by T Swanepoel
Chapter 15 – Still natured
The week at my parents didn’t go as well as I had hoped. Instead of relaxing, I couldn’t get my brain to switch off for one second. I also couldn’t think of a reason to tell them why I had to leave home in the middle of a vacation.
I wanted with all my might to go and find Duncan. It wouldn’t be easy, killing him. But I would do it for Alex, as he had asked me that day: now I actually understood what he had meant when he had asked me to kill Duncan.
The first two days I spent in the house, walking around like a bear with a sore tooth, irritated and frustrated, completely impossible to be with. It was only after my dad hinted at my difficult mood that I realised quite how badly I had been behaving. So instead of being frustrated all the time, I decided to go out into the veldt and awaken my powers. I was uncertain about doing it, about testing it, but it was high time and it was an emergency.
I climbed over the back wall and walked deep into the veldt at the back of my parents’ house. It was quiet, except for some night birds and a cricket. I sat down on the rocky ground and listened. I wasn’t sure how I would hear the earth, whether I had to wait for a voice or what. But I was determined to listen.
Then, after I had almost fallen asleep, I figured that it might help if I made the contact area between myself and the earth bigger, so I lay back and stretched my arms and legs out to touch the ground. I closed my eyes again, and I listened. I concentrated on the wind, to hear if I could make out a voice; then to the birds and even to the little cricket.
I fell asleep more than once, and only gave up when my roaring stomach overwhelmed the sounds of the bush around me. I’d try again the following day.
The next day, I decided to talk to the Earth. Maybe I had to tell her that I was there or ask her a question? I mean, I wouldn’t necessarily know that someone wanted to talk to me just because they sat silently in the same room as me, would I?
So I greeted her. “Hello, Earth.”
Silence. Birds.
“It’s me, Valerie.”
Silence. Birds.
“I want to have a conversation with you. Would you mind saying something?”
Nothing. It wasn’t working. And I felt like a moron talking to a stone.
I sat down on the ground again. I had to try a different approach. Maybe it had something to do with my emotions. Benjamin had said that the glow worked like that, brighter with strong emotions. The healing had happened when I was afraid and hurt.
I closed my eyes and concentrated. I thought of how I felt about betraying my friends. It was still a sore point and compunction clasped its hands around my heart.
I had almost forgotten about Earth and our attempted conversation when I felt the ground tremble beneath me, slightly but definitely. My heart raced excitedly, it was working! It wasn’t my imagination, I was sure. Emotions were the key to this. Earth responded to my emotions.
Then I imagined how I’d hate Duncan if he managed to kill Alex. I tried my best and visualised myself into the situation, seeing Alex’s lifeless body and Duncan standing over him.
The earth trembled again and the wind blew stronger.
This time, I was over the top with joy. I wanted to scream out to the world how magical it was, the feeling of being connected to this wonderful planet, being able to hear her and have her respond to me.
Obsessed with experimenting, I practised until the sun set. The reaction became stronger and stronger. By the time I left for home, the area around me was clear, with only bare ground remaining. The wind had taken out all of the grass, rocks and trees around me, as if a small hurricane had swept through.
Dad approved of the practising. That was the only way to sharpen my sword, polish my shield and prevent people like Duncan from killing me with a forceful transfer, he said.
But the next day I left a little later even though I burned to go out. My mom didn’t like me going out in the bush so much, and I guessed she wanted to spend time with me. She made me breakfast as she always did, and then asked if I wanted to go shopping with her. I agreed, especially because I had neglected her: the vacation was only for one short week and it was Wednesday already. So we were off to our local town mall, a few minutes’ drive away, in their old new BMW.
“Valerie, tell me about varsity, dear? There have been so many things going on, that it must be difficult to keep up with the normal side?”
I smiled. So many things had happened that it was difficult to separate my life from the things. Even my friends and my study material revolved around the things.
“Mom, to be honest, the most normal thing about my first three months of varsity was the initiations. They actually left us alone; they only attacked when we irritated them or didn’t follow their silly rules. Like poor Betty.”
I told her about the incident with Betty and the statue and Mom seemed to enjoy the story. Then she turned bitter, suddenly. It wasn’t like her at all.
“You know, Valerie, I have prayed throughout my entire life for you to be spared this... this nonsense. I consider myself an open person, but really, this is too much. It was difficult for me to accept your Dad’s issues, but now it’s you too. Don’t get me wrong, I love you very much. But I wish I could take a knife and cut your link from you,” she said heatedly.
I felt shocked and hurt by her words.
“How can you say that? It’s nothing less than holy, being a part of the universe in such a unique way.”
Her hands went up from the steering wheel and she started to say something, and then stopped.
“Any boyfriends on the horizon?” she changed the subject.
I didn’t take the bait. “Why do you hate it so much, mom?”
She was close to tears. “Long story.”
“No, tell me, please?” I really wanted to understand her point of view.
She swallowed before she started. “Apart from the initial shock, I was okay. I was getting used to it and accepting it day by day. But the day they called your father up to be the Ruler,” she said with rolling eyes, “was the day that everything changed.”
“Dad was the Ruler?” I asked astounded.
“Up until two years back, yes, he was the Ruler of the Galaxy,” she said scornfully.
“But what’s the matter with that?”
“Every single time there is a possible threat, we have to pack up and leave. But that didn’t bother me so much. The problem was the dangers involved. Do you have any idea how it feels to constantly worry about the safety and wellbeing of your husband? To know that anything can happen anytime?”
“Were there so many fights?” I asked, astounded.
“No, dear. There weren’t that many fights. Ambassadors get jealous. Rulers have authority. And authority can bring you everything from wealth to... well, you can even call up an army and take over the world. Your dad had a bounty on his head for a long time.”
It made sense to me. It was an aspect that I hadn’t thought of before.
“I felt so bitter the day we came to visit you in hospital, when Dad noticed your glow for the first time. I couldn’t stay there and... and look at you. I can’t see the glow at all, but just knowing it was there was the worst thing. It’s bad for a mother’s heart, knowing her little girl is a part of this dangerous mad world.”
“And now Alex has that bounty on his head.” I said thinking out loud.
“Old Alex, he is such a good boy. I felt sad when he took over from Dad, you know. He had so much to learn still, he was passionate and excited, but so green,” she sounded nostalgic. “I urged them to wait with the inauguration, but they wouldn’t listen. He had the strongest link of all on Earth and it only made sense to them to crown him.”
I thought about how he had admitted to making mistakes the other day in the safe house. Alex wasn’t blind to his own weaknesses, that I knew.
“How do you know Alex, mom?”
“Alex’s father was Ruler before your father. They attended meetings together every now and then. Y
our father had a similar role as the Reds today.”
I could see that, my dad being the army/bodyguard guru, sneaking around during meetings.
“Anyway, Alex’s father died in a car accident. We believe he was murdered, but we couldn’t find the murderer. He may still be in our midst.”
It was a scary thought, and I immediately started to think about all the possible suspects. There had been hundreds of people at the meeting on the mountain the other day and any one of them could be guilty.
“Dad insisted that Alex attend meetings, so he always picked him up and they went together.”
It was a strange thought, Alex and my dad having such a strong bond.
We turned into the underground parking lot at the mall. We struggled to find a parking. It was busy, as the school and varsity vacations always were during the same time of year. The movie cinema had discounts for the school children during these vacations and that meant they were there constantly. I know, I movied myself during holidays until I couldn’t sit anymore.
We dodged our way through herds of children to the grocery store. It took a long time, as my mom had to stop every now and then to greet the little ones who knew her from school. She clearly loved them. And I knew that she loved her job as well.
We finally reached the grocery store, poorer than before, as she bought one little herd a round of movie tickets. It was odd, since she’d never done that before. But I figured it was because she either missed me or used them to replace me. I was concerned about the money though, if there were enough left for groceries.
“Mom, if dad was Ruler, and you said they have access to wealth, why did we always live on the breadline?”
“You know your father. He believes that earning an honest penny makes the world go round. And I agree completely. A leader has to set the example, be fair, consistent, steady, caring. And I’m proud to say that your father was all of these.”
Yes, that was my father, exactly that. I felt extremely proud of him for the person he was. If only normal humans selected leaders based on character traits instead of the ability to talk straight through the public’s head, I thought.
We did the grocery shopping and I had to admit, it was good being normal and around my mom. On our way back to the car, my mom started her questions again.
“So, any boyfriends on the horizon?” she asked.
This time, I couldn’t simply ignore her.
“Not really. I had a terrible blind date, but it didn’t work out. Now it’s only.... I have a crush on someone,” I admitted.
She grinned widely. “And?”
“And nothing. He’s taken,” I answered abruptly.
“Okay....But don’t give up yet. They’re not taken until they’re married.”
“Guess so.” I didn’t want to reveal too much; she knew Alex and I wouldn’t want him to know whilst he was in a relationship with Lisa.
We reached the car and packed everything into the trunk.
They way home was easier, the radio was turned up and we listened to music. I still felt conflicted about my mom hating the strange side of me. It was fun being around her today, but it felt as if she only loved one part of me.
When I finally slipped away after tea, I felt excited to see what the afternoon was going to hold. I was fluent already with the wind and the trembling, but surely there was more.
But I went home shortly before sundown, heavily disappointed, having acquired no new skills or powers. There had to be more than wind and trembling!
I was getting really worried; I didn’t know when either Alex or Duncan was planning to attack. My gut told me that I had to hurry, time was running out. And next week classes were starting again, and I’d be in the city, far away from a clear patch of nature. I had to figure out a way to speed this up.
The rest of the week with my parents proved to be even more frustrating and the wind reflected that. Nothing new happened. No new power.
And not even a single syllable from Earth.
We drove back to varsity on Sunday, leaving early as my parents still had to drive all the way back.
***
