— Maybe it was in Facebook? The last time I checked it was a week ago. I was seeing pictures of Solange's cousin's wedding. Giovanna was with me, even. — Angiolina says, thoughtfully, fiddling with her tablet. Sliding her finger frantically through the screen.
Lucky looks at her, impatiently.
— I'm never finding this, dear God — The Italian complains, dropping her tablet on the table.
— Well, when I was taking care of "business" I had a way to remember stuff. — Luciano leans toward Angiolina, looking straight into her eyes. — Asking my employees menacingly! — The gangster screams before laughing out loud.
— Giovanna is my cousin, not my employee. — She says bluntly.Fala de forma ríspida. — And I'm not threatening anyone! — Angiolina concludes, taking her tablet and leaving the house.
— Like the mob ain't a family business. — The spirit says before disappearing.
Angiolina enters the restaurant. She is winded. Giovanna is an Italian-Brazilian woman with a huge flaw, she is the most dramatic person she knows. At the moment Angiolina sees her cousin, she is at the restaurant's door, smoking and arguing with her boyfriend over the phone. Looks like another relationship is over.
— Giovanna, I need to talk to you. Hang up the call. If it's over, it's over, no need to decieve the boy. — Angiolina says after walking up to the restaurant's door, grabbing the cigarette from her cousin's mouth and throwing it away.
— Hey, cousin, what's up? I'm my way to the cashier. I just stopped for a minute for a smoke. — Giovanna apologizes, hanging on the boy.
— What the hell did you do to your face?! — Angio asks when she finally sees bandages on her cousin's face.
— That's not it. I mean, there is that too. But I want to know how do I see some news I've seen on Facebook a few weeks ago. I can't find it for the life of me. — She shows her cousin the tablet with her profile displayed.
— You can scroll your timeline back to the day you've seen it, but it'll take forever. What do you need to see? Do you know the news' subject?
— Some genius girl who works with something related to outer space. — She speaks, coordinating her memories. — In Brazil, in São Paulo. A few hours from here. — Angiolina adds, remembering Victor's words by the phone.
— OK, give me a minute. — Giovanna speaks, taking the device from her cousin's hands. — Let's see. “Girl, scientist, genius. ” — Speaking aloud. — Oh yeah! Is it this report? — She concludes turning the tablet towards Angiolina.
TWENTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD GIRL GENIUS JUST HIRED TO JOIN NIX OBSERVATORY'S SCIENTIST TEAM, AT SERRA DA BRUMA
SÃO PAULO — SP.
Angiolina keeps reading the report, trying not to miss any detail.
THE GOAL OF THIS SCIENCE TEAM IS TO FIND ANOMALIES IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, WATCHING THOROUGHLY THROUGH THE MOST MODERN TELESCOPE SYSTEM. SESHAT, DEVELOPED BY DOCTOR SEAMAN, WHO HAS BEEN WORKING FOR THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE FOR YEARS, DEVELOPING CODE.
After reading this, Angio faints one more, mumbling disjointed words. Giovanna hugs her cousin, screaming hername, calling the attention of the restaurant's employees. Meanwhile the visions overcome the Sicilian, taking her conscience through dimensions never before dreamt by the human mind.
Angiolina's conscience travels among the mists of space-time, she is unable to feel her body, within the mist she notices distorted shapes crawling, the attraction force is irresistible, but she just allows herself to be taken, like a river's current that does not stop, her mind slowly recovers its sight but she still does not know if what she is yesterday, today or tomorrow...
The girl is sitting at the corner of a dark cell. The only light comes from the skirting board and from a small hatch at the top of the rusty metal door with peeling paintwork. The environment is filthy, bedsheets stained with blood and other fluids spread all around the floor. Inside these heaps, it's possible to hear rats and cockroached fidgeting. At the cell's center, only one piece of furniture, a hospital bed with metal wheels, also rusty.
Melissa is very hurt, she was clearly attacked and she reacts to every sound coming from the hallway through the door, looking in its direction every time, scared. At the corner of the screen she cries quietly, so that no one can listen to her.
— I want to get out of here... please, I want to get out of here!
Angiolina's conscience is suddenly pulled away, her astral form taken outside the complex and the last scene she can see are the imposing and dark mountains in Serra da Bruma, covered in fog, and dark buildings that form Nix Observatory, at the top of one of them.
Chapter 4
Second Day — A Perfect Marriage
Andreas is watching TV. He and his mate live in a luxury apartmentat Jardins. The fruit of two successful careers. His, through his work as art director in the biggest videogame company in Brazil, WSB Entertainment. His husband's, as chief epidemiologist at Doctors Without Borders and one of the world's leading epidemics experts.
Andreas has had selfish desires many times, about their relationship, wishing that his husband would quit medicine and dedicate to him exclusively. As selfish as it sounds, only those who live with doctors know the sacrifices spouses must make for them. And if there is something Joseph really likes doing, it's helping people; it's like he was born for it.
“But did you have to do that halfway across the world? Aren't there sick people in Brazil? Or better yet, in Paris or London?"
In his last big job, Joseph let him alone for months, thanks to an ebola epidemy somewhere along distant Africa. Andreas almost died of loneliness.
On TV, the channel 9 couple announces another government stopgag measure. As usual, the news are about the political hustle overwhelming the country, corruption, betrayal and other Brazilian problems. Nothing could be as uninteresting to Andreas.
— Same old, same old, this is so boring! — he mumbles holding a remote in one hand and his eighth shot of vodka in the other, without switching channels.
To Andreas, right now, only random moving images are in display. His mind remains on his need.
— Joseph is taking so long, one of these days I'm going to make a scene in that hospital! They do now know me! — He speaks laughing at his own childish idea. He savors the last sip of his drunk.
And stands up. Walking calmly, he goes towards their collection of expensive drinks. The apartmans is more than eight hundred square meters wide. The TV and cinema room by itself is eighty. The wide balcony that encloses the apartment allows a view of the entire city. Buying a triplex penthouse apartment, he thinks. Twnty three floors above any human being. Another shot, it's nine total. And, to him, this is nothing.
Andreas drinks destructively ever since he told his parents he was getting married. Son of a protestant marriage, he remembers his mother crying as if it was today, hearing that he would get married to a man. It was different with his father. A trucker with thirty years on the road, his shame was so big that his only answer was to beat his son so hard that he was hospitalized.
“—How am I going to look at my friends, you sissy! You faggot! They are gonna laugh at me, you little shit! — he screamed as he punched and beat.
Andreas just endured it in silence... and there was a lot to endure.
— I just need a little extra to be fine when my beau arrives. — he says reaching towards the "Iordanov" bottle with "Swarovski" crystals and little meth pack. It's his secret to withstand loneliness.
— Oh Joseph... if only you could picture it...
Today is lover's day. Joseph has been peparing his wardrobe for a weekend off. It's been years since they took a moment to themselves and he owes Andreas a day like this. Since his community action in Africa treating ebola patients their relationship hasn't been the same.
Joseph remembers the despair he felt traveling so far away, many of the medical bases didn't even have internet. Andreas spent weeks with no news. And, as expected, he started drinking again.
Doctor Joseph works at Santa Mis
ericórdia Hospital, in São Paulo, the best and most important epidemics center in Latin America. It's been two years since he took a vacation. He's being a lousy husband and he knows it.
The routine at the Tropical Disease Department left deep grievances in his marriage. Maybe wounds that can't heal anymore, he thinks.
Andreas, the love of his life, is a selfish child, that can't understand a life of sacrifice, but he loves him. He can't deny that, this feeling makes him smile the moment the wardrobe door closes, with his luggage ready.
He arrives at the reception to get his keys from Elisa, the receptionist that believes she can "convert him". As time passed, her roundabout flirting became a joke to him.
— Will you join me for dinner tonight, doctor? — Elisa asks, emphasizing her cleavage and shaking the car keys.
— Not today, honey. I have lifes to save! — he smiles, classy.
— What a shame. — She pouts in a way that truly would affect any straight man. Poor woman.
Halfway through their cat and mouse antics, Joseph notes a woman at the medical center's waiting room. She is not older than forty, brunette, shoulder-length curly hair.
— Doctor? — Elisa speaks, noticing she is losing Joseph's attention.
He interrupts her game with a brisk hand gesture.
— Just a minute.
As he approaches the woman, he notices she is paralyzed, only mumbling incromprehensible workds. Her eyes are open and lost.
This poor woman is siting in a set of blue hospital benchers. Joseph checks her hearbeat and blood pressure, takes a thermometer out of his pocket. The patient is burnign hod, her eyes are jetset, a viscous green-coloured secretion coming from them. She grabs Joseph's arm strongly.
— She is coming, doctor, she is coming from the depths of the universe. She hungers! She will unmake the fabric of reality, as it was written in Alexandria's obscure books! — The poor woman's eyes roll and she faints. Her breathing speeds up, like that of a dog, blood starts dripping from her eyes, mouth and nose.
— I need a nurse at the medical center's reception. There is a woman here that must be hospitalized!
Some moments afterwards all that hustle and bustle common to emergency hospitals sets in. Nurses opening space to get a hospital bed through, oxygen being pumped and screaming, lots of screaming, taking the poor woman to the elevator.
— Did she come alone, doctor? — One of the nurses asks, manouvering the bed.
— I'll sign the admittance file. Later, check if she has her documents or if you can contact any relative. Don't forget, she must go through the psych ward. — The doctor says as he signs her papers.
— It's okay, doc.
After a little more buzz, the comitive enters the elevator. Josephs considers staying, for a moment, but it's a doubt that only lasts a second, if he fails Andreas today his marriage is over.
— I need to go now, Celeste. If anything happens, ask them to contact me. — The doctor says before the elevator door closes.
— Happy lover's day, doctor! — She salutes with a malicious look.
“Attention! A new hemorrhagic dengue outbreak os happeing in the São Paulo metropolitan area! If you or any relative show any of the following symptoms: nausea, headaches, dizzyiness, paralysis, unjustified aggressiveness, hallucinations or delusions.
The speaker makes a pause. — Attend the closest medical center or call emergency. ”
Andreas jumps from the sofa and starts looking for his smartphone among the cushions. Despair, increased by alcohol and meth, take him over. Is Joseph OK? Is he coming? Am I going to lose him to another damn weird disease? What a shitty world!
Trying to coordinate his thoughts, he checks if the last messages sent through the messaging app were seen. Nothing. “Is it too hard to check your cell phone every know and then”? He tries callin the hospital: “Right now, all of our attendants are busy"s” — Damn recorded message! And after a few moments— “Waiting time... twenty seven minutes”.
The recorded message, the drugs and his paranoia make Andreas screm of anger and there is nothing left to do but cry. Cry and wait.
Chapter 5
Madness starts spreading.
Traffic at 23 de Maio Avenue is more intense than usual. Maybe it's a mix of rush hour and the intense rain falling upon the City of São Paulo. Joseph has been stopped in one of the avenue's access points for almost an hour. On the radio, the songs have started repeating themselves and the news reports have already announced the record traffic jam in the metropolitan area. Something related to a dengue outbreak.
— Denge is no reason for such a panic. — Joseph says as he takes his phone to call the hospital. Still waiting for someone to answer, an intuition makes him remember the words that ill woman said.
The recorded message rings: “Right now, all of our attendants are busy, please try again later"
Joseph then looks through his conects for doctor Enzo's number; he is in charge of emergency today.
— Hello? Enzo, this is Joseph. Everything under control over there? I just heard about a supposed dengue outbreak on the radio.
— What do you mean they announced it on TV? But these are not even dengue symptoms! — The doctor says, banging his hands against a surface, frustrated for the press's mistake.
— Enzo, there is a patient I had hospitalized. She had some of the described symptoms. Talk to Celest, she'll know who it is, OK? Call me when you have an aswer, I'm going to try and evade this traffic and get back to the hospital.
“Andreas is going to kill me” Joseph thinks, pressing number 1 on fast dial.
— Hello... — The voice of a washed up Andreas answers the phone. — Luv?
— It's me, is everything alright? — Joseph asks, expecting some sort of drama already.
— I'm alright, luv. Waiting for you.
— I forgot something at the hospital. But I have a surprise for you. Why don't you take a cab and meet me there? We can even go to that indian restaurant you like so much. — Joseph says, trying to gloss over to the best of his ability.
" Hmm." — Andreas grumbles, disappointed.
— Please, let me do something for you, will ya? — Joseph feels like he is almost doing it, Andreas likes attention and he knows it.
— It's raining, luv, I think I'm not going. I might get in your way. — Andreas says, spiritless.
— Andreas, my love, if you go meet me I'll take a month off and we'll travel to the Greek islands! One month, Andeas! — Joseph says, excited, not knowing exactly why he is making that compromise. Maybe a vacation is a good idea, he thinks.
Silence takes over the call.
" Andreas? Andreas, are you OK? Are you alive? — The doctor asks, a little concerned.
Silence continues.
— This is no time for jokes.
— Sorry, luv, I was calling the cab! I'll look for tickets on the way! — Andreas says, as excited as a kid; his mood swing is impressive.
— We'll meet there. Kisses.
— Kisses, love ya. — Andreas says, hanging up the phone and accessing the travel websites.
Joseph hangs up the phone and tries to find a way out of the traffic jam. The nearby drivers start honking and discussing. Some yards ahead, a traffic guard tries to organize the avenue's access unsuccessfully.
As he sees the civil servant, Joseph starts gesturing to get his attention. A few minutes later, noticing the mess the doctor is doing, he answers his call and aproaches the car.
— Can I help you, sir? I'm sorry. Doctor. — The guard says, noticing that Joseph is still wearing his white lab coat.
— Good evening. Can you tell me what's going on? I've been here for half an hour. — Joseph speaks, peacefully.
— It's a traffic jam starting one kilometer from here, sir. An accident with a fatality. — The guard says, unsure of his words. Looks like he hasn't gotten actual news for a while.
— Do you need a doctor? I can help if that's the case. — Joseph says
, helpfully.
— I'll check! — The guard goes towards his bike, parked on the sidewalk.
After a few instants of gesturing, a few more honks and some offenses between tired drivers, the poor traffic guard is back to the car. This time, he comes pushing his bike and stops it next to the doctor's vehicle.
—Looks like emergency didn't manage to arrive at the accident's place, doctor; can you park your car and follow me? — The guard says, his spirits invigorated by the opportunity to be of use.
The Star Eater Page 3