Young Writers Society

Amoku was already planning on going to Los Angeles-- he was going to visit a friend. He had no problem with the letter saying "Go to Los Angeles, under the first "O" in the Hollywood sign."

Sightseeing? Sure.

His dangerous began in Independence, Missouri, where he lived. He blasted off with his fire like a drunk jetpacker and zoomed across the sky towards LA.

Of course his Airpods were playing the automated music, which at the time was an old song, "Go West" by the Pet Shop Boys.

That night, he sighed and stopped under a tree in the middle of the Great Plains. Halfway there? wondered Amoku. He wasn't sure. He was never one to study geography.

Amoku cautiously lit a fire and sighed, rolling off to sleep

Lea got the letter while they were eating dinner with their mom-- or rather, while their mom was sitting next to them on the couch, a bowl of noodles in both of their laps, Lea's mom already fast asleep. She worked hard every day as a waitress to bring in the income they needed to rent this apartment as a single mother, so their mom was always tired by the time she got home. Most of the time, they had pickup or leftovers because she was always too tired to cook and Lea didn't really know how. Tonight was no exception.

The episode of Queer Eye was just getting to the part where they were going to reveal the man to his friends when there was a knock at the door. Lea frowned a little and stood, placing their noodles down in their couch seat and shooting a warning look at the cat, Muffin, before standing to go answer the door. The person at the door knocked more insistently, and Lea sighed a little, nearly tripping over Muffin as he weaved through their feet, looking for attention. Lea glanced back again at their mom as the knocking began again. Thankfully, their mom didn't stir, the English speakers on the television as incoherent as background waves, or the Spanish opera.

Technically, Lea was French-- French Canadian, that is, and they'd grown up speaking French. The difference about Lea though was that they could speak any language in the world-- literally. If there was a book written in it, Lea could read it. If there was a conversation in it, Lea could understand it. And if there was, say, a television in a language like English that they'd heard nothing but good reviews about, then yeah, they could watch it and understand the English. Lea wasn't exactly sure how the power had developed or even come to exist, but they assumed it had to do with the genetic powers that were currently sweeping the world; it seemed like every kid had a different power nowadays. But Lea's mom, though she was currently snoozing on the couch still in her work heels because she had been too tired to take them off, could only understand French, which was why the subtitles were put on the bottom of the screen, flashing along to whatever hair advice Johnathan was currently giving on the show.

Lea looked back at their mom, hoping whoever was knocking at the door hadn't woken her, before finally reaching the door. They scooped Muffin off the floor so he wouldn't bother whoever it was, before cautiously opening the door. "Can I... help you?" Lea asked, a bit confused as they watched the man in front of them.

"Are you Miss Lea Gauthier?"

Lea tilted their head. "I'm nonbinary, so I'm more like Monarch Lea Gauthier, if you don't mind." It was meant to be a joke, but it obviously fell flat as the man just stared at them.

"Alright then, Lea Gauthier. I have a letter for you." He extended his left hand, which held a thick white envelope, like it was stuffed full of something.

"You couldn't have just mailed it?" Lea eyed the letter as exclamations sounded from the tv in the other room. The reveal must've happened then. They'd have to rewind.

The man ignored Lea's question. "I would advise looking over it very carefully. An answer is needed in a week, less than that for you to make the flight on time."

"Wait, flight? What--"

"Goodnight, Miss Lea," he said, a bit annoyed, before he turned and began to walk back down the hallway to the elevator.

"I'm not a miss! Oh whatever..." Lea trailed off as the man disappeared behind the corner, and grumbled under their breath, "interrupted my Queer Eye for this. I'm gonna have to reheat my noodles now!" But they were complaining to an empty hallway. With a sigh, Lea closed the door and set Muffin down, walking back to the couch with the letter in hand. They picked up their noodles and sat down again next to their mom, reaching for the remote and pausing the tv.

"Who was that honey?" Lea's mom asked sleepily, shifting a little to sit up.

"It was nobody," Lea reassured. "Just some guy delivering a letter."

"This late? Hmm," their mom said, giving a small yawn before sitting up fully. She picked up her fork and ate a bite of her noodles.

"Here mom," Lea said, setting their plate and the letter down to take their mom's. "I'll heat them up for you." They walked to the kitchen, putting the food in the microwave and watching it spin in circles.

"You're so grown up," they heard their mom mumble. "Fourteen and acting like an adult."

Lea smiled. "Just four more years!" They said brightly.

Their mom chuckled a little as they brought the food back to her. "And last year it was five, and the year before it was six. Why can't you just stick with being a kid right now?"

Lea laughed and picked up their own bowl of noodles, going to heat it. When they returned, they said, "Being a kid is boring."

"Mm," their mom said through a mouthful of noodles, before swallowing and saying, "everything is boring for you. Languages, school..."

"The gender binary," Lea said absentmindedly, then grinned when their mom gave a small laugh.

"That too," she agreed, her gaze focusing on the letter. "So are you going to read that?"

Lea glanced at it. "Eh, I dunno. I think I may finish this Queer Eye first. Do you remember when you drifted off? I can rewind it to then if you'd like."

"No, no, it's alright," she said amiably. "I'm sure I missed practically the whole episode, and I don't have an hour long show in me. I'm thinking of finishing these noodles, starting a load of laundry downstairs, and then heading to bed. If you're still up, do you think you could change the clothes from the washer to the dryer so they don't sit wet all night?"

"Sure mom," Lea said. The apartment complex had a few washers and dryers that were available for their use, but one of the next-door neighbors seemed to run loads constantly, so it was always difficult to get one in unless you did it at night, and they definitely couldn't afford their own.

"Well then, I'm going to rewind a little bit to where I last was, and I'll leave the subtitles on for you," Lea said, clicking the buttons on the remote and stopping where they thought they last saw it. They shoved a forkful of noodles in their mouth and pressed play.



Lea didn't open the letter until after they'd switched the laundry from the washer to the dryer. It was maybe eleven at night and they had school the next day, but they weren't really feeling tired. Their gaze landed on the letter almost absently, and they sighed. They might as well.

Grabbing the letter, they sank down onto the couch and opened it. Out fell a small folded up piece of paper-- presumably a note--, a plane ticket, and a thick folded up stack of papers, like a packet that had been folded to fit inside the envelope. No wonder it had been thick. What could all of this stuff even be for?

Lea decided to start easy and picked up the small piece of paper, unfolding it and reading the note inside.

Miss Lea Gauthier,

You have been chosen for the role of sponsorship. You were recommended anonymously by multiple scouts as a top candidate for this position due to your omnilingual abilities. Your training will take place primarily within the boundaries of the United States of America, specifically at our head of operations in California. Enclosed within this envelope is a contract which will not only explain all the responsibilities, tasks, and trials of becoming a sponsor, but the legalistic rules and needs that must be met in order to both be assigned such a position and to maintain the role of said position. Given you and your family's financial situation, we have also included within the envelope a plane ticket as a means of transport to our main base in California. Once you land at the airport, someone will be sent to pick you up and bring you to the meeting place of the other chosen individuals.

It is highly recommended that you take this opportunity, as it is a once in a lifetime occurrence; however, participation, is, of course, not obligatory, and any participation is expected to be voluntary at the will of the individual, Miss Lea Gauthier. If you would like to decline your offer, simply do not show up for your flight. If you would like to accept your offer, show up for your flight promptly with all paperwork that is necessary completed. Only the bare essentials will be needed for your travels, as all basic items such as clothes and grooming products will be provided upon arrival. Small trinkets and pieces of home are encouraged to keep young minds connected to family, but upon arrival, you will be expected to dedicate the majority of your time towards training to become a sponsor and the job it entails. Calls home will be allowed daily, and visits allowed monthly, but trainees will not leave the base unless accompanied by a faculty member or with the written consent of our chief of staff.

Please take time to look over the included paperwork with your parent/guardian, and come to a collective decision together by the end of the week. Your flight is scheduled for next Monday at 10am. We hope to see you there.

Sincerely,
Sponsorship Search Committee

Lea just stared. Their first thought was that maybe they were too tired and they had just hallucinated the whole thing. Their next thought was something they voiced aloud. "How many languages did they write this in?"

They studied the letter, concentrating on the shapes of the letters and not simply on what they said, blinking as they realized the language on the paper changed with every word, never once repeating itself. The signature was written in binary code. It seemed like the Sponsorship Search Committee hadn't been too confident in Lea's skills at all, and felt the need to test them. And they'd gotten their gender wrong. Multiple times.

They picked up the contract, unfolding the pages and sighing in relief when they realized it was all in French. They could've read it just fine either way, but this way, they could go over the contract with their mom easily enough. They tried to make their way through it, but the passages were so dense and filled with lawyer words, it was tricky to understand what they were saying at all. Lea sighed and finally gave up, setting it down.

This was something they'd always dreamed about, of course; the idea of getting to use their power for once as something more than a party trick sounded great. The idea that it might help an actual hero, someone who could make a difference on the world, sounded even greater. But then Lea's thoughts shifted back to their mom. What about her? Would she be okay on her own? Sensing Lea's distress, Muffin rubbed against their leg before hopping into their lap. Lea stroked him absentmindedly. It was a lot to think about. They'd need to talk it over with their mom and see what she thought. Then they'd need to think about it even more. But still... already, Lea couldn't stop the excitement they felt growing inside them at the possibilities. This could open up a whole new world to them! They'd even get paid, they could send money back to their mom. Their mom could even move to a more spacious place. She could move to California with Lea!

Lea chewed on their lip thoughtfully before setting the letter down. A lot to think about... but there was a week until the flight. They had time to discuss it with their mom. They gently scooted Muffin over before standing. It would be best to sleep on it. They walked to their room, turned off the lights, and fell asleep.



Lea waited in the airport for four hours before their flight was finally called and took off. Lea's mom had to drive to work early and couldn't drop them off unless it was really early. It was Lea's first time in an airport too, but since they were fourteen, the security guards seemed happy to help them along through the process. It had been a lot of discussion, and Lea was still really hesitant, but they had both decided that it would be best for them to go. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, just like the letter had said, and it wouldn't have made sense to pass it up, especially since it was what Lea had always dreamed of.

When they landed in California after a grueling eleven hour flight, Lea quickly made their way to the baggage claim, looking around for where they were supposed to go. The letter hadn't really gone into detail, nor had the contract, since there was supposed to be a driver to pick them up and take them wherever they were supposed to go. Lea was just beginning to get a little antsy at not seeing anyone when a woman in a pantsuit approached them. "Are you Lea Gauthier?"

Lea turned to face her and smiled. "Yeah, I am."

"I'm your ride," the woman said, a small smile on her lips, before gesturing to follow her. "Come this way, and we'll get you where you're supposed to be. Do you have your bags?"

Lea nodded and held up the small suitcase they had. It was worn and old, but it did the job. Lea and their mom didn't really go on vacations, so it had seemed like a waste to replace their suitcases.

"Alright then. We're about a thirty minute drive if traffic isn't too bad, but it's Los Angeles, so traffic is usually pretty bad. I'd estimate only about an hour."

"The angels?" Lea asked. They'd heard of the city but never thought much of it.

The woman laughed. "No, Los Angeles. It translates to "the angels" in Spanish, but even the English speakers call it Los Angeles."

"Ah," Lea said, nodding a little. "I guess that makes sense." It absolutely did not, but they weren't going to bring that up. They'd never had difficulty with language except when they were learning French as their first, so it was difficult to hear Los Angeles and not automatically have their brain translate it to "les anges", or "the angels" in French.

The woman led Lea to a small black Kia, one of the newer models, it seemed. "I'll put your stuff in the trunk, and you can hop in the front seat."

Lea got in without complaint, and the woman got in shortly after. They pulled out of the airport parking lot, and began to drive. The woman was right. It took around an hour to reach their destination-- the Hollywood sign-- meaning they arrived at around 10pm. The woman pulled to a stop on the side of the road, getting out and pulling Lea's suitcase out before handing it to them. She pointed up the hill. "Go to the first O in the sign. The group will be waiting for you."

"The group?" Lea asked. "What group?" But the woman was already climbing back into the car.

"I'm sure we'll cross paths again, Lea Gauthier," she said. "For now, go to the first O." With that, she shut her door, pulled back onto the road, and drove off. Lea watched for a second, before turning their gaze back to the Hollywood sign. They took in a deep breath, looking around at the darkness. Well... the main source of light right now was the Hollywood sign. They looked up at it, and then, with a determined look on their face, set off to find the group.

Rory was having a terrible day when he met the stranger, and the fancy letter didn't make things any better. No, in fact, the letter may have made things worse-- much worse.

The day started off innocently enough. The alley cats had been yowling their heads off all night, so Rory had hardly gotten an hour of sleep, but that wasn't unusual. Come to think of it, perhaps a lack of sleep was why he was so grumpy all the time. Ruminating on that, he had rolled up his sleeping bag and concealed it behind a dumpster, then ventured out into the street.

It was a cold day; the wind blew scraps of trash down the sidewalk as Rory shivered in his light jacket. He groaned. Bad weather meant less pedestrians, which meant less pockets to pick and a high probability that Rory would have to go hungry today. Walking faster, he decided to go to the public library. If he couldn't be fed, he could at least be somewhat warm.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Rory turned a corner and shuffled hurriedly along the sidewalk. But it wasn't long until he realized that someone was shuffling along behind him, going at approximately the same pace as he was. He narrowed his violet eyes suspiciously. Was he being followed? Risking a quick glance backwards, Rory saw a nondescript middle-aged man walking behind him.

Catching his glance, the man called out, "Hey, are you Rory Travail?" Rory stiffened, immediately on guard. How did this guy know his name? Rory had been living on the streets for two years now, and no one from his family had ever bothered searching for him. So why would they start now? Alarmed, Rory bolted away.

The man shouted, "Wait, I just have a letter for you!" He threw a white envelope towards Rory, the wind whisking it along. At first Rory was just going to keep running and ignore the letter, but he peeked backwards and saw that the man didn't show any intentions of chasing him. Curiosity getting the better of Rory, he quickly bent down and snatched up the letter, then kept sprinting. Rory didn't stop until he was at the library.

. . .

The envelope was smooth and thick, the kind of paper that always made Rory think of rich people and fancy galas. On the back was his name, written in loopy cursive. So clearly, whoever was searching for Rory hadn't made a mistake. Rory opened the envelope and pulled out a note. He skimmed most of it, but he stopped abruptly at the last lines: "Sincerely, Sponsorship Search Committee." Oh, so that's the game they're playing. They want to use my memory-blurring power to cover up the mistakes of their precious heroes. Rory shook his head in disgust. What a bunch of entitled fools.

He ripped up the note and threw it in the trash can. Then he tried to tear the envelope, but the fancy paper was too strong. Sighing in defeat, Rory dumped out the rest of its contents, which included an airplane ticket to LA. He paused. LA... He'd always wanted to visit there. The year-round sunny weather, the big-city atmosphere, the endless traffic... okay, maybe not that last one. But still. Rory was severely tempted to just take the plane to LA and then ditch the Sponsorship Committee.

However, he knew that impulsively moving into a new city with no money or connections whatsoever was a recipe for disaster. Rory frowned and let out a long sigh. Well, it looks like I'll be becoming a sponsor then... for a little while, at least.

LA was . . .

. . . the stupidest stupid mudhole of stupidity.

Amoku applauded himself for such an extravagant description of the horrendous city.

Everything about Los Angeles was horrible. First, the name. Any good city, should be named after a powerful dragon. For example, Amoku was hatched in a city named after his father, who was coincidentally a powerful dragon.

Second of all, the traffic in Los Angeles was like the intestines of a constipated monkey. (Amoku had actually seen one before. He regretted it very much.) The cars moved at approximately zero miles per hour, and many times, he just jumped out of the taxi in fury.

The "O" in "Hollyood" wasn't any better. The day was cloudy, so Amoku had to fly close to the ground to navigate. It was either get slapped by trees, or fly blindly through the clouds. Of course, Amoku preferred getting assaulted by the ruthless foliage.

It wasn't the most enjoyable experience.

When he finally arrived at the "O", he sighed, and sat there, assuming there would be more people coming soon.

Tev Ilidar

Tev stared into the mirror.
The face staring back at him was his own, but he knew that the illusion was working. At least...It should be.
He sighed.
This was going to be hard.
Tev turned the nozzle and dark water trickled out. He splashed some on his face, clearing his thoughts. Wiping his hands on his pants, Tev turned to the door of the bathroom nervously.
He turned the handle and stepped back into the main room, where Selia awaited. She sat on an exquisite couch, sipping what looked like wine. When Tev entered the room, her eyes turned from the burly man she was conversing with.
Selia smiled. "Tev! Or should I say, Araden. You are Araden, aren't you?"
Tev nodded reassuringly, "If I wasn't then Araden wouldn't be in that closet..." He stepped over and opened a grimy door, exposing a bound man inside.
Araden Scopulus.
When the door opened, he started yelling through his gag, but stopped short when he saw Tev's face.
He shook his head vigorously, but Tev just closed the door, turning back to Selia.
She smiled brightly again.
"Well...Araden, are you ready?"
Tev nodded bleakly, wishing he could just hide in the corner. A million thoughts crashed within his mind, and his hand found itself back in his pocket. The pocket with the letter.
He had spent days memorizing the contents of it, on its fancy paper.
Paper in of itself was fancy. Out here in the ruins of the human race, where hope was small, and lives were short.

Dear Mr. Scopulus, it began.
We have watched you for some time, and found you a suitable sponsor. Training begins as soon as you arrive.
Come to Los Angeles. There Will be an agent there to retrieve you.
He Will take you to the first O of Hollywood. Await further instructions when you reach your destination.
Sincerely, the Sponsorship Search Committee

Selia stood and put her hand on Tev's back. "Tev...Araden...you don't have to do this."
Tev tightened his fist, "No. I have to do this. I can get us all out of this hellhole." Selia rubbed his back comfortingly, "Alright. You know they may kill you if they find out you are an impostor?"
"Yes."
"Good."
The burly man on the couch stood, Unar was his name, and joined Selia. "Much thanks, Tev," the man said in broken English and a thick accent.
"You're welcome..." Tev mumbled.
"Save all people here, you will."

***
Araden Scopulus

Araden stepped off the steam train. He wore a slightly too large suit coat and a tie. His blond hair shifted in the breeze, blowing hair into his green eyes.
He gazed around, taking in everything. There were a lot of people in the station. Bustling about. Talking.
It took everything Tev-no, Araden- had to not jump back on the train. He wanted so badly to slide back into the shadows.
Taking a deep breath, Araden strode forward, steeling himself for the task ahead. He pushed through people, making his way to the glass doors at the front of the station. Anxious that something would go wrong, he took deep breaths. What if someone recognized him, and tried to talk to him? What if someone knew he had an illusion on? What if someone held a mirror, and saw that he looked different?
What if. What if...

Araden calmed himself as he forced himself to walk slowly to the doors. Pushing open the glass doors, Araden breathed a sigh of relief as the gray-blue sky met his eyes.
He searched around for anyone that would give him "further instruction". But there was nobody.

He started to panic again. What if they had forgotten about him? All the work Selia had done to get him here would be worthless...
Calm yourself.
Breathe in. Breathe out

Araden began walking down the sidewalk, trying to to look at the people around him. He noticed several people with strange skin, probably a side effect of their magic. Some had magma skin, others crackled with electricity.
Fascinating.
He continued on, only stopping when he heard, "Mr. Scopulus!"
Turning, Araden found a man leaning against a black limo with tinted windows. He had sunglasses and a fedora.
"You passed your ride, sir."
Araden flustered for a moment, "Uh...are...do....are you from the Sponsor...agency, no, committee?"
The man chuckled, "Kid, you're blocking traffic. Get in the limo, we're going to the O!"
Araden nervously climbed into the car, which the man had opened for him.
After a short drive, Araden found himself at the bottom of a hill.
The Hollywood hill.
Looking up through the window, Araden could see the huge white letters built onto the side of the mountain.
"Out you go, kid. They should be at the O."

Araden exited the car and his hand found the letter in his pocket again.
Here we go...

Rose





There sitting in an abandoned mall scavenging for food are 4 kids alone no parents to be seen they all look to be related. One of the three boys probably the youngest finds a can of dog food "guys this one looks like it's still edible rose we can use this as your birthday cake today"

The girl rose smiles "that isn't needed it can be saved and used for food"

The little boy frowns "but you turned ten today it's a very important day"

The tallest boy looks at rose she is still taller than him "he's right you will come into your powers today we need to celebrate"

Suddenly they hear yelling outside of the mall "I HEARD SOMEONE WE FINALLY FOUND THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN STEALING OUR FOOD." the sound of guns being cocked is heard

"Hide now and don't come out till I say it safe," says Rose

The kids scramble to hide while rose runs in the other direction making as much noise as she can to lure off her pursuers

"this way the little scamp is getting away"

Rose climbs the escalator but stops when she hears the scream of jake her youngest brother and then a gunshot. She starts running back the way she came and pulls out a throwing knife.

As she gets there she sees the bloody corpse of her brother with his knife in hand the knife has blood on it and a dead man is lying next to her brother with his gun next to him. there are two more men in the room rose's vision blacks out and suddenly she's next to another man after throwing her knife she has it in her hand next to both men are the corpses of the last family she had left. Tears fill her eyes as she slaughters these men who dared to hurt her family.




From Zero To Hero



Rose awakes with a start hearing movement outside of the abandoned building she is sleeping in. She pulls her knife out and takes a deep steady breath to quiet her breathing and pounding heart. She hears her name called out and stalks out quietly. She sees what looks to be a man dressed in expensive clothes and jewelry she puts her knife to his throat.

"Who are you and why are you looking for me" Rose whispers into his ear.

"I am just a messenger you have been scouted and they said you would be here in this pit of bacteria and filth"

A crimson lock falls in front of her eyes as she lets him go.

“Tell me who is it that sent you” her words are said as if she only recently learned to speak English.

“That is for you to find out here is your letter and 100 dollars to feed you clothe you and a plane ticket to take you from here to your destination” he hands her a sealed envelope and coin purse. “Good luck child and ill be seeing you in the future

The letter says to meet under the Hollywood sign the first O is where she will find them. So she starts her long journey after saying goodbye to her fellow homeless friends. she first stops at a local clothing store and buys new clothes. she then goes to a cafe that she knows the owner of.

"I'm sorry rose we cannot give you any more free fo..." says the owner

"no no garret you misunderstand I'm going to Hollywood I need to BUY food before I go so ill get a bacon burger and water"

After a short wait, she eats pays her bill, and says goodbye to everyone in the restaurant they wish her luck. She runs to the plane station and gets in with her bags of new clothes and her knives. She starts her long flight to Hollywood happy and safe except for her knives they were confiscated.

after a day-long flight, she gets off and hails a taxi, and makes her way to the Hollywood sign her destination is under the first big O.

(if you would like me to change anything I will I'm gonna save a backup copy to my google docs also sorry this is the first time I have written a story this long ik it short but ill try my best to make it work)

Lea was sweaty and tired. The main road, as it turned out, was much farther from the sign than it looked. They'd hiked for a solid thirty minutes and their skirt was now covered with dirt. They'd only worn it on the flight because they were feeling excited when they got dressed that morning, and they hadn't had time to change at the airport before getting in the car and driving. How long had it been since they'd been at the airport? Around two hours by now at least, right? And the flight had only served one meal in the middle of it.

As if on cue, their stomach rumbled and they bit their lip, pulling their luggage up a few more steps before sitting down on top of the suitcase, feeling more than a bit defeated. If they were a powerful person, they'd be able to climb this hill easily in half the time it was taking them. But that was just it, wasn't it? They weren't a powerful person. If they were, they'd be a hero. And they were beneath that. The letter hadn't said that explicitly, but it was pretty clear. Lea had been chosen as a sponsor-- not a hero. And it made sense. They could speak all languages; it would be great for all the press reviews they'd likely have to do, all the clearing of the hero's name, catering to their every whim. Not that Lea wasn't excited, of course. They were very excited. But still... it was odd to know they were being recruited to be in someone else's shadow. They were being hired to be beneath the hero.

After a few minutes of sitting, they sighed and got to their feet, pulling the suitcase up and continuing the journey upwards. Twenty minutes later, and they were exhausted and sweaty, but they were there-- the sign. They looked up at the huge letters, the flashy lights, and felt awestruck. This was it. Their life was going to change. They made their way to the first 'O'.

"Hello?" They called tentatively, undoing their messy ponytail and running their fingers through their hair before redoing it.

"So, someone else is finally here?" An annoyed voice called out, and Lea turned to the person who said it-- an older Asian boy in an all-red outfit, glaring at them intensely.

"Yeah," Lea said faintly, setting their suitcase down. "No one else is here yet?"

"I've been here since six," he said flatly. "I hope you know I was considering leaving. Where are your bosses?"

Lea blinked. "Huh?" After a moment of confusion, they said, "Oh, I'm not--" They paused, squinting at him. "I'm fourteen. Do I look like an adult to you?"

"If you're not, what took you so long?"

"I live in Canada," Lea said flatly. "The flight was eleven hours. And then it took nearly an hour to get from the main road to here. The woman who drove me here said people would be up here waiting. It's just you?"

"You lived in Canada," he corrected. "You live in California now."

"That's what you got from that statement?" Lea asked. When he didn't answer, they tried again. "I'm Lea. It's nice to meet you!" They held out a hand, but he didn't shake it.

"I don't do handshakes," he said. "Especially not with little annoying girls."

Lea frowned. "That's not a very nice thing to say. And I'm nonbinary, so I'm not a girl."

He blinked. "You speak Thai?"

"I speak every language," Lea stated matter-of-factly. "It's my magic. Do you prefer to speak in Thai? We can switch if you want."

"No, I don't--" he sounded aggravated. "No, I don't want to switch to Thai."

"I don't think I caught your name," Lea said, pulling their suitcase towards him before putting it down and sitting on it.

"I didn't say it," he said. After a few seconds, he sighed. "Aamokan. People call me Amoku."

"Amoku," Lea repeated, then smiled. "It's nice to meet you. Are you excited to be a Sponsor? That's why you're here, right? To be a Sponsor?"

Amoku shrugged. "It's why they asked me here if that's what you mean. That's different from why I'm here."

Lea nodded slowly. "I understand that. I'm here to be a Sponsor, I know, but I'm also here for my mom. She got pregnant in high school with me and my dad left her, so she had to drop out and raise me on her own. She's never been able to get a decent job, so I'm going to send my money to her. I want her to go to college with it, but I don't know if she'll choose to do that. She says she's too old for that stuff."

They said it so casually and calmly that it seemed to take Amoku back for a second. "Well, I'm here for my own reasons."

"Isn't everybody?" Lea sighed almost wistfully. A little way down the hill, a movement caught their eye-- a figure, making their way towards them! Lea stood. "Look! More people are coming!" Their voice was filled with excitement, and the hunger and exhaustion faded away temporarily. They looked at Amoku and smiled.

"This is going to be a lot of fun."