Chapter 10: Colai

The hefty discussions and unusual commotions among students that greeted Livingstone as he walked through the hallway of the university informed him of only one thing: they were already aware of what was going on. It was about time everyone acknowledged what was happening.

He looked around him and spotted a group of converged students on the hallway, with their Tap-pads in their grip. A few debated among themselves whereas the rest sauntered around unconcerned.

What was he expecting? Of course, they were bound to saunter around unconcerned since all this wasn't happening in their Unit in the first place. He thought to himself.

He snapped his head sideways and caught sight of Yue. She wasn't alone and that paved way for the frown that sat on his face.

She was with the nerd, and that wasn't the only thing he took notice of. The colour of her once maroon hair could now be compared to the colour of red wine.

The colour contrasted with the simple, yet cute platinum top she was clad in. Below her torso, she was in a decent taupe mid-thigh skirt.

Her backpack was slung on her left shoulder, and as she pushed her hair to her front, Livingstone regarded the long ponytail it was set in and the choppy bangs that covered her forehead.

How come he never noticed that? He thought.

He turned his body to face them and began to strode in their direction. He couldn't help but scrutinize the nerd for the second time this week.

He was in a white top underneath a blue long-sleeved shirt, its sleeves had been folded midway to his arm.

What struck him the most was the glasses that framed his eyes. He stood with his arms crossed on his chest and with his body slouched against the cream-coloured wall.

The playful smile which tugged at his lips did not go unseen by Livingstone and that pushed him to double his steps.

What did he even say his name was again? Emeck? Emel? Emnon? He racked his brains for a name. If he was going to make his presence known among those two, at least he had to do so the right way.

"Why do you look as though someone just took your favourite toy away from you?" he heard a sultry voice say and whipped his head to face the speaker.

It was Millenia. Pure amusement danced in her light brown eyes as she pushed the strap of her bag further to sit well on her shoulder.

She moved her hands towards her head and fixed the hat that sat on her raven curly-coiled hair. Feeling confident that it sat in a perfect position, her lips turned up slightly to form a smile.

"So, tell me, why do you look at Emre that way? Is he in trouble?" she probed.

"And why do you ask? Do you know him?" he returned the question with another question of his own.

"I do. He is my brother," she replied.

He scoffed. "You two look nothing alike."

"That's because we are fraternal twins," she chuckled, then went ahead to ensure that the hat she was wearing still sat comfortably on her head. The expression on Livingstone's face screamed disbelief. "Well, it turned out that our parents were not excited with the thought of bearing two kids who looked identical so they made sure that one of us was born different. The more reason why my brother and I look nothing alike."

This was nothing new. The science behind the manipulation of fetuses had always been an open topic and one that had been going on for over a few decades now.

There were lots of expectant parents who went through this procedure just to ensure that their twins, triplets and whatnot looked nothing alike.

Others even went to the extent of making sure that certain traits were passed on directly and coded into their fetuses even before their sexes were predetermined by nature. That way, they did not become an indirect liability to their district but an asset to the Unit.

"That is...interesting to know," he shared.

He glanced in their direction for a split second to see Emre running a hand through his frenzy curls and averted his eyes back to Millenia, who met them with a quirked eyebrow. He raised his tapered eyebrows to match hers as if to ask 'what?'

"You never told me what Emre did to deserve that look you passed him earlier," she probed for the second time. "Is it because of that exotic-looking female?" she smirked, then continued when she knew she struck a nerve. "One can easily tell how close you two are just by a glance. I think it is only normal for you to feel jealous, especially, since Emre is the newcomer here."

"Listen to me, I'm not jealous of your brother," he denied. There was no way he was going to let her know how Yue's friendship with her brother made him feel.

The thought of losing a confidant who was also like a sister did not sit well with him

"Keep denying that for as long as you want," she said. "It is evident in your actions, and right now your facial expression does not even mask it."

Livingstone averted his gaze to look elsewhere but at Millenia. He dug his fingernails into his palms and released them when he felt the pain.

He pushed his fingers through his hair, scanned his surroundings and looked back at her. She raised her head to meet his gaze squarely and took that as an opportunity to drink in his features.

He had the looks of a female and the body of a strong growing male. He stood at a striking height of 6'2 unlike most males in their Unit and though he possessed a down-to-earth edgy side, she found that attractive. Unbeknownst to him, he was beautiful. Beautiful to her.

"What are you staring at?" he asked suddenly with a frown, throwing her off guard.

"N-Nothing," she stuttered and his frown deepened.

Casting one last look at her, he brought a leg forward to leave but she stopped him by grabbing his hand. He looked down at her hand. It felt soft on his.

Misinterpreting his actions, she quickly drew her hand to her side. Bright green eyes looked down to meet light brown eyes. He turned to face her and raised an eyebrow.

"I was just thinking that since we have the same class together this morning, it is only fair that we go together," she said, as she scratched the skin of her bag's strap with her nails in a repeated cycle.

It was quite obvious to Livingstone that she wasn't aware of what she was doing.

He stayed silent for a minute as he tried to read her motives. Without uttering a single word, he took to his heels and she followed suit, taking that gesture as a silent yes.

*****

Livingstone found himself slouched against the wall adjacent to the entrance of Yue's class. He raised his ontel to his vison to check the time and looked around agitatedly. He wondered what exactly was keeping their session so long.

Last time he checked, they were supposed to be trooping out of the lecture hall by now. At the binging sound of the door, he whipped his head in its direction and watched with great composure as students trooped out in their numbers.

He caught sight of the side view of Yue and sidled up to her. He grabbed her by the upper arm and pulled her to the other side. She was on the verge of making a scene but it died down after she saw his face.

"Stone. You startled me." She punched his arm lightly when he let go of her arm and then proceeded to touch the left side of her chest. "I never saw you this morning. What happened?"

"I need a favour," he chimed in.

"With what?"

He was silent for a while as though he was contemplating his next words. "I urgently need to spend the night at your place tonight."

"Let me guess, you can't stand your aunt and you need a way out," she chuckled. "Anyway, you know you didn't have to ask. You are literally like an extended family in my family, that is if that makes sense. Besides, I'm sure that Colai would be more than excited to have you at our place."

Yue's words were the golden ticket Livingstone needed as he entered the home of the Suzukis for the umpteenth time.

He tilted his head upward and breathed in the floral scent that was evenly dissociated in the atmosphere, thanks to Mrs Suzuki's crazy obsession for wildflowers.

He spotted a slideshow of the family's photo album chipped into the painted metal wall.

The inside of the house was painted a fascinating blend of grey, white and midnight blue. The warmth and cosiness it provided could pull anyone in.

"Stone!!" the piercing voice of a six-year-old sister broke through the quiet atmosphere, the next thing that followed suit was her not-so-heavy footsteps. She jumped from one step to another, skipping some in the process.

Excitement shone through her small monolid eyes as she raced toward Livingstone as fast as her feet could carry her. "Stone! You're here!!"

"Hey, Angel!" Livingstone squatted, spread his arms out wide and watched with contentment as the little girl ran into them. She hugged him with all her strength and he returned the hug.

"You are here!" she shrieked, pulled away from the hug then hugged him again. She pulled away from the hug again and touched his face with her hands, her honey-brown eyes shone brightly as she looked at him.

Livingstone's eyes shone with happiness as he tucked a few strands that were out of her French plait behind her ear.

She giggled.

"Yue said-"

"What's with all the noise?" Mrs Suzuki chimed in. Livingstone knew her voice so well he could never mistake her for another person. He whipped his head toward the sound of her voice and stood to address her presence.

She stood a few feet away from the door with Iko, the family drioid. She worked as a Pediatrician in one of the districts in the Unit and years of great dedication to her work showed in the lines on her forehead.

"Ma!" Colai exclaimed.

She raced to her mother's side and gave her legs a tight hug. Still holding on tight to her mother, the little girl waved at the drioid, who in turn waved back. Iko stepped away from his owner and made his way toward Livingstone.

"Hello, Mr Latimore. It's good to see you again," Livingstone smiled and nodded, he watched as the drioid made its way toward the stairs.

"Ma, Livingstone is here. Please tell him to stay for the night," Colai craned her head to meet her mother's honey brown eyes and pouted.

Mrs Suzuki got down to her level and brushed her rosy cheeks with the back of her hand. Tucking a strand of hair behind her hair, she spoke softly. "Of course, love. I'm sure Livingstone won't be living anytime soon and even if it so happens that he wishes to leave, you can count on it that I would be stopping him from walking through that door. Now, why don't you be a good girl and go let your sister unbraid your hair? That way, Iko can shampoo it for you."

Minutes later, the six-year-old sprinted toward the stairs and called out her big sister's name. She kept calling out her name until she heard a grunted response.

Mrs Suzuki smiled to herself. She knew that irrespective of how much Yue hated braiding and unbraiding Colai's hair, she always found herself doing it in the end.

"Stone," she called out, gaining his attention. She waltzed in his direction, threw him a warm smile and pulled him in for a hug. Livingstone returned the hug and smiled at her when she pulled away. "Yue never told us you were coming but either way I'm glad to see you. It's been quite a long time," she said, touching the right side of his face with a hand as she stared into his eyes intently. "Tell me something, is there a problem? Cause I have a feeling there is one."

Livingstone remained silent as he gazed at the photo album behind her.

Was there honestly a problem? or was he just running away from nothing...