Undefined - The Zephyr Book 1 ? (completed)(#Wattys2016)

Chapter 23 - Syianne

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23 - Syianne

Leolan's office is small and crowded. There's a big mahogany desk in the centre of the room with one large leather chair behind it and two smaller leather chairs in front. Strange devices line the walls reminding me of an eye doctor's clinic.

"Have a seat, feel at home." He glides across the room and dumps himself down into the big chair like a lazy lion. I edge inside and gingerly sit in front of him. I stare at him with my hands curled in my lap. He takes no heed of me, he's got his tablet propped up on the desk and is paying attention to the things written there.

Within seconds he seems to be in a deeper concentration than I've achieved in my entire life. He's biting the nail of his thumb, his dark eyes wide and focused on the screen in front of him. He doesn't offer an apology, doesn't make any excuses. As far as he's concerned, I've stopped existing.

I don't mind. I find this sort of interaction very comfortable.

Someone places a paper cup with water in front of me. I look up at Minty who smiles at me and pats my head. "Don't mind him, he's got no manners." She continues stroking my hair, petting me as if I'm a kitten. "We're just waiting for Cello, then we'll go into the team building — isn't it cool we have a team building? — and start our conference!"

Of course I have nothing to say to this.

Minty squeaks and throws her arms around me. "She's so adorable Leo, we have to keep her!" She's smothering me. She lets go of me when I try to push her away. "It's horrible, Annie, there are only boys on our team. I wanted a girl for so long."

"Annie?" I whisper.

"I can call you Annie, right?" Minty plunges into the chair next to me. "I grew up with four sisters, but now for the last three years I've been living in the Mansion with five boys, do you have any idea how depressing that can get?"

Out of all the things a girl could find depressing by coming to the Zephyr, I'm not so sure living with boys would be anywhere near the top of the list. "No," I reply.

"Oh, honestly, it will be so much fun. Do you have any sisters?"

"I have a brother."

"Cello isn't your brother, right? You were just making things up."

"Yes, we were lying."

"Is your real brother younger or older?"

"Older."

"But wait, I thought you were adop - "

"Minty, for the love of God, you're going to scare the poor bird off," Leolan snaps. I stiffen in my seat and stare at him.

"She's a bunny," Minty says, rising to her feet and crossing her arms, "and if someone is scaring her it's you."

"I'm not scared," I say, my voice unintentionally tiny. I don't like being a bird or a bunny.

"Just keep quiet, I need to concentrate," he fumes over his tablet. Minty jumps to her feet and parades to the other side of the desk, looking over Leolan's shoulder to see what he's working on.

The mischief disappears off her face; she looks gravely into the screen. "That's... weird."

Leolan nods in reply. My body edges closer, my curiosity taking hold of me and I peek at the tablet.

It looks exactly like the graph I saw earlier today in the Control Room. "Is that an erratic field or under-sustained area?" I wonder meekly.

"Well, it could be either," Minty says thoughtfully, "but G's report says it's neither."