Read Kingdoms Away 1: Jorian Cluster Archives for Free Online Page A

down how the animals spied on the Joirans?”
    Feena stopped suddenly. “No, I forgot, that’s
the most exciting part.”
    “Na, it’s not, the Twisted Ones are more
exciting.” Benny said loudly, his green eyes twinkling with
excitement. “Do you think the Twisted Ones are going to come and
get us soon?”
    “Shhh.” Feena smiled at the receptionist, who
was looking at them from over the front counter. “Don’t know. The
adults don’t like talking about it with us. I tried looking on the
Netcom in our quarters but it says it’s restricted.”
    “Yeh, I tried too. I wonder why they are
going to come. Are they angry with us? Do you think the humans that
came to the Joiran Cluster were different-looking from us?”
    “Don’t know to your first two questions and
no to the last. The only difference between humans and Joirans is
that humans grew old and died, although I heard Dad say to Mum one
night that the humans, except the Reos, had sex with another
species and had Joiran babies.”
    Benny screwed up his face.
    “Anyway, now we are Joirans that live a lot
longer and we’re smarter than humans too. Besides, the humans that
came here were all scientists. Maybe that’s why the Twisted Ones
hate Joirans.”
    “Not all!”
    “Okay, some were bodyguards or whatever. They
guarded the scientists.” Her tone spoke volumes.
    “Boy, you don’t like scientists much. Is it
because of your parents?”
    “They’re not really scientists, but they work
with a lot of them. We have them over for dinner and it’s so
boring. The scientists keep asking me lots of stupid questions,
like, ‘Are you sleeping soundly, Serafina? Are you dreaming? What
do you dream about?’ Sometimes, I make stuff up and they write it
down. They’re horrible; when I have nightmares, they love it. Once,
they asked me if I dreamt about Reos; why would I dream about him
or his descendants?”
    “They asked you about Reos?” Benny made a
connection; he shut his eyes and then looked back at her. “The
Elysians sung about him in the mantra.”
    She rolled her eyes, “Didn’t you write that
bit in the test?”
    “I forgot. But I found out last month that
the first Reos was a founding scientist from Earth. The Elysians
did something to him when he was on the space ship, the one that
the scientists had built to escape Earth. The Elysians liked Reos.
I can’t remember the name of the ship. Two, Tue, something.” He
shrugged his shoulders in frustration.
    Feena was interested. They had stopped
walking. “Where did you find that? I’ve always wanted to know why
the name Reos was sung by the space orcas.”
    Benny shuffled his feet. “Mum forgot to
restrict the site when she got up to go to work and I had some time
to have a look. I did manage to read that the Weird Ones attacked
the ship Reos was on and the Elysians stopped it, but then Dad
walked in and I was sprung.”
    “Too bad,” Feena said with feeling. “I wonder
what the Twisted and Weird Ones look like?”
    “I bet they are big and hairy, with horns and
fangs instead of teeth.” He tried to make a scary face.
    “Or maybe—” she replied with some scorn
“—they are just twisted and funny-looking.”
    Benny twisted his body, but Feena tapped her
head. They walked out together, pushing the doors as far as they
could and watching them swing. They quickly ran off when they saw
the receptionist get up, and they kept arguing who was right about
the Twisted and Weird Ones. They stopped running after almost
bumping into an Anamoth cruise attendant around a corner.
    “Aren’t the Twisted Ones also called Ill,
Illu …?”
    Feena offered helpfully, “Illudere?”
    “Yeh.”
    “Yep.”
    Benny gave her a dirty look. She grinned at
him, showing straight white teeth. “The scientists all call them
the Illudere, but I prefer to use Twisted Ones.”
    “Why?”
    “Cause the Elysians say Twisted Ones, that’s
why. But then they say ‘Sharith’ for the Weird Ones.” She changed
the