Arcene: The Blue Castle

by Al K. Line

  For that to succeed the boy needed things to occupy him — physical labor, endless chores and careful maintenance of their small, isolated world was the perfect solution.

  What a fool he was. All of it had been for nothing, or the cause of his pain in the first place. If he'd done things differently, not been so strict and downright sullen so often, then maybe Beamer would still be with him now.

  "What am I going to do?"

  Rather surprisingly, Drem found himself with his head in his hands, crying like the day his son was born; the day the only woman he had ever loved left to enter The Void.

  "Bloody vegetables, I don't even like half of them. Give me a chicken any day of the week. Even a rat." And there it was, the guilty secret, one he'd never told Beamer, a side of him he'd never shown. It was pathetic, idiotic. He thought he had to keep his own son safe, but it was selfish, keeping him away from so much because he didn't want to face the truth: he was scared of being alone. Worried something would happen if he let Beamer become independent and learn how to care for himself: hunt, fish, survive away from him. And look what the result was: he was out there somewhere without a damn clue what to do without Daddy to look after him.

  "You're a bad father Drem, what on earth were you thinking?"

  Not Just any Room

  Arcene had been in endless Rooms at The Commorancy, the convoluted and magical place constructed by the most powerful and truly Awoken man on the planet, and had even had an experience in a Room in a city, right before, well, things got even more bizarre than normal, and one thing they all had in common was they were not to be taken lightly. Sure, they were usually fun, filled with excitement and wonder, but they could also be downright boring if that was their purpose.

  She was told by Marcus that there was a Room in the city that would definitely be fun, if it was still there — you never could tell. She'd planned on visiting it when she arrived, and now here she was, although with one more companion than she'd been expecting.

  Maybe it'll do him good, cheer him up a little. I know cities are depressing but jeez, this is his home.

  Arcene looked at Beamer by her side, half the boy he had been when out in the countryside.

  "You don't belong here. I'm going to have serious words with your dad."

  Beamer acted worried, hand going to his mouth nervously. "Wh... what?" He stammered. "You can't do that, he'll get cross. I'm in enough trouble already, please don't make it worse Arcene. Please," he pleaded.

  "Hmm, we'll see. Anyway," said Arcene, looking at the plain orange door with excitement, "enough of that for now, are you ready to see what's inside?"

  "S'pose. It's just a door though, nothing special about it. And look," said Beamer, as he peered through the window then rubbed at it with his sleeve, "it's empty in there anyway. You can see the whole room. Nothing, it's just full of air."

  "Aha, don't always believe what you see. I was fooled like that once before, you just wait." Arcene hoped that this was the right door. She was sure it was, but you never could tell. She might have the wrong level, or even the wrong building. "This is the tallest building, the tallest skyscraper anyway, right?" Beamer nodded. "And this is floor level forty-nine, right?" Beamer nodded again. "Well then, we're good to go. You ready?" Beamer nodded his head eagerly. Arcene's enthusiasm was contagious, her smile was so wide she looked like she was about to explode if her curiosity wasn't satisfied soon.

  Arcene turned the handle on the door; it was locked. "Thought it would be. Best to check first though," she said sheepishly. "Once, when I was really hungry, I spent two hours trying to get into a building. I went up on the roof, tried to get in through a skylight but found it was too high and then when I went back to the front and kicked the door in anger it swung open. Haha, silly me. There wasn't even any food inside though and—"

  "Arcene? We going to go in?"

  "Oh, yeah, sorry, just forgot about it until now. Right, you ever seen anyone pick a lock before?"

  "No, never," said Beamer, craning forward to watch.

  "Me neither." Arcene reached up and ran a hand along the top of the door frame. "Aha." She held the key up in front of Beamer. "The key. Marcus said it would be here."

  "Open it, open it," squealed Beamer, jumping up and down.

  Leel yelped loudly, then barked even louder.

  "Careful, you just jumped on her foot," warned Arcene.

  "Sorry Leel. Open it!"

  "Okay, ready?" Beamer pushed her hand toward the keyhole. "Here we go." Arcene put the key in the keyhole and turned it.

  Snick.

  She jumped back and moved to the side. When nothing happened she mumbled, "Just in case. You never know what's in a Room."

  "What about us?" said Beamer, indicating that he and Leel were stood directly in front of the door.

  "Oops. Sorry. Anyway, everything seems fine." Arcene pushed the door open slowly, still stood to one side, then peered into the Room. "Oh boy."

  "Wow!"

  "Ready?"

  "Yes!"

  "Let's go then."

  They entered the Room.

  Smoke and Mirrors

  "Why isn't it empty?" Beamer stared into the huge open space, different to the view through the window.

  "Marcus is clever like that, something to do with mirrors and stuff," said Arcene, having no clue how it was done. She sidestepped to the window but it was fake, hiding the exterior one Beamer had peered through. She supposed there was a narrow corridor built into the wall and something clever to make the Room appear empty.

  It was far from empty.

  "Hey, hey, hey!" shouted Arcene, moments before Beamer tugged on the rope that hung from the center of the Room.

  Beamer dropped his arms in shock, abashed at being caught in the act. "I was just gonna give it a quick tug." Beamer smiled coyly, squirming on the spot after being chastised.

  "Yeah, well, let's wait a minute." Ugh, I'm getting old. Normally I would have pulled it myself by now.

  Arcene walked over to Beamer. The rope hung down to just above her head, as thick as her arm, deep chestnut brown with tight coils making it appear carved from stone. It disappeared into the ceiling, a plain white surface, no sign of how it could be attached.

  Looking around the Room, Arcene worked out that the space must occupy most of the entire floor of the skyscraper, either modified by Marcus or it had always just been one large open room. Maybe for a once uber-rich person who could afford such luxuries when they were seen as such, and people worked until they made themselves ill just so they could live up high and look down on others both literally and metaphorically.

  Arcene understood none of it, could never come to terms with people wanting to live away from the earth in places where the air was bad and the noise unceasing.

  "What's this?" asked Beamer from far in the corner of the Room, before he looked out over the fading city through a wall of plate glass. Leel stood beside him, acting like she couldn't quite figure out the city's attraction.

  How does he move so fast? He's a little sneaky monkey.

  Arcene gave the rope another stare, having to control herself as she really wanted to pull it, yank it right now. What else would it be for if not to be tugged on a bit? Reluctantly, she walked over to Beamer and Leel, boots thudding dully on the floor. Ah, the floor, that was it, she knew something was messing with her mind a little when they'd entered the Room: it was the floor.

  She stared at it as she walked, not even trying to think about how it worked. But there was something kooky that was for sure. It was black, but not just normal black, it was as if she was walking on the night sky. There was no light reflected from the windows, no scuff marks or shadows of any sort. It was black and dull like the darkest cave, soaking up the day, giving nothing back.

  "Well? We gonna take it?"

  Arcene, Beamer and Leel stared at the coin nestled on a red velvet cushion as if it were a crown, the slender podium it sat on made from polished steel that shone as if freshly pol
ished.

  "What do you think?" grinned Arcene. She knew there was no way she could resist such an invitation. She was about to snatch it when she thought better and said, "You want to take it?" Beamer nodded eagerly, eyes shining with excitement. "Go on then, just get ready."

  "Ready for what?"

  Arcene shrugged; Beamer put out a small hand and lifted the coin from the cushion.

  "IT'S TIME TO EAT!"

  The announcement blared, as if the voice was right in front of them, reverberating around the room, vibrating in their bones, penetrating directly into their brains. Arcene and Beamer clutched their heads, trying to block their ears to the sound. Leel whimpered and fell onto the floor, paws batting at flattened ears. She rolled over, rubbed her head on the floor to wipe away the voice.

  The echo finally died down and the Room reverted to silence.

  Arcene and Beamer stared at the plinth as it sank. Strange clunks and clangs could be heard beneath their feet. It disappeared and the opening closed. The floor was seamless, black. There was a whir and a large oblong hole opened where the plinth had vanished, revealing nothing but a sunken depression, the black absolute.

  "My ears hurt," moaned Beamer, hand clutched tight around the coin.

  "Mine too," groaned Arcene, as she tried to focus on the opening in the floor. "But get ready, something's happening."

  They watched as a large oblong rose, seemingly made of the same material as the floor itself. It finally ceased moving and they were stood in front of a large, slender "thing" a little taller than Arcene.

  It loomed.

  "What's it for?" Beamer took a step back in case it attacked.

  "No idea." Arcene rapped a knuckle on the front, or the back, she wasn't sure.

  Thud, thud.

  "Hmm, it sounds like it might be hollow. Maybe there's something cool inside and we just have to find out how to open—"

  Snick.

  Arcene jumped as a panel slid down. It sliced through the floor to reveal a glass front, all manner of brightly colored objects inside.

  "Look, it's food. Like they used to have long ago. I've seen them, and Father told me about them. It's a vending machine." Beamer put his nose to the glass, as close as he could get to the colored wrappers.

  "Haha, I've seen them too, and in books. They had things like candy and what were called crisps, or was it chips? Drinks too. Fizzy ones that make you burp and get you fat. It sounded brilliant. Oh, oh, that's what the coin's for. You put a coin in and you get out what you pick when you press the right button."

  "We have a coin, we can get something." Beamer looked for the slot, fingers shaking with excitement.

  "Put it in then, go on."

  Arcene lifted Beamer up and he pushed the coin in. Clunk. It dropped into the vending machine. Arcene let Beamer back onto the ground.

  "What shall we get? What shall we get?"

  "I don't know, but it might be all nasty anyway. It's been in there a long time. Once I found one of these with some stuff still in it and I got all excited, but when I, er, accidentally broke the glass and grabbed one it just fell to bits in my hand. All I had was plastic and dust of something moldy. Big disappointment."

  "Oh," said Beamer, smile fading. He looked as crestfallen as if he'd been told he could never eat again.

  "Hey, don't worry, I'm sure this time it will be different. Now, what are you going to pick?"

  Beamer took his time deciding, looking at the various options. Eventually he picked a can that had Pepsi written on it, hoping it was one of the fizzy drinks.

  "Sure?" asked Arcene.

  "Sure." Beamer stood on tiptoe and pressed the code for the drink.

  Clunk.

  Clink, clink.

  They stared at each other. It was impossible not to smile. Arcene bent and lifted a small flap; there were two coins. Then she pushed up on a big slot at the bottom of the machine and pulled out the can.

  Wow, it's really cold. I wonder if this has been refrigerated somehow? So it's still okay?

  Arcene stared greedily at the can but handed it to Beamer, who, after a little investigating, put a finger under the ring pull and prized it up.

  Phfsst.

  "Ugh, haha." Arcene let go of the hilt of her sword. This was no animal attack, just the pressure escaping from the can.

  Beamer sniffed at the contents. "Smells funny. Shall I try it?"

  "Yeah, hurry up, hurry up, I want some too. And then we can get more, there's loads." Arcene admired the vending machine, fighting to contain herself. How cool was this? A machine full of food, and hopefully lots of coins. What could be better? It was free and they didn't have to hunt for it. Amazing!

  Burrrp! "Oh! Excuse me." Beamer put a hand to his mouth, then moved it. He was smiling like he'd never smiled before. "This is good, try it." He handed the can to Arcene, who took a swig.

  "Mm, lovely. It's all fizzy. Imagine having this to drink every day, I wouldn't drink anything else."

  They shared the can back and forth, noses tingling with the bubbles, the soft drink gone in a few seconds.

  "What's next? Shall we get that one?" Beamer pointed at a long wrapper with Snickers written along it.

  "Sure, why not?" Arcene put a coin in the slot and pressed the buttons.

  Clunk.

  "Oi! Leel, you give that back."

  Clink, clink, clink.

  More coins dropped. Beamer grabbed them while Arcene chased after Leel who was shaking the end of the wrapping until a long brown lump fell out and she chewed it eagerly. Arcene prized open her mouth but it was no good, it was gone.

  "Well, at least your breath smells better," said Arcene, sniffing deeply into Leel's open mouth, jaws almost wide enough to encompass her whole head.

  "Arcene! Arcene!"

  She turned to see a smiling Beamer with hands full of various treats, eager fingers ripping at the wrappers.

  "Ugh, I don't feel too good, my belly hurts," moaned Arcene, lying prostrate on the floor, hands over her belly, head sheened in sweat. "I've got chocolate sweats, I can feel it coming out of my ears. I think I've turned into a... a Mars bar. Leel, get off me you great lump." Leel opened an eye and stared at Arcene, not moving a muscle from her position slumped over her legs, belly distended and panting heavily.

  "It's like magic," said Beamer, slurping on a can of something called Sprite, definitely his favorite. He dropped the can onto the large pile, a mess of discarded wrappers and squashed tins. It toppled off and clattered to the floor before it rolled away.

  "Leel, go fetch," ordered Arcene. Leel belched then began to snore. "Stupid dog."

  "People ate this every day, didn't they Arcene? Everyone had coins and they could eat chocolate and drink fizzy drinks whenever they felt like it. Amazing!"

  "Yeah, it was normal then. Tastes good, right? Maybe not everything was bad back then after all. But you had to work for the money, and you get fat if you eat it all the time."

  "I'd be fat," giggled Beamer. "I'd be totally round and I'd sit in a chair and never move. Arcene?"

  "Eh? Huh?" Arcene had nodded off. The free bounty had been impossible to resist but she felt funny: hyper yet sleepy at the same time. She could feel it building though, feel the sugars metabolizing, the rush coming in fast — she knew she would crash and burn at some point, so should probably get up and make the most of it while it lasted.

  Shoving at Leel until she reluctantly moved off her legs, Arcene clambered to her feet and did a few jumps, pigtails slapping at her chest then her back as they flew about. She felt like her body was buzzing, like she needed to run around in circles or something, try to work off energy never encountered before — she was lethargic yet hyped at the same time.

  "Hey, shall we get more? To take with us?" Beamer squinted at the machine. "Oh."

  "What's wrong?"

  "We ate it all, it's all gone."

  "All of it? No wonder I feel funny."

  "Me too. Like I should do something, and my brain feels weird
Arcene. I think I need to go and have a pee too."

  "Oh no."

  "What?" Beamer looked around, worried.

  "Now I need a pee as well." Arcene wondered where the nearest toilet would be, knowing it would mean squatting behind a bush like usual. Except there weren't any bushes inside the skyscraper, so maybe—

  "Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven..."

  "Eh? What?" Arcene turned at the voice, the same as before, now coming from all directions at once.

  "Uh-oh," said Beamer from halfway across the Room, hands still wrapped around the rope. "I, um, I pulled it. Sorry."

  Damn! I wanted to do it.

  "Don't worry, it will probably be okay. Probably."

  The Final Countdown

  "Six. Five, fourthreetwoonezero."

  "Hey, what kind of countdown is that?" The voice had sped up, giving them no time to make it to the door before the ceiling lowered, cutting off the top of the door frame and making it impossible to exit the way they had come in.

  Beamer looked anxious, Leel was barking at the voice; Arcene waited for whatever was about to happen. This was the fun of Rooms: it could be anything.

  Then it wasn't fun.

  The floor shifted; they slid toward the window.

  Arcene powered into action, ran against the direction the floor was taking them, strides long and powerful. She had to pick up speed as the floor moved faster. She made it to Beamer, who had the sense to hang onto the rope, feet dragging away from him until he was almost at a right angle. Tensing muscles, she jumped, grabbing for the rope too, hands above Beamer's, just before the floor changed direction and shifted, now moving toward a blank wall, sliding underneath it effortlessly.