by C J Benjamin
“Really, 65, you make it too easy,” she said as she turned on her heel, deliberately spraying sand in my face.
Nova pulled me to my feet and dusted me off, and I had to assure him about a hundred times that I was fine so that he wouldn’t drag me to Miss Breia’s station again. I had already been there three times in the past week.
I was seriously considering asking Nova to change my assignment to just Journey or Sparrow when he joined me at breakfast. At least neither of them treated me like an invalid or pariah. But when Nova and Sparrow approached the table I could see a flicker of the old Nova in the glimmer of his eyes as Sparrow fluttered him with conversation. Journey was already sitting stoically beside me since he was on watch. Although I liked spending time with Journey, I was glad for some company to distract me from his repulsive eating habits. He was sloppily filling his mouth with more food than I thought humanly possible when they sat down at our table. I was grateful when Sparrow’s chatter drowned out the sound of Journey’s thunderous chewing.
“Where’s Remi?” Sparrow asked.
“I don’t know, I’m the one we’re supposed to be watching remember?” I mumbled sarcastically.
This got a laugh out of everyone.
“Okay, what’s up with you today?” I asked Nova, who was beaming.
“This is the week!” he said unable to contain his excitement.
Could it really have been three weeks already?
“Oh,” was all I could say.
“I’ve decided what I’m going to do to get sent to the locker,” he said grinning like a fool.
“I almost don’t want to know,” I said picking at my fruit.
“Well, I do,” Journey encouraged.
“I’m going to hug Greeley on Lux day,” he whispered with excitement.
I dropped my fork.
35
I gasped as soon as he said it because I knew it would without a doubt get him thrown into the locker, if he survived of course. It might not seem like a big deal to hug our headmistress. To most, a show of affection was certainly not something that should get you punished, but to Greeley this would be seen as a gesture so heinous that she wouldn’t even blink before sending Nova straight to the locker, if she didn’t feed him to her tarcats first!
You have to understand a few things about Greeley to see why this was such a big deal. Although she was our headmistress and entrusted with our well being, she despised us. She always said that she thought children were dirty, foul, grubby beings and she would never get very close to us. If by chance you encountered her in the halls, she would stop short and crinkle her sharp features as if she has come across a putrid smell. We always took care to give her a wide berth and keep our eyes averted to avoid being sent to the locker.
Another thing that was strange for our headmistress was that Greeley was sort of a recluse. She hid in her office all day long doing who knows what. She only ventured out sporadically, but the one time you could count on seeing her was for her weekly visit to the rubble piles. These weren’t social visits though. She came out only to inspect the precious goods we were procuring for her. She would also take it upon herself to take a particularly lovely gem or stone, “for a closer look” as she would say. But we knew she was stealing them for her own collection because we would spot them either on Khan and Ria’s collars or on the necklace she always wore.
That was another peculiar thing about Greeley, she was meticulous about her appearance. Even in the sweltering heat of summer, when you could see the horizon wavering like a mirage in the distance, Greeley would wear her long dresses, extravagant jackets and jeweled necklace. She always had her dark hair slicked back into a neatly braided bun at the base of her neck and she never went anywhere without wearing her gloves. She had them in every shade imaginable and they exaggerated her long boney fingers, making them appear pointed and sharp. Perhaps there were claws underneath; she was certainly vicious enough to have them.
All of the mystique surrounding the way Greeley behaved and dressed was enough to keep everyone at arm’s length. Us orphans were all terrified of her. We knew even the slightest glance in her direction could warrant her reason enough to throw us in the locker. And the Grifts and teachers seemed to be frightened of her as well. None of them were chummy with her, that’s for sure. Jest was the only one that I might call her friend, but even that was a stretch of the word. It was more like they shared a passion for punishing us. The only things that I could tell Greeley loved were the tarcats. Khan and Ria in particular. She adorned their massive leather collars with more gems than any of the other tarcats, and she would take them to Lux with her whenever she went. They would pad along lazily on either side of her like two black and white furry bodyguards. They pretty much followed her everywhere or would lay lethargically outside her office door.
Oh, wait, I take that back, there is one other thing Greeley loved: her sparkling necklace. It was made of gold that I’m sure orphans mined and collected, then melted down and hammered into a pocked bib necklace that she embellished with gems she confiscated from orphans over the years. By now, it lay heavy on her collar bone, gleaming in the sun, casting a dazzling display of colored lights that danced off her pointy features. It almost made her look beautiful on Lux days, as we called them, when she would wear her full-length white gown, the traditional uniform of the citizens of Lux. She would visit Lux once a week in her white attire and bring the treasures that we found during Flood work. She traded them at the port city for food and supplies that were needed to keep the Troian Center running. I had a sneaking suspicion she traded them for some of the extravagant dresses she wore as well. She must love Lux day because her white dresses were always starched and creaseless, making her carry her pointy chin a little higher.
It made me shiver picturing Greeley dressed that way because I knew it would mean it was time for Nova to attack her. Well, not attack really, just hug. But Greeley would see it as an attack. I don’t think in the history of the Troian Center anyone had ever gotten close enough to Greeley to touch her. Especially not close enough to hug her. And Nova would surely be all sweaty and dirty from Flood work. I could almost picture the stains he would leave on her immaculate white dress.
“Nova, are you sure this is the best plan?” I began, begging him to reconsider with my mind.
“Tippy, don’t even try to talk me out of it. I’ve thought of a million different things in my head, but this one is the best. It guarantees that I’ll be sent to the locker and that you and Remi will be there to see it happen so you can both follow me in.”
“But…” I paused shuddering again at the thought of it. “She’s going to be furious,” I concluded in a whisper.
“I’ll be fine. Just stick to the plan. And fill Remi in on it whenever he decides to show up,” Nova said rising from the table and walking out of the dining hall.
I sat there speechless for a moment, still tormented by the thoughts of Nova’s plan. Sparrow broke my concentration and brought me back to reality. “Yeah, where is Remi? He’s been really distant lately.”
I shrugged, but she was right. He seemed to be pulling back from our little group and he was around less and less. I had way too much to worry about to keep track of Remi at the moment.
“I’m going to go check on Niv and see if he wants breakfast,” I said.
“Oh, he’s not here with us?” Sparrow asked sounding surprised.
“No, he hasn’t been himself the past few days. He’s sleeping a lot. He’s curled up on my cot bed still. Hopefully, this fruit will brighten his mood,” I said pushing back from the table.
I left Sparrow and Journey talking excitedly about Nova’s crazy plan, but it was short lived because they both seemed to realize that no one was on Tippy duty and they rushed to dump their trays and catch up to me. I didn’t get how they couldn’t see how dangerous Nova’s plan was. Maybe they were just happy that the time had finally come. Greeley hadn’t gone to Lux yet this week. She would be showing up an
y day now at the rubble pile, all decked out in white. I slipped into room 13 with them on my heels and found Niv still curled up on my cot bed. The little indentation at the foot of the stuffed mattress gave him away. To anyone else it would just look like a lumpy mattress, but I knew better. I started clucking softly to him as I entered the room so I didn’t startle him. It worried me that all of a sudden he had become so lethargic. He was usually bouncing with energy. Maybe he was just going through a growth spurt. I read that animals sleep a lot when they’re growing. Or maybe he was hibernating. It was winter and I didn’t know a whole lot about marmice. Whatever it was, it worried me. I gave him bits of fruit and watched as it slowly disappeared. It made me laugh every time. It was my favorite little magic trick. I felt like I was feeding my imaginary pet! In a way I guess I was since no one else could see him.
While Sparrow and Journey practiced for the Gala, I spent the rest of my free time journaling my concerns about our plan and looking out for Remi, who never showed up. Finally, I was forced to walk to lessons without him. He squeaked into the lesson room just as the bell was chiming.
Gong!
“Where have you been?” I telepathed to him.
He just looked at me with those big brown eyes and shrugged. He was out of breath and sweaty, so I knew he was up to something; but I knew he wasn’t going to tell me, so I just dropped it. Sometimes he was so frustrating!
“Never mind, I have to tell you about Nova’s plan,” I said.
He rolled his eyes a few times while I was filling him in on the plan, but all in all he seemed to take it in stride as well. Why was no one else as concerned as I was? I sighed in frustration and tried to turn my attention to what Miss Banna was rambling on about, but it was no use. My mind was consumed by scary visions of Greeley, tarcats and the locker.
At lunch I put Sparrow and Journey in charge of Niv, in case today was the day we ended up in the locker. I didn’t want Niv to follow us so I told Sparrow to take him in my shoulder bag to Flood work and to not let him out of her sight.
“How am I supposed to do that when I can’t even see him?” she asked.
“Journey will help you. He can hear him.”
Journey nodded in agreement and that was settled. While we finished eating I gave them tips on the foods Niv liked and his favorite hiding and napping places. I caught Remi shaking his head a few times, but decided to ignore it. I was trying to think of what else I needed to tell them when Journey interrupted me.
“You’re only going to be gone for a day,” he said sounding annoyed by my fussing.
“Not if we get sent down there today! The Gala is still a few days away.”
“Yeah, but you can leave any time you want. Isn’t that the beauty of this plan?”
“And leave Nova down there all alone?” I asked appalled.
“You’ll be invisible so you can go back and check on him any time you want,” Journey added in an apologetic tone.
“But it’s not like he’ll need you to. He’s a big boy, he can take care of himself,” Remi shot at me with such hostility that we all stopped and stared at him.
I was so shocked I didn’t know what to say. I’d never heard Remi so mad before. What was going on with him?
“I know that, Remi! That’s not what – ”
“Well you don’t act that way sometimes,” he interrupted and pushed back from our table and stormed out of the dining hall.
“What was that all about?” Sparrow asked.
“Beats me,” I shrugged, trying to act as if it wasn’t a big deal. But I was starting to worry about Remi’s recent behavior.
I didn’t have much time to think about it though because Nova came strolling toward us a moment later, with a secretive grin lighting up his beautiful face. I could read his thoughts immediately and knew he was still basking in the excitement of his awaiting prank. I wish I could say I felt the same way, but all the stress of worrying about everyone was starting to get to me. Remi, Nova, Niv, not to mention myself and the added fact that Jemma always seemed close by, watching our every move. How were we going to get away with this?
It was a balmy afternoon at the rubble piles. On a normal day, I might have actually been able to enjoy the fresh air. But, I was so worried that today would be Lux day for Greeley that I could hardly concentrate. Every little sound made me jump and look around wildly. I felt like my whole body was on red alert, tensed and ready to react if need be. I was sweating despite the mild temperature. I glanced at Remi, who was working on my rubble pile today. Although he exuded a calm exterior, I could feel the worry pulsing through his body as well. I reached for his hand with my own trembling one, longing for some comfort in this miserable situation and to my relief he reached back, squeezing small pulses of hope back into me. I smiled at him and we communicated without words or telepathy, the way we always had, the way only best friends can. I could see he was feeling the same way I was and that although our future was uncertain, we were certain that we had each other and that washed away all my earlier doubt and worry about Remi’s recent behavior. Whatever was making him act this way, I’m sure he had a reason for it and he’d let me in when he was ready.
I let go of his hand and turned back to focus on my work. We picked and sorted silently for the next few minutes before Remi said, “I have to tell you something.”
“Okay,” I said still working.
“I was only trying to protect you, so don’t be mad, okay?”
“Okay,” I said again, this time pausing to look up at him, but when I did, what I saw sent goose flesh racing down my spine, raising all the alarms!
I quickly put my hand over my mouth to stifle the gasp that I let escape. Remi turned to see what got a rise out of me and he froze, too. Just beyond the furthest rubble pile, I could see three figures emerging from the tall grass of the fields. Two of them were low and wide, moving with a slinking gait, and the third figure rose in between the other two. A tall thin pillar gliding toward us, all dressed in white.
36
You know how people say that time seems to stand still during a crisis, or you see your life pass before your eyes before you die? Well, I believe it now. I think they both happened at once for me. I was in a panic and my mind was racing as I watched the events before me unfold in slow motion, helpless to stop them.
Once I saw Greeley approaching with Khan and Ria, I got a lump in my throat, and I knew this was a bad idea. I wanted to abort our plan immediately. I turned to where Nova was hiding behind a nearby tree to tell him the deal was off, but he was gone. I looked around frantically and spotted him a few yards away, walking straight toward Greeley. The next thing I knew, my legs were carrying me forward rapidly. I was down the rubble pile and sprinting after Nova, waving my arms wildly trying to call him off. I always thought of him as old for his age, tall and masculine, but as he neared Greeley and the tarcats, he’d never looked smaller to me. I knew I was screaming, at least that was what my mind was doing as I closed the little ground between us. I was closing the gap, but it still felt like I was moving in slow motion. I remember seeing the long white linen of Greeley’s dress fluttering toward me with each step she took and I was drawn to it. It was such a bright white that it seemed glow, almost blinding me. The billowing fabric flashed before me, displaying bits of my tragic existence upon it.
I was so close to Nova I could almost reach him, only a few more steps and… Thunk, I hit the ground hard. The last thing I remember was feeling my feet go out from under me. Now I could do nothing but watch from my horizontal vantage point as Nova carried out his plan. I heard Greeley shriek but couldn’t look up high enough to see what was happening. It felt like there was something heavy on my back holding me down and in my mind I kept hearing “Stay down, stay down!” But I was so confounded that I didn’t know who I was hearing or what was going on above me.
I looked on as feet and paws shuffled frantically a short distance from my head. There was more yelling from Greeley and angry snarls and his
sing from the tarcats. I heard Greeley call for the Grifts and then there was an eerie moment of calm and silence that gave me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. A moment later that feeling was validated when Nova’s head hit the same packed soil as mine had moments earlier. His eyes were closed and there were three large gashes bleeding before me on his beautiful face. The horrible sight was too much to take, so I squeeze my eyes closed and then my mind must have shut down because that’s the last image I was left with before opening my eyes again.
37
The next time I opened my eyes I felt so unsure they were open at all that I had to feel for myself that my long lashes were indeed brushing past my fingers as I held my hands against my face. Was I dreaming? Was I dead? Nova! Where was he? Was he here with me? Or worse, was he…? I couldn’t even bring myself to think it. I wanted to whisper his name but I feared what was out there, lurking in the darkness. I was somewhere cool and damp and it was pitch black. It wasn’t the kind of darkness that your eyes could adjust to. It was an all-consuming blackness that could swallow you up whole, fears and all. I felt my instinctual panic starting to kick in, but all of my training in the forest paid off because I caught myself and was able to slow my breathing and racing heart enough to think clearly. I remembered that I had everything I needed at my disposal. I focused my mind on pulling forward Journey’s hunting skills. I was able to call on my night vision and my surroundings came into focus. I was sitting on the packed earthen floor in the center of a large room. In front of me, it seemed to expand even further than I could see, but to my left I could see a stone wall glowing before me. I had no doubt about it, I was in the locker. I concentrated still harder and could hear the faint drumming of a familiar heartbeat in the distance. Nova!