Wakers: Sayonara Sleep

by Michaela Hoffman

  We met up at the town library. Since Detective Zatorre had connections with the staff, Mauricio managed to get us permitted access to the past archives section. It was essentially a dusty cellar. Some of the publications dated back to the 1800s. However, due to unorganized filing, finding articles from eighteen years ago was beyond tedious. It took us hours. But we just needed one writeup about Dad’s trials. There just had to have been one…

  “Mom says you haven’t been returning her calls,” Mauricio said to me. “She’s worried about you.”

  I shelved a box of periodicals overhead. “Sorry,” I said. “I’ve just been busy.”

  He lifted a box of articles into his lap. “She would have been the one to help you with this.”

  My cheeks reddened. I had considered calling Detective Zatorre after finding Dad’s journal. I wanted to tell her what I was reading. But she was a detective. She would have confiscated the book to read herself. It would be evidence, and barred off from me. As selfish as it sounded, I wanted this piece of my father for myself. It was all he left me.

  Besides, Detective Zatorre would be more curious about my educated hunches. My friends agreed to help because I told them I suddenly remembered something about Dad’s trials. The detective wouldn’t have been so easily convinced. And I wasn’t ready to tell any more people about being a Waker.

  “I found something,” Clover squealed, holding up her paper and flapping it around. Mauricio and I went over to her as she read, “Heirloom Press June 20XX: Falconbridge neuroscientists are charting the course for mental health interventions of the new century. The lead researcher, Dr. Darian Darkus PhD, has completed groundbreaking work in his field, publishing several articles regarding his discovery of the growth factor LAZA-2. Dr. Darkus and his team have developed a new form of mental health care, which he calls respite reality. ‘LAZA-2 changes the brain, allowing for second reality living,’ stated Darkus in an interview. ‘My second reality will serve as a peaceful respite for these patients. We predict this intervention will help our subjects cope in the real reality.’ Darkus is currently conducting trials using human subjects from Falconbridge and Druke County Jail.” She stopped reading and turned to us, frightened.

  “Is that even legal?” Mauricio asked, taking the paper from her.

  “We have to go to Druke,” I said.

  He shook his head and placed a reassuring hand on Clover’s shoulder. “Lava, we’re in over our heads now. Mom needs to help you from here.” If only they could see how strong I was as a Waker now. Then they wouldn’t doubt that I could handle this alone if need be.

  “I’ll call her later,” I said, taking a picture of the article with my phone. “I’m late for something, so I have to go. See you guys in class.”

  The bus jolted and rattled down the road. Whenever we stopped, a plume of smoke rose from the back. My irritation was reaching its tipping point, as no internet source was giving me any clues on how to sneak into a jail. I couldn’t even find a room layout of Druke. So the plan would literally be my entering, and making a dash for an open door that was teeming with security officers on the other side. No flaws there. After a deep breath, I opened Dad’s journal.

  Waker Life Day 1

  The terrain is according to my original design: perpetual soft night, illuminated by harmless creatures and a variable moon. Wakers have started to Rise, all understanding where they are and why they have come. We have established territory leaders: Jeba of Skyplume, Hakim of Lathermia, Earth Earl of KuKave, Queen Piria of Nestutha, and Czar Luca of Seawall.

  I reread the paragraph. Czar Luca of Seawall? My bus squeaked to a halt at the Druke entrance. I got off and paced on the front steps. No plan and no allies. Chance of mission success: -10%.

  “Hey there lady.” A man stood by the railing, looking me up and down. Ew, vomit.

  “Buddy, you’ve picked the wrong day,” I said, walking past him.

  He grabbed my arm and pulled me closer. “I don’t think so,” he whispered. All right then.

  I whipped out a few Kibo moves to restrain him. It took less effort than I thought, and he was pinned to the ground in less than a minute. Detective Zatorre came up behind us, clapping.

  “You’ve just earned an assault charge, sir,” she said, nodding to one of her colleagues. The man was cuffed and escorted into the building without trouble. I sat on the steps and rubbed my sore forearm. Detective Zatorre lowered beside me. “That was impressive,” she said.

  I shrugged. “I’m more capable than people think I am.”

  She considered this. “All right, Miss I Can Do. What mighty acts were you planning to pull for your document heist?” Detective Zatorre gestured towards the Druke entrance. No doubt Mauricio told her everything.

  “I probably could have persuaded my assault captive to—”

  “Your solo adventure ends here,” she said, steel in her voice. “If you want to pursue the case, you’ll do so under my surveillance. Understood?” I was so tempted to run away from her. This was my mystery, not hers. My past was too close for me to sit and wait for parental approval. But she was the first one to be truthful with me.

  The detective drove us back to her house. I sat at her kitchen table and she tossed a bag of pistachios at me. Shrugging off her coat, she sat in the closest chair. “Lava, what do you remember about the Waker Trials?” Here was our awaited interview. I cracked open a nut.

  “Nothing.” To my shock, she wasn’t satisfied with that answer.

  “You were nine, and at Falconbridge all the time. How can you remember nothing?” This was a question I always asked myself. And it was ten times more infuriating for me than it was for her. My crunching filled the awkward conversation break, but Detective Zatorre didn’t relent. “What about months before? Was your father acting different?”

  Months before he was the same. So was Aza. I only remembered the good things. Unhelpful things. Why? Did I just not pick up on the signs? Or were they too good at hiding things from me? “Detective Zatorre, I said. “Can I use your bathroom?” While rubbing her forehead, she pointed towards the hallway.

  If she didn’t find me useful, would she still let me be part of the case? What if she started talking to my uncles? Or to the colleague that said my involvement was dangerous? Investigating by her side was risky on my end. At best, I’d wind up with a leash and collar. I closed the door to the bathroom when I was finished, and noticed an adjacent room with a large writing desk. Along with a small lamp, pictures sat atop the mahogany. She had labeled filing trays and folders carefully organized in pull out drawers. Her briefcase was tucked under the swivel chair.

  With a quickened pulse, I knelt beside the bag and opened it up. This was ten shades of wrong. She was honest with me, and I was betraying her trust. All this I knew. But my hands wouldn’t stop moving. One of the binders within the bag was labeled Falconbridge. In the cover sleeve was the document I was after. I snapped a picture of it with my phone.

  “Lava?” Detective Zatorre called out from the kitchen. “Are you okay?” No, I clearly was not. But I still told her I was.

  Death row inmates that participate in the Waker Trials will gain a four week extension prior to their sentencing. In other words, extra time before their executions. That was the most striking part of the Druke participant contract to me. At the bottom of the form were three names and signatures: Kiki Krypto, Sylvia Tash, and Leo Perez. In bed, I face-planted my pillow; what a perfect dead end. My father’s original Wakers have been silenced all right. If neither the blackmailed nor the dead speak, who would tell me the answers?

  “Dad,” I whispered, quietly crying. “I need your help.”

  ***

  Ceph pressed the blackout vial into my hands and then fished around in his robes for something else. After a beat, he took out an icicle with sinewy thread wrapped around it. “From Hakim,” he said, giving it to me.

  “His toothpick?”

  Ceph shook his head and unwound the thread. “A slingshot,” he
clarified. “We’ve told him about your igniting abilities. He thought this may be useful to you.” I tried it out using a rock from his incense burner.

  “I won’t set anything on fire,” I promised while pulling back the chord. When I launched, the rock impaled a chandelier candle, which fell and extinguished on wet stone. Whoa, I liked this.

  “The blackout serum has two more uses,” Ceph warned. “You’ll need it for tonight. Remember, as soon as you feel a flicker of your powers leaving, escape, no matter where you are.” I took a woodsmokey sip and within moments changed into my big sister. If only it was that easy in Reality.

  Ceph let me take the blackout serum, so I could use the last dose on my own when needed. On my way to the castle, I paused by the lavender bushes. The Czar was standing beyond the clearing. Like before, he placed jeweled flowers on the stones and left quietly. It was agitating me now. This man knew so much of my past, but I knew nothing of his. Renezen, just who are you?

  Queen Piria met me back in the room. According to her, to activate the Enzlo Gem, I had to think of a destination I wanted most to see. I concentrated on seeing the South Tower while squeezing the gem in my hand. Then without warning, a beam of blue light shot out from the stone, and passed through my door.

  “Only we can zee the light compazz,” she buzzed, prodding me forward. We followed the lit path down a few hallways. I used blackout to keep only us occluded from view. The beam finally stopped on the third floor, in the middle of a narrow passageway.

  Well, this was anticlimactic. Queen Piria tapped on the glassy walls, which the nearby fish clearly did not like. I crouched down to check out the limestone tiles when a burly guard stomped behind us. He barely missed bumping into me, which would have compromised everything.

  We followed the guard down the adjacent passage, where he finally stopped. Lacey net chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling. He pulled on one of them, and down came a staircase. This must be it: the place where the Bound Wakers were kept. Before I could advance, Queen Pirira landed on my nose.

  “The Zar iz coming for zou now,” she said. “We muzt go back.” Though I was disappointed to see the stairwell close up, it was for the better. My blackout was becoming fuzzier, and I could feel the power slowly leaving me. The Enzlo Gem led us back to my room.

  “Why did it stop in the wrong hallway?” I asked her, setting my clothes out on the dresser.

  “Itz never wrong… zou muzt’ve wizhed to zee zomething elze in zour heart.” Something else?

  There was a knock on my door, the Czar calling from the other side. My heart sank as I turned towards my vanity mirror. The body was still very much my sister’s. Oh crabapple. While the knob turned I jumped into bed and threw over the covers. When he stepped in, I prayed he couldn’t hear my heart thumping.

  “We will meet near the outer gate today,” he said, approaching the bed.

  Thank heavens the serum didn’t change my voice. “Got it,” I said, a bit too cheerfully. “I’ll b-be right there. Just Woke up.” A bead of sweat rolled down my neck.

  “Is that so?” The Czar sat on the lower half of my bed. He was on to me. I had to get a grip. Focus. How would Aza diffuse this situation?

  “Double-check if you’d like.” Aced it with the naked card. The Czar noisily knocked into my vanity as he dismounted the bed. After muttering an apology, he left the room. Oh, sweet relief. I pulled back the covers with a wide grin.

  Queen Piria poked out from the hem of my laid-out dress. “I believe zou made him bluzsh.”

  In the mirror, Aza’s rounded features were slowly sharpening into my own. Her thick black hair lightened into a rusty red. It was me again.

  “Hard to tell when we can’t see his face,” I said, slipping out of my Aza clothes.

  “Zounds like that botherz zou.” I paused with the scale dress in my hands. So she picked up on it. Was I that transparent? Wait, why was I feeling so self conscious about this? I pulled on the dress and let out a breath.

  “It doesn’t,” I said. “It just makes spy work harder.”

  Queen Piria flew over to the window and I knelt down by the ledge. “Meet me by the courtyard before Rizing in Reality,” she said. “And Char,” she flitted up and kissed my cheek. “It iz okay to like the Zar.” I pictured the ruler fastening Binds onto dissenting Wakers, the man laughing with me on the beach, the shadow in the courtyard, stooping down with jeweled flowers.

  With a lift of my hands, the window opened for her. “There’s nothing to like about a villain.”

  The Czar had me practice controlling my self-generated fires. To learn how to extinguish them, specifically. Very useful, but irritatingly difficult. It wasn’t natural to lower my light intensity when all this time I had focused on increasing it. He poured a bucket of water on my unruly inferno. And also on me. I’d lost count of how many times we had gone through this.

  “Who taught you how to train me?” I asked, wringing out my hair. The Czar tossed me a towel.

  “My teacher,” he said, walking nearer to the beach. “He said all Waker powers derive from positive memories. And certain techniques enhance these abilities.”

  “Where is your teacher now?”

  The Czar lowered his gaze to the rolling waves. “Still around,” he finally said. Would it kill him to say more than the bare minimum?

  The Czar came back to my side and took my hand. In it, he placed a piece of seaglass, one of many that were on the sand. “My teacher said we’re all like this piece of glass: tossed around by forces we can’t control. Becoming shaped over time.” He paused, closing my fingers over it. “An important thing to keep in mind… if you are at peace with your past, and the events that have shaped you, you wield the greatest strength here.” For some reason, I didn’t want him to let go of my hand.

  “Are you at peace with yours?” Please answer. When he tried to pull away, I laced my fingers through his. The seaglass dropped back into the sea. “Renezen, who was Czar Luca?” He avoided my gaze. Was I close enough now? Would he tell me?

  “My father,” he said. So this must be a common thing, like Ceph and his adopted daughters.

  “Did you also have a—”

  “You’re free to go now.” With his other hand, he freed himself from my grasp. “Your lesson is finished.” The Czar started back to the castle.

  “Renezen.” He stopped in place. “Please tell Nez I hope he gets better,” I said. “And that I’m sorry.” I didn’t expect him to answer. It was beyond surprising when his voice carried across the yard.

  “I’ll tell him.”

  Before Crossing Over, I waited for Queen Piria under the banyan tree. Though I couldn’t tell time here, it seemed like she was late. Leaning against the bark, I took in the full view of starlight. At peace with my past, huh. Well what if my past hasn’t been peaceful with me? Or with Aza. But then again, she never let it stop her. In spite of everything, she reached, she gambled, she pushed. And while Aza did these brave things, she always stretched out her hand for me to join. Aza, I’m reaching for you now. But is it too late?

  Then I heard her. Clear as a bell. Singing the Falconbridge Family Song: “This is our family, where you can be you, on good days and bad days, we are here for you…” I followed the song all the way to the beach.“When awake, or when sleeping, know our love is true.” Wading in, I peered into the water. “And if we part for any reason…”

  “Carry our hearts with you,” I finished with her, reaching out to the image. It wasn’t Aza’s face I saw on the surface. But whatever it was, my body was drawn to it, like a moth to a flame. The water woman extended her arms to me, dripping and web-like beyond the boundary of her element. She settled her fingers on my shoulders, drawing me closer.

  A stronger force pulled me backwards near land. With a shriek, her watery arms burst into a spray of droplets. And she disappeared. I rested my head on the chest behind me. “Are you all right?” Renezen asked quietly, loosening his embrace. I closed my eyes. He smelled a little lik
e lavender.

  “Just another encounter with the creepy sea nymph.”

  His body became rigid. “You’ve seen her before?” I looked up at him and nodded. It was the closest I’d ever been to his face.

  “What is she?” I asked. It couldn’t really be Aza, right? No, this presence felt different. Familiar, but also sinister.

  Renezen waited before answering. “Not a friend.”

  At this, I laughed and punched him playfully. “And since when are you?” He actually cracked a smile. It looked good on him, even with most of his face hidden.

  The tide rolled in lazily with flecks of moon reflecting in its dark surface. As we headed back to the castle, the soft sound of water filled my ears. Somehow, things felt different now. This place had become more comfortable to me, and more precious. When did this happen? What had changed? Whatever the case, I couldn’t lose sight of what I came here for. Or what I came here to do. Before I crossed over to the Other Side, a sadness swept over me: I didn’t want to leave yet.