by C J Benjamin
I beamed at his praise of my powers, and followed Nova, brushing the mossy forest floor off my legs as I walked. I let Nova light the way, and held his hand to keep on the trail. As we walked, Nova started to tell me about his life. How he had grown up in a small village on the edge of the rainforest called Leone. As farmers, his family worked alongside the Beto people to learn the best ways to farm the land. They had a great relationship with the tribe, and Nova remembered playing in the fields with his little sister, Ivy, and their friends from the forest while their fathers worked. When the Flood came, his father brought him, his sister, and their mother into the forest to find higher ground, but they never made it. When they entered the forest it had already begun burning from the lava. Nova’s father told him to climb a nearby tree and not to stop until he reached the top. That was the last he saw of his family. He thought they were climbing the tree as well, but when the storm was finally over and he could cling to the tree no longer, he slid to the ground to find he was completely alone. At first he thought they may have climbed other trees nearby, so he searched and he searched and soon realized that the trees held nothing for him. He wandered aimlessly around the forest until he was eventually found by the Grifts and brought to the Troian Center.
“And you know the rest,” he said.
I pondered this for a moment. I still had so many questions.
“When did you find out you had powers?” I asked.
“I think it first started right after the Flood. After I couldn’t find my parents I was so alone and had no one to talk to in the forest, so I just did a lot of thinking in my head and I remember I kept thinking, ‘Please find me, I’m right here, I’m right here.’ And that’s when the Grifts found me. They said I was calling them, but I knew I had never uttered a word. Then, back at the Center, I figured out that I could hear what people were thinking. Like if one of the orphans were scared I’d be able to tell and comfort them. Or if one of the teachers were in a particularly foul mood, I’d know why, and how to cheer them up or if I should just steer clear of them all together. It’s like a sixth sense I guess. We can all read people’s feelings, I’m just really in tune with them and I think that helps me hear their thoughts.”
“What about the whole mind bending thing, where you can get inside people’s heads?”
“Well, that happened by accident at first. Like in the forest when I was begging someone to find me, I guess my thoughts were so strong they were able to enter into the minds of the Grifts. But I would find myself thinking things in my head and someone near me would start responding, like they thought we were having a conversation. I tested my theory out on a few innocent Grifts. It was harmless fun really, like sending them into Greeley’s office when she hadn’t called them, or telling them to walk in circles. You know, pranks and stuff. Soon I realized it was a pretty powerful tool though, and I decided I didn’t want to use it unless I had to.”
“Like to tell me when to meet you?”
“Yes, and other times. Like having Miss Breia set up that cot bed in your room and having it positioned right under the window. And telling one of the Grifts to clean the window and leave it unlocked. And also telling them, they had to use the John’s room at the precise moment you were escaping from your room.”
“You used it to make everyone think Jemma and I had just fallen off the rubble pile too, didn’t you? That’s why we didn’t end up in the locker!”
Nova just smiled and shrugged, but I caught his wink.
“Wow! That really is handy! Do you think I have that power?”
“I don’t know, Tippy. One step at a time, okay?”
“Okay,” I sighed. “So, what about your little flame here?” I said pointing to the fire light dancing in his hand.
“Well, that has been the best part of this whole thing, and it’s what led me to you!”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well as you know, I’ve spent my fair share of time in the locker.” I nodded for him to continue, because everyone knew Nova was a fixture of the locker, yet he always seemed to return unshaken, unlike the rest of us. I was dying to know his secret.
“Well, the first time Greeley sent me there I tried to get into her mind and tell her that she didn’t want to send me there, but it didn’t work! I was so confused and I sat in the darkness stewing about not being able to control her and I just kept thinking that I needed ‘Light, Light, Light!’ Then bam! There was a light hovering over me! I reached out and touched it and it dropped into the palm of my hand and since then, all I have to do is get into my own mind and tell it that I need light, and viola!” he said, and with a snap of his fingers the light disappeared and then reappeared with his second snap.
“That’s so cool! I can’t wait until I can control it like you!” I squealed!
“Patience, Tippy. There’s still more to the story.”
“Oh yeah! Like how the light told you to find me?”
“Exactly. When you have light in the locker, it’s quite an interesting place. It’s not scary. In fact, it’s rather exciting. All the walls are filled with the history of our island and the legend of Lux.”
“Really,” I asked skeptically. “How come I’ve never heard that?”
“That’s the way they want it. They want to keep us in the dark, literally and figuratively. I don’t think they even know that the legend is down there on the walls or they wouldn’t chance sending us there. Especially not you.”
“Why me?” I asked.
“Well,” he stopped walking and turned to look at me. “Because I think the legend is about you.”
I stood there stunned. Normally, I would think he was joking, but after tonight I was beginning to believe anything was possible. I had magic powers after all, so why couldn’t I have a legend?
“Why do you think it’s about me?” I asked cautiously.
“Tippy, I still have so much more to tell you, but not tonight. We stayed out much later than I anticipated and we’ve got to get back into the Center.”
I looked around and realized we were at the edge of the field where we had entered the forest earlier in the night. The inky black sky was starting to show signs of brightening as it became washed with a glowing deep-sea color. It would be dawn soon. Everyone in the Center would be rising and I didn’t even want to think about what would happen if they found us missing. That had never happened before that I knew of and I wasn’t about to find out what the punishment for such actions would be.
“Okay, what’s the plan?” I said so matter-of-factly that Nova chuckled.
“We go back the way we came. I’ll help you sneak back into your room through the window and we’ll meet the same time, same place tomorrow.”
I hated the idea of having to wait a whole day to be with Nova again. I wanted to learn more. I wanted him to finish his story and tell me about my legend and teach me more powers. It was as if a sponge had replaced my brain; it was wrung dry and thirsty to soak up all the information about my new life. I felt like from today forward my life was truly starting. If only I’d known how right I was.
Once Nova was sure the coast was clear, we sprinted across the open fields to the Troian Center and scurried through the bushes in front of my window. Nova pulled open the window pane from the bottom and before I had a chance to say a word, he kissed me atop my head and pushed me through. I landed on my cot bed with a thud. I froze, fearing someone had seen me enter the room, but as I scoped out the scene everything seemed just as it was when I left. I let out a breath of relief and slowly removed my shoes and slipped under the covers, falling instantly asleep.
9
The sunlight streaming in woke me before the morning bell. I sat up and stretched. I felt so stiff and sore and—oh wow—I had a lot more scrapes on my legs than I usually did. I reached down to examine the one on my shin and it all came rushing back to me. The whole crazy night! Nova, talking in my head, escaping through the window, meeting in the forest, his magic flame, my magic beam
of light! Oh my gods, I can do magic! I clapped my hands over my mouth even though no sounds had escaped. I really needed to pull it together before someone saw me acting stranger than usual. Just then, the morning bell rung and everyone began to stir.
I sat on my cot bed, already dressed, watching all the other orphans in my year mill about. They continued to ignore me and got on with their day. Dressing, gathering up books for morning lessons, and chatting easily with each other. I always envied that; the ease they all seemed to have with each other, the way they were comfortable and had a sense of belonging. I always hoped that one day they’d let me in and I’d be one of them. But today was different. Today, I watched them without jealousy or longing. I was simply studying them, finally embracing my outsider status, and viewing them in a new light. With each Jane or John that passed me, I found myself wondering if they possessed any magical powers waiting to be discovered. I strained to get some sort of vibe from each of them, hoping I’d pick up on something special.
“Hey.”
I jumped at the sound of Remi’s voice and turned to see his big brown eyes staring at me more quizzically than usual.
“What?” I asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I was just wondering why you decided to wear your work uniform this morning rather than your Center uniform?” he said.
“What?” I said puzzled for a moment, until I looked down and realized he was right. I was still in my work clothes. I had worn them to the forest with Nova last night and fell asleep in them. I was so groggy when I woke up that I only took note that I was dressed, not paying particular attention as to what I was dressed in.
We have strict rules on our uniforms. As orphans we were already the lowest grade of people on the island, so Greeley always told us the least we could do was look presentable. We wore the Troian Center uniform during the day for our lessons, which consisted of a tan-linen tunic with a red sash. It left our right shoulders exposed so you could see the tattooed numbers that branded us orphans. And we had our work uniforms that we wore whenever we left the Center to do Flood work. The shirts were made of the same itchy tan linen, with brown long shorts to tuck the shirts into. This is what I was currently dressed in. None of the uniforms ever seemed to flatter my scrawny shape, but I looked worse than usual this morning in my rumpled work clothes, still covered with dirt and bits of moss. Remi was staring at me, probably scrutinizing my sanity.
“Oh yeah, I … Well, I was talking while I was getting dressed and I guess I wasn’t paying any attention,” I stammered, quickly walking away from Remi and toward the Jane’s wardrobe. I went right to the shelf labeled with my number and exchanged my shabby work clothes for my Troian tunic. I balled up my dirty shirt and deposited it into the laundry bin. Our orphan numbers were stitched into the hem of each item of clothing we had so that if we lost or ripped or soiled anything, we could be punished for it. I was fretting over the state of my shorts when Sparrow came up to me.
“Here, let me see those,” she said, pulling the shorts from my hands before I had time to protest. She shook them a few times and rubbed her hands over the stains and they seemed to vanish before my eyes.
“There we go, good as new,” she smiled and dropped them into the laundry bin.
“How did you do that?” I asked in astonishment.
“You can heal anything with a little love,” she said with a wink and then skipped away.
I stood there stunned. Sparrow was special too. She was like me! I knew it! I knew there were more of us, more like Nova and me. Sparrow said she was like me, but witnessing her powers with my own eyes confirmed it! I was so excited that my heart was pounding and once again I didn’t notice Remi come up next to me.
“What was that all about?”
“Jeez! You’ve gotta stop sneaking up on me!”
“I’m not sneaking, you’re just extra jumpy this morning. What’s going on with you?”
I turned to him, longing to tell him everything. I felt like a river ready to spill over its banks when Remi asked me what was going on with me. I wanted to tell him about my powers and my amazing adventure last night, but I distinctly remembered Nova asking me not to tell anyone about us. Remi wasn’t just anyone though, he was my best friend, yet still I felt I would be breaking Nova’s trust if I told Remi. My eyes searched the deep-chocolate oasis of Remi’s, begging him to understand what was happening, but he blankly blinked back at me. I sighed deeply and said, “Nothing, I’m fine. Come on, we don’t want to miss breakfast.”
Remi didn’t seem to buy it, but he didn’t argue and he followed me, and the rest of our year into the dining hall. The large drafty room in the middle of the Troian Center served as our dining hall. We got three squares a day there. The food was simple and always the same, but I never complained. It kept my stomach from growling and it was served to us by weary Grifts who would probably not take too kindly to any criticism of the menu.
I got in line with Remi and a bowl of porridge and fruit was unceremoniously slopped onto my tray. We walked over to our usual table and saw that Sparrow and Journey were already sitting there. Remi stopped short when he saw them, but I nudged him in the back and whispered, “Don’t be rude.” I swung my legs over the bench and sat next to Sparrow. Remi approached the table like he thought it was going to bite him and eventually decided to settle himself across from me, but still as far away from Journey as possible. Sparrow beamed at us and offered a chipper greeting.
“Good morning, friends!”
“Morning,” I said doing my best impression of her hundred-kilowatt smile.
Remi just stared at her, so I kicked him under the table and he jerked enough to break his gaze and mumble something that sounded like good morning as he scowled at me. The whole time Journey silently ate his breakfast as if us sitting together was the most normal thing in the world. I couldn’t say I blamed Remi for his bewildered reaction because no one had ever sat with us in the dining hall before. It had always just been the two of us at our little table in the corner for as long as I could remember. I can’t say I minded. We got along great and always had something to talk about. Well, I did most of the talking, while Remi tried to get me to study; but still, we liked our little world. It was comfortable there with just the two of us in it. This morning it felt like someone had ripped a hole in our safety net, letting Sparrow and Journey waltz in and make themselves at home. A week ago, I would have probably been reacting like Remi and felt a bit put out by their intrusion, but now it just felt like a natural progression. Like we were supposed to be friends. Maybe they would teach me something about myself just like Nova had. And right on cue, Nova appeared, sliding in next to Remi and pushing him uncomfortably close to Journey.
“What’s up, gang?” he asked cheerily.
“Morning, 18!” Sparrow beamed. I straightened up and offered a dopey grin. Journey gave a nod of acknowledgement and Remi just squirmed.
We ate our breakfast together while Sparrow made small talk with everyone.
“18, I don’t think we’ve properly met before, but I’m 42,” Sparrow chirped.
Nova smiled. “I know who you are, 42. But, nice to officially meet you.”
“Oh wonderful!” she exclaimed. I didn’t think it was possible for her to be any happier, but she seemed like she might explode with joy at any second, based on the fact that Nova knew her, so I took over the introductions for her.
“And you’ve met Re.., I mean 26 before, and this is 22,” I said gesturing to Journey who nodded again. I was beginning to see he was a man of few words. “Everyone this is 18.”
Nova smiled at everyone, but sent a wink in my direction before focusing back on the tray of food in front of him. It felt too bizarre to be sitting at an almost full table with people who I guess I could call my friends, all of whom knew their names and some who had magical powers, yet we all sat pretending we were just enjoying a casual breakfast. It was killing me. I felt all the questions I had burning inside of me, yet I k
new this wasn’t the time or place to discuss anything. It seemed we were on the same page, because as I looked around the table, I saw we were all looking at each other, smiling cleverly. Even Journey had a smirk on his rugged face. And then there was Remi. He hadn’t even touched his breakfast and he looked so uncomfortable that I feared he might become ill. Sparrow must have noticed it too, because she asked, “Are you okay, 26?”
“What?” he said, suddenly startled that we were all focused on him. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
I looked at Nova, pleading with him in my mind to let me tell Remi. He was obviously the only one at this table that didn’t seem to know what was going on. Somehow Sparrow knew I was special and trusted me enough to show me her little laundry trick this morning. And I still didn’t know what was up with Journey but Sparrow trusted him and he seemed comfortable hanging out with me. But poor Remi was turning green wedged between Nova and Journey. He looked so small and frightened, like a mouse cornered between two predators who hadn’t yet discovered his presence. Then I heard Nova’s voice in my head again.
“No! Tippy, not yet. This is too important. I need to explain more to you first, okay?”
“Fine,” I said.
Remi looked at me pleadingly. “Who are you talking to?”
Nova just laughed and said, “You know Tippy, always talking to herself.”
The whole table gave a good-hearted chuckle and then we were saved by the bell.
At the sound of the metal chime we knew it was time to clear out and head to lessons. Nova gave me a scratch on the head and a wink as he jogged off. That left the four of us to make our way to Plants and Poisons. Sparrow rambled on the whole way to lessons. It made me appreciate Remi’s silent qualities even more, as it was impossible to think with her chattering in my ear. I only caught portions of what she was saying. Something about Nova being cute, maybe something about what we were reading about in P&P today, blah, blah, blah. I was really just going through the list of questions I had for Nova. I couldn’t wait for the day to be over so we could get another chance to go to the forest and get some answers.
