Infinity: Code of Law

by S.A. Waters

  ***

  That night, I climbed in the tunnel with Dylan as my pillow, eager to see Star and Eli. I must have been really tired from my first day back on Earth, because I fell asleep very quickly.

  I woke up on my couch in Lybria. I sat upright and looked around. “Dylan?” I called out. “Star? Eli?” They were nowhere to be seen. I got up and headed over to the kitchen where I then found my guardians sitting at the table. Star smiled at me and motioned for me to take a seat. “I wasn’t expecting to be meeting with you so soon,” she said. “Well, as you can now see, Drew Van Unen, James Schlepi, and Kody Ge are a part of the Code of Law. They are there to protect you, but they don’t need to until you are touched. So to ensure your safety and theirs as well, don’t tell them who you are.”

  “What about Dakota?”

  “Oh yes. The reason why we had not chosen her to be apart of Code of Law is because of how close you two were in the past life. We have a feeling she might spill the secret or get too attached to you if she finds out who you are.”

  “That’s not fair! I want her on my team!”

  “I’m afraid only the other guardians can help you with that decision. We will vote on the matter at the meeting tonight.”

  “There is a meeting tonight?”

  “Yes. In Severn Court at 7:15 pm.”

  “Severn Court?”

  “Yes,” Eli started to say, cutting off Star. “Severn Court is a meeting area or court. Legal matters are held there as well as important matters of business. You have to have a space reserved with a designated password in order to have a meeting take place, and only those who know the password are able to get in the building. To reserve a space, all you have to do is go to the court, pick a time, put in your name, and pick a password. The password reserves the space for five hours at the most.”

  “I see. So you guys are headed there tonight?”

  “Yes, but you can’t come. I don’t even want them to know your identity. Tomorrow morning Dylan will tell you how your notion was replied to. I hope your journey at Earth has been kind to you so far. Goodbye, Carter-Adrian.”

  ***

  All the guardians walked into Severn Court at precisely 7:15 pm, Lybria time. There were four wooden tables set up as a rectangle. At one head of the rectangle, were Kyle’s guardians, Star, Eli, and Dylan. On the left was the table for Drew’s guardians. on the right were Kody’s guardians, at the other end of the rectangle was the table for James’s guardians. They all sat down, and Eli began the meeting.

  “Welcome friends and fellow Mystic guardians,” he said. “As you all know, you are here because your Mystian has agreed to watch after the Light and protect him with his journey against Alpha Maximus. For security purposes, we still want his new identity to be kept a secret from you. I would like to take this time and consult with you how your Mystian has been doing. Table of Drew Ethan Van Unen, let’s start with you.” The court turned to the left. One guardian cleared his throat and started to speak.

  “Our Mystian, Drew, has been holding up very well-” All of a sudden, three figures opened the door of the meeting room. They were Dakota’s guardians, who slammed open the doors. Everyone’s eyes widened, and a few had gasped.

  “Code of Law, huh?” The cougar snapped at the other guardians. “And why wan’t the closest one to the Light chosen to help protect him?”

  “Aria!” Eli shouted. “Silence! I believe another table is in order.” Star clapped her white paws together and another wooden table came in the rectangle. The five tables magically then became pentagon. “Take a seat,” Star said calmly, but slightly irritated. Then she motioned to Eli.

  “What brings you here tonight, Table of Dakota Grace Wilson?” Eli asked Dakota’s guardians.

  “Well,” Aria spoke first. “Our Mystian, Dakota, was closest to Kyle-who we have now heard is the Light. Why isn’t she on your team to protect him?”

  “You said it yourself. Dakota and Kyle were very close. We don’t want Dakota to touch Kyle in any way that could reveal his new identity. And we don’t want the two to get so attached where Kyle would give his life for her. When a job this big has arisen, Kyle must stay focused and not be distracted by love.”

  “Let me ask you, Eli, when you gave Kyle his new identity, did you replace his brain?”

  “No of course not.”

  “Then Kyle will still be in love with Dakota despite his looks. However, Dakota doesn’t know who he is currently, so there is a less likely chance she will fall in love with him again and touch him. And if she does realize who he is, then knowing Dakota, she will put Kyle’s life before her own.”

  “I see your points. Is that all?”

  “No,” Anther put in, continuing for Aria. “Dakota also brings powers that would greatly contribute to this alliance. She can turn invisible, therefore she could easily sneak into places. Not to mention she possesses great strength, which I think its benefits are self explanatory. Please let her be a part of this team. We already know who Kyle is now, and Dakota has an idea based on somebody’s slippery lips.” A dirty look was shot over to James’s guardians.

  “Alright then. I have to say, you are excellent negotiators. We shall have everyone of the court vote. Those in favor of letting Dakota Grace Wilson be a part of the Code of law?”

  Around the room, paws and talons went up. From Kody’s table, all three of the guardians put in their vote. From Drew’s table, two raised a paw and talon in Dakota’s favor. From James’s table, two supported the notion, though one was reluctant at first. Eli looked over at his own group. Star and Dylan had a paw raised.

  “All oppose?” Eli asked the group. Only two guardians were against having Dakota in the alliance. “It is settled then,” Eli said, addressing the court. “Aria, please bring Dakota with us.” Within ten seconds, Dakota walked through the doors of Severn Court. “So this is what this place looks like,” She uttered to herself.

  “Dakota Grace Wilson,” Star said to her.

  “Yes, ma’am?” Dakota turned to Star, now in a more serious mood.

  “My name is Star. One of Kyle’s three guardians. Do you know why you’re here?”

  “Does it have anything to do with Kyle being the Light? Like James said?”

  “Correct. Kyle, your boyfriend in your past life, is indeed the Light. And the members you see here before you are members of an alliance called the Code of Law. We are here to protect Kyle in his fight against Alpha Maximus. We have just recruited you on this team under request of Kyle himself and your guardians. However, you must take this oath. If you break it, we swing your sword at your mark, and you lose all memory of this alliance and Kyle himself.” Then Star turned to her guardians. “You all must also take this oath. If you break it, you become confused, with no memory recollection whatsoever, and you will wonder the lands of the Northern Border forever. We will start with you three. Aria, you go first. Repeat after me, and raise your right uh, paw. To make this an official oath, I am going to put my paw on your neck.” Star got up from her table and walked over to the cougar, putting her own paw against Aria’s neck. Aria’s mark glowed a very bright blue, and both the guardians could feel a tingling sensation. The oath became alive.

  “I, state your full name,” Star commanded Aria.

  “I, Aria Lesley Halt,” Aria repeated, her right paw in the air, just as Star had instructed.

  “Agree to help protect and defend the Light,”

  “Agree to help protect and defend the Light,”

  “To advise him but not direct him,”

  “To advise him but not direct him,”

  “And put his life before my own.”

  “And put his life before my own.”

  “I, as a guardian,” Star continued.

  “I, as a guardian,”

  “Will not only help my Mystian, but help the others in their fight with the Light.”

  “Will not only help my Mystian, but help the others in their fight
with the Light.”

  “I will come together with the other guardians for this fight, for the peace of Mystic and Lybria, as a whole.”

  “I will come together with the other guardians for this fight, for the peace of Mystic, and Lybria, as a whole.” Aria said that last line, ending the oath. Star took off her paw, and Aria’s mark stopped glowing.

  Star did the same oath and ritual with the other two. Then she turned to Dakota. The same ritual applied with her, but a different reciting. Star put her paw on Dakota’s mark, now having to stand on her hind legs. Dakota’s mark, like the others, glowed the same blue with the same tingling sensation through her body.

  “Raise your right hand,” Star told Dakota. Dakota obeyed. “Now repeat after me. I, state your name.”

  “I,” Dakota started. “Dakota Grace Wilson.”

  “Promise to help protect and defend the Light,”

  “Promise to help protect and defend the Light,”

  “Through hardships and despair,”

  “Through hardships and despair,”

  “To advise but not direct him,”

  “To advise but not direct him,”

  “And to put his life before my own.”

  “And to put his life before my own.”

  “I, not only vow to protect him but the others who help him too.”

  “I, not only vow to protect him but the others who help him too.”

  “I will aid the Light through his struggles and his journey to reunite the Pacts and Mystians as one.”

  “I will aid the Light through his struggles and his journey to reunite the Pacts and Mystians, as one.” Dakota finished the oath, and Star removed her paw and got back on all fours. Then she sat back down at her table. Eli then spoke.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen! The new members of the Code of Law!” The court room was suddenly filled with applause. Jasper stood up, and the others followed. When the guardians were seated, Dakota was sent back to Earth, and the meeting, was then continued.

  Chapter 11

  I woke up by the glow of the sun and a sharp pain in my neck and sides. I sat upright, hitting my head on the top of the tunnel I was sleeping in. I must have woken up Dylan because he jumped up off my lap and ran out of the tunnel, falling into the sand bellow us. I yawned and laughed at the same time, trying to pull myself out from the tunnel. “So how was the meeting?” I asked in between yawns.

  “It was interesting,” Dylan said. “But the results were good. Dakota has been accepted into the Code of Law. I have to say, her guardians are very persuasive.”

  “Really? That’s amazing! Thank you so much, Dylan!”

  “Remember, you have to stay away from them. You can befriend them, but do not get too close. Just avoid them. Now, don’t you have a job to get to?”

  “Job? Oh that’s right!” I had almost forgotten, I had to be at Angi’s Homestyle Cafe by nine o’clock. I looked down at my watch. It was 7:31 am. I had loads of time. I sat up and put my hands in my pocket, and felt a piece of paper. I pulled it out, and another memory came back. The paper was the school registration form! Shoot, I still had to get that filled out! I had time to think about it, but there was no adult I knew that would help me with this one. Not to mention I didn’t know any adults.

  “Come on, Dylan,” I said, and he obeyed.

  “You need to change clothes.” Dylan thought to me. He was right. I couldn’t stay in the same clothes, and I knew I had some extra in my backpack. I nodded to Dylan and decided to go find a bathroom.

  We walked up the hill behind the playground and found a bathroom facility and walked in, leaving Dylan outside. I went into one of the stalls and opened my backpack to see what clothes I had left. I took out black basketball shorts and a green T-shirt. I put the other clothes back in the bag and walked out of the bathroom to Dylan. “Looking good, kid.” He thought to me.

  “Thanks. And you know I’m older than you right?”

  “Yep. Well, at least you are now. If you add up the amount of years I’ve lived, it would be ten times older than you.”

  “Point taken. Come on, let’s get over to Angi’s and let’s see what Katy thinks about the school papers.”

  “Do you know where we are going?”

  “Of course I don’t. But this is a small town, we’ll be able to find it.”

  “Alright, lead the way.” So I did.

  To make a long story short; Dylan and I took a left, then a right, then another right, and then over a course of forty-five minutes we made it to Angi’s Homestyle Cafe. I walked in and was greeted at the cash register by Katy. I smiled, and Dylan’s tail wagged faster. Silly dog. “Hey, Katy!” I said.

  “Hey, Carter!” She replied with a smile. “Hello, Dylan.”

  “I’ve got a question for you,”

  “Alright, hit me.” I pulled the registration paper from my pocket.

  “Okay, this is my registration form to Oliver High School.”

  “Okay. What about it?”

  “I need an address, a phone number, parent’s signature, birth certificate, and a social security number. What am I going to do?”

  “Wow. I know that you can just forge the parent’s signature. So that takes care of that problem. Ummm, let me think about it. How about we get to work and then later when my brother takes over at three, we can figure something out.”

  “I guess that’ll work. I mean, because I can’t just show up and say, hey I’m a homeless runaway with no phone so I can’t fill out the form. They’ll call the cops.”

  “I know. We will come up with something. Shall we start work?”

  “Yep.”

  “Okay, I’ll take care of the cooking and the cash register. You will be the waiter and clean the tables. Here’s your notepad and a pen. The menus are right here by the register. Tell them your name and offer them something to drink. Then you bring the order back to me quickly so I can take their request. After the drinks, take their order and bring that back to me as well. Be careful with the trays of food when I give them to you. I’ll tell you the rest later. Here’s an apron and a hat. Put them on.” That was a lot for me to process, but I think I got it. I put on the apron and then took a look at the hat she gave me. It was one of those white paper ones you see at the fast-food places.

  “What is this?” I chuckled.

  “Your hat.” Katy replied.

  “Why don’t you have to wear one?”

  “Because I look silly in those hats. You would look cute. So put it on, I see customers.” I sighed and put on the hat. Katy laughed a bit, and as she predicted, two male sheriffs in uniform walked in.

  “Hello, Katy,” One officer said. Then he looked at me. “Who’s this?”

  “This is my new employee, Carter.” Katy said with a smile.

  “I didn’t know you were hiring.”

  “He’s new around here, and while my mom’s gone, I guess I needed some help around here. And anyways, it gets lonely.” I smiled. Thanks, Katy. Dylan then barked a bit and came from behind the counter.

  “And who is this little one?” The other sheriff asked, bending down to pet Dylan.

  “That’s my dog, Dylan.” I muttered.

  “You know I’ve got a German Shepherd at home. Her name’s Sadie.”

  “That’s cool. So am I supposed to take you to your tables?”

  “That’s okay, we have our own tables.” And the sheriffs walked outside and sat down at the same table Dylan and I sat at the day before. I followed them outside and asked them what they would like to eat.

  “Just tell Katy the usual.” A sheriff said softly. I nodded and reported to Katy. She smiled and went to the kitchen. I watched the sheriffs eat, they seemed so happy. I bet they had been friends for a long time. It was like how happy I was with my friends.

  “Wait! Another customer! Just smile and ask them if they want an inside or outside table.” Then a female walked into the cafe. She smiled at Katy.

/>   “Hi, would you like an inside or outside table today?” I said with a friendly grin.

  “Inside is fine,” she replied, and I led her to a table next to the window and handed her a menu. I thought about what to say, and thought about every other waiter. Drinks. All waiters first asked for drinks. Got it.

  “Can I start you off with a drink?”

  “Yes,” she said, looking through her menu. “I’ll just have some water.”

  “Okay, one water on the way.” I walked over to Katy and told her to get one water.

  The rest of the day was very similar to that. I got the hang of things rather quickly. By 10:00 am, business was pretty quiet. That’s when Dylan and I got our food. Ham for Dylan and pancakes for me. The diner didn’t get somewhat busy again until 12:30 and went quiet again at 2:00 or so.

  I put my hands in my pocket, feeling the registration paper again. Great. Since no one was in the cafe, I showed the paper to Katy again. “Did you think of anything?” I asked her.

  “Yes, actually.” She said. “So for the numbers and addresses, I can write down my information. Now for the birth certificate and social security number, you are on your own. Can I see the form please?” I handed Katy the folded paper. She took out a pen from her shirt pocket and wrote down her cell phone number and address.

  “Thanks a ton, Katy.” I beamed.

  “No problem, Carter. I think I’m going to let you off now. If you need anything, I’ll be here until three. Then my brother takes over until nine o’clock. Just leave your hat and apron here. I’ll try and make you a yellow collared shirt like mine soon.”

  “Sounds good. Nine o’clock tomorrow morning?”

  “Precisely. I guess I’ll see you both later. Bye Carter, Dylan.” I called for Dylan and waved goodbye to Katy. Now we were on our way to Oliver High School.

  “What are we going to do about the social security number and birth certificate?” I asked Dylan, getting a few stares from bystanders.

  “I will tell you a preset social security number we made up a while ago. We have a birth certificate too. Come with me and I’ll get it for you.” Dylan thought back. I was confused, but didn’t argue.

  I followed Dylan into a dark alley that was almost isolated from the rest of the town. He made sure the coast was clear, and then brought me to the back of the alley.