Clone Earth: MELVIN

Chapter Thirty-Four: ARI

Tarkoy is a cloud, Ari decided. She hadn't seen anything but white since they'd entered the city parameter. Even now walking through the transportation terminal, every window she passed showed nothing but solid white. The large structure was built much like the many space stations Ari had lived on. People swarmed in every direction, trying to hurry on and off shuttles and transports. Children screamed and cried as their weary parents dragged them along.

She'd gotten farther than she realized when she looked beside her and realized Farris wasn't there. Her expression relaying her irritation freely, she stomped as she turned back toward the exit ramp.

"Farris, let's go." She called.

The man scurried much like a scraggly animal around the others in his path until finally he was beside Ari.

"I should never have picked you up," He said. Ari noted that since stepping on public transport, only Farris had spoken.

"The sooner we get this fixed the sooner you'll be done with me." Then she muttered, "and I, you." The problem was Ari didn't know where to go from there. She scanned faces and shops, unsure of what would clue her in to the safest place to inquire about magic.

"Not here."

"I know. Too many people," she mumbled, "No one is going to stop and talk to us anyway." Another young man, around Ari's age knocked shoulders with Farris, who shuttered while covering his mouth as if shielding from infection. Ari's eyebrow raised, "Seriously, that boy is three times cleaner than you."

Still covering his mouth Farris' brown eyes turned and looked Ari over as well. His accusing expression, though hidden was quickly received as a small shuttered raced down her very itchy and unwashed back.

She scanned the terminal for outgoing transports. If they managed to get a captive audience, she might be able to find one person to ask.

"Stay close," she growled, leading the way through the loud corridor.

The noise didn't faze Ari. She pulled out her personal comm and with a tap to the panel on the wall she uploaded the small map for easy navigation. Even though signs and arrows were posted at every turn she decided it was best to follow the most current schematics, in finding her way around the unknown structure. They hit the main floor and Ari hiked her pack higher onto her shoulder before briskly heading for the door leading to the outside transport units.

In mid stride a firm hand gripped Ari's left shoulder. She stumbled back thinking it might be Farris too afraid to venture outside, until she caught a glimpse of Farris watching on from the side in confusion. Though showing no intention to assist her.

Startled, her bag fell to the ground and she grabbed the unknown hand with her right, ducked under his arm and pulled. Stepping backwards she twisted the man's arm while bracing her other hand on his shoulder.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm not attacking you." The owner of the hand shouted back at her.

Having received zero resistance to her counter attack and him raising his left hand in surrender, accepted her mistake. Face flushed red with embarrassment, she released his arm, and prepared to be reprimanded for acting before thinking as Trevon had tried many times to teach her.

"I'm sorry," She managed to say her voice small and very much not like herself.

"It's okay," The stranger rotated his shoulder to make sure it was still in its correct place. As he turned, Ari realized he was a young man, maybe even Trevon's age. His hair ruffled from being pushed forward and then back but otherwise he looked very well put together. Then he smiled. His strangely golden brown eyes sparkled, and Ari felt something in her chest flutter.

"I didn't mean to startle you." He said, "You looked like this was your first time in Tarkoy."

Ari blinked, wondering what physical trait had made that so obvious. Glancing down at her clothing, her face grew instantly hot. What hadn't bothered her before about her appearance, now made her want to crawl into the nearest trash disposal unit.

He softly chuckled again, but somehow Ari knew it was in kindness. "Wait here for a second please?"

She stayed in place watching the young man run up to a woman not too distant from where she stood. She was very pretty. With the same color eyes but she had slick blond locks that bounced around her shoulders every time she shook her head, No, at the young man. Eventually he pried a long blue and gray item from her fingers and returned.

"Take this," He held out the garment. It was a jacket of some kind. The fabric was thicker than Ari had ever seen but why was he giving it to her?

"I'm okay, this jacket keeps my body temperature at a consistent, 37 degrees Celsius." Ari explained.

A short laugh jumped out of guys smile. "I know, but you're really going to want this coat."

Her eyes traveled from the coat back up to the guys face. He didn't look crazy, but Ari suspected the real dangerous ones were those that didn't look it. Behind him another object caught Ari's attention. Then another and another, Pinks. Greens. Blues. Everyone entering and exiting the door she had been heading toward, was wearing a similar thick garment.

Realizing he was the reason she wasn't budging, the young man forced the coat into her hand. He patted her on the shoulder before he walked away.

"Strange guy." Ari muttered, she turned to see Farris ... or more accurately, not see Farris. Her adult companion was no where to be found. She couldn't keep the exasperated eye-roll contained any longer.

Then deciding it wouldn't hurt, she looked the heavy coat over, to make sure there wasn't anything hiding inside. Then slipped her arms inside it. The fabric was light and soft but instantly she could feel her own body heat being caught and contained. Retrieving her bag from the ground, she remembered the heavy object inside and hoped to find the strange young man.

"I could have asked him," She sighed failing to see him or the group he was with again.

NEXT SHUTTLE TO KIEV, DEPARTS IN TWO MINUTES. The words scrolled across the doorframe. With little explanation Farris had said Kiev would be the place to find who they were looking for. Even now she worried about going alone, but two minutes didn't give her time to look for him.

The first set of doors opened up to a cooler room. The second set of doors opened up to the blindingly white outside.

Ari heard the wind before she stepped into it. Unseen icy pellets attacked her face, the wind slammed into her body knocking her off balance. Never experiencing a cold wind so drastic that it burned, Ari turned back. Stumbling inside the doors and gasping for breath. In a matter of seconds, her face felt like it had been left in a freezing unit for days. She was unable to bend her fingers and all her exposed skin felt like it was on fire.

"Not clouds. Not clouds." She repeated.

"Of course it's not clouds," Farris' muffled voice was suddenly beside her again. His layers of clothing beneath his patchwork trench coat, were wrapped tightly around him. While one of his many scarves had be wrapped around his head and ears and even across his mouth, prepared to protect him from the cold. "She thought it was clouds, what an idiot. They didn't teach her anything on that space station."

"Oh good their back. Tell the voices in your head to shut up." She growled. Using her hot breath, Ari struggled to return feeling to her fingers. As soon as they could move she reached up to touch her ears, unsure if they were still attached. But once her hands connected with them, shooting pain seared into her skull. She tried not to whimper in pain, as she reached back and found the extra flap of fabric on the coat. Without impairing her vision, she pulled it up over her head as tightly around her face as possible. Zipping the coat securely around her she pulled its sleeves over her hands. Only then was she ready. She gave Farris a nod.

"Stay close." He ordered her. She then took another deep breath and rushed back out the door into the blizzard behind him.