I had this idea of a story a few days ago, but never got a chance to write it, but I think having those few days to think about has helped the overall idea, and made it grow strong.
This is story is a continuation of, This Story.
Jareth Rasch was nervous; all he could do was stare blankly at the group assembled in the park, the surrounding darkness held at bay by the light from the transport ships that recently landed. It was a surreal scene; it almost seemed like they were a projection, all he could see was them, then nothing else, apart from the dim pulsating lights from the towers in the distance that engulfed the small spit of green land.
"Come to us, are not a lost soul? Don't allow this place to consume you." The man's voice rang out, the echo from his words bounced jovially, beckoning him closer.
One deep breath was all he needed, one solid breath of stale air which helped to quiet his mind and walk. By the time he reached the perimeter of light, every eye was on him, and each stoic face didn't praise, or discourage him. Judging only by the look of the people waiting for him to join them, he got the feeling they were not being too encouraging on purpose. They wanted him to make the decision to join them, to not persuade d him, no. That way, he would earn his place among them as an equal, someone he came by his own choosing.
He stared at his hands, seeing them for the first time since the sun went down, and it felt good, he was confident, for the first time in what felt like years. Something like this was unlike him, he would never be this close to potential danger, he rarely acted on intuition, Jareth was unsure he had any, but if he did, he knew that it was telling him it was okay.
"What has you out so late?" The man who called him asked.
"I, I," Jareth stammered, unsure how to respond. What would he tell them, the truth? That everything in his life was down at the moment and he has never felt so low, that he has nowhere to go, that he wants to get away but has no means. "I, I," he tried to continue; to force the words out.
All he could do was stare at the faces of those around him, and only now he noticed that the men who arrived on the ships were the only ones with the slightest look of joy in their eyes, the only ones in clean clothes, the only ones with the luxury of transport. Everyone else - in comparison - was dead behind the eyes, scruffy, and seemed to have nowhere else to be.
The one who asked the question turned away, to stare intently at one of the others in the circle around them. "Why did you come?"
"I came because I heard about this meetup that takes place here," the man replied, almost unsure of himself.
The one who asked the question nodded his head and slowly turned to another. "You, why did you come here?"
"Well, I had nowhere to be, have nothing, and figured this couldn't be any worse."
"You there, in the back, what about you?"
"I saw everyone else standing around so decided to join them," a particularly scruffy person said with a carefree tone and they ended with a shrug.
The man asking the questions stared back into Jareth's eyes as if to say, "See, was that so hard?" Instead of actually asking that question, he cleared his throat and allowed his eyes to fall on everyone in the circle as he stared out at them. "You all came here because you were drawn to this place, each of you is drawn to a higher power, a higher vibration, to find higher meaning, to excel, and earn everything you deserve."
The man spoke with such conviction that Jareth felt that this was some sort of religious meet-up, some kind of cult, shrouding their recruitment in the cover of darkness.
All religion has been banned on Jex many years before, as the divisive nature of religion of all kinds led to too much hate and animosity that it was deemed too dangerous to allow. A lot of people continued to practice in private and were careful not to mention it in public, however, the majority of people stopped outright when the first cull happened, long before Jareths time. Raids on homes suspected of practicing their beliefs, confiscations, arrests, and fines turned into executions when the first protests started, and that is all Jareth knew of it.
"You are all here for a reason, now my brothers and I, offer each of you a choice. You have nothing, and no one, you have lived in the shadows, alone, and isolated. The average person steps over you in the street on a daily basis, and wouldn't spare the smallest amount of help, or bestow even the slightest hint of sympathy." The man started to pace, reaching closer to the circle, walking the perimeter of it, and stopping to give each person focused attention. "You are labeled scum, criminals, thieves, druggies, and undesirable." The man stopped at Jareth and stared intensely at him. "Well, I say you're not. I say you are worth much more than this. I say you deserve better, and I believe that with guidance, each one of you can be useful."
Jareth could feel the strength in the man's voice, could feel the weight in his words, and as far as he could tell, everyone else could too. Most of the circle was nodding in agreement, although, among the majority who agreed, there seemed to be a few who were unconvinced.
"I can offer each of you something, a clean bed to sleep in, new clothes, and food. It's all free, all you have to do is come with us. I know, most of you will want to, so tell me, who is ready?" Everyone in the circle replied yes, including Jareth, a whisper as it may have been, but it felt powerful.
The man turned and stood in his original place among the others in his small group. "Anyone who wishes to join us, take one step forward."
He glided forward, joined by many more, and the few who were uncertain remained in position, no doubt wondering. Of the twenty or so people gathered, about fourteen of them were ready to take the journey.
As they stood there the speaker nodded. "I'm afraid we only have six seats, so some of you may not be picked. I'm sorry, but it is just the way it is."
The people gathered around the speaker started to walk the circle, stopping at each person and looking them up and down, and then into their eyes. "Not today," they would say, before moving on. "Not today," another shooting feeling of rejection as a candidate would wander backward. "Not today,"
"What do you mean? I came here last time and was told no!" The sound of anger was out of place among the circle, but one of the candidates couldn't control himself. He was angry, but the strange thing was how calm the one speakers were; nobody paid him any mind and continued to walk the circle.
One of the men reached Jareth, and carefully looked him up and down, before staring into his eyes. It was a strange experience, he felt less like he was being observed and instead felt like he was being questioned silently. He had no idea what the questions were and didn't know what he was answering. The man's face gave nothing away.
"You are welcome to join us," the man said and moved on.
Jareth was lost, and looked around, ignoring the person complaining he just stared out and cracked a smile. The speaker clocked eyes with him and extended his arm, calling him to stand near him. Soon, he was joined by another, and another, until all six were standing by the transports.
"I am sorry for anyone disappointed in their verdict, but if you would like to come back here this same day next month, you may have another chance to join." The speaker said, as he turned to the vehicle, as he neared it he turned around. "Make sure to spread the word to the other lost souls of Jex, luck alone will not save them all."
