Family

by Emily Thompson

  Jonas remained where he was, his face a mask of frustration, but said nothing in return. Kima, clearly nearly at her wit’s end in all of this confusion, stared between Jonas and Idris, bewildered. Glancing back to her, Jonas gave a sigh and returned to her side, putting one arm around her back supportively.

  “Will someone please explain any of this to me?” Arabel said suddenly, drawing everyone’s attention. “Why is sweet little Storm suddenly evil? Why can’t he see or hear you, across that line?” she snapped at Mama, her voice growing higher and more frantic. “What the hell is my brother mixed up in? And why the bloody hell are you suddenly mad at Idris?” she yelled to Jonas, gesturing to the djinn.

  Mama took a calming breath, clearly trying to keep herself from shouting back at Arabel, while the others only looked at Arabel’s frustration forlornly.

  “Idris?” Storm said softly, as if only to himself. Then a wide, brilliant smile spread on his face.

  Only Twist and Idris seemed to notice this, however, as Arabel continued to speak, demanding her answers. Before Twist could capture anyone else’s attention, he saw Storm move very quickly, somehow freeing his tied hands while the ropes fell to pieces on the ground. The gypsy standing with him finally noticed that something was wrong when Storm sprang to his feet and snatched his contraption from the man’s hand.

  The gypsy tried to catch the boy, but Storm jumped out of his reach and scampered a few short steps away. Storm stooped to snatch up an acorn from the ground. All at once, Mama pointed to Storm and ordered someone to grab him, Kima darted forward before the command was finished, and a string of complex and utterly un-English-sounding syllables tumbled out of Storm’s mouth in a single breath, as he held the acorn aloft.

  “No!” Idris bellowed in sudden terror, a mere instant before he vanished with a sharp popping sound.

  Jeffery and some of the others let out startled sounds on seeing the djinn disappear. Twist saw a triumphant smile on Storm’s face as he looked at the acorn in his hand. Kima reached him, put both hands on his shoulders, and dropped to one knee to look up into his eyes as she began to speak imploringly to him in her native language. Storm seemed confused by her presence before he shook her off sharply and stepped away with an annoyed expression.

  “I wish—” Storm began, speaking swiftly, as Mama let out a horrified wail and darted toward him. “Twist, Jonas, and I were in old Atlantis!”

  The very instant the sound of Storm’s voice ceased, Twist felt a violent rushing sensation pull him sharply forward, and the air went suddenly cold as the world turned black.

  Twist stumbled and fell to his knees on something hard, cold, and very smooth. His vision couldn’t catch even the slightest glimmer of light in the total blackness around him, but the sound of his own startled cry returned to him in a slight echo, as if he were suddenly inside a large but enclosed space. He also heard the sound of another person stumble to the ground beside him and felt the constant buzz of Jonas’s presence in his neck.

  “What—” Twist began, before a hand closed swiftly over his mouth, and the soft, cool fog of Jonas’s touch seeped into the edges of his frightened mind.

  He understood the rather uncomfortable gesture immediately and remained silent when Jonas removed his hand. Twist then felt his friend haul him quickly to his feet and begin to lead him away through the pitch blackness. Twist knew that Jonas’s powerful vision allowed him to see well in the darkness and so tried to simply keep his own awkward steps as silent as possible.

  Twist moved across the empty ground quickly, but Jonas pulled him suddenly to a stop. Twist heard his friend’s feet fall farther below, as if he’d jumped off of an unknown precipice, and then felt his own arm tugged sharply downward and forward. Twist struggled to contain his own startled scream as he felt himself fall over a sharp edge. He collided with Jonas, falling awkwardly into him after dropping only a few feet. His feet found solid ground at this lower level, just as Jonas pushed him backward against the face of the cliff he’d just pulled him over. Pressing up against the solid, flat wall beside him, Jonas seemed to pause.

  In all of his confusion, Twist didn’t manage to pick out the muttered words he heard Storm’s voice say in the distance. Almost instantly after hearing him speak, however, Twist heard a deep, low, distant hum begin to rise. At first, Twist thought that his frantic imagination was putting soft glows of pure color where his eyes still saw nothing at all. Then, slowly, he realized that he was beginning to see.

  Many small pools of yellow, blue, and green light appeared, like a thousand tiny dawns, slowly filling the space around him with definition. He and Jonas had indeed jumped off of a sort of raised platform to one side of a huge, enclosed space, onto the top of a curving staircase that led down into what looked to Twist exactly like a strange, alien, but utterly empty city. A single, vaulted dome covered the vast expanse of the city and seemed to be made of pure black rock, decorated with a pattern of thin silver lines describing large hexagons that covered every inch.

  Buildings made entirely of soft, curved shapes—not unlike mushrooms or damp sandcastles in their strangely organic design—of metal, colorful stone, and glass clustered around empty streets and long boulevards lined with tall streetlamps. Twist marveled that while some of the light he saw clearly came from the glowing yellow orbs atop each tall streetlight, more pools of blue and green light seemed to come from glowing, unbroken lines scrawled decoratively over the streets and the walls of every building. The world around him looked nearly pristine, as if it had been built just moments before.

  The light continued to grow until Twist began to wonder if the ceiling was truly made of stone at all. While everything else became clear to him in the richly colored light, the dark spaces between the now-gleaming lines that lay across the ceiling remained undefined. As if in answer to his unspoken questions, Twist caught sight of something moving in the darkness. All at once, he understood.

  The dome above him wasn’t made of stone at all but of perfectly clear glass, beyond which his strained vision recognized the sight of an enormous animal—perhaps a whale or some other behemoth—slipping by in the glow of the city light. As he stared in amazement at the long, tube-shaped animal that stretched for hundreds of feet from end to end, it turned, revealing the unimaginably long, streaming, dark tentacles that made up its tail. Although its size was well beyond anything he’d ever imagined outside of a fantastic novel, Twist recognized the shape of a giant squid before it vanished into the black water beyond the reach of the city lights.

  Standing beside him, Jonas watched the squid as well with dull disbelief. Twist would have asked his friend if he could see any more than Twist could himself, but he heard Storm’s voice from the platform above them and remained silent.

  “Fellas?” Storm called, his voice echoing gently off of the glass dome. “Where are you?”

  Jonas turned and began to move instantly, dragging Twist with him, along the wall just below the edge of the platform. Twist went with him without a moment’s hesitation, the two of them stooping as they moved to remain hidden just under the edge. Jonas reached the side of the staircase—which curved down into the city and away from the safe invisibility of the ledge—and swung his legs over the golden railing that stood at the edge of the staircase before he dropped down behind the outer curve of it.

  Twist looked after him to find that the drop below was nearly ten feet. By hanging from the railing before letting go of it, Jonas had landed on his feet, apparently unharmed. Jonas gestured for him to follow quickly. Twist gathered his courage, tried to ignore the fact that his hands were shaking and his heart was pounding, and copied his friend’s actions as swiftly as he was able.

  The moment he began to let his body drop to hang from the railing, Twist saw Storm’s fluffy white hair appear over the edge of the platform. The boy was looking away at first, but his face was turning in Twist’s direction. Panicked to remain out of sight, Twist let go of the rail. He slid uncomfortably down the stone
wall and landed gracelessly below, caught awkwardly by Jonas. Dazed slightly, Twist struggled to regain his footing. He found that, thanks to Jonas’s aid, he didn’t appear to have injured himself.

  The moment Twist was on his feet once again, Jonas dragged him swiftly to one side. Storm was calling for them up above when Twist found himself faced with a small door that was set into the darkened recess at the very base of the staircase.

  “Open it,” Jonas whispered to his ear.

  Twist realized then that there was a large, valve-like handle in the center of the door, with a number of symbols etched into the surface around it like the numbers of a clock face. He put his hands on it and closed his eyes, willing his Sight to show him the lock’s secrets. His awareness danced nimbly through the simple combination-style lock, showing the order of the positions that were needed to open the door. Twist spun the wheel—which turned easily in his hands—and opened the door onto darkness.

  Jonas rushed inside, pulling Twist along with him, and shut the door behind them, swiftly but silently.

  “Where the hell are we?” Twist whispered in the pitch black. This time, his voice didn’t return with an echo. They seemed to be in a much smaller space now.

  “I think we’re on the ocean floor,” Jonas responded. “I didn’t see anything but water above us through that dome of glass. And it’s sunny up on the surface right now. It’s only dark because there’s so much water on top of us.”

  Twist did his very best not to panic at the news that the entirety of an ocean was sitting on top of that glass roof. “That looks like a city outside,” he offered. “But it seems empty.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t see anyone.” As he spoke, Jonas’s voice moved slightly, as if he’d taken a step away. Twist heard undefined things being moved and shuffled about. “What did Storm wish for? I thought I heard him say something about Atlantis.”

  “I heard that as well,” Twist muttered. He wanted to mention that Atlantis was surely a myth but—considering the day he was having—decided against it. “Where are we right now? I can’t see a thing.”

  “Oh, it looks like a maintenance closet,” Jonas offered. “Nothing in here but weird-looking mops and rags and things.”

  “Wonderful,” Twist grumbled. “That’ll come in handy if we find Atlantis untidy.”

  “We had to get out of sight,” Jonas said with a sigh. “I didn’t see you coming up with anywhere else to run.”

  “How long are we going to stand around in here?” Twist asked, struggling to quiet his frustration.

  “Until we come up with something to do,” Jonas answered, standing behind Twist now. Twist felt the buzz in his neck go cold with a whisper of fear. “Storm’s captured Idris. That much is clear. Idris will have to grant his wishes, no matter what they are. But maybe, if we can get that acorn away from him, we can wish for our freedom.”

  “Why would Storm wish us here in the first place?” Twist asked with a sigh.

  “Do you know where Atlantis is?” Jonas asked back, on Twist’s right side now and still rummaging about occasionally. “If he’d wished us away to a place someone else might have known, then he’d have to worry about them coming to rescue us. It’s actually pretty damn smart to take us to a place that’s supposed to be a myth,” he added bitterly.

  “What do you think he plans to do with us?” Twist asked, his fears beginning to rise.

  “I’d rather not find out,” Jonas said darkly. Then he paused. “Hey, could you touch this and tell me what it is?”

  “Touch what?” Twist asked, turning to look in the direction of his voice, even though his eyes still saw nothing at all in the darkness.

  Jonas took his hand and led him closer. He then raised Twist’s hand and placed it against something that seemed to be set into the wall, just at eye level. Twist found smooth, cool glass beneath his fingertips and pressed his Sight deeper. His thoughts flew deep into the alien system that seemed to stretch out through the walls and under the floors of the city, like nerves. His imagination struggled to understand what his Sight showed him, as his inner eye filled with images he couldn’t easily identify.

  He felt a soft pulse of life running through the system connected with the device under his hands; the pulsing energy was not unlike electricity. Following the sparkling sensation, he realized that what he was sensing was the innumerable lights outside in the city. His mind filled with a growing image of each and every streetlamp and glowing accent, until he could once again see the whole of the city in his mind’s eye. There were other systems lying under the city streets as well, though most of them seemed dormant.

  “Well?” Jonas asked, drawing Twist’s attention back to himself. “What is it?”

  Twist pulled his awareness back to the device just under his hand, a sort of hub of controls for a few of the systems of the city. He moved his fingers in the darkness, finding the switch. A square of glass filled with blue light, which was blindingly bright to Twist’s starved vision for a moment. Twist blinked and shielded his eyes until his vision recovered and showed him what his Sight already had.

  The sheet of glass was set into a large sort of panel, filled with fine valve wheels and switches, which Twist understood controlled the systems outside in the city. The glass itself cleared to show an image of the city, as seen from the head of the staircase just outside, painted in glowing blue and white. The light from the glass was more than enough to show his eyes much of the small closet-like room. Twist relayed to Jonas what his Sight had shown him.

  “What kind of things can we control from this?” Jonas asked with a wave to the panel.

  “I don’t know,” Twist answered. “The things in the city are all dormant. I’d have to rouse each one to know what they are.”

  “Hey, isn’t that Storm, there?” Jonas asked, pointing to the glass.

  Twist instantly saw what he meant, finding a moving image of the boy walking in the plaza at the foot of the staircase. Idris walked behind him as Storm appeared to look down each street that led off of the large plaza. Over his eye, the boy was wearing the contraption that allowed him to see Twist. He turned suddenly and seemed to speak to Idris. Twist touched a control beside the screen, turning a tiny wheel gently. In a moment, Storm’s voice began to issue out of the small grating that was set just below the glass.

  “Then where are they?” Storm was demanding, his voice matching the image in the glass perfectly.

  “I don’t know,” Idris responded to him bitterly, his arms crossed. “Why don’t you wish to find out?”

  Idris stared down at the boy in clear disdain; Twist could see that Storm continued to hold the acorn in his hand.

  “Oh yes,” Storm snapped back at the djinn. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? No, no. I’ve only got two wishes left. I’m not wasting one.”

  “Whatever,” Idris grumbled. “You’ll use them eventually. Everyone does.”

  “Well,” Jonas mentioned, his voice low, “this device is convenient as hell. How does it even work?”

  “I couldn’t explain it if I tried,” Twist answered, whispering now as well, though the images of Storm and Idris seemed entirely unable to hear them.

  Storm grumbled to himself as he moved to climb the staircase. Not wanting to lose sight of the boy, Twist quickly adjusted the controls beside the glass, causing the image to change to show the platform at the top of the stairs, where they had all apparently arrived. In the center of the platform there was a statue of a man in long, swirling robes of stone—accented by more of the inset lines of blue and green light in decorative designs—his arms stretched out in a welcoming gesture.

  Storm walked around behind the statue, out of sight of the glass’s current vantage point. Twist touched a control again, changing the view to an image of the back of the statue. Storm was barely visible in the bottom of the image, crouching as he was at the base of the statue. Over his shoulder, Twist could see that he’d opened a large door-like panel to reveal a device that looked identical to
the one Twist and Jonas were now watching.

  “Ah, so that’s how he turned on the light,” Twist said, mostly to himself.

  “What’s he doing now?” Jonas asked, watching Storm adjust the controls on his own panel. Idris had followed him and now stood leaning against the statue’s side, idly examining his own fingernails.

  “I’m not sure,” Twist said.

  Not a moment later, however, the question was answered. Storm pulled a small piece—roughly the size of an apple—away from the face of the panel, which was still connected by a thin wire. Storm held the item up close to his mouth and began to speak.

  “Testing, testing…” Storm’s voice rang out from the city outside, echoing off of the streets and buildings. Twist and Jonas both glanced to the door to their left, hearing the sound echo in to them. “Hello?” Storm’s voice went on. “Twist? Jonas? Where are you?”

  Twist and Jonas both remained still and silent, watching the boy’s image.

  “Please,” Storm’s ringing voice went on, sounding pitiful as he held his head in one hand in the image on the glass. “I’m trying to help you. You have to know that. Can’t we just talk? You don’t have to be afraid. I’m on your side!”

  Idris gave a mirthless laugh.

  “Shut up, you,” Storm snapped at him, letting the item in his hand fail to catch his voice.

  Twist adjusted the control to be sure to still catch the sound through the grating in the panel.

  “You’re hardly on their side,” Idris said, as if lazily, to Storm.

  “I am too!” Storm grumbled. “All I ever do is for him!”

  “Exactly,” Idris said, pointing to the boy. “You said him. Not them. All you ever do is for your master. Not Twist or Jonas.”

  “Same thing,” Storm said flippantly.

  “I doubt they’d agree with you.”

  “Look,” Storm snapped, sounding truly frustrated now. “Help me or shut up.”