by Marc Mulero
“Lastly: Eres, no one can see you go to the bathroom. Boys go standing up mostly through their… parts. You have only one way of excreting. Don’t let anyone see or know.”
Here it came again, a rush of emotion, the feeling of not belonging. Something was terribly wrong with him. He knew it.
“Can I go?” His voice a desperate whisper.
“Go,” Lorfa allowed.
Eres bolted out of his seat and up the stairs. He felt as if there were bats flying around inside his stomach, clashing against his insides while a cruel hand twisted his organs. Every instinct since the first question he’d asked told him that something was amiss. Why couldn’t he play with others, or go beyond the forest? What was so dreadful that he had to stay trapped inside, here? Well, now he knew, it was him…
As soon as the door to the bathroom slammed shut behind him, tears rolled. He fell to his knees and caught himself on two delicate fists. Mouth open and heaving for air, he raised his head to a full-length mirror staring back at him. His amber eyes trembled behind curtains of silk. One hand hesitantly pushed a drape behind his ear, revealing that one of his T marks was no longer there. Before today he hadn’t really thought his scars ugly. But seeing one now, not balanced by the other, triggered another opinion to arise: that they were hideous. He got back to his feet and rolled up his shirt over his head, tossing it and staring blankly at his boyish, slender frame that was contradicted by the feminine features of his face. Come to think of it, Agden, nor any of the other visitors in his short life shared the look that he had. It was so clear that he possessed features of both sexes, but it never clicked before that day – he always thought it was because of his youth. He still had time to grow. But, if Ooma was right, and there was an All-Mother… then she perverted his existence. And society was about to remind him, over and over again.
Eres dropped his flowy pants and stepped out of them, thinking back to ellosay, and which gender had what. When he stared down to where his slender legs met, he saw none of it. Just a blank slate of skin continuing up to his belly button like an unfinished statue.
After his self-assessment, Eres tucked himself in a corner and curled into a ball. He wept until it was night, until he couldn’t bear it any longer, until sleep came to claim him.
Chapter 4
The Journey Out
Eres awoke with a cover swaddling him up to his neck. He was still curled up in the corner of the bathroom that he’d crawled into, but didn’t remember having a blanket. His hair was greasy, much like his father’s was when he had emerged from the storm. Eyes were blurry with sleep, ears muffled from a seemingly endless dream state, and when he tried to move, it felt like the weight of a thousand bocktali had crushed his bones.
“Ughh,” he grunted, struggling to roll over so he wasn’t facing the wall.
His body suffered from the anguish that had blown his mind hours before. It was as if he’d sprung a leak internally, releasing paralyzing chemicals that drained him in every respect. Not knowing what he truly was, or who to relate to, or how he was going to go to school like this - with a disguise – the doubt coursed through his veins like poison. How would he ever find acceptance like this? The morning prior, he’d hoped that his encounters were real, but today, he would do almost anything to make last night a figment of his imagination; it was unfortunate that all he had to do was think of ellosay and then look down to know that it wasn’t.
When his senses returned, he heard a faint snore humming above him and craned his neck. A hard blink made it feel like sandpaper was on the inside of his eyelids, but then his vision cleared to see Ooma dead asleep above him. She was seated over the toilet, head hunched, filling up like a balloon and deflating with every snoring breath. An awkward snort sounded followed by a spastic kick, her slipper finding the back of Eres’ head.
“Ow…” He grimaced.
“Goodness, goodness.” Her voice scratched as she startled awake. “What time is it? Come!” She reached down to hoist Eres up, keeping one hand on the blanket to sustain his privacy.
“Too early,” he groaned, dragging his words.
“I knew I never should have let you start sleeping late. Lazy boy!”
“Boy, huh?” He scoffed at her.
Ooma stopped short in the hallway and ran a wrinkly hand through Eres’ hair, staring in silence to let his words melt away in the air. “I know last night was difficult, Eres, but you are strong,” she balled two fists to show strength, “and wise. No succumbing to the cruelty of others. Don’t let it seep into that head of yours, because then you will grow cruel yourself. That is not the way of our people. Remember… you are Umboro, you will exist with grace.”
“Should I exist as a liar, too?”
A swift hand found the back of Eres’ head, the second time in minutes that he’d been whacked by his ooma.
Her lips pursed into a hard line. “When you grow old, you’ll cherish these years. Every soul deserves their stint of innocence. Mustae bless you.” She shook her head and grabbed him from under his arm.
Eres rolled his eyes and felt heat rush into his face from being disciplined so early in the day. Then he felt himself lurch forward from Ooma’s push, where he nearly tripped over his feet.
“Get dressed and hurry.” She pointed to her ear before turning around.
“Why even bother giving me privacy? There’s nothing to see,” he spat back.
“Shh!” Lorfa snapped her tongue in disdain.
He begrudgingly put on his nicest pair of travel pants, and then scoured to find a quiet shirt so he could hopefully fade into the background, huffing all the way around his room.
“You’re to take your map and travel due west. The path is hilly… and long, but it is safe. Your mota and fata built this place when he became boundless for many reasons, one of which was its proximity to an incredible academy. For you, Eres; your protection and betterment were always at the front of their minds.”
He sneered in response while rolling up his sleeves. His hair was strangely untangling itself as he swished around the room, and before another minute went by, those greasy curtains were flowing again like they’d been washed.
“I can’t follow you on your commute,” her little legs were wobbling under her gown, “so you have to be careful… plesus. Stay the path, eyes glued to your live map, and you will know when you arrive at Kor Vinsánce. Once you’re in order, I will show you where it is. It’s a straight shot, Eres. I know you’re irritated with me from last night and you feel betrayed, but don’t make this old woman worry, I beg you.”
“I’ll be fine, Ooma. I’ve been through the forest a thousand times. What could be more dangerous than that?” he spoke to the floor as he poked around for anything else he may have wanted to take, all while Lorfa’s eyes followed him.
She was silent, taking in the view of what she cherished most in the world, and how much he’d grown. “People,” she finally whispered.
“Hmm?” Eres looked up.
She cleared her throat as his eyes found hers. “You have time for a wash if you want.”
“Naw,” he sniffed his underarm, “I’m clean.”
“Fine. You have to know what you’re walking into, sie?”
“Mm,” he murmured, still listening.
“To the outside world, you have no last name. You grew up in an orphanage with ten other brothers and sisters. Sie? If anyone asks, you say you don’t want to talk about it. Now… where do you live?”
He instinctively jerked his head back as Lorfa reached forward to cradle it. “P… Pouisum, right past Dolseir.”
“Good, boy.” She dove into her pocket to retrieve the already mixed masking tools so she could conceal his other mark. “Every month we will need to remove and reapply this mask. You can barely feel it, no?”
Eres breathed out a sigh and lethargically said, “Don’t feel a thing.”
“It’s not itchy?”
“No.”
She smiled and gently slapped his fac
e when she was done blending. “You’re going to do just fine today. It’s Meeting Day after all. Every Kor does this.”
The name of the event made him both excited and nervous. He’d never met another person his age. Everyone was always older – judging, teaching, speaking in a dumbed down manner. It was exhausting since Eres was keen to all of it.
“So, what do I have to do?”
“Just show up. Proctors will be in the building setting up for tomorrow. Students will explore the grounds and befriend one another. It’s a fun day.” She backed up to take a good look at her grandchild. “Beautiful and handsome at the same time.”
“That’s weird.”
“Special, I would say.”
His eyebrows sarcastically raised as he dug into his pocket and pulled out his map.
“Hold on. A few tips before I send you on your way.” Lorfa winced, her legs looking like they were about to buckle. Her hand helplessly grasped for something to hold on to, until fingertips found a wall. She steadied herself, closing her wrinkled eyes tightly before inching her way to the nearest chair.
Eres jumped forward to help, but she nodded to say she was okay.
“Shh, shh, I’m fine. I just need my staff.” She held up a hand to settle Eres down. “As I was saying, the studies I’ve provided would put you at year-seven of Kor. Make sure that you take the appropriate syllabus today, sie?”
“Mhm.”
“No one is going to supervise you, Eres. Beyond year-three, proctors are no longer responsible for a student’s attendance… that’s on you. Young people disband from Kors all the time – some on year-four, others on year-twenty. It’s up to you how much or little of an academic you want to be.”
“I want to be what my fata is…”
“No, Eres, you don’t want to be boundless.”
“I feel like I already am! My whole life!” he defended. “I can handle it.”
“It’s not something to want. Don’t be a fool.”
“A Skrol, then,” Eres hissed. “I want to be a Skrol.”
“That, is something to strive for. It is the best part of your fata. I can guide you on what subjects to focus on so you can begin the path early.”
A smirk began to form for the first time all morning. “Dela?”
“Dela,” Lorfa promised, offering her hand, “now give it here.”
Eres felt unusually warm around his neck and behind his ears. Had Ooma seen what his father had given him? Was his impeller going to be confiscated before even being able to use it once? He’d been looking forward to testing it so much that now that this prospect was threatened, his flight response was kicking in, his heart pounding against his chest. Alarms were going off internally, but he remained frozen.
She beckoned again with a veiny hand. “The map, aga mu tos map.”
Eres exhaled deeply, and then looked down to his fist clenching two black rods. Ooma was too busy inching her chair closer to notice his abrupt panic, and when she found the map touching her held out hand, she whipped it open and tugged Eres to sit next to her. Old fingers swiped and poked as fast as Agden’s had when he was showing Eres the landmarks of Ingora. He looked on again intently, remembering what his father had told him:
“This device holds a world of knowledge. Study it. Know the realms of our people,” he recalled.
He traced the path going west, trees and shrubbery of Dolseir on one side, endless tangled vines protruding from the ground on the other. The path was curved, winding like a snake’s body, but clear. And at the end of it was Kor Vinsánce, pulsing in black and blue.
Lorfa zoomed in and clicked on the castle-esque fortress, causing it to pop out and leave the rest of the map faded, followed by fast-scrolling information:
Kor Vinsánce – Umboro territory
Academy of high reputation open freely to its native Umboro Faction and, more limitedly, to outside Factions with selective acceptance and proper credentials. Vinsánce’s enrollment is said to be kept within reason due to its secluded location, and is also known for its practical application of debatably theoretical subjects.
Noteworthy statistics:
66% of attendants pass year-twelve and go on to lead successful careers within a studied specialty
7% of attendants pass year-twenty and go on to executive positions within their field
13% of students are from outside territories, which is 5% higher than the global average
Philosophy:
Treasure is best discovered, not handed down.
She clicked through the image too fast for Eres to digest, and before he knew it, his chin was being lifted to focus on his ooma.
“I can no longer pretend you’re a child, Eres. It’s difficult for me, Mustae forgive me, but I am so very proud. Be great today, sie? Don’t be shy, nor arrogant, nor weak, or stubborn.”
“Be graceful.” He finished her sentence, causing her eyes to light up. “For I am Umboro. I will earn the name Way, Ooma, you’ll see.”
She pressed her forehead to his and whispered, “You already have.”
Eres watched her cautiously rise from the seat and hobble towards his room’s doorway.
“Meet me in the front in five minutes so I can see you off on your first day of young adulthood.” A serene smile stretched across her face as she turned away. Eres imagined a frown taking its place when her back was to him.
Two steps at a time, Eres bowled down the stairs with his messenger bag slung over one shoulder. With hair pulled back into a shimmering ponytail, slightly pointed ears exposed, and the grogginess of sleep lifted from his expression, he stepped confidently to the front door.
His ooma patted him hard as if to say, “Be strong,” and then kissed him on the temple.
“Two hours of travel west, Eres. Stay the course, and don’t you dare come back a minute after suns’ fall.”
“Sie, Ooma. I have all of my supplies and remember everything you taught me. I’ll be fine.”
Lorfa nodded and removed her hand from his shoulder to let him go, like a young bird leaving the nest. Little did she know that wasn’t so far from the truth.
And so Eres was off, jogging lightly on the western path of crystal spattered dirt. He turned around once to see his ooma looking on from the cabin where he’d spent all of his life. Watching its walls breathe softly in the wind made him already miss its comfort. A sense of adventure was everything he’d ever yearned for after memorizing his favorite book and watching his father descend from the sky, but it was still frightening. The unknown was ahead of him. Kor Vinsánce, somewhere miles beyond.
Hours later, when he looked back again to see that there was nothing but the winding trail that he’d been walking for what felt like days, he knew that the coast was clear to finally pull out his impeller. Still though, it made him nervous. The promise he made his father to keep it secret made him spin around a couple more times to be sure that he was very much alone. And when there was certainty that to his left were the critters circling the vines, and fansas hopping between trees in the forest to his right, he faced the three suns rising like an arrow deep in the horizon.
His heart fluttered, face tingling with adrenaline as he scrutinized the spiral-shaped contraption in his hand. All dials were checked to make sure they were in permitted limits: five degrees raised and thirty feet of wind burst. He was ready, carefully keeping the angle perfectly static as he straightened his arms behind his back, just as Agden had demonstrated. His finger massaged the knob without applying any pressure. The lead up was exhilarating. His breathing stopped in anticipation.
With air caught in his chest, Eres jammed the button down. Almost immediately, the sound of a machine powering up polluted the serene space, one that he imagined would’ve come from a much larger gadget than the one that fit snuggly in his palms. Wind began to tickle his back. He got scared, lurched slightly before the pulse detonated. And when it did, his aim was off. A burst of force caused his head and limbs to jerk back, chest puffed forward and ey
es widened like he had just taken off in a rocket ship. But the pressure was uneven. Before he could even realize it, little popping noises echoed in his ear, one for each vertebra in his back. His feet lifted off the ground as he was pulled forward. He was flying for less than a second before bad placement sent him spinning, arms flailing, fingers clutched tightly around his most prized treasure.
Fifteen feet later he skidded off the path like a rock skipping over the ocean. Each touchdown was accompanied by a loud thud. His knee crashed down first, then arms spun into the dirt, kicking up clouds of dust all around him. On and on he rolled into thorny vines that punishingly caught his fall. His back slowly peeled off prickly spikes until a mouthful of dirt was scratching against his teeth.
He laid there silently while reflecting on the experience. He was still conscious, but some of his skin felt raw as wind brushed up against it. Parts of his mouth were dry from the dirt absorbing his saliva. Arms and legs ached and his back felt loose like bones were swimming in place. He was scared to move, but when his senses caught up to him, he jolted upward and shook his head clear of dizziness.
Again. Again!
An ear-to-ear smile crept up his face – that was the most exhilarating experience he’d ever had. It didn’t matter if his skin was torn up, or that his ears were ringing perpetually, because he had finally discovered what he was meant to do: fly.
“Forget Kor, I just want to do this all day,” he whispered to his impeller, staring down at it.
Eres attempted to rise, but with the first slight twist of his body, the sting of ten needles shot up his side and left him to fall back on his bottom. He froze in place, eyes forward in fear of looking at the wound. The elation he’d felt fled, for he was miles away from anyone or anything that could help, and if something had impaled him, he was dead in the water. Ooma would kill him twice if he died here. He held his breath before tracing ribs with slender fingers. His toes curled as he bit his lip in tension, panicked that something large was stuck in him, but every spike on his smooth skin was small, and quickly snatched out. He winced, but lucky for him, this wasn’t the first time he found himself at odds with the vines of Jungoo. The desolate miles of intertwined spiky roots the width of trees was one of his two playgrounds for the entirety of his childhood. It was nothing. A few scratches that would earn him a whack of his ooma’s cane; it’d be worth it now.
