Zephyr nods his head in bland courtesy at Onyx’s pleading to bring Luna back home to the Upperworld and to send someone else instead. “Zephyr, I myself volunteer to go if you promise me you will bring her back. She’s much too new - she won’t last more than a day or two on Earth… I can’t let her die. I just… can’t.” Zephyr could see the pain and anger manifesting in Onyx’s eyes, his face tense with agony. “She had… so much promise. She was doing so well, before…”
“Onyx, I understand you are concerned. But I have no choice. The core ruling of our livelihood here is that in the event of a mistaken orb placement, the offending sorter is relegated to fix their mistake in Earthly society as a mortal humanoid. It is dangerous, of course, but that is how we operate. It is clearly detailed in Sector 57, Sub-Section 328 of the Book of Laws.”
“But it just… doesn’t seem realistic. Do you really think that she can accomplish this? Or survive it at all?” Onyx’s blue eyes are moist with desperate tears, a sign of attachment that only Zephyr could explain. Unbeknownst to both Onyx and Luna, there was more to that emotion than what meets the eye, and their tangled emotions hold a deep, dark secret that even they are unaware of. “Regardless of what I think, she needs to be there. You can monitor her on the screen in the Sorting Room, but you should refrain from calling her on her communicator.” Onyx’s face turned red with anger. “And why shouldn’t I?” Zephyr strokes his long, deathly pale chin and his fiery hair seemed to burn stronger momentarily, as it always does when he is deep in thought. “Well, given your recent… ugh… attachment to her, I think you are too emotionally involved with her. In fact, that sort of behavior is a major distraction to our processes here. Do you have any idea how many of our workers are talking about you two? Onyx, you are just lucky that I don’t further punish you for posing as such a distraction during such a critical time of damage-control in the Upperworld. You know we cannot encourage physical attraction of any kind - it would distract us from our work.” Zephyr tries his best to hide the truth… the reason why Onyx had acted so strange. Zephyr knew exactly why, but has chosen to keep the truth and its evidence locked away deep in the bowels of the Upperworld.
“Honestly… I can’t really explain that either. I just… it never occurred to me why I did that. It was… an impulse, I think. I just really don’t know. In my four hundred years of existence, I’ve never felt like this before.” Zephyr nods, but his stone-cold expression sucks any meaning out of such a delicate phrase with an undeniably crucial, yet hidden meaning.
“What will happen if I decide to talk to her anyway?” Zephyr’s hair begins to burn brighter, as if it is directly linked to his emotional state, and building intensity. “Well, if you do something that defies me and my best intentions for you, not only will your position of high rank be stripped from you, but you will incur consequences that may cause Luna to struggle… to survive.” “Is that a threat?” “Only if you decide it to be.” Onyx takes one last look into Zephyr’s cold, maniacal eyes and silently turns on his heel to make his way down the grand hallway and out the door. He had to check the monitor to see Luna’s progress. The pain of the possibility of losing her permanently was something he just could not bear. The fear was bearing into his chest, a dull sword poking through all the plans he had for her… all the great things she could have accomplished, down the drain. And the worst thing was - he was still sure that she didn’t do this at all. There had to be someone else. And Onyx was determined to find them, bring them to Zephyr, and make them be sent to suffer on Earth for this mission. If they were cowardly enough not to admit their fault, then they would pay the price that Luna was unfairly being forced to pay.
✷✷✷
“Hello, uh… Miranda?” Luna looks up at the girl that she was sent to find, who was poised on the raised plateau structure with her instrument strapped to her body. “Yeah? Who’s asking?” Luna catches her breath in her throat, trying to plan out every word in order to make her mission go as seamlessly as possible.
“I’m Luna… I uh, came a long way to meet you - ” “Oh, so you’re one of those super fans then, aren’t you? Well, in that case, I’m pleased to meet you!” Miranda scoots her butt off of the stage and stands next to Luna, her long, dark, curly hair blowing in the wind as the sunlight catches on her glittery black mini-dress and knee-high black boots. The scent of her garish perfume assaults Luna’s nostrils, and she tries not to recoil too obviously. “So, Lana…” “It’s Luna…” “Whatever. What do you want me to sign?” “Sign? What? No, that’s not what I came for…” Miranda glares back at her, surprised and confused. “Well, then, what can I do for you? I’m not going to give you a free CD, if that’s what you’re looking for…” “No, I, uh…” Luna was clearly struggling to make progress at this point, so she decided to just play along. “I just… wanted to meet you. I’ve heard of you… for a long time and wanted to introduce myself. That’s all.” Miranda smiles. “Oh, okay. Well, thank you for your support. Garth and I really appreciate all our fans. So how long have you been following us?” Luna hesitated, trying to find the right words without giving away her secret. “Well, uh, since the very beginning, I suppose…” Miranda nods. “Well I think that’s just great. Oh here’s Garth now. ‘Hey Babe, can you get over here? We’ve got ourselves another super fan…’”
A tall, brawny boy around the same age as Miranda appears behind her and also hops off of the raised platform. He has long, dark hair and sports a shabby tee-shirt with well-washed jeans. “Well, hey there, girl. What’s your name?” Garth stands next to Luna and puts his hand on her shoulder while tracing a path down to her wrist. “You’re a pretty one, aren’t you?” Luna looks at him incredulously. “Uh, what?” Garth brushes a hair out of her face. “Yeah, you’re gorgeous…” Miranda slaps him hard on his arm. “OUCH! Hey, what was that for?” Miranda rolls her eyes. “For flirting with a fan. Duh - so unprofessional. This is all business, remember? Get back to rehearsal, Babe. I’ll be right there.” Garth winks at Luna one last time and then climbs back onto the platform to join the rest of the band. “Sorry about that… he’s my boyfriend and all… but he’s also such a numbskull.” Luna really can’t understand the phrasing that these two speak, at all. She has never heard colloquial terms like these, as they’re never used in the Upperworld. “Well, we’re hosting a free concert here in the park in about an hour. Hope you can stay and watch!” And with that, Miranda hops back onto the platform to rejoin Garth and the rest of the band.
Well, that was interesting. Maybe I should come back to the show and watch in a bit. But how long is an “hour”? To answer that question, Luna decides to consult Jade on her communicator. “Jade, are you there? I need to know how long ‘an hour’ is. How do I measure it?” “Hello Luna. And hour on Earth is a portion of a day, and can be measured by using a clock. A clock is a man-made machine that has a round face and numbers on it. When the arm rotates around in a full circle, that means that an hour has passed. Just look around for one.” Luna wasn’t totally sure what Jade was referring to, but she tries to look around for it anyway. “Hey, how do you know all this stuff about Earth?” Jade hesitates. “I uh, had to study it… a while ago. Why I did is not important. Anyway, good luck!” “Okay, uh thanks. Bye.”
And then, beyond the raised plateau, Luna saw it - a large circular machine in the middle of the green area, with numbers and arms. The arms were both pointing to a “12”, so she decided that an hour might be when at least one of the arms goes all the way around the circular face of the clock. In the meantime, I probably should try to find Anthony. But where is he? I also have no idea what he looks like. Better call Jade again. Or maybe Onyx?
CHAPTER 12
Onyx is determined to find the real culprit of the sorting mishap. He is still fuming about Luna getting mixed up in all of this. What could have possibly possessed her to admit to a fault that she didn’t commit? It was ridiculous, strange, and concerning. He leaves Zephyr’s hall and decides to try to call Luna, but rea
lizes that his connection has been cut - he can suddenly no longer use his communicator for any call outside of the Upperworld. But then he remembered Zephyr’s threat to strip him of his status if he decides to defy him, and realizes that maybe it is for the best that the temptation is not there. But more than anything, he wanted to, needed to, hear her voice, her small, frill, little voice that would reassure him that everything was okay. He wouldn’t be able to rest until he knew for sure.
The only thing he could think to do was to march right to the Sorting Room and talk to Jade. She likely saw more of what happened than he did, so maybe she could offer some insight for him.
The walk from his habitation pod was longer than ever - the nagging thoughts and the worries in Onyx’s mind, that his protegé, the one he was supposed to protect, was out in that cruel, cold, dark world, all alone. And there was nothing he could do about it.
He himself had never been to Earth, but he had heard terribly awful things about it. The way that the entire sky darkens to a pitch black for half the day, and then is resurrected to light by a giant light-filled entity high above. And the people there, their lives are temporary and short. They would be lucky to get a measly 80 years out of the ordeal. The whole thing made his stomach knot and churn. And the worst thing about it all was that now Luna was under the laws of fleeting time, and her own majestic being was relegated to that of a defecating Earth dweller. And that meant, should anything happen to her there, she would be gone forever, doomed to the Underworld. Her mission was likely a fatal one. A mission that she wasn’t even close to being ready for - more like a death wish than anything else.
The purple sky is as pleasant as ever, and the air around him is comfortably warm, but it somehow hurt him to see everything around him unharmed by a travesty of such epic proportions.
Onyx enters the Sorting Room to see Jade mindlessly walking around the room, surveying the sorters and wearing that fake smile she always paints on her face as if nothing was wrong at all. The screen to the left was still displaying Luna’s live experiences on Earth, slowed down to make sense in the time but not one sorter seemed to notice or even care. They went about their basic business as if nothing at all was amiss. Never mind the fact that Luna was alone, fighting to fix a mistake that she likely didn't even make.
“Jade!” Jade turns to see a very disgruntled Onyx walking toward her. What does he want me to do? This guide just can’t let go of this protegé for some reason. “Yes, Onyx? What can I do for you?” She paints on her smile yet again, hoping that maybe this time, he would believe it was real. Her smile was the tool she used to keep things calm among the sorters, a magic weapon that enchanted the very thoughts of every single one of them. If she at least appeared fine, then the sorters did their jobs successfully. If she disturbed them in any way, more problems could occur.
“I don’t think Luna was behind the incident.” Jade smiles sheepishly at the nearby sorters who stop what they’re doing with a quizzical look on their faces. “Onyx… I’m going to need to ask you to lower your voice. You’re disturbing our sorters.” Onyx pauses for a moment to control his rising tensions. “Okay… I just… I need to see the security camera footage. I think I can prove this to you. You don’t understand…” “Oh I understand just fine, thank you very much. Basically, you are just a guide who has become overly attached to his charge. It happens occasionally - although never for you, I don’t think. Regardless, you need to let her go. She’ll most likely be just fine. There’s nothing you can do - ” “Sure there is! I have to clear her name and get her home, here, where it is safe…”
✷✷✷
Delphine is in her habitation pod, shaking. She fled the Sorting Room right after Luna was sent to Earth. The sight of the whole thing was too painful for her to see. And the fact that Luna stepped up to defend her just made things worse.
“Delphine? Are you still in there? There is much work to be done in the Sorting Room…” She rolls her eyes through her tears at the sound of Evander’s voice beckoning her outside the walls of her chosen safe-haven. “Yes, I’m here.” “Can I come in?” Hesitantly, Delphine raises her wrist to the sensor just as she has been taught, and the door to her dwelling opens with a smooth hiss.
“Why are you acting like this? You were doing just fine before, and now you can’t even get out of your habitation pod. What happened to you?” Evander stood with his arms folded at his chest, his lips beginning to form a frustrated snarl.
“I… um. I don’t want to talk about it.” Delphine curled into a ball on the floor and resumed crying. Evander looked on with disappointment in his eyes, his gaze beginning to crowd her thoughts. “Delphine, we’ve been over this. I need you to be brave. I know that Sorting can be overwhelming, but you were doing just fine. Just because another new girl made a terrible mistake doesn’t mean you will - ”
That last point did her in. Delphine’s sobs turned into uproarious moaning, and her face begin to turn red from the hysteric sobbing. “Evander… I just can’t! Please go away… tell them to give me another job to do… I’m not worthy to be a Sorter…”
“Nonsense! You’ll gain confidence eventually. You can do this. What has gotten into you?”
Delphine is silent, except for the rhythmic rocking back and forth on the rug in her dwelling. Beginning to give up hope for a normal conversation, Evander shakes his head, and then gets up to leave.
She wanted to tell him the truth, that she was the one that made the mistake, and not him. But she simply couldn’t do it. It was all too painful and all too true. The reality of her mistake, and the resulting consequences, were beginning to take their toll on her. The enormous weight that she had to carry on her little shoulders was beginning to dig deep through her neck and muscles, right down into her very essence. The newness of her being could not handle the irascible black blemish on her formerly spotless soul.
CHAPTER 13
Luna is waiting an hour for the concert, but also needs to find Anthony. Without any obvious leads, she calls Jade on her communicator again. “Yes? Luna? What is it now?” Jade was clearly getting frustrated with her at this point. “Uh, I can’t find Anthony. Am I close to where he is?” Jade sighs. “Let me check.” Luna waits patiently, hoping that Jade will be able to offer some insight into where she can find the boy who is indirectly a part of this mess. She glanced at the large round structure again. The slightly longer arm appears to have moved, but only a little bit. She has plenty of time before the concert.
“Okay, so you’re standing in the middle of the green area, right?” Luna nods, but realizes that Jade probably can’t see her face. “Yes, I am.” “That’s the park, so you’ll have to cross that street to find Anthony working at the small convenience store counter.” “What? I have no idea what you just said. Can you explain it again?” Luna can hear Jade sighing from over the communicator. “Okay, so that area behind you with fast-moving things on it?” “Yes?” “That’s a street. And to cross it without getting hit by one of those, you’ll have to stand at the end of the white lines painted on the ground, and then walk on those to cross it when the vehicles see you and stop. Once you do that, walk into the little building and ask for Anthony at the counter. He has curly blonde hair, if that helps you at all.”
Luna sighs. “Yeah okay, but… I…” “What?” “Jade, I’m scared.” “Well, be brave. You have to. You have no choice. Oh, and don’t forget to find a place to stay when the sun goes down… someplace safe for the night. I have no idea where, you just have to ask anyone at all. Good luck with that!” And then Jade ended the call, and that was that.
Luna looks up at the sky around her, awaiting some sort of a sign as to what she should do next. She’s fighting back the tears of hurt and frustration in the back of her throat, clearly as a result of Jade’s harsh treatment of her in her hour of need. She tries to call Onyx, but he doesn’t pick up. Perhaps he has forgotten about me too - nobody in the Upperworld seems to care about me at all anymore. Right there, in the middle o
f the large green space, Luna crumbles onto the ground in a heap and begins to cry, her greatest fears coming true. And for the first time ever, Onyx isn’t there to wrap his strong arms around her and make her feel safe. And maybe he never will be again.
After all her tears were cried and her mood was stabilized for the time being, Luna stands up, dries her eyes, and makes her way to the pathway across the busy area with all those strange vehicles moving across it. She gingerly steps to the side of the pathway, willing with all of her heart that the frightening machines would take mercy on her frail being and allow her to cross the street unscathed. Like magic, the machines did see her, and stopped completely, leaving a path for her to cross. A broad smile of relief spreads across her face, and then she walked across the way, feeling powerful and important for the first time in a while.
Upon entering the convenience store, she looks for Anthony around the store. Although, for the life of her, Luna has no idea what she’ll say when she gets there. Hi, I’m from the Upperworld, and it turns out that your entire life as you know it was a mistake. There’s a girl that you are supposed to fall in love with but you don’t even know her? Yeah, that’ll never work. As Luna’s own thoughts begin to eat away at her morale, she begins to lose sight of the real reason she even walked into that store, but then she quickly remembers that she must complete her mission in order to get home to the Upperworld. It’s a necessary struggle, and in her heart, she hoped that she could be brave enough. But she really wasn’t too sure that she was.
The Sorting Room Page 5