by T. C. Edge
“So, I just think of words, of a question?”
“And me. Think hard about me. Picture my face, and fix the words into your mind. Think of nothing else or the link will become foggy. Go ahead, try it out.”
He shuts his own eyes, leading me to do the same. I fall into darkness behind my eyelids, and quickly wonder what to say, what to ask. I ponder it for a few moments before realising it doesn’t matter.
Just words, Brie. Anything. Think of anything.
The image of our parents comes into my mind. It brings with it a question that’s never far from my thoughts.
Who was our mother? I start to wonder.
My mind begins forming other questions, moving off on tangents. I squeeze my eyes tighter and bring my thoughts back to those simple words. I fix them, as Zander told me, to the front of my mind, lighting them up in big, bold letters.
And as I do, I imagine Zander’s face. His wavy brown hair, his pale skin, his hazel eyes that look so much like our father’s. And mine.
I focus hard. My mind threatens to waver, attempting to veer off again in some other direction, to bring possible answers to the question I’m asking myself. I bring it back each time it deviates, always coming back to the same question.
Who was our mother…
Time skates by, a minute turning to two. Then I lose track of it, always battling to clear my head of all else but the question, and the image of Zander.
Then, from the darkness, I hear him whisper.
“Open your eyes, Brie.”
I wonder for a moment if he was in my head, or if he spoke out loud for real. As I open my eyes, his words echo a little down through the passage, answering my question.
There’s a pensive expression on his face, his mouth opening and closing without making a noise.
Then, he speaks.
“You think about her a lot, don’t you?” he asks me. “I can sense she’s never far from your thoughts.”
“You…you heard me?” I whisper.
“It was blurred, like words through water. But enough.”
His eyes draw in with a painful memory. It’s as if he’s always been trying to keep thoughts of our mother, and father, from his mind.
“I told you before, Brie,” he continues. “You shouldn’t let your thoughts linger on our parents. It won’t change what happened. It won’t bring them back. All it will do is bring you pain.”
Pain, perhaps, that he can feel through me. Pain that he’s been blocking out his entire life, now re-opened.
“I can’t help it, Zander,” I tell him. “It’s not something I can control.”
“Well, you’ll have to learn to. You have no idea how powerful your mind is. It will destroy you if you don’t tame it. There are people in Inner Haven who will quickly figure out just what you are if you aren’t able to control and, when needed, suppress your powers. And if that happens, there’ll be no going back. You’ll become an outlaw like the rest of us, forced to live in the shadows.”
“Then teach me,” I utter, my words bounding loudly off the walls. “Teach me to control my powers.”
He sits up straighter on the boulder, and sets his eyes firmly to mine. And, more clearly this time, I hear his words beginning to form in the depths of my mind.
I will, Brie, I hear him say. We’re only just getting started…
39
The night is long and draining.
My mind, like my body, feels sore in a way it never has before. In the darkness of the cave, Zander picks and probes at me, guiding my consciousness to places I never knew existed.
Prodding, probing, testing. He reads my thoughts and tries to get me to read his. It’s more invasive than our telepathy, and much more uncomfortable. Even though he’s my brother, I don’t enjoy having him in my head.
I have little success as the hours pass by. As he enters my mind, I find it impossible to stop him from rooting around. When I try to enter his, I find myself doing little but blankly staring into his eyes, only murky and indistinct thoughts and memories materialising before being washed away.
My other abilities have been quick to develop. It appears that being a Mind-Manipulator, however, is far more demanding.
It goes on for hours, and when he finally relents, and guides me back up towards the surface, his parting words leave me in no doubt that there’s a hell of a lot more to come.
“Oh, we’re just getting started, sis,” he tells me. “Your powers are only just awakening. They’ve got a long way to go yet.”
We reach the secret door to the shelter in district 6, my ability to track the time having long since abandoned me. For a moment, he stops at the door and listens intently. I wonder for a brief moment if he has some Bat powers, such is the intensity with which he sets his ear to the rock.
“The world is waking,” he says. “Be careful when you sneak onto the streets.”
He opens the door to the shelter, and I step out. It’s empty, the exit to the street above, up a short flight of steps, shut tight. Beyond, however, the sounds of the city fill my ears. We must have been down in the underlands all night.
Before he shuts the door, he offers some final words of guidance.
“I’d get some sleep when you return to the academy, Brie,” he says.
“Yeah, I’d planned on it,” I say wearily.
“Good. Because tonight, you’re going back into Inner Haven...”
“What!” I grimace. “How do you know?”
“Adryan will have sent a postal drone overnight, inviting you to the first stage of your courtship. I don’t know the precise details, but they’ll be in the letter. It’ll be a good chance for you to meet him properly this time, and learn more about his world.”
“But…tonight? Why not tomorrow?”
“It’s not up to me. This is the official process, and you must keep to it. Don’t worry, Lady Orlando isn’t expecting anything of you yet. Not until you’re ready. Get some rest, Brie. As I told you, time is of the essence…”
He winks at me, perhaps finding some partial enjoyment in my pain, and pulls the door shut. Almost immediately after he’s done so, the door at the top of the stairs grinds open, sending a blast of bright sunlight down into the gloomy shelter.
A silhouette appears at the top, peering down.
“Who’s that down there?” comes the voice.
I shield my eyes from the burning light. After spending so long in the dark, and with my eyes quickly growing more sensitive, it’s almost sufficient to knock me off my feet. The fact that I’m about ready to collapse through sheer exhaustion doesn’t help much either.
“I’m just a girl,” I croak, my arm in front of my eyes.
The man at the top of the stairs appears to notice my discomfort. He pulls the door shut a little, blocking out some of the sunlight. Still, he remains nothing more than a silhouette.
“What are you doing down there. It hasn’t rained for days…”
“I just…I left a book down here a few weeks back. I got caught during a storm, you see. I was just checking if it was still here.”
“Hmmmm. Well, you’re unlikely to find it in the dark…”
Damn. Busted.
“I, um…the light must have flicked itself off.”
The figure doesn’t move. He merely stares from above as my eyes continue to clear. There’s something familiar about his shape and outline. And the tone of his voice.
Slowly, he steps forward and begins descending into the shelter. My eyes clear as he comes, and his body and face come into view. There’s a smile upon it, warm and kind, and piercing eyes above that I have a far better understanding of now.
“Rycard,” I whisper, relief flooding me. “What are you doing here?! I thought you were a Con-Cop or something…”
“And lucky for you I wasn’t,” he says, reaching the bottom step. “You don’t want another run-in with them. Not while they’re on such high alert.”
Every time I come into close contact with a Con-C
op the same result follows: me getting in trouble, and having to be bailed out. First, it was down at Culture Corner, when Deputy Burns saved me from getting zapped. Then, it was Rycard himself who prevented me from suffering the same fate.
That was the last time I saw him. A lot’s happened since then.
“How are you, Brie?” he asks.
“I’m great.” My words aren’t convincing, even to me. They’re exhausted, that’s what they are.
“And, this book?” he offers with a smirk.
I shrug. “It was all I could think of.”
“Well, you’re going to have to get better at lying, Brie. One day, it’ll get you in trouble.”
There’s a hint, a minor suggestion to his words that he knows I’m up to something. Perhaps it’s just finding me here in such a weary state. Or maybe it’s more. Maybe he knows a little more than he’s willing to let on.
I don’t quite know what to make of him. A question rises in my mind: is he friend, or foe?
Being a member of the City Guard would suggest the latter. Yet there’s a warmth to him, and an honesty, that makes me think he tows the line somehow. That were he to find out what I’m up to, and what I am, he’d be sure to keep it to himself.
Standing in front of me, he turns his body sideways, leaving a path open towards the stairs.
“I think it’s time you got yourself home. Come on, I’ll walk you.”
I drag my body past him and up the stairs. The sunlight attacks me relentlessly, bursting from above. I keep my eyes narrow to let only shards in. And through the slits, my vision brings the world to life in a whole new way.
I stand motionless for a second, just taking it all in. The wide streets, filled with pedestrians and cars and lined with tall apartment blocks and shops. The sky, buzzing with postal drones, moving along in rigid formations as they follow predetermined paths towards their destinations.
The advertising displays, just beginning to come to life as the city wakes, glow less brightly in the sunlight. And yet, still, they appear so crisp and clean and vibrant to my new vision. I look down the street, far into the distance, my eyes now capable of some truly wondrous things, and a glowing smile arches at the corners of my mouth.
When I finally regain my faculties, I turn to Rycard, who looks upon me with a sprinkle of curiosity.
“Are you...OK?”
“Just tired,” I say, perhaps a bit too quickly.
“Well, that’s not surprising after the week you’ve had. So, what exactly were you doing down in the shelter?”
He asks the question as we begin moving down the street. All the while I struggle to maintain a regular focus, my eyes seeking more now, wanting to find a clear spot in the city, and take it all in at once.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” I say.
“Try me.”
I fall silent.
“OK, you keep your secrets. I won’t pry. It’s just an interesting place to find you in such a big city. Now don’t go spreading this about, but apparently the Nameless have been using the shelters to get around the city in secret. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you Brie?”
“Er, what? No, of course not…”
Too much, Brie. Act calm. Act casual. Remember what Zander told you, stay in control.
“Anyway, how can they use shelters? It makes no sense…”
“Well, there are tunnel networks beneath the city. Many of the shelters have secret doors into them. If I were the Nameless, I’d be careful which ones they use…”
He glances at me as we walk. I see it through my newly powered peripheral vision. I refuse to glance back.
“Well, you know much more than I do about it.”
“Of course I do. I wouldn’t be very good at my job if you knew more than me. Anyway, let’s change the subject. It’s a bright day and so let’s talk of brighter things. I suppose I should start by saying congratulations.”
Now I do glance at him.
“Huh?”
“I was as surprised as Sophie when she told me you were attending a bachelor ball. It didn’t really seem you. It went well, though, I understand?”
“Pretty well. Until I collapsed.”
“Ah yes, the classic affliction. Before I met Sophie, I attended a couple of balls myself. I had a couple of girls collapse on me too.”
He offers a chuckle at the memory.
“I didn’t collapse because of an Enhanced. What sort of girl do you think I am?”
“I’m well aware of that, Brie. I was only teasing. So, you’re to court a Savant. I’d call that an odd pairing.”
So would I.
“Um, why? He’s handsome, and I’ll get to live in Inner Haven…” I begin, spluttering through my rehearsed spiel with no conviction at all.
“Yes, yes, and you’ll have lovely, beautiful Savant children, and all of the people of Outer Haven will look up to you with such respect and envy.”
I turn to him, and my eyes flatten.
“You don’t have to be so sarcastic, Rycard.”
“And you don’t have to lie. Not to me. Save that stuff for Sophie, and those who really matter. I’m not buying it.”
“And I’m not selling it. I don’t have to explain myself to you. You have no idea how I feel.”
“No, you’re right. I’m not trying to offend you, Brie. I’m just intrigued, that’s all.”
“Well, I’m too tired to spar with you right now. So maybe I’ll just make my own way home. It’s not far from here.”
A wry smile emerges on his face.
“OK. Not a problem. Just be careful next time you’re caught somewhere you shouldn’t be. It won’t always be me who finds you…”
With those words, he twists his walk off in another direction, and fades into the early morning crowd.
I let out a breath of tired air, and fill my lungs with a fresh intake of smog. I haven’t even got to Inner Haven yet, and already I’m being grilled.
I yearn for my bed, and make an immediate beeline for it. I’m simply too tired to deal with any more rubbish right now.
So when I get back to the academy, I do so with that single thought in mind. Even the sight of Drum, appearing through the door and trundling off down the street, doesn’t pick me up. I make no attempt to rush after or call out to him. I merely watch him go and then slip inside the academy before anyone else can rise.
In the hall, however, I have one more person to deal with. Thankfully, it’s only Nate, still charged with collecting the early morning post from the incoming drones.
I drag my limbs through the door like a caveman, my knuckles all but scraping along the floor. Through my hazy, blurred vision, I see the little boy sitting behind the reception desk.
“Hi Nate,” I mumble, my eyes fixed to the stairs.
“Morning,” he yawns. “Where have you been so early?”
Oh God, not him as well.
“Walking…”
“Must have been a long walk,” he giggles, stretching out his scrawny arms across the desk.
I near the stairs. Please don’t speak to me again.
“Um, Brie…”
My chin sinks lower.
“Yeah, Nate.”
“You’ve got some mail. Two things, actually.”
Two?
I curve my course towards him. On his desk, he plants a simple electronic letter, and a larger box.
I move over and scoop up the letter. I slide off the seal and the words begin to glow.
Dear Miss Melrose,
I am writing on behalf of one Adryan Shaw.
If agreeable, he would like to officially initiate the
courting process with you.
I have been told by your chaperone, Sophie Winchester, that you
would prefer to receive correspondence directly. While highly
irregular, it is within your rights to do so.
Mr Shaw would like to meet you this evening for your first
official functio
n. Please make your way to the western gate
to Inner Haven at 7PM. Mr Shaw will be waiting for you.
We wish you all the best of luck in developing a fruitful bond.
Sincerely,
Katherine Kirkland,
The Council of Matrimony
I quickly read the letter through, before tearing off another seal at the bottom of the note. This time, the glowing words fade and fizz out, disappearing forever.
“What’s that about?” asks Nate.
“You wouldn’t be interested.”
I grab the other package, and open up the box. Inside, I find another note, this one handwritten in a beautiful, flowing script.
Dearest Brie,
I’ve been told you’re seeing Adryan tonight.
You must be very nervous! Just remember to relax and
be yourself and you won’t go too far wrong.
I know you still have the dress from the ceremony (unless
you’ve already sold it!) but I thought that this
occasion called for something new.
I have enclosed a dress for you to wear. It should fit you
perfectly. Wear it with pride, my dear!
All my love,
Sophie
Xxx
p.s. Don’t tell Brenda
My usual inclination upon reading such words would be to roll my eyes and consider this entire thing ridiculous. But, even in my current state of exhaustion, I can’t help but be touched by Sophie’s kindness.
Sure, perhaps she’s doing all this for selfish reasons. Perhaps me and all of the other girls are just projects for her, dolls to dress up and marry off to the most esteemed gentlemen she can find. But I don’t care. Whatever her motives, it’s a sweet gesture.
As a drowsy smile struggles to pull up my lips, I reach in and my fingers bring out a simple, and yet beautiful, blue gown.
“Is that a dress?” asks Nate. He reaches out and slides his fingers along the fabric. His eyes widen. “Wow…it’s so soft. Are you going to wear it?”
“That’s what dresses are for, Nathan.”
“No one wears things like that around here. It looks like that one you wore at the ceremony.”