by P. J. Hoover
“Jonathan Sheehan?” Iva said at lunch. “I can’t believe he has such strong telegnostic powers.”
“I’m sure yours are better,” Heidi replied.
“But he’s a guy,” Iva replied.
“So?” Gary asked.
“So, you all heard Kyri. It’s pretty unusual for a guy to be any good at telegnosis,” Iva replied.
“I have a little bit of skill,” Benjamin said.
“Nowhere near my skill level,” Iva replied. “But for her to single him out in class! I just can’t believe that.” She looked down at the menu. “I’ll take the fish sandwich.”
“Fish!” Andy said. “But I thought you were a vegetarian.”
“It’s only fish, Andy. It’s not real meat,” Iva snapped. “And if I want to eat a fish sandwich I will, and I don’t need you saying anything about it.”
Andy opened his mouth to reply but quickly shut it. Anyone looking at Iva could tell she wasn’t in the mood for teasing.
“Hey, Iva,” Jonathan Sheehan called out from the next table where he was sitting with Ryan and two girls from their homeroom: Julie Macfarlane, and Suneeta Manvar.
Benjamin felt Iva tense up through the bond, but she pretended she didn’t hear him.
“Hey, Iva,” Jonathan called out again.
Iva finally turned to look.
“So how does it feel to have a guy be better than you at telegnosis?” Jonathan asked.
Iva’s face flushed red, and Benjamin felt her anger through the Alliance bond.
“Hey, Jonathan,” Andy called back. “How does it feel to have to cheat at telekinesis?”
“I don’t cheat at telekinesis, and you know it,” Jonathan called back.
“That’s not what I heard,” Andy replied.
“Yeah, well, you just wait until the next Kinesis Combat,” Jonathan replied. “I’ll stomp you.”
After science class that afternoon, Benjamin couldn’t believe Mr. Burton, his science teacher from back in Virginia, was really a telegen. “Okay, I’ve never seen Mr. Burton grow an extra set of arms like Mr. Hermes did today,” Benjamin said.
“Well of course he wouldn’t,” Heidi said. “Not around humans.”
“Not all telegens can grow and re-grow limbs you know,” Gary said. “But I can. I had to re-grow my pinkie finger when I was little.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Andy asked.
Gary stuck out his hand in proof.
“It looks normal to me,” Heidi said.
“Trust me, it’s not. I remember I just had my seventh birthday, and my parents took me to the aquarium to celebrate. I knew I wasn’t supposed to, but I stuck my hand in a small shark tank when no one was looking. You know, just to see what would happen,” Gary explained.
“You stuck your hand in a shark tank just to see what would happen? What? Are you nuts?” Andy asked. He looked at Gary like maybe it was his brain he needed to re-grow.
“I guess so, because, before I knew it, the smallest shark of the bunch swam over and bit off my little finger. My parents totally freaked out. They quickly wrapped it up and hurried me out of there. They never said anything to anyone. I mean, don’t people get sued over stuff like that? But then, after a month or so, it started to grow back. Once it started, it happened pretty fast—only took about a week. And here it is.” Gary wiggled his pinkie.
“It was pretty cool when Mr. Hermes grew his hair,” Iva said. “Not as cool as when Heidi changes her hair color though.”
Heidi smoothed her now brown curly hair down. “Yeah, Julie Macfarlane keeps asking me if I can teach her how to do it. Frankly, I’d like to know how. It’s been stuck this brown color for two days now, and I can’t get it to change back.”
CHAPTER 13
Astronomy Doesn’t Put Everyone to Sleep
Out of more than sheer habit, although that was a big part of it, Benjamin resisted going to the first lecture of the summer. The whole evening would be wasted, and though it had only been a couple of days since the incident with the Emerald Tablet, it was starting to weigh on him. Some ancient relic had told him the fate of the world rested on his shoulders, and he was supposed to waste time going to lectures? He had to find more time to research the keys of the hunter—whatever they were. Yet, he didn’t see any way he could really avoid the lecture; it was required coursework, and attendance was recorded.
Inside the main lecture hall, a man materialized on the platform in front of them. It was Mr. Hermes, their science teacher.
“In case you didn’t get enough of me in science, you get me for lecture too,” Mr. Hermes said. “At least for most of the lectures, so I hope you don’t find me too boring.”
“What are the lectures going to be about?” Jonathan asked the question everyone was wondering.
“Oh, we have a wonderful range of subjects lined up for the summer. It’s always so difficult settling on the subjects for the lectures,” Mr. Hermes said. “One of our more interesting lecture topics is Genetic Engineering.”
“Well, won’t that be something to hear?” Jack said. He appeared on the arm rest between Benjamin and Heidi. “I’ll have to make sure I don’t miss that one. I’ve been wanting to genetically engineer a telegen.”
Mr. Hermes didn’t notice the Nogical. “But what we’re going to talk about tonight is astronomy.”
“Oh, good,” Jack said. “I was hoping that was tonight’s lecture. Nothing like a quiet evening under the stars.” He leaned back and closed his eyes.
“Please sit back and relax,” Mr. Hermes said. The lights turned off in the lecture hall, and the domed ceiling became the nighttime sky. “But don’t relax too much. I don’t want anyone’s snoring to disturb my lecture.” On cue, Jack began to snore. For being so small, he could sure make plenty of noise.
Mr. Hermes started with the movement of the sun and the moon. Under the domed ceiling, Benjamin actually felt like he was outside. The ceiling really couldn’t still be there. But he knew it was—and above it a giant dome keeping out the ocean.
Mr. Hermes covered eclipses, tides, and black holes. He then talked about constellations, most of which Benjamin recognized from family camping trips. Though he would never admit it, Benjamin loved astronomy. The sky was endless and filled with unexplained mysteries. Of course now that he was in Lemuria, his own life had plenty of mystery all on its own.
Benjamin loved the winter constellations, especially the ones surrounding the Orion myth—Taurus, Lepus, Canis Major and Minor, and of course Orion himself. In one myth, Gaea, the goddess of the Earth, ordered Orion killed by the giant scorpion Scorpius due to his boasting. Scorpius and Orion were placed at opposite ends of the sky where they would never battle again.
Benjamin remembered what Proteus Ajax had said about Gaea being one of the first of the telegens of Atlantis to declare herself a goddess to the humans of ancient Earth. Was Orion from Atlantis also?
Benjamin pressed the small holographic messenger near the side of his chair.
“Yes, Benjamin Holt?” Mr. Hermes said.
“I was wondering, was Orion from Atlantis? Proteus Ajax told us some of the Greek mythological figures were actually people of Atlantis trying to control the population of Earth,” Benjamin said.
“Oh, good question, good question,” Jack whispered to Benjamin, waking up fresh from his sleep.
“That’s partially correct,” Mr. Hermes said. “However, not all mythological figures were from Atlantis. Orion was actually from Lemuria, a highly skilled agent placed among the humans. Yet, Orion made one fatal mistake which led to his downfall. One day, he visited the court of King Oenopion where he fell deeply in love with one of the king’s seven daughters, Merope. Like so many young men in love, Orion forgot his main duty, his service to Lemuria, and spent all his time persuading the king to allow him to marry Merope. Yet, nothing seemed to help; King Oenopion would not give his consent for the marriage. Enraged, Orion tried to kidnap Merope and marry her. The king blinded Orion and cast him f
ar away. Orion visited the Oracle at Delphi who told him that the only way for his vision to be repaired would be to visit the false god from Atlantis, Apollo.
“Orion sought out Apollo and his twin sister Artemis. Apollo restored Orion’s eyesight, but it seemed love had again sealed Orion’s fate. He fell deeply in love with Artemis, a false goddess herself. Just when it seemed she might marry him, Apollo tricked her. Orion was swimming far from the shore. Apollo, knowing this, dared Artemis to shoot an arrow at the tiny speck on the top of the water, far, far away. Artemis easily loosed an arrow and hit the speck, which was in fact Orion. Orion was killed instantly,” Mr. Hermes finished. “So, what lesson can we learn from the story of Orion?” he asked.
Andy spoke up. “Don’t fall in love,” he suggested. The entire class burst out laughing, even the girls.
“Well, maybe that too, but what I was thinking is that the story of Orion tells us that even the most gifted of us can be tricked by those who are evil,” Mr. Hermes said. “Orion was a fantastic secret agent and was considered the most skilled hunter of his time. Nobody could even come close to competing with him. But Orion let down his guard against the enemy, and the jealous heart of Apollo caused his downfall.”
A giant bell went off inside Benjamin’s head. Orion. The hunter. Of course. Orion was known as a warrior, but he was better known as the biggest and best hunter in the whole world. Mythology across the whole of Earth, not just Greece, was sprinkled with the famous stories of Orion and his prowess over animals of all kinds. Taurus the Bull and Lepus the Hare were two of his favorite prey. His hunting dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor were placed right up there in the sky with him. Could Orion be the hunter the Emerald Tablet had made reference to?
Benjamin didn’t even try to focus on the rest of the lecture, most of it having to do with neighboring stars and their solar systems. Mr. Hermes then touched briefly on comets, meteors, and meteorites, talking about some of the more famous ones. All Benjamin thought about was expanding his search, including Orion, to see if anything would come up having to do with keys they were looking for. He’d never heard of any stories of Orion using keys, but then, he’d never heard of hidden continents under the ocean before this week.
It was ten o’clock when they left the lecture hall. Benjamin purposely fell behind, Andy, Gary, Heidi, and Iva joining him. Jack had left toward the end of the lecture, making excuses about how tired he was though he’d slept the entire time. Once no one else was around, Benjamin spoke.
“Did you guys pick up on that?” he asked.
“Pick up on what?” Iva said.
“Orion, the hunter,” Benjamin accentuated the word. Their tired eyes looked back at him. He rolled his eyes. “Aren’t we looking for information about a hunter?” he asked.
“Oh. Oh yeah, I get it,” Gary said, covering his mouth as he yawned. “Maybe the hunter is Orion. Is that what you’re thinking?”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking. At least I’m thinking its worth searching on.” Benjamin frowned. “I mean, we don’t have anything else to go on right now.”
“But when are we going to have another chance to search?” Heidi asked. “They’ve got stuff planned for us like every night.”
“Well, we can try to do some between classes,” Gary suggested. “I don’t mind going back to the library.”
“And Andy and I can snoop around again,” Iva said.
Andy quickly glanced at Iva and then looked away. Benjamin watched but didn’t think Iva had noticed.
“Okay, why don’t we just try to do what we can before the weekend? I don’t think another couple days will matter that much,” Benjamin said. But though none of his friends seemed to agree, he hated to wait any longer. He just wanted to get this whole matter resolved and behind him—find the keys and be done with it.
CHAPTER 14
The Sky Collapses
Though the clue with Orion hadn’t turned anything up yet, at least it gave Benjamin hope he would solve the riddle of the keys of the hunter—the hunter he knew just had to be Orion.
When the first Saturday rolled around, Benjamin could hardly believe it and almost regretted not having classes for the next two days. “What am I thinking?” he asked himself. “Who, besides Gary, gets upset that there aren’t classes on the weekend?”
“Hey, happy birthday!” Andy said to Benjamin, slapping him on the back.
Benjamin stopped dead in his tracks. “My birthday?”
“Uh, yeah,” Andy said. “Remember—comes once a year. You didn’t forget, did you?”
“Kind of,” Benjamin said. “But it’s been a pretty busy week.”
“Your birthday’s the longest day of the year?” Gary asked. “How cool is that? Did you get anything?”
Benjamin held up the card he’d just opened. He read it and looked up. “My mom says they set up a DNA credit account for me. She says I can buy whatever I want.”
“I wonder if my mom set one up for me,” Andy replied. “Maybe I can buy myself something for your birthday. Or better yet, you can buy me something for your birthday.”
“Don’t count on it,” Benjamin replied, laughing.
Jack appeared in front of Benjamin’s face just as he exited the massive double doors of the school. In an impressive display of self control, Benjamin only jumped a little. Having the Nogical appear and disappear without warning was becoming more…normal.
“Mind if I tag along?” Jack didn’t wait for an answer. “No, of course you don’t. I mean why would you? So, we’re headed for the Abilities Trials, right? I love the Abilities Trials. I never miss them. At least I haven’t in over three hundred years.” He smiled at the five students, then settled on Benjamin’s left shoulder.
“You’ve been alive for three hundred years?” Heidi asked.
“Four hundred and twelve to be exact,” Jack said. “In fact today is my birthday.”
“Hey, it’s my birthday too,” Benjamin said.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Jack said.
“You didn’t tell us it was your birthday,” Heidi said before Benjamin could ask Jack how he knew.
“I kind of forgot,” Benjamin said. “Andy had to remind me.”
“How can you forget your birthday?” Heidi asked.
“It’s been a busy week,” Benjamin defended. “And I’ve been a little bit preoccupied with the keys we’re supposed to find.”
“Why are you so worried about them?” Andy asked. “We still have seven weeks of summer school left.”
“That’s why,” Benjamin replied. “Because we only have seven weeks of summer school left. Somehow we have to find these three keys and bring peace on Earth in seven weeks.” Yet he could tell through the Alliance bond that none of his friends, with the slight, possible exception of Iva, felt any urgency to find the hunter’s keys.
“So, what are the trials like?” Gary asked Jack.
“It’s like a bunch of people getting up and showing off in front of each other,” Jack said. “But I’ll admit it. I’ve seen it three hundred and five times, and each year I’m amazed by something.”
“So, it’s a competition, like we had in telekinesis class, right?” Heidi asked.
“I don’t think you really competed with Jonathan Sheehan,” Benjamin said. “I mean, it was more like a slaughter if you ask me.” He, Andy, and Gary all started laughing.
Iva scowled at them. “Yes, well nobody did ask you, so why don’t you just shut up next time.”
Heidi smiled at Iva.
“Anyway, what are you laughing at, Gary?” Iva continued. “You let Suneeta beat you, and we all know she isn’t very good at anything except brown-nosing. She has a hard time lifting her napkin in the dining hall.”
Jack cleared his tiny little throat. “Anyway, to answer your question, it’s not really a competition. It’s more like a show. Telegens with all sorts of talents get up in front of the crowd and show off. But we better hurry if we want to get good seats.”
The main arena was at the end of Mu Way, about a mile from the school. Spaced every so often were public teleporters with lines queued up to access them.
“Why don’t more people teleport on their own?” Benjamin asked Jack.
“Most people can hardly even teleport a block anymore,” Jack said.
Benjamin flushed. Though no one in the class had been successful yet, it still irked Benjamin that he hadn’t been able to move the block. In fact, he’d even been spending some of his free time trying. Just when he felt like the block was about to move to his mind, his concentration would break.
“How common is it?” Heidi asked.
“Well, for you ‘regular’ telegens, only about one out of every sixty-four people is able to teleport themselves,” Jack replied. “Of course, almost all Nogicals can teleport, so we hardly ever have to rely on machines.”
As they walked, Benjamin squinted up at the passing shops and restaurants. Just as he opened his mouth, Iva beat him to it.
“Why are all the shop signs in Russian?” she asked. “I would have expected them to be in English, or something.”
“They aren’t in Russian,” Andy said. “Of course they’re in English.”
“Yeah, it looks like English to me,” Benjamin agreed.
“They’re in any language you want,” Jack answered. “In truth, they’re in ancient Lemurian. The symbols interact with your mind and create an illusion. Which is good since hardly anyone bothers to learn ancient Lemurian anymore.”
Benjamin was so focused on trying to break the illusion of the signs, when he finally looked forward again, a huge arena loomed above him. They found seats midway up the bleachers with the grassy field area far, far below. In fact it was so far below, Benjamin figured only maybe a super-telegen could hear or see anything. But before he could ask Jack about it, a hush fell over the crowd. A large holographic image appeared high in the air. Clear as day, it showed the rulers of Lemuria, Helios and Selene Deimos, larger than life, walking to their seats. They turned and faced the crowd, smiling and waving. As they sat down, applause broke out. Benjamin and his friends joined in with the crowd.