“Is that what happened to the children?”
Aidan stood up suddenly and looked down at his friend, who was still waiting for the answer.
“What else happens to everyone around me?”
Chapter 11 – Substitute
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Samantha replied as they walked into the schoolhouse together. Aidan chuckled and walked her to her seat.
“Stranger things have happened.”
“Now that the expulsion rule has been lifted, you’re ready to become tame?”
“Perhaps I believe in what the Elders are doing for once.”
“If that’s true, then the apocalypse is upon us,” she laughed. “Advent II.” She put down her backpack and was about to start rummaging through it for a utensil when a strange sight in the front of the room caught her attention. She nodded towards the man by the teacher’s desk. “Do you recognize him?” Aidan glanced up.
“We will begin class shortly,” the sweaty man with the large paunch said aloud. His voice was airy and full of authority. Aidan didn’t like him already.
“Where is Bailey?” Aidan asked. The large man with the tussled hair smiled with his eyes.
“She’s not here.”
“Yes, I see that. Still doesn’t answer the question.”
“Aidan, sit down,” Samantha urged him. “If she’s out, there’s a good reason. Be patient and wait for the explanation.”
“Fine,” Aidan huffed, walking over to his seat and slamming his posterior into it. The desk slid over a few inches, scraping the floor loudly, and then settled. The large man was not amused and blinked at the class rapidly as the last of Bailey’s regulars took their spots.
“My name is Eugene Balthasar,” he said, folding his massive hands. “Usually I work in the Elders’ camp, but with our heightened level of fear in place, they have asked me to take over for Bailey while she is tasked with more important matters. At this moment, she is speaking with the Elders themselves, advising them on what their next steps might be, based on her time with past scouting missions. I will be your teacher while she is away.”
“A substitute,” George scoffed from the corner.
“No, not a substitute,” Eugene corrected, holding up a meaty finger. “A substitute means there is an assumption that the replacement is equal to the original, and I assure you, I am far, far superior.”
“A bold claim,” Samantha replied. Aidan smiled. Eugene had even offended Samantha with his high and mighty talk.
“Don’t ruffle your feathers yet, young miss, we’re just getting started.” Eugene walked in front of the desk and stood before his new class. “Let me ask you all a question about Advent. Which of you believe it was a random event, and which of you believe it was planned?”
“What’s the point?” George asked.
“Just because you’re blind to a point, doesn’t mean it isn’t there,” Eugene said smugly. Aidan shook his head at the response and laughed under his breath. The substitute turned his attention to him. “What do you believe, young sir?”
“That it was planned,” Aidan said. “There is the Judge. It was probably him.”
“Was it now? Any other thoughts?”
“I can’t speak for everyone,” Elias said. “But when I was before the Judge…it didn’t feel like he was in charge. I mean, before him we had the same conversations across Obsidian, didn’t we? Whether there was a Maker or not. No matter what someone believed, no one could provide concrete evidence and we were left to our opinions and personal experiences. But…all of a sudden, Advent happens and this Judge reveals himself when we make a wish? Why? Who is he? I mean, I used to think about what the Maker might look like, and it wasn’t anything like what the Judge looked like. And if the Judge was the Maker, why would he reveal himself now?”
“You pose interesting questions, young sir,” Eugene said, sitting on the desk. It creaked horribly under the weight. “Perhaps the Judge and the Maker are the same but he did something bad. Maybe there’s a world beyond our sight that is full of Makers and they had a war. A war that resulted in half of our world being destroyed and the other half altered significantly.”
“Still, it’s all conjecture,” Elias retorted. “You don’t know that.”
“It’s true,” Eugene said. “I don’t know, and neither do you. And yet we speculate. We assume. We believe. And all of this affects our community in ways we can’t even fathom. What we must remember from here on out is that in Lowsunn, we are to follow orders, not act off of wild notions and imagined scenarios. The Elders are here. They are among us, and they have looked out for our interests since the beginning. No matter what you believe about the outside world: Yen, the Judge, a Maker and everything beyond that…what you can have your faith in – is the judgment of the Elders.”
Aidan snickered and all eyes rested upon him.
“Is there something hilarious, Mr. Serafino?” Eugene asked politely. Aidan fidgeted in his seat.
“I believe the Elders’ actions can speak for themselves on whether or not they have good intentions. I don’t think there’s any need to send new teachers amongst all the classes to prep the village – to get us to fall in line with whatever they decide. I’ve learned that if someone talks long enough, everyone listening begins to start believing their crap.”
“You can’t be seriously bringing up the whole ‘actions over words’ mantra,” Eugene said accusingly, folding his hands as he arched an eyebrow at Aidan.
“Why not? I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“In your simple peanut-sized brain, no, you didn’t. But as your words flow out of your mouth like rapids, you forgot that we were all there last night. We remember the damage you caused. The lives that were lost. The Elders had a plan to execute the intruder without any collateral damage, but you had to speak for him. You had to fight him. You had to fan the flames.”
“You’re lying,” Aidan said boldly. “I acted when the others didn’t. The Elders didn’t have a plan. You’re just trying to twist things. Make it seem like I’m a liability. The Elders were perfectly fine letting me risk my life to save them, but now that the battle is over, they want to make sure it looks like I’m not to be trusted. What better place to start than amongst the few people who respect me?”
“You think too highly of yourself. You act as if you have all the answers, but if so, then Elder Ainsley’s daughter would not be in the infirmary. Duncan wouldn’t have had time to get so angry and play his sick hide-and-seek game. You are a nuisance, Mr. Serafino. A hindrance to the potential of the rest of us. A blight on Lowsunn’s legacy.”
“No, you’re the one that’s wrong,” George spoke up, standing to his feet.
“Young sir, please sit down.”
“No, not until I’ve had my say,” he snapped back. “Aidan may be a lot of things. But we can’t deny that he acted when we were all too scared to lift a finger last night. I don’t believe the Elders had a plan because they wouldn’t have allowed Duncan to enter the grand hall in the first place. We could have all died last night, but you all are too proud to accept it. Aidan did the best he could, and he saved many of our lives. Why are you trying to put him down?”
“It’s like I said,” Aidan said, still in his seat. “I’m a threat. To the Elders I’m probably another Duncan. They’ll use me as a weapon for a cause and then have me killed first chance they get. I don’t care what anyone says. You can’t fake love. I see that now. You know, when the Elders announced that we were all permanent residents, I couldn’t believe it. No matter how negatively I had thought about them, I couldn’t deny that it was a gesture so insanely positive that even I was willing to see where it went. You almost got me to climb on board. But I see now. That gesture was for everyone that would comply in the future. The rest of us? Who knows what will happen?”
“You’re paranoid and rash,” Eugene said.
“And you’re emotional,” Aidan declared. “You resort to labels when you can’t articulate your
self.”
“Like you’re one to talk.”
“Weren’t you listening? I just did.”
“Class dismissed,” Eugene barked. The class jolted back in shock as Eugene scanned the room. “I said…class dismissed. Get out. All of you. Except him.” He pointed his index finger directly at Aidan’s head, his hand in the shape of a gun. “You stay right there.”
Aidan sighed and turned around just enough to nod to his classmates, signaling for them to leave. He couldn’t help but see the concern in their eyes. As they exited one by one, he tried to stare through the thick fabric of Eugene’s long sleeve shirt. How many seals did this man have? What abilities were at his disposal? He decided to hold himself back as much as he could. Because of the way the teacher had lashed out at him, Aidan knew he had the advantage. As long as he maintained his composure.
“I am your enemy, Mr. Serafino,” Eugene stated, folding his arms. “I hope you realize that.”
“It’s not exactly a secret at this point,” Aidan said. “What do you want?”
“Just kidding!” Eugene guffawed, unfolding his arms and placing both hands on his bouncing belly. “That was quite the show, wasn’t it?”
Aidan raised his eyebrows and looked around the room. What kind of trickery was this?
“Sorry for that,” Eugene said, sitting on the teacher’s desk again. “I had to do it. Bailey’s orders. You know once she tells you to do something, you’d better follow it like you would an order from the Judge himself.”
“Um, okay,” Aidan replied. He didn’t know what to say to this jolly, apologetic man. The change disturbed him.
“I work with Bailey behind the scenes. I understand that she wasn’t revealing to you who was involved in the Movement because she wasn’t sure if you could be trusted. But after last night, there are no doubts. I don’t expect you to believe me at this moment. But my legitimacy will come to light soon.”
Aidan said nothing.
“Bailey has taken a more background approach because she wants to find out what the Elders’ endgame is as soon as possible, and she has asked me to relay some information to you in the meantime.” He reached behind him into his back pocket, and produced a crumpled, stained piece of paper. “On here are a list of names involved in our resistance.”
“And I’m supposed to just carry this around?” Aidan scoffed.
“Silly, you’re supposed to memorize it then burn it before you walk out the door.”
“Mm-hmm,” Aidan muttered as he scanned the list. More than half of them he didn’t recognize, but he easily committed them all to memory.
“It’s vital that you recognize friend or foe,” Eugene replied. “She could be wrong, but Bailey suspects that you, along with any other threats to the Elders’ plans, will be put on scouting missions in the next announcement. Should you be paired with anyone on the list, don’t acknowledge their involvement with us, but just understand that if you’re in a horrible situation, they have your back.”
Aidan listened, but he wasn’t sure if he believed. So he was just supposed to assume that these strangers were going to save his life in a time of need?
“Do you have any questions?”
“Just one. What’s your role in all this again?”
“I don’t see how that’s pertinent.”
“If we’re all allies now, I would like some clarification.”
“I already told you that I work closely with the Elders.”
“Then why didn’t Isaac know what he was getting into at their compound?”
“I don’t get to just peruse around their homes, go inside and make myself a sandwich. I’m more of a secretary if anything. They give me orders, I obey. And occasionally, some interesting information comes across my eyes that I think can be used to further our cause. I gave Bailey everything I knew.”
“Well, for the record, I don’t trust you,” Aidan said flatly, rising from his desk.
“Not surprising,” he laughed. “You don’t trust anyone.”
“Not true. I trust Bailey. I trust Isaac…but not some guy that I’ve just met who says he’s part of a resistance.”
“Why? Because I humiliated you in front of the class?”
“Humiliation would imply that I allowed such a thing to happen, which I didn’t. I’m not embarrassed at all. But you should be.”
“What? Why?”
“Because if Bailey’s told you anything about me, it’s that I’m wary about everything, and your actions didn’t ward off any of my suspicions. Bailey’s my mentor, not you. So if there’s anything else you would like to say to me, give her the message.”
“But I already told you. She’s – ”
“Yeah I know. She’s not here right now. And I’m going to find out the real reason why.”
“Geez, we told her that it was too soon to take you into the fold. You still got a lot of growing up to do.”
“Don’t we all?” Aidan replied, and walked out the doors.
Chapter 12 - Leah
Can I do this? Aidan wondered, as he walked through the Infirmary. Is this possible?
A cry of pain interrupted his thoughts but he was able to rein his attention back to the task at hand. The Field of Visions had been full that day, and normally it would have been his next stop after class, but he wasn’t in the mood to play with his Fire Arts. Today, he was thinking of a different kind of wish fulfillment, and so he decided to head for the Infirmary.
The commotion around him acted as a wonderful white noise, preventing the villagers from catching wind of his taboo thoughts. Raising the dead is not impossible, he thought to himself as he turned a corner.
It had been done countless times since Advent. Though Aidan had not seen it happen personally, there were too many eye-witness accounts to dismiss the notion. Still, there was an unsaid rule against it. He could see it in the faces of the listeners whenever a resurrection account was detailed. Not that it mattered to him what others generally thought, but Leah…what would she think? Especially since he would need her help to do it. Raising the dead with the Judge…it was a tall order, requiring no less than three Yen in exchange. Aidan had two, and Leah might give up one, but was it the right thing to do? He still wanted to make the Judge pay for murdering his family, but could he do it without backup Yen?
Aidan sighed and examined the palms of his hands, watching the liquid fire pumping through his veins. There was no doubt greater heights he could reach in power. New techniques. But it would take time, and things were beginning to move in a direction in which there would be little leisure. For now, he would have to rely on his abilities. And his good judgment.
Turning into Leah’s room, all of his worries disappeared once he saw her smiling face. She immediately brushed back her hair and wiped her face with the blankets that were draped over her legs.
“Am I beautiful?” she batted her eyes playfully. Aidan chuckled, strolled over to her bed and leapt upon it, making it creak under the weight of the two of them. Leah patted his leg as he fixed his gaze upon her. He didn’t need to ask. He could tell she had been crying.
“How is my warrior today?” she asked, finally meeting him face-to-face. He kissed her before she could utter another word, so hard that it rocked her head back. She smiled from beneath his lips and reciprocated, kissing him back several times in rapid succession. A creak of the door interrupted them as their heads swiveled to the entrance. A glimpse of a nurse’s gown flashed and then vanished behind the closing door. Once it clicked shut, they both burst out laughing.
“Are you feeling better?” Aidan asked, turning to her with a concerned look. She patted his cheek.
“It’s a little different from a normal miscarriage,” she said, maintaining her smile. “And it helps a little that I didn’t even know I was pregnant…but…I could be better, I guess.”
“Has your father come to see you yet?”
“He’s sent over some flowers, but I understand he’s busy.”
“Are you
going to be in here much longer?”
“They want to keep an eye on me for a couple of days but I can request to go home whenever I want.”
“Are you?”
“Not yet,” she said, turning her head towards the window. “If you don’t mind.”
“Of course not,” he said, looking at the door. “You know, the Elders are going to be handing out assignments for missions shortly. Part of me was kind of hoping you were going to join me in one. We don’t have a say in the team composition, but there’s always that chance.”
“You really think I’m ready to go out there and fight again?”
“Are you?” Aidan asked, facing her again. She smirked and tried to smack him playfully in the face but he caught her hand.
“You know I am,” she said with a wink. “You think I’m going to just let you have all the fun?”
“You don’t have to put on a strong face for me. I just want to help you out in any way I can. Just tell me what you need, and I’m there.”
“Just don’t leave me behind,” she said in all seriousness. Aidan could tell immediately by the hardening of her face and the disappearance of her smile that this was what she wanted most. Not her child resurrected from the dead. Not to become an Elder or to have a wonderful life free of conflict. It was this.
For Aidan to not leave her behind.
And he would do his best to honor her wish. Though they had been married almost a year, they had only known each other for about the same length of time. They were still learning and teaching each other, and it was only recently that Aidan had realized just how much Leah needed him – he had previously only known how much he needed her.
They had met in gym class, back when the Elders in all their superior wisdom had thought that throwing thirty young villagers together in the Field of Visions to spar was a good idea. It had been chaotic, but to this day, the youth of Lowsunn discussed the glory days of when gym had still been on the class roster. A simpler time, they say.
Nevertheless, it was no accident that the day Aidan met Leah, it was also the day he received his first strike towards expulsion. He was still unsociable then, not even talking to Isaac and barely uttering a grunt to Bailey. Since he had a knack for fighting, Bailey had asked him to join the gym class in order to not only gain favor amongst his peers, but to also show that he was in Lowsunn for a reason. Reluctantly he had joined and he mainly just stood around, watching his classmates play in the grass and casually spar. He sat there in his robe with the hood on, just listening to the occasional clash of swords and the spurts of giggles and cheers. He didn’t dare get involved in their play, more for their sake than his. Even the teacher understood that. She stayed next to him to ensure he didn’t cause any trouble, but she took no action towards getting him to participate.
Obsidian Sky Page 17