Lumen

by Joseph Eastwood

  “Him,” the man said, forcing Daniel to look down.

  The boy had a mass of dark blond hair sticking up and wrapped around his head. He looked up to see Daniel, and behind the off-white skin, it was Jasper. Jasper’s head collapsed back into the light, showing his glossy tear-stained face and a thin layer of grey sticky tape covering his mouth. Silent hums and screams came from behind it, but he only drove himself restless.

  “I don’t,” Daniel said.

  The man grinned; his white teeth clashing against his olive skin. “He’s the one who gave you that.” He pointed toward Daniel’s eye.

  Daniel’s eye started to swell and throb once again as he touched it. “No, I don’t want it.”

  “You want them both gone then?” he laughed.

  Daniel’s teeth ached, staring at Jasper in a lump at the man’s feet. Daniel shut his eyes and shook his head. It’s a dream, it’s a dream.

  “But, oh. How it’s not a dream,” the man said.

  “It is. It is.”

  Another whimper came from Jasper and then a cry. Daniel opened his eyes to see the man grabbing a handful of Jasper’s hair and teasing at the corner of the tape against his lips. He then gripped it and ripped it straight from his skin. Jasper tried to cower but his head was held up his hair wrapped around the man’s fingers.

  “You want him dead. Don’t act like this doesn’t make you happy. It’s who you are, like you should think any more of scum, there only purpose is to serve you,” he laughed.

  “Kill him. Do it,” Daniel said, and every muscle in his body felt a tight rip as if it had all been a test and he would be killed for even thinking of doing it.

  The man pulled a small ridged blade from a concealed holder on his belt. Daniel kept eye contact with him, and the man stared, toying with the blade in one hand, and Jasper’s knotted hair in the other.

  Jasper groaned, and Daniel took a look at him. One look did it all, the man let go of Jasper’s hair and then thrust the knife into his back, blood squirted up and splashed his face. Slowly, the blood soaked Jasper’s white clothes a nice rosy red.

  Daniel shut his eyes tightly and gulped at the trapped air inside his mouth. It lasted a moment of what forever would taste like. Harbouring the image inside to figure out what had just happened.

  “No,” Daniel voiced, falling to his hands and knees. A numb sensation rushed through his body and he couldn’t feel himself.

  Daniel opened his eyes and shot up. He was in bed, but none the less startled. His breathing slowed and he closed his eyes again, scarred by the emptiness in the black and the camouflage of the man’s eyes. He led back on the pillow, trying not to close his eyes or feel anything but the air around his body.

  He shivered beneath his duvet, cuddling up to his arms; he closed his eyes and only got colder.

  He was far from his bed; in fact he was far from his room. He stared ahead to see a girl standing on the edge, her wispy night-dress flapping against her legs. She sniffled, rubbing her nose against her arms.

  “H—hey,” Daniel said, and the girl turned around.

  Chapter Eleven

  Daniel wrapped his arms around himself, staring at the girl in her nightdress. She glared back at Daniel, who was only wearing a pair of pyjama bottoms.

  She looked away and wiped her eyes. “What do you want?”

  “W—where am I?” he asked, hunching his shoulders.

  “On the roof of the Lexar Hotel,” she said, jumping from the ledge to the roof and out of the floodlights.

  “Where’s that?”

  “New York,” she said, smiling.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know where that is.”

  She chuckled. “What’s your name?” she asked walking towards him.

  “Daniel, what’s—”

  “Hi, Daniel. I’m Mia,” she said, sticking her hand out.

  She was a couple of inches shorter than Daniel, but not so much that he had to look down. He shook her hand and glanced around. For all he knew it could’ve been another dream; it was dark, but he knew where he was, he was on the roof of the Lexar Hotel, New York.

  “So, where are you really from?” he asked.

  “London, but my dad got a new job here in New York, and we had to move. I hate it, I woulda jumped y’know. He doesn’t think about anyone else, I mean, he didn’t even ask me if I wanted to go, I would not have agreed. And my stepmom wouldn’t even let me speak up, she’s all like but your dad’s been workin’ towards this for ages, you knew it could have happened, so don’t look at me like that,” she said, gasping for air. She rolled her eyes and looked as though she was about to begin another short rant.

  “Oh,” Daniel said in confusion, “I’m from Templar Island, just moved to the Upperlands.”

  Mia grinned and started to laugh again. “Oh, well, you’re funny.”

  “Yeah,” he said, with an unsure sigh.

  “Oh my god, I bet you're freezing,” she said.

  “Just a little.”

  “You know, I was going to wear my dad’s overcoat—take something sentimental with me,” she said, grinning.

  “Hmm,” Daniel nodded.

  “Where’s Templar Island?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?” and then he suddenly realised that for whatever reason, he was no longer on the island, and of course it made sense, he’d known since he was little that there must be some place off the island. That meant something else, people who tried to sail away from the island or teleport, were often found dead by the next day, there was something about keeping the island a secret that he’d read in a book from the library. “Oh, it’s just a small place like there a chain of them, just, around.”

  “Like Hawaii?” she asked raising an eyebrow.

  “Hmm,” he nodded, “Hawaii.”

  She pursed her lips and eyed him through her squinting eyes. “How come you're so pale?”

  Daniel shrugged, glancing from his feet to her. He looked into her eyes; soft, powder blue and bloomed wide. His mouth was half-opened to speak, but stared in awe. “W—well, what are you doing up here?” he asked breaking their quiet bond.

  “To jump,” she said her face stern with a smile.

  “Would you?” he asked.

  She grinned and their gazes met. Daniel didn’t know what to do, he couldn’t smile at the thought of someone taking their own life, no, that was not the Templar way, nature took life. She then shook her head, and sniffled back a sob.

  “Don’t cry,” he said, fumbling with his hands, half-wanting to pat her back and the other half not wanting to do something wrong.

  “I’m not,” she snapped, shooting him a sharp look. She had black smudges around her eyes and trickles of black running down like her tears were black. “I know, I should get waterproof mascara, right, another thing wrong in my life,” she said, breaking out into a small fit of laughter.

  “Do you ever dream about free-falling off a tall building?” Daniel asked.

  “You mean skyscraper, a tall building just wouldn’t do. You’d splat,” she said clapping her hands together once in emphasis. Daniel grinned. “Come see the drop.” She grabbed a hold of his hand and pulled him to follow her.

  The Lexar Hotel was 40 floors high, and still it would’ve only taken them seconds to hit the ground. Daniel leaned over to see the street below; illuminated with incandescent yellow from the street lamps.

  “What are they?” Daniel asked, nodding to the road as cars sped down it.

  “Traffic. It’s appalling, I know,” she said.

  “No, not that. Those?”

  “Cars, taxis?” she asked, turning to him and wrinkling her face.

  Daniel met her expression and sucked in a deep breath. “Oh.” Of course, I’m not in Templar anymore. And those things, I’d only ever seen them in books about the Upperlands. “I’m just a little tired.”

  Mia grinned. “You’re strange, you know that.”

  Daniel glanced at her coyly. “I’ve seen some heights.”


  “None as big as this?” she asked, biting her lip.

  He grinned. “Well.”

  Mia gripped hold of Daniel’s hand and peered over the edge. Daniel choked back soft breathes as their palms clammed up, letting his arm go limp in her hand.

  He turned his head to cough before he spoke, and when he glanced back, her sapphire eyes, globed and glittered against the black night. “H—how often do you come up here?”

  “Every day,” she said, turning her head as she blinked to look away, “I usually come up here to watch the sunset. I know, it’s not the best view, but I pretend I can see it.” She pulled her hand out of Daniel’s and wrapped them around herself.

  “I’m surprised you can see it with the all the light.”

  She shot him a sly glance. “Yeah well, I preferred the view in London, it was amazing.” She broke out in a short abrupt giggle, “I actually get my friends to message me pictures. But, like now, when my friends are in bed, and I’m the only one awake. That’s when I don’t want to be here. I’d just end it.” She turned, and looked up to him, her eyes glossed over.

  Daniel could only let himself smile, praying she wouldn’t cry. Although he knew how she felt, he just couldn’t sympathise—she wanted to take her own life because she wasn’t someplace else, but he could go anywhere, he could take her anywhere.

  “I have to show you something,” Daniel said, standing with a large smile on his face.

  “I’m not that sort of person,” she snickered.

  Daniel couldn’t begin to break down what she’d eluded to, but apparently it had been funny. She was laughing and he smiled with her.

  Daniel grinned. “Close your eyes,” he said in a whisper.

  She raised an eye brow and repressed her lips from smiling. “Okay.” She closed her eyes.

  Daniel walked behind her. He turned, and took his t-shirt off and flung it beside a metal air vent. Just show her already, he thought, already shaking. He rolled his shoulder blades and his back cracked. He closed his eyes, and felt a heated sweat prickle over him. Everything become warm and blanketed him inside the heat.

  Daniel opened his eyes. He was lying deep within his duvet. He struggled at first, fumbling his way out, falling into a heap at the side of his bed. Another dream, he gritted his teeth and butted his lips white.

  “She was just a dream.” I want more of it, he sighed.

  He stood and threw himself on his bed. It felt more like home without the duvet, colder, but the air was still different. He fell to sleep pushing scenarios of being great in his first attacking and defence class.

  Chapter Twelve

  The next morning Daniel had gone for a run, showered, dressed and knocked on Taner’s door before people had even been kicked by their caffeine spikes.

  “Are you going to tell me what happened then?” Taner asked, handing Daniel a tray at the canteen and then taking one himself.

  “I just fainted. There really isn’t that much to say. And I’m not up for breakfast,” Daniel replied, trying to give him the tray back.

  “You have to eat. Or you’ll faint again, and because it’s our first class on how to use energy, like really use it, you need it!”

  “And this class is the only one where you can test your power, and show the rest of the school what you can do,” Daniel said and moved down the aisle, taking back his tray. “Y’know, people like Jasper, that’s how they get their reputation.”

  “Yeah, and –”

  “No, they showed people what they could do. Hell, I felt it first hand, didn’t I?” Daniel grinned and picked up a plate with a toasted bun and put it on his tray.

  “S’pose so, and I heard that the class is integrated with the second and third years, and they even match us up against ‘em,” Taner said, moving along to an empty table.

  “Really? What for?” Daniel asked in a fit of need.

  “Power classes. You from what’s been going around will be at the top end. You know you don’t get a flare like that for nothing.”

  Everyone knows. I bet it’s gone around that I fainted as well and it will only be too soon before people start talking about where I’m from. Then I’ll have nobody to talk to. His stomach grumbled as he buttered his toast.

  Daniel raised the toast to his lips, and he saw her, the blonde girl who’d spoke to him yesterday, sitting there on a table a few tables back, she was alone and staring at him. He lowered his toast and a knock of nausea contemplated waving her over, and then two others joined her, Jasper and Mark, Jasper kissed her on her lips, and then she winked at Daniel.

  “Who you lookin’ at?” Taner asked and turned. “Carlie’s bad news, she’s Jasper’s girlfriend.”

  “She’s not like him though. She looks like the only nice one. She’s probably only in it for the power trip. I mean, she could have anyone right, and chooses the guy who just happens to be a leader,” Daniel said, glancing back and forth.

  “Daniel,” Taner interrupted.

  “Huh?” Daniel turned, a tall kid stood at the end of the table. “Yeah?”

  The boy coughed several times. “Mr Croft would like to speak with you immediately,” he said and then left.

  Daniel turned around to the heated stares on him, but not many had heard him from the clatter of pots and pans by the kitchen staff. He turned around to the smiling face of an elderly woman with a ladle in her hands.

  “Why?” Taner asked.

  Daniel shrugged. “Probably how I feel, I did faint yesterday y’know.”

  “Yeah, and you said that you were feeling better.”

  “Maybe he cares.”

  “Yeah, sure. He’s prolly just covering his back, insurance an’ all.” Taner grinned; the whiff of a scandal seemed enough to make him forget about warning him against Carlie.

  “I’ll see you in class then.”

  When Daniel watched as quivering people walked out of Reuben’s office he wasn’t sure what he’d done. Reuben had been nice to him, and he enjoyed reassuring himself that with each step he took..

  Daniel knocked twice, and each knock echoed in the small hallway of the third floor.

  “Come in!” a voice boomed, shaking Daniel, almost to rap his knuckles on the door again.

  Daniel twisted the brass handle and the door swung open. Reuben was seated; his elbows on his desk and his reading glasses perched on the end of his nose. He glanced over them briefly to make eye contact.

  “You wanted to see me,” Daniel said and then approached the sofa.

  Reuben immediately flicked his wrist and the sofas popped; they became thick, hard wooden chairs. “Take a seat.” Daniel took the offer, wiping his hands on his pants and trying to smile. “So, Daniel. Why do you think I’ve summoned you here today?”

  “I fainted yesterday?” Daniel asked.

  Reuben grinned; he took his glasses off, staring into Daniel’s eyes, he glanced away to his fingers toying with the frame. He shook his head slowly, “I’m a little disappointed in you.”

  “Me?” Daniel’s face flushed red and he bit his lip to stop himself from panting.

  “You broke a fundamental rule. Not once, but twice now. You’ve been leaving the campus. The first was Tuesday, and then I’m woken late last night to a call of another breach.”

  “Last night?” Daniel voiced from a gasp. It was real? I met Mia last night? I knew it! He smiled haphazardly.

  “This is not a grinning matter, Mr Satoria,” Reuben growled and grasped a hold of his glasses frame harder.

  “No, sir.”

  “Good. Are you going to tell me where you were then?”

  “Yes, sir,” he said, holding a hand up to his mouth to cough. “On Tuesday I went home, I went to see my friend.”

  “And did you receive any permission to leave the grounds?” he asked and Daniel shook his head. “And what about last night?” and Daniel shook his head again. “Your whereabouts last night?”

  Daniel shrugged. “On a skyscraper, I woke from this nightmare and
then, and then I was there. I thought it was still part of my dream. But you just said it wasn’t.” Daniel looked up to see a lax expression across Reuben’s face, and then a smile.

  “Ah it would’ve just been The City, an awfully cramped and busy place. You may leave,” Reuben said, smiling again as he pushed his glasses back on.

  Daniel rushed off to his class on the second floor. The class had already started and the door was closed. He took a couple of deep breaths and wiped the sweat from his palms on his pants. Be confident, now, he told himself as he opened the door. There was a loud squeak and everyone turned around to see him walk in.

  “Our first challenger,” the teacher said, throwing his hands up.

  Challenger? Daniel asked, glancing around the room in search of Taner.

  “Let’s welcome Daniel to the stage, guys!” the teacher, Rik parted the crowd to a large white square in the middle of the room. “Mark, make your way to the stage as well.”

  Daniel took one look at Mark and realised just who he was, Jasper’s friend. Mark stood in one corner, his chest puffed out as the class cheered him on. Daniel was yet to receive any words of encouragement.

  Rik pushed through to the white stage. “The aim of this game,” he began.

  Game? Daniel thought, rolling his eyes. This is one funny game.

  “You have to affect your opponent physically, without touching them. Although you may use techniques which value motion and allow you to manipulate your energy much easier. You may quit, but you will lose. If you step out off the stage, you lose. And if you come into contact with your opponent, then you lose,” Rik explained. “You both got that?” They nodded at Rik and then Mark stared at Daniel.

  Daniel scanned the stage, his first thought had been the only trick Jac had taught him, but he couldn’t do that here. He couldn’t mix the Divides, he didn’t even know what it did. It could kill.

  “He can go first, he’s a first year,” Mark said.

  “Okay, Daniel, you will start, you get one move, and then it’s Mark’s go. Don’t forget to block, this class is about being able to defend against an attack as well. Start when you’re ready,” he said, “and guys, try not to scuff the floor, only just had it repainted.”