Chapter 11

Stacie, Josh, and Starr woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and rested, but hungry. They walked out of their bedroom to discover a table of food set out before them. The table was set with porridge, breads, and fruits. Once again Josh noticed the lack of animal products, but dismissed it.
Their host came out to greet them. “Oh, good” he said. “You’re awake. I was just going to get you so we could eat.”
“Did you make all of this for us?” Starr asked, slightly bewildered.
“Of course. I love having guests. Unfortunately I don’t have very many and they never stay very long.”
They sat down to eat. Starr and Josh discovered that the porridge was quite hearty and good and not at all what they expected. It was creamy, rich, and flavorful. “What is this?” asked Starr.
“Bean porridge,” Stacie said. “This is almost as good as my grandmothers.”
Josh spit out some of what he was eating. ”Yuck! I hate beans!”
“Not anymore,” laughed Starr.
“They continued to eat. They were eager to find out what had happened to Jenn, but they were hungry from all the walking they had done, and didn’t say anything further until they had finished eating.
“Do you know how to find our friend, Jenn?” Josh broke the silence as they cleared the table.
“Of course. I thought you’d never ask,” the wise old man replied. He continued clearing the table and didn’t say anything else.
“Well, how do we find her?” Starr asked, unable to stand this silence any longer.
“That’s an entirely different question. In Rome, if you don’t know the rules, it’s very easy to get in trouble. Since your friend doesn’t know the rules she probably found herself in trouble.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Josh sank down on the floor where he had been standing. Stacie sat down next to him and put her arm around him to comfort him.
“It’s not really as bad as it sounds,” she said. ”I’ve been to Rome before, so I know how to get around. But..”
“But?” Starr and Josh said, anticipating what was coming next.
“But once somebody gets in trouble it can be hard to get them out of it,” she finished.
“Hard how?” Josh asked.
“It can be complicated and it often takes a long time.”
“But its doable?”
“Usually, yes.”
“Do you know how to find Jenn?” Starr asked the wise old man.
“Yes,” he answered and once again didn’t say anything further.
“So, how do we find her?” she asked.
“I would start by looking for any reports of someone who has been arrested for not registering or by checking with C.E.W.L.”
“Do they really exist?” Stacie asked. “I would think they would be pretty much unnecessary.”
“Yes, C.E.W.L. is real, and yes they are needed,” the wise man smiled, knowingly "There is a Bob.
Starr, thought about this for a moment. “Before we go, is there anything else you feel like we need to know?”
“I know many things, but I don’t know anything that is important for your endeavor.”
The three loaded up on provisions and said their goodbyes. “Thank you for keeping an old man company.”
“Thank you for helping us find our friend.”
“I only wish I could help you more,” he said. “Hurry so that you can be sure to get there before it gets dark.”
They walked out his door, and down the road towards Rome. It was a beautiful day. Bright, but not too sunny, with a nice light breeze. It was the perfect day for a long walk. ”Is Rome really all that bad?” Josh asked.
“No,” Stacie said, “It’s just not somewhere I would go for a vacation. I want to stop at a stream about a mile down the road, and when we get there, I’ll tell you all about it.”
The three of them continued walking down the path. It was a narrow path with few trees, unlike the area they had come from. On either side of the path were farms. After about a mile, as Stacie had promised, they came to a stream.
They sat down and rested.
“You said you would tell us about Rome and the group called C.E.W.L.” Starr reminded Stacie.
“Yes, I did,” Stacie said as she sat down. She took a sip of water before continuing. ”Roman society is based upon rank calculated by credits obtained by doing favors for people. In Rome, the most important organization is the Roman Senate, which has all the power. Because the city is so large and so strictly regimented everything moves slowly in Rome. Without documentation you cannot hold credit, and without credit you cannot eat, sleep, or hold down a job.”
“Wow, that sounds really harsh,” Josh said.
“It can be,” Starr replied. “But it apparently works for some people.”
“So, how does C.E.W.L. fit in?”
“The system doesn’t work for some people, or at least not as well as it does for others. Some people are trapped there for years, despite the revolution. C.E.W.L. is a
legendary underground organization trying to change all of that. I don’t know very much about it, I thought it was a myth. C.E.W.L stands for a Community of Elitists Without Registering.”
“Is it dangerous?” Josh asked, thoughtfully.
“No, I have some friends who live there. We can stay with them if we have to, but we shouldn’t be there long.”
As soon as they were refreshed and ready the three of them continued down the road to Rome.