you how to make a door to let them in again when you want to. You’ll all have to learn how to knock, too, and push in emergencies, just like the Directives instruct.”
“ And you know how to do all of these things?” Fiona asked.
“ In theory, and I have been practicing, but as you are all aware now, I’m still not perfect either. Now come on, let’s go get our keys and head for home. We’ll be right on the coast, so I’m afraid it’s going to be a long trip. Until we get close enough, we have to look for it the old fashion way. There’s no one waiting for us there to guide our Finder,” the Teller advised.
The five others followed him to the designated area where the things that they needed to get them into their new home were located. Then they allowed their Teller to lead them away, feeling as lost as ever.
* - * - *
Sam awoke groggily to gentle shaking and a familiar whisper in his head. They had been forced to sleep outside, still days away from their house. It was a little cool out, but least it had not been raining.
“ Wake up, Sam. Remember our promise – special friends? There’s so much to talk about. I made sure the others were all asleep. Then I had to make sure that I found you and wasn’t trying to shake someone else awake. I’m still not used to not being able to see. It’s really difficult to tell the difference between people by touch alone. If you weren’t smaller than everyone else, I’m not sure that I would have gotten it right.”
“ Sarah?”
Shrugging away his drowsiness, Sam glanced up at his small friend, who was kneeling next to him with her hand on his arm. He tentatively reached out through the connection to make sure that she wasn’t mistaken. She was right – Nathan, Francis, and Fiona were all unavailable.
“ What about Royce?”
“ I’m not sure which one of the others is him, but even if he’s awake, at least he won’t be able to hear us. I’ll lie down right here. If we keep our eyes closed, he won’t be able to tell that we’re awake,” the wisp of a girl replied softly.
“ He doesn’t like me,” Sam sighed inside as he lay back and shut his eyes again. “In fact, I think he hates me. I don’t know why. I haven’t been able to talk to him. I don’t know how I could have offended him.”
“ I think that I know why,” Sarah confessed. Sam enjoyed talking to her through the connection, all alone like this. Even though she had such strength, her thoughts were always so gentle. Sort of like an elephant tiptoeing through the jungle.
“ You were distracted at the time, but I wasn’t, and I could hear all of their inside thoughts – the deep ones that were supposed to be hidden. Even from Francis. He was thinking that Royce was jealous, that he blamed you for him being a Control, and not one of the Connected. Apparently, until they decided that they wanted the Controls, until they actually made the Littles to fill the gaps, Royce was supposed to be a Finder. Francis believes that Royce sees it as your fault that he is as deaf to the connection as you are to the rest of the world. Francis is worried that he’s going to try and take that out on you somehow, especially after what happened at the Gathering today.”
“ Oh,” was all that Sam could manage in response to this, as his stomach churned and his heart rate elevated.
This was nothing that he had actually done, nor was there anything that he could possibly change to mend fences with the black-haired boy. It was all a matter of perspective, Royce’s perspective, and not even Francis had the ability to influence that. It wasn’t even the case of Royce being a typical bully. The Control was under the impression that he had good reason to despise Sam, and perhaps all of the Littles. There was resentment there. It was not some minor insecurity that could be erased with an offer of goodwill, and Sam wondered if all the Controls shared Royce’s point of view.
“ I’m sorry,
“ And you know how to do all of these things?” Fiona asked.
“ In theory, and I have been practicing, but as you are all aware now, I’m still not perfect either. Now come on, let’s go get our keys and head for home. We’ll be right on the coast, so I’m afraid it’s going to be a long trip. Until we get close enough, we have to look for it the old fashion way. There’s no one waiting for us there to guide our Finder,” the Teller advised.
The five others followed him to the designated area where the things that they needed to get them into their new home were located. Then they allowed their Teller to lead them away, feeling as lost as ever.
* - * - *
Sam awoke groggily to gentle shaking and a familiar whisper in his head. They had been forced to sleep outside, still days away from their house. It was a little cool out, but least it had not been raining.
“ Wake up, Sam. Remember our promise – special friends? There’s so much to talk about. I made sure the others were all asleep. Then I had to make sure that I found you and wasn’t trying to shake someone else awake. I’m still not used to not being able to see. It’s really difficult to tell the difference between people by touch alone. If you weren’t smaller than everyone else, I’m not sure that I would have gotten it right.”
“ Sarah?”
Shrugging away his drowsiness, Sam glanced up at his small friend, who was kneeling next to him with her hand on his arm. He tentatively reached out through the connection to make sure that she wasn’t mistaken. She was right – Nathan, Francis, and Fiona were all unavailable.
“ What about Royce?”
“ I’m not sure which one of the others is him, but even if he’s awake, at least he won’t be able to hear us. I’ll lie down right here. If we keep our eyes closed, he won’t be able to tell that we’re awake,” the wisp of a girl replied softly.
“ He doesn’t like me,” Sam sighed inside as he lay back and shut his eyes again. “In fact, I think he hates me. I don’t know why. I haven’t been able to talk to him. I don’t know how I could have offended him.”
“ I think that I know why,” Sarah confessed. Sam enjoyed talking to her through the connection, all alone like this. Even though she had such strength, her thoughts were always so gentle. Sort of like an elephant tiptoeing through the jungle.
“ You were distracted at the time, but I wasn’t, and I could hear all of their inside thoughts – the deep ones that were supposed to be hidden. Even from Francis. He was thinking that Royce was jealous, that he blamed you for him being a Control, and not one of the Connected. Apparently, until they decided that they wanted the Controls, until they actually made the Littles to fill the gaps, Royce was supposed to be a Finder. Francis believes that Royce sees it as your fault that he is as deaf to the connection as you are to the rest of the world. Francis is worried that he’s going to try and take that out on you somehow, especially after what happened at the Gathering today.”
“ Oh,” was all that Sam could manage in response to this, as his stomach churned and his heart rate elevated.
This was nothing that he had actually done, nor was there anything that he could possibly change to mend fences with the black-haired boy. It was all a matter of perspective, Royce’s perspective, and not even Francis had the ability to influence that. It wasn’t even the case of Royce being a typical bully. The Control was under the impression that he had good reason to despise Sam, and perhaps all of the Littles. There was resentment there. It was not some minor insecurity that could be erased with an offer of goodwill, and Sam wondered if all the Controls shared Royce’s point of view.
“ I’m sorry,
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