and where I am coming from. No one has offered me money or given me something to do, so I figure that I'm on my own. I had smuggled myself onto a cargo ship to Venus 5 between two humongous bags full of sand. I snuck out of the escape hatch before anyone caught me and walked to a nearby hovertrain station. No one bothered to confront me, and so I just slip through a large crowd of high schoolers and board the hovertrain unseen. By the time she gets on, the people have left to different stops. No one ever bothers going out of town.

I'm playing an ancient game people of old called Tetris when she climbs in, barely stealing a look at me as she conspicuously walks to the center of the car and holds onto a rail, back facing me. We both know each other, although for reasons we prefer not to talk about. Even though I have nothing to do, I'm in a pretty good mood since I can do anything I want right now, not being on a mission. I didn’t want her dousing it, so I keep my mouth shut.

“Jomo,” her voice is distinctly deeper than any other girl I have met, and it always makes me jump when she speaks. I turn the game off and scowl at her.

“Arx,” I growl in an equally low voice as hers. “You’re disturbing my good mood. Can’t I play Tetris in peace?” She makes no comment to my last statement.

“You still owe me,” she says softly. I grumble to myself and stow the game in my backpack. “That was a long time ago!” I protest.  “Why are you still hung on that?”

“I won the bet fair and square. And it happened only five months ago.”

“ONLY five months ago?! That’s a long time in this day and age.”

“Not where I come from.”

“Oh, so you have enough manipulation powers to jump from a different timeline to this one?!” I retort loudly. Arx doesn’t answer, but I can see her grip the rail a little harder. The train whooshes to a stop, and the door swishes open. She releases the guard rail and turns to confront me, like a tiger on the prowl, grabbing my shirt with her iron grip. Her eyes are narrowed into slits, yet her face shows no signs of anger. It's enough to scare an ordinary person out of their wits. She turns to see if anyone is looking, then pulls me up closer to her penetrating gaze, as if I am some sort of ragdoll.

“Get the money to me by October and we won’t have a problem.” With that, she lets go and I fall back into my seat, sweating and wiping my brow. I can see her out of the corner of my eye holding the doors to the train open. “After all, we have much bigger problems,” she mutters.

And with that, Arx slips out of the train doors and is gone.

Reviews

[Peregrinator7]

Has nothing to do with the plot whatsoever. I'll be sure to change that our second go around

[Locke Redwyne (night sys)]

good! remember that