Lumen

by Joseph Eastwood

  “Beautiful,” he mumbled as he saw the next town, Mirau.

  He stared down from the clouds, hovering outside the town. There was a house in the centre; a huge house made from white square-cut bricks, the only building of its kind. The other houses were smaller but bigger than any building he’d seen in the Lowerlands. By the white house was a grey stone fountain where families were sat around on the grass, playing games and eating.

  Daniel gripped at his stomach, watching the families as they sat on the greenest of grasses. He could hear their laughter echoing up to him. He grinned and took a deep breath before hurrying over the city.

  It wasn’t long before he reached the Centrelands, most notably the only part of Templar that was lifeless; grey, drab, dull, except for the tree that had grown beside his house, and the moss and the ivy that sometimes grew on the walls up the rock face.

  Daniel snapped back, almost going past his home, a clinch in his throat stopped him, and his wings batted backwards. He found his regular landing spot and let himself free fall, aiming for it. The gush hit his face and pushed all of his hair up, and as he landed a wave of pain touched his feet. He looked down to see the dried blood still in the dirt.

  “Daniel?” his father questioned, panting as the front door whooshed open.

  “Dad!” Daniel shouted, his wings shot back inside of him with a ripple to his body. He pulled out his t-shirt and put it on.

  “You’ve been gone a week. In fact less than a week, why are you back?” his father chuckled softly.

  “If you don’t wanna know how it’s going I’ll just talk to mum, or go see Jac.”

  His father opened his arms and Daniel hugged him.

  “Getting stronger as well,” his father said, letting go.

  “Where’s mum? Thought she’d be out already,” he said.

  “She’s working again. In fact she’s been working since you left. She needed something to fill her time, especially after all the special looking after you’ve needed,” they both shared a laugh.

  Daniel’s father closed the door behind them, and then sat in his chair; it had an open book on the arm. The house was dusty and streams of it could be seen in the light. It didn’t feel like home anymore. Daniel shoved his hands into his pockets and took a seat, looking around the room. He didn’t feel like he could go into the kitchen and make a snack, and there was a strange sensation of wanting to knock before entering.

  “So. Have you seen Jac?” Daniel asked, sharing an uncomfortable stare with his father.

  “Not lately, but your mother saw him the other day, and he said you’d been to see him. Oh, and that he’s gone on some chase for a panther,” he snickered, “who’d have thought he’d lose his mind already. Guess that’s what the Lowerlands does though.”

  Daniel smiled, but he couldn’t imagine Jac going after the panther, more like hiding from it, or trying to find out who he was. “School’s good,” he said, “although they made a big deal about my flare.”

  His father’s face straightened and he pushed forward, hunching with unease. “How so?”

  “Well it’s gold,” Daniel said.

  His father’s eyes widened and he sat back. “Oh well, the Satoria bloodline has always been prophesied for good things,” he boasted, “my grandfather told me a story about his father who gave it all up for a girl, she was from the Lowerlands, but he used to change it every time he told it.” He grinned, and stared straight ahead, his eyes glazing over in recollection.

  That was the first time Daniel had ever heard any stories about his great-grandfather and he wanted to hear more, and ask more, but the upset look on his father’s face told him to do otherwise.

  “When’s mum gonna be back?”

  “Late, I think. If you’d have sent us a letter, then we could’ve made you something to take back with you,” his father said, “well your mum would’ve.”

  They both fell silent. “Dad?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What’s off the Island?” he asked and saw the question send shivers up his father’s spine, neck and crackle red in his cheeks.

  “The outside world was another one of my grandfather’s stories, he often told me how he didn’t come from this island, but another, a huge other, one where we’re a dot in comparison,” his father said, staring at his fidgeting fingers, “they can’t harness or have any energy off the island. And apparently, Satoria is the namesake of Saturn, one of the seven founders who unleashed our capabilities all those generations ago. Or that’s what I was told.”

  Daniel took that into account as another reason Jasper hated him. “So why don’t people just come and go from Templar if we’re the only ones who can use these energies?”

  “Hidden, perhaps. And rumours say that if you go off to some other land then you’d die, or be killed by the guards, but they’re just rumours. Our existence to them is fairy-tale.”

  Yeah, rumours. Daniel strictly remembered the fury on Reuben’s face when he’d confronted him about being off campus that night when he met Mia, which he still couldn’t remember how he got there.

  “Can we teleport off the island?” Daniel asked.

  His father grinned. “This sure is some serious talk. I suppose so. Have they taught you that yet?”

  Daniel shook his head. “But I did it once by accident. And now I’m confused.”

  “That’s because it’s instinct, I was never taught at a school like yours, in fact it was all a learning curve for me. I am glad that you’re there though,” he said.

  “I don’t like it there,” Daniel mumbled.

  His father laughed. “It’s for a better life. And by the sound of it, you’re getting along okay. Reuben is a very famous man; he doesn’t just admit anyone to his school.”

  “Oh he does,” Daniel laughed, thinking about Taner and how he behaved when he’d first saw him, and then with a punch to his stomach the thought of Carlie, but it wasn’t a savouring thought, she turned any thought sour. “And the food is awful.”

  “I’ll make you something then,” his father said as Daniel grinned.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Daniel couldn’t get Mia out of his mind, but she wasn’t from Templar Island, and searching for her would be suicide, especially if it meant going off the island again.

  As soon as he got into his room, he pulled his hood down and grabbed the laptop from beneath his bed. His father had told it him that it was just like the computer he’d used in the library to search for books. It took a while to load. But when it did he loaded the internet and searched for New York.

  I’m sorry, the page which you are looking for is out of bounds. Please redirect your search. He read the words, over and over. He then typed ‘skyscraper’ into the bar at the top of a search bar and waited, drumming his fingers on the plastic of the laptop. Over 50 million results came in; he clenched his teeth, knowing full well that two hours wouldn’t be enough. He just wanted to see her.

  He clicked on ‘images’ to see if one of them could spark what he had seen. “C’mon, c’mon,” he said scrolling. One huge glass tower after another, some of them twisted against grey skies while others reflected sunsets.

  Ten minutes of clicking and manipulating the images on the screen to fit what he’d seen, and he’d almost lost the image in his head. He closed his eyes, it’s intuitive, he repeated to himself, recollecting her, her face, small and oval, and her brown hair and the stray bit at the side which she stroked behind her ears, and how she smelled of coconuts. His eyelids flickered as he tried to savour it.

  Mia watched the pink and orange fluffy marshmallow clouds shift across the dark skyline, and trail past the small crescent moon anchored in the stars. A crackle caught her ears; she gasped and hooked her hand around the handle of the closed picnic basket.

  She stifled a shriek as she watched Daniel materialise right in front of her. Stress voiced itself at the back of her throat, mixed with disbelief and reinforced with blinking.

  “Mia?” Daniel sai
d, rocking on the balls of his feet.

  She glared, her knuckles turning white from the grasp she had on her basket. “What the hell are you?”

  “I don’t know, what do you mean?”

  “Well you weren’t here a second ago, and now you are! You just appeared!” she said, gasping for breath and flailing her arms around in the air.

  They both fell silent together as neither knew what to say next. Daniel smiled and Mia couldn’t take her eyes off him. She shot him a quizzical look and her lips parted, ready to question away, instead she patted a free spot on the blanket for him to sit. Daniel knelt on the corner, apprehensive of the quirk in her eye.

  “Do you want a drink?” she asked, opening the picnic basket up.

  “Yeah,” he replied in a squeak and smiled, clearing his throat.

  She grinned and handed him a carton of orange juice with a straw.

  “How long have you been up here for?” he asked.

  “Every night since we met, I did my homework up here the other night,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “The same reason why I’m not trying to stick a stake through your chest, because you’re -,”

  “Whoa. I’m not a vampire,” he butted in.

  “Oh, god, I know that, but now I’m worrying,” she smirked, sucking on the straw in her carton. “You’re different, that’s what I was going to say. And you’re not from around here.”

  “No, in fact, I’m still not all too sure where here is.”

  “Yeah, well, me either. I hate it.” She rolled her eyes. “Can I give you my phone number?” she asked, glancing at Daniel’s unsure look, “you do have a phone right?”

  Daniel pulled the phone from his pocket, he’d not really bothered with it, but he took it everywhere. “I don’t really get technology. It’s still new.”

  “It’s fine, I’ll put my number in,” she said taking Daniel’s phone from his hands. “It’s a touchscreen, and you’re new to technology. I can’t say I’ve seen this model before either.”

  Daniel shrugged. “It was a gift.”

  “Whoever gave you this must be some person,” she said and snorted, “I mean, like amazing, it looks like it came straight from the manufacturer.”

  “The same person admitted me to his prestigious school, it’s a great school, he says that I’m really talented, although that’s not always good,” he grinned.

  “I can see you’re talented, and I suppose people would get jealous,” Mia said, “but surely if everyone knew about you then there’d be a worldwide search for the guy who can appear wherever he wants. You’re a national threat,” she giggled.

  “I hope it’s nothing too serious,” he grinned.

  Mia settled and looking from her phone to Daniel’s. “Why’s your time different?” she asked, pushing the screen up into his face.

  “Why, what time do you make it?”

  “Nearly seven,” she said, “and you make it almost one.”

  Daniel took his phone back off her and pushed it into his pocket. He touched her hand, and she smiled at him. He pulled his hand away as he felt tiny throbs in the end of his fingertips, fighting with himself to breathe properly.

  “Do you ever just sit here and watch the sunset?” he asked.

  “That was the plan,” she sniggered.

  “Plan?” he asked, catching a glimpse of her eye.

  “Picnic and sunset,” she said, “I did it all the time when I was at home. With family.”

  “You can still picnic together.”

  She shook her head and shunned her eyes. “It’s awkward, she’s like twenty-three or something, and he’s nearly thirty-six. She would have been seven when I was born,” she said, crinkling her nose.

  “On Templar, we don’t marry. We exchange something far greater than words, although there are words involved in that ceremony,” he explained.

  “What? Go on, tell me. What is it?” she asked perking up and sitting on her knees.

  “I don’t know, that’s all I’ve been told,” he replied, “my parents wouldn’t tell me, and it’s not a big deal really, I’m only sixteen.”

  “I don’t want to marry full stop, but at least you won’t cheat,” she laughed.

  Daniel nodded. “That’s another thing, whatever it is that’s shared keeps the two of them together forever, there’s just no arguing. My mum told me that sometimes they have the same dreams.”

  “You’re gonna have to take me there. In fact, I’ll just Google it.”

  “I don’t think you’d find it. I’m rather lucky to be there in the first place,” he grinned.

  Mia rolled her eyes at him. “Oh, do you want food?” she asked, showing him the plastic food boxes in the basket.

  “What have you got?”

  Mia started picking plastic boxes out of the basket and placing them in a row for him to see. There were grapes, labelled ‘grapes: seedless’ and two boxes with sandwiches labelled ‘Ham’ and the other ‘Cheese’, and beside them were two apples wrapped inside plastic.

  “I have chocolate for dessert,” she said.

  They ate, Daniel more nervous than hungry, but he ate. Performing little tricks like throwing grapes into the air and catching them in his mouth. Mia couldn’t do it for some reason, although Daniel knew exactly why, because he kept pushing them away.

  “Stop it—whatever you’re doing,” she said and playfully hit his shoulder and then gripped his arm, “oh, you’re so muscly,” she giggled.

  Daniel blushed, it was the first comment he’d ever received from a girl, the exception being his mother, but then again, that had never been about the shape he was in, or how strong he was. He smiled, and she went in closer, he watched her close her eyes and pucker her lips. But he couldn’t. He pulled away and stood.

  “Um. I best be going. I have this thing that I need to get to at school. So phone me,” he said, panting. He closed his eyes and turned, wanting to take one lasting look at her, but before he could blink and snap the photo, a cold explosion rendered him to his hands and knees, crawling on the floor in his dorm room.

  Several loud thumps accompanied the ache in his head, and again, louder this time. “You in there?” Taner shouted from the other side of the door.

  Daniel glanced up, confused about why Taner would sound angry, unless Jasper had done something to him this time. “Yeah,” Daniel replied, climbing to his feet.

  “I’ve been knocking for like ten minutes,” he said.

  Daniel unlocked his door and Taner stood there glaring into his eyes, his face puffed up and red.

  “Are you okay?” Daniel asked.

  “No. You lied, you’re Lowerlands scum!”

  “Scum? Scum!” Daniel bridged the gap between them, he was a little taller than Taner, “I’m scum?” he asked, staring into Taner's eyes and clenching his hands into fists for when he'd burst and start attacking.

  Taner stuttered. “Yeah.” He continued, “and a liar. You said you were rich. I bet you stole those things, didn’t ya!”

  “Shut up, and go away. Who are you trying to intimidate?” Daniel asked, his fingers urging to prod Taner in his puffed out chest and then laugh at how he’d followed him around like a lost puppy. He didn’t want Taner to reply, if he did, he wouldn’t contain himself, he promised that, something touched a nerve, not only did he disapprove of Taner’s actions to the carriage staff, but he brought Lowerlands into it and they were his family.

  Taner started to stutter again but before he could string any sentences together Daniel pushed passed, shutting his door. He hurried to the end of the hall, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, listening to the slow footsteps coming up from behind. Daniel found his chest tingle and his breath cold, making him shiver, he unclenched his fists and pulled both the doors to a close, summoning delicate strands of energy and tying them around the handles.

  “You’re going to be late for the assembly,” Daniel laughed as Taner pushed himself up against the doors, rattling them slightly
and shouting something that was now muffled behind the glass.

  Daniel sat in the middle of the assembly, watching as people filled up the seats around him. He kept an eye on the door and choked on a breath when he saw Taner walking in with Jasper, Mark and Carlie. Jasper glanced right at him, a smug grin on his face and a curl to his lip. Daniel kept his eyes forward after that.

  “The first week of the semester has passed, and quite frankly you’ve all passed that all important first test, so well done. Unlike previous years no students have been sent home, well there are a few who’ve asked to go home for a visit but nobody has thought of quitting altogether. Probably because this year’s hand-select students are the most special by far,” Reuben said loudly, shuffling a couple of notes at the podium.

  He stumbled slightly and left his post, tapping Chey on the shoulder to take it up. She glanced through the cards and wiped a hand through her hair, coughing into a fist before speaking. “As many of you know, this school also offers other lessons and activities to aide and develop current skills, such as learning about the Divides and how to use them to your own advantage. How to call on the seven Luminary presences, and even which ones you should prayer to. Perhaps you’re an altruist and want to learn about medicines to help people, or learn about plants, gardening and that stuff,” she said, glancing back at Reuben who nodded. “I don’t think there’s anything else that anyone wants to discuss. There will be several piles of leaflets in the foyer, return any slips, forms et cetera to the teacher who is offering the activity as it is first come, first serve.” She turned to leave the stand, but the assembly hall was still quiet. She grinned, “you may leave, and all first years must take their first year pin, these must be worn.”