by Liv Curtis
“Not all of the gifted were killed, many of them hiding in places until the war was over. The remaining survivors of The Purification came together after the completion of the Frame and formed what is now known as The Wilderness. These people thrived and created a sanctuary for those like them, for the Ingenium.” The word Ingenium sent a shiver down Sage’s spine, and she went cold with fear.
“Sage, are you okay?” Jax leaned over and whispered, making sure not to draw any attention.
Sage couldn’t speak, and the world around her started to feel distant and shallow.
“Now, one of our newest members had a rough entry into our world, but she has since made a recovery, so we feel that it is time for her to make her decision. Sage Blackwell, please join us.” Blythe looked around the crowd until her eyes locked with Sage’s.
Sage stood slowly and stepped on the stage turning to face the multicolored mob. To her right a large glass sphere was brought forward from behind the stage. The sphere was empty except for a strange gray mist that swirled inside as it was placed in front of Sage on a wooden pedestal.
“Place your hands on either side of the sphere and allow your mind to be clear of all thoughts.” Blythe stood next to Sage as she spoke, her eyes wide with excitement. The crowd had gone silent, and Sage could see that everyone had a similar look of excitement and anticipation.
Eliza looked concerned and confused as she locked eyes with Sage. Sage lifted her hands slowly and placed them on either side of the sphere. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to go quiet, focusing only on the sound of her own breathing.
There was a small gasp from her right, and when she opened her eyes, the inside of the sphere was no longer gray but swirling with an iridescent cloud that glimmered in the firelight.
The crowd whispered, making Sage feel nervous. She tried to move, but she was frozen. Suddenly, the sphere glowed, and the light inside moved to the sides where Sage’s hands were pressed against it.
Slowly, the light crept up through Sage’s hands and into her arms through her veins. It spread up her arms and into her chest until it reached her face. The light pooled around her eyes until she couldn’t see anything else, only the bright-multicolored light. She heard a voice in the crowd and knew it was Eliza. She was screaming, but Sage couldn’t see why.
“What are you doing to her?” Eliza screamed and, suddenly, the light dissipated, and Sage could see. Standing in front of her, the people looked shocked and excited. Eliza, Emery, River, and the others all stared on with horrified faces.
“The prophecy has begun. Ingenium, welcome your new Oculus!” Blythe announced as she knelt on one knee and bowed her head.
She lifted her left hand and opened her palm towards Sage, the others in the crowd and on stage followed suit and suddenly the sphere between Sage’s hands shattered. There was a bright flash, and the world around Sage was suddenly washed away in white.
Chapter 15
The back of Sage’s head ached as she opened her eyes. She looked around and realized she was back at their house and in her bed.
The window was slightly open, allowing the cool air to move through the room. It was dark and the moonlight poured through the window, casting a pale light around the room.
Sage stood and immediately regretted it. Her head pounded, and the room around her started to spin. Her hands were still shaking as she steadied herself on the bedpost. She stumbled to the dresser where her clothes were and found her cargo pants and a T-shirt. She got dressed and made her way downstairs, where she could hear the others talking. When she walked into the kitchen, she was surprised to see the others all hovering over the table.
“What does this all mean? Stuff like that isn’t supposed to exists.” Eliza’s voice was shaking as she spoke.
“I don’t know but clearly it’s something big. Did you see the look on everyone’s faces?” River spoke as he ran his hand through his dark curls.
“We need to talk to Cade and Blythe. Maybe they have some more information,” Emery said as she stood from her seat.
“I might have some answers,” Sage said as she held up Jefferson’s journal. Clearly nobody knew Sage stood there and when she spoke, they all jumped.
“Sage! I didn’t know you were awake.” Eliza stood, and gave Sage her seat at the table. Sage sat the book on the table in front of everyone and quickly moved her hand back so no one would notice the tremor.
“There is a section in there about the Oculus. I read it once before but maybe now it will make more sense.” Sage looked around the room and noticed the others all had the same concerned look.
“Why are you all staring at me like that?” Sage squirmed under the pressure, but she remained calm.
“Do you remember anything from tonight?” River spoke quietly as he reached across to grab the book.
“I remember the sphere and the light and how bright it got. I remember hearing Blythe calling me the Oculus and blacking out. Did something else happen?” Sage felt nervous when she realized the others were no longer looking at her.
“Sage, when you touched the sphere, the light spread through your veins. When it made it to your eyes, it pooled and your eyes glowed. When they stopped and the light dissipated, your eyes, they…they were bleeding.” Eliza placed a hand on Sage’s shoulder and knelt down to her.
“I thought you were going to be blind, but you seem to be fine.” Emery waved her hand in front of Sage’s face and laughed when Sage swatted it away.
“Well, I can assure you, I can see just fine. But there is something you all should know.” Sage inhaled deeply before she spoke, preparing herself for what she was about to say.
“Before I woke up from surgery this morning, I had a strange dream. At least I think it was a dream. I couldn’t remember it until tonight, when I saw all of those colors and when the light blocked out my vision it came back to me.” Sage proceeded to share the strange dream she had about the hooded figures inside the cave and the bizarre lights and symbols. When she was finished, she looked around expecting to see faces of horror but was welcomed with sympathetic eyes.
“So, you think that all of these people here have different…abilities and those people you saw in your dream, they were, what, some kind of keepers?” Emery looked confused as she grabbed the book and flipped through the pages.
“Well, that’s the thing. I don’t think this was a dream at all. I think it was some type of vision I was in.” Sage rubbed her neck where the bandage was beginning to irritate her skin.
“Were these the symbols that you saw?”
Emery slowly turned the book towards Sage and pushed it closer to her. It was the page that Jefferson had marked as Ingenium. Scribbled on the back in shaky handwriting were seven symbols, each in a different color.
“Jefferson knew. He knew all along about the Ingenium, about the Oculus, all of it.” Sage felt numb as she realized that Jefferson had helped them because he knew more than they did.
“We need to talk to Cade or that Blythe lady, they must know something.” Sage tried to understand what was happening but her head was pounding making it hard for her to focus.
“Okay, so if these colors coordinate with these symbols, then we need to know what these symbols mean.” River had taken the book and was flipping through the pages.
“Look. This is written in the same colors.” Sage took the book, blinking a few times as her eyes tried to focus on the writing. Suddenly, the page became clear, and Sage went cold. Written on the page were seven different titles and an explanation of each. She read it aloud when Jax finally spoke.
“How are you doing that?” He leaned across the table to get a closer look and looked at Sage in confusion.
Sage remembered the last time she had read the book and how she could read the strange language that appeared to others as symbols. She figured that the page she was reading was written in the same language.
“That’s one of her abilities. Apparently, she can read ancient scriptures.”
Emery laughed and winked at Sage.
“This says that each class of Ingenium is represented by one of these colors.” Sage’s hands were shaking now as she continued to read.
“The Pyro—represented by a triangle and three scarlet flames, the power of fire. The Hydro—Represented by a downward triangle and the sapphire wave, the power of water. The Telekinetic—Represented by the amber compass, the power of thought. The Telepath—Represented by the white, mirrored triangles, the power of the mind. The Bestía—Represented by the golden four clawed paw, the power of the animal. The Plantae—Represented by the emerald mountains, the power of Earth. The Caelí—Represented by the three lavender spirals, the power of wind and weather,” Sage read the page and looked around the table.
Emery had her chin resting on her hands, her eyes blank. River sat back in his chair with his brow furrowed, clearly trying to make sense of the information. Andrea paced, and her concerned look had deepened considerably. Eliza was fidgeting with her nails biting at the skin around them. Jax appeared confused and distant as he looked up and locked eyes with Sage from across the table.
“What does this all mean?” he asked, despite knowing Sage was just as confused as all of them.
“I think we need more information about this before we make any assumptions. Tomorrow we will talk to Cade and maybe Blythe, they clearly know something. But for now, we need sleep,” Andrea said as she stood from the table, the others slowly came out of their shock and make their way upstairs.
On the first floor Emery and Andrea shared a room. There was a room with two twin beds where River and Audrey were staying. River opened the door slowly since Audrey was already asleep. Across from them was Wesley’s room, where he had fallen asleep hours earlier. Sage, Eliza, and Jax made their way up the second flight of stairs towards their rooms. Jax quietly slipped into his room and shut the door behind him.
“I sure hope Cade and Blythe have some answers for us tomorrow,” Eliza said as she walked towards her bed.
“Me too,” Sage agreed as she hugged her sister and told her goodnight. Sage left her sisters room and went across the hall into the small bathroom to shower.
She turned on the water and undid her bandages. She hadn’t seen the wound yet and after the day she had she wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to handle it, but she slipped off her shirt and started to unwind the gauze wrapped around her torso.
She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and was shocked by her reflection. She had clearly not had enough to eat as her eyes were sunken in with dark rings, and there was blood stuck in her eyelashes.
She undid the last bit of her bandage and removed the cover. Underneath was a red ringed puncture wound that had been stitched up, but it was still gruesome to Sage. She tossed aside the bloody bandage and ran her shaking fingers over the stitched wound.
She thought back to the last time she had showered the night before they set out to rescue Eliza. She remembered the way her eyes glowed when she turned out the lights and hesitantly reached for the switch.
When the lights went out, she slowly lifted her head and through the steam that had collected on the mirror she could clearly see that her eyes were glowing like they had before. She wiped the steam away and blinked, trying to diminish the light, but nothing changed.
You’re losing it, Sage, she thought as she stared at her own eyes in the mirror. She quickly turned on the light and gripped the sink to steady herself. She took several deep breaths before she was able to move again. Her hands shook violently as she stepped into the hot shower. She allowed the water to flow over the stiches and welcomed the pain since it was the only thing that felt real to her.
The water washing away the blood in her lashes as it ran over her face. She finished her shower and made her way back to her room. She found the bottle of medicine for her wound and applied a small amount before fastening a fresh bandage.
She struggled to wrap herself but managed well enough to slip on a T-shirt and some shorts. She had brought one of her dad’s shirts with her, and when she pulled it out of her bag, she was overcome by the scent of him: clean soap and cedar.
Sage couldn’t stop herself as she slid down the wall by the window and cried. She buried her face into the shirt and sobbed quietly, each inhale sending searing pain through her chest. She didn’t hear the door to her room open and was surprised when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
She looked up to see Jax kneeling in front of her, his golden brown eyes deep and sad. Without speaking, he extended a hand and helped Sage to her feet. They were standing in front of the window; the cool air making Sage’s tears cold against her warm cheeks. Jax pulled Sage close, and she cried against his shoulder. Sage felt strange crying in front of Jax but, in the moment, she was just glad she wasn’t alone.
Slowly, Sage stopped crying and pulled away from Jax. She sat on the edge of her bed and stared out the window. Jax had moved to sit next to her and clearly noticed her hands were shaking since Sage couldn’t hide it. He gently held her hands between his until the shaking stopped.
Sage rested her head against his shoulder and they sat together, staring out at the moon until the exhaustion set in and Sage fell asleep.
Chapter 16
Sage had woken early that morning and sat on her bed holding her dad’s shirt when there was a small knock on her door.
“Come in.” Her throat was hoarse from sleeping with the window open.
The door opened slowly, and standing in the doorway was Emery. She shut the door behind her and hopped up on the bed next to Sage, her curly hair bouncing like springs.
“We were going to head into the Circle and meet with Cade and Blythe. Did you want to come with us?” Emery’s eyes were sad when she spoke. Sage took her friends hand and smiled.
“Em, there is nothing wrong with me. Look at me, I’m not sick, we just need time and answers to figure this out. Let’s see what Cade and Blythe have to say about it.” Sage got out of her bed and grabbed a pair of black jeans and a black tank top. Emery slipped off the bed and made her way towards the door.
“Fine, but if you start to die, I am going to kill you.” Emery laughed as she left the room, clearly aware of her ridiculous threats.
“I will meet you downstairs.” Sage laughed as grabbed her boots and shut the door behind Emery. When Sage slipped on her boots, she suddenly realized that the pain in her chest was nearly gone.
She quickly removed the bandage and was shocked to see that the wound was almost entirely healed. The stitches had fallen out, and all that was left was a small curved scar like an upside-down crescent moon.
She decided to leave it unwrapped and went downstairs to join the others. Emery and Andrea were in the living room talking to River in hushed tones. Wesley and Audrey were eating in the dining room and looking over some papers and Jax was nowhere to be seen. She joined Eliza at the kitchen table where she sat and was reading over Jefferson’s journal.
“Where did you say you got this again?” Eliza raised her eyes to meet Sage’s.
“His name was Jefferson. The day that you were taken the CA followed us home and, somehow, we ended up hiding at Jefferson’s house. He worked with River’s dad on a secret rebellion project so when he saw River, he knew who he was. He hid us in his underground basement until the guards left. He trained us and got us ready to break you out and escape. He gave me my daggers and taught me how to use them. He should be with us but he was captured by the CA and beaten till he told them what they wanted to know. He held them off long enough for us to escape but his injuries were too much, and he gave me that missing page with his dying breath.” Sage suddenly realized she hadn’t seen her daggers since that night.
“Have you seen my daggers?” Sage stood and felt a deep fear that they were gone.
“What daggers?” Eliza asked as she stood from her seat and looked with Sage.
“River, have you seen my daggers?” Sage was looking through the living room, but the knives were nowhe
re to be found.
“I haven’t seen them since we came here.” River searched with them when he suddenly went pale.
“Sage, I haven’t seen my crossbows either.” He turned and headed upstairs, Sage followed closely behind. Emery had joined them since she too hadn’t had her bo-staff since they came through the mine. They searched through each bag and drawer but found only clothes and shoes.
“They aren’t here. They must have confiscated them when we were taken to the hospital.” Emery panicked, running her hands through her rich black curls.
“Come on.” Sage turned to head down the hall. Just then Jax stepped out of his room, and Sage slammed into him with her bad shoulder. She expected the pain to be much worse and reflexively lifted her hand to the wound. Jax appeared flustered as he stepped forward into the hallway.
“What’s going on?” Jax asked as they headed down the stairs.
“They took our weapons when we came here, and we need to get them back,” Emery explained.
When they turned the corner of the second staircase Sage heard a deep man’s voice at the door. She extended her arm to stop the others and they froze. She recognized the voice as Cade and wondered why he was at their house. The door shut, and Sage could no longer hear Cade’s voice. She scrambled down the stairs and found her sister standing in the doorway with wide eyes and her hand braced against the stair railing to keep her from falling.
“El, what did he say?” Sage rushed to her sister’s side and slowly they walked back into the living room. Sage got Eliza on the couch and sat next to her, holding her small hands.