by Indie Gantz
My mind goes fuzzy, like it does when I zone out and get lost in my own thoughts. Seconds later, I’m jolted back into the moment by the crib opening up with a quick snap! The woman, who looks pleased but perplexed, looks around with a smile on her face. When her eyes land on me, she sighs and smiles wider.
“Thanks, I really didn’t want to have to wake her,” she says quietly, but still loud enough for me to hear across the room.
Even though my mind has tumbled into chaos, I manage to smile back and nod. “Not a problem,” I reply somehow, not even sure how words are possible.
Tirigan is tense, but completely silent beside me. He sends the woman an awkward wave, then closes the curtain around our area. I fall onto the bottom bunk, my eyes wide with confusion.
How did… Did you do it? You must have done it, right?
Tirigan turns to me slowly after securing the curtain. No. It wasn’t me, Charlie. I wasn’t even looking in that direction. I didn’t see anyone else paying the woman any attention either. It had to have been you.
But that’s not possible. My element is water. There was no water in the crib. I mean, unless I moved the hydrogen-
No. That would be far too advanced at this point. You didn’t invoke Néro to open that crib.
I feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach. Like everything I knew, which wasn’t much in the first place, has been erased and I have to start all over again.
What does that mean?
We knew we might be different. We knew it was a possibility.
I nod absently and Tirigan sits down next to me.
So, this means... What? What does this mean for us? I know the answer, at least I think I do, but I want Tirigan to tell me. Having it come from him will make it more real.
The only possible explanation is that you can invoke more than one element. Tirigan pauses and then places his hand over mine, a gesture lost in the calamity of the moment. Possibly even all of them.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Carrying the Cat by the Tail
Tirigan and I confirmed that we could both invoke all four elements. It didn’t take long, the hardest one being Néro for Tirigan. There wasn’t much water to manipulate on the train. Eventually, I remembered the drops of water left in my water bottle and Tirigan was able to collect them all and lift them from the bottle. He tried to send them into his mouth, but they ended up going up his nose instead. It was pretty funny.
For fire, we both wanted to keep it small, so as not to accidentally blow up the train, and opted for igniting a few pieces of paper in the small trash can beneath our desk. We pulled the flame from a Fotiá stone and transferred it to the trash can. I went first. As soon as the paper lit up, Tirigan blew it out with a quick burst of air. I confirmed I could invoke Aéras by doing the same when it was Tirigan’s turn to light the paper on fire.
It took me awhile to realize Tirigan had already confirmed his ability to invoke Gi. When we finished proving what we could do, Tirigan sat down on the top bunk with the history book in his lap. I stood beside the bunk bed while I pulled my long hair up and off my neck. That’s when I noticed the difference in Tirigan’s.
It was subtle, probably not even noticeable to anyone who hadn’t spent the last seventeen years with him. Where before his hair was dark brown with the occasional lighter highlight, now there were obvious streaks of auburn sitting among the burnt umber. The red hue was exactly like Calla’s. I told him I liked it, he thanked me politely, and that was that. We could both invoke all four elements, and every new fact about the world we just learned was thrown out. Which makes studying even more important now.
I settle into the bed below Tirigan’s with a Téssera history textbook on my stomach.
The Collective
Due to the negative connotation that many Téssera have with the word government, the elders decided to rename that portion of our society. The term, Collective is more representative of who we are, and more inclusive than the original governments of the world.
The Collective is a nexus of every elemental on Earth and their contribution to our society. The High Coven oversees this cohesive web, and all of us, to protect our philosophies and help us in our goal to rebuild Earth.
Collective officials are elected, just as the East and West High coven members are. These officials make and enforce the laws that protect us and protect the earth.
Every Téssera contributes to the Collective in some way, which in turn contributes to our society at large. There is no compensation for work, as many historical societies have done. Everything we need to survive is provided by the Collective. Necessities such as food, shelter, clothing, are all included.
Luxuries can be purchased with basic casting stones, and prices are determined by the seller. Luxuries include extra or specialty foods, specialty clothing and accessories, or items that are not necessary for survival.
The Collective is similar to Anunnaki government.
Although the Anunnaki adopted many human societal laws and policies, the Anunnaki’s natural tendency towards generosity greatly limited the potential success of capitalism. Therefore, the Anunnaki are encouraged to provide for themselves by owning their own business if they wish, but only when they are on their government mandated sabbaticals. Unlike humans, if a business does not do well, Anunnaki don’t feel discouraged or at all embarrassed by it. The Anunnaki do not possess the same drive for economic success. All of our needs are taken care of by the Negral, and any business venture an Anunnaki embarks upon is just icing on the cake. It’s an experience. It’s fun. The Anunnaki have a great appreciation for personal satisfaction, which is why the draft system was put into place. History has proven that when one group of people are repeatedly forced to endure economic hardship, society collapses. The draft system ensures that even if your assigned draft career isn’t something you enjoy, you only have to do it for a set period of time, and then you get fifty years off. The work is hated less when everyone has to experience it in the same way, with no preference or prejudice.
I turn the page and continue reading.
Collective Assessment
When an elemental reaches their twentieth year, they are required to take an assessment to place them within the Collective.
A Téssera’s element, control, and personal skills are all examined and assessed so that each member of our society is placed where they will be most useful. These assessments are not final, and Téssera have input in their placements, but the test should be taken very seriously. It is highly recommended that Téssera follow the path their assessment finds for them, both for the betterment of The Collective and their own personal happiness.
Possible placements include: medical professionals, energy technicians and researchers, Collective officials, enforcement officers, land and water preservationists, retail and/or small business owners, etc.
These assessments will not only find what an elemental excels at, but also where they will find the most personal fulfillment, while being as useful as possible to our regenerating society.
If Tirigan and I had stayed on the Anunnaki side of the world, we would have had almost three decades before our names were entered into the Negral’s draft system. Then, once entered, our names would have stayed on the draft registry for twenty years. At some point in those twenty years, we would have been called for service. We’d be sent to school for whatever service our draft group was chosen for, and then we’d have worked for a total of ten years. Service to Anunnaki society is usually just maintaining the drones that actually do the servicing, but there would have been other things to do too. Exciting things like global security and space travel, but also dreadfully dull things like government work, or in my father’s case, photographing plants and animals.
After our ten years of service, we would have gone on a fifty-year sabbatical. When our sabbatical was over, we would have been re-entered into the draft for another twenty years. Once we reached our five hundredth year, our names would no longer enter th
e draft. Of course, that’s assuming we lived that long. With human blood diluting our regenerative blood, it’s very likely Tirigan and I won’t reach our five hundredth birthdays. Seems like a fair price to pay though, trading a few centuries for magical powers.
I flip through the next few pages of the textbook and contemplate reading the next section, which talks about trading and bartering methods, but I decide to take a break for now and shut the book.
The distraction of learning about elemental society has given way to the anxiety of not truly belonging to it. We aren’t Téssera, and we aren’t Anunnaki. We are something else entirely.
And we are powerful.
It would be exciting if it wasn’t also pee-your-pants scary. There isn’t anyone who can help us figure out what we are exactly, because there isn’t anyone else like us. I can read this book, and I can teach myself everything there is to know about Téssera and their land, but that tells me nothing about myself. There is nothing in the books about being able to invoke all four elements. We are completely alone.
I try to push that thought away and look at the bright side.
The rush of adrenaline I felt when I was invoking earlier was indescribable. That much power coursing through me… I’ve never felt anything like it. I’ve never thought myself capable of feeling anything like it.
I’ve always wanted to feel like I belonged to something, to feel like I was a part of something special. Thankfully, that feeling was tempered by belonging to a rather unique family that did make me feel important most of the time. But still, there was always this nagging feeling of wanting more. From the books I’ve read and the films I’ve seen, I know this is a common desire for most people, so I never really spent much time thinking about it. I didn’t give the vague feeling of want any shape or form. I just lived on and experienced my life. I accepted that the world I lived in was never going to get any larger or any more exciting than it was. Besides, I realized that compared to some other Anunnaki teens, my life would be considered pretty special, traveling all of the time like we did.
These thoughts, these memories of feelings and desires for a life I couldn’t even put into words, feel so far away now. Now, I’m overwhelmed with change and what it means to be something special.
Thankfully, my brother is with me, experiencing this new life just the way I am. Or, mostly the way I am. His brain does work differently than mine. Like right now, I can tell he’s let go of any fear that accompanied the knowledge of our new powers, and he’s concentrating on learning as much as he can about each of the elements. After all, if we can invoke all four, then we should learn about all of them. We’ll have to pick one to invoke in public and stick with it, though. We don’t want to give away our secret.
Tirigan shifts above me, and the bunk bed springs screech.
We’ve been on the train a couple hours now, and it’s getting more comfortable to be here. The other two areas in our pods were filled by an older couple and a woman on her own. By the time the train started moving, everyone but the older man and the young woman with him had their curtains drawn. The only sounds in the pod are quiet murmurs from the other travelers.
My stomach grumbles. It’s been awhile since we’ve eaten.
As if the train hears my lack of digestion, a voice comes floating through the pod. I look around for an intercom, but don’t see one. The voice doesn’t sound like it’s being projected through wires and speakers anyway; it sounds like it’s being wafted through the air.
“The evening meal will be served in the dining pod. If you’d prefer to dine in your personal area, your meal can be packaged to go.”
I pull myself off the lower bunk and place the textbook in the drawer of the desk.
“I’m starving.” I stretch out my body, my back slightly irritated with the hardness of the mattress. “Do you want to eat?”
Hmm? It takes him a moment, but Tirigan eventually turns over to face me. While I was studying the book, Tirigan was practicing gaining more control over Aéras by spinning small objects in the air above his bunk. Now, it seems, he intends to nap.
“Food. Need it. Coming?”
No, thank you.
“Seriously? I know you’ve got to be hungry.”
Tirigan shakes his head slightly and closes his eyes. Tired.
I let out a half-annoyed, half-endeared sigh. “Do you want me to bring you back something?”
Tirigan doesn’t do me the honor of opening his eyes, but he does respond. Yes, that would be fine. Thank you.
I turn away and pull the curtain back so I can pass through. After I enter the narrow hallway that separates our area from the older man and his daughter, I pull the curtain back in place. My hunger keeps me from thinking too much about going to the dining pod without Tirigan.
The older man I saw earlier is asleep on the bottom bunk of his bed. A large scar spans the entire left side of his face, a detail I hadn’t noticed when we were first settling in. I’ve never seen a scar like that before since Anunnaki heal completely when they regenerate. Whatever happened to him, it had to have been pretty gruesome to leave a mark like that. I avert my eyes even though he can’t see me. It feels wrong to just stare at the man. Plus, watching a stranger while they sleep is considered creepy. Generally speaking.
I make my way to the dining pod, passing through a few passenger pods before finally stepping through the door. The first thing I register is the smell of what is soon to be my dinner, and my mouth waters. Two long banquet style tables line either side of the pod, close to the wall, but leaving enough space for a long bench on both sides of the table. Towards the other end of the pod, on either side of the door, food is set out for people to serve themselves. Two large windows decorate the walls of the pod and let in a lot of natural light.
I take a quick look around the room to find a little more than a dozen people sitting and eating or filling their plates. My empty stomach urges me towards the food, and I comply, keeping my head lowered.
The offerings are all familiar, simple, whole ingredients that smell delicious. I fill my plate with chicken, vegetables, and the fixings for a small salad. Canisters of water and a brown liquid sit at the far end of the buffet table. I opt for the unknown and fill my cup with the brown stuff. After filling my glass, I make my way towards the other side of the pod to find a more desolate area to sit. There’s an open area on the outside bench where no one is sitting, except for the woman I helped with the crib earlier. She sits on the opposite side and towards the middle of the table, with the infant on her breast and her toddler eating beside her.
The mother eats with one hand as she nurses her infant, sometimes dropping bits of food onto the suckling baby. Holding out hope that she’s too occupied to start up a conversation, I sit down in the open seat. As soon as I do, I have an open view out the window. My stomach flips over in shock at what I see outside.
Water. Absolutely nothing but water.
I stand abruptly, leaving my food on the table as I walk around to the other side to get a better look out the window. It’s not just water. It’s an entire ocean.
I lean as far into the glass of the window as I can, so I can see below it, but I see nothing but more water. Calm waves keep the water moving, just enough to see that they aren’t crashing against the side of the train. The train is hovering over the water, not floating in it.
“Never traveled over the sea before, have you?” A woman’s voice asks. It only takes me a second to realize who’s spoken.
“Is it that obvious?” I ask with a nervous smile, taking one last glance at the ocean before I take my seat again.
The mother of two laughs softly.
“You looked concerned,” She says, shifting the nursing baby to her shoulder and patting its back softly. “Don’t worry, they have a steady supply of stones keeping us up and going. They get replaced a few times for a long trip like this.”
“Oh, thanks. That’s good to know.” I take a sip of my drink and enjoy the bitter, refre
shing flavor while I try my best to look as calm as possible about our current location.
We’re in the middle of the ocean, and even if someone gave me a correct map of the world, I wouldn’t be able to point us out. We had maps growing up, but they were only of the land the Anunnaki lived on. I wasn’t even aware what the rest of Earth looked like, I just blindly believed that it was too destroyed from the asteroid to be worth exploring. It never occurred to me that the Negral was lying to us, let alone our own parents. I’m starting to feel pretty stupid for how naïve I’ve been.
“Are you from Pacoa?” The woman asks, a mouthful of carrot and potatoes garbling her words.
“Oh, um,” I start to reply, nearly choking on my own food at the question. “No. Farther west. Pasto?” I say it like a question, rather than the answer it should be. I hope she just takes me for shy.
The woman nods in acknowledgement, then shovels a mouthful of peas into her toddler’s mouth.
“From Bogotá myself. They aren’t running any trains until tomorrow though, short on Aéras stones.” She shifts the baby from her shoulder and begins to nurse on the other side. “I needed to get up there before then to set up our booth, so we had to travel here to catch a pod.”
I don’t know how to reply to her, since she didn’t ask me a question. Keeping the conversation going isn’t at the top of my priority list, either. I take a few more bites of my dinner, which tastes incredible, and wash it down with some more brown liquid. I can tell she’s waiting for me to say something, so I give our cover story a shot and hope for the best.
“This is the first one my brother and I have been to since we were very young, so I don’t really remember much about it.”
“Oh, is that right?” The woman looks more interested than I’d like her to be, but her toddler squirms beside her and provides a good distraction.