do: read; don't: visit 214

[giftedandtalented]

Mehitabel reads a lot.

She starts calling herself "Tab", for short, not that anyone calls her anything apart from Kers. She writes suitably encrypted emails to Aelise about ideas for fixing the world - mostly she asks questions, to start, forming a picture of the exact problem she has to solve.

She misses her parents, but not very much. At least she got to say goodbye.

When her brain won't absorb new information, she bounces around in zero-g.

After six months, Aelise visits again.

Tab says, "Anybody you store up here must be important somehow. If I don't know about the other secret person, I won't know how to come up with ideas that work with them being important however they're important."

Comments

[salus_populi]

Aelise lets her keep trying as long as she likes; then she shrugs and says, "So much for that. Maybe it'll grow in as you get older; that happens."

[giftedandtalented]

"Okay. I might as well try it whenever you're up here."

[salus_populi]

"Good plan."

[giftedandtalented]

Tab does not manage it that year.

Or the next, or the next few.

But she doggedly tries every visit, because there are no better ideas going, everything has some dreadful flaw, everything makes her map fall to bits or Aelise thinks it's untenable per risk aversion. Aelise may not like using Chelsa - or says so, anyway - but she doesn't consider her quite as much of a disaster as Tab does, so she passes up a couple possibilities Tab would have jumped on.

And one day, a few weeks after she turns twelve -

"It - I think it - did it work?"

[salus_populi]

"Apparently it did," says Aelise.

[giftedandtalented]

"So you can't sense my life force anymore but for this to really work you have to not be able to do things - so - I guess you should try immortaling Kers some?"

[salus_populi]

"I guess I should," she says, and goes off to find Kers.

[giftedandtalented]

Tab trots after her, eager to see the experiment's results at once.

[salus_populi]

The experiment's results aren't much to look at.

"Of course, I can't properly see if it worked or not, but it doesn't feel like it did," she says. "I'm not any lower."

[giftedandtalented]

"So can I try it on Chelsa? Quick flicker, gauge reaction, write up a schedule?"

[salus_populi]

"Yes. Wait until I'm on the ground again, in case something unexpected happens. I'll email you to tell you when."

[giftedandtalented]

"Okay," beams Tab.

[salus_populi]

Aelise smiles slightly.

[giftedandtalented]

At Aelise's prescribed time, Chelsa experiences a split-second... outage.

[warmfeelings]

It's like dying.

The worst death, drowning in cold, like the world is made of frigid motionless hate, like there is nothing else but chill animosity.

Chelsa screams.

And then the world comes back, every pinpoint of warmth a lifeline in exquisite detailed liveliness - there's her pretty Tima and her devoted Amdon and her gentle Anneia and her warm sun -

Her warm sun.

And another very like.

The sensitivity is gone almost as soon as the cold is, but now she knows.

There were only two like that.

Harley is on the planet.

[lookingforwardtoit]

Anneia is closest; she runs to the sound.

[warmfeelings]

Chelsa throws herself into Anneia's arms immediately. "My Gift, it was gone, just for a moment, but totally - it was so cold -" She's crying and she doesn't care. She twists her hands around, behind Anneia's back, pulling on the near warmth.

And because Aelise broke her word, Chelsa sees no reason to keep her agreement.

She reaches for the far sun and pulls on that one too.

[lookingforwardtoit]

Anneia cuddles her helplessly.

[warmfeelings]

Chelsa clings and sobs and kindles everything she can reach as hot as it will go.

[alicornucopia]

Tima sits up in Corona's room from where she's been snuggling, when Chelsa screams. "Did you hear that?"

[pythbox]

"Yeah," says Corona. "Who was it?"

[alicornucopia]

"It sounded like Chelsa." She swings her feet out of the bed, brow furrowed in confusion.

[pythbox]

"...it kind of did," he says. "What the hell's she screaming for?"

He gets up and goes to investigate.

[warmfeelings]

They find Chelsa with her face buried in Anneia's shoulder, sobbing, hands plucking frantically at the air.

[alicornucopia]

Tima unhesitatingly turns this into a group hug. "What's wrong?"