by P. J. Hoover
“Welcome to the Summer Solstice Ability Trials,” Selene Deimos said. She might as well have been speaking a couple yards away from Benjamin she was so loud and clear. “I’m pleased everybody could join us.”
“We have taken the privilege of altering the weather slightly to provide for a more enjoyable day,” Helios said.
“It’s raining today,” Jack said in Benjamin’s ear. “In fact, it’s supposed to rain all week.”
“No it’s not. It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen such a perfect day,” Benjamin replied.
“That’s because we live in a giant dome,” Jack said. “Normally they don’t mess with the weather, but on special occasions, it’s permissible.”
“They can do that?” Benjamin asked. “They can change the weather?”
“Of course they can do that. They’re the rulers,” Jack said. “Selene’s especially good at it.”
“And now, let the Ability Trials begin,” Selene said. Applause erupted.
“Are the Deimos twins going to do anything special?” Andy asked over the cheering crowd.
“You mean other than changing the weather?” Jack said. “No, they normally don’t expend their energy showing off for the population, just in case some kind of emergency comes up or something.”
The telecaster had two heads, but that was only the start of the excitement. The first few acts of the Lemurian Summer Solstice Ability Trials were mostly for entertainment. A three-eyed juggler warmed up the audience by juggling sixteen balls. As he juggled, new balls teleported into the mix, but the rhythm continued, until there were a total of fifty. Done with the balls, he blindfolded all three of his eyes and began juggling flaming rings. The act ended when one of the rings landed on his head, burning his hair completely off. He quickly walked off the stage, re-growing his hair as he went.
A group of identically dressed, synchronized levitating females went next. They rose into the air and began a series of elaborate dance type movements, just like synchronized swimmers. Benjamin found himself yawning and wondering how long the routine could possibly go on. He joined the crowd’s cheering at the end, because he was so happy the act was finally over.
Two large men introduced as Nori-san and Goro-san walked out into the center of the arena next. They looked alike and were dressed as sumo wrestlers. The holographic image disappeared, and the two men seemed tiny at the bottom of the field. Benjamin and his friends joined as the crowd booed, thinking the holographic display had broken. Three rows in front of them, Ryan and Jonathan were throwing popcorn at the field. Although Benjamin was tempted to take the opportunity to toss the rest of Heidi’s hotdog at them, he didn’t.
Benjamin squinted down at the two men instead. Ignoring the booing from the crowd, Nori-san picked up a water bottle and took a long drink. He passed the water bottle to the other man, Goro-san, who also took a huge gulp, and then tossed the water bottle away.
The men walked five paces apart and squared off. It was going to be a sumo match. Suddenly, both men began to grow; they grew and grew and grew, until before long, they stood as tall as the seats where Benjamin and his friends sat.
“How in the world can anybody grow that big?” Benjamin asked.
“It’s the water they drank,” Jack answered. “It hydrates their pores and allows them to soak in all sorts of things from the air around them in order to grow.”
“Amazing,” Gary said. “That makes total sense. By keeping their pores moist, they’re able to drink in the air, and thus, sort of inflate their bodies.”
“Exactly,” Jack said.
Benjamin and Andy looked at each other and shrugged. At least someone understood.
The sumo match ended with Nori-san nearly smashing into the crowded stands, freezing in midair just yards away from Benjamin and his friends.
“And that’s how we do Sumo wrestling here in Lemuria,” Jack quipped to Benjamin.
“I was sure he was gonna hit us,” Gary said.
“I knew he’d stop,” Andy said.
“Oh, really,” Iva said. “Then why did you spill your soda down the front of your pants?”
Andy looked down at his pants; the front of them was soaked. “Benjamin must have bumped into me when he was trying to crawl under the seat.”
Benjamin shot Andy a wry look but didn’t respond. The next act was getting ready to start.
The holographic projector restarted and a small woman walked to the center of the arena. She almost whispered to the crowd, but the projector magnified her voice so all could hear.
“My name is Liro. This is my first time in the ability trials. It is an honor to be here. I will be giving a small telekinesis demonstration. Please do not be frightened.” She cleared her throat and was silent.
“Why would I possibly be frightened of her?” Andy said.
“Let’s just watch and see.” Iva replied.
“What do you think she’s gonna move?” Heidi asked.
“Can’t you read her mind?” Benjamin asked.
“No, there’s a lot of crowd interference, and she has it mostly blocked off,” Heidi replied. “I think the better performers can shield their minds pretty well to avoid losing their concentration.”
Liro held her place in the center of the arena. She took several deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly. She closed her eyes, and raised her arms up above her head. All at once, every muscle in her arms tightened, her fingers outstretched toward the sky.
The wind began to howl. People’s hair began to whip around. The sky slowly started to darken.
“I don’t believe it,” Jack said as his little eyes grew triple size. “Nobody has ever tried this before.”
“Is she trying to change the weather?” Heidi asked, shouting to be heard over the whipping wind.
“No,” Jack replied. “I think that’s only a side effect. Look at that.” He pointed straight upward.
“I don’t believe it!” Andy said. “The sky is collapsing!”
It looked exactly like that. Where before there had been a beautiful light blue sky, a midnight blue blanket now pressed downward.
“It’s not the sky,” Jack said. “It’s the dome. She’s collapsing the dome down on us.” He had to yell now to be heard over the wind and the crowd.
The dome continued on its downward course, collapsing like a giant had pressed down on it from the outside. Just as the point of the dome depression reached the top of the arena, it stopped. Here it held for a moment, then, at the same speed as its descent, it began to climb back up.
“That must be some dome to be able to withstand that kind of structural displacement,” Gary said.
“Yeah. And I was beginning to think nothing could surprise me,” Jack said.
The sky returned to its full brightness, and Liro lowered her arms and walked off the arena floor with her head down amid a mass of cheering.
The acts continued. Funny. Scary. Boring. The ability trials had it all. As the sun moved farther across the sky, the final performer in the Summer Solstice Trials came onto the stage.
“And now,” the two-headed telecaster said with one of his heads. “The man of the hour.”
“The ten time unofficial winner of the trials,” the other head said.
A hush fell over the crowd.
“It is with my greatest pleasure that I introduce to you,” the first head said.
“Andreas Matthias,” the second head said.
The hush that had fallen over the crowd exploded into cheering.
“He always has something edgy planned,” Jack leaned over and whispered in Benjamin’s ear.
Andreas Matthias walked to the center of the arena, and, again, the crowd quieted down. Whispers broke out in the crowd as Andreas Matthias simply stood on the stage, watching the audience, not saying a word. He stood there for a full three minutes doing nothing. Not much edgy about that, Benjamin thought.
And then, everything around Benjamin disappeared. The world became a dullish gray. The sounds
of the crowd vanished. He was no longer with his friends at the trials. He was in a hallway, near a closed door with a light emitting from the bottom. Benjamin felt weightless, like he was being carried. He turned his head away from the door and saw an enormous man approaching. Just a silhouette, but there was something familiar about it. Quickly he turned his face back to the door as he heard a sound. Sobbing. There was someone behind the door crying. A woman. Something deep inside Benjamin ached as he heard the sound. He longed to go through the door. To be with the crying woman.
“I came as fast as I could,” the silhouetted man said, distracting Benjamin from the crying. Benjamin turned toward the man, away from the door.
And then, without warning, Benjamin was back at the trials, in his seat, his friends around him. Their faces mirrored what Benjamin was sure his own looked like. What was that?
It took about half a minute, but resounding applause finally did break out. Benjamin realized that the entire episode must have been some sort of mind control trick. How could one person control the minds of the entire crowd at the same time? He noticed Andy and Gary had joined in with the crowd, clapping as hard as their hands would let them. But Benjamin didn’t feel like clapping and noticed Iva didn’t either. And Heidi just looked angry. Really angry.
All Benjamin felt was sick to his stomach. Like there was an empty hole there now and nothing to fill it. What did it mean? Was it a vision of the future? The past? A dream? And who was the woman who had been crying?
CHAPTER 15
The World Is a Ball
No one tried to talk until they reached the main level and were back on Mu Way. There was too much going on. Too many people.
“Was that the coolest thing you’ve ever seen, or what?” Gary finally asked.
“It didn’t feel so cool to me,” Benjamin said. “I found it disturbing.”
“Disturbing?” Andy asked. “Are you kidding? I felt like I was reliving the best experience in my life.”
“Which was what?” Iva asked.
“Disney World! What else?” Andy exclaimed.
“So what just happened?” Iva asked. “Because I have to agree with Benjamin. The whole thing creeped me out.”
“It was really weird,” Heidi said. “I knew what he was gonna do before he even started, and I knew what he was doing when it was happening, but I still couldn’t stop it. It was like I was standing back and watching him come in and control my mind.” She shuddered. “I think he was picking memories out of our minds and replaying them.”
“That’s impossible,” Iva said. “I never had that experience before.”
“What was it?” Andy asked.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Iva said. “But I know I’ve never had it.”
“I can’t explain it,” Heidi said as her brow crinkled. “Maybe it was thoughts also.”
Benjamin relaxed. At least he wasn’t the only one who’d had a negative experience. “It must’ve been. Mine wasn’t a memory either,” he said.
“I felt so happy,” Andy said. “It was kind of a bummer when I realized I was back at the trials.”
“I think our friend Andreas Matthias is getting a little carried away with himself,” Jack said. “I’m actually surprised the Deimos twins put up with that kind of display.”
“Why wouldn’t they?” Andy asked.
“Well, that trick Andreas just pulled borders closely on mind control, like Heidi just said,” Jack replied. “Mind control is one of those restricted things—only used when absolutely necessary.”
“So, why was it allowed then?” Heidi asked.
“I guess it wasn’t true mind control,” Jack answered. “Andreas placed an illusion field around each person in the stadium. Everyone was in total control of their own mind. But, still, it’s walking the line if you ask me.” Jack shook his head. “Anyway, it’s been fun, but I really must run.” And Jack, the Nogical, teleported away.
“So what did you guys relive?” Ryan Jordan asked, interrupting their conversation.
Heidi whipped her head around, her brown hair turning bright red. “Do you mind? Can’t you see we’re having a private conversation here?” Even if Benjamin hadn’t felt her anger, the hair-changing-color thing would have given it away.
“Hey,” Jonathan said. “We’re just trying to be friendly. Why are you always so rude?”
“Because you guys are always butting into stuff that’s none of your business,” Andy replied. Benjamin glanced into Andy’s mind and swore he felt jealousy hidden somewhere behind the anger. This Alliance thing seriously gave an inside perspective into almost everything.
“You know, I’ll butt in whenever and wherever I want,” Ryan replied. “And frankly, I’m a little sick of your attitude. But just go ahead and keep your little secrets.”
He and Jonathan turned and walked away.
“They were trying to read our minds,” Heidi said. “I mean Ryan was. I don’t think Jonathan would have even stood a chance. And Ryan’s still trying now.”
“Can you hold him out?” Gary asked.
“Of course,” Heidi laughed. “They’re both pretty pathetic at telepathy.”
“Still, we need to be a little more careful around them,” Benjamin said. “I don’t trust them.”
“Yeah, me neither,” Andy said. “So what are you gonna get for your birthday?” he asked, shifting the conversation. Benjamin could still sense the jealously and anger, but figured maybe saying something about it wouldn’t be the coolest thing in the world to do.
“I don’t know. Maybe we can find something cool in one of these shops.” Benjamin gestured toward the countless stores lining the street.
“Let’s try this one,” Heidi said, nodding at a shop on the left. It had a variety of things—for lack of a better word—displayed in the front windows. A three dimensional sign above it read ‘The Silver Touch’ and showed a holographic silver cube floating in the air. As they entered the shop, a bell rang.
Immediately off to the right sat a large chess set; Gary made a beeline for it. “Whoa. This is beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. And Gary wasn’t understating. Each piece was made of a gem which changed color depending on the angle it was being viewed from.
“And you never will again,” a voice said, coming from the back. “Each piece is a solitary piece of Ammolite—the rarest gem on Earth. It’s so rare because each piece is a fossil of the ancient Cretaceous creature the Ammonite.”
“It’s amazing,” Gary said.
“Well, go ahead. You can pick up a piece and feel it,” the shopkeeper said.
Gary carefully picked up a rook standing on a white base. The piece was light and smooth and reflected a rainbow of colors.
“I’ve had this set for a long time,” the shopkeeper said. “Nobody wants to spend the money to buy it. But I don’t mind. I’ve come to look forward to seeing it here each day. I think I would miss it if it sold.” Benjamin, Andy, Heidi, and Iva walked over to join Gary. The shopkeeper looked the students over. “Year One Denarians, I would guess. Summer school students, if I’m not mistaken.”
The students nodded their heads.
“My name’s Morpheus Midas.” He extended his right hand. “Welcome to the Silver Touch.”
Gary carefully placed the rook back on the chessboard, and shook the extended hand. “Gary Goodweather.”
“Pleased to meet you, Gary. Are you a fan of chess?” Morpheus asked.
“Oh, I love to play, but I have a hard time finding anyone who puts up much of a challenge,” Gary answered.
“Have you tried your telekinesis teacher?” Morpheus asked.
“You mean Pantheros Pavlos?” Iva said.
“Well, I called him The Panther when I was in school, but yes. Whenever I’m looking for some real competition, I still look him up.” He smiled at Gary. “Of course, if you really are that good, you could come by any time you like for a game. I’m not bad.” Morpheus Midas nodded to a poster hanging on t
he wall behind him. It had a close up picture of a checkmate.
“Bangkok Chess Open?” Gary said. “You mean you’ve played there?”
“What’s the Bangkok Chess Open?” Andy asked.
“Only the biggest and most important chess tournament in the entire world,” Gary replied. He looked back at Morpheus. “But it wouldn’t really even be a challenge, would it? I mean, wouldn’t you be able to read everybody’s minds?”
“Well, I would if I let myself, but that wouldn’t be very sportsmanlike,” Morpheus answered. “No, I let it be solely a game of wit. In fact, there’ve been years that I’ve lost. Of course, sometimes that’s been on purpose. We’re not supposed to compete in events with humans, you know. So the whole thing has to be incognito, if you know what I mean.” He winked.
“‘The Silver Touch’? Morpheus Midas, you said?” Benjamin asked.
“The one and only,” Morpheus said. “Have you heard of me?”
“Well, I’ve heard of King Midas,” Benjamin replied, “but he turned things into gold, not silver. Right?” If the Greek gods were for real, then why not a mythological king?
Morpheus cleared his throat. “My notorious alchemist ancestor. Yes, he was a distant relative on my father’s side, and yes, he did turn objects into gold. Much more common in my family, however, is transmuting objects into silver.”
“You can change things into silver?” Heidi asked.
“Well, no, I can’t, but the store has been in my family for generations,” Morpheus said. “We may even still have some of the stuff that got changed over the ages around here.” He glanced around the store.
The beauty of the Ammolite seemed to mesmerize Iva. “Do you have anything else made of Ammolite?” she asked. “You know, maybe something small, like jewelry?”
“Beautiful jewelry for a beautiful young lady,” Morpheus replied. Iva smiled. Andy scowled. “I have just the thing for you,” Morpheus said, leading her over to a jewelry display case near what looked like an antique cash register. He reached into the case and picked up an elliptical shaped pendant suspended on a long silver chain and held it out to Iva.
