[ COMPLETED ]
German Translations Provided By @vanessanats
BOOK 1 of the ORPHIC series
ZEITGEIST
/ˈtsītˌɡīst,ˈzītˌɡīst/
the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.
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"It's the oldest question of all, George. Who can spy on the spies?"
Washington D.C, America May, 2010
THE FIRST THING SHE NOTICED was that Sasha's house was unnecessarily big, with too many hallways that weaved in and out of each other like a maze with seldom exits. She felt tiny, overwhelmed by the amount of windows covering the vast area. The hallway near the kitchen, she had realized, was made purely of glass.
Verfall was seated on the floor in front of a large flat screen TV, cross-legged with her purse placed beside her. Sasha's footsteps were soft against the floor as he padded onto the rug, a cookie in one hand and a glass of milk in the other.
So that's what the aroma had been- cookies.
He leaned back into the couch, taking a sip of his glass of milk. He cleared his throat and Verfall grabbed a remote from the coffee table, turning the TV on. A news reporter appeared on screen, talking about floods and storms.
"Mm," he shook his head, "No."
She turned to the next channel, and waited for him to sound displeased. He simply hummed, and Verfall turned to the next one. A documentary of two roaring lions appeared and she switched channels again. It took a few minutes before Sasha placed a hand on her shoulder, now free from the cookie he'd consumed.
"Go back." He ordered, and Verfall clicked the device.
She placed the remote down, and Sasha tangled his hand into her hair, playing with the strands absentmindedly as a chuckle rumbled from his throat.
Verfall tilted her head at the screen. She knew the people on screen. Not personally, of course, but she'd seen the exact same episode once, when she was working at the hospital back in the '30's. There had been a TV always blaring the same thing- The Three Stooges.
It was black and white, but absent of the statical lines that'd always bounced up and down the screen. She found herself leaning back into the couch, pressing her head against Sasha's knee as she watched with stifled amusement.
"Amusing, isn't it?" He questioned softly and Verfall nodded.
One of the Stooges- what was his name?- smacked his partner with a hammer, and a cartoonish 'bonk' sound echoed in the living room. She didn't have the heart to laugh, but the images were just as amusing as she'd remembered.
Sasha shifted, and Verfall looked up curiously. He was smiling, and she blinked.
"You didn't run away today." He smiled contentedly. "I thought you would. There were so many contingency plans made- so many agents stationed to contain you if necessary."
