After a simple dinner of roasted beef and mixed veggies, the family and their guest moved to the main room of the house. A little on the smaller side, the house had a main room, two bedrooms, and a small kitchen area with a fire pit. The restroom was to to side of the house, a small separate shack with a cold water shower and wooden toilet. While hot water still had to be boiled, there was rudimentary plumbing, which was a great relief to everyone some twenty years prior.
"So, how was the school day?" Mark asked while rolling a cigarette with a thin slice of dried tobacco leaf. While not as good as paper, the remaining moisture made for an easy roll, similar to a cigar.
Ella was the first to reply. "It was really good. We found out about the end of year trip we will be taking this weekend to the crater in Dallas 2, and that we will have a chance to touch a star stone!"
"Oh, is that so?" Mia asked. " Were you both planning on testing out the stone's effects?" She glanced over to her son, who only gave a nonchalant shrug and small shake of the head. It seemed her current worry was unfounded.
"Oh, I do!" Ella answered. "I've heard that even after gaining an inheritance, touching a stone personally can give the abilities a significant boost while altering your biological code. I could really use those benefits to take my ability."
"That would be great for you," Devon responded. "No more unruly hair!"
The family let out a laugh together, Ella included.
Mark continued the conversation. "Ella, I heard your dad has been working hard on an immense project to allow electrical grids to become a thing again. Has he had any luck?"
Ella's father, Nathan, was world renowned with his electrical ability. He had been able to harness his power down to exact currents, and on occasion could bring old technology back from the dead, although only for the amount of time he touched the items.
" We have the ability to create all the parts of an electrical power grid," Ella stated, "but he keeps running into the same problem. While the grid can work in a small area, it only works as long as he touches it, and only in an area cleared of death stone within several miles. There has been some success recreating batteries, but not to the extent to power the grid, and any other type of electrical storage so far has been ineffective."
"I'm glad to hear about the progress, but those are some pretty harsh setbacks," Mark replied as Ella finished. "I can only imagine how difficult it is to clear miles upon miles of death stone from the land, much less finding a way to power the grid without your father's influence."
"He believes he will get there. It might take years, even decades, but he believes that if he is successfull, the world could quickly regain what we lost."
"I believe in him, if anyone can do it, Nathan can," Mia chimed in softly.
The conversation soon started to lull, and Devon suggested it was time to get Ella home. She lived a few miles down the road, nearly on the opposite side of town. Mark passed him some money and said, "Go ahead and rent two of the horses at the Gildan's across the street. Make sure to return them before coming home."
Devon took the money, thanked his father, and headed out, Ella saying her goodbyes behind him. They made their way to the Gildan's, rented their horses, and began to ride down the street side by side. As it was dusk, few people were on the road. Most were getting ready to call it a night and preparing for an early morning full of hustle and bustle.
"Hey Devon.. do you think you will touch the star stone during our trip? I know it's a risk, but I think you could end up with something really special. Though I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to risk it." Ella was clearly worried about her friend not having an ability to make his life better, but also didn't want to lose him in the process.
"I'm going to pass, and focus on the death stone study," Devon replied to her. "Life is more important than power to me. It's not like I'd end up with one that extends my life or anything anyway. Besides, longevity is only good for historians who can record the progression of humanity, and that sounds boring," Devon continued, cracking a small joke to ease the mood.
"Well I'm glad to know, no matter what, you'll be around," Ella commented. Devon couldn't see her blushing in the dark, but Ella felt it to the tip of her ears after stating what she was thinking.
"I'm not going anywhere," Devon started, completely missing the significance of Ella's words.
"If I'm not mistaken, we need a group of three for the crater study. Do you want to invite Reuben to join us?" Ella asked about their other friend, who hadn't been in class that day.
"Absolutely. We can fill him in first thing in the morning, and the three of us can go together on the trip. We better tell him about James too, just in case there are issues tomorrow." Devon answered, reminding Ella of her "shocking" experience earlier that day.
"Ah, I think everything will be fine," Ella answered, "but I'm sure he would find the topic interesting." They both laughed together remembering the earlier events, which they had hidden from Devon's parents to avoid any trouble.
Soon, they were on Ella's street, and moments later in front of her house. Ella dismounted her horse and handed Devon the reigns.
"Thanks for having me over," Ella said as Devon dismounted and tied the horses to walk Ella to the door.
"It's nice having you over, my parents don't fret so much over me," Devon let out a breath. "Sometimes they are really concerned that I can't get an inheritance. They are becoming more normal as time goes on, and some of the abilities are getting stronger. They are worried there may one day be no place for me. I think it's pointless to worry about it. We will see what happens when the time comes."
"I'm sure you'll have a great life, and their worries won't be warranted," Ella said, giving Devon a quick hug. "I'll see you in class tomorrow."
"Yeah, have a good night Ella. See you in the morning." With that Devon retrieved the reigns, mounted his horse and headed back to the Guildan's.