The Cyrun

by Janilise Lloyd

“Well, bye then, Ava,” Trent said. Then he disappeared before my eyes.

  I stood frozen for a moment, still contemplating Trent calling me beautiful. Well, “kind of” beautiful, anyway. Then I remembered Dad would be home soon.

  I flew up the stairs and jumped in the shower. This would have to set a new record for fast showers. When I finished, I dressed in a rush and blew my hair dry. Just as I was putting the hair dryer under the sink, I heard the front door open.

  “Hey, sugar bean!” Dad called from downstairs. “Where are you?”

  It was good to hear his voice again. I had missed him, but I wasn’t ready for this. I took a deep breath, trying to slow my hammering heartbeat.

  “I’m up here!” I called back, walking down the stairs at a choppy pace—I had to force my feet to move forward.

  Dad was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs, arms open wide. I was surprised to see he’d grown a beard while he was away. He wrapped me up in an enormous hug as he said, “Oh, I missed you, Ava! I am never, ever, ever going on another trip like that again. It’s too hard to be away from you.”

  “Yeah, right,” I rolled my eyes, pulling back so he could see. “How many times have you said that before?”

  He laughed. “Okay, fine, but at least not for a good long while. I need time to catch up with my girl. What’s new with you?”

  That was a loaded question—only everything. But I wasn’t ready to open that can of worms. “Oh, nothing much. How about you go take a shower, shave that nasty rat off your face, and I’ll order us a pizza. We can talk over dinner.”

  “You don’t like the beard?” Dad said, touching it elegantly, a smolder on his face that was worthy of the cover of a magazine. I rolled my eyes again.

  “Not even a little. It was worth a shot though,” I said, winking. “What kind of pizza do you want?”

  “Eh, anything works for me. Just no anchovies. I’ve been living off of fish for the past four weeks. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to eat it again.” Dad pulled a face.

  “Well darn, anchovies are my favorite topping,” I said dryly, “but I suppose I can take a night off for you.”

  “That’s my girl,” Dad chuckled, then kissed my cheek. “I’ll be right back down.” He picked his bags up off the floor and climbed the stairs to his room.

  “No rush!” I called, heading to the kitchen to order our food.

  The pizza guy showed up about twenty minutes later. I tipped him as dad came down the stairs, clean shaven once more. Perfect timing.

  I set the table and we sat down to eat. Dad must have been really hungry because he ate three pieces before saying a word. The entire time, I fought to keep myself in my seat rather than bolting from the room. This was a conversation we needed to have. I had to keep telling myself that.

  “So really,” Dad started, “what happened while I was away?”

  I paused, trying to phrase things carefully. “A lot of the normal stuff. You know, school, homework, housework. I’ve also been spending a lot of time with a new friend. His name is Trent.”

  “Trent,” Dad mused. “A boy. Interesting. That would explain why you’ve looked like you’re covering up a murder ever since I walked through the door.”

  I blushed. I didn’t realize I’d been that obvious about hiding something. “Come on, Dad. It’s not like that.”

  He laughed. “Okay, then. It’s not like that. So where did you meet him? School?”

  I took a deep breath. I hadn’t expected to arrive at the topic so quickly. “I met him at track practice, but he doesn’t go to my school. He was there watching.” This was technically true. Though I’d seen him a few times before that, track practice was the first time we introduced ourselves.

  “Is he from a rival school? Were they scoping things out? I’m sure you made ‘em nervous if he was,” Dad winked.

  I gave a shaky laugh. “Well, not exactly. He does go to a different school, though... A school in Cyrus, actually.”

  I looked at Dad steadily, my nerves suddenly gone, a new confidence taking their place. I watched as his face first turned white, then red, then purple.

  “Excuse me?” he stammered. “What did you say?”

  “I said he goes to a school in Cyrus. He’s a Cyrun, Dad. You know, the place you lied to me about all my life,” I accused.

  “What do you— That’s not— Cyrus? You know about Cyrus?” he shrieked. This type of reaction was very unlike my dad. If I wasn’t so angry, I probably would have been concerned for his health. He was no spring chicken anymore.

  “Yes, I know about Cyrus. I’ve been there with Trent, and I know it wasn’t destroyed. There was never any war. You lied about all of it to keep me from trying to go, and I want to know why,” I demanded, my voice rising.

  Dad’s face remained a deep, reddish-purple. He raised his tone to match mine. “I have my reasons and they are very good ones! I did all of this to protect you. Cyrus is not a safe place for you, Ava. You might imagine it to be some fairy-tale land where you can use your powers without restriction, but it’s far from it. It’s a place where no one is free. And it is especially dangerous for you. I absolutely forbid you from ever going there again,” Dad yelled, his fist slamming on the table.

  “What do you mean it’s especially dangerous for me? No it isn’t. I’m one of the most powerful Cyruns—I have six abilities. I can protect myself,” I said defiantly.

  “Six? You have six powers?” Dad asked, distracted from his anger for a moment. “When did all that happen?”

  “I’ve discovered two—well sort of three—new powers in Cyrus. I can shapeshift into a wolf, produce a defensive shield, and my precognition abilities have disappeared but were replaced by visions from the past,” I explained hurriedly, hoping he might calm down enough to provide me with some real answers.

  “Wow, that’s incredible, Ava. I knew you were talented, of course. I always suspected there might be more to you than the powers we knew about,” Dad smiled slightly, though his face was still rather red. He took a deep breath. “Who is this Trent boy anyway? How is he Traveling between realms?”

  “Trent is a Traveler. He’s been taking me to Cyrus after school every day, and I’ve been staying there on the weekends,” I explained. “Now please, tell me why you’ve lied to me. Tell me what you mean about Cyrus being dangerous for me. Is Mom really dead? Or did you lie about that too?”

  “Avalon, my darling,” Dad said, leaning over to touch my cheek. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the whole truth. I’m sorry you’ve been so angry with me. Most of what I told you is true; Cyrus may seem like a peaceful place because there are no outright wars being fought, but it is far from being free of conflict. There are battles happening there every minute of every day. It’s all one big battle of will. And yes, people are dying from it. The true essence of Cyrus is being destroyed, just as I told you all those years ago. It may not be the literal destruction I led you to believe, but it is every bit as devastating. And I’m afraid what I told you about your mother is also true. She did die in Cyrus a couple of years after she left you here with me. I wish that had been a part of the lie, but she’s gone, Ava.” Dad looked at me with sympathetic eyes.

  I didn't say much. It was difficult to accept that my mother was truly gone, but I couldn’t honestly say I’d had much hope she was living. Though Dad’s lies were large and sweeping, I didn’t think he’d lie about that.

  “You still haven’t said why Cyrus is supposedly ‘particularly dangerous’ for me,” I stated emotionlessly.

  “I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to explain that to you—at least not right now.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but he put his finger over my lips to silence me. “Please, Ava. I’m your father. I love you more than anything in this whole world—or Cyrus, for that matter,” he smiled crookedly at his joke, his brown eyes probing. “Can you please trust that I’m doing what I believe is best for you? I always have. There are things you don’t understand.
There are reasons you and I are here, not there. Please, Ava. Don’t go back. Stay here with me. Stay safe.”

  “If you tell me what you mean, I might consider it,” I said, though that was far from the truth. I was going back to Cyrus, one way or the other.

  Dad’s head dropped, his shoulders slumped. When he finally raised his eyes to meet mine again, they were wet with tears. “I can’t, Ava. I wish I could, but I can’t. Please trust me.”

  “I’m sorry, Dad, but I have to do what I feel is best for me. If you won’t let me Travel back and forth the way I have been while you’ve been gone, I’ll stay in Cyrus permanently, at least for the foreseeable future.”

  A look of pain mixed with anger flashed through Dad’s eyes. “You are my daughter, Ava. You’re only seventeen. You’re still a minor and you will do what I say. You are welcome to practice and use your abilities in discrete areas and here at home if you wish, but you are not allowed to visit Cyrus anymore. I forbid it. You have school and other responsibilities here that need your attention. I will not let you give up on your life. Cyrus is too dangerous for you. You’re staying here,” he said firmly, his pointer finger slamming into the table.

  I didn’t want to cause my dad pain. I didn’t want to fight with him. But he was being completely unfair. He wouldn’t tell me the truth about his secrets and lies. He wouldn’t let me Travel to be a part of the world where we both belonged. I couldn’t walk away from it all now, not when I had a chance of making a difference for people in Cyrus. People like Trent needed a life that was fair, not one dominated by Tenebris. Though it pained me, I had to stick up for what I believed to be right.

  “I may not fully understand your reasons for keeping the truth from me, but I’ve been to Cyrus. I know what it’s like and you’re right, in many ways it is a horrible place. That’s exactly why I have to go back. I believe I can make a difference. Maybe enough of a difference that we might be able to return together someday—”

  “That will never happen,” Dad said flatly.

  “Regardless, I’m going back. It is my home. It’s where we both belong. Trent will be back to get me tomorrow afternoon. I’ll pack enough to get me by for a few months. If you’d allow it, I’d love to come back and visit for Christmas.” I said it coldly, matter-of-factly, though internally, it felt like my heart was shattering. I loved my dad. I didn’t want things to end like this.

  “Ava, my baby, please don’t do this,” Dad said, choking over his tears.

  “Come with me,” I begged him. “Or at least let me go on good terms.”

  He paused, seeming to want that as much as I did. “I can’t, Ava. I wish you’d trust me. You shouldn’t be in Cyrus. I shouldn’t be in Cyrus. We belong here, together. You’re safer here.”

  “Sorry, Daddy. I’m going back,” I said. I stood up and rounded the table. I kissed the top of his head before heading up to my room.

  I cried into my pillow for hours before finally falling asleep.

  Chapter 20

  Home

  My duffle bag was ridiculously large for the small amount of clothing I was bringing along. It was more difficult than I thought it would be to find clothes that wouldn’t betray their human origin.

  Trent would be here in just a few minutes. I sat on the edge of my bed, looking around my room, trying not to feel too nostalgic. It wasn’t working. I was going to miss the purple walls, the posters hanging on them, the soft brown carpet, and my incredibly comfortable bed. The mattress on the floor I had at headquarters did not compare.

  There was a knock at the door. It was going to be Dad, trying yet again to convince me to stay. He’d tried about ten different times already.

  “Come in!” I called.

  “Hey, sweetie,” Dad said as he entered the room.

  “I’m still going, Dad,” I said, annoyance obvious in my voice.

  “I know. If my previous attempts to persuade you didn’t work, I knew this time would be no different.” He smiled a painful smile that prodded at my broken heart. He took a seat next to me on the bed. “I just came to give you this.” He held up the ring on a chain I’d found all those weeks ago. I hadn’t told him about the vision I’d had, and I didn’t plan to. Not now, after all the pain I was causing him.

  “Thanks, Dad. It’s beautiful,” I breathed, touched at the gesture. I was an awful daughter to be hurting him this way.

  “It was your mother’s engagement ring. I figured you should have a piece of both of us as you head back into our world.”

  A genuine smile—the first I’d had since the fiasco that was our conversation last night—broke across my face. I reached over and pulled him in for a hug. I rested my head on his shoulder, breathing in his aftershave. I didn’t even know it was possible to ache for someone so much. “I’m going to miss you, Dad.”

  “I wish you wouldn’t go. You don’t have to. You can stay here. You can stay safe. Please.”

  “I thought you said you weren’t here to try and convince me to stay,” I said, backing up to glare at him.

  “I know, but can you blame me? You’re taking away everything that means anything to me, Ava.” He paused while my heart twisted in pain. “Please do come back for Christmas. I’d love to see you then,” Dad said, his voice strained with emotion.

  “I will, I promise. Nothing is going to happen to me.”

  “You don’t know that. You don’t know how dangerous Cyrus can be.” Dad breathed deeply, closing his eyes.

  “I also know that I have to stick up for what I believe is right.”

  Dad smiled and opened his eyes. “You’ve always had a strong conscience. I admire you for that.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  Dad turned and pulled something new out of his pocket. “This was my brother’s. It’s a pocketknife he gave me awhile back.” He extended the object out to me. The exterior was made of wood with a small sheep carved into the handle. “If you have time and are able, I’d appreciate it if you’d try and track him down. His name is William Longfellow. Most people know him as Will. If you find him, can you please give him this letter?” He handed me a sealed envelope. “And promise me, Ava, you won’t open the letter yourself. It’s for my brother. I’d appreciate it if you’d respect that.”

  I took the letter from his hands and put it in the front pocket of my bag, along with the pocketknife. “I promise not to read it, and I’ll do my best to find your brother. Does he know about me? Should I introduce myself as his niece?”

  Dad’s eyes crinkled in a sad smile. He reached out and cupped the side of my face. “No, he doesn’t know about you, but I’m sure he’ll see you as the wonderful gift that you are. He’ll be so happy to meet you.”

  There was a knock on the front door. Trent was here. It was really time to go. I wouldn’t see my Dad for over a month. Being away from him wasn’t the issue—it was the circumstances around my departure that stunk. I hated doing something I knew he was so against.

  I stood from the bed. “Bye, Dad. I’ll see you again soon. I love you more than anything.”

  Dad stood as well. “I love you too, Ava. And while I don’t approve of what you’re doing, please come back as often as you’d like.”

  “Thanks, Dad. I’ll see what I can do.” I leaned in for one last hug. He hugged me back tightly and gave me a kiss on the top of my head. I grabbed my pathetic bag and clunked down the stairs with it trailing behind me.

  Trent’s smile as I opened the door immediately faded as he took in my broken expression. “Was it really that bad?” He asked with concern.

  “Worse than you could possibly imagine,” I sobbed, wiping tears from my cheeks. “Can we just go please?”

  “You sure that’s what you want?”

  “I’m sure,” I said, my voice thick with tears.

  Trent took my bag in one hand and held mine in the other. My feet left solid ground, tearing me away from my father and my home. The last piece of my heart shattered, sending a crippling pain throughout my body.
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  We landed in Trent’s backyard. I was surprised—I thought we’d go directly to headquarters. “What are we doing here?” I asked.

  “I thought you might want a little time to yourself before having to face everyone else.”

  He was so thoughtful. “Thanks,” I said as the emotion welled up inside me, bursting out in sobs and sniffles. Trent gently guided me over to the garden bench. He wrapped his arm around me in comfort, letting me cry into his blue shirt.

  It took several minutes of ugly crying before I could calm down. Once I did, I still didn’t move. I just sat there, leaning against Trent, trying not to think about how awful this whole situation was. Why couldn’t my dad have just told me what he meant? Why was Cyrus so dangerous for me? Why didn’t he come with me? I thought I knew the answer to the last part—my mother. He didn’t want to return because of how badly she’d hurt him here. He wanted nothing to do with this realm, that much was obvious.

  After several minutes of silence, Trent gently nudged me into a sitting position so he could see my face. “Okay, you’re killing me, Ava. What happened? Why are you so torn up?”

  I looked him over, not eager to relive the whole disaster, but I did anyway, for his sake. I suppose I did owe him some sort of explanation for acting like a total nut-job.

  “Are you sure you made the right decision by coming here? If it hurts you both so much, why didn’t you just stay?” he asked when I’d finished.

  “Because I can’t sit back and do nothing, letting an entire world of people remain slaves to an unfair master when there’s even a tiny possibility that I might be able to do something about it. Not many people can resist a direct command from Tenebris, but I can. It would be wrong not to act when I could put a stop to all of this. You could be free, Trent, to be whatever you want to be. Your 18th birthday is coming up. I cannot stand the thought of you suffering for your entire adult life because of a corrupt system. Plus there’s the census to worry about. Your whole family is in danger. Obviously, Tenebris has an affinity for going above and beyond in his punishment of people. I won’t let that happen to you and your family. Praesidium has got to go.”