“What rules? What laws?”
The shopkeeper sighed.
“Nobody from the surface can come up here and ask for someone’s hand in marriage. There are restrictions in place preventing such a thing from happening. The Praetorial Senate and all.”
“Why? Why couldn‘t I find someone up here to marry instead of back home?”
“If it was solely up to me, Isis, I wouldn’t hesitate to say yes–if I had more time to get to know you as I do now. But we are governed by a strict set of rules and laws. Everything from taxes to marriage and even death is heavily regulated.”
“Because of…?”
“Our shared histories.” Fran was explaining to me, while taking a seat at the kitchen table.
“And our shared defeats. Early on in our history, we decided that co-mingling with you surface dwellers would set a bad example for the rest of us sky dancers and so we moved to limit our interactions with you for the sake of tradition. And later on…purity.”
“Purity? You mean…as in a pure race?”
“Basically? Yes. We represent so much to humanity’s children. And we have never allowed ourselves to be contaminated or soiled by the likes of you. And none of it was done out of spite or malice. We had to preserve what we were for the sakes of future generations.” Fran was explaining to me, while I went through one of the bags of shirts and pulled one out that I liked.
“So even if Bayen and myself fell into such a relationship, neither one of us could commit in the end–right?” I said.
“That’s right.”
“But what about his last girlfriend? What about her?”
“She’s…a mixed bag.” Fran said cryptically. “And not a very good conversation topic I’m afraid.”
“Was she ever like me? A surface dweller?”
Fran hesitated at that point, not sure if it was wise to reveal a painful truth.
“I’m not going to say anything more on the matter, Isis. For now. Out of respect for my son.”
I nodded guiltily. “Sorry. I guess that question was purely out of line.”
“A bit, but I’ll overlook it. You simply asked a question and I declined. Perhaps later when things aren’t so bad, I can tell you a little bit about her.”
“So where does she live? In one of the lower levels?”
Fran shook her head. “She doesn’t live anywhere. She’s homeless.”
“Homeless? In a place like this?” I questioned incredulously. “I find that hard to believe!”
“Despite our social advancements, there are still some…blights that remain with us. And you as well–if I’m not mistaken.”
“You mean things like hunger, famine, poverty, and homelessness? Yes.” I admitted without difficulty. “But it doesn’t mean we should be separated along similar lines.”
“You’d be surprised by how true that is.” Fran told me. “We have both lived along two different lines in life–neither one of us has dared to breach that trust. Until you came along.”
“Me?”
The shopkeeper nodded.
“Yes. You.” The woman said. “Do you know there is a legend circulating of the return of someone from the surface? Someone who will bring great change to everyone? Both sky dancer and surface dweller?”
I nodded slowly. “I know something about that legend. But it was only a legend. Nothing more.”
“It may be truth. But it also may mean that this day has finally come for all of us. And you are that catalyst of change that we all have desperately sought.”
The very idea filled me with great uncertainty and nervous energy.
“I highly doubt that, Fran. There’s no proof that my arrival would herald a new beginning for all of us.”
Fran looked at me for a second. Then she got up from her seat and disappeared from the kitchen. Three minutes later, she came back with a very large book bound in white leather and a solitary red ribbon.
“What’s that?” I asked of her then.
“This…is…possibly something to do with you, Isis. Though I can’t be sure.” The shopkeeper admitted out into the open. Setting the tome down, the woman flipped open the book, and began to rifle through the gold-leaf pages.
I leaned over to look at some of the words, some of the inscriptions, but they were written in a completely different language than I first recognized.
“What is this book…?”
“It…is a parable.” Fran said. “Written in one of the First Languages belonging to the Old World. It was only recently translated–but I’m sure you wouldn’t recognize it because it belongs to a language base long since dead.”
“So how did you end up with this?”
“It…was given to me long ago by someone I promised I would never betray his trust. An old friend of my family’s–as the case may be.” She pored over a few loose pages and settled on something which caught her eye.
“Ah. Here we go. In the Year of the Trans Biennium, a single, solitary soul from the surface shall venture forth into the city of gleaming crystal and light and bring forth a radical change which will herald a brand new tomorrow for all of humanity’s children.”
“That would mean you.” I said uncomfortably.
“No. That would mean you.” Fran was explaining to me. “Sky dancers are simply sheep being led by the wolves. The surface–people like you–were once humanity’s children from so long ago. The survivors of a great and terrible cataclysm which almost destroyed the planet.
“They were the first ones to venture off world and disappear into the cosmos–only to return some five thousand years later to rebuild what was left of their shattered world. This space complex, this city was the end result.”
“And the surface?”
“Hundreds of years worth of chain migration–from Stratos City to the surface and back again. At one time, we were all the same people. We heralded no differences. But something changed–I don’t know what exactly–but a caste system was instituted. From what I remembered….it nearly ruined us.”
“But wouldn’t that make us the same?” I asked, perplexed.
“You would think so, but that wasn’t always the case. At some point during the last five millennia, we started to undergo a type of genetic drift which couldn’t be accounted for. I think it had something to do with living in space. I’m not sure. But those on the surface didn’t suffer from the same ailments as we once did because of it.”
I was amazed by what I was hearing.
“You…suffered?”
Fran nodded. “That’s why we had to institute new bans, new restrictions, laws, the whole nine yards. We did it to not only safeguard ourselves, but a new generation of surface dwellers that would eventually give birth to you.” She said, closing the book and getting up.
“But the unfortunate truth is that you still carry the genetic markers of your ancestors who used to reside in this very complex centuries ago. And because of that heritage, you can never come back.”
I nodded in pained sympathy, not knowing what else to say. It was just too much for me to take in at the moment. But I felt lost regardless and crushed by the new revelations.
“And Bayen? What about him?” I asked.
“He is pure…born and raised here in Stratos City. He has never been to the surface and I have forbidden him from ever making the attempt.” Fran told me.
“So he doesn’t have a mixed heritage like me.”
“Oh no. Not like you. Never like you, Isis. Which is why I must ask you to tread cautiously in your pursuit of a relationship with my son. Think of what you are about to get yourself into. It could prove problematic in the end.”
“So I can’t fall in love? Be in love?” I said softly, thinking that my one and only chance at romance was crushed into oblivion.
Fran reached over to me and gripped my shoulder in support.
“You can do whatever you want, honey. But you must be consciously aware of the risks that come with it. For your sake as well as ours.” She s
aid. “I’ll explain a little bit more as to why when I come back. I need to get my son and we need to get dinner ready. Hungry?”
I nodded. “Famished. Actually.”
“That’s good to hear.” The woman said with a brief smile before disappearing from the kitchen and leaving me to my own troubled thoughts.
~26~
In the end…I managed to change into something a little more presentable as the sights, sounds, and smells of things heavenly and glorious filled my range of senses and vision.
I was torn by the new experiences and even more distraught over what Fran shared with me an hour earlier at the kitchen table.
No matter what, I could not figure a way out of this Chadshire Puzzle Box.
Because it all boiled down to what I was, not what I wanted to become in the end. I was a prisoner of conscience, of a fate that was never my own because of a lineage which spanned centuries.
And I could never fight it. Not even once.
I sighed despite myself, watching myself watch Bayen as he worked his magic with some noodles and stir fry. I was certainly going to like whatever was going to come out of that pan for sure.
All I could cook was flaky white bread, vegetable stew, and eat my weight in bean paste, lentils, and spicy curry. I didn’t think I had anything realistic to offer to him in the ways of real skills or tricks of the trade.
Outside of being an auto-frame pilot.
I sighed miserably.
Come off it girl. It was a nice fantasy while it lasted, but Fran is right. You can never get this guy into your corner of the universe–no matter how interesting he is or how attractive he looks on the outside either.
You two are separated by genetics and a long and sordid history which was fought in turmoil and bloodshed.
Resigning myself, I focused myself on the closed tome that Fran had brought out earlier to read to me. The soft white leather cover was a complete blank and it made me wonder if there were any other books like this one lying around?
It certainly didn’t hurt to take a look.
“Excuse me for one moment,” I said graciously. “Let me know when dinner is ready.”
Fran nodded from the comfort of her chair. “Of course.”
I left the confines of the spacious kitchen, my red dress flapping gently about my waist. It had been Fran’s idea to wear this, and the red pumps as well. She thought it would be the least she could do so that I could at least fulfill one small wish of mine.
And now that I was living that reality for a change and it felt good.
But that book of hers was more of an alluring enigma than anything else and I needed to find out more.
So I went back into the living room to carefully scrutinize the bookshelf for any more of those books and it took a few minutes of searching before I found three more wedged next to some classics.
And each one was blank as the first–on the front cover anyways. But when I looked inside, I found a stylized yellow star on the first page.
Just like my bomber’s jacket? I reflected with curiosity. I took the first book and carried it back with me to the kitchen where Fran and Bayen were still deep into their dinner preparations–neither one was paying that much attention to me until I sat down, pushing aside my plate and plunked down my book of choice right in front of me.
“So you found something new to read?” Fran asked me then, spying me with the giant white book.
“I found…something.” I admitted with some difficulty on my part. “But I have a question to ask.”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
I opened the book and pointed to the first page in the tome.
“Why does this look like my bomber’s jacket?” I wanted to know.
Fran stopped with her salad prep and stepped away from the kitchen counter to come over to my side of the table and look over my shoulder.
“I’m not sure. Where did you find this book, Isis?”
“In the book shelf next to the end of the sectional sofa.”
Fran frowned at my words.
“I thought I put these books in storage years ago. How did they ever get found in my late husband’s collection?”
“Those books belonged to your husband?” I echoed.
Fran nodded. “Yes. A long time ago. When we were first dating. He thought that having a shelf full or two would impress me. He wasn’t wrong on that account.”
“That book foretells the legends, stories, and myths surrounding the Starchild of Ancient Lore.” Bayen was telling for me as he finished adding a few more touches to the large bowl of stir fry noodles and seasoned bits of teriyaki chicken.
“I hope you like traditional Oriental dishes. It’s a family favorite of ours.” He teased a bit for my overall benefit.
“I don’t think I’ve had anything that extravagant.” I said with open embarrassment. “We pretty much lived on a lean protein rich diet. But not much else.”
Fran nodded in sympathy. “Which reminds me–” she said, pulling out a small hypo-syringe from her shirt pocket and tilted my head to the side without warning and pressed the applicator head to the skin of my neck.
A hiss of medication flooded me in an instant before I could even mount a protest.
“What was that?” I asked bluntly.
“Vitamin and mineral booster. It will help give your body a bit of a boost since you’re a bit deficient in both areas. Don’t worry. It’s perfectly harmless.”
“How many will I have to take?”
“I don’t know. It depends on how many times you come up for a visit.” Fran offered with a smile of her own.
“Couldn’t you just give me a packet for the trip home?” I argued lightly.
“Sorry, but our medical technology is strictly regulated and under lock and key to anyone who isn’t a sky dancer.” The shopkeeper informed me on no uncertain terms.
“Not even if it was for an emergency?”
“Not even that.” Fran was telling me. “But since you’re up here, you would have all the benefits and none of the failings.”
“But I am a surface dweller, Fran. How would they treat someone like me if it came to that?” I asked with some worry in my voice.
“You are our guest, Isis. Don’t worry: You’re covered.”
I breathed out a sigh of relief. “Oh. Good.” I said, flipping through a few pages of texts that had what I thought was flowing alien script. For a second, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me and I did a double take and looked some more.
No. That wasn’t my imagination! This was something else!
But the words that came to my mind were something else.
Something familiar…
A flash of pain and agony ripped right through my body like a hot torch and I cried out in sheer terror from the experience–jumping out of my seat in a flash.
I also managed to knock Fran aside like she was nothing more than a nuisance before she came back to me and asked me what was wrong.
“The pain…!” I hissed in cold fear.
“From what?”
I pointed blindly at the book, my vision swimming in and out of focus as something else took a hold of me and slammed me to the floor in a harried rush.
“Bayen!” Fran’s voice called out. “Get her!”
“On it.” Came his surprisingly calm voice. “It’s okay, Isis. Everything will be okay.”
I cried out some more, everything in the known universe colliding into me like a torrential river. My outfit changed in that instant and my body was glowing with an ethereal power like none other. I thought I was just dreaming this part out for real, but something about my recent dream portended a real calamity that would shake the foundations of humanity to its core.
I bled out something fierce as energies cascaded in and out of me like a conduit. The whole kitchen lit up like crazy where I lay.
“It…hurts!” I managed through clenched teeth. “Make it stop!”
“Make what stop?!?” Fran was telling me in a h
eightened state of panic. She had never seen this come out of any of her houseguests, but what she was witnessing with her own two eyes told her something else was afoot.
“The pain!”
“The pain!”
“The pain!” I cried out over and over again. “It’s tearing me apart!”
“Could it have been the vitamin shot you gave her?” Bayen was telling his mother while she was trying to calm me down.
“I don’t know! I’ve never seen a reaction like this out of anyone!”
Hot tears were flowing down the sides of my face as I doubled over in agony, my body rippling with newfound energy and power. It was like nothing I had ever experienced.
And all because I started reading a book! I thought in a moment of supreme clarity, but everything came crashing back down upon me like a flood and I cried out even more.
“Get a healer.” Fran was telling her son. “And hurry.”
“On it.” Bayen answered cryptically–leaving my side in that moment, while Fran did her best to comfort me.
“What can I do, Isis? What can I do?”
“The…book…” I whispered fiercely. “Close the book!”
The shopkeeper nodded, got up–even has my attire fluctuated even more violently between something unreal and only foretold in legend. I only caught a glimpse of a bracelet of some kind–before Fran slammed shut the book and killed the connection between me and it.
In that moment, I almost passed out from the experience–my body going limp–and I didn’t even register anything on my mind for the next thirty minutes before Bayen came back with a healer.
“There she is.” He was telling the other person, while Fran kept a close eye on me, only to step aside so that the medical officer could do her thing.
What he found surprised everyone within earshot.
“I’m registering…I don’t know what I’m seeing here. It’s completely foreign to my scans. But I’m picking up some kind of unknown object that’s embedded in her tissue at the molecular level.”
“Where did it come from?”
“I’m not sure. But indications point that it’s been there for quite some time. Possibly years on the outside.”
“Is it harmful?”
The Starchild Page 20