Cadence

by Wilson, Dianne J. ;

  Ruaan’s face was flinty. “Both of you are forgetting one big thing. This is not a sim, we’re stuck in ordinary life. I could only see in sim-dark.”

  Kai grinned. “So you admit it then? You have a gift.”

  Ruaan’s mouth worked open and closed like a goldfish. Eventually he got some words out. “Not exactly. Like I said, it’s not going to work anyway.”

  Kai glanced around the room, chewing his bottom lip. “I think it’s worth a shot. Runt, get the lights please.”

  The little girl jumped to do his bidding and the room plunged into darkness. A girl at the back screamed. Kai shut his eyes. His arm hairs stood on end as Ruaan brushed past. Somebody got the screaming girl to stop, and the quiet was broken by spells of nervous giggling. Kai couldn’t see a thing but his heartbeat pounded loud in his ears as time dragged.

  Ruaan cleared his throat. “Lights, please.”

  As the bulbs flickered to life, Kai stepped back in shock. Ruaan had gathered more followers than Zap had. Ruaan caught his eye and shrugged.

  “They’re yours for now. Go teach them.”

  Ruaan led his troupe out with hunched shoulders, scratching his head.

  Bree hung back, chewing on a fingernail. Kai winked at her and turned to the group that was left. “Show of hands. If I put a paintbrush in your hand right now and told you to create a picture for me, who would be terrified?”

  Half of those left sitting stuck up their hands.

  Kai nodded, it was about the number he’d expected. He reached back for Bree’s hand, drawing her forward. “Those of you with your hands down, this is Bree. She is your mentor.” He led her forward, ignoring her hissing and gently guided her down the stairs to her group.

  Runt sat on the edge of the stage, swinging her short legs.

  Kai waved her over. “Your turn.”

  “What must I do?” Runt grinned at him and her face glowed.

  “Dance. Right here on the stage. Will you do that?”

  “Sure. What for?”

  “Dance for Tau. I’m pretty sure He’s watching.”

  “Oo, I like him. I need music.” She twirled on the spot, swishing her dress this way and that.

  Kai picked up his guitar and spoke to the shrinking crowd, “Runt is going to dance. If you want to join her, come on up.” He strummed a few chords, mulling over what to play. His fingers slid over the strings. The rough steel made his fingertips tingle. Shutting his eyes, he thought back to every encounter he’d had with the enigma of Tau, and his fingers moved in response. It was a melody he’d never heard or played before, a light bubbling of notes that dipped and twirled. Tau’s kindness rippled through Kai and into the music he played.

  When the piece ended, Kai opened his eyes to a small circle of girls gathered around Runt. They moved together in unison, taking turns to lead and follow. Runt grabbed hands and led her entourage off the stage with her eyes sparkling, chattering away to them like a chipmunk.

  Kai and Evazee were the only two who hadn’t claimed their groups yet. “Evazee, it’s your turn.” Where was the girl?

  4

  Evazee sat at the foot of Peta’s mattress, watching her sleep. Her silvery hair fell across her face as soft as moonlight and Evazee resisted the urge to run her fingers through it. She didn’t want to wake her small friend. The makeshift bedroom was a hollow, cold hall with a high ceiling and mattresses lined up all down one bare cement wall.

  The scarf around her neck made her itchy, but taking it off was not an option. She adjusted it to cover where her imprint would have been and sighed. The door swung back and Runt led in, followed by a group of young girls. They didn’t walk, they skipped and giggled.

  Runt swung her arms around, twirling in between words. She saw Evazee and halted mid-twirl. Her gaze slid to Peta and she whipped around to her group with her hands flung out like fly swatters. “Shh! She’s sleeping!” She tiptoed across the room to Evazee, hunkered down on her haunches and whispered, “We need somewhere to dance.”

  “There’s plenty of space here. Go for it.”

  “But she’s sleeping.”

  “It will be fi—” Evazee caught her breath. Runt’s necklace had slipped out from beneath her shirt and hung swinging right in front of Evazee. A flash of images bombarded her mind as she watched it move. A laboratory. Two men in white coats arguing. Harmless enough, but Evazee’s stomach knotted.

  Evazee watched as Runt spread her girls out in a circle. She twirled once in the centre, but the necklace swung up and smacked her on the chin. In one smooth move, Runt stripped off her jersey, taking the necklace with it. She dumped them in a heap and ran back to her girls.

  Peta stretched in her sleep, rolled over, and curled up with her back to Evazee.

  Runt had drawn her girls close around her, all deep in discussion. Evazee moved before she could change her mind. She sauntered past Runt’s top. Then she bent down and fished out the necklace from the soft folds of the fabric and slipped it into her pocket, being careful not to touch the pendant.

  One last glance at Peta confirmed that she likely wouldn’t be waking up soon. Evazee tiptoed out and walked the OS flat until she found the room with the testing grass. The sense of being followed was overwhelming, but each time she checked, the hallway was deserted. With one last peep behind her, she slipped inside and closed the door. Just to be safe, she crossed the room and tried the sliding door. It was unlocked and slid back easily. The feeling of being watched washed over her again and she shivered. There was no turning back now.

  Evazee padded out onto the lawn and sat down cross-legged. She took the necklace out of her pocket and watched it swing on the end of the delicate silver chain. Fine patterns traced the outside and there was a hinge on the left. Was it wise to open this thing by herself, hidden away where nobody would find her if things went pear-shaped? She adjusted the itchy scarf and curiosity won. She had nothing to lose.

  Her fingers traced along the right edge and found a tiny raised bump. With the lightest push, the pendant popped open. It was empty inside. Evazee frowned and poked her finger in to feel if she’d missed something. As her skin touched the silver, an image appeared on the mirror-like surface. It grew and stretched, expanding outside the confines of the jewelry. Like a giant growing bubble, the image swelled with such force, Evazee was thrown back. It continued to stretch, expanding over her, settling onto her, enveloping her into the moving image. She was no longer outside the bubble, but inside—included in the story as it developed around her.

  Unable to move, she lay there, pinned to the floor. In the vision, her back was glued to the wall. Her gaze flicked to take it all in. A laboratory stretched into the distance, the far wall almost too far to make out. All the labs Evazee had ever been in were brightly lit. This one was a mere fraction above darkness. What were they hiding?

  Three men worked together at a table. One scribbled on a page, pen moving fast as he worked through calculations. One sweated over a test tube, dropping in infinitesimal quantities of different liquids. The other observed, rubbing his beard to give his hands something to do. They stopped every few minutes to confer in quiet voices.

  Evazee heard the clap of a door shutting, and it echoed as if far away. Movement caught her eye, and her pulse raced. Elden walked into her vision. Sideways. Cool and collected as if walking on walls was a thing he always did.

  “Elden! What are you doing?”

  “Looking for you.”

  She knew he’d seen her when his jaw dropped open.

  “What are you doing up there, all stuck to the wall? What is this? What’s going on?”

  “Get over here and hush.” She gestured with her eyebrows, “Look.”

  Elden sauntered over to her and awkwardly got himself lined up on the wall next to her. He smelled of soap and something else that Evazee couldn’t place.

  A small sound escaped his lips.

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  Elden blinked and squinted, tipping his head
sideways. “It can’t be.”

  Evazee crossed her arms and sighed as loud as she could manage.

  “That’s my dad.”

  “You mean the one whose grave we nearly fell into?”

  “One and the same.”

  “Bree should see this.” Evazee felt for his hand. It was cold between her fingers. She didn’t dare say anything, but she could share the warmth of her skin.

  Elden’s fingers tightened around hers. “I don’t understand what we’re seeing. Is it a real place?”

  Evazee shrugged, her lips stayed frozen in a tight line. If she said yes, she could spark a wild goose chase with no guarantee of success. If she said no, she’d crush his hopes. Either way, she’d be left feeling responsible for the mess.

  A strange fire smouldered in his eyes as he studied the image of his father. “Don’t tell Bree what we’ve seen. I’m going to find him.”

  “Elden—”

  “Don’t say anything. You can’t stop me.” He struggled against the pull of the wall, his arms and legs flaying like windmill blades. “How do I get out of here?”

  “Well, I haven’t quite figured that part out yet.” She focussed on the scene playing out in front of her as if her life depended on her absorbing every detail, when really all she wanted to do was avoid looking him in the eye.

  ~*~

  It was hours after sundown when Kai gathered his friends in Torn’s office to discuss the day. Zap sat on the edge of his seat with his toes tapping, while Ruaan stretched out on the sofa with heavy eyelids. Supper had been simple, cornbread and sausages with mashed potato. Though simple, it had hit the spot with Ruaan and he was currently sliding into his post-food coma.

  Runt sat at Kai’s feet, leaning her head on his knee, cuddling his two kittens on her lap. Zap and Ruaan had gone back down to the basement on Evazee’s orders to find the source of the growling. They had found the two kittens, spitting-hungry, and managed to catch them. They got them safely upstairs with only a few bleeding scratches to show for it. Now, with their bellies round and full, they were meek and sweet once more. Much like Ruaan.

  Bree stood by the window looking as if she’d rather be anywhere else on the planet but here.

  “You’re expecting us to do the impossible, Kai. I don’t know how to activate or develop gifting in myself, let alone others.” Zap shrugged.

  “And the rest of you?” Kai glanced at the others who all seemed intent on avoiding his question. “There has to be a way to undo the damage that’s been done through dark Affinity training. Surely.”

  Ruaan peeped through one eye. The other was shut tight. “You need someone good with words to speak to them. Like Zee.”

  Kai’s belly twisted. “Where is Evazee? I haven’t seen her since yesterday. You guys? She shouldn’t be gone for this long.”

  Zap shrugged. “Maybe she went home. She’s been a bit out of it lately.”

  “She would have said something to me, I’m sure.” Kai sat quiet, sorting through his thoughts that seemed more scattered than sheep after a lightning storm.

  Runt stuck up her hand. “I saw her in the big bedroom this morning. I think she stole my necklace.” Thunderclouds settled into her eyebrows at the thought.

  “The necklace. That’s not good.” Kai patted Runt’s soft hair.

  Bree stirred from her post at the window. “I haven’t seen Elden either.”

  A broad grin broke out on Zap’s face, “Oh, I see what’s going on.” He elbowed fresh-air as nobody stood close enough to have their ribs poked.

  “Zap, really?” Kai puckered his face. “How can you even think that? That necklace knocked Runt out until we found her and closed it. They could be stuck somewhere until we find them.”

  “Yeah and maybe they don’t want to be found. I’ve watched them two together. More sparks than...oh I dunno. There’s a lot of sparks.”

  Kai dismissed him with an eye roll and a wave. “Runt, can you remember what happened when you opened the necklace? Are you OK to talk about it?”

  Runt was breaking up a play-fight between the two kittens. She admonished them both sternly with a stiff finger before separating them by putting one on either side of her legs. “When I opened the necklace, it was like watching a movie, but I got sucked in and got stuck.”

  “What do you mean sucked in?”

  “It was like being part of the story, but I don’t think the people in it could see me or hear me. But I could see them, hear what they were saying.” She shuddered. “I could even smell that they all needed a bath.” Her nose wrinkled at the memory.

  “So if Evazee opened the locket, she would be stuck until someone closed it?” Kai asked.

  “Maybe.”

  The door swung open, and Peta’s small, shiny head poked in. “Evazee?”

  “Hey, Peta. Come in. We’re looking for her too. Any ideas?”

  Runt’s back stiffened as the small blonde girl pushed into the room on her tiptoes, pale and fragile. She crossed the room to Kai and sank to his feet opposite Runt.

  Peta spoke in a voice like a silvery bell, “There is this one place...”

  5

  The sliding door to the testing grass was unlocked and slid back at Kai’s touch. Evazee and Elden were on the ground next to each other, a bubble of vision played out above them. Kai threw himself on the ground and started a slow leopard crawl. He somehow managed to stay low enough to make it all the way to his friends. His hand shook as he reached for the pendant. It was lit up with green lines that criss-crossed the surface in harsh zigzags. Kai hesitated, but steeled himself and grabbed hold of the cold metal. The hinge was tight, but he snapped it shut on the second attempt. The bubble popped and winked out with a soft hiss. He tucked the pendant into his pocket. This thing was way too much trouble. It would be wise to destroy it.

  Evazee and Elden stayed on the floor, barely breathing, skin icy to the touch.

  “Help me get them into the lounge.” Kai tucked his hands into Evazee’s armpits and dragged. Ruaan and Zap groaned as they picked up Elden. Kai backed up into Bree as he tried to haul Evazee off the grass. She stood in the doorway, her spine stiff, not moving as he came closer.

  “Didn’t see you Bree, sorry. Help me.”

  Bree seemed deaf as she pushed past him onto the grass clutching her chest.

  Kai dragged Evazee into the room. Peta held up one leg and Runt the other. With an enormous communal grunt, they lifted her onto the couch. Runt pulled a throw over to warm her. Kai waited for the boys to manhandle Elden through the doorway before squeezing out to get to Bree.

  “Hey, what’s up?” She didn’t respond until he touched her arm.

  She roused like a dreamer, trying to clear the fog between dream and reality. “I saw my dad.”

  “Could you see where your dad was?”

  “A laboratory, I couldn’t make out any other details. Kai, what is that necklace? What does it show?”

  “I wish I knew.”

  “Do you think it could lead us to him?” Bree’s voice was even, as if she were asking about the weather, but the pulse in her neck throbbed and gave her away.

  The pendant had given her hope. Cynical Bree, who despised hope. How could he tell her that the pendant glowed green enough to seem radioactive? He couldn’t. “It’s possible. I think we need to run more tests before we trust it.”

  “He’s nearly out of time.”

  “Come on. Let’s go inside. It’s getting cold out here.”

  Bree allowed him to lead her from the grass and into the deep folds of a soft couch.

  Kai glanced around the room and felt a sinking in the pit of his belly. They were getting nowhere fast. Training the others had been a dismal failure for all of them. How would he even begin to undo the damage done so that he could send these kids home? Now he had this toxic necklace to worry about too.

  His thoughts were interrupted by a pat on his leg. He looked down to see Runt staring at him, with her hand out. Peta slid in behind her and s
tared up at Kai too.

  “What?”

  “My necklace. I want it.”

  “Runt, I don’t think it’s a good idea. This thing is dangerous.” He hunched down and eyeballed her. “Please trust me on this one. I will give it back to you, I just want to make sure it’s safe.”

  Her nostrils flared as she glared at him. “It came to me. It’s mine. I want it.”

  Kai stood up and towered over Runt, if only to remind himself that he was the mature one of the two. It didn’t dent Runt’s bravado one bit. “OK, tell me, why is it so important to you.”

  “I like seeing things. Useful things. Like her dad.” Runt tipped her head towards Bree.

  “We don’t know if we can trust what it shows us. It could be lying.”

  “I don’t think so. Maybe we can see things that will help all of us.”

  “Well, I’m not going to trust it until we can do more than think it’s safe, and I’m not going to discuss it anymore so you can swallow your arguments.”

  Runt stomped out of the room, and Peta followed her.

  ~*~

  Evazee lay on a couch, drifting in a fog between sleeping and dreaming. She heard the door open and judged by the soft footfall on the cold wooden slats that it wasn’t Kai.

  Bree’s shock of red hair glowed in the low lamplight. No matter how hard Bree tried to flatten it with her fingers, it had regained most of its curls.

  “Hey. Are you feeling better?” Bree hovered over Evazee.

  Evazee shrugged. “I’m good. Just tired, really. You?” This was awkward.

  Bree breathed. Her gaze flicked to different parts of the room, relentlessly restless. “I need your help.”

  Evazee pushed herself upright on her pillows. “I don’t think there is much I can do for you, but fire away.”

  “I need the necklace that Kai took from Runt.”

  “Wow, you sure get straight to the point. I’ll be honest in return. He won’t give it to you. He seemed pretty sure about that.”