by Darby Cupid
“Yes.”
“Where are your parents?”
His question catches me off guard. I should tell him it’s none of his business but the truth trips off my tongue before I can stop it. “I don’t know. Spare me the look of pity,” I snarl at Curls. “I’m a big boy.”
“A very sad story,” Linda’s brother sighs. “Look, this is getting nowhere fast. I thought we were going to get answers?”
“Jake?” Curls asks. “Will you let me touch your head?”
My eyebrows shoot up. What a weird question. “Sure thing, love.” I look over at Blondie and wink for good measure. “However you get your kicks.”
She frowns at me and steps closer. “Just stay still, okay?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Crystal
It happens quicker than before. This time, it’s not like Linda’s memory. It’s so much more confusing. It’s dark, and everywhere I look, I see ghostly flashes of different memories. I realise I haven’t told him what to think about. Perhaps it’s for the best. Concentrating my efforts, I stare at the blurry image in front of me until a hard shove knocks me forward.
I’m up against a wall, my feet off the ground as invisible hands grip my throat. Every fibre of my being resonates with icy fear as the man in front of me comes into focus, his awful tawny eyes boring into my soul like hot coals. I gasp and struggle, desperate to get away.
Suddenly, he releases me and I’m on the floor. I’m running. I’m so sad, scared and lonely all at the same time. Another hard shove pushes the breath out of me as I fall back into darkness.
Poor Jake. That terrifying man must be his uncle – the man who tried to kill Oakstone. Who is he? How is he using powers like mine? Is Jake’s amulet his? I need more information. A flash of green catches my eye and before I can focus on it, a shove pushes me through.
An old box is in my hands. The amulet! Something calls to me. I need to take it. There’s something…
Before I can even focus on where I am, the shove knocks me back into the swirling mix of memories. I frantically scan the flashing images around me, but there’s too many. It would take forever to go through them all. I’m losing focus. Everything’s getting fainter. The next shove knocks the air out of me, and I fall backwards.
“Crystal!”
I blink, taking in Dylan’s arms supporting me.
“What happened?” he asks. “Are you okay?”
I can’t answer him. The emotions I felt in Jake’s head are still swirling around my bloodstream like a mix of ice water and flames. Instead, I turn and look up at Jake. “You recognised it didn’t you?”
“What are you talking about?” he frowns.
“The amulet. When you opened the box, it called to you.”
“What the hell?” His green eyes flicker with anger and disbelief. “You’ve been inside my head?”
“Jake, I’m trying to help you.” I allow Dylan to help me back to standing, the room spinning a little as I do. “That’s why you took it. You knew it didn’t belong to him.”
Jake’s face is dark as he slumps against his restraints. “It’s just a stupid necklace.”
“Please let me try again,” I ask, an idea forming in my mind. “I think I can get you answers. I just need more power.”
I wait until he looks at me.
“Fine,” he mumbles. “What do I need to do?”
I take Jake’s amulet from my pocket. “I need you to wear this and try to remember as far back as you can. Try and think about your earliest memories of your uncle. Try and think about your parents.”
“I told you, I can’t remember them.” He flinches as I fasten the amulet around his neck.
Placing one hand on Jake’s head, I touch the other to the amulet resting below his collar bone. His heartbeat pulses against my fingertips. “Just try, okay?”
This time it’s different. The flashing images are gone, and I’m surrounded by a thick yellowish fog. It obscures my vision like it’s trying to actively creep in and block my other senses; to conceal. I’m aware of something – a voice? A smell? Something, just on the other side of the fog, always just out of reach. It reminds me of the shadow I felt when I landed on Earth and dread fills my bones.
Come on Jake. I will him to concentrate harder. My heart fills with pity. How awful to not remember your parents. I push the thought away before my own grief can wrap its ice-cold claws around my heart. Instead, I concentrate on my amulet and the gleaming, warm, pulsing purple light emanating from inside me. It seems so clear and sharp compared to the fog.
No sooner have I thought it, the purple light seems to throb and pulse out around me like an aura, slowly dispersing the dense yellow, sending it fleeing into the dark corners. Feeling more confident, I push through the now depleted fog towards the sounds I’m sure I heard.
As the scene comes into focus, my eyes open wide and my breath catches in my throat. Starlatten! It’s not somewhere I recognise, but the three moons in the sky and the purple grass are unmistakable. I’m filled with euphoria at seeing my home but wracked by a wave of homesickness and loss. Will I ever see this place again?
I realise with a jolt, that unlike my previous mind explorations, I’m not seeing this memory through someone else’s eyes. I can’t smell or touch anything. I’m a ghost on the outside of a scene playing out.
Standing in front of me are a couple dressed in the robes ambassadors and members of the government wear. The man is accompanied by two tall, red-robed Dyja and as I look closer, I see the adornment on his robes to signify he is indeed an ambassador. I step closer still to get a better look at his face. I know him, but from where?
“How long will you be, Father?”
I turn and see a young boy, between ten and twelve orbits old, standing just behind his mother. He has wavy, sandy blonde hair and piercing green eyes with thick dark lashes. Jake!
My gasp is so loud, I worry for a moment the people in front of me will hear. Oh, my stars! Jake is from Starlatten. I really did smell prasalia flowers when I saw him in Linda’s memory. It still makes no sense though, so I push the puzzle from my mind and concentrate on the memory in front of me.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can, Jaik,” the ambassador says, his face filled with sadness. “I’m sorry I have to leave again so soon, but there is talk of an uprising on Zarbilian and we just can’t let that happen”
The woman with long wavy hair the same colour as Jake’s puts a hand on both her husband and son’s shoulders. “We understand. Just stay safe.”
The words have no sooner left her lips when the Dyja to the ambassador’s left crumples to the floor, right by my feet. I jump back in surprise, but before anyone can react, the other Dyja crumples in the same way. There’s something about the grotesque way they lie on the floor that tells me they’re dead. I clap a hand over my mouth and I’m not sure if it’s to stop me screaming or to stop me being sick.
A scream jolts me back to my senses. Two hooded figures, their faces concealed, hold Jake and his mother. I watch in horror as they strain against them, mumbling furiously through the gloved hands covering their mouths. Jake’s eyes flash with fear and anger as he tries to break free.
“You will meet our demands,” the taller of the two masked figures growls. “Or you will never see your family again.”
Jake’s father puts out his hands to plead, but before he can utter a word, a blinding light flashes behind the masked men, forcing me to shield my eyes.
When I open my eyes again, I’m back in the fog. No! I need to find out more! My heart racing, I look around, pushing out beams of purple. When I hear sobbing, I take a deep breath and step towards it.
I’m in a dark room. It’s damp, cold and definitely not Starlatten. Earth? My brain throbs with the pressure of staying in Jake’s head and the relevance of the information I’ve discovered but I have to stay focused for just a bit longer. I need to know what happened next.
The sobbing is coming from Jake. He and his mother ar
e tied to chairs, back to back as she tries frantically to untie his hands.
“When you get free,” she whispers, “you have to run. Run fast and far. Use your amulet to send an emergency signal. Someone will find you.”
“I can’t leave you,” Jake sobs. “I can’t!”
I’m standing so close to them I can see the tears streaming down Jake’s cheeks. I almost reach out to help but stop myself. There’s no point. This all happened many orbits ago. My own eyes sting with tears as I look at Jake, so young and helpless.
With one final grunt of effort, Jake’s mother gets him free. He leans forward and unties his feet, before standing and trying to untie his mother.
“There’s no time, Jaik!” she hisses.
He kneels by her feet, putting his head on her knees. “I can’t…”
“Look at me,” she pleads. “If he comes back and finds you free, he’ll kill you. You have to run.”
Wiping his tears on the back of his sleeve, Jake stands and kisses his mother on the forehead. No sooner has he taken a step towards the door, however, it flies open, filled by a tall dark figure with broad shoulders and chilling amber eyes.
“Going somewhere?”
Jake freezes. The only sound in the room, the pounding of my heart. The man steps forward, menace oozing from every atom.
“I was wondering if you were stupid enough to try and escape. Now I have my answer.” He pauses, touching something around his neck.
I notice his yellow amulet for the first time.
“Your father is just as stupid,” he continues. “It seems Ambassador Bazanat is unwilling to negotiate.”
Bazanat. I frown. I’ve heard that before. Of course, it’s not unlikely with my father being king. I’m familiar with most of the ambassadors.
“Don’t you dare hurt him, Cadicus!” Jake’s mother shouts.
“Me? Hurt a child?” he smiles cruelly. “Do you think I’m a monster?”
Frozen with horror, I watch as the man clenches his fist in the air. Jake’s mother gives a strangled gasp before flopping forward, her body limp and lifeless. Jake screams a scream that tears right through my soul. He flings himself on her body, howling between heart-wrenching sobs.
Tears blur my vision as I look at the man called Cadicus standing calm and emotionless by the door.
“Hopefully this will be the incentive your father needs,” he says as he turns to leave.
I can’t take any more. I cover my face with my hands and the scene disappears. The yellow fog is gone, replaced with emptiness.
Dylan’s voice sounds as if it’s miles away. His arms stop me from drowning, but I’m still floating in darkness. Sounds and senses are disjointed, as if I’m a dozen broken pieces all floating in nothingness, trying to find each other. I must have pulled back from Jake’s memories too fast.
Oh Jake. My heart could burst with sadness. Even in the darkness, my eyes are hot with tears and the lump in my throat erupts into sobs.
“Crystal! What’s wrong?”
I want to answer Dylan, but I can’t. I’m underwater, the sound of his voice still muffled. Slowly, the pieces of Jake’s memories start to fit together in my brain. Jake is from Starlatten. Jaik. His mother had called him Jaik. It’s a slight difference in pronunciation but…
My eyes fly open and I sit up. “Jaik Bazanat!”
Blinking away the tears, I see several pairs of confused and concerned eyes, but I’m not looking for them. I’m looking for a particular pair of green ones.
Jaik is sitting much as I’d left him: tied to the chair, head down. I begin to stand, to make my way towards him, but Dylan tugs me back.
“What’s going on, Crystal?” he asks, trying to move into my line of sight. “What did you see?”
I glance at him for the briefest of seconds before turning back to Jaik. “We need to untie him.”
“What?” Eddie splutters. “I don’t think so!”
I could tell them, but it feels wrong. I need to speak to Jaik first. I need to be there. I just… The pain. I felt it all. I stare at him, my eyes pleading. “Trust me.”
“I trust you, Crystal,” Linda announces with purpose. “I trust Jake too.”
Before anyone can reach an agreement, Linda starts untying him. I watch as he moves his hands slowly to his lap, rubbing where the ties have dug into his skin, his head still down.
“Jaik?” I move to his side and kneel before him, placing my hands on his. “Do you remember?”
He gives the slightest of nods.
“I remember you,” I whisper. “I couldn’t put the pieces together at first, but I remember now. It’s me, Crystal Akinara. Do you remember me?”
He frowns slightly, seeming to sift through his memories. Having experienced the dense yellow fog inside his head, I know first-hand just how difficult that is.
“We spent the summer together when we were twelve orbits old,” I continue. “Your father invited us to stay in Galeania for a few weeks.” I pause and my stomach lurches as I realise the ugly truth. “I asked about you when we returned, but my parents said you were sick and avoided the question.
“I stopped asking after a while, as I could see they didn’t want to tell me. I thought it was politics and our fathers had fallen out. In fact, I did try to reach out to you once or twice using my amulet, but it didn’t work. Now I know why.”
I study his face as the corners of his mouth turn up ever so slightly.
“I do remember you,” he says hoarsely. “I remember everything.”
He stands so abruptly, the chair goes flying and I topple backwards, catching myself with my hands. The sound rattles around the storage unit and the boys tense. I scramble to my feet, holding out my hands to keep them back as Jaik strides to a corner, angrily swiping at his eyes with the back of his hand.
“Can someone please explain what the hell is going on?” Eddie demands.
Oakstone steps forward, placing a hand on Eddie’s shoulder. “Crystal? Could you please share what you’ve discovered?”
I glance over my shoulder at Jaik and my heart shatters. His arms wrapped around his head; his shoulders shake with muffled sobs. I decide I should probably tell everyone what I know. If only to give Jaik some time to come to terms with his memories.
“Jake is actually Jaik Bazanat, son of the Ambassador of Galeania, which is one of the largest cities on Starlatten. We met when we were twelve orbits old, which explains why I found him familiar in Linda’s memories. I never saw him again and now I know why.” Recalling the memories causes my stomach to lurch and I clutch my arms around myself as I sit down on a wooden box. “It seems that not long after we met, Jaik and his mother were kidnapped by Zarbilian rebels. A man called Cadicus hid them on Earth.”
“The entry into our atmosphere, seven years ago!” Oakstone gasps.
I nod. “It would seem that way. When the Ambassador refused to negotiate terms, Cadicus killed Jaik’s mother. I didn’t know any of this until now. I don’t understand how it’s not common knowledge on Starlatten.”
“That’s horrendous!” Linda exclaims, her wide eyes fixed on Jaik as he stands, his head rested on the metal wall, his arms raised above his head.
“Why is Jaik still alive?” Sera asks.
Jordan looks up from where he’s been furiously scribbling away in his notebook. “Good question! Did you see what happened after that guy killed his mum?”
“No. I may need to use my amulet again.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Jaik
“No!” I push myself off the wall and stride towards them, my face twisted with rage. “I can tell you exactly what that monster did next. He tried to get my father to negotiate, but he wouldn’t. So, he told my father he’d killed me, but he didn’t. He did something worse.
“He blocked my memories and pretended he was my uncle, when in reality I was his slave; an object that might come in useful again in the future.” I clench my fists, looking around for something to punch. There’s s
o much pain and anger building inside me and I don’t know how to make it stop.
“I’m so sorry,” Linda croaks, her dark eyes wet with tears. “I can’t even imagine how awful that must be.”
I watch, speechless, as she steps forward and wraps her arms around me, her tiny frame dwarfed against mine. I hold my arms out to the side in surprise, staring at her in shock. When was the last time someone hugged me? I try to remember but can’t. She squeezes tighter and I accept her hug with a sigh. It’s actually kind of nice.
Blondie breaks the silence. “I’m really sorry about your family, man. Looks like we’re all working towards solving the same puzzle.”
“Indeed,” Oakstone nods, taking off his cracked glasses and inspecting them. “I think it’s safe to assume that this ‘Cadicus’ is the one who burnt my laboratory to the ground and tried to kill me.”
“Yes!” Crystal gasps. “I saw his yellow amulet in Jaik’s memories!”
“Wait,” the guy with the notebook interrupts. “So, is Cadicus from Starlatten or that Zarbilian planet?”
Crystal pauses for a moment, before looking at me.
I shrug. “I honestly don’t know. I assume he’s from Zarbilian if he was trying to negotiate terms, but most of Zarbilian are originally from Starlatten.”
“So, the Zarbilian rebels were trying to undermine the Starlatten government seven years ago?” Oakstone sits down and motions to the guy with the pen and notepad to take notes.
“It seems that way,” Crystal admits, “but no one talked about the kidnapping and when they attacked our ship, it seemed to take everyone by surprise.”
“Wait,” I interject. “Your ship was attacked?”
She nods and her eyes flicker with grief. “Yes. They killed thousands of people, including my parents.”
“I’m so sorry.” I shake my head in disbelief. That’s insane. “So that’s how you ended up here?”
My head begins to pound with the enormity of the situation. As Crystal wilts in front of me, I step forward and place my hands on her shoulders. She looks up and my heart aches at the tears brimming in her already red-rimmed eyes. So much pain. Pain I understand only too well.