Ch. 1

            Nami rested her back against the wooden panel of the wall.  A rusty nail jutted out next to her with a line of cobwebs extending from its shaft to the floor below.  She was a tall, slender Calculus with long arms and well defined shoulders.  The lower portion of her face was slightly pointed, not grotesquely so, but enough to give her a look of sophistication.  Two sets of thin, wiry wings rested between her shoulder blades.  While she, like all other Calculi, could fly, Nami preferred to run, as her long legs were perfectly suited for such an exercise.  Two medium sized antennae stuck out from the top of her head, between the tangled mess which was her dirty blond hair, which hung by her shoulders shaggily.  However, it was directly at the center of her chest which was her most remarkable feature, a feature shared by all Calculi.  A large crease ran from the bottom of her neck to the base of her sternum, creating a gap which was only a few inches wide.  The gap was filled with a unique type of photoreceptive tissue which glowed, right now a dimly lit crimson color.  The Calculi called these creases “the light of the soul”, as the color represented in the crease could change in accordance with the current mood or situation of any particular Calculus.

  Her bread was stale and dirty, but she ate it anyway, as her stomach had been empty for quite a long time.  Thankfully the day had been rather eventless, as the giantess had been intently focused on the black device which sat on her desk.  She would periodically look at an object which rested next to the device, consisting of thousands of very thin segments, and then resume her work.  This process continued for some time; the giantess would flip through the thin segments, staring at their glossy appearing surface, and then look back up at her device, quickly moving her fingers along the bottom of it while staring at the bright square in front.  Nami could only imagine what she was doing, for the life of the giantess was much too complicated for her to understand completely.  From a darkened notch of their hideaway, which occupied the space between the walls of the giantess’s home, Xi appeared and slowly approached her friend.

“Hello Xi.”   

“Hello my good friend.  Why do you sit alone?” 

            The two of them spoke in the language of the Calculi.  This language, unlike that of the giantess, from the times when the people witnessed her speak, combined elements of both sound and the movement of air.  Words and interpretations were formed not only by the creation of a noise, but also by the emphasis of the air which was used to expel it from the mouth.  Such articulation led to the creation of a language which was so soft it was almost whispered, but one which flowed together like a river.  Nami’s bread was gone, and she tried to cease her rumbling stomach.

“I mustn’t stir, else my stomach will disagree.  I am happy you’ve joined me, though.”

“I see.  Here, take this.”  Xi handed Nami a dirty sack, made of the soft fabric which comprised the ground in many rooms of the home.  Inside was a small volume of sugar.

“Thank you, Xi, you are kind.  I wish the large one would retire for the night, or at least go somewhere else.  The sooner we can make our way to the pantry the sooner I can repay your generosity.”

“Do not concern yourself with me.  It is true she has spent a large part of the day inside.  I fear it may be a while before we are able to move.”  Xi was somewhat shorter than Nami, and when she took a seat next to her, her bare feet only reached Nami’s shins.  Xi’s hair was dark brown, dirty, and braided into four separate pieces.  Two of these braids fell by her shoulders, and the other two fell in front of them.  She did not physically appear as athletic as her friend, but Xi was as swift as the wind when she was airborne, evident by the tone of the muscles surrounding her wings.  She was currently emitting a lime green light, which illuminated the dusty floor in front of them.  “You needn’t worry about that, but I fear that you are not alone in your growing hunger.  The others grow weary, as well.”  Some lights glowed dimly in the distance.  Nami gently took her friends hand, and the two of them closed their eyes together.

            It had only seemed like a few minutes had passed before the two Calculi were startled awake.  A teal light radiated from the chest of another Calculus, Jericho, who was hovering over top, trying to quietly awaken them.  They both groggily came to.

“Come on you two, she’s left.  We need to move quickly before she returns.”

            Jericho was an experienced guardian Calculus, responsible for organizing and preparing his section of the colony for events such as the acquisition of food as well as other expeditions.  Underneath his faded tribal garments, a large scar ran down his right shoulder to the top of his left hip, the relic of a mistake he had made long ago.  The scar cut through part of his crease, so the teal light shone on Nami and Xi in two unequally sized rays.  “Let us move quickly and quietly.”

            The three of them proceeded together down a dank corridor of their hideaway toward one of the only entrances to it.  The large “softbox”, where the giantess would retire each night (when she was there), was pressed against two sides of the wall in the corner of her room.  Underneath of it is where the Calculi entered and exited their domain, which they called “Sanctuary”.  A small piece of wood was easily slipped out of a crevice, which the Calculi themselves had created, along the long, hand-crafted board which ran along the bottom of the wall.  When slipped into place, it perfectly concealed their home.  When removed, it provided them the means to quickly enter or leave.  The ground was soft, made of the same material which Xi had used to craft her sack.

            “Ok,” Jericho spoke swiftly, “the pantry is only two rooms away, and she left only a short time ago.  We will operate the same as we have before.  Xi, you and the other flyers will make your way to the top of the white tower and collect as much bread as you can.  Nami, you must remain below with Leigh to ensure that the large one does not return before the flyers can escape.  Inform us immediately if she does.”

            Many other members of the colony had also exited and were patiently awaiting instruction from their sect’s guardian Calculus.  Nami did not particularly enjoy retrieving food, as she was a “spotter”, and much of her time was spent alone in a separate room staring out the window to see if the giantess was returning.  It was a lonely, scary time because she was almost always separate from her fellow spotter, Leigh.  It was useful to be an efficient runner as a spotter, because if the giantess were to enter, you did not want to be seen flying into the pantry to warn the others.

            Nami did like Leigh, however, who was a quiet, extremely fast Calculus.  Not only was Leigh undoubtedly the fastest runner in Nami’s sect, but she may have been the fastest out of the entire colony, making her a perfect spotter.  Nami took her place next to her as the two set out for the adjoining room.