by T Swanepoel
Chapter 14 – Sunburnt
I was fast asleep when my phone rang eardrum-shatteringly loudly next to me.
Disorientated, I flew up and peeked through one opened eye to see who was calling. It was my dad.
“Hello, dear! We’re here!” my dad said excitedly.
Uhh! I had just fallen asleep mere seconds ago. “Hi, Dad,” I answered sleepily.
“Were you sleeping? Sorry, love. We’re downstairs. Whenever you’re ready.”
“Okay, I’m on my way. Just give me a moment, please?”
Somewhere in the middle of the test week, all the studying and limited sleep and food had made me forget the date and time, my dad had, promised to pick me up after my final test. least I wouldn’t have to drive, I thought, so I agreed gratefully.
It had been a rough week, studying and writing and studying and writing, with a few morsels of food and sleep only here and there. There wasn’t time for my friends at all. Jennifer barged in a few times, but I quickly shoved her out again without feeling one little scrap guilty about it. I didn’t take any of Benjamin’s thousands of calls either. Or the one from Alex. But I did send them messages afterwards, apologising for not answering.
The best thing about the test week, though, was that a vacation always followed. A peaceful, quiet time with my parents at home was lying ahead, and I was looking forward to it. It also meant that my porridged brain could have a well deserved rest.
Coincidentally, there was apparently also some unbelievably important meeting coming up and according to my dad I simply had to be there. He didn’t want to say more over the phone and I didn’t have any brain cells spare to listen either.
I got up from bed and quickly pulled the sheets together. On my way out I grabbed my bag, the small one. The vacation was only for one week and I had packed lightly, winter being still a while away.
On my way down the stairs I thought about my parents. I really looked forward to seeing them as the last visit hadn’t really counted as a visit at all. And hopefully this one wouldn’t have any big surprises; this time I already knew all the secrets.
The parking lot was empty, apart from my station wagon way back in the furthest corner of the parking lot. Everybody had already left for the holiday; astronomy was the only subject that had been scheduled for today.
My mom beamed at the sight of me. “Hello Valerie,” she said with tears in her eyes.
“Hi, dear. We’re glad to see you!” my dad said cheerfully.
“Hi Mom, Dad. Why are you crying, Mom?” I asked, feigning surprise.
“We were so worried about you!” she said and hugged me tightly.
“Oh, I’m fine, Mom. I’m tougher than you think!”
She squeezed me even tighter.
My dad took my bag out of my hand and loaded it into the trunk of his car. Then he opened the door for my mother. The three of us roared away in their second-hand bottle-green nineteen-something BMW.
“How are you doing? How did the tests go? Alex said that you were beaten up? He only told us the highlights, from what he’d seen. Did they hurt you bad?” The questions rattled out at me.
“Slow down, Mom. I’m doing fine but I don’t want to talk about the... My tests went well, thank you.”
She went quiet and then said softly: “It’s okay, dear.” She wiggled her hand through the gap between the door and the seat and grabbed my leg to give it a little hug.
I yawned. I was starting to relax a little and felt like falling asleep there and then. “Yep, my tests were okay. They reduced me to a jelly-brained mummy, but I made it.” I was proud of myself for how hard I’d worked and how well it had gone.
“That’s good, Valerie. As long as you do your best, we don’t care about the results.”
They always said that. I stared out the window with my head resting against the side of the door. Buildings and road markings sped by and blurred together with the memory of my last visit home.
“I’ve never had a chance to apologise about before, about walking out. It’s just that I was really upset. The whole world was going weird and I didn’t expect you guys to be... a part of it.” It came out wrong and I tried to fix it. “Not that I care any more, its kind-of cool that you’re a part of it all; I don’t feel so alone. But tell me, how are you a part of this? Are you guys...uh... connected as well?”
“Your mother isn’t, but I am. Ever heard of Molecular Clouds?” my dad answered.
I immediately recalled the section that I had studied on the birth of stars and planets. Molecular Clouds contain the material for the formation of new solar systems and even galaxies if they are big enough. In a sense, Molecular Clouds are like the parents of planets and stars.
“Astronomy is one of my favourite subjects, Dad! You are from one of the newborn stars?”
“I am an ambassador for the Orion Complex,” he said heavily.
“The entire..? But... but that’s huge!”
I felt humble at the thought. The Orion Complex was absolutely massive, stretching over the biggest part of the constellation Orion in the sky. It was millions and millions of times bigger than Earth, or the Sun even. Every single time that I thought I had everything together, there was a new dimension. It wasn’t limited to planets and stars any more.
My dad, the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. I repeated it in my head a few times. In a sense, the parent role suited him.
“Dad, that is really awe-inspiring,” I said softly. “With that size, you’re probably famous!”
“Valerie, you know I don’t care about things like that.”
His modesty was typical of him. He was probably very, very famous, therefore his reprimanding answer. And I knew him well enough not to push the subject. But there was another question that I’d wanted to ask for a while.
“Dad, how did you know about my glow before?”
“Honey, we expected it, but we weren’t sure. You see, two significant things happened many years ago. There was a supernova not so far away, so we expected new ambassadors. And also, there was sporadic, strong magnetic activity on Earth. You can sense magnetism as well, can’t you?”
I nodded.
“It was strong enough to threaten Earth itself. We first searched the heavens for an anomaly, but nothing fit the profile. It took a long time to conclude that it came from the surface of the Earth instead. I and your mother headed out in the direction of South-West Africa to find the source.”
I listened closely, puzzling in my mind what the problem could have been.
“We found you in the bush, all alone, all by yourself. You were about three years old. I couldn’t find any grown-up near you. The closest settlement was about twenty kilometres away, and they didn’t know you at all.”
My heart raced in my chest. My lifetime of dreams and visions about being in the bush suddenly made sense! Tears welled up in my eyes. I had always known that they were true! And I wasn’t as crazy as I thought. There was substance to my connection with Earth now. Maybe Earth was calling for someone to save me.
Then I feared the fact of having been alone out there. How could I possibly have survived for three years? Surely only a terrible mother would leave a baby alone like that? No wonder my parents had told me that she had died and urged me not to even think about her.
“You were the source of the activity. That’s how we know you are so strong. An ambassador’s power can be measured by the strength of the magnetic field radiated. We had phone calls from all over the world asking who the new strong ambassador was. And if you think about it, even Alex’s reach is a few meters at most. You stopped radiating shortly after we’d found you.”
Impossible! Alex had access to the energy of the sun, a star. How could the Earth be so strong then? Or my Dad have the gravitational energy of a massive molecular cloud? I recalled what they said about distance playing a role, but certainly not that big a role.
“How did you know that my connection is with Earth, and not a star for instance?”
“We
have a little device that translates the pattern and colour of your iris to the address of the ambassador’s star or planet. The link is usually triggered sometime later in life and then the sponsoring body is confirmed. It’s really Earth, love,” he paused and then sounded very serious. “But what makes the situation so dangerous, is that you are Earth’s first.”
”Why is it dangerous?”
“It’s a new experience for both of you. Usually the celestial body helps to limit energy surges in such a way as to not physically hurt the ambassador, but in your case, she has to learn that first.”
It was an unfounded fear. I have never felt anything but safety and protection from Earth. She loved me, I knew that for certain. And the very way that she slowly revealed our connection to me also proved that she was properly in control. What didn’t make sense to me was why she had picked me, if indeed she did pick me.
“How does it work, Dad? Did Earth pick me?”
“Ambassadors are born to ambassador parents in the same region of the galaxy. But Earth is a complete mystery as no one has come forward, and I know practically all the ambassadors. If you could remember a face... or...something... only you can unlock the secret. Maybe Earth did pick you. We just don’t know,” he said, sighing heavily.
“It made sense after we’d found you to... keep you. Sorry, love. I don’t want it to sound like deciding over a puppy, but that’s the truth. Your mother was so happy. She believed, and still does, that you were sent directly from heaven for her. And I was in the position to protect you.”
I knew this to be true; she’d always said that, throughout my entire life. Then I realised she hadn’t said a single word all this time.
“Mom, why are you so quiet?”
“It’s difficult to hear about these things, Valerie. And it’s frustrating that you are in the centre of all of this, right in the line of fire,” she said bitterly. “I’ll be honest. At first it was very hard to accept the other dimension to your father, but it has given me a little baby girl. Now that little baby is constantly threatened...” she broke up.
“I’ll be fine, Mom. I have the best protectors on earth. And in the entire universe!” I said enthusiastically.
But my words didn’t help, she only cried harder. Dad placed his hand on her leg and squeezed. He let her cry without saying a word.
“So tell me about the big meeting?” I asked to distract my mom.
“You’ll see when we get there,” he said seriously.
I assumed it would upset my Mom even further, so I left it there.
It was quiet in the car for the rest of the way. I closed my eyes and got lost in thought, thinking about everything my dad had told me.
The car stopped eventually and I sat up to look around. We were in an open grassy field, at the foot of a mountain, amongst hundreds of cars. There weren’t any buildings and no people either. It was bushveld all around, beautiful as ever in the twilight.
“Where is everybody?” I asked.
My dad didn’t answer and kept staring up at the mountain through the front window.
“Don’t tell me! We’re going to climb it?” I asked surprised. I loved the veldt and nature, but climbing up that mountain was a little crazy.
“We need to hurry, we only have until midnight,” he answered. Then he turned to me. “Don’t worry about Artemis; tonight will be moonless, so he won’t bother us.”
“Why midnight?” I asked.
“Not to interrupt the normal daytime lives of ambassadors. Except during extreme emergencies. And I think everyone is here, all the triggered ones. We’re about three hundred.”
We got out of the car, but instead of starting the climb, my dad walked round the car to the boot. He took out a heavy bag that I recognised as their tent.
“And this?” I asked when he started to put up the tent. “Are we sleeping here? And why don’t I see any other tents?”
“It’s for your mother. She’s not allowed to go into the meeting and we’ll only be back around sunrise.”
“Right next to the car? Isn’t it dangerous?” I asked, nervously. Apart from the Duncans of the world, there were natural threats as well. Who knows what type of snakes hid around? And that was only one of the local predators.
“We have to obey the rules, honey.”
“Stuff that! What rules? Whose rules? And what if we don’t obey? Are we going to get a hiding?” I asked sarcastically.
“Oh, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. I’m used to this already. I’m going to finish up and dive into bed,” she said, smiling at me. She looked slightly better than a few moments ago in the car.
“No, we won’t be punished. We obey out of respect and because we agree with it. You see, it can be dangerous for your mother up there. Sometimes when emotions run high, there are power surges and she doesn’t have a celestial body that can help absorb the excess power. Besides, it’s not as if we leave her all alone in the bush. The Reds will be on watch.”
The thought of the Reds being around put me to rest. Then I thought about the rules.
“But what about me? I don’t even know the rules.”
“Well, because most of the rules are there to protect our society on Earth and therefore Earth herself, you are technically exempt. Earth will show you when she is in need or when something gets dangerous. It works both ways: she can hear you and you can hear her.”
“I’ve never heard her before, dad,” I said softly.
“There was a time when you were very small when you did hear her. You need to start listening again. No one can help you with that. Try your best, dear, she might need you as well.”
Dad finished the tent and made a little bed inside. He carried out a camping chair, his back pack, her bag and the cooler bag. From the cooler bag he took out water bottles and cold drink cans for the three of us. He put mine and his into his back pack.
“Don’t you want to put on something more comfortable for the climb?” he asked me.
I thought about the contents of my little bag. There was an old track suit in there, but considering the amount of people, I’d rather die than be seen in it in front of such a crowd. And my sneakers were comfortable enough for such an exodus.
“I’m fine, thanks dad.”
My mother grabbed his hand as he turned away. “Take care of my baby, please Hank?” she begged.
“I will,” he said solemnly.
It was dark already and he took out a torch from his backpack. We started the climb up the massive mountain, weaponed against the night with the light from a small torch. We walked in silence for the first hundred meters or so, concentrating on the way in front of us. I felt at home, completely at ease and relaxed. It felt right being there, in the veldt, under the big night sky, in spite of the dark.
“Your mother really loves you, you know?” he continued without giving me a chance to comment. “She was really upset the day that she discovered my ability to...” he stopped abruptly.
“To what, dad?” I asked curiously.
“Let me show you instead,” he answered reluctantly.
He handed me the torch and then bent forward to look at the spot where the light was shining. Without touching, a few grains of sand lifted slightly and then slowly revolved around the little pebble. The pebble rose, spinning faster and faster, until it was only a blur to my eyes.
It blurred for a few seconds and then sparked and fell down, motionless but glowing red hot. I reached over to pick it up, but he grabbed my hand before I touched it.
“Don’t touch, it’s still very hot.”
“Wow, dad! That is amazing!” I exclaimed. “It’s so.... I love that you can do that. I don’t even have words!”
“It’s amazing on sand and stone. But on a human body...”
I shivered. It was too gruesome a scene to even think about. And to associate such a scene with my dad!
He grinned slightly. “Your mother’s reaction was a little different. She found me ‘welding’ in the
garage. I can’t even remember what I was welding. I had to tell her everything. Her reaction was also the main reason why we waited to tell you. She really understood when you walked out the other day, as she’d felt the same.”
I realised it wasn’t an easy thing for him, talking about all the censure from my mother. In some way, she blamed him. He felt alone, and I could relate to that. At least now we could be alone together.
We pressed on, each to our own thoughts.
An hour later we stopped for a rest. I opened a bottle of water and looked up at the clear, clear night sky, bright with gazillions of little lights. To think that they were alive!
“Can they see me, dad?”
He followed my gaze. “Yes dear. They are looking at us, with a delay, though. Some are many light-years away. During daytime the sun blinds them and during the night the moon blocks some, but they can see. They are definitely looking down on us.”
It felt freaky being watched under a sky of eyes. I shivered. The sky had always felt alive - because it is alive!
“Let’s rather get going, please?”
He got up and took the lead again, shining the way with his torch.
“This is really going to be a big meeting. Who will be there?”
“You’ll see,” he answered.
We reached the top minutes before midnight, exhausted and as dried out as a Karoo bush.
Stretching out in front of us was nothing less than a wedding feast, under the open sky on the grassy plain: to the far side were tables stacked with food; in the middle were arranged rows of set tables and chairs; to the front was a big table, made up most extravagantly of all, like a bride’s table.
There were torches planted all over the entire area and big round candles lit the paths between the tables.
Most of the tables were occupied already, with only a few seats left open here and there. The majority of the people were dressed casually, looking relaxed and conversing like old friends. The hum of their voices travelled far into the quiet night, carried by a light breeze.
“Who’s getting married?” I asked my dad in a whisper.
Before he could answer, a man walked up to us, a few years younger than my dad.
“Welcome, welcome. It’s good to see you, my friend. We’re happy that you came,” he told my dad with a broad smile as they shook hands.
“Yes, it’s good to see you as well, Vince,” he answered. “This is my daughter, Valerie,” he said turning to me.
“Welcome, Valerie,” Vince greeted me as well.
“Please get something to drink,” he said and pointed at a table close by, stacked with drinks. “Seating arrangements are shown on the board next to the table.”
We walked over and both gulped down a litre of water while my dad studied the seating plan.
“We need to hurry, love, it’s about to start,” he urged. I took another bottle for the proceedings, as I didn’t know how long it would take or what to expect. I followed him under a staring eye here or there, but didn’t recognise anybody.
We took our places at a table close to the front and were just seated, when I felt a strong force pulling on me, coming from the back. I turned in my seat to look and noticed that everybody else was looking down.
“Dad, why is everybody looking down?” I whispered.
“Some consider it an honour to be in his presence. Meetings of this size are practically unheard of; usually it’s only a few decision makers around a table. That and, they are terrified of Alex.”
I should have known that he was going to be here. I wondered if Lisa was also here, somewhere amongst the sea of faces.
“Afraid?” What a silly bunch, I thought. “Afraid of my... afraid of Alex... uh...” It occurred to me that I didn’t know his surname.
My dad ignored my slip and nodded.
“Why are they afraid of him? I guess they don’t know him at all.”
“He’s a yellow star, but not any old yellow star. He’s in the top ten percent of all yellow stars.”
I remembered that from my studies as well.
“And that makes him...?”
“He’s not merely a person of rank, you know? Alex is the new ruler of our galaxy.” He waited for his words to sink in. “Rulers have been known to be, well, aggressive. The core of a star is hot and they are rather temperamental.”
Everybody stood up as Alex walked through the tables, up to the bride’s table, with everybody still looking down.
Suddenly the image that I had of him was like a dim little light bulb. His pedestal jumped from a distance slightly above my head to somewhere in the clouds. Alex was the sun, yes, that idea I was getting used to. But now, he was the Ruler of the galaxy as well! Unbelievable. But somehow, on some level, I still felt comfortable with him, like I’d known him for a long time.
“Fellow Ambassadors, please sit down,” he said and waited for everybody to sit before seating himself.
The sixty-four thousand dollar question was what were we all doing there. “Before we begin with our agenda, I would like to thank the constellation Taurus for this feast that they have prepared for us. They will now serve hors d’oeuvres while we proceed.”
The occupants of four tables at the back jumped up and started dishing out food, under the deathly silence of a few bush sounds. Then two young girls rushed to Alex’s table, one with a glass of wine and the other with a closed dish. They bowed before they placed them down in front of him, not looking at him once. To me, the whole scene felt artificial. It was only Alex, ruler or not!
“They forgot to wipe his little nose,” I whispered to my dad.
He frowned at me in return. “They can hear you,” he whispered back in a reprimanding tone.
I looked up and Alex was grinning at me. The very sight of his smile made the audience behind me buzz softly.
“They are all fighting for his hand, as he isn’t married yet,” my dad explained.
Oh my, I thought. Lisa wasn’t my only competition. Not that I would challenge her, ever. But if she were to leave him....who knew?
“Thank you to everyone for being here. I’ve called this meeting to give notice of my decision, as was agreed by the Rulers of the galaxies in accordance with stellar legislation.”
Even the tables paid attention, he spoke with such sway to his voice.
“There is no other option but to vote for the next Ruler of the Milky Way.”
The audience went wild. Alex let them shout their protests for a moment or two, and then raised his hand.
“Calm down, please.”
Everyone fell silent.
“I am not here to argue. I have full authority on this matter and will enforce my decision if necessary,” he said, sounding cross. Then he added, a little more softly. “Artemis will be punished by death for his acts of threatening Earth. I will call up a surge of power from my star to kill the moon Ambassador. It is the best of all the alternative solutions as it will endanger Earth the least”
It didn’t make sense to me. “Why do we need a new Ruler then, Dad?” I whispered.
“Alex will exceed the capacity of his link and his human body cannot survive that. Opening up a surge of energy from a star...” he answered.
“I still don’t understand, dad. It’s only the moon? Surely Duncan can be killed easily?”
“No, dear, the moon is strong because it is so close. It’s much closer than the sun.”
I recalled what Alex and Benjamin had told me about exceeding the capacity of a link.
I didn’t hear one word further for the rest of the proceedings. I don’t know who was there or what we ate or how I got down from the mountain. All I knew was that Alex was going to let himself be killed in order to save Earth. And he was willing to do it to spare me from killing Duncan. I wouldn’t get killed, as my link was the strongest.
But I wasn’t going to allow it.
I’d have to do it myself.
I’d have to kill Duncan.
***
>
