When Comes the Stroke of Midnight

by Madeline Walz

  When Comes the Stroke of Midnight

  Also By Madeline Walz

  Otherworld Book One:

  Beneath Which Sky

  Partivan: An Otherworld Flash Story

  Otherworld Book Two:

  When Comes the Stroke of Midnight

  ***

  Adore: A Poetry Collection

  Nova: A Flash Fiction Story

  WHEN COMES THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT

  An Otherworld Story

  Madeline Walz

  Text Copyright © 2020 by Madeline Walz.

  Images Copyright © 2020 by Madeline Walz.

  All Rights Reserved.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  Cover designed by Madeline Walz

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Madeline Walz

  Visit my website at www.madelinewalz.com

  For Eli, Amy, Sarah, Abby, Kate, Cameron, Todd, Anna, and Abby, who I worked with at the CMH Haunted House. It was fun while it lasted!

  Also, for everyone who didn’t make it through the Haunted House tour. You missed out, but at least we know the rooms worked!

  Whatever you are, be a good one.

  —Abraham Lincoln

  CONTENTS

  The Story So Far

  Part I

  Part II

  The Story So Far

  Arkeda Mothran was born on the planet Otreau, in the city of Katósa, on August 17, 2031, to Damari and Kai Mothran. As he grew up, his parents learned that he had a photographic memory. When Arkeda was six years old, he began learning a form of martial arts called seulaitál, known on Earth as taido. It quickly became clear that he was a prodigy, rapidly mastering advanced skills.

  Damari was the head of security at the Venetíchi Airfield in Katósa. Kai was a librarian. Both of them were also solar astronomers. While monitoring the binary star that Otreau orbited, they learned that the white dwarf star in the binary system would soon explode in a supernova. They tried to warn others, but Damari and Kai weren’t professional scientists, so no one listened. So they prepared their son for life on Earth.

  Otrans communicate telepathically, sending their thoughts directly to another person’s mind. Arkeda’s parents taught him how to control the distance of his words, and how to move his lips to match what he said. This way, he would appear to be speaking aloud, like people do on Earth. They also discovered that, while the Earthen atmosphere was friendly to Otrans, there was enough of a difference that Otrans would float. Luckily, the Venetíchi Airfield had a simulation room. There, they trained Arkeda in an Earthen atmosphere, teaching him to control his height so he could blend in.

  When Arkeda was eight years old, Kai and Damari knew they were running out of time. The supernova could occur any day. Damari pulled Arkeda out of his seulaitál class and brought him to the airfield. Only then did he and Kai tell him about the supernova and the reason for his training. They then sent him off-world in a one-man pod ship, using a portal to shorten the distance to Earth.

  Arkeda arrived on Earth on August 28, 2039, in a field near a highway between Waukesha and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was found by Dominique Marton, who took care of him for a year while he took ESL classes to learn English. Around this time, Otreau’s sun exploded, destroying the planet.

  For the next three years, Arkeda bounced around the foster care system, staying in seven different foster homes. On July 31, 2044, Arkeda began living with Susan and Howard Williams, who adopted him in 2049, shortly before his eighteenth birthday.

  During these ten years, Arkeda had kept everyone at arm’s-length. No one knew his history, or where he came from, but many times he used his Otran telepathy to show empathy and diffuse trouble before anyone else spotted a problem.

  Arkeda graduated from DHS in Waukesha in 2049, then began attending Gabriel Possenti University in northern Michigan with a major in business. There, he met James Rochester, Petyr Achtenberg, and Mark Flynne. At Thanksgiving that year, he reconnected with Dominique, and finally began opening up a little about his past. He showed Dominique, Susan, and Howard his name written in Otran:

  He also received a ring from Susan and Howard, who said it was a family heirloom of unknown origin. To Arkeda’s surprise, the symbol on the ring resembled the shape of the river that ran past Katósa, mirrored over itself:

  By the time final exams ended in May 2050, Arkeda was considering sharing his history for the first time. He made up his mind after watching a movie, Warhawk: Origins, that reminded him of his past.

  On his nineteenth birthday, August 17, 2050, Arkeda invited Dominique, James, Petyr, and Mark to his house, where he told them, along with Susan and Howard, where he came from. They believed him after he demonstrated his telepathy.

  Now the story continues. This book begins on the winter solstice, December 21, 2035, when Arkeda was four years old.

  Part I

  December 21, 2035, 5:31 pm

  Waukesha, Wisconsin

  Joanna Verling looked through the window at the snow. It was already up to the windowsill and showed no sign of stopping. I guess I’m stuck inside for a few days, she thought. She was just about to sit down for a solitary dinner when there was a knock at the door. Who could possibly be out in this weather? The whole neighborhood is snowed in!

  She went to the door and opened it a crack. There was a man on the front stoop. He was tall, over six feet, very pale, with brown hair and a close-cropped beard. His jacket didn’t look nearly warm enough, but he didn’t seem bothered by the cold. She noticed immediately that his eyes were two different colors: one black, one such a pale gray that it was almost white.

  “Hello,” he said with a small smile. “If it’s not too much trouble, I need a place to spend the night. With this weather, I can’t make it into town to find a hotel.”

  “Of course,” Joanna said, opening the door all the way and stepping aside. Something about this man told her she could trust him. “Come in. I could use some company.”

  “Thank you,” he said. As he stepped into the light of the entryway, she noticed a small silvery square on his temple, about an inch wide. It looked like a plate of metal embedded in his skin.

  “I was just about to have dinner. Would you like to join me?” she asked.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  ***

  After dinner, Joanna led the man to the guest room.

  “It’s small, but you can stay here for the night.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “This will do.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said and went to her own bedroom. She put on her pajamas and sat on her bed, trying to read, but her mind kept returning to her mysterious guest. He had not told her his name, or what that strange metal plate was. However, all through dinner he had told her legends about light deities from all over the world, all centering on the winter solstice. He had said that tonight was the first day of yule, the mothers’ night. It was all very interesting—she’d had no idea the winter solstice was so significant. Finally, after hours of unsuccessfully reading and rereading the same page, she set aside her book and lay down to sleep.

  ***

  The next morning, Joanna went to the guest room to find the door open. The only sign that anyone had been there was a note on the bed. It was written in
a neat, unfamiliar hand.

  Thank you for your kindness.

  He will be extraordinary.

  Zaivyer Partivan

  There was a ring beside the note, with an unusual symbol on it. It was a circle with two overlapping spirals inside, inlaid with what looked like lapis lazuli.

  She searched the house, but the man was gone. He must have left very early, she thought.

  A few weeks later, she learned that she was pregnant.

  ***

  On September 23, 2036, just before midnight, Joanna Verling gave birth to a baby boy. He was small, only five pounds, but healthy, with eyes in two different colors: one black, one such a pale gray that it was almost white. On his temple was a small dot, no bigger than a grain of sand. She named him Zaivyer after the strange man who was clearly his father.

  Zaivyer was an ordinary boy, except for one thing—that small dot on his temple slowly grew over the years until it was a silvery metal plate, one-inch square. The doctors didn’t know what it was. If it was metal, it wasn’t anything known. If it was harmful, or dangerous, or affecting young Zaivyer in any way, there was no sign of it. Every doctor Joanna took him to had their own theories and tried to keep him around for more tests. She refused them all. Her family, friends, and everyone else could keep questioning her about Zaivyer and his father. Joanna had long since decided to accept things as they were. His origins may have been unusual, but Zaivyer was still her son, and he would not be treated like an oddity.

  Despite her efforts, though, Joanna’s thoughts kept returning to the note left by the stranger. He will be extraordinary. She knew now that the “he” must be her son. As for being extraordinary, she certainly thought he was, but she was his mother. Of course she thought he was special. Whatever the stranger had been referring to, it hadn’t happened yet. She suspected that it would have something to do with that metal plate on Zaivyer’s temple, identical to his father’s.

  ***

  September 22, 2049, 7:03 am

  Zaivyer Verling couldn’t sleep any longer. He was too excited. It was a four-day vacation from school for some national holiday that had been created about twenty years ago. He didn’t really care what the reason was. Even more than that, though, was the fact that tomorrow was his thirteenth birthday, and his friends were coming tonight for a sleepover. Last year, they had taught him Ghost in the Graveyard, and he couldn’t wait to play it again. Maybe he’d actually win this time. He jumped out of bed and ran barefoot to his mother’s room.

  “Wake up!” he shouted and jumped onto the bed, his father’s ring bouncing against his chest. The ring was made of copper and lapis lazuli, with a pattern of two spirals on it. His mother had given it to him when he turned seven, when the metal plate on his temple was only about half an inch wide. He had worn the ring on a chain around his neck every day since.

  Joanna groaned and squinted at the clock. “Good morning, Zaivyer. What are you doing up already?”

  “I can’t sleep anymore! How long until six o’clock?” That was when Aidan, Grayson, and Asher were arriving.

  “Eleven hours. Just so you know, if I get up now, I’m having breakfast and as soon as I’m done with breakfast we’ll start cleaning the house. Do you still want me to get up?”

  Zaivyer thought about that for a moment. He didn’t want to clean for the party already, but the sooner they started, the sooner they would finish, and it would help pass the time.

  “Yes. We might as well get it done.”

  “True. Okay, I’ll get up.” Joanna gently pushed Zaivyer off her and stood up, putting on her bathrobe. “Come on. I’ll make pancakes.”

  ***

  11:59 pm

  It had been a great party so far. Joanna had ordered pizza, and Zaivyer, Aidan, Grayson, and Asher had watched old movies.

  Around 11:30, they’d gone outside to play ghost in the graveyard. Just like last year, Zaivyer had lost every round. Now it was his turn to be the ghost. He was hiding in some bushes at the edge of the backyard, waiting for one of his friends to come close. They were playing without flashlights, so it was hard to see, especially through the leaves of the bush.

  In the distance, the city hall clock tower began to bong. Zaivyer counted—1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Midnight. He was officially thirteen. A moment later, a blinding headache hit him, and he doubled over, clutching at his head. Then, as quickly as it had come, the headache was gone. The first thing he noticed was that the metal plate on his temple was faintly vibrating. He put his fingers on it. It was warm to the touch. The second thing he noticed was that he could see. Somehow, he hadn’t immediately noticed that it was now as bright as day, but when he looked at the sky, the moon and stars were still out. He looked around for the source of the light but couldn’t find one. It was as if his eyesight had suddenly gotten better.

  Zaivyer peered through the bushes again and noticed Asher was getting close. He could hear a rapid pounding noise that, at first, he thought was his own heartbeat, but his heart wasn’t racing that fast. He focused on the sound and realized it was coming from Asher! It was Asher’s heartbeat he was hearing! What was happening to him?

  There was no time to think about it—this was his chance to tag someone. Asher was standing with his back to the bushes, looking around the backyard. Zaivyer crept out of his hiding spot, making sure each step was silent. When he was standing right behind Asher, he reached out and tapped his friend on the shoulder. Asher screamed and whirled around.

  “Zaivyer! Where’d you come from?” he panted, clutching at his chest. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”

  “Good to see you too,” Zaivyer said with a grin. “I was in those bushes. Come on. You’re on my team now.”

  For the next half hour, Zaivyer was unstoppable. Whatever had happened to him at midnight, he could now see and hear better than anyone else. When he was a ghost, his friends didn’t stand a chance. When he wasn’t, no hiding spot was good enough. He won every round.

  At 12:30, Zaivyer’s mom called them inside.

  “Man, what happened out there?” Grayson asked Zaivyer as they went into the house. “You were on fire!”

  “Yeah, no offense, but normally you suck at this,” added Aidan.

  “I’m not sure,” Zaivyer said. “Let’s go downstairs.”

  They went to the basement and sat on the air mattresses that Joanna had inflated.

  “Okay, spill,” Aidan said. “What happened?”

  Zaivyer hesitated. They had been friends long enough that the other three boys had accepted his physical differences, but this was something else entirely.

  “Come on, man,” Asher said. “You broke my winning streak—I want to know how.”

  Zaivyer sighed. “Fine. It’s weird, though.” He told them about the headache, and what it seemed he could do now. “Whatever happened, it must have something to do with this,” he added, tapping the metal plate on his temple, which was still warm and vibrating.

  “What is that thing?” Asher asked. “You’ve never actually explained it.”

  “I don’t know,” Zaivyer said. “Mom says it was just a dot when I was born, and that it grew as I got older. My dad had one just like it.”

  “Your dad?” Grayson said. “I thought you never knew him.”

  “I didn’t. I just know what Mom told me. She said he showed up in the middle of a snowstorm on the winter solstice, asking for a place to spend the night. They had dinner, and he spent the night in the guest room. In the morning he was gone.”

  “That’s so weird,” Aidan said.

  “Yeah, it is,” Grayson agreed. “So that’s it? That’s all you know about him?”

  “Not quite,” Zaivyer said. “He left this.” He pulled the ring out from under his shirt. All three boys leaned in to see it.

  “Is that copper?” asked Asher.

  “I think so. So anyway, he left this, and we only know my father’s name because he left a note. I don’t know what it said, but Mom named me after him
.”

  “So that’s why your name is spelled so strangely?” asked Aidan. “Your dad spelled it that way?”

  “Yeah. I overheard Mom talking to Grandma about that night once. She said she didn’t know how she’d had me because she and my father never... you know. They were in separate rooms all night.”

  “That’s strange,” said Grayson.

  “Major understatement,” said Aidan.

  They talked for another hour about Zaivyer’s father and his newfound abilities, speculating about where they came from and how.

  At 1:30, Joanna called down the stairs, “Boys, it’s time to sleep. I’d like to get to bed.”

  “Okay, Mom!” Zaivyer called.

  “Okay, Ms. Verling!” said the other boys.

  They each picked an air mattress and lay down. Asher, Grayson, and Aidan fell asleep pretty quickly, but Zaivyer was wide awake. His mind was racing, going back over everything that had happened, everything he could now do. He suspected he would discover more strange abilities in the next few days.

  Eventually, he fell asleep, dreaming he was fluid, ever-changing, constantly shifting.

  ***

  September 24, 2049, 2:17 pm

  Zaivyer, Aidan, Grayson, and Asher peeked around the corner at ComicQuest Collectibles. It was Saturday, and Joanna had given them permission to go downtown and spend some of Zaivyer’s birthday money. They had decided to spend it on comic books. They had been about to cross the street to go inside when Zaivyer had stopped them.

  “Wait. There’s a sign on the door. ‘Anyone age 15 or younger must be accompanied by an adult, age 18 or older.’ We’re too young. There’s no way we’ll pass for sixteen.”

  “You can read that from here?” Asher asked in disbelief. “It’s so far away!”

  “Yeah,” Zaivyer grinned. “I have hawk vision.”

  “Man, that is so cool,” Aidan said. “I’m jealous.”

  “Me too,” said Grayson. “But now what do we do? Go ask your mom to come with us?”

  “She wouldn’t,” said Zaivyer. “She’d just tell us to choose a different store.”