“No! Veridian don’t!” I heard as I jumped down to get away from his grubby, grasping fingers.
It was too late for their warning, not that I understood it anyway. Why would I wait to let the vampire grab me and drag me away? I landed on the dusty earth and my question was immediately answered. The soil gave way, tumbling me into a deep trough dug into the ground next to the fence. The pit was a trap for anyone trying to break into the supplies warehouse and I’d fallen right into it, breaking my ankle in the process too, by the feel of it. I guess I was lucky there weren’t sharpened spikes at the bottom, or poisonous vipers… I hoped.
Coughing in the dust and darkness, my left ankle almost gave out as I jumped up, staring up at the mouth of the pit, sure that the vampire would follow me in at any second, and I would be stuck down here with him. I heard the chain-link rattle and sank into a crouch, determined to defend myself. I had no idea what a real vampire was capable of, but I had to try.
“Hey ugly!” shouted Lyta, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Back up had arrived.
“Time for you to go before we come over that fence and make you into shish kebab. The Earth girl’s with us.” Above me, Lyta’s voice was fearless and threatening, but a growl was all I heard in response.
Chapter 22: Down in the Pit
I waited, ears straining, staring into the overly bright sky.
“Come on, let’s get him,” Otrere snarled. I watched as my three cousins jumped across the pit above my head and onto the fence, climbing.
“That’s right, you’d better run!” shouted Thal. The three of them shook the fence fiercely before jumping back over the pit and I breathed a sigh of relief.
The twins' tanned faces appeared in my field of view.
“Hey you, down in the pit! What’d you go jumping in there for?” They were laughing, as if I hadn’t almost gotten eaten by a fictional monster! I swear, this place was straight out of a bad horror movie.
“Come on you guys, just get me out of here! I did something to my ankle,” I shouted up at them, not liking the whining quality in my voice. I looked around at the walls and floor of the pit for the first time. Who knew what was down here with me? They only laughed some more.
"Glad I'm so amusing," I grumbled to myself.
“I think we should just let her try to scramble up those dirt sides for a while,” Otrere said. Refusing to whine anymore, I gritted my teeth at the pain in my ankle and kicked my good foot into the soft dirt wall, reaching up to dig my fingers into the wall above my head to pull myself up. At least my ankle wasn’t broken, or I wouldn’t be able to stand on it. That was one thing to be thankful for, although possibly the only thing. The dirt quickly crumbled under my weight, sending me sliding back to the floor in a dusty cloud, undoubtedly what it was designed to do. More laughter from above.
“Hang on Sunny, we’ll get you out,” Thal called down in a kinder voice, though he still sounded amused. A second later, his arms hung over the side as he lay down next to the pit. More dirt crumbled onto my head and he almost slid in himself. “Get my feet!” he yelled at his sisters. “Give me your hands, Sunny.”
I jumped and missed. And jumped again. A little more adjusting and he grabbed my wrists on my next leap and they pulled me up. My burned skin was scraped raw by being dragged up the dry, crumbly dirt side, but I didn’t want to complain. Thal was grinning from ear to ear, highly amused by the whole thing.
“Vampire!” Lyta squealed in a high-pitched voice, laughing at me. “You have a lot to learn about Afaar, little cousin.”
“Why didn’t you go after it? You just let him go. It could be attacking someone else right now!”
“They’re not dangerous to people around here, don’t bother people with chlorophyll. We taste bad, apparently. But you, with your black-ish hair, he must have thought you were worth a try,” Lyta replied with a smirk.
“My hair’s green,” I grumbled. “Why can’t anyone see that?” What, now I wanted it to be green?
“Not very,” Otrere said.
My mother came down the stairs of the plane with a rotund woman who I thought must be the owner of the store. “Who was that I heard out here, screaming like a little boy?” the old woman asked through rotting teeth, then spit a reddish stream of something she was chewing into the dirt. The cousins busted up laughing again, while I stared at the ground in embarrassment. She didn’t wait for an answer, but walked back toward the gate, shaking her head.
“Veridian, you’ll need to carry your scy with you everywhere from now on,” my mother said. “Honestly, I don’t understand why you didn’t defend yourself. You’ve had martial arts instruction for how many years now? It wasn’t as if he was armed.” She must have seen the whole thing and now she was disappointed in me. Well that sucked. Didn’t she get that what I knew about vampires came from movies?
“Who do you think I am, Buffy the Vampire Slayer?” I asked, exasperated with my fists on my hips, even though I knew she wouldn’t get the reference.
But she did, and shook her head in disgust. “Veridian, Anakharu aren’t invulnerable monsters like vampire myths on Earth. If you’d bothered to read the books I gave you the other day, you’d know that.” And the Robot didn't teach me things that the Macawan government had restricted on Earth.
I didn’t know what to say, how to defend myself without sounding like I was making excuses. How could I be expected to read all that so quickly? Never mind that I hadn’t even started on it. So I didn’t answer, just continued to stare at the ground in embarrassed resentment until she threw up her hands in exasperation and walked back to the now empty tiger-jet, leaving me to hobble morosely after her.
“You know, your mom’s right,” Thal said later that afternoon.
I grunted testily in reply, strapped an ice pack to my rapidly swelling ankle with an Ace bandage, and elevated it on couch cushions. His mom, Penthe, had said she was getting tired of seeing me in her clinic as she handed me a much-used set of crutches.
“Why didn’t you just kick that Anakharu’s butt?”
“I thought you didn’t call them that.”
He made a face. “Yeah, okay. Rogue Afflicted, you’re right. So why?”
He was looking at me with honest curiosity and concern. Maybe he would listen. Thal was my one friend here. I had to try to explain.
“Thal,” I sighed. “Do you know what a horror movie is?” I didn’t even know the word in Faarian, so I used English. He shook his head in confusion. As far as I’d seen, they didn’t even have movies here, so I tried to explain a concept that would be completely alien to him. “You know the holograph-news on our links?” I’d played around some more with the shows available on my link. They all seemed to be informational: commercials, and news. “Are there ever shows that are fictional stories, for entertainment?” He shook his head again, more slowly.
“We have stories of our history,” he offered. “Sometimes they’re acted out in plays, like on your first night here.”
"Okay. So, are there ever any stories or plays that are made up, that people watch just for fun?”
“You mean that aren’t true?”
I nodded.
“No. What would be the point of telling a story that wasn’t true?”
I could see his confusion and tried a different tack.
“Well, on Earth there aren’t any real monsters, like vampires or zombies.”
“Vampire is the Earthan word for Anakharu, right?” I nodded. “So, what’s a zombie?” he asked.
I sighed. “Never mind.” I plowed ahead. “So to us, vampires - Anakharu - are just stories that aren’t true. Myths, okay?” He nodded slowly, wrapping his head around the concept. “And TV, which is sort of like the informational shows on the link, doesn’t only have news on Earth. They have shows that tell stories, all kinds of stories, funny ones, sad ones… scary ones.”
His eyebrows arched with surprise, “So, they show untrue, scary stories about Anakharu? Why?”
“For
fun.”
“Why would you want to scare people for fun?”
“I guess… well I guess some people like to be scared when they know it’s not true, for the thrill. And, since vampires aren’t real there, the storytellers make them as bad as possible. Super speed, super strength, dangerous to everyone, and they’re nearly impossible to kill because they heal really fast and normal stuff won’t kill them.
“Most people in those movies don’t stand a chance. So, when I saw that one was after me today, found out they were real, I just… panicked,” I concluded, looking at his face, hoping he understood. I didn’t want him to think I was such a pansy that I’d run screaming for help from something I thought I could fight.
“Well,” he said thoughtfully, “the fast healing part is true. And they don’t die easily, but they’re really not hard to kill, for someone who’s trained with a scy. You would just cut their head off.” He said it so calmly and matter-of-fact that I only stared at him.
“But it never comes to that,” he quickly reassured me, seeing my expression, “because rogue Afflicted are mostly cowards. And they don’t want us anyway, cuz of the chlorophyll in our blood. That’s why they’re not allowed in Glass City with the people who didn't develop the chlorophyll gene. But girl, would they ever love to get to Earth if people would act the way you did today! It’s a good thing they’re not allowed to travel there.”
“How do they stop them?” I was horrified at the idea of these things getting to Earth.
“There are security scanners, plus they’re pretty recognizable, once they go rogue I mean: that one bright blue eye and the weird skin under it, not to mention the fangs. It’s all part of a bad reaction with the chlorophyll in their genes.”
“See, this is the kind of stuff I need to know!” Why didn’t anyone teach me this before I came here? I grabbed his arm, “You’ve got to tell me about stuff like this Thal!”
“Ow! Okay, okay, ease up!” I immediately let go of his arm, leaving red marks in my desperation. Oops. I grimaced at him in apology and he laughed.
“Sorry, I just didn’t think it was important. They’ve never been a problem for any of us.” He looked down at my handprint on his arm. “Well, at least we know you’re strong enough.”
Chapter 23: A Single Orbit Around the Suns
That afternoon I looked at my disgustingly dirty boots and sighed. I put some more of the cooling salve from Penthe on my double sunburn, and got to work, even though I’d sworn I wasn’t going to bother. At least cleaning boots was something I could probably get right.
Everywhere I looked, there was more gunk stuck in another cranny. Before I knew it, I’d spent nearly two hours de-gunking, treating, and shining those ugly blue biker boots. And they still looked like they were made out of cheap plastic. They did however, absorb the stinky, gross oil in the bottle marked “deterrent” better than I’d expected. I did not want to know what made up a substance that repelled haratchi.
While I was trying to break apart a particularly stubborn hunk of who-knows-what on the back of one heel with my fingernail, the whole heel came apart in my hand. My first thought was, oh great, what kind of cheap crap was this? But the heel was still attached, it just swiveled out. All my thoughts of third-world sweatshop labor stopped dead at the first flash of sharp, shiny silver nestled inside.
The heel continued to swivel all the way out, and I realized it was on a spring. So, it was supposed to do this? At the same time, something sharp poked me in the thigh where the toe was resting. I jerked it away from my leg to see a wicked forked dagger jutting out of the toe of the boot. It snapped into place as soon as it was away from my leg. Okay, that had so not been there before.
I tried to push it back in with my index finger and drew blood. Dang, that thing was sharp!
I reexamined the now open heel to find a star-shaped compartment with a silver star about 2 ½ inches across fitted snugly inside. I poked my finger into the star’s dull-looking center hole and popped it out easily. It fell apart in my hand into not one, but five totally wicked throwing stars. What the heck? The center holes were the only dull edges on these things. The outside edges were honed razor sharp like the front forked dagger.
Sure enough the other boot held the same forked dagger, but its heel compartment held five disks that resembled mini-CDs with vicious serrated edges.
Okay, I take it all back. These were the coolest fricken’ boots ever! If only I’d known about these earlier, maybe today could have gone differently. I cautiously tried a practice throw, the star pinging wildly off the stone wall, making me duck as it came back at me. Okay, if only I’d known about them – and practiced with them a lot – today could have gone differently. Did Mom know what was in the heels of these things?
Once I put the stars and moons back in their compartments, I figured out that the toe daggers released by pushing the heel button again. Thal came by to drag me to dinner just as I was snapping the heels shut. I almost showed him, but decided to keep it to myself for a while. Once closed you couldn’t even tell the secret compartments were there. So cool.
I didn’t want to brave the Great Hall and all the people who were probably talking about me. I'd rather stay in my room with my newly awesome boots, but Thal refused to bring me dinner.
“No way. You can’t just stay here and mope, Sunny” he said. “You’re coming with me. Besides, I’ve got someone I want you to meet.”
I crutched after him into the Great Hall, feeling disapproving stares focus on me from around the room. Thal led me straight to the table where his mom and sisters were already sitting. Greeaat.
“Thal!” A man beside Penthe got up to hug Thal hello and ruffle his hair.
“Daaad! Stop it,” Thal said, ducking out from under his father’s hand and swatting at it. When they turned toward me they were both grinning. Thal’s father looked just like him, but older.
“Dad, this is Sunny,” Thal said. “Dad’s been on a business trip since you got here,” he told me. “He’s the Kindred’s best salesperson, selling our produce to stores around the world.”
“Nice to meet you.” We exchanged arm shakes.
“Yes, you too, Sunny. I’ve heard so much about you.” I winced involuntarily, wondering what exactly he’d heard. “No, no, it’s all been good!” he assured me and Otrere snorted, earning her a warning glare from Penthe.
“What an adventure you must be having, so far from everything you grew up with,” he continued while Thal ran to get us both food, so I wouldn’t have to try to juggle a plate and my crutches. We made small talk about Earth until Thal got back, and the twins actually managed to keep their mouths shut, mainly because they were busy stuffing their faces.
“Hard to believe you’re already seven, Thal. He’s getting to be quite the young man right before my eyes,” he said to me with a smile.
“Wait, what? Seven? You’re only seven, Thal?” I asked.
“Yeah, why? How old did you think I was?”
“I thought you were close to my age. How can you be seven?” I was completely confused again.
“Well, you’re only seven and a half!” he exclaimed. “I know cuz your mom told me just before you came.”
“What? I’m fifteen, Thal!”
He choked and started laughing. “What? There is no way you could be fifteen! You’d be old! No offense, Dad.” Thal’s dad rolled his eyes at his son.
“Well, how old are Lyta and Otrere?”
“They’re eight,” Thal answered. Meanwhile, the twins were looking at me like I was nuts.
“Hold on, I think I know what’s happening here,” Thal’s dad interrupted. “It’s the difference in solar orbits. Doesn’t it take almost twice as long for Macawi to orbit the suns as it does for the Earth to orbit its sun?” We both looked at him blankly.
“One year here is two Earthan years,” he clarified. I blinked numbly at him for a minute.
“What?” I screeched.
I excused myself in a rush, aban
doning my dinner, and went in search of my mother, crutching around until I found her in her office, an empty plate on her desk.
“Were you talking Macawan years or Earth years?” I asked without preamble. She was scrolling her touch-screen wall map over vast reaches of desert with a worried look on her face. The desert seemed to be marked and blinking every couple of inches, showing predicted haratchi emergences. Micha was snoring softly on a dilapidated couch nearby.
“What?” she asked distractedly.
“When you said I could go home in a year,” I enunciated. “Did you mean Earth years or Macawan years?” She raised one eyebrow and pinned me with her gaze. I squared my shoulders and held her stare.
“A year on either planet means the length of time it takes for the planet to orbit the suns. You’re on Macawi now, Veridian. A year is 722 days. Earth years are so short, we could never afford to make the trip that often for supplies.”
“But that’s like two years for me!” I exclaimed. “I’m a gymnast! If I go that long without being able to train properly, I’ll lose everything I’ve worked for!”
“No one ever said you would be able to continue your sport here, Veridian,” she said, shaking her head. “In fact, I believe your father specifically discouraged you in that area,” she pointed out.
“But, I’m nationally ranked now! I should be training to make the Olympic team!”
“I understand how good you are, Veridian, and I’m proud of all that you accomplished on Earth. However, I’ve never understood why this was so important to you. All those tiny girls flipping through the air in sparkly leotards – why do you want to be one of them so badly?” she asked.
“I don’t just want to be one of them. I want to be the best! You don't get it because you were never there. I love gymnastics. It's like flying. Plus, all those jerks who say I’m too big or too tall or too heavy for gymnastics – they don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do!”
The Faarian Chronicles: Exile Page 19
