Ghosts of Perigord

by Marc Lindsay

  It was just after first period when Jason was making his way to his next class when he noticed a commotion up ahead in the main hallway. A large number of students had gathered around something or someone. He was running late and should have kept walking but Jason was still much like any other teenager, his curiosity piqued. With his size and reputation, he was able to easily make his way to the fore. The spectacle that greeted him was something completely unexpected.

  Hector, Jason’s one-time nemesis was standing with his back to his locker. The boy he had once known was gone, in his place a pale sullen boy with a shock of white hair, dressed conservatively in dark collared shirt, slacks, and waistcoat. Who the hell wears a waistcoat, Jason thought. Clutched tightly to his chest was a large black leather bound book. But the real reason for the massing crowd, was the presence of the other three individuals, Tiberius, Halo and another Jason was unfamiliar with. A tall, naturally large boy, built like a bear, shaved head and a dull, cruel expression on his face. Jason like everyone else just stood and stared at what was unfolding.

  ‘Hey buddy, you don’t write., you don’t call., and now you’ve gone all children of the corn on us.’ Tiberius said. Hector didn’t reply. ‘Where the hell did you buy those clothes? At a barn sale.’ The other two boys sniggered. Hector muttered something. ‘What was that?’ Tiberius asked.

  ‘I said, I don’t talk to the damned,’ Hector stated.

  ‘What was that?’ Tiberius asked with a raised eyebrow.

  ‘I said damned. You’re all damned,’ Hector was now shouting. ‘And I want nothing more to do with you.’ The large boy stepped forward and grabbed Hector by the throat, throwing him back against the lockers in the process. ‘I think you should shut your trap, Whitey,’ the big boy said. Tiberius walked up beside his large friend and stared coldly at Hector.

  ‘I’m not a fan of the new you. Not one bit,’ Tiberius said, then slapped him hard across the face. The blow wasn’t hard but rather loud. The sound of his hand striking the soft flesh of his cheek had the desired result. Hector’s utter humiliation in front of this audience.

  ‘He’s so weird,’ a girl to Jason’s left said aloud, Jason realised it was Mandy, Hector’s one time girlfriend. This comment seemed to shake Jason from his daze.

  ‘Hey, leave him alone,’ Jason said out loud, his voice full of authority. Everyone looked his way including Hector and the other three boys. Jason ignored the stares from the crowd as he pushed his way through, making a direct beeline for Tiberius. The large boy released Hector and stepped in front blocking Jason’s path. Jason, who was taller than most of the students and teachers was a few inches shorter than the other boy, a fact this boy was relishing.

  ‘I have no argument with you, yet,’ Jason threatened.

  ‘You must be Jason? I’ve heard of you. I thought you’d be bigger,’ the boy sneered.

  ‘And I have absolutely no idea who you are. So I’m concluding you’re a nobody?’ Jason said his patience slipping.

  ‘The name’s Travis, and after today I doubt you’ll forget it,’ the boy named Travis said, placing a large hand on Jason’s arm. Jason looked at it briefly then easily knocked it away.

  ‘Keep your hands to yourself, if you want to keep them,’ Jason said matter of fact. Travis looked shocked at first then outraged, he balled his hands into fists.

  ‘What’s going on?’ a voice called out. It was as if someone had yelled grenade, all surrounding students scattered not wanting to be caught in what was going to happen next. Even the terrible trio decided that retreat was better than detention.

  ‘You’re lucky, this time,’ Travis leaned in and muttered before departing. Jason ignored the jibe focusing his attention on Hector.

  ‘Are you alright?’ Jason asked placing a supporting hand on his arm. Hector’s eyes went wide with fear, he knocked his hand away staggering back in the process.

  ‘Get away from me,’ Hector shrieked. This reaction stunned Jason who too took a step back. Mr Rosenberg strode into view, scowling briefly at Jason he turned his attention towards Hector.

  ‘Are you okay? What did he do to you?’ Mr Rosenberg asked. Hector just stood there staring. First at the teacher then Jason, then back to the teacher. After another blank moment he shook his head.

  ‘Nothing. I’m fine,’ Hector said.

  ‘You’ve nothing to be afraid of. If he’s done something…’

  ‘I said I’m fine,’ Hector repeated, this time with more force. ‘Can I go now, please?’

  ‘Of course,’ Mr Rosenberg replied. Hector needed no further prompting as he scurried away down the hall. Jason too was about to depart but a hand on his shoulder prevented him from leaving.

  ‘I’m watching you,’ Mr Rosenberg said in a low voice.

  ‘That’s comforting to know,’ Jason said with a sigh, then pulling free of the teacher’s grip he too walked off to class.

  Later Jason met up with Selene in their usual spot under the tree, this time Wendy was waiting for them both.

  ‘Hey guys,’ Wendy greeted them enthusiastically.

  ‘Hey,’ Jason replied.

  ‘What happened earlier?’ Selene asked.

  ‘You’ve heard already,’ Jason said regretting the idiocy of the statement immediately.

  ‘Ah, yeah,’ Selene said sarcastically.

  ‘I heard you pushed a teacher against a wall?’ Wendy said her eyes in awe. Jason laughed bitterly.

  ‘First of all, if you believe that, then I don’t know what sort of person you think I am and second don’t believe everything you hear. It was nothing more than a friendly chat with some friends,’ Jason said then sighed at the blank looks he was receiving from both girls. He then proceeded to fill them in on the morning’s incident.

  After he finished Jason took a bite of his sandwich then washed it down with his juice.

  ‘So that’s it in a nutshell,’ he said.

  ‘I heard some talk about Hector, but I just put it down to the rumour mill doing its rounds. I never really suspected that it was true though. What the hell happened to him after he left us,’ Selene said.

  ‘I’ve heard about that Travis boy,’ Wendy blurted out.

  ‘What have you heard?’ Selene asked.

  ‘His full name is Travis Gilling. His family moved here two weeks ago, his father was brought in from out of state, but nobody knows what his specialty is,’ Wendy said.

  ‘Anything specific about Travis?’ Jason asked.

  ‘No. I’m afraid not,’ Wendy said.

  ‘Do you think you could?’ Jason asked.

  ‘Of course. Anything,’ Wendy replied all bubbly, then took off without another word.

  ‘She’s keen, I’ll give her that,’ Jason said mildly impressed.

  ‘That and the fact that she has a small crush on you,’ Selene said smirking.

  ‘Nah…’ He said, musing the idea over. ‘Do you really think so?’

  ‘She goes all gooey eyed whenever you’re around. That and the fact that she pretty much bends over backwards to do anything you ask,’ Selene said shaking her head at Jason’s complete lack of perception. ‘It’s a good thing you’re not like other guys, who would be more than happy to take advantage of someone like that.’

  ‘Well I don’t need to. I have you,’ Jason said.

  ‘You have me to take advantage of?’ Selene asked with a raised eyebrow. ‘Yes… I mean No… I mean… uugghh. You know what I mean,’ Jason said harried.

  ‘You are so easy to mess with,’ Selene said with a chuckle, then leaning over kissed him deeply. ‘You really are a boy scout.’

  The rest of the day went without incident, the two of them met up with Wendy at the school gate.

  ‘Same again tonight?’ Wendy asked, obviously relishing the opportunity for more research. Jason was about to reply but was cut off by Selene.

  ‘Later. We have an errand to run first. We’ll give you a call and you can meet us there. Okay,’ Selene said. Wendy nodded back a little dejectedl
y. ‘No probs. I’ll see you then,’ Wendy said trying to put on a happy front, she then gave them an awkward wave then went her own way.

  ‘Ouch, that was a bit rough. Do we really have an errand to run?’ Jason asked watching Selene closely.

  ‘Kind of, it’s not a matter of grave importance but it’s something I think we should address,’ Selene said. Jason gave her a look that said to elaborate. ‘I’ll tell you more when we get to the library.’

  ‘You’re the boss,’ he said with a sigh.

  ‘Damn straight,’ she replied, grabbing him by the arm and half dragging him off down the street.

  They arrived to find Ms Jax on the reception desk and after a couple of minutes of small talk discovered that Ulysses and Kava were currently out. This news seemed to make Selene very happy. Selene excused them mid conversation and again dragged the hapless Jason off towards the staff room.

  ‘That was kind of rude,’ Jason said as they entered the room.

  ‘I’m sorry, but I’ve, we’ve got a deadline and to be perfectly honest I don’t know when we’ll get a better chance,’ Selene said cryptically.

  ‘Are you gonna tell me what’s going on?’ Jason asked.

  ‘It’s about Ms Jax,’

  ‘What about Ms Jax? Is she in some kind of trouble?’ Jason asked alarmed.

  ‘No. No. She’s fine, I just had an idea about her surprise party, that’s all,’ Selene confessed.

  ‘Her surprise party. Crap, I’d forgotten all about that. What’s this big idea you have?’ Jason asked.

  ‘How about I show you,’ Selene said and steered him towards the door that had suddenly appeared on the far wall.

  ‘Isn’t it amazing how the library knows if and when to do that,’ Jason said. ‘Sort of like how it manages to remain spotlessly clean or how it moves the shelving and books around,’ Selene agreed.

  Entering through the door they found themselves in the library’s information centre, a room both teenagers were still becoming acquainted with.

  ‘So how about you run me through this idea you’ve conceived,’ Jason mused. Selene moved behind the stone pillar and pressed several of the crystal pieces inlaid upon it, like she had been previously taught. The intricately carved pillar hummed to life and pulsed with a luminous green light.

  ‘I’ve had the opportunity to play with this in the past couple of weeks and there’s more to it than just requesting information,’ Selene began. ‘Greymeade, may I have a three dimensional schematic of Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia, please,’ Selene commanded politely. No sooner had she uttered those words the room transformed into the designated destination.

  Jason stared on, stunned at the completed image before him. It didn’t feel as if he were staring at a picture, but rather that they had been transported there instead. The deception was complete right down to the sun in the sky and the people enjoying a day out, except for the fact that they were frozen in place though. Selene smiled at his expression.

  ‘Now check this out,’ Selene said. ‘Show in current time frame.’ All at once the area around them came to life, sounds and movement erupted from all around. The scene no longer trapped in a single moment but rather fluid and full of life. Jason looked up and saw seagulls flying overhead, people coming and going about their daily business. A young couple deep in conversation approached, not noticing they walked right through Jason. There was a brief moment of distortion of light as all three figures occupied the same spot in the room, then the couple were walking off as if nothing had happened. It appeared so real that Jason even flinched on the moment of contact. Selene laughed at his reaction.

  ‘How insane is that?’ Selene said.

  ‘Is this scene actually happening right now?’ Jason asked.

  ‘Yes, this is actually happening right now,’ Selene confirmed.

  ‘How can that be?’ Jason asked.

  ‘I don’t know, satellite imagery, magic. It’s like a computer, I don’t know how it works, I just know that it does. Plus it’s just a hologram, I’m sure there are other places on Earth that have similar technology,’ Selene said.

  ‘Greymeade, can I have a three dimensional schematic of the Sphinx, Giza, Egypt,’ Jason commanded eagerly. The room went dark; the daytime image of Sydney was replaced with the desert landscape of Egypt. The sun setting on the horizon, the sky plastered with a beautiful orange and purple hue. Jason glanced up at the majestic power and beauty of the Sphinx, the pyramids within reach. Visitors could be seen standing behind barriers, the ability of tourists to go trekking directly up to these wonders of the ancient and modern world no longer possible.

  ‘I could stay in this room for days exploring the globe,’ Jason muttered.

  ‘Greymeade, deactivate image,’ Selene commanded and the room was plunged into darkness, only the glow of the stone pillar illuminating the pair in its light.

  ‘Don’t get me wrong, this is pretty awesome. But how does this help with a surprise party?’ Jason asked.

  ‘I had this idea. You know that I’ve been working closely with Ms Jax lately, trying to get a handle on my new abilities and I’ve got this hint of sadness off her, not just the whole Heinrich stuff, something else. I think she may be homesick,’ Selene said.

  ‘Well if it’s for Ms Jax, I’m willing to give anything a shot,’ Jason said rubbing his hands together in anticipation. ‘What first?’

  ‘Greymeade, can I have a three dimensional schematic of the moon,’ Selene asked and waited. Nothing happened.

  ‘Try again,’ Jason prompted. Selene shrugged and repeated the request, with the same response.

  ‘Well that sucks,’ Selene said.

  ‘Maybe you’re not being specific enough,’ Jason said. Selene thought this over then brightened to the idea.

  ‘I think you may be right.’

  ‘Of course,’ Jason smirked. Selene shook her head.

  ‘There must be hundreds of moons throughout the universe. Greymeade, can I get a three dimensional schematic of the earth’s moon, the sea of tranquillity,’ Selene said. Almost immediately the scenery around them changed. The black sky filled with tiny glittering stars, the pale grey surface complete with rocks and craters. The complete absence of sound and almost overpowering sense of isolation or serenity depending on your perspective. Jason felt like he was actually there, in fact it prompted him to see if he was actually standing in zero gravity by trying to bound forward. He only succeeded in stumbling instead, much to Selene’s amusement.

  ‘Priceless, it’s only a hologram,’ she said. Jason looked back sheepishly.

  ‘Okay, okay, it was worth a try,’ Jason replied with a blush.

  ‘Greymeade, initiate three dimensional schematic of the planet Scythia, please,’ Selene asked. Once again the room faded to black then an image of a planet appeared, roughly two metres in diameter. The planet’s surface was covered in assorted colours, vibrant reds, lush purples, as well as various shades of blue and green.

  ‘Well that was unexpected,’ Jason said taking a step forward. ‘This must be the best image Greymeade can muster.’

  Selene’s eye’s narrowed deep in thought, then ever so slowly a smile lazily appeared on her face as she moved forward and extended a finger and pointed to a green area on the map.

  ‘Greymeade, can you show us a three dimensional schematic of this area, please,’ Selene asked. The image of Ms Jax’s home world faded and was replaced with a lush jungle forest around them, although this was a jungle unlike any seen by any human.

  The vegetation for starters was about ten times the size of anything on earth and the colours were all different and painfully vibrant. There was also an abundance of wildlife, exotic looking insects the size of birds all frozen in mid-flight. There were strange looking beasts similar to earth’s jungle cats but with no fur, their reptilian looking skin camouflaged to suit their surroundings.

  ‘Whoa,’ Jason breathed, his impression of Ms Jax growing greater by the second. ‘Imagine living in a place like
this.’

  ‘A tough land breeds a tough sort of people,’ Selene said echoing Jason’s sentiment. After viewing the jungle Selene brought up an area dark grey in colour, it turned out to be a desert. There they discovered a creature similar to an octopus that lived under the sand, only this beast was the size of a cruise ship with dozens of appendages, jet black in colour and one large strangely intelligent eye sitting above a ferocious looking mouth filled with hundreds of razor sharp teeth. It was insanely terrifying.

  They continued on for another twenty minutes taking a virtual safari of the planet, they discovered humanoid beings that looked a lot like earth’s humans, only bigger, eight feet in height, their skin and hair quite fair. They reminded the pair of ancient Vikings in both looks and lifestyle. They were able to find images of many different tribes from across the globe, the difference being their dress due to climate conditions, hair colour and tattoo designs. None of the people looked anything like Ms Jax.

  ‘That’s strange,’ Selene commented.

  ‘Maybe this is a different period in her world’s timeline,’ Jason said. Selene’s eyes narrowed again.

  ‘Maybe,’ she said contemplating an idea. ‘Greymeade can you show me an image of Amelia Jax on this world, please.’

  The room went black then an image filled the room. A small village, next to a dark blue ocean, boats could be seen in the distance casting nets. At the village centre a gathering of strapping warriors both male and female. The climate must have been warmer as the warriors wore less clothes under their armour. There was one among them that stood out from the rest, a woman, both her beauty and physical perfection exceptional, her only blemish a zig zagged scar running across her left shoulder blade. It looked as if she were issuing orders to the others, her confidence and self-assured manner clearly evident. Her casual smile and large intelligent eyes, to Jason she was the epitome of a Goddess.