From the rooftop of Casteel I watch as the sun creeps across the sky. In the distance to the north, shafts of sunlight illuminate the ruins of the Old City. Few buildings remain standing, yet it is full of shadows. It hasn’t been inhabited since the Destruction Wars. From books I’ve read from my father’s library, dusty and rarely opened, the Old City was the main metropolis in the area before civilisation destroyed itself, before everything went wrong. Perhaps nothing was ever right. Maybe it still isn’t.
The rooftop has always been my solace. Despite my fear of heights, I feel at peace up here, as long as I don’t approach the edge. My grandmother, dead before I was born, planted a garden on the rooftop and the smell of the flowers calms me. It reminds me of my mother. I came straight here after Harries denied me entrance to Dominion Hall, for I knew I would be alone. Harries’ orders are only to follow me if I leave Casteel and Father never ventures up here. It is too quiet and lonely, he told me when I asked.
My gaze falls on the tallest building still standing in the Old City, steel-cased with a round top, it keeps a watchful eye on the skeletons of its brothers. I don’t know what function the building served but it must have been important to have been built so solidly that it has withstood time itself. I wonder how long Casteel will stand. Perhaps one day my home will be the only upright building, watching over the shadows that remain of the Kingdom of Cardiff.
As much as I like to imagine life in the Old World as a simpler time, I cannot really believe it. They did not have the Manipulators to contend with, but they had each other. As I understand, the most powerful countries started arguing, which led to fighting, which led to war. The world is a big place but I have no idea what remains. Is there anything left beyond the oceans?
Our civilisation was built on the old, but we also lost so much. Modern medicines and technologies were lost, left for us to rediscover, to reinvent. Unfortunately for most, those medicines and technologies are too precious and rare to share. I am lucky.
I look at the Imperial Gardens below. The square shape of the gardens is encompassed by the larger square of the city, divided into Quarters, with each class – from destitute to working class to middle class to elite – keeping to their own Quarter. But in the gardens, everyone is equal. I watch the dots of people finishing their day: strolling along Infinity Lake, trekking home from the markets, children playing on the oval – no class divisions.
I decide that’s where I need to be, hidden amongst everyone else.
Harries walks next to me on the dirt path and two unknown sentinels walk behind. It never bothered me when Francis stayed close by me but Harries’ presence irks me. It is like my father’s eyes watch me.
Eucalyptus trees hang over the path. Smoke plumes shoot into the sky from the South Quarter – the factories busy at work. I take a deep breath, reminding myself that here the air is fresh.
I step off the path and sit at the base of an enormous fig tree; its huge branches sway out like arms, reaching towards the ground. It is a wonder to me that this tree was most likely planted in the time of the Old World, and it will last long after my lifetime. Harries and the sentinels stand a few metres away, surveying the passing people. The tree grows from a hill which overlooks the lake, its outline a figure eight, the banks not quite touching in the middle. Children play in the shallows, splashing the murky water and laughing. My imagination slows the splashes, and I watch the water arc into the air in slow motion, almost like I am slowing time.
Suddenly Tahan drops down next to me on the leafy ground, startling me from my reverie. Her olive, leather pants squeak as she crosses her legs. My long, short-sleeved tan dress is made of so fine a fabric it wouldn’t make a sound even if I ripped it.
‘So, what are we looking at? Oh, the lake, and the sky, and, oh, is that the sun I see?’ I smile but say nothing. ‘Why is Duncsie’s sentinel trailing you?’ she whispers loudly. Harries, standing five metres away, doesn’t hear her, or chooses not to.
‘After all this time, Father seems to think that Francis is a terrible sentinel and has demoted him to cell guarding. I don’t think he trusts me.’
‘Aw, don’t say that, A. Of course he trusts you.’
‘Then why won’t he tell me about my past? Why must he hide things from me?’
Tahan leans back against the wide trunk. ‘What do you think he’s hiding from you?’
‘Nothing. Everything. I don’t know.’ I pause, collecting my thoughts. Tahan sits patiently and I appreciate her calming presence. ‘Those Manipulator young men that tried to kidnap me – Father told me that they were part of the group that killed my mother.’
Tahan looks at me with shock before sadness washes over her face. ‘That . . . that’s horrible, A, I’m sorry. But that means he’s telling you things. Why are you questioning him now?’
‘Since when are you ever on my father’s side?’
‘I’m not,’ she says defensively. ‘I just don’t like seeing you down like this.’
‘I wonder who I am sometimes. It’s hard having lost memories, missing moments from my life.’
‘Now that you know you’ve, let’s say, met the boys, do you remember them?’
‘As it turns out, I’ve been dreaming about them. I didn’t realise I was dreaming about my memories. When I told Father about my dream-nightmare, he . . . seemed to get upset.’
Tahan arches an eyebrow. ‘What do you remember? Any particular details that stand out?’
‘The young men, the Manipulators, were there, during the attack – but they were younger. Which makes sense – so was I.’ I shift my back against the knobbly trunk. ‘And there’s always a man that tries to take me.’
Tahan straightens herself. ‘The man who tries to take you? What do you mean?’
I shudder at the image of the man, long arms taking me away – ever present in my dream-memories. ‘He was a creepy man that tried to take me during the battle that night. I don’t know who he was or what happened next – I always wake up then.’ I get up and Harries stands straighter. I roll my eyes and turn back to Tahan. ‘Care for a walk?’
‘Me? With this fine weather I would definitely “care” for a walk.’
I pull her up and lead her past Harries and back onto the path. Harries takes up his position a few steps behind, with the other two off to either side.
Tahan turns her head and gives him a wink before curling her arm through mine. ‘By-the-by, how does one care for a walk?’ Her step falters and I nudge her with my hip. ‘Do you stroke the footpath as you go?’ she asks with a wicked smile.
‘T!’ I nudge her again, smiling with her.
We follow the winding lake around and are halfway along the west side, where the banks almost meet, when I pause. For a moment I think I see Eli standing behind one of the gum trees but I blink and he is gone. My eyes must be playing tricks on me.
Tahan nudges me. ‘Something wrong, A?’
‘What? No, everything’s fine. I was just looking at – ah – a bird.’
‘The bird, such a mythical and strange animal. So much unknown about its mythicalness.’
‘“Mythicalness” is not a word.’
‘You know me, I make my own rules.’
‘Which, as we know, is one of the things my father loves about you.’
‘I know!’ Tahan wiggles her eyebrows and I laugh.
‘How’d you find me anyway?’
‘I went looking for you at Casteel but Jeresh told me you went for a walk. All I had to do was look for the hulking sentinels that trail you and bam, there you were.’
A ball comes flying at us from the oval behind. Tahan lets out the girliest shriek I have ever heard her make and I stumble back. Like I did while watching the children splashing in Infinity Lake, I picture the ball moving sluggishly through the air, imagining creating the time to get out of its path.
Tahan tugs her shirt down and looks away from my smirk. ‘What? My scream? It was nothing. I just had something caught in my throat!’
Harries steps in. ‘Are you all right, Your Highness?’
I look from Harries to Tahan and over to the ball, now floating in the lake. What just happened?
A young boy runs from the oval and dives into the lake, splashing the hem of my emerald skirt. A little girl runs over to help him but she skids to a stop when she sees me. Her mouth drops as I smile at her. She shakily curtseys, staggering and falling, gazing up at me in wonder.
I hurry over and help her up. ‘Are you all right?’
Her lips tremble as she speaks softly. ‘Y-y-es, Your H-h-high-n-ness.’ She looks sideways at Harries before running to her friends on the oval.
Tahan turns to me, mimicking the girl’s curtsy. ‘Sorry, Your Highness, but I must be off. I have to take over from Aunty J at the stall.’
‘This highness will not stop you,’ I say with a straight face.
Tahan laughs before running off to the markets where she works at her aunt’s stall in the fabric lane.
As Harries, the other sentinels and I walk back to Casteel, the sun makes its way towards the horizon. We reach the corner of the East and North Roads outside Casteel when I see Finn approaching.
‘Althea, I have been looking for you.’
‘Here I am.’
He leans in to kiss me but I pull away. ‘Is all well?’
‘What? I mean, pardon? I mean, yes, of course.’
He looks at me with worried eyes. ‘I was working with Mother today and she told me the king had mentioned you are unwell.’ He steps forward, stroking my arms.
‘I am quite all right, Finn.’
He steps back. ‘But we are not all right, are we?’
I want to say we are, but I can’t ignore the feelings of unease circling my stomach. As much as I care for Finn, I do not feel the same way about him as he does about me. ‘No, I do not think we are.’
His face drops. ‘What happened? What did I do?’
I am quick to answer. ‘Nothing! Finn, please, you did nothing.’
His face reflects his frustration. ‘Then why are you doing this? We are meant to be together.’
I, in turn, show my frustration. ‘Why “meant to be together”? Finn, nobody is meant to be together.’
‘We are!’
Citizens glance at us curiously as they pass.
‘Why, Finn? Because your mother says so? Because the king demands it?’
He steps further back. ‘No, Althea, no! My mother has no opinion about our love.’
‘Oh please, Finn! Of course she does!’
‘Yes, you are heir to the kingdom, but neither my mother, nor myself for that matter, would use you to gain power!’
‘I didn’t say that, but you can’t deny our parents have pushed us together for as long as I can remember!’
The hurt on his face returns. ‘I did not realise you were only with me in accordance with your father’s wishes!’ The pain in his eyes is immense. ‘Please, forgive me for misconstruing our relationship.’
‘Finn, wait!’ It is too late. He thunders away down the East Road, out of view and out of my life.
I am in the dream-nightmare. This is my chance to try and understand what is happening. It starts as usual: screams fill the air, crashes. Here comes young Eli, right on time. I finally hear what he has been saying to me all these nights, all these years.
‘Thea, run!’
I clearly see young Jay run past, his blue light trailing from his left hand, and for a moment we lock eyes. I feel calmer than I ever have in this dream-nightmare. The blast knocks Eli and me to the ground and my calmness flees as the long-limbed man strides towards us. The darkness of the night casts shadows over his face as he approaches. I blink and when I open my eyes he is gone.
I am awake. I feel disappointed. I wanted to find out more. Moonlight shines through a gap in my drapes.
But I closed them before I went to bed.
I tense. Someone is in my room. I hear shallow breathing coming from the far corner. I do not move, not wanting to alert them to my waking. Screaming for a sentinel would be of no use; they wouldn’t hear me from the ground floor.
I need a weapon. My lamp is the only thing I can think of. I wish I were Tahan in this situation; she sleeps with a sports bat by her bed. But that’s more to do with her neighbourhood. Or just her personality.
I flip the covers back and jump out of bed, grabbing the lamp. The intruder does not move. By the height I conclude it must be a man.
‘Who are you?’
No response.
‘I said, who are you? What are you doing here? How did you get here?’
Again, nothing. The inaction of the intruder unnerves me and I put one foot forward to steady myself in case he comes at me.
‘If you don’t leave, I will hurt you!’
The unknown face in the darkness continues its short, shallow breaths. He takes a step forward. My whole body stiffens and my grip on the lamp tightens.
‘Stay back!’
Another foot forward.
‘I said, stay back!’
I raise the lamp higher, ready to swing.
His next step brings him into the moonlight and my arm lowers. Blond hair lightly swept across his forehead, the young man stares at me with sadness – and something else.
‘Eli?’
He stares at me and I look back. In the dream, he was yelling at me to run. If he was trying to hurt me, why would he want me to run? I place the lamp back on the bedside table, turning it on to a dim glow. I know this young man. But I cannot recall who he is to me. How is it possible that I know him?
Silence echoes through the room. I want to ask him so many questions but the one I keep coming back to is, Who are you to me?
I fear his answer.
He isn’t going to hurt me, I tell myself. He would have done it already. My father won’t give me answers about that night, but perhaps Eli will. My lips part but the words are stuck, wedged between my heart and my head.
Now is not the time for cowardice. ‘I know you,’ I say softly. I begin to wonder if he has heard me for he remains silent.
‘And I know you.’ If I wasn’t listening closely, I don’t think I would have heard him. His answer bounces around in my head.
‘Who . . . who are you?’ I feel the answer at the edge of my mind but it is just beyond my reach. I strengthen my voice. ‘What are you doing here, Manipulator?’
‘I’m a Variant,’ he says.
‘A what?’
‘A Variant,’ he says. ‘It’s what we call ourselves. The word Manipulator doesn’t represent who we are. It is the name you have given us. We are not evil.’
I’d never really thought about how they would feel about being called Manipulators, mutants who manipulate normal people. ‘What are you doing here? Are you going to try and kidnap me again?’
He chuckles softly. ‘No, you don’t need to fear me.’
‘But I do! You tried to take me the other day! You used your powers against me!’
He looks down. ‘I know. But that’s not why I’m here. And we call them Abilities, not powers.’
‘I don’t care what you call them, they’re scary!’
‘I suppose, if that’s what you’ve been taught. There are some Variants that are bad, using their Abilities for the wrong reasons, but not Concord. Not me. We live peacefully, not hurting anyone. We are constantly moving because we are hunted by your armament sentinels.’
I fold my arms. ‘You tried to hurt me!’
‘That was before I realised who you were.’ His voice grows softer with every word.
‘You were trying to kidnap the princess of the Kingdom of Cardiff and you didn’t know who I am?’
His eyes dart across my face. ‘No, before I realised who you really are.’
‘The girl whose mother your group, your Concord, killed?’ My voice cracks.
He stands straighter, his eyes narrowing. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘I know it was your group that
killed her! You’re the reason I lost her and my memories!’ I feel tears welling up.
‘Thea, what are you talking about?’
‘Don’t deny it! My father has told me everything.’ Not everything about that night, about what happened to my mother and me, but Eli doesn’t need to know that.
‘Your father has told you nothing! Your life is a lie, Thea! Remember!’ His voice is exasperated.
Remember what? ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Remember me!’ he implores.
My dream flashes through my mind: being pulled away from the unknown man; reaching back to Eli, wanting him to save me. A lump rises in my throat. ‘Who are you?’
‘You have to remember me, please!’ his voice is desperate.
‘I . . . I don’t. I can’t remember.’ My head hurts from trying to find answers. ‘How do I know you?’
‘I’m your . . .’ He steps forward into the lantern’s glow and I see the glint in his blue eyes as he tries to hold back tears. I feel a sudden ache in my chest. He shuffles his feet. ‘I always wondered why you didn’t return to us. Now I know. They took your memories.’
‘What are you talking about? Nobody took my memories, I lost them after your group tried to kill me!’
‘No!’ he says loudly before calming himself. ‘No, Thea!’
‘Stop calling me that!’
‘It’s your name!’
I step back. ‘My name is Althea Cardiff–’
‘Remember!’ he cries again, pain in his voice.
‘All I remember is what I have gathered from my dreams, and you shouting won’t make me–’
‘I’m your brother, Thee.’
My knees buckle as Eli’s words hit me. My brother? I don’t have a brother.
‘No.’ My heart feels like it will pound itself out of my chest and I start to hyperventilate. ‘No. No. No, no, no.’ How can he be my brother? Father doesn’t have a son. But what if he does? A hidden heir?
It can’t be true. Eli is a Manipulator. And I would remember a brother. Wouldn’t I? There has to be some other explanation. I bring my hands to my head, trying to pull out the memories.
Time Catcher Page 6