“In plain sight.”
“What?”
I looked at the leaning book then back at German.
“You know, the kind of perseverance you have when taking care of your son is admirable. In the world we live in it’s hard to find hope in anything other than the system, but I see that it isn’t the system that has helped your family through this tough time. No, it’s something else. Something more…abstract. You know I never heard of faith until I found out about the Book of Wisdom. I realized in a short time that faith is a powerful thing. It’s so powerful that a father would dedicate his life to rehabilitating his son instead of shipping him off to some hospital with the other sick kids. Here in the Underground there is no room for sentiment. It’s either eat, or be eaten.”
“What is this about my son? What are you getting at?”
I could hear the tension in his voice.
“Your hope doesn’t come from within. It comes from that book. I know you gave up medical research because of your family. I also know that you gave up because of how unethical the industry has become. You’re obviously a man with strong moral conviction. Think of how many people you could help if you gave your grandfather’s book over to someone who could bring it to life again.”
I pulled the leaning book from the bookcase and reached for the Book of Wisdom. I lifted it to the light.
“Are you with the Authorities!?”
German took a few steps backward.
“Of course not. I told you who I am. I didn’t know I would come across your book, but from what I know and what I’ve discovered through my research, that book is too powerful to be hidden inside a bookshelf.”
There was a long pause.
German looked somewhat believing.
“I wanted to put the past behind me. The Underground is stifling for an ambitious researcher with a sick son, but that book got me through it all. I never intended on keeping it hidden from hopeful eyes. I just figured the world didn’t need a guide to life. We already cheated death. As far as the world is concerned we are the conquerors of life and death. Besides, that book is illegal.”
“It was illegal in the old age. Now, it’s simply obsolete. Well, it was. This needs to be put in the hands of the right people. If anything it should be kept in a museum so that we can be reminded of a simpler time.”
German sat down on his floral couch.
“Honestly, I’ve been living with the burden of that book for nearly my whole life. I haven’t read it all, but what I did read was shocking. Knowing that I possess the single most dangerous piece of literature in the world has kept me up many a night. It’s like a beating heart that keeps thumping in the back of my mind giving me nightmares. It would be nice just to get rid of it, but no one would dare take it from me.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It couldn’t be this easy. He was actually willing to just give me the book? I was at a loss for words.
German got up from his seat and walked to the living room where his wife was coddling their son on the couch.
“Do you think the system will allow the book to exist again? It was once an enemy of the state.”
“I can’t answer that, but what I can tell you is that I know people are changed for the better when they read this book. It makes men fearless. This book is too powerful to be kept hidden on a bookshelf,” I said half lying and half telling the truth.
“Well, I don’t know if it had that strong of an impact on me, but I do know that the words in it are powerful. Tell me, if I let you have it, what would you do with it?”
I thought a while for a convincing answer.
“Change the world.”
This time I was telling the truth.
German looked down at his sleeping son.
“The Book of Wisdom did that once. Maybe it could happen again, but hopefully this time for the better. It’s yours,” he said.
I finally have it in my possession. I’ve read a few books in it so far and I feel my soul stirring already. This book must remain away from the eyes of the common man. I will see to it that all of the power in it is reserved for me alone. I will pattern my ruling strategy after the basic human need to follow a supreme leader and I’ll take the wisdom that I get from this book to make sure I gain the fear and love from every citizen in the underground. This is the beginning of my rise.
I will rise like the morning star.
Chapter 4: The Portal of Antiquity
After reading my father’s journal I had trouble making sense of my life. I knew my father was a strong and unyielding leader, but I didn’t know how deep his thirst for power was. This book drove my father to madness and now that mad man is ruling our world. What’s worse is that man is my father. I was embarrassed and confused. It was pointless to confront him with my concerns; especially not then since his precious book is gone. Knowing what that book meant to my father I was all the more intent on finding it so that I could destroy it. Get it out of the grips of my evil father.
Our journey wasn’t even about the book anymore. It was about taking back our freedom.
On Wednesdays after classes, Mia, Chad and I would meet in the annex of the dorm buildings to practice our skills. The annex was always empty. It was a simple courtyard type of setting, but it connected the boys and girls dormitories. The only time we would hear of students going to the annex was when they were caught sneaking to the other chambers. Any fraternizing with the opposite sex in their chambers was strictly forbidden, but we teens wouldn’t let a stupid rule get in the way of our fun now, would we?
It was just about 4:30 pm when we all got to the annex. I loved hanging out there second to Mammoth Forest, because of its colorful garden. The groundskeepers planted almost every flower known to the Equinox in that place. The flowers surrounded the perimeter and there were five round stone tables, each one surrounded by a bench. The flowers in the Equinox aren’t like the ones from the old world. In fact, they are completely artificial, but designed to look and smell real. Every once in a while I would notice the groundskeepers spraying them with water, which was silly to me, but I guess it made things seem normal and balanced.
When we met there instead of sitting at the tables, we would choose a spot in the middle of the garden where there was a small plot of grass to sit.
“Have you been practicing how to mimic me? I know it’s hard because there’s only one Sage, but --.”
“No. I told you I’m not doing it,” she interrupted.
“Oh, why not? You seriously need to live a little Mia. Remember that time we were planning on taking Chad’s dad’s hover car out for a joy ride a year back? You actually made it inside the car then once we took off you flipped out and jumped out while we were in mid-air!” I said.
“I didn’t even know that was possible! I mean, there are no windows in a hover car!” Chad said.
“I never closed my door completely, plus we weren’t that high off the ground yet. You guys always want me to break the law! What’s wrong with me wanting to be a law-abiding citizen?”
“You mean a slave to the system? Nothing’s wrong with that…just make sure you protect your mind when your credits run out. I hear they lobotomize citizens who lose their credits,” Chad said half-jokingly.
“Our credits don’t count until we turn 18. By then I should be a college student with a respectable job working for the Power Society,” Mia said.
“Mia, I understand where you’re coming from. I do. I admit it wasn’t right for us to borrow Chad’s father’s car or to sneak into the university Tourney training room, or trek to the Mammoth Forest every other day, but we aren’t allowed to do most things that are fun,” I said.
Mia gave me a look with her eyebrows raised.
“Okay, borrowing the car does cross the line, but they have no reason to hide the training from us. And the Mammoth Forest is completely harmless! C’mon, you love that place more than anyone,” I said.
Mia picked a dandelion from the garden and blew on
it. All the white puffs danced in the air and levitated toward the dim sky.
The artificial lightning bugs were beginning to appear. It would be a starless night. The lightning bugs were used for nights like that one; where the clouds were lower than usual, blocking the light from the moon and the stars. They were five times larger than the fireflies from the old age and generated plenty of light to see in the dark.
“Mammoth Forest is the only exception. Transforming into you could put me in prison for a long time.”
“Not if you don’t get caught,” Chad said.
“You don’t even know what Sage’s father will say. He might agree to let you go with Chad.”
“I seriously doubt that.”
“You haven’t asked. Give it a try at least.”
“And if I do and he says ‘no’ will you do it?” I asked.
Mia paused.
“I will.”
“Woo hoo!” Chad jumped up from his seat.
“Hey look, guys. It’s a full moon!” I said.
“Mia, do your thing.”
Mia stood up and we watched as her fair skin began to grow brown fur. Her feminine features began to alter into animalistic ones. She was transforming into a werewolf.
Once her transformation was complete, she howled at the moon like the werewolves in the old age. People always told me that they weren’t real animals, but I never believed them. Werewolves were too cool to not be real.
Chad and I clapped and cheered while Mia howled. I knew she had it in her. The fearlessness and bravery to do things she never thought she would do; even if that meant breaking a few rules. As I watched her howl I was a little unnerved by the blatant change in her characteristics. Once a meek raven-haired girl who stood a little over 5 feet tall, was now a fierce wolf with menacing fangs and fur that stood on end. Mia didn’t like to break the rules, but the desire to break out of her humdrum existence was evident in the way she howled. She wanted nothing more than to be like Chad and I; rule-breaking rebels who lived for adventure, but something was holding her back.
But maybe she had it right the whole time. Maybe it was Chad and I who were the idiot vigilantes living off the thrill of the chase. Mia just wanted to be normal and fit in with the rest of the law-abiding citizens of the Equinox. The truth is Chad and I weren’t being rebellious just for the sake of it. There were too many things that were difficult for us to understand about the statutes of our society.
Our doubtfulness started one day when Chad came to visit me at my house in the city. It was during summer break and we were home from school. We sat in my room for hours reading through the handful of books I managed to collect throughout the years – mostly from my grandfather who kept a stash hidden for rainy days. It was forbidden to take books from the libraries in Power School.
One of the books we read that night was on the history of the world. We read about the Greeks and Romans and Conquistadors of ancient times. We even read about Egyptian civilizations. The one thing we came to realize in our readings was that all those civilizations had something in common and that was the desire to become more powerful and the willingness to stop at nothing to do so. We couldn’t imagine our civilization in ruins just for the sake of greed. Then again, every civilization before us ruined in the exact same way. What made us different was our way of life. After centuries of living like savages, pulling each other down on the way to the top, we had designed a way where everyone could have a piece of happiness with no one left behind. In our world no one starved and everyone was treated equal. Everyone, except for one man, my father.
If this system that my father fine-tuned was so fair then why was he the only one who was immune to punishment? Why was he the only one without a chip? I’ve seen people get chipped and in all of its barbarity, it is still praised as being the biggest advancement in currency exchange since the dollar. If this society is so fair then why is it that all of its inhabitants must be cut open like cadavers to be considered citizens?
These are the questions that Chad and I discussed that night. It sent a chill down my spine to question my father’s intentions and to suspect him of being anything other than a loyal leader, but things were starting to look less innocent in our eyes. We wanted to go on this journey to find the Book of Wisdom, because we were looking for the truth. The Book of Wisdom was one piece of the puzzle that we were looking for.
After our meeting in the annex, we went into our separate rooms to sleep.
I lay in bed that night looking up at the constellations hex hovering above my bed wondering if we were all being deceived. Why weren’t we being taught about our history in school? Why all this emphasis on powers? There wasn’t a clear meaning to our existence other than to serve the system and to die quietly so as not to disrupt the flow.
My eyes grew heavy with the silence of a sleeping world.
The next day was the weekend, school was out and my parents went on a getaway to Jetson Skytower Resort. My mom had been begging my father to take her for months.
Mia was with her family on a camping trip, so all I had was Chad to hang out with for the weekend. Not that I was disappointed or anything. I mean, Chad was my best friend. He was the only one who didn’t judge me because I was the king’s daughter. While everyone else was calling me ‘Princess Sage’, Chad was making fun of my freckles. He treated me like I was a person. I admired him for his bravery and enjoyed his company more than anybody. With Chad I could be myself. I wasn’t trying to fit in with the image that society projected upon me, because of my status. When I was around him, I was just a 16-year-old brown girl who was curious about the world.
As soon as I opened the door to my house, Chad was standing there with the Portal of Antiquity in his hand.
“What’s that?”
“We’re going to use this today. It’s the only chance we have to see who stole the Book of Wisdom. Everyone’s away this weekend. We can use this, find out who took the book and create a game plan for how to get it back.”
“Come in. Did you eat lunch?” I asked.
“Yeah, I had a tofu burger earlier.”
“Well, I’m going to make a sandwich.”
“Okay, while you do that let me tell you how this thing works,” Chad said while he sat down on our red sofa. He propped his arm around the back of it and leaned toward the kitchen where I was smearing a generous amount of mayonnaise on my turkey sandwich.
“Go for it.”
“Okay. The portal works in a similar way to teleporting. In order to travel where you need to go in the past you have to know exactly where you’re going. You must envision it in your mind.”
“Okay, so seeing is believing. Got it.”
“No believing is seeing. Believe first, then it will take us where we want to go.”
“I guess that makes sense,” I said as I bit into my sandwich. I walked over to the couch and sat next to Chad.
“So what happens when the portal takes us to the past? Will we just be observing the situation or will it put us inside the scene and drop us off?” I ask.
Chad pushed back his blond hair that was starting to fall in front of his eyes.
“I don’t know. I’ve never used it before, and the only other person I know who has used it is dead. I do remember your dad saying something to me about being careful when I use it. Something about discovering the future before getting stuck in the past.”
“And you didn’t ask him what he meant by that?”
“No, I was too nervous to say anything, but ‘yes, your majesty’.”
I shook my head.
“I wonder why he hasn’t used the portal himself. You’d think that if he was so intent on finding that book he would’ve used the portal a long time ago,” I said.
“Maybe it has to do with the ‘getting stuck in the past’ thing.”
There was a long pause.
“What if the portal does drop us off in the past? How would we ever get back to the present?” Chad asked.
�
�Maybe you could teleport.”
“Teleporting can only take you to different places, not different times.”
“Well, is it worth risking it? I mean, I’m seriously all out of ideas.”
Chad inspected the wooden portal. There were strange carvings on it that looked to be ancient symbols.
“Maybe this thing can do more than just go back in time. Maybe it can go forward too.”
“Well, let’s hope so. Getting stuck in the past would ruin my day,” I said.
Chad gave me a smirk.
“Hey, it might not be that bad. At least we’ll be stuck there together.”
I looked away from his gaze.
“Spending years trying to catch up to the present sounds grueling. Even if we are together.”
There was an awkward pause.
Chad dropped his head and was picking at his fingernails. He always picked at his fingernails when he was upset about something.
“So, uh, do you want to go to Mammoth Forest? We could go swimming in the aurora lake,” I said trying to lighten the mood.
“Let’s just prepare to use this thing while we still can. Time may not be on our side.”
I sensed a little frustration in his voice.
“Haha! Literally! That’s hilarious! Time may literally not be on our side. Man, Chad you are a funny guy.”
He sensed my mood-lightning strategy.
“I don’t think you know the meaning of the word literally.”
He wasn’t helping.
“Whatever. I just thought it was kind of ironic that’s all.”
There was a long silence that was too uncomfortable to bear.
“So what are we looking for again?”
“We’re going to the night that the Book of Wisdom was stolen from the Power Society Library. According to your father, no one saw who took it. We need to look for any suspicious character that is inside the library. At the time of the theft the library was closed and locked from the outside. No one should’ve been able to break in, but they did.”
Lovers of Babel Page 15
