The Runner

Dinner was good. Really good. I had no idea what the dish was - likely some sort of shellfish - but it was good.

"Reka pãpã." Kaia grinned, holding a glass of water up to her dad in a toast.

"Whakamihi kõtiro." He grinned back, also raising his glass to her before downing a few gulps.

I looked between them in confusion and the girl beside me leaned over. "You need a translation?" She whispered, straight red hair falling into her face and light green eyes sparkling kindly.

"What language are they speaking?" I whispered back.

"Mãori." She replied, pronouncing the word so it sounded similar to 'mouldy'. "She told him that the food was 'delicious, dad!' And he replied with 'thank you, daughter!'"

"You speak it?" I asked.

"Of course I do!" She smiled. "We get taught a little bit at school and living with the Moana's I've learnt so much more."

I smiled shyly and chewed another mouthful of the thick, salty stew. "I'm Cordelia."

"Jazz." She said.

"Nice to meet you." I told her.

"Nice to meet who?" A blonde girl asked from across the table, her hair tracing down her neck in a loose braid, wavy strands escaping and hanging in front of her hazy grey eyes. She had been staring into space for a long time and her eyes were only just beginning to come into focus.

"Ummm..." I said.

"Don't mind Alyssa, she's off in her own world." Jazz smiled. And she was right, the blojde girl's eyes had hazed over and she was again staring into space.

"I know you from somewhere." Said a tall girl with jet black hair layered with multicoloured streaks.

"Are you from CHB?" I asked and she nodded. "Unclaimed?" She nodded again. "That explains it then."

"Me too." Waved a boy from across the table.

"Alyssa as well." Jazz added, nodded to the still zoned-out girl.

I nodded and turned my attention back to my stew, polishing off the last of it and placing my fork and knife in an X across my plate.

"Come on," Kaia said, leading me after the other kids up to the upstairs of the Den. "Let's get you settled in."

Notes