J'dax - A Small Village
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Darth Erodos
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sun May 17, 2020 6:56 pm
J'dax - A Small Village
J'dax is a small village a few clicks away from Knossa, the primary city of Ossus. Most of its residents live on a single stretch surrounded by farmland. Few people ever make it out of J'dax but its a nice enough place to be. The air is soft, the soil is good, and the rain can be counted like clockwork. Some may say it is an idyllic slice of life, but the people who live in J'dax, they tell a different story.
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Darth Erodos
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sun May 17, 2020 6:56 pm
Re: J'dax - A Small Village
Josh Starnest was in the purest sense a scruffy teenager, and today, today he had enough. His hands were shoved down deep in his pockets as he kicked a rock down the side of the road. The lush farmland beside him disappeared into the distance as he became lost in his thoughts.
This was the third time the town bent its knee to those crooks. It would be the third time he worked through the school year. It would the third time he eating scraps. He was sick of this life. All he wanted to do was get off this planet and head to Coruscant, or maybe Corellia. He would find a spaceport or maybe a hangar, someplace that he could get his hands covered in grease. But no, know the town had to spend another season giving its crops to the Dusk Riders. Just thinking about those swoop bikers made Josh's blood boil. He kicked that rock as hard as he could. The small piece of granite shot into the sky and deep into the shadows of the forest at the edge of town.
:THUD:
Josh's feet stop. Thud? What did he hit?
:THUD:
This time the thud was much larger as if someone or something fell over.
Crap!
Josh began to sprint into the forest, the setting sun giving him enough light to avoid tripping on roots. He moved through the trees as fast as he could, hoping that he didn't knock someone unconscious. Who walks this far outside of town? Was it Mr. Srez? Did he knock out that old Ugnuaght? For Kriff's sake don't let Mr.Srez be dead.
THAWCK!
Josh's feet flew from underneath as he tumbled forward his world spinning around. His hands managed to find the ground as he lifted himself.
What was that?
And there was it, the answer.
It appeared to be an older man with green skin, and intricate tattoos on his face. He was covered in rags, with what looked like a very heavy backpack still attached to his shoulders. Josh quickly made his way to the man.
Excuse me?
The man didn't respond. The man wasn't moving.
Sir? Sir!
Josh began to shake the man. Nothing happened.
Aw crap!
The scruffy teen grabbed the man and hoisted him to his feet. The man's body was limp but Josh could still feel the man's breath against his cheek as well as the warm sensation of some sort of liquid. Josh reached his hand towards his face. His fingers were red.
Crap!
Josh began to make his way out of the woods, and back to the dim lights of J'dax
This was the third time the town bent its knee to those crooks. It would be the third time he worked through the school year. It would the third time he eating scraps. He was sick of this life. All he wanted to do was get off this planet and head to Coruscant, or maybe Corellia. He would find a spaceport or maybe a hangar, someplace that he could get his hands covered in grease. But no, know the town had to spend another season giving its crops to the Dusk Riders. Just thinking about those swoop bikers made Josh's blood boil. He kicked that rock as hard as he could. The small piece of granite shot into the sky and deep into the shadows of the forest at the edge of town.
:THUD:
Josh's feet stop. Thud? What did he hit?
:THUD:
This time the thud was much larger as if someone or something fell over.
Crap!
Josh began to sprint into the forest, the setting sun giving him enough light to avoid tripping on roots. He moved through the trees as fast as he could, hoping that he didn't knock someone unconscious. Who walks this far outside of town? Was it Mr. Srez? Did he knock out that old Ugnuaght? For Kriff's sake don't let Mr.Srez be dead.
THAWCK!
Josh's feet flew from underneath as he tumbled forward his world spinning around. His hands managed to find the ground as he lifted himself.
What was that?
And there was it, the answer.
It appeared to be an older man with green skin, and intricate tattoos on his face. He was covered in rags, with what looked like a very heavy backpack still attached to his shoulders. Josh quickly made his way to the man.
Excuse me?
The man didn't respond. The man wasn't moving.
Sir? Sir!
Josh began to shake the man. Nothing happened.
Aw crap!
The scruffy teen grabbed the man and hoisted him to his feet. The man's body was limp but Josh could still feel the man's breath against his cheek as well as the warm sensation of some sort of liquid. Josh reached his hand towards his face. His fingers were red.
Crap!
Josh began to make his way out of the woods, and back to the dim lights of J'dax
Last edited by Darth Erodos on Fri May 22, 2020 8:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Darth Erodos
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sun May 17, 2020 6:56 pm
Re: J'dax - A Small Village
“I don’t know how much we’ll have come the next season.” Chax said scratching the back of his head. Chax was a pudgy, balding man with a constant state of worry plastered on his face. Shadows of food crates hid half of his face as he stared at the lumbering metal cases.
“We’ll make do,” said B-410, a protocol droid who was more rust than metal by this point.
“Easy for you to say 410, you don’t have to eat” Chax replied reaching into his back pocket to grab a holopad. The soft blue light illuminated the flop sweat coming from his head. He reached for the handkerchief in his back pocket to dab away the sweat before it hit the glowing electronics.
“I run the numbers and it seems like there should be enough for the town.” B-410 said walking towards a closed-off section of boxes. “I labeled them for you to make it easier to see what we are dealing with."
“The problem 410 is that we are handing out scraps this time” Chax growled as he showed the data to the droid.
“But at least you’re alive, sir” The droid’s monotone sucked the oxygen out of the room. Chax knew he was right, he just didn’t want to admit it.
“Dad!”
The door behind them opened as Josh tumbled forward the bloodied unconscious man falling onto the floor with him.
“Get a med pack!” Chax shouted at B-410 as they huddled around the green-skinned man.
“We’ll make do,” said B-410, a protocol droid who was more rust than metal by this point.
“Easy for you to say 410, you don’t have to eat” Chax replied reaching into his back pocket to grab a holopad. The soft blue light illuminated the flop sweat coming from his head. He reached for the handkerchief in his back pocket to dab away the sweat before it hit the glowing electronics.
“I run the numbers and it seems like there should be enough for the town.” B-410 said walking towards a closed-off section of boxes. “I labeled them for you to make it easier to see what we are dealing with."
“The problem 410 is that we are handing out scraps this time” Chax growled as he showed the data to the droid.
“But at least you’re alive, sir” The droid’s monotone sucked the oxygen out of the room. Chax knew he was right, he just didn’t want to admit it.
“Dad!”
The door behind them opened as Josh tumbled forward the bloodied unconscious man falling onto the floor with him.
“Get a med pack!” Chax shouted at B-410 as they huddled around the green-skinned man.
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Darth Erodos
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sun May 17, 2020 6:56 pm
Re: J'dax - A Small Village
Snooore
Josh sounded like a hyperlift, as he snoozed next to the bandaged green man. It took a few hours to get his wounds healed but B-410 provided some much-needed advice. The man's wounds were numerous, which made Josh feel a bit better since he probably wasn't the only reason for the man's lack of consciousness. The scruffy haired teenager continued to chainsaw away. His snores rattling around loose objects around him. With one fateful inhale the young man managed to wake himself up. The chair he was on was not supportive enough for this loud outburst and Josh soon found himself face-first on the ground.
Josh, moaning, and groaning rose from the ground rubbing his face trying to ease the pain. He made his way over to the bedroom window. The soft moonlight shone through the window like sunshine. Josh had to re-adjust his eyes in order to stare outside. J'dax was silent, almost picturesque. Each little hobble of the house soaked in the silver light and Josh could feel a bit of pride fill his lungs. Something shiny, however, caught his attention. There was something moving in the dark. The man's silhouette was small and brooding. When the figure approached the light Josh could make out the man's grey stubble and scared face. Great, Mr.Srez was here.
The ugnaught, who appeared to be on the warpath made his way towards Josh's family's farmhouse. The door opened as B-410 walked out to greet Mr. Srez. The thick window glass obscured most of what Mr.Srez was saying but Josh could make-out the gist of it.
Something something sonofa- something something no-good something something flea bag.
B-410 turned around and walked back inside. It looks like Mr.Srez won round 1, and his Dad was sadly going to be round 2. The rotund middle-aged man dragged his feet through the metal doors of their shack and out into the moonlight. Chax’s flop sweat glistened in the sliver light, as he began to try to calm the surly Ugnaught in front of him.
Urrragh..
The groan rattled the room.
Josh sounded like a hyperlift, as he snoozed next to the bandaged green man. It took a few hours to get his wounds healed but B-410 provided some much-needed advice. The man's wounds were numerous, which made Josh feel a bit better since he probably wasn't the only reason for the man's lack of consciousness. The scruffy haired teenager continued to chainsaw away. His snores rattling around loose objects around him. With one fateful inhale the young man managed to wake himself up. The chair he was on was not supportive enough for this loud outburst and Josh soon found himself face-first on the ground.
Josh, moaning, and groaning rose from the ground rubbing his face trying to ease the pain. He made his way over to the bedroom window. The soft moonlight shone through the window like sunshine. Josh had to re-adjust his eyes in order to stare outside. J'dax was silent, almost picturesque. Each little hobble of the house soaked in the silver light and Josh could feel a bit of pride fill his lungs. Something shiny, however, caught his attention. There was something moving in the dark. The man's silhouette was small and brooding. When the figure approached the light Josh could make out the man's grey stubble and scared face. Great, Mr.Srez was here.
The ugnaught, who appeared to be on the warpath made his way towards Josh's family's farmhouse. The door opened as B-410 walked out to greet Mr. Srez. The thick window glass obscured most of what Mr.Srez was saying but Josh could make-out the gist of it.
Something something sonofa- something something no-good something something flea bag.
B-410 turned around and walked back inside. It looks like Mr.Srez won round 1, and his Dad was sadly going to be round 2. The rotund middle-aged man dragged his feet through the metal doors of their shack and out into the moonlight. Chax’s flop sweat glistened in the sliver light, as he began to try to calm the surly Ugnaught in front of him.
Urrragh..
The groan rattled the room.
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Darth Erodos
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sun May 17, 2020 6:56 pm
Re: J'dax - A Small Village
Warrragah…
There was it again. Josh stood up from his seat and began to wander through the room.
Warrrgerrr
Warger? What was Warger? Josh turned the green-skinned man who now was shifting under the sheets.
Waaaahterrr
“Water?” Josh said looking over the man sleeping in his bed. “Do you want water?”
“Yaaaargh”
Finding a cup was a challenge for the teen in the low light but he managed to find a small metal vessel. His hands were able to make out the outline of the knobs as he turned on the sink. The light hum and the slight buckle of the machine was a welcome distraction from the muffled fight outside. Josh filled up the cup and headed back towards the injured guest.
“Here you go.” Said Josh holding the cup beside the man’s head. The man shifted himself from laying down to sitting up, it was at that time that Josh noticed how tall this stranger was, he was clearly a head or so above Josh, and Josh always thought himself as a tallboy.
The stranger’s bandaged hands grabbed the cup and began to drink, and drink fast. As the man tilted his head back Josh could see the man’s face, and take it for the firs time. The green in his skin resembled a blade of grass. He had on one side of his face a very intricate series of geometric tattoos. Each one turning and twisting into infinite. He was surprised at how much detailed he noticed. The black ink moved with each of the stranger’s gulps, as if he tattoos were waves propelled by the inhalation of water. The metal cup pushed into the young teen’s chest.
“More please”
The voice was cracking, yet earnest enough. Josh managed to be quick in his task and handed the stranger back the cup. Once more the green-skinned drank, and drank deep. He placed the cup on the edge of the bedside table as he moved his legs from the bed to the floor.
“Thank you.” The green man spoke clearly this time, his voice losing that hard edge and gaining a rather soft tenor.
“No problem, Mister” replied Josh happy to see the man responding to something. He was afraid that he might have caused some damage.
“Who are you?” Asked the green-skinned man.
“My name is Josh Starnest…” Josh said nervously as he watched the stranger touch the back of his head and wince. “I’m the one responsible for that”
“You don’t say.”
“And what about these?” asked the green-skinned man lifting his bandaged appendage.
“I found you like that...” Josh said nervously. He was hoping that there was a story attached to those. “Do you remember what you were doing?” Josh asked grabbing the metal cup and filling it once more.
“It’s a bit foggy” the Green man said, “But I think I was doing research.”
“On what?”
“You know ancient ruins and the whatnot.”
That was no surprise to Josh, Ossus was full of old relics. Little slivers of history that no one really cared about anymore.
“Are you some sort of archeologist?”
“Kind of…more of an enthusiast . I dabble in the past but I mostly teach. “
The Green-skinned man took the cup from Josh’s hand and drank deeply.
“Where?” Josh said excitedly on the edge of his seat. Could this stranger be from Coruscant, that jewel of the core worlds. Oh please for the love of all that is good and just in this world can the stranger Josh knocked unconscious be from the holy land.
“I’m a professor at the University of Coruscant.” The stranger stated eyeing the excitement of the young whippersnapper.
“I teach multi-planer calculus. You know the real riveting stuff. I’m actually doing some research on ancient civilizations and their use of mathematics through the years.” The green-skinned man’s eyes began to light up when he talked about math. It was like a small fire was in his iris. “Did you know that Ossus was the birthplace of Co’pass, his theories on two-dimensional geometry is the foundations for most of the mathematics we do today. In fact…”
The stranger began to spin a tale of ancient civilizations, discovery, betrayal, and numbers.
Josh could feel his mouth break into a beaming smile. This is what he longed for. Someone from the outside world to share with him something other than equipment manuals.
“And that is why we use the yrek symbol in algebra because Rodains have trouble producing y’s. What a world…” The stranger smiled after he finished his tale. It’s been too long since he busted out of one of his go-to lectures. Josh didn’t speak, and the green-skinned man began to notice. “Looks like another one of my lectures lost on the youth aga-“
“No!” shouted Josh taking the stranger by surprise. “Sorry. I mean. I love that sort of stuff.” Josh said looking sheepishly at the floor. “I don’t get the chance to learn about these things”
“What? Don’t you have the holo-net? Can’t you read boy!” The green-skinned man said rather forcefully.
“I can read…We just don’t have the strongest connection to the holo-net. Plus it's...it's...” Josh could feel his Dad's words come out of his mouth "It's just a waste of time.
“Waste of time! Well I never!” Shouted the injured guest. “Look here, Mr. Starnest. Knowledge is the key to the universe my dear boy. It is the machine that keeps life going!
“Right! But I’m stuck here on this god-forsaken hunk of rock. My coffin is gonna be made out of crop rotator.” Josh could feel the air leave his body. “It’s useless.”
“Nothing is useless my boy. Not when there is so much to learn.” The stranger smiled as he extended his hand. “We haven’t introduced ourselves properly have we? I’m Cadell Cernos.”
Josh’s smile slowly returned to his face as he extended his hand towards the man. “It’s nice to meet you.”
They shook hands.
There was it again. Josh stood up from his seat and began to wander through the room.
Warrrgerrr
Warger? What was Warger? Josh turned the green-skinned man who now was shifting under the sheets.
Waaaahterrr
“Water?” Josh said looking over the man sleeping in his bed. “Do you want water?”
“Yaaaargh”
Finding a cup was a challenge for the teen in the low light but he managed to find a small metal vessel. His hands were able to make out the outline of the knobs as he turned on the sink. The light hum and the slight buckle of the machine was a welcome distraction from the muffled fight outside. Josh filled up the cup and headed back towards the injured guest.
“Here you go.” Said Josh holding the cup beside the man’s head. The man shifted himself from laying down to sitting up, it was at that time that Josh noticed how tall this stranger was, he was clearly a head or so above Josh, and Josh always thought himself as a tallboy.
The stranger’s bandaged hands grabbed the cup and began to drink, and drink fast. As the man tilted his head back Josh could see the man’s face, and take it for the firs time. The green in his skin resembled a blade of grass. He had on one side of his face a very intricate series of geometric tattoos. Each one turning and twisting into infinite. He was surprised at how much detailed he noticed. The black ink moved with each of the stranger’s gulps, as if he tattoos were waves propelled by the inhalation of water. The metal cup pushed into the young teen’s chest.
“More please”
The voice was cracking, yet earnest enough. Josh managed to be quick in his task and handed the stranger back the cup. Once more the green-skinned drank, and drank deep. He placed the cup on the edge of the bedside table as he moved his legs from the bed to the floor.
“Thank you.” The green man spoke clearly this time, his voice losing that hard edge and gaining a rather soft tenor.
“No problem, Mister” replied Josh happy to see the man responding to something. He was afraid that he might have caused some damage.
“Who are you?” Asked the green-skinned man.
“My name is Josh Starnest…” Josh said nervously as he watched the stranger touch the back of his head and wince. “I’m the one responsible for that”
“You don’t say.”
“And what about these?” asked the green-skinned man lifting his bandaged appendage.
“I found you like that...” Josh said nervously. He was hoping that there was a story attached to those. “Do you remember what you were doing?” Josh asked grabbing the metal cup and filling it once more.
“It’s a bit foggy” the Green man said, “But I think I was doing research.”
“On what?”
“You know ancient ruins and the whatnot.”
That was no surprise to Josh, Ossus was full of old relics. Little slivers of history that no one really cared about anymore.
“Are you some sort of archeologist?”
“Kind of…more of an enthusiast . I dabble in the past but I mostly teach. “
The Green-skinned man took the cup from Josh’s hand and drank deeply.
“Where?” Josh said excitedly on the edge of his seat. Could this stranger be from Coruscant, that jewel of the core worlds. Oh please for the love of all that is good and just in this world can the stranger Josh knocked unconscious be from the holy land.
“I’m a professor at the University of Coruscant.” The stranger stated eyeing the excitement of the young whippersnapper.
“I teach multi-planer calculus. You know the real riveting stuff. I’m actually doing some research on ancient civilizations and their use of mathematics through the years.” The green-skinned man’s eyes began to light up when he talked about math. It was like a small fire was in his iris. “Did you know that Ossus was the birthplace of Co’pass, his theories on two-dimensional geometry is the foundations for most of the mathematics we do today. In fact…”
The stranger began to spin a tale of ancient civilizations, discovery, betrayal, and numbers.
Josh could feel his mouth break into a beaming smile. This is what he longed for. Someone from the outside world to share with him something other than equipment manuals.
“And that is why we use the yrek symbol in algebra because Rodains have trouble producing y’s. What a world…” The stranger smiled after he finished his tale. It’s been too long since he busted out of one of his go-to lectures. Josh didn’t speak, and the green-skinned man began to notice. “Looks like another one of my lectures lost on the youth aga-“
“No!” shouted Josh taking the stranger by surprise. “Sorry. I mean. I love that sort of stuff.” Josh said looking sheepishly at the floor. “I don’t get the chance to learn about these things”
“What? Don’t you have the holo-net? Can’t you read boy!” The green-skinned man said rather forcefully.
“I can read…We just don’t have the strongest connection to the holo-net. Plus it's...it's...” Josh could feel his Dad's words come out of his mouth "It's just a waste of time.
“Waste of time! Well I never!” Shouted the injured guest. “Look here, Mr. Starnest. Knowledge is the key to the universe my dear boy. It is the machine that keeps life going!
“Right! But I’m stuck here on this god-forsaken hunk of rock. My coffin is gonna be made out of crop rotator.” Josh could feel the air leave his body. “It’s useless.”
“Nothing is useless my boy. Not when there is so much to learn.” The stranger smiled as he extended his hand. “We haven’t introduced ourselves properly have we? I’m Cadell Cernos.”
Josh’s smile slowly returned to his face as he extended his hand towards the man. “It’s nice to meet you.”
They shook hands.
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Darth Erodos
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sun May 17, 2020 6:56 pm
Re: J'dax - A Small Village
“GET OUT OF HERE SREZ! YOU’RE GONNA GET AS MUCH AS EVERYONE ELSE!”
Josh’s moment disappeared as Chax’s voice torn through the room. The teen could feel his anxiety swiftly return to him as his head turned towards the window.
“What was that about?” Said Cadell moving his body towards the window.
“Foodstuffs.” Josh said staring down at the ground.
“It’s hard to image such a farce happening over such a commodity” Cadell said stroking his chin as he stared outside.
The irritated uganught stormed off into the night air, as the pudgy balding man cursed his way back into the house.
“It’s not just about foodstuffs”
“Then what is it about?”
“We just don’t have too much to go around.”
“Why’s that?”
Josh hands grabbed his knees tightly. He shouldn’t burden a stranger with his town’s problems. But maybe he has an idea or two to help them out of this situation.
“Three years ago swoop bikers set up a camp just a few clicks away. They called themselves the Dusk Riders. They stormed into town and demanded 10% of our harvest, or they would raise hell. We are pretty far out here, and even through we ship to the capital we don’t ship nearly enough to be considered important in their eyes. So to avoid destruction we bent a knee.”
Josh could feel his angry begin to build up.
“The Dusk Riders came back the next year though and demanded more. My mom…”
Josh’s eyes began to swell with tears. He hadn’t talked about mom in since that day. A lump began to form in his throat as he forced out the words.
“Mom…mom stood up to them and they…they made her an example.”
Josh began to weep.
The thick salty tears began dripped onto the dirt-covered floor penetrating the thin layer of dust.
“She told them…no…and they…they…”
Josh tried to stop the onslaught but he couldn’t stop crying.
“They…killed her and took more…”
His head sunk further into his chest he could feel each teardrop as they hit his knuckles.
“Survival of the fittest…”
The voice of the professor was cold, and stern, it sucked the air out of the room.
“The strong eat the weak. That is the way of the world”
Cadell’s green hand touched the top of the teen’s scruffy head.
“But it doesn’t have to be”
The tone in Cadell’s voice had changed. The sternness was still there but it didn’t feel as heartless as before. There was an understanding of it. It was like this man knew what Josh was feeling. Josh stared at the floor it looked like it could go on forever.
“There is a way around that natural truth.”
The professor’s heavy hand felt warm. Josh could feel the tears begin to stop. He rubbed his face.
“Change the definition of strong” Cadell said.
Josh’s head turned up and meet the professor’s eyes. They were golden, and glowing, as if each one of them was a star.
“How?” Josh said.
Cadell smiled. His lips curled in the silverlight.
“I’ll teach you.”
Josh’s moment disappeared as Chax’s voice torn through the room. The teen could feel his anxiety swiftly return to him as his head turned towards the window.
“What was that about?” Said Cadell moving his body towards the window.
“Foodstuffs.” Josh said staring down at the ground.
“It’s hard to image such a farce happening over such a commodity” Cadell said stroking his chin as he stared outside.
The irritated uganught stormed off into the night air, as the pudgy balding man cursed his way back into the house.
“It’s not just about foodstuffs”
“Then what is it about?”
“We just don’t have too much to go around.”
“Why’s that?”
Josh hands grabbed his knees tightly. He shouldn’t burden a stranger with his town’s problems. But maybe he has an idea or two to help them out of this situation.
“Three years ago swoop bikers set up a camp just a few clicks away. They called themselves the Dusk Riders. They stormed into town and demanded 10% of our harvest, or they would raise hell. We are pretty far out here, and even through we ship to the capital we don’t ship nearly enough to be considered important in their eyes. So to avoid destruction we bent a knee.”
Josh could feel his angry begin to build up.
“The Dusk Riders came back the next year though and demanded more. My mom…”
Josh’s eyes began to swell with tears. He hadn’t talked about mom in since that day. A lump began to form in his throat as he forced out the words.
“Mom…mom stood up to them and they…they made her an example.”
Josh began to weep.
The thick salty tears began dripped onto the dirt-covered floor penetrating the thin layer of dust.
“She told them…no…and they…they…”
Josh tried to stop the onslaught but he couldn’t stop crying.
“They…killed her and took more…”
His head sunk further into his chest he could feel each teardrop as they hit his knuckles.
“Survival of the fittest…”
The voice of the professor was cold, and stern, it sucked the air out of the room.
“The strong eat the weak. That is the way of the world”
Cadell’s green hand touched the top of the teen’s scruffy head.
“But it doesn’t have to be”
The tone in Cadell’s voice had changed. The sternness was still there but it didn’t feel as heartless as before. There was an understanding of it. It was like this man knew what Josh was feeling. Josh stared at the floor it looked like it could go on forever.
“There is a way around that natural truth.”
The professor’s heavy hand felt warm. Josh could feel the tears begin to stop. He rubbed his face.
“Change the definition of strong” Cadell said.
Josh’s head turned up and meet the professor’s eyes. They were golden, and glowing, as if each one of them was a star.
“How?” Josh said.
Cadell smiled. His lips curled in the silverlight.
“I’ll teach you.”