by Lucy Adler
“Don’t get him started!” a voice said from behind him. He stepped aside and Daria saw a woman approaching from across the room. She looked a little younger than Marcus, but not by much, with olive skin and dark eyes. But what jumped out at Daria was her hair. It was silver, almost glossy in appearance, and it shimmered as she passed beneath the large, wooden chandelier that lit the centre of the room.
“This is Helena,” Marcus said, introducing her. “She’s something of a mother to all of us out here!” he laughed. The woman smacked him on the shoulder.
“I’m forty-six. Remind me again how old you are??”
“I didn’t mean in terms of age,” he said apologetically. “She’s just wise beyond her years. Well beyond her years!” he added, trying to smooth things over.
“I know what he means,” Helena whispered to Daria, “I just like to tease him!” Then she reached out and they shook hands.
“Let’s get these guys some food,” she continued, “then we’ll talk a bit more. Sound good?”
“Yes, please!” Brix said. “I think I’ve gone as far as I can on those potatoes and beans.”
____________________________
The main room at the front of the house had a rustic grandeur to it, with beautifully stained hardwood floors, high ceilings, and a giant fireplace that gave off the kind of heat that warmed you to your very core. There were a few rugs here and there, interspersed amongst the chunky furniture. Daria later learned that the rugs were made from sheepskin. They were amazingly soft to the touch and all she wanted to do was curl up like a cat on one of them and enjoy the fire.
“You’re eyeing those rugs, aren’t you?” Livy said.
“I am!”
“I’ve dozed off right there many times!” she said, pointing to the one nearest the fire.
The back half of the ground floor was divided into a dining room and kitchen. The group, now numbering ten in all, gathered around the table, which still had space for more. It was so big, it looked like someone had cut down a rectangular tree and then built the house around its stump.
An array of colourful vegetables, savoury meats, and warm breads filled the space between them. But before they dug in, they bowed their heads for a moment of silence.
“For our friends,” Marcus said. “For those we’ve lost, and those we haven’t found yet.”
The words resonated with Daria as she remembered her first night at the cabin, when Corey had said the same thing. That time, she just felt awkward. This time, she understood.
When the moment had passed, Brix got the conversation going with a question.
“So, where do you guys get all this great food? I literally haven’t seen a grocery store for days!”
“We grow the vegetables and raise the animals ourselves,” Brett answered.
“Uuhh, what?” she replied, looking out the window into the snowy, freezing night.
“We’re basically on top of a massive volcano. There’s all kinds of geothermal activity out here. So we’ve built several greenhouses that we regulate with that heat. It’s pretty awesome, actually.”
“We even have citrus trees,” Jake added. “There’s nothing like trudging through the snow to pick fresh oranges for breakfast!”
“It’s also how we generate the electricity we use out here. I can show it all to you tomorrow, if you want?” Brett said, looking only at Brix.
“I’d love it!” she replied eagerly.
“That’ll work out well,” Helena said. “I’d like to spend a little time alone with Daria, maybe talking about some of the things you’ve experienced so far, if you’re up for it?” she asked her.
“Yeah, that would be great,” Daria replied.
Jake couldn’t help smiling as he saw her face light up and heard the excitement in her voice.
“You couldn’t ask for a better teacher than Helena!” he said.
They sat around the table for only about an hour that evening before Jake, Brix, and Daria all started yawning.
“You guys will be staying upstairs,” Marcus said, pointing up at the ceiling. “Livy, do you want to take them to their rooms?”
“Sure.”
The three girls got up and started out of the dining room.
“It was a pleasure to meet you,” Marcus continued, standing up and shaking their hands. “I need to travel to South Metropolis tomorrow, so I’m afraid I won’t be seeing you again for a while. But hopefully we’ll all meet again in the not-too-distant future!”
After their goodbyes, Jake followed them to the stairs.
“Oh, do you stay here, too?” Daria asked him.
“I’m going to, just for a while. Just until you’re settled,” he said with a smile.
She thought he may have blushed a little.
“Thanks, Jake. I appreciate it.”
Livy led them upstairs, to a long hallway with several bedrooms and a couple of bathrooms off either side.
“The ground floor is basically like a common area,” she said. “Anyone is welcome to use it whenever they want. But the upper two floors are private.”
Their rooms had more hardwood floors with a large white rug that covered half the space. It wasn’t sheepskin but it was still soft to the touch. Their bed frames were chunky, just like the furniture downstairs, made of small logs that had been fitted together with notches and grooves. Their mattresses were spacious and thick, and covered in smooth white sheets and fluffy duvets.
“That looks so comfortable,” Daria said.
“Well, as sleepers, if we’re going to do anything right out here,” Livy replied, “it better be sleep! We make sure everyone has a comfy bed. Oh, and I put some clothes in both your rooms. Jake said you were about my size, so I hope everything fits. I wasn’t expecting Brix though. She’s pretty short, so she might be swimming in it! But we can find you guys more stuff over the next few days.”
“Thank you!”
“Alright, well, I’ll leave you to it. I live just a couple streets back from here, so I’m sure I’ll see you around! I think Helena wants me to spend some time with you at some point, too. You know, to talk about visions and stuff.”
“Awesome. I’m looking forward to it!” Daria said with a smile.
When Livy was gone, Jake knocked on her door.
“Everything good?” he asked.
“Oh yeah, this is perfect.”
“I’ll just be in the next room,” he said, pointing toward the wall.
“Thanks, Jake.”
He lingered in the doorway for a second, staring down at the floor, then around at the room.
“Hey, can I ask you something?” Daria said. “I’ve sort of been waiting until we were alone to finish our conversation.”
“Conversation?”
“From yesterday morning at the cabin.”
Jake frowned, trying to think of what she was talking about.
“I mentioned overhearing something about you at the Institute,” Daria reminded him.
“Oh, right. You never said what you heard.”
She hesitated but maintained eye contact with him. Jake seemed easy enough, like he wasn’t nervous about what she might say.
“Dr. Reston said that you were the first sleeper to be... cured. What did he mean by that?” She had trouble getting the words out. She knew exactly what the doctor had meant. She only hoped it wasn’t true.
Jake shifted his weight on his feet, then leaned against the door jamb.
“Don’t worry,” he said calmly. “I’m fine. Really.”
“Then why did he say that? What was he talking about?”
“He gave me a shot of Direx but it must have been too weak because I only felt it for a day or two, then it wore off.”
Is he lying to me? Would he do that?
She kept staring at him and he held her gaze. His look seemed genuine. He even threw in a half smile at the end.
“Please, Dash, don’t stress out about it. I’m totally fine.”
Her face r
elaxed. She stepped closer and gave him a hug.
“I’m so glad, Jake. I’ve been putting it out of my mind but I was so afraid to ask you. I was so afraid it would be true.”
She buried her face in his neck and squeezed him as tightly as she could.
“All you need to worry about,” he said as he gently stroked her head, “is getting the most out of being here. This place is everything the Institute claimed to be, only for real. Our friends will be fine. I’ll be fine. You’re going to discover the real you here, Dash, and that’s all you need to focus on right now.”
She pulled back and looked him in the eyes again.
“Thanks, Jake. I...”
She didn’t finish the thought. She just leaned in for another hug and gave him a kiss on the check this time along with it.
When he had left the room, Daria laid down and got comfortable under the blankets.
Then she rubbed her forehead.
“What is with this humming sound?” she whispered to herself. “Comes and goes. So weird.”
She shook her head a little as it slowly faded away, then she closed her eyes and went to sleep.
____________________________
Jake shut the door to his room and stood alone, staring into the darkness.
He walked over to the wall that divided their rooms and placed his hand on it. His heart was beating heavily and his fingers felt weak.
Then he turned and leaned against it with his back, sliding down to the floor until he folded his arms over his knees and buried his head in them.
The first of several tears slipped from his eye and ran down the cheek that Daria had kissed.
8
Month: 4 | Day: 9 | Year: 60
LISTEN
“Have fun! Bring me back some of those oranges they told us about!”
“Will do!” Brix called out with one last wave. Then Brett revved up the snowmobile and she wrapped her arms around him from behind as the two of them rode off towards the hills. As they disappeared in a cloud of white, Daria couldn’t help laughing.
“She’s not going to miss me today!”
“I don’t think he minds entertaining her either,” Helena replied with a wink.
“So, where are we going?”
“I thought I’d have Livy drop us off by the lake, if you’re up for it?”
“Ooh, yes, please! We passed it on the way in. It looked so... I don’t know. I mean, it was just a big patch of white, really. But something about it made me want to be near it.” Daria frowned at herself. “That made more sense in my head!”
“No, I get it,” Helena said with a knowing look.
It took about half an hour on account of the snow-packed road but soon enough, Daria got her wish.
“I’ll come back for you before dinner, yeah?”
“Thanks, Livy.”
“You kids be safe!” Livy said with a laugh. She turned back for the settlement and they could hear the engine snarling and growling as the truck negotiated the hazardous road. Eventually it faded into the distance and all was quiet.
Daria hadn’t realised just how quiet until Helena turned to face her. Suddenly, the sound of the snow crunching beneath her boots wasn’t just noisy - it felt intrusive.
“Let’s go,” she said, waving her hand.
“Where?”
“Out there,” Helena said, pointing to the lake.
When she had driven by the day before, it seemed like an exciting idea. But now, she felt a little nervous.
Just ignore it, Dashy.
This is probably going to be awesome!
“So, how long have you lived at the settlement?” Daria asked as they started plodding through the snow.
“A while. I’ve had the privilege to meet quite a few sleepers.”
“Is everyone here a sleeper?”
“Yes. But, like Clarence, there are a lot of sympathetic ‘neighbours’ who live outside the park. They look out for us and we try to help them any way we can.”
“Sympathy towards sleepers!” Daria laughed. “If only Miss Croft and Dr. Reston could hear this!”
“Careful,” Helena replied, pointing down at their feet. “You’re stepping onto the lake now. It can be slick under the snow.”
Daria was feeling particularly thankful in that moment for the waterproof pants and boots Livy had brought her that morning.
I don’t think my grey shoes could handle this! I’m not sure they were made with icy lakes and snowy mountains in mind.
After they had walked a fair distance from the shore, Helena stopped them.
“Alright, that’s far enough.”
“This is stunning!” Daria said, turning slowly to take in the view from every direction. The flat barrenness of the lake’s surface contrasted with the mountains and trees that marked its shoreline. It was a stark beauty that, while simple and unadorned, possessed a certain something that moved her... as if it were speaking to her, though she couldn’t articulate its language.
“Let’s sit down,” Helena said, flopping back into the snow then crossing her legs in front of her. Daria situated herself so that they faced each other a few feet apart.
Helena closed her eyes and took a deep breath, so Daria did the same. They soaked in the silence for a few minutes before they spoke.
“So, Daria, Jake’s told me about some of your experiences so far. In particular, what you did when you escaped the Institute a few days ago. But I’d like you to tell me more about it, if you don’t mind?”
“Well, Corey and I had been --”
“No, not that part. Tell me about when you entered the dream-state.”
Daria thought about it before she answered.
“To be honest, it was sort of out of desperation and rage. Jake was unconscious. And so was Brix, actually. And Dr. Reston was threatening to take us prisoner. He was almost as close to me as you are now. Then I just felt the voice inside me. It was saying ‘trust’ and ‘pass through the veil’.”
“I get desperation, but what do you mean by rage?”
“Well, I was afraid to listen, you know. I mean, it seemed kinda dumb to just close my eyes and dream right in front of him!” she said with a laugh.
Helena didn’t laugh with her. She just kept her eyes fixed on Daria as she listened carefully.
“Anyway, then all these memories of people mocking and misunderstanding me flooded my mind. I could hear kids from school, my parents, even my old track coach. And it just... infuriated me,” she said, balling up her hands into fists as she remembered the feeling. “I guess I sorta said ‘screw it’ to my fears and let go after that.” Daria laughed again nervously as she finished.
Helena gave her a brief smile this time.
“I’m proud of you. It took a lot of courage to close your eyes and dream in front of the doctor. I’m sure that didn’t seem logical in the moment.”
“No, it definitely did not!”
“That being said, I want you to understand something. Your potential runs deep. And if you’re going to tap into it, if you’re going to explore it fully and employ it when it matters most, you’re going to have to learn how to listen just as deeply.”
Daria looked confused.
“I don’t mean this to be rude or anything, but if I heard it then, and responded, doesn’t that mean I was listening?”
“In a way, yes. But the fortunate coincidence of your emotions aligning with your calling isn’t something you can rely upon. Or, in other words, you might not always want to listen. You were desperate enough and angry enough to follow its leading because, well, from what you’re telling me, what choice did you have? I mean, it was your only option, really.”
“Ok, I gotcha.”
“But let’s just imagine for a moment that you did have another option - or ten other options! What if you had a weapon that could have incapacitated the doctor? Or what if you had a better grasp on your powers and had a different idea for something you could do to defeat him and save your friends
? Then what? Your desperation and rage might have pushed you in the wrong direction. You might not have felt like listening.”
Daria nodded slowly. It made sense, at least in theory. But she also couldn’t help feeling a little deflated.
Helena must have seen it in her eyes. Or perhaps she just sensed it.
“Don’t misunderstand me, Daria,” she said. “I’m not trying to diminish your achievement. As I said, it took a lot of courage. And you did something that, quite frankly, I’ve never seen or heard of before! But that’s precisely why I’m starting you off with this lesson.”
“What do you mean?”
“For most sleepers, there’s one major ‘expression’ of their gift. They might experience isolated occurrences of other abilities but, for the most part, you might say that they ‘specialise’ in one particular thing. Like Jake and his ability to translocate.”
Daria nodded.
“But in your case, you’ve already demonstrated extreme sensitivity in two areas - translocation and visions. And from what we know about you up there,” Helena said with a laugh as she pointed at Daria’s head, “you’re probably going to experience others, too!”
“The purple glow,” Daria said with another nod.
“Exactly. So, coming back to the importance of listening, most sleepers only really have one thing, one movement, if you will, to listen for. And it comes to them in much the same way every time. It’s easy for them to stay attuned to it. But in your case, it’s going to take more discipline to stay focused - especially since there may be times when you find yourself hearing things that none of your friends will understand.”
Daria’s eyes had been fixed on Helena’s as she tried to get her head around everything she was hearing. But now they drifted down to the snow, then off to the mountains in the distance.
“Is this too much, too soon, Daria?”
“No, no,” she replied, still looking at the mountains and the trees. Then she lowered her head and looked down at her lap. “This is going to sound like the most ungrateful thing ever. Everybody’s been telling me how ‘unique’ I am, how ‘gifted’ I am, since I first left Progress. But, to be honest, I’m kind of struggling with the idea of being... different, you know? After those years of exhaustion, fighting everyday just to try to be normal, just to try to fit in... I guess I’ve already been ‘special’, in a bad way. All I really wanted was to be normal again for a change.”