Terminus Project: Mars (Dystopian Child Prodigy SciFi)

by Casey Herzog

  I had no idea who this man was, but he really did have his own style. The students were watching with intense interest.

  “Professor Randal arrived here before I. When I get the chance, I take some time to sit in on his classes to find inspiration. Everyone knows your father mentored all of us, including those in a teaching position, and I want you to reconsider taking Damien with you. If it helps, we can temporarily limit his ability to amass the kind of power that will make him a force for good or evil. It would only be temporary, and he will have a few choice words about not being able to use magic.”

  The one thing I didn’t need was a young child acting out, and the best thing for everybody would be for his magic to be turned off. I wasn’t sure that was the correct way of saying that, but it was the only thing that came to mind.

  “That would make sense. I’ll bring him with me on the condition that he behaves himself. If for whatever reason he decides to act out, then I will be forced to bring him back. We must make that very clear to the young man.” I felt obligated, and my father obviously thought I had more to offer than just a kind face and soothing words of encouragement.

  “I had a feeling you were going to say that, so I took the liberty of having Damien prepared for when you are ready to leave. I told you I could be very convincing. I will warn you, Damien will most likely be obstinate. He will make your life a living hell because his life has been more than difficult. You don’t have to take my word for it as you’ve already seen it first hand to judge for yourself. I do insist you both come back once a day to report your progress. We can’t allow him to stop magic cold turkey; the withdrawals would be too much to bear.”

  Professor Bethesda had manipulated me; it was right out of the pages of my father’s playbook.

  The hallways glimmered different colored lights streaming across the material; the skaters were heard and not seen. There was a lot about this place I wanted to get to know better, but Damien couldn’t be allowed to wallow in self-pity for any longer than necessary. Being told he needed a timeout was only going to encourage his wrath, and I had seen only a small glimpse of what he was capable of. By his own admission, he stated quite emphatically he was only testing me to see what kind of power I had. He would learn to adapt, and I was going to make him either a great ally or an enemy to be feared. It was going to take a strong mind to mold and show him there were other ways than letting his anger get the best of him.

  “I’m going to be perfectly blunt and tell you I’m not looking forward to this. I’m not a mother and I wouldn’t even know how to take on that role. My mother was not around growing up so I have no reference to figure out what is going to work to keep Damien in line.” I had to be careful about what I said. The walls seemed to have ears.

  Professor Bethesda began to move his hands back and forth in front of him, creating a ball of light. Damien stepped out, looking like he wanted to make somebody burst into flames. His time thinking about what he did had been ineffective. The anger he felt had only grown, and I could almost feel it seeping out of him in waves of hatred. He couldn’t quite stand to be around us any longer than necessary.

  “Damien, I’m sure you overheard some of that. I’ve told you repeatedly that eavesdropping is not proper etiquette. We need to respect privacy, and that’s just one of the many lessons you’re going to have to come to terms with. You’re leaving here with Gillian and I want you to be on your best behavior. I know how difficult that might be, but it’s time to adjust your attitude. Here in this world, you are protected from discovery, but in the real world, it’s a different story. I’m sorry to have to do this, but I have no choice; you have only yourself to blame.” He produced a bracelet and placed it on Damien’s wrist before he even had a chance to realize what was happening.

  “I don’t know what the meaning of this is, but you will take this off of me before I do something you’ll regret.” He was steadfast, and I almost believed he could break any kind of chain with his willful spirit. “I’m not kidding; you have gone too far this time. I have no limits and you need to learn that Damien is not someone who is going to stand for this.”

  I hadn’t heard him talk about himself in the third person before, but it only showed what kind of ego he had.

  “I’m going to ask you this one time, and then, I’m not going to ask again. It would be a good idea for you to remove this. You might not think I know what this is, but I can assure you that nothing goes unnoticed.” He was concentrating very hard, and his face had turned crimson with the effort.

  “This is for your own good, Damien. Being willful is one thing, but violence is not something we can condone. You know about the hunter. If you were to go back to reality and wield magic, then he would come for you.

  “I know what you’re going to say. You think that you can take care of yourself, but you’re still in the infancy of your power.” Professor Bethesda was laying down the law, but it didn’t look like Damien was going to be the kind of guest I would want in my home.

  He tried to touch the bracelet using magic, and his whole body began to shake, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. It looked like he was having some sort of epileptic fit, and then he was thrashing on the floor with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it was a good wake up call.

  “You have made a powerful enemy here. I may be able to forgive in time, but I will never forget.” I tried to take his hand, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He put them in his pockets and followed behind me. He had no place left to go without magic as his crutch.

  “I can only hope in time you will understand and come to realize this was best for everyone. Losing your parents left you with emotional scars that manifested into a rage. We suspect magic will come to you like a magnet, and I hope when that happens you finally come to some conclusions on your own. This world is not going to hand you anything. If you want something, then you will have to work hard for it. It’s only temporary, and there’s no telling how long it will last before you break free of its power. Don’t fight it because it’s only going to make everything feel a whole lot worse each and every time." He was stubborn and he tried magic again, only to have it backfire in a big way.

  I was shocked the first time he thrashed on the floor, but this time I ignored his pleas for help. “I’ll do what I can for him, but I’m not going to promise anything. You already finished telling me he has promise, and his potential outweighs the possible risk of being discovered. I will do what I can to keep him safe and to keep the Elders from sniffing around my doorstep. I don’t want anybody to know he’s with me. If for some reason, I have to reveal him then I will come up with a some plausible story.” I had learned a lot, but there was still so much more to learn about my father’s crusade.

  “I don’t want anything to do with you. No girl is going to tell me what to do. If you think I’ve made these people suffer my wrath, then you haven’t seen anything yet. You can take away my magic, but that’s only going to last for so long.”

  I didn’t like his tone; he needed to learn some manners.

  Chapter Nine

  I watched him stumble around trying to regain his composure. He was feeling the exact same thing I did when William took me to the dreamscape . The one thing I could hear while stepping back through the inky black stickiness, which felt like it was in my hair and clinging to my skin, was the sound of the skaters.

  “I know how it feels, and you need to take a few deep breaths. Don’t force your body to accept what is happening. In some small way, I believe my father was with me today. He put all the building blocks into place; that world was made specifically for youthful indiscretions. It was made to be a sanctuary, and you have done nothing to show your gratitude.” I wasn’t about to intervene as he slammed into a bookcase and landed on his ass with his arms crossed.

  “I don’t need you to tell me anything. Don’t even presume to know what I want. I’ve already told you once. Let me be very clear: I don’t trust you and I
don’t care who your father was. That man was always getting into my business. I admit that my curiosity sometimes overshadowed my good judgment, and although I might be a kid, I feel like I could teach the adults a thing or two. You shouldn’t be taking a teaching role because we both know it’s not a role that suits you. I should be standing in front of them, but because of my age, I’m precluded from having that role. I understand, but I don’t have to like it. Don’t you think it’s time the Elder’s learn that magic is not going to stay in the shadows forever?”

  Damien really did sound like he was older than he appeared. “It’s interesting that you would have this kind of insight. My father was absent most of my life and I didn’t know him like his students did. I feel like I have been left out of a part of his life. I had to stand on the sidelines waiting for him to reveal tidbits of information.”

  Damien had wild eyes. He never took them off of me the entire time, and he was sitting there looking embarrassed and unwilling to show it. He was young enough to cry his eyes out, but he showed he was stronger than that.

  I had made sure the coast was clear before we came back from the school. I wasn’t really sure what to call it, but it was a higher level of education. They never put a label on it, but I was going to call it the school. It was simple and easy to remember. There was no point in risking saying something mistakenly during an idle conversation. If someone were to hear “the school,” they probably wouldn’t be able to put the pieces together without some kind of context.

  “I’m not budging until somebody gives me back my magic. I will stay right here and I won’t move until it happens.”

  He really thought threats were going to make me give in, but there was no way I could allow him to feel he had that kind of power over me.

  “I’m going to make something to eat. You can join me or not; it’s entirely up to you.” I was sure when he smelled the food and the aroma of the spices he would come running for dinner. It was just a matter of finding his weak spot and capitalizing on it. I didn’t want to do anything to harm him, but corporal punishment was looking better and better all the time.

  “I don’t want anything from you. I would be afraid you were poisoning to get me out of the way. We both know I have the real power; you are nothing more than a pretender to the throne. Your father would’ve been better served to have me as a son. He told me many times he was disappointed in you. You always found a way to let him down. I told him you were just a girl; sometimes knowing that is enough. I tried to make him laugh, but I only infuriated him further.”

  I left Damien sitting there and left the study. I looked back to see if he was following, but he was purposely trying to get underneath my skin.

  William was in the kitchen and he had something cooking that was going to need a little bit more time. “I see you came back, but you were not empty handed. I don’t think it’s a very good idea for him to be here. We’ve tried to see past his anger, but it is hard when he’s still dealing with the festering wound of his parents dying. That is hard for anybody to handle, and it’s a loss that makes him lash out for no good reason. I would consider it an honor if you would allow me to help you with him.”

  “The one thing that I don’t get is the reason why you kept all of this away from me. I always thought you didn’t see me, but I don’t think I can say that anymore. I had no idea a handsome guy like you could put culinary talents to work. I have been taking care of myself for as long as I can remember, and I’m still not very good at boiling water. I have mastered a few choice dishes, but only because I want to impress those who take the challenge of eating what I’ve made.” I knew that I was babbling like an idiot, but seeing him there sweating through his shirt, making those muscles bulge like a Greek god was making it very difficult to concentrate.

  “Professor Bethesda and your father believed that you could be the one to reach him. I want to do my small part with a firm hand and wisdom to match. He doesn’t have anybody since he learned his temporary guardians were not what they were cracked up to be. I’ve never been in a position of being a brother because very few like us have more than one child. I don’t know for certain, but I believe it’s a mandate the Elders put forth to make sure they could keep an eye on those developing any kind of talent.”

  William was moving around the kitchen like he knew exactly where everything was. He never left his spot, and I had to do was sit at the table and watch him in action like he was my own personal entertainment.

  “I want Damien to live his life with no regrets. Happiness is fleeting, and keeping your feet off the ground and living by the seat of your pants is the only way to go. He can stay forever young, but only if he follows the advice he has been given repeatedly. I don’t know for certain, but between the two of us, I’m quite positive we can give him the discipline and family that was ripped from his life.”

  I heard the meat sizzling as the steam rising from the pan was captured by the vent in the ceiling.

  “I don’t know about you, but I think more clearly when I’m cooking. That’s one thing your father taught me. He said that if you could find something you love to do, then you could use it as a distraction. Magic is very strong, and you have to do something to keep the Elders from learning you are committing a crime.” I knew that the only way to get through the crippling loss of my father was to concentrate on something else. They had given me Damien as my distraction.

  “That kid is not going to be fixed overnight. The loss he has felt is strong because a child always thinks his parents are going to be around forever. We all feel that way as children. I thought my father was invincible and nobody could touch him. It was quite shocking when I learned he was only human. He is at his rightful place in the ancestors’ hands.”

  William made his own sauce from scratch and was dicing up garlic and onions like an accomplished chef. The skills that he had with a knife were like he had eyes in the back of his head. “I’m making lasagna. The noodles are already in the oven; I hope you like your sauce spicy. I’ve found a little heat doesn’t hurt anybody.” He had unbuttoned the first couple of buttons on his shirt, leaving me with impure thoughts about his anatomy. I had to turn away with disgust for myself. I didn’t want to think of him in that way, especially when he was going out of his way to help me.

  I was still young, but I could still feel this need to unleash my inhibitions. It was kind of strange. William was the only guy in school who made me feel those butterflies in my stomach. There was no greater sight for me than seeing a man cook for me. It showed he wasn’t expecting me to be at home taking care of him. I didn’t even know why I was thinking about a future with him. It wasn’t like he had shown any real romantic interest..

  “I love lasagna, but I have a request that I’m not sure that you’re going to like. I have found that living right and eating right has come with sacrifices. It also means that I look for other ways to keep myself healthy.” I went to the pantry and found a bottle of crushed up crickets. “It’s a little unorthodox, but you must have heard the healing properties of using crickets in any meal.” He took the bottle from my hands. He looked at it skeptically and sprinkled it over the sauce bubbling to perfection.

  “Some may think you have lost your mind, but I’m a little bit more open-minded than that. I have a unique palate and sometimes I wonder if I’m not just a little bit too weird for my own good. I think I told you this already, but your father was well respected. He gave us a voice where we didn’t have one before. We have to be very careful about who we introduce into the mix. You never know what spies are lurking in the Elders’ camp who will report back to them and tell them what they want to know. If that were to happen, then I don’t even want to think about the consequences for going against the rule of law.”

  I saw him swallow hard. I was sure that he was thinking about the asylum and what someone has to go through during rehabilitation.

  “I have to admit there’s something very attractive about a man getting his hands dirty i
n the kitchen.” I felt like my entire body was electrified, and it wasn’t necessarily because of magic eyes.

  I watched him move with the grace of a dancer, and then I heard the pitter patter of little feet behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, barely recognizing his existence, but happy to see that Damien was drawn to the kitchen by the aroma of the sauce. He didn’t say anything and there was no point in getting into a shouting match over something out of his control.

  William was about to say something to him, but I stopped him using body language and facial expressions. At first, I didn’t think he understood, but then he nodded with recognition like we were connected on a different level.

  “I saw you around, but I didn’t think you were in my league. What I mean to say is that I didn’t think I was in your league. You had a wholesome quality I felt I would be corrupting if I were to try anything. Besides, your father was always there in the back of my mind, telling me I should keep my distance if I knew what was good for me. I don’t want to speak ill of the dead, but he could be quite a tyrant when it came to keeping you on a short leash.” My father really didn’t know me. Nobody did.

  I didn’t know my father was playing referee, and I certainly didn’t see any signs of him coming to my rescue outside of the home. “I thought for sure you didn’t even notice me. I felt invisible like I was just part of the scenery. I’ve always felt like I never belonged anywhere, so I’ve always been thankful to have Julian as a friend.”

  I thought about how he had introduced me to the others with magic, and how we had become fast friends. He was doing it because of my name, but I was giving that way too much thought. Pulling at that thread was only asking for trouble when there was no certainty in life. Nonetheless, it would appear he knew one or two things about loyalty when it came to my father.