Ignite

by Andre Pisco

  Max was not alone in the room, but that was how he felt. The torment of the situation filled his mind. Thrown into a bottomless pit, he would plummet without anyone to reach out and help him up. He understood his friends' adverse feelings, yet he held in his head the idea that he was doing the right thing. He placed his trust and hope in Ghost, not only in what he could bring to his life but also to the team. He now hoped that the man, who ventured into Ghost's risky body, would save him. He remembered his mother's words on one of the nights when they were at dawn at the window; he was reading and she was wandering through the corridors incapable of sleeping due to the illness that was mitigating her health.

  "Others might find you different, even odd, but one day they will thank you for the time you spent reading small lifeguards," she said, years ago, putting the strands of hair as black as the night sky behind her ear.

  Alec leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. He had left the city to have a calmer, safer life, and there he was; middle of nowhere, wounded, at risk of being tortured again, not knowing what would be of his parents, friends, the academy and his city. He was afraid that they would find out where he came from and take revenge in his city, destroying everything until they found his parents. Unload on them for pure pleasure. If they had entered the academy so easily to enter his city it would be child's play and they would not find opposition to it. Tommy would lose his arms, Mimi would lose her scalp and they would make Gordon a steak ready to be paraded. Above all, it pissed him off that he couldn't do anything to stop them. Even if he tried, he'd be wiped out without hitting a blow. He needed to get stronger, to equip himself with the best weapons and armor to have even a chance. He took a deep breath again and focused on a mantra that Tommy had taught him.

  "If you have not died yet there is still a chance to win." He used to say it before his body hit the ground.

  He thought to himself that that was exactly it. He was still alive, there was still a chance to get to Relics, to put the tide of luck on his side and turn things around. He followed the angelic melody from the guitar to the exit of the house. His friends were all lying on the grass, except for James standing in one corner stretching his arms and snapping the bones of the joints in his fingers. The music served as a complement to the cloudless sky and the gentle breeze that stirred the grass.

  "What is this smell?" Alec asked the lady, who now had her hair pinned in a ponytail, and smiled, her nose making enough shadow to cover her thin lips.

  "The lunch. I decided to do something special for you. It seems that you haven’t had a good meal in a while."

  "I can’t even remember the last time I ate," Neil replied, massaging his belly while he drooled.

  "It was... It was..." Lucy started but realized that she didn’t remember it either.

  "Sorry, but how did you meet Ghost? Such an isolated place... and with his story... I'm just curious." Alec asked. They all looked at the woman, who stopped playing and laid the guitar on the floor.

  "I expected someone to ask. My husband was Jeff's father's best friend ... Oh, I mean, Ghost. Please don’t tell him that I told you his real name. He hates it when people use it. It reminds him of his family. Unfortunately. His parents were great people." She began, "continuing ... the story of him killing his parents? It’s a lie. He was too young to even have the strength to inflict the wounds they had. My husband confirmed it. We were afraid we'd be next so we fled here and brought Ghost with us. We tried to keep him here but he wanted to go back. Revenge corrupted him until he became someone who hates himself but can’t also stop being that person. Now it's my turn, how did you meet him? What happened to you?" She asked, leaning against the wall. Her legs uncurled and three tires appeared, which she dispatched to hide under a brown tunica.

  "Maybe it's better to sum it up, or it might take some time," Alec replied. The smell of the lunch infiltrated the noses of the young and the saliva grew inside their mouths.

  "As you wish." She said, "Perhaps the summary is better. Lunch is almost ready."

  "We were on our way to Relics when we were caught. After a few twists and turns, he eventually helped us to get out of there. We were near the exit when one of the Elite members attacked Max, the boy in the room, and Ghost stepped forward to protect him." Alec replied, avoiding talking about the academy or the fact that Ghost had been the reason why they were caught.

  "Um ... Ghost sacrificed himself for someone? Difficult to believe, but I'm happy. It means that part of him still believes in something. It can still be saved. He used to come and tell us how he was, now he only comes when he needs to be operated” The woman said, and it was possible to see the sadness on her closed lips and on her eyelids falling on her eyes. “I set the table on the other side of the house. I forgot to ask, but is the wolf yours?" He asked, looking at Lucian.

  "Ah ... we found him on the way and they just hit off." Lucy replied before Lucian had the chance to do so.

  "It's true, he's already a member of the group," Neil added, laughing as if there were no worries in the world. His laughter warmed everyone’s heart. There were still reasons to smile.

  They followed the woman to a nook in the back of the house. The table was set and steam was leaving the cauldron in the corner. They hadn't smelled something so delicious in a while. Real food, as James called it when he walked up and let the smell rise up his nostrils. Some horses galloped from one side to the other, taking advantage of the freedom that surrounded them, dozens of meters away. Their long yellowish hair flew, washed away by the wind and whinnied thanks to the good weather and the happiness they felt for being there. The young people enjoyed the view. For the first time in a long time, they could breathe and take a nap without having to be aware of everything around them. Their shoulders relaxed, their eyes half-closed and even their hearts calmed down. There was no more a loud beating above the sound of the wind, the horses running, or of their own voices.

  "You can sit down. It's ready." The woman said, "Help yourselves. I’m going to check them” she said, leaving them alone.

  She hadn't turned the corner yet, and James was already serving himself. He filled the plate until the food overflowed from the corners and, if it weren't for Alec's disapproving looks, he would have made a food tower. After him, Neil followed, whose spittle flowed through the corners of his mouth, and his eyes shone with fascination as he approached the cauldron. He took the spoon and served himself until he filled his plate, and asked Lucy if she wanted the spoon to serve herself.

  "Ah... I... I don't know how to do that..." She replied, ashamed, with rosy cheeks and a voice that was more acute than usual.

  "You want me to serve you?" He asked, "Just give me your plate." he added, realizing she was not comfortable in serving herself, perhaps because of the inexperience in doing so.

  "Yes, if you don’t mind." She replied, "Half of what you put in yours is enough. Don’t tell anyone but I had someone doing that for me in Drexus."

  Neil smiled and took her plate. He didn’t tell her, but he thought it was funny how much she'd changed in such a short time. The rude mask had fallen on the floor and had been shattered into pieces and now only the real Lucy was left – captivating, dazzled by the world and still adapting to the raw reality. He returned the plate and sat down. Lucian was next and he took advantage of Max not being there to use his plate for the wolf.

  "And after this?" Alec asked, "Where are we going?"

  "Isn’t it better... Maybe we should talk about this later?" Neil replied, with food in his mouth, pausing to chew.

  "He's right. Let's just take a break from everything and eat," Lucy added.

  Alec nodded, but he couldn’t pause what was on his mind. His head was running a thousand miles a second, trying to come up with a decent plan to get to Relics, even though he had no idea where the city was, let alone where they were. He was accustomed to his city. It could be great or horrible, but he knew every corner of it, where to get what he wanted and even who to talk to if he nee
ded something from outside. It was comfortable to be in a place where he knew where to shelter. There, where he now stood, he was an animal at the mercy of others.

  He got up and filled his plate, sniffing it before giving the first fork. He remembered the delicious food his mother gave him when he came home after a long day's work, his back a misery, his eyes red and his lips swollen. The father, who didn’t work, was always the first to be served, even going so far as to insult the woman if she dared to serve the child first.

  Alec looked around. There was happiness stamped on everyone's faces. Lucy and Neil were looking at each other. She covered her mouth as she ate, and he laughed at her figure, not realizing that food was coming out of his mouth, falling on his plate once more. James glanced at them and a curve appeared in the corner of his mouth. He was struggling not to show that he was happy that they, too, were more than colleagues and that he accepted them as friends.

  Lucian was putting the dish on the floor, massaging the wolf’s hair on the back of his neck, telling him to eat.

  "I see you're enjoying it," the woman said, appearing around the corner, "I have a surprise for you," she said, turning away.

  Max was behind her. Though his air was tired, his eyes still wet and his lips cracked, he was happy. He had a smile from ear to ear and didn’t wait until he sat down to share the good news.

  "He'll survive!" Max said loudly enough for everyone to hear, even the horses in the distance.

  "Good!" Alec replied, returning his smile.

  "Good," James replied, pretending not to care about his cousin's genuine happiness.

  Even Neil, letting the dust settle, answered him, "I hope you've learned your lesson."

  "It's not the time for that," Lucy told him softly, hitting him with her elbow on his shoulder.

  "You're right." Neil said, "Sorry. I'm glad it went well," Neil added. He didn’t seem very pleased to have to say it, but there was sincerity in his words. He didn’t want Max to feel bad, even if he still blamed him for what happened.

  Max's eyes darted across the table and they stopped at Lucian. They stared at each other without a word being exchanged. Tension could be felt by all. Even the woman next to Max realized something was wrong. She decided to step aside when she realized that a dish was missing, thinking that the best thing to do in a situation like this would be to give them room to solve the problem on their own.

  "I... ah... sorry, Lucian!" Max said, intimidated by his presence, blaming himself for the new marks on his friend's body. Some of them were still in fresh blood while others were already healed, but they would stay there forever.

  The wolf looked at Max. He opened his mouth, showing his teeth salivating, roaring and scraping the sharp nails on the floor. In response, the young man reacted instinctively, taking a few steps back with his hands to his chest, his voice losing power despite his desire to scream what was in his soul.

  "Calm down," Lucian said, calming the wolf, who lay down at his feet and continued to crack the food, "I know I ought to hate you, punish you, but at the same time I understand why you did it. You felt useless. So close and so unable to help those you wanted to and cared about. I already felt that. Don’t blame yourself, I won’t either. The important thing now is to think about how we will get to Relics." Lucian replied, smiling at him and sitting at the table, "Join us," he said.

  Max was standing there. Perplexed by what he had just heard, he had not yet had time to know what his reaction should be. It was something new, and his mind was still unwrapping the yarn that was to have been excused for the evil that consumed his bowels. He had his shoulders pressed against his body and was startled when he felt a stiff hand touching his back.

  "Relics? Did I hear Relics?" Said the gentleman behind Max, taking off his blood-stained gloves and throwing them in the trash.

  "Apparently, they're lost and want to go to Relics." The woman said, popping up behind him, carrying a bottle of fresh water in her hand.

  "You don’t even know how lucky you are, do you?" The man said, letting out a tune of laughter that tore up the tufts of the wolf’s hair and caused a slight stir in the ears of the young men. His wife remained unscathed, probably because of the habit. “I see you're a little nervous. It is not necessary. Ghost will survive. All you have to do is rest one night." The man added, looking at Max, who had already sat down and scraped his nails on the wooden table.

  "What do you mean by that?! Lucky?" James exclaimed, slightly aggressive.

  "Yes, boy. Look over there," the man said, pointing to a mountain range beyond the place where the horses ran, "Relics is there," he replied, giving another laugh.

  "THERE? WHICH OF THE MOUNTAINS? "James asked excitedly, getting up from the table without eating, turning to the mountains.

  "The one in the middle, the one that has a peculiar shape. It looks like a cone. I've heard that this is so they can see who is approaching, and if they don’t like the person, they find a way to shoot them down the mountain." The man said, this time more serious. He pulled a wrapped cigarette from his pocket. He approached the fire and used it to light it.

  "Dent! Don’t scare the children like that." His wife told him, "Sorry. He says everything that comes to his mind. Nothing will happen to you. Of course, you must have reasons to go there.”

  The man didn’t answer as he puffed his cigarette and blew the smoke into the air. He exhaled, leaving behind a scent he pushed away with his hands. He leaned against the wall, smoking, while his wife served herself.

  "He can’t eat after work. It stresses him,” she said, without anyone asking, "I forgot. You can sleep here tonight. We have two free rooms. The girl can sleep in one of them and the boys in the other. They're a bit tight but shouldn’t be a problem, right?" She said, looking around.

  "It's perfect for us," Alec replied, before anyone else did, "If it’s not asking for too much... Can we shower?" He asked, grabbing what was left of his clothes. The colors had disappeared and now there was only a brownish layer and a symbol that couldn’t be perceived.

  "Yes of course. I'll see if I can get you some new clothes. We should have something old, even for her" She said and pointed at Lucy.

  As soon as the silence settled, they attacked the food as if there was no tomorrow, not knowing when they would have such a delicious meal again. They took what they could, cleaning the dishes until only a trace of the food remained, repeating until the cauldron was empty and the water bottle transparent. James and Neil moved away from the table to a childish, belching contest. Alec and Lucy gave them a rebuke but none of them shuffled off, both saying they were getting a burp that would outweigh all the previous ones. Lucian laughed calmly, his body was still sensitive, and his ribs ached painfully each time he allowed himself to laugh. Max stayed in his place, eating slowly, sometimes taking the food with his fork but leaving it on the plate.

  Chapter XXI

  The afternoon was spent between games and breaks to lie on the grass, enjoying the sunny weather of the field and the sound of the wind breeze allied to the horses thundering. James insisted and ended up convincing Max to join them, also taking part in the jovial and nonsensical conversations that reminded them of the times of the academy. They weren't friends then, but their experiences were similar. They took the opportunity to share funny stories they had from those times, talking as if they had happened years ago and not even less than a week ago. Time turned days into months and lengthened the distance between moments and past situations.

  Finally, they dined under candlelight and a starry sky and took a quick bath in cold water. The lady got everyone new clothes. They were long, but they'd have to serve until they got to Relics and could buy clothes that suited everyone. She also found, in a drawer, some of her old clothes for Lucy. Their faces were sparkling. With no sand, dirt or dust, and now that the horror paradigm had changed, it was possible to see a little light behind their eyes. They'd gotten lucky at last and were going to enjoy it. The lady guided them to their rooms,
handing them blankets, sheets, and pillows. She said goodbye to them and added that tomorrow Ghost would be minimally healthy and could decide whether to leave with them or stay there.

  Max didn't say anything. He waited for her to leave and for everyone to fall asleep and escaped from the room. He decided to go out into the street; he lay down on the grass and stared at the stars. He wished he could become one of them. All the time in the world available to do whatever he wanted and without his chest imploding with mere mortal problems. The ephemeral melody satisfied him. The wind embraced his face and the infinite sky joined him.

  "You should be asleep." A familiar voice said. James was leaning against the door, scratching his eyes until he was carried away by the harmony of the moment, and he sat down beside Max, star-focused.

  "I couldn’t sleep. I have too much in my head." Max answered him, taking a long, heartfelt pause, "Ah... Thank you for defending me! "

  "You can be a great big nerd, but you’re still family. Family stays together. Everyone should know this. Don’t tell anyone, but I probably would have done the same. If you tell this to someone, I will deny it and I will still beat you up. Are we understood?" James said, looking at Max with a blinking look that lasted a few seconds, "Besides, it's always good to see you interested in something other than books ... or a certain person in the group."

  "Oh ... I ... I don’t know ... I don’t know what you're talking about." Max said, fumbling, saliva coming out of his mouth.

  "Let's both pretend not to," James said and laughed. He looked at the stars and, without taking his eyes off them, added, "I'm beginning to believe we can do it."

  "If you believe in us, so do I," Max told him.

  Despite the drop in the temperature, it wasn't cold. A change of clothes was enough for them to not feel the difference in their skin. They ended up falling asleep shortly after, lying on the grass, dreaming of a good future.