The Broken Destiny

by Carlyle Labuschagne

  The fair-haired boy held out his hand. “Dave,” he said with a straight face, “and this dumbass…” He smiled wickedly. “…as you now know, is Robert.”

  I shook each one’s hand; my skin as cold as ice compared to their warm hands.

  “Nice to meet you both,” I said sweetly, possibly too sweetly. I needed the company.

  “I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to go for a walk,” I said brazenly, shrugging my shoulders. I walked past them before turning back. “You coming?” I asked, wrapping my arms around my shoulders for warmth. As I followed the path toward the park, only one pair of footsteps echoed through the gardens. I turned to see the boys still trailing behind. I wondered why sleep had eluded my so severely that night – possibly my mind trying to put past events together, or I was nervous about things to come. As I scratched my hand, I noticed for the first time, a round puncture wound just below the knuckle of my index finger – a sign I had been on a drip when I was under. I turned back again to see if they were still following me. Once again, the absence of their footsteps left me feeling alone. They finally caught up wearing an all knowing smile. I shook it off, stopped under a big silverwood tree, its bare branches clawing at the darkened sky above, sat down on a wooden bench and watched the boys as they scanned the landscape. Dave waved at someone who whistled back at him, acknowledging each other’s presence and confirming the perimeter was safe. I forced myself to feel safe – the Zulus had eluded their barriers before. I sat staring at the darkened park, studying the shadows. I didn’t want any surprises jumping out at me.

  “So,” I finally said, satisfied we were well protected. “What’s your story?”

  They didn’t answer.

  “You know…” I gestured with my hands, “What’s life like in the Military School – all that kind of stuff.”

  “Oh.… chit-chat,” Robert said plainly with a little bob of his head.

  I listened politely as they told me their life story. They were senior military students and a part of the Jaguar gang, which varied from nine to eleven members. The gang admitted two interns at the start of a new cycle.

  “We’ve known each other since we could pee straight,” Robert joked.

  They told me stories about surfing, rock climbing and base jumping. Real adrenaline junkies, I thought to myself. I was waiting for them to say something about Troy when I heard the deep roar of a bike in the distance. Suddenly, the boys stood on edge. I watched as the dark rider deftly navigated the twisting path, patches of light flashing off his helmet as the moons’ beams broke through the clouds. I felt my body stiffen. The bike came to a slow stop in front of us. The dark rider greeted his friends with a nod and held his hand out to me. I looked to my two new escorts; my new friends. They nodded with a smile.

  “Time to go,” the rider said plainly.

  I recognized his voice even though it was muffled by his dark visor. It was Troy. The dark rider was Troy! My stomach churned violently. I jumped on, heart pounding, pulse quickening and cheeks flushed. The bike pulled off and my body jerked backwards, slamming forward once again, all in one move it seemed, resulting in my head slamming against his helmet. I waved goodbye to Dave and Robert when I had finally regained my balance and dignity. I held onto Troy’s jacket, careful not to touch him. His body was unyielding, cold and distant as we slowly navigated the short path to our dorm. His aloofness left me aching inside. As the trees flew past, I took in his gorgeous muscular scent. For the shortest moment, my senses indulged in this desire and my mind floated away. I was pulled back by the slight bump in the road. His body stiffened. I wondered why he hated me, but still felt compelled to take care of me. His words to Enoch that day on the beach, the all too condescending ‘to impress a little girl’, would leave a sting for a while. All too soon the trees gave way to my apartment’s front gate. We stopped and I dismounted, feeling the cold biting at my chest. I didn’t realize how warm his body was until I had peeled myself off him. I also hadn’t noticed how tightly I had clung to a stranger, which was very much against the norm for me. Without a word, I made my way to the front door. He pulled off slowly and I felt my stomach tighten into a knot, the hole inside me suddenly grew a whole lot bigger. I looked up. The dark sky was slinking away as the sun began to rise. The door swooshed open and a gust of wind hit me in the face, before I reached the top step.

  “Where have you been?” Sam stood with arms crossed, eyes ablaze, blocking the entrance.

  “I went for a walk.” I said with a feeling of total disappointment. I had finally had a moment with Troy, for once knowing who he was, and I blew it!

  “I had escorts,” I snapped, my irritation misplaced. “I couldn’t sleep,” I said honestly. Sam smiled tenderly – she knew me too well. It was time to be alone for a while. Tiredness weighed heavily on me, my feet feeling like lead and my back aching. I dragged myself up the stairs, just managing to slide my feet out of my shoes and plunking onto the bed, before I slipped out of consciousness.

  Sam and I spent the next two days staring at the blue glow of our computer screens, a constant reminder of the countdown until cycle’s end. Sam’s hands flew wildly through the air as she dragged items across the screen, enlarged others, and explained in-depth what the numbers meant to her. I realized how much passion she had for the subject matter and the potential she had to become a professor who taught math and science, or anything else she wanted to teach. Now that I knew how simple interstellar travel was, I could see how endless the possibilities were. Adventure is right there – on the other side of a mirror, I mused. We had to complete a few final exams before we were done with junior high. On Poseidon, you became a senior at seventeen, but everything about school was a drag. I’m pretty sure that if it wasn’t for Sam, every day at school would have been more painful than it already was. Sam sat with me during those two days before our finals, drilling knowledge into my head. There were so many questions and answers that it made my head spin, but it wasn’t about knowing everything, it was about understanding and, quite frankly, I didn’t want to understand. My mind was a shattered mirror. It was in millions of pieces, scattered all over the place; a place I dared not go. Yet, some pieces were just out of reach. Glimpses of events swirled before me, such as memories of the attack, of Enoch, Troy and the Minoan village. I had an aching feeling in my gut and an itch that needed to be scratched. I shouldn’t be here, I should be out there learning about my destiny, learning about dark magic and how I was going to defeat it. If there should be another attack, I was as unprepared as before – this was a total waste of time! My body throbbed in desperation, I could feel the Change happening as I sat around. These past events changed my soul. I had always felt out of place. ‘Weird’ and ‘eccentric’, were the nicest things people had to say about me. Was it such a terrible thing to want more out of life than the humdrum, to feel beyond the surface? I asked myself. Every afternoon when I looked up at the three aqua moons, their majestic faces pinned high against the purple sunset, I was reminded that there was something splendid and unusual about being on Poseidon. My mother’s journals gave me confirmation. Everyone tried so hard to be normal, to fit in and not to accept what they were, what we all were. We were anything but normal. We had been brainwashed. I wanted to scream the word out to those fools, the fools who walked around every day pretending that they were better than everyone else. School didn’t matter. Nothing mattered to me. I had realized that there was more to me than trying to fit in. We were living as exiles in another galaxy far away from our home planet – far away from the truth. Questions constantly ran through my mind. What’s special about my bloodline? What does it all mean? Am I human at all? Are any of us human? Can I go around slicing everyone to see the color of their blood? A broad sinister smile spread across my face. No, of course I couldn’t…

  “Ava!” I heard a voice call out, followed by a soft object hitting my arm.

  “Hey!” I said glaring at Sam, who was clutching her fists at her sides, her nostrils flaring.<
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  I looked down at the object that had struck me. A gray box lay at my feet. I bent down to pick it up.

  “What is it with you, Ava?” Her voice sharp and loud. She was actually yelling at me! “Here I am sitting up until…” She whirled around to take a look at the clock. “…two in the morning, trying to help you pass your finals and you couldn’t, for even one second, try to get your head around this! I don’t want to give up on you, Ava. We made a promise to each other – wrote it down with our tears. Forever friends, remember? I give and give…” She paused, a deep frown set between her ginger eyebrows.

  I was a million miles away again. As I stared into her light blue eyes, I thought that any boy out there would be so lucky to be loved by such a beautiful fiery redhead.

  “…and you’re a stubborn lunatic!”

  Sam stomped off, the bedroom door slamming behind her. I twirled the object I had picked up around in my hand, hesitating before opening it. A thin rope was wound around the gray box, and pieces of lavender and dry rose petals were tied in under the bow. She had made it herself. I smiled. Slowly, I pulled the string to unwrap it and stared into the box. A small note was stuck to the bottom. I unfolded it.

  “Good luck with the exams – looking forward to your birthday.” Dark marks were burned across the yellow page. Hardly anyone used paper anymore, so I wondered where she got it. I laid the box down on the floor beside me. I was unnervingly unmoved. I should have felt something, but I felt nothing. Deciding to leave Sam to cool off, I switched on the projector and sat in front of the drop-down screen.

  “Movies,” I said out loud, pretending that the dormitory was still full, and that at any time one of the girls might join me.

  “Hello, Ava.”

  Ox came to life.

  “What is your selection?”

  I sat staring at the white glow of the screen for a while.

  “Hi, Ox,” I replied to the computer. “You choose.” I said absently.

  “Something out of the sixties always cheers you up.” She chimed back.

  Ox ran through the favorites menu, deciding on an old James Dean film. I pulled a blanket over my legs, swallowed my self pity and pushed my feet under the soft pillows. The film hadn’t even been on for five minutes when I started to drift off.

  I felt my throat tighten and tears welled up in my eyes.

  “I didn’t think we would ever see each other again,” Sam’s voice echoed through my dream.

  We hugged for a long time before her face turned black and became a shadow that grabbed at me. I thought of Maya and the shadow receded. It was silent for a while. I was standing in an open field; trees were bending over in the distance due to a soft breeze. But I wasn’t alone. There was something moving in the shadows. The darkness reached out for me. I tried to run. Where is everyone? I wondered. I couldn’t breathe. I felt my chest cave in, and suddenly, I was pinned to the dry grassy ground by something I couldn’t see. I was terrified of the world I had found myself in. I didn’t understand it – couldn’t figure it out; why I couldn’t wake up, and why I couldn’t just open my eyes and let go. I wondered what it was that had this power over me. Surely my own mind is doing this to me, merely projecting my fears and anxieties, I thought. That is what Kim has always told me. My mind screamed for me to wake up, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t lift my head, my legs were as heavy as lead and my voice only screamed within itself. I could feel the air in my lungs drifting away. I forced myself to breathe. I felt myself being dragged off the couch toward Sam, realizing that I could only wake from the dream if I had someone on the other side. I knew it was a dream, but I was stuck in a horrible nightmare. I needed Sam to wake me and save me from my dream. I could see my body crawling with great effort to get to her. I could taste the bitterness of fear and weakness. I couldn’t understand why she wasn’t waking me, and why she couldn’t see me. My whole body quivered in terror that I might never wake up. If the darkness gets me here, I can never return to my body, I told myself. I shook my head violently to wake. Abruptly, I woke up. Sam was standing over me. My breathing had returned when I suddenly received a blow to the chest. I choked and drew in the real air around me. Sweat dripped down the front of my chest. She didn’t say a word, but just climbed in underneath the covers. She immediately fell asleep again. I fought off sleep, scared of the darkness that kept coming for me. My eyes begged to close. I lay awake for a very long time, holding onto Sam’s hand.

  Hours later, I woke to the sound of blaring music, lifted my head and rubbed at the cramp in my neck from falling asleep on the couch. Sam was dancing around in the kitchen, singing into a spoon – she was cooking again.

  “Morning!” I yelled, and then made my way across the room toward the stairs.

  Panic washed over me as realization came crashing down like a towering wave.

  “Exams!” I shouted more to myself than Sam.

  Sam threw the spoon at me. I watched it land at the foot of the stairs.

  “Stop panicking.” She scowled. “You studied hard.” She beamed.

  I waved her off. No matter how hard I worked, I never felt prepared. Additionally, the previous night’s nightmare had left me drained of all mental and physical ability. Slowly, I made my way to the bathroom, grimly staring at my reflection on the shower door as it slid shut; purple lasers scanning my body for any weaknesses in my immune system.

  “Good morning, Ava.” Ox’s voice was clear and cheerful. “You seem tired. We can fix that.” The computer’s voice chimed in the same detached way it always did.

  “Well, what do you know, my computer shows compassion,” I mumbled softly.

  “I resent that,” Ox said. “Cheer up, Ava. Exams are less than an hour away. I know you are looking forward to them.”

  “Bite me,” I spat as the shower turned on.

  “Is that sarcasm I detect, Ox?”

  “Maybe.” Ox chimed.

  I chuckled to myself. I wondered if the Council knew that their precious systems were evolving into something more than just a program to keep tabs on us.

  As the warm water flowed over me, I wished it would wash away the dreams and scrub away the haunting feeling that something was always coming after me. I pressed my face into my hands, letting out a huge sigh in hope that the grimness would leave me soon. I wanted it all to be over. I wanted to skip ahead ten years. The sound of Ox’s voice startled me.

  “Would a specific song cheer you up?”

  “No. Fix me, I just want to get on with the rest of this day,” I said bluntly, continuing to stare at my reflection as the water washed the bitter taste of the previous night’s nightmare away. Dark, distant gray eyes stared back – I hardly recognized myself anymore. I suddenly realized though, that I had woken myself up from the dream the previous night, and felt the credence of every daunting nightmare lift off of me, vanishing down the drain. This was the first time I had fought back in one of those dreams. My grimness swirled down the drain before me, too. I told myself that I was the master of my own life and motivated myself to take control, to get over every little piece of insecurity looming underneath, rolling deep down inside me. I wondered for a second if these thoughts were my own as they felt foreign to me, or a mere product of the biometric scanner influencing my sudden mood change?

  As usual, heads turned and people stared as we walked down the corridors of our school, but this time they were staring with envy and jealousy. The foreign voice in my head spoke again, telling me that maybe they had been envious all along and I had failed to see it for some unknown morbid reason. I decided that it was easier to deal with not being liked than having to deal with jealousy. I couldn’t make jealousy issues go away. Somehow, it was worse. Before, I liked to believe that we were all the same, but I wasn’t so sure anymore. I briefly wondered where all those thoughts were coming from. All of a sudden, the feeling of being watched, tugged at my consciousness. I looked around. Sam and I were the only ones there. I thought I saw something move behind the wall and list
ened for footsteps before running to the stairs. I found nothing but a dark stairwell taunting me; no footsteps and no shadows, but I was almost certain there was a person there. I picked up a familiar scent. It was a mixture of sandalwood, the ocean, sweet smoke and rain. I smiled to myself. I know that scent. He is following me.

  “Ava?”

  Sam stood next to me, arms folded over her dark, blue school bag, eyes wide and questioning.

  “Did you see something?”

  “Not quite,” I said, staring down the dark, narrow stairwell. I moved away, noticing the frost accumulating at the edge of the gigantic windows overlooking the park below. Just hours ago, I had been mingling with boys, something I hadn’t done, ever. Troy’s scent lingered before me. The frost was a small sign that the seasons were changing – it hadn’t been that cold in a very long time.

  “We’re late,” she said dimly, pulling me toward the exam hall on the third floor. A couple of kids passed us and I caught the hint of a smile from one of the girls. I felt a strong glow growing inside me and a great power seeping through my pores. I looked at my reflection on the flat surface of every passing window as we made our way past a row of small, square lecture halls. I liked what I saw and they knew it. I felt different. It was as if I had had some kind of revelation. The fact that I had survived those terrifying attacks made me think that maybe I didn’t give myself enough credit. For once in my life, I was not breaking down. Not this time. This time I was breaking out. Not only was I breaking out of my cocoon, I would be breaking out tonight. Pushed by insanity, or by my “untouchable” revelation, I decided at that precise moment that I would risk everything to go and meet Enoch. With that thought, I felt myself come alive!

  It was easier than I thought it would be to slip away from Sam. She was distracted by the buzz in the café. The sweet taste of the end-of-year break was on everyone’s lips as they sang along to a band that was playing. Music was only allowed to be played publicly during school break. I sighed inwardly in realization that I had made it through another cycle. Looking back one last time to make sure I was in the clear, I swiftly made my way out of the café. Once outside, I stared at the three moons’ glow; almost every inch of the lavender sky smothered by a blanket of dark and dangerous clouds. The intertwined silver branches of the trees led me onto the path. It was a breathtaking view painted on a canvas of change. My feet carried me hastily forward, their haste stimulated by a surge of adrenaline at the thought of why Enoch would want to see me. The large iron gate came into view. I wiped my hands on my jeans one last time and looked over my shoulder, but when I turned back, my two self-appointed bodyguards zeroed in on me, cutting me off from the path that led through the gates of the prison and onto the trail that wound through the forest. The one that led to where Enoch would be waiting for me.