1:4:1 Cambridge (Part 4)

They stood by the door, fabricated basket in hand, waiting for Char and the siblings to finish getting ready. Char joined them with her own basket under her arm.
“What have you got in there then?” Lore tried to sneak a peek but Char stopped them.
“You’ll see when we get there.” Char slipped a padlock on the basket before reaching behind Lore to open the door. “Come on then!” She called back.
The alleyway stank of something fresh and unpleasant. The source of this experience wasn’t too far away, staggering with a bottle clutched tight enough to shatter between his fingers. Sky and Blue inhaled deeply, smiling. Lore checked their shoes to make sure they hadn’t stood in anything before they left the alley. “Where exactly is this park we’re going to anyway?” They got in closer than they initially thought, whispering to Char.
“Not too far, at least it doesn’t look that far on the maps.” She took the sat-nav out of the basket and showed it to Lore. “See, just there.”
“How long’s it going to take then?” Sky poked their head between them.
“About two minutes.” Char chuckled.
She wasn’t wrong; about two minutes later they were finding a nice spot on the green to sit and eat.
“How about here?” Char stopped and planted the basket on the grass.
“Nah.” Blue looked around sheepishly. “Too close to the entrance.” They kept their head on the swivel.
“And it’s too close to that police car isn’t it?” Sky beamed. “Though I do agree, it’s a touch close to that wall.”
Char picked up the basket before taking a few exaggerated steps away from her starting point before settling once more. “How about here then?”
Lore looked around, squinting in the strangely intense sun. “Too bright. I thought England was supposed to be overcast.”
“So where do you want us to move to then?” Char snatched the basket.
“That tree over there? Level ground, shade?” Lore gestured forward. “That alright with everyone else?”
Blue and Sky grumbled between themselves before nodding. Char swiped the basket and walked briskly toward the tree. She cast the blanket down with the skill of an aged angler spreading their net. They sat down and admired their spot. It was still early but the park was quickly filling. A handful of parents and their children entered the park by one of the other entrances and set up their own blankets in the spot Char had selected.
“See, they don’t seem to have a problem with being close to the park’s edge.” Char nodded at the newcomers.
“They also probably don’t have a habit of breaking the law.” Sky pushed their sibling jovially.
There was something about the other family that rubbed Lore the wrong way but they couldn’t quite put their finger on it. Every now and then, the adults of their group would turn and stare at Lore and Char. As the morning progressed, more and more families and groups filled the green. They sat there, in silence, enjoying their environs; the sounds, the smell, the warmth, the freshness of the air, even though they were surrounded by people, they had never felt such calm and peace.
“Hi!” A young woman called over as she approached their blanket. “Heya, I was wondering if your kids would like to come and play with ours.” She spoke eloquently and with a strong local accent but Lore still took a moment to understand what she had said.
“I’m sorry?” Lore paused. “Oh, Sky and Blue. I’ll ask.” Lore turned to them. Sky and Blue looked over at the children playing and shrugged; there was a mix of age groups gleefully chasing a flying plastic disk. “Want to go join them?”
“And you two are more than welcome to join us too.” She turned to leave. “We’re just over there when you’re ready.”
“That was weird.” Lore looked to Char then over to the group. “Don’t you think?”
“They’re just being nice. It’s a good idea though. You two should go and play. It’ll help us blend in.” Char pointed over to them. “Go on, looks like fun.”
Both Sky and Blue groaned as they got up and reluctantly made their way over to the other children
“You know, I some times forget they’re even kids.” Lore felt a little disgusted in themselves as they heard the words leave their mouth. “What are we going to do with them?”
“We don’t have to do anything.” Char opened the basket and removed a flask. “They’re both competent and they’re both willing.”
“Look at them though.” Lore pointed over at the children playing, Sky and Blue lingering in the background. “They’re kids. They shouldn’t be in command of a starship; they should be enjoying life, learning.” Lore trailed off.
“They’re also from Rexel. Average age of a miner is twelve and the average life expectancy is forty-six. It’d be short sighted to set them aside because of their age. Rexel is completely different to the inner rim worlds; and as I said, where we’re going, we’re going to need all the help we can get.” Char poured some tea from the flask into a couple of cups.
“I don’t want to be like them.” Lore took a sip from their cup, scalding their tongue. “I won’t let children fight my battles. We’ve got more than enough people behind us, we can spare them of what’s to come.”
Char looked as though she had something to add but instead just looked at Lore lovingly and hugged them. “You know, we’re technically only babies ourselves. Maybe we sit this out?” She chuckled at her own joke.
“It’d be nice but I don’t think it works like that. Better us than them.” Lore looked over and smiled as they saw Sky and Blue tossing the flying plastic disk between themselves in an expertly co-ordinated display while the other children chased after them. “So what do we do with them?”
“Sky’s seventeen. I say they’re old enough to make their own decision. Blue… Blue we’ll have to think about.” Char sipped at her tea. “I don’t think we can have one without the other though.”
“I think you might be right.” Lore took another sip, burning their tongue once again. “We should probably go over there and speak to the other parents. Plus my tea needs to cool.”
Char shook her head as she got up. She held her hand out to Lore to help them up, making sure to offer from their left side. They gently set their tea down on the blanket and grabbed at Char’s hand. With her help, they hauled themselves up; Char swapped hands after they stood up then they made their way over to the other adults. Lore was sure so keep their eye on the parents as they approached as they still weren’t entirely sure about them. They scanned the various blankets they had set up on their side of the park. There were a wide variety of dishes being set out but nothing that Lore recognised as being from two thousand and nine. Some looked as though they could have been from the southern or eastern continents with their high rice contents but there was something almost alien about their meals. Most of their party were making the most of the unexpected sun bar one or two who were sat by the entrances to the park, watching to make sure their children didn’t escape. They approached slowly so as not to come on too strong as they wove their way through the blankets looking for the parent who invited them over.
“Hey, glad you two came to join us.” The woman beamed. “Did you want a drink or something to eat? There’s plenty to go around.” She was about to go back to her conversation but then she clicked her fingers and snapped back to Lore and Char. “How rude of me. I never introduced myself.” She chuckled. “I’m Rolanda and that’s Jo.” The person on the blanket next to her gave the thumbs up. “Those are our kids, the ones right behind your two.” She shook her head. “Never seen anyone outpace Frey. Some lungs your two’s got.”
“Thanks but they’re not our kids…” Char began.
“We’ve not too long adopted them.” Lore picked up. “Old family friends.”