[Day 277] Eugenia part 12

Read part 11 here!

He made his appearance soon after, followed by a group of his classmates. “Hey, Decklan!” once called. He glanced over his shoulder with a frown, but stopped to wait.

In my preoccupation of repeating the name in my head (Decklan. Decklan. Decklan), I didn’t notice how close I was standing to him. So when he turned around to continue walking, he ran right into me.

We both stopped and stared, him in confusion, me in terror. I’m not ready! This isn’t-

“Hello.” he greeted me awkwardly. Neither of us had moved, so the toes of our feet were almost touching. Although I was used to towering over people at my height of five nine, he had at least six inches on me. I could feel his breath on my face as he spoke.

“Er- hello. Sorry. I just wanted to say… I liked what you said in class today.” Taking a step backwards, to distance myself appropriately, I breathed an internal sigh of relief. Set up. Just a set up.

He looked surprised, but his expression went almost immediately back to confused. “I’m sorry, but I guess I haven’t seen you in class before. Are you… new?”

“Oh.” I had counted on him not having noticed. “No. I’m not officially part of the class. I just listen in sometimes.” There. Not too obvious.

“Right. Well… thanks.” We continued our standing until Decklan broke the lull. “I have to go to work, so I guess I’ll see you?” I nodded and waved, stepping aside to let him by.

I watched him walk away, plotting routes to follow him without being seen, when he turned again. “Sorry.” he said in a raised voice, in case I couldn’t hear him from his distance. “I didn’t catch your name.”

“I didn’t give it.” Smiling coyly, I walked away, but once I was out of sight, I made a sharp turn into the courtyard, where he would have to go in order to leave campus. Staying 100 feet or so back, I trailed him casually, flipping through a textbook as I ambled. Decklan clearly wasn’t in a hurry, and that helped.

I followed him all the way to his job, at a supermarket. Because I was running low on clothes and certain food items, I nicked several items before leaving. Now that I knew where he was, I could work out the next step. **

I didn’t want to push my luck, so I stayed at my home for the next few days, mulling over the possibilities. Decklan, although he clearly believed in what he was saying, was wary, and I didn’t blame him. People who spoke out about FF were often taken in for “questioning”, and sometimes, they didn’t come back. So I understood why he backed down. But I didn’t want his passion to go to waste.

The next time I approached Decklan was at his work, where he was the only cashier. When he saw me approach him, in the near empty store, I saw his muscles tense. Although it puzzled me, I ignored it.

“Hello again.”

He didn’t reply, watching me.

“I just wanted to… continue our conversation about your comments in Political Theory.”

“Ok…”

“Why did you back down? Your arguments were so passionate…”

“They weren’t passionate. It was a discussion, and I was just bringing up another side of the arguments. Nothing more, nothing less.” He ducked behind the counter to retrieve more change and restock the gum dispenser.

I understood his nervousness now. He thought I was an agent, deciding whether or not to take him into “questioning”.

“Decklan,” I started again. “I’m not an agent. I’m not here to take you in and interrogate you.”

He snorted in disbelief. “Whatever. Are you going to buy anything?”

“No.” Concerned I’d wasted my one shot with him, I posed one final question. “Have you ever thought about the possibility of someone living off the grid?”

“Off the grid? That’s impossible. Without a tattoo, you can’t do anything. Can’t go to the bank to get money, can’t get a job, can’t buy a house.”

“So you don’t think it can happen?”

“No. Why?” His paranoia had clearly evaporated from the interested look on his face.

I shrugged, which I knew would infuriate him. “Have a nice day.”

Continued in part 13