by Viola Grace
“Let’s find out if an Edinar can play chess.”
Time blurred as they moved one piece at a time with long pauses in between. Ohra kept track in her mind, the one thing she was good at. Four months had elapsed before Forin won the game.
He looked rather impressed with her as he helped her to her feet. “I didn’t expect you to put up much of a fight.”
“I am deceptively strategic when it comes to games. I am always thinking eight moves ahead.” She smiled and swayed. Her body was definitely in distress.
He caught her in his arms. “You are fading.”
“It looks like I might not have a body to go back to after this. Ah, well, I knew I was disposable when I took this job.” She smiled up at him and patted his cheek.
To her surprise, he kissed her.
In her entire life, no one had kissed her. Not even a peck on the forehead or cheek. She waited for a moment, but he showed no signs of stopping. With his lips on hers, she tried to enjoy the sensation.
He lifted his head and asked her, “Don’t your people kiss?”
“My people do. I don’t. I haven’t.”
He loosened his grip and brushed his lips against hers. “That is a shame. Lips like this were meant to be kissed.”
“Keep trying. I am bound to get the hang of it eventually.”
Forin smiled and obliged. Their environment changed from the chess room to a warm, billowing cloud. He coaxed her to the ground and continued kissing her until she had her hands woven through the black and silver strands of his hair and she was sighing a little with every meeting of lips.
“I know this is only in your mind, but it feels nice.”
Forin grinned, “I am glad. It is pretty fun on my side, too.”
Her body was tingling, but she wasn’t sure it was trauma. She felt that she was approaching something, but she had no idea what it was.
The ground around her shook, the mist coiled and relaxed.
She winced and quickly kissed Forin. “They are waking you up. It took less time than I thought.”
“You are kidding. I just started making some headway.”
She laughed. “It has been wonderful getting to know you, and thank you for the introduction to kissing.”
He groaned and pressed his forehead to hers. “This isn’t over.”
A tear rolled down her cheek. “Yes, it is. Trust me. I don’t look like this in the physical world. You will have ladies lined up and down the block for you. I will just be a blurry memory.”
“I am going to remember you. Every time I close my eyes, you will be there.”
Ohra held onto him as she felt her body waking. She sobbed and then gasped as she was back in her own body again.
* * * *
Forin tried to hold onto Ohra, but she was pulled from his mind with a sickening jolt. His own awareness was now free to reset with his body. He wasn’t dying anymore.
He opened his eyes, and the dim light above him told him he wasn’t in his own mind.
A being in a mask and heavy biohazard suit spoke to him through a speaker system. “General Thanloss, welcome to Horalthia. You are weak now, but that can be remedied. Relax and let us help you recover.”
There was something he was supposed to remember. Something he didn’t want to forget, but he was so tired that he simply decided to check into it later. He wasn’t going anywhere on his own.
* * * *
In the dim confines of the monitor rehab centre, Ohra worked tirelessly to get into shape again. Six months of immobility had done a number on her coordination.
Her physiotherapist was encouraged by her progress. She had died twice while in the mind of her patient. Her body would not withstand another round as monitor, but the money she had made from the first time would enable her to get a different education. She imagined a new life as a medic. It seemed like a good profession to get in to.
In the meantime, she had weights to lift and a few miles on the treadmill to do. The sooner she was healthy again, the better.
She had a future and it wouldn’t wait for her.
* * * *
One year after her time as a monitor, Ohra got a strange letter in her correspondence. She removed her education tabs from her temples and read the missive again.
As a previous monitor, you are cordially invited to a ball to celebrate the fortieth Edinar awakening.
Dress is formal, and the ball will be held at the Harkenar Observatory, eight in the evening on five-day.
We look forward to seeing you there. This project has benefited all of us, and we expect your cooperation.
The signature was that of the Government of Horalthia. It was a genuine document, which could only mean one thing. Ohra needed a dress.
Shopping for a dress at the last minute was torture. Surprisingly, she ran into a few friends from her monitor training. “Sno, Harka. How have you been keeping?”
Sno ran a hand through her black hair, all three inches of it. She must have just gotten out of recovery.
Sno smiled, “I just finished my stint and now I have been summoned to a party.”
Harka nodded. Her hair was a solid seven inches long, the brown strands flipping into her eyes. “Me too. Well, I finished nine months ago. I have returned to school.”
“Do you know what the party is about?”
The other two women shook their heads. They agreed to assist each other in shopping, and when they focused on one outfit at a time, they soon found gowns that suited them and their personalities.
Flush with triumph, they hugged and parted ways, promising to sit together at the ball if they could.
Ohra gathered cosmetics and a set of shoes that matched the gown. She didn’t have any jewelry, but she was going to look as good as she could.
The evening of the ball, she checked her appearance three times. Her hair was still shorter than she liked it, but it was as good as it was going to get.
The called car was waiting downstairs, and she quickly made her way down the steps of her six-story walk-up. Being a student was expensive and saving on her lodgings would allow for her degree to be as intensive as she could manage. She was already an accredited medic, and soon, she would be a specialist.
If she couldn’t get back into the Edinar project as a monitor, she would do it as a medic.
The car took her to the observatory and let her off just outside the clogged entryway filled with dignitaries and celebrities.
Ohra was thankful that her home had prepared her for the upward hike through the immobile crowds. When she walked up, security tried to stop her.
She sighed. “I have an invitation.” She brought out the tiny projector and displayed it.
“Apologies, Monitor Ianic. We thought you would be arriving by car.”
She jerked her thumb down the hill. “I did. It couldn’t get through.”
One of the guards came with her and pushed through the throng. Vid cameras flashed, and she was blinded. If it hadn’t been for the guard and his grip on her arm, she would not have made it through.
The moment they were inside, he steadied her and let her go so he could return to his post.
She inhaled sharply, her breasts pushing against the inside of her tight bodice. The huge interior of the observatory was bustling with people from the upper crust of government and society. Ohra knew that she didn’t belong, but she was going to get her money’s worth out of the gown.
Ohra crossed through the checkpoint, and when her identity was confirmed, she joined the throng.
The Edinar were all in state-formal uniforms, milling with their admirers. A few of them had mates of either gender next to them, and they were very attentive to their non-Edinar spouses. It was sweet.
Smiling, Ohra shifted along with the crowd, taking a glass of wine and looking like she belonged. Tables had been set out and each had name cards on them, proclaiming the premium seating for those who had been chosen. Half the tables were full already.
When Ohra drift
ed close, the woman with the clipboard smiled and asked, “Name?”
“Ohra Ianic. Monitor.”
The woman ran her stylus down the list and smiled. “This way, please.”
Ohra nodded and followed, shocked that she was one of the elite that was being allowed to get off their feet. The woman found her place card and helped her get her gown out of the way as Ohra took her seat.
From her new vantage point, Ohra could see Sno and Harka. They were seated as well, and they waved at her from their distant tables. It seemed sitting together was not in the cards.
Sitting at the table had two effects. The first was that she was able to keep her back to the crowd; the second was that she was drawing a lot of attention.
Her table was slowly filled with government ministers, Edinar and their dates for the evening. A charming couple who held hands and kissed the back of their partner’s wrist every few minutes introduced themselves as Tanyos of Edinar and Ulroc of Horalthia.
Ulroc smiled at her. “You look lovely, Ohra.”
“Thank you. Finding a gown that fit on such short notice was a little nerve wracking.”
Ulroc had been one of the first monitors, but he had retired when Tanyos had swept him off his feet.
“Tanyos, do you remember your monitor?”
He smiled. “I do, and I found him, though it took some looking.”
She blinked. “Did the other Edinar marry their monitors?”
“Three of them. Others who have wed did it within the population.”
Ohra sighed in relief. “For a moment, I thought that this was just a huge setup.”
Tanyos laughed. “No, but many of us retain more memory of the link than you do. We are seeking the ones we spent months with to thank them for their service. That is why you are here tonight.”
There was an expression on Ulroc’s face that made her think the man’s spouse was leaving something out.
The tables filled, and Ohra took a sip of her wine. Another sip and she put it down. A shadow fell over her as the final chair was filled, the one on her right.
“Don’t you like wine?”
“I haven’t had it before.”
The man sitting next to her was an Edinar. He had broad shoulders, black hair with silvery threads running through it and deep blue eyes. His strong jaw spoke of a stubborn nature, but his hands had the grace of a man who played an instrument.
He extended a hand to her. “General Forin Thanloss, at your service.”
She slipped her hand against his. “Ohra Ianic.”
He smiled and lifted her hand to his lips. “I am very pleased to meet you.”
She felt a distinct tingle in her skin at the light contact. The moment she could slip her hand back into her lap, she did. She also covered the kissed appendage with the other as if to protect the sensation and keep it with her.
The conversation around the table slid into political subjects, and since Ohra was hopeless at politics, she remained quiet and sipped at her wine.
A low voice asked her. “Where are your thoughts, you seem a million miles away?”
She sighed and out of her mouth came, “I am on a cliff, watching the stars and guarding forever.”
He jerked back a little, “What did you say?”
Before she could answer, the key speaker for the evening called everyone to attention and began a long and historical information session on how the Edinar came to be there.
She sipped at her wine again, made a small face and put it down.
After a droning explanation, the speaker said, “And none of this would have been possible without the monitors who volunteered to join this project via rigorous testing and exhaustive exams. They made it through, and those, we are here to speak to today. They put their lives and sanity on the line to keep the Edinar safe, and to them, we owe our current state of economic growth. Would all the monitors, please, stand.”
Ohra moved her chair back, and the general got to his feet to assist her. It was the most polite thing anyone had ever done for her.
She stood there with the other monitors, their shorn hair a definite clue as to their identity. Once the applause and pictures died down, she returned to her seat.
The general offered her more wine, but she was still only halfway through her glass. Ohra sipped a few times and sat still while her head spun.
The Edinar were listed, and their accomplishments in the physical world were mentioned as well. They were helping to propel the Horalthians into a higher social standing in the universe, and they were doing a wonderful job. Manufacturers were streamlining, the society had record low unemployment and manpower was happier than it ever had been.
Everyone clapped as the Edinar rose, and Ohra felt a sense of pride in whichever one she had brought into the world. She had hoped that she could keep the memories, but no matter what she did, they wouldn’t come back to her.
It was the most frustrating part of being a monitor. She knew that she had done something to keep her charge calm, but she had no idea what it was or who it was.
When the Edinar sat again, a meal was served. That surprised her. Only those seated were being given a meal. She looked over her shoulder at the dignitaries and vid stars that were in attendance.
General Thanloss tapped her hand. “Don’t worry about them. They were only allowed visitor passes for this event. It was never meant for them.”
“I feel weird that they are watching us eat.”
He laughed. “Understandable, but it is no reason to let the meal go to waste.”
She gave him a shy smile. “Good point.”
Ohra nibbled at the vegetables and sliced the meat into small pieces that were easy to chew.
“How long were you a monitor?” Thanloss was apparently chatty.
“Six months.” She nibbled her way through the food on her plate.
“What are you doing now?”
Ohra looked over at his curious features. “I am a student. Well, I am a medic, but I am going into a specialty so I can get back into the program.”
“You can’t be a monitor again?”
She shook her head. “I died on the table a few times during the link. I can’t take another assignment on.”
He looked surprised. “You died?”
“Yes, they said my heart stopped. The chemicals that they used to enable us to communicate with you can stress our bodies. We are chosen because our minds are a close match, and we hope the medics can keep us alive long enough to bring you out of it.”
“So, the monitors here all risked their lives for us?” Thanloss looked around the room.
Ohra followed his gaze. Pale men and women were dotted around the tables. The monitors all had the same look about them. They had seen another world and had been changed by it.
The rest of the politicians, the officers, they all had a solid connection to the physical world, and it showed in their faces, their robust colour and their animated attitudes. The monitors looked like shadows of the moon, pale and quiet next to the blazing sun of the others.
The Edinar were something else entirely. They were flames of energy that crackled and popped even though they were sitting at rest.
Ohra catalogued the differences with interest. She had never seen them all together in a room like this before.
“What are you seeing when you look out through those huge blue eyes?” Tanyos brought her attention back to the others at the table.
“I am seeing the changing face of our world represented in this room. It is something to see, all the different levels of energy and the burning minds in the room.” She covered her mouth when she realised that she had mentioned the minds. Outside of a link, she shouldn’t have been able to see them.
The two Edinar at the table stared at her, and she tried to make herself invisible.
Thanloss asked, “You can see their minds?”
She leaned toward him and whispered. “No. Just the energy that they are giving off.”
He nodded.
When dessert had been served and consumed, music played and couples took to the floor. Ohra had seen dancing on vids, but to see it in person made her heart ache.
She had seen affection before, but around the dance floor, there were those couples that glowed with love.
“Do you dance?” Thanloss leaned in and whispered.
She shook her head. “No. I tried in school, but I was unable to surrender control.”
“Would you care to try?”
She blinked. “Here? In front of all these people?”
He smiled and rose to his feet, offering her his hand. “I am sure I can find somewhere quiet for your first lesson.”
“You want to teach me?”
His smile was gentle and encouraging. It was a strange expression for such a hard-looking man.
With hesitation, she slipped her fingers along his skin. She felt an electric jolt of recognition at the touch, as though she had felt it before, but she knew that she hadn’t.
He helped her to her feet, and instead of heading for the dancers, he walked through the observatory with her at his side. He carefully helped her up the stairs, across a balcony and out the doors.
They were on the wide deck, looking out at the world with the stars dancing above them.
He turned her to face him. “Now, put your hand in mine, place the other hand on my arm and look into my eyes.”
She looked up into the dark blue gaze and faced him with the stars overhead. In her pale blue gown and he in his smart uniform, they stood and looked at each other while the stars watched.
He took a step toward her, and she stepped back, the music inside was audible, and they moved in slow concert with the orchestra within.
Ohra felt a strange recognition in being held in his arms. They danced around to song after song, getting nearer to each other with every change in music.
“Why do I feel we have met before?” When he pulled her in tight enough for her bodice to brush his uniform, she suddenly felt very chatty.
“Perhaps we have.”
She blinked. “I am fairly sure I would have remembered that.”