The Rise Of The Consortium

Even after waking up to the irritating sound of some machine in the neighborhood and lying awake for an hour, Rio didn't feel like getting off her bed. The room was humid and the hazy sense was turning into irritable one. Unable to sleep anymore, she got up to draw the curtain from her bedside window. It was faded and had bits of thread hanging out of it. The sky was gloomy as usual, perhaps would get bit yellower by midday, Rio thought to herself. She loved getting up to calming bright light with fresh air and no haste, but the sight of the area out of her window reminded her of the thousand and one works she had to do. There was only one weekend for everyone and was on a different day for different workers.

She waited for some notifications regarding her designated places to work that day. Sometimes, being responsible, the Work Distributor Association would notify her as early as thirty minutes before or as late as five minutes before her timing to report. While she waited, her mind wandered off to the conversation she had with Ms. Sokestyn. She said to trust her so that she would be helpful to her. She said to stay away from the Manings. And to trust that friend of hers who says to find the better value of her hard work. And to trust the inner voice. She remembered them well, but what those really mean? How much to stay away from the Manings? Completely? As if they don't exist or partially? Only when required? That means she would've to avoid Kner. But he was not dangerous. She couldn't remember a moment where he'd have proven himself potentially harmful in any aspect. He didn't even say anything in front of her mother when she was bawling. Most of the time he would make her laugh with crazy jokes, would take her to expensive restaurants, and even helped her in lab works. The only problem with him was finding her a payable job. It was his idea in the first place. There were so many things she could do in the lab, as there were people recruited for a different purpose. But why he wasn't offering her a chance was still a question. If he really valued her as a girlfriend, he'd really try to keep her close. Was he worried about his parents' opinions? The Manings were the most influential family in Termist, the city where most people were not completely aware of their problems, as our Rio couldn't. Mr. Maning, the current chairman of the city might not care to meet with any status, but he cared a lot about how such people might affect his family.

Thinking about the Manings, she remembered that Kner had invited her to his brother's birthday party. She realized that she had a few more hours before midday. But she was forbidden to meet him by her mother and Ms. Sokestyn. How could she avoid them? She glanced at her notifying screen in her worker's ID and saw that she hadn't got her task list yet. She might make any excuses and just reach his house to decorate. She never minded a bit of party, but she would have to get home earlier. She decided to ask Kner for the last time if he could recommend a better place for her to work.

She got off her bed and headed to her tiny bathroom to freshen up. It took about forty minutes for her to get ready. While brushing her hair, she reminded herself that she was going to Kysop's birthday, so she must pick a gift for him and if possible, she must apologize. He must've felt really heartbroken to face the charge before such a wonderful day. She kept thinking about the things he said in the garden. Did really Kner spoiled her to act like that? Does she really deserve to his girlfriend? Everyone in Termist thinks of her so low that her mother finds it utterly disappointing. But thinking about the quality of the relationship, she thought that she just happens to be closer to him, no real affectionate actions ever involved. They were more like best friends, as she was with her friend Meilae. The three of them were closer during their college days, she took all the mechanics courses, Kner studying chemical engineering in his final years and Meilae in media and arts in the same year as Rio. Everyone was so wrong thinking their friendship as an intimate relationship. But maybe he feels afraid to intensify the amount of news about them by trying to work with her. Does he feel threatened that his reputation will go down if he ever sees her again? Thinking about his parents, maybe he also feels bothered by her mother.

After getting out of her tiny bathroom, she prepared her backpack to take with her, checked herself in the mirror to find puffy eyes from crying the previous day. She felt hungry but neither there was food, nor her mother prepared any. Also, she remembered that all the money she got from her mother for the month were spent on afternoon parties on the days before her weekends. Should she get any help from her friends?

She remembered that she could get anything from the birthday party she has to head at. As usual, her mother was out again, maybe for work or to meet someone. She went out of her main door of two bedrooms, wearing simple pants and a long peach t-shirt with her backpack. The humid weather and busy atmosphere in her colony, it was difficult not to wander one's attention to people working, people driving, people talking and here Rio, her mind still worried what if someone finds her in the Manings house and her mother got to know about it? She decided to make any excuses for her mother. Then there were thoughts about Ms. Sokestyn. She thought for a while, was she really trustworthy? From her appearance the previous day, she looked like a real professional. Grey suit, clean straight black hair, and a genuine friendly smile. She couldn't understand why meeting the Manings would bother her.

She reached the last few steps of the street to her home and after crossing to the other side of the main road of the city, she thought about the gift she had to take to Kysop's birthday. He was really young, and what his preferences had was completely unknown to her. She thought of picking a beautiful flower from the garden at the end of the markets she was walking towards. Really she couldn't remember how she could spend so much money recklessly.

The location was in the middle of the street where mostly influentials and rich families lived. The street was numbered as the 3rd one when one reached the city's only garden. Usually, no one guarded the garden, so picking a flower hanging on the perimeter wasn't difficult. It was light blue, with many delicate curly petals. On entering the street, a guard allowed her trying not to look at her intently. She saw some big shiny vehicles going opposite to her. But it was quite different than the one she frequently saw in the city. It was all black with a white pentagonal figure neatly drawn on it. That figure had five outward pointed arrows from the middle. Before she could think of anything else, her ID card vibrated lightly. She that took out and saw that she had got her first work of the day at a printing press shop. She had 4 more hours to reach there. Without thinking anymore, she tried to speed off to the location. It took her about twenty minutes to reach the Manings residence. Big, elegant and neat, all that she saw, thought about it. The door was open for the day, but the front of the building had no decoration at all. She went into the house with her flower. Her eyes first searched Kner but he couldn't be found anywhere. Instead, she found Kysop and his friends were seated on a couch and laughing. The decoration was already done and was rather neat. She felt her heart sinking at the sight of Kysop. Even though he was younger, whatever he had said was still pricking her like a needle in her mind. She thought to just give him the flower and walk out of there. Just when she approached him, one of his friends elbowed him to get attention. His face changed from laughing to sour-faced one. Unable to laugh anymore, he found a perfect chance to pour down the acid deep inside his mind.

"Why are you here? Brother is out. There's no one that wants to meet you." He had no mood to entertain her advances.

"I'm here to say sorry and to give this on your birthday." Rio's right hand quivered to give him the blue flower. But he raised an eye looking once at Rio and then the flower.

"Excellent! Quite a thoughtful gift. Isn't it?" And showed to his friend on his right. "A flower for an apology." And placed it on the table. His friends were finding it hard to control their laughs.

"I'm sorry whatever happened to you yesterday." Rio tried to hang her right thumb on the edge of her t-shirt fabric. Her head was naturally lowered, no courage to look at him. "I never meant to do something like that." Her stomach made a short growl she wished wasn't audible. One of his friends with electric blue hair almost laughed.

"Well. You know, I won't say that you're forgiven, cause I really haven't. But I hope you never show your face to anyone of us. By the way, there's someone that would make it easier for you. Want to know who is that person?" Kysop gloated at her. Her head began paining. She was afraid she would fall due to deprivation.

"Why is there silence? What happened? " A lady in a yellow gown appeared from the left side of the hall. Mrs. Akspina Maning had the same dark-hair as Kner and eyes same as Kysop's. She had met her before. Always in her own thoughts, a woman who looked like the sister of the two brothers.

"Nothing Mum, we have got an unexpected guest here. Won't you like to meet her?" Kysop started giving a sly smile towards Mrs. Maning.

"Oh! So, it's you. I wonder why there's sudden silence in here." Mrs. Maning looked intently at Rio while fixing her watch.

" What do you want here? Already ruined one, wanna destroy another?" Rio felt like she was entering into an ice lake the way Mrs. Maning kept looking at her.

"Do you know what have you done him? The one who always spoke up is now hiding things from us. Carrying the whole burden alone. You know for whom? For you. But what have you given to him except useless things he doesn't deserve?" The hall fell silent except her high pitched reverberations. Even Kysop's friends were straightening themselves up in fear.

"Do you always have to do it like this with him? What are these?" Mrs. Maning raised her hand to show Rio the recent news she had been getting through a beam of light falling from her palm. Rio forgot completely to look through the news to update herself. But her eyes kept searching Kner in her mind. She didn't know where he had gone. Why was he gone at that time? Seemed like her plans to have something to satisfy her hunger had to be forgotten.

"What does your mother think of you? Queen of Twaringto? And what does she think of herself? A useless chatterbox who only knows how to blabber and wander endlessly. She talks about our moldering throne, what about her? What does she do? I wonder how she raised you without any support. I know I can't survive without their father." Mrs. Maning's eyes swept towards Kysop. He had his arms crossed against his c.h.e.s.t, feeling amused by the drama.

"What more? She even has connections with the Islanders." he felt like his participation in the drama was vital.

"I wonder why Mr. Maning is angry at us. We really thought you'd be the perfect match for our child. And what, look at yourself! Where do you work, who do you talk with, where your mother goes, really it was a mistake for him to choose you. He'd really be heartbroken to face this. You should be grateful that you're breathing here quite peacefully. What do you think, would be allowed to have such a scandalous life there? You would be tormented there, as per the audiences' wishes." And Mrs. Maning's eyes went wide, with her gummy teeth bared. Rio felt as if she had forgotten to breathe. Her head was reeling with constant throbbing pain. She felt like she had to get out of there to avoid embarrassment.

"What was all that noise? What is going on?" All eyes went up to the right staircase of the hall, from where Mr. Gliuspar Maning was descending his eyes fixated on the hall. A tall built man, like Kner and his thick mustache in a clean dark gray suit, was a perfect figure for such a powerful position in the city.

He seemed to be in a hurry. So without wasting any time he cleaned up the mess of the emotions people had caused in the past one hour.

"Thank you for coming to this party. But as you can see, it's over. I know you have really well wishes for our sons, but please, handle with care. You should go home now before any other news develops again. And for Kner's sake, please maintain a safe distance. And if possible, focus on your life. Unfortunately, our son can't provide the help you're looking for. He needs some time to heal from the aftermath of such a relationship." His face didn't change a bit throughout his brief speech. Neither anger nor sadness.

Rio was at her last stage of keeping herself together. She could quickly muster up an 'I'm sorry" for the last time and without looking at anyone, she rushed out the main door. Once out of the main door, she placed her left hand on her head in an attempt to lower its pain and her right hand went to her heart to check whether that was beating. The sky gathered clouds. She no longer cared about the way she should walk and kept half running, half walking towards the entrance gate. Her eyes couldn't hold her tears anymore. She let those fall.

Keeping steady herself on the boundary wall, she searched for her ID card to look for the remaining time she had got till her first work of the day. She had still less than two hours to reach her workplace. From the address, she found that would take her at least an hour to reach by walking. But she felt utterly weak from exhaustion. As she couldn't stay there longer, she kept walking weakly to get out of the street. She knew very well that she had no money. That was what her mother said. But she really hadn't checked herself. She wanted to check but was scared whether she would feel impulsive to spend those again. She looked up at her workers' ID for more information about her salary unwillingly. She still had little money to spend on her recreational purposes. She could exchange those for her food. Wiping her face with her shirt sleeve, she felt her face beaming. There was an exchange counter where she could get her money for food. As that was near the garden, she could have her food from a nearby cafe. Keeping her heart strong, she walked quickly with her weak legs.