11 Moving

After school, Yugo was waiting for Vesper and Mia outside the first years' building. She grinned and waved as they walked over.

"Why do you look like you've just woken from a good sleep?"

It was the first thing that occurred to Yugo as she saw the contentment on Vesper's face.

"I did sleep," Vesper answered. "Really good. I feel so fresh and happy."

"I'm jealous," Yugo said, and she looked it too.

"Why?"

Yugo was tickled by Vesper's confusion. She burst out laughing, still looking jealous.

"I want the teachers to treat me the same," she said.

"I don't understand."

"She means," Mia explained. "The teachers let you sleep. She wants the same freehand from the teachers."

"She wants to sleep too," Vesper continued.

"Yeah," Mia agreed.

"Just sleep," he told Yugo. "They'll wake you up, ask some questions. Answer. And they'll let you sleep."

Mia burst out laughing. Yugo understood what happened, looked furious for a minute, then burst out laughing.

"Should we ask Dee and the twins too?" Yugo asked.

"About?" Vesper asked.

"Coming along," Mia explained to Vesper. "I'm not sure," she said to Yugo. "We don't get to meet them after school, do we? Seems like they have other responsibilities.

"That's sad," Yugo said.

Vesper agreed.

The three set off. Farth was in the opposite direction as Citi Gardens, and a walk longer by ten minutes. As they walked, Yugo spoke about her father.

"Dad says exercise is a must. But I'm lazy. And he found a solution. I would walk to and from school. It was a walk just enough to be a workout for someone like me. Also, since we're in the middle of the city, I'll be safe. Never really understood that. Dad can be like that sometimes. He says things and doesn't explain. It's just him indulging in his love for mysteries. His job keeps taking him all over, so he can't walk with me everyday. And mom's like me. Dad says I get my laziness from her. She would never walk me to school or come to pick me up because she'd be walking twice as much."

They left the main road and turned into the narrower road leading to Farth. The road ran parallel to the wider road to the airport, separated by a tall wall. Where the wide road met with the open ground with the fading markings for parking and directions, the narrow road curved left into the housing zone.

The houses were all two storied, wider than tall. They were all relics of a bygone era. And from the outside, they could convince the unsuspecting as being ruins. The parked cars and motorcycles, the sounds of the living, the cries of children and the voices of adults, the smells of food and the scents of perfume, the very air made of up breaths of life gave up the secret though, they were still homes of people.

The housing zone was divided into blocks, in military style. Even today, long after the military had moved away, the blocks were the same. The Smarev home was in the second block. From the outside, it was no different from any other. Yugo opened the door that was closed but not locked, and welcomed her friends in just as her mom's voice welcomed her home. The three friends removed their shoes in the foyer and walked in barefooted. The wood floor was warm and soft under their feet, making walking feel more comfortable than ever.

In the large hall, a good looking woman was sitting in a chair much larger than her, in front of a large table. There were several open notebooks on the desk, and several screens floating above, displaying endless lines of text. The woman swivelled in the chair, beaming at her daughter.

"We've got guests," she said in a soft and pleasant voice.

"Mom, they're friends," Yugo said, introducing her two friends.

Slana was delighted. Her daughter was pretty and had always been popular, but didn't have many friends. Had never brought any home. Vesper and Mia were certainly special. And she couldn't be happier. She rose from the chair, walked over, and hugged each of the three.

"I'm Slana. Yugo's mom. You're the first friends she brought home. You must be special. So, tell me. What's up?"

"Yugo wants to move. We're here to convince you," Vesper answered.

Slana's face was blank. Yugo was too busy giggling to explain. Mia sighed, and began.

"Vesper and I live in Citi Gardens. In the same building. When we said that, Yugo said she wanted to live there too, so we could be together. She was worried you wouldn't agree, because your work is here. We said we'd help. And here we are."

Mia did explain better, but Slana was still confused. How did moving homes become such a conversation?

"Why are we moving?" Slana asked.

"Because we're friends," Vesper answered.

"You can't be friends if you're not neighbours?"

"We can. But it's even better if we are neighbours."

"Okay, makes sense. What are you three into that you need to be together all the time?"

"We're into nothing, yet. But if we are together all the time, we'll find something."

"You're strange."

"You've got a lot of questions."

"Are you complaining?"

"I don't understand."

"Don't understand what?"

"The question. You asked. I answered. Where's the complaint?"

Slana looked at Vesper deeply, and sighed in defeat when she saw no deception. This was how he really was. And she was intrigued. One doesn't grow to his age being like him? What could it be, then? Who could he be?

"Okay," she said slowly. "Let's say I agree. And we are moving. Where are we moving to?"

"Give me a minute," Mia said. She pulled out her phone from the extremely tiny purse that was supposed to serve as her schoolbag as well. She stepped away as she made a call.

Yugo went with Mia. When it was just Vesper and Slana, the two began discussing what was high on their minds.

"What are you working on?" Vesper asked.

"Well," Slana answered with some thought. "Let's just call it work. Why do you ask?"

"Yugo said that was the difficulty about moving."

"In a way, yes. But that's not more important than Yugo. That foolish girl is too shy."

"Hmm. What do you need? For your work?"

Slana saw Vesper's serious face, and felt the question was more than the simple it sounded as at first. She nodded and answered honestly. Her system requirements were high. To anyone else, it might be terrifying. Vesper, however, had a question.

"Will a virtual system suffice?"

Slana was startled. As simple as the question sounded, it was anything but. A physical system with the hardware powerful enough to generate the precessing power she needed was expensive. A virtual system, where all of the power was essentially borrowed, was a hundred times more difficult to setup and a thousand times more expensive. Anyone who could offer a virtual system satisfying her requirements had to be a powerhouse, in the truest sense of the word. She had been in the company of powerhouses, owing to the nature of her work. Vesper didn't seem like one, didn't have the air of one, and certainly didn't act like it. Which was what made him so much more terrifying.

"I'm sure it will," she answered.

"Great."

Vesper was delighted. He asked for permission to use her access node. She agreed. He sat in her chair, while she stood next to him. He granted himself remote access and connected to his virtual system.

"Try it," he said, pushing away from the table.

Slana wasn't sure, at first. It was all too simple, too unbelievable. The virtual system didn't seem powerful enough. She couldn't give up on it without giving it a chance, however, not after looking at the confidence on Vesper's face. And so, she transferred a medium sized program that demanded more power than the virtual system showed and ran it. She was expecting the virtual system to crash. Instead, the virtual system grew in power, enough to run the program smoothly. The screen displayed the results, faster than her high spec setup. She was shocked. And in that shock was hidden a realisation.

She beamed at Vesper, her expression saying it all.

"You'll have private access," Vesper added, and Slana had wings sprouting on her back.

"If only you were older, I'd jump you," she said.

"Huh? I don't understand," Vesper said.

Slana burst into laughter. She hugged Vesper, and whispered with her lips resting on his ears.

"Be as you are. So beautiful."

"Sure," Vesper answered. "I am beautiful. You are too."

"Thank you. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were flirting."

"Why would I flirt with you? Aren't you married?"

Slana couldn't help it. She was laughing so hard, her stomach was hurting and her eyes were tearing. It was good that Yugo and Mia returned, putting a stop to the hilarious conversation between the older woman and the younger boy.

"What's so funny?" Yugo asked.

"Your friend," Slana answered.

"Oh," Yugo said, nodding in understanding.

Slana laughed again. Yugo looked confused. Slana shook her head, as if saying Yugo was just as funny. Mia smiled knowingly, and Slana sighed. There was at least one who was normal.

"We have good news," Mia said. "We've got the sixth floor. Just as planned. You can move in tonight."

Slana was confused.

"What do you mean?"

Mia shrugged, before explaining.

"601 is Vesper. 602, me. 603 will be you. 601 and 602 are studios. 603 is a three bedroom flat. Should suffice for a family of three."

"There were free flats in Citi Gardens?" Slana asked doubtfully.

Mia smiled without answering. This smile, Slana was very familiar with. It was the smile she saw on those powerful faces. What was she getting herself and her family into, she wondered in her head.

"Mom, can we go tonight?" Yugo asked excitedly.

Slana saw her daughter's joyful smile, and the fond smiles on Vesper and Mia's faces, and felt eased. They were truly friends with her daughter. Nothing else mattered as much.

"Sure," Slana answered. "Pack up your clothes and essentials. I'll have the rest moved tomorrow, when you're in school. Go on then. Have your friends help you out."

Yugo screamed as she leaped into her mother's embrace. And then, she was off with Mia, to pack up. Vesper stayed to help Slana.

They had dinner before leaving. Which was good, since it was going to be a long night.