by C. M. Fenn
It’s beginning to get late and I’m hoping for a chance to speak with Ember and Sam again before we fall asleep. My mom has already turned in for the night, but before she did, she checked that the guest room was ready for Sam and she put some extra pillows in my room for Ember.
Ember yawns and I realize something. “Hey,” I ask her, “isn’t it a lot later where you’re from?”
She checks her watch. “Yeah. It’s the middle of the night there.” She laughs it off but this is the out I’ve been looking for.
“You poor thing! You must be so tired. Sorry I didn’t realize it sooner. We’ll let you get some sleep. I’ve had a crazy day today and frankly, I’m ready for bed now too.”
She gets the hint. “Okay, sounds great. Thanks Jana for being an awesome partner. The games were a good idea.”
“You’re welcome! Tonight was so much fun. You guys need to make it out this way more often.”
Sam gets up. “I should get some shut-eye myself. Ember, I’ll bring your stuff in from the truck.”
When he returns, Jana says goodnight to everyone, and I take the two of them to the back of the house.
“Here’s the guest room, Sam. Ember, my room’s right here.”
After we get ourselves ready for bed, I open my door and check that Jana isn’t in the hall. When I see she’s not around, I motion for Sam to join Ember and me in my room. Ember sits down on the bed. I close the door and sit down next to her. Sam sits backwards on my desk chair so he’s facing us and rests his arms on the back and his chin on his arms. I’m secretly thankful I cleaned my room a few days before.
“Thanks for staying, guys. My mom loves having visitors. You probably made her year.”
“She’s so sweet, Addy,” Ember says fervently. “You don’t know how lucky you are. I wish my mom was half as nice as yours is.”
The way she says it makes me wonder about Ember’s mom and their relationship. Maybe I’ll ask her about it when I know her better. Right now I have questions I want answered before returning to Chaos.
I look at Sam. “Are you two at Major Calm?”
“We are. As soon as we get back there, I’ll put together a team and we’ll come and get you and bring you back to Major Calm.”
This raises a ton of fears and questions. “You mean we’ll have to go back out into Chaos?”
He senses my fear. “You don’t have to be afraid,” he assures me. “We spend a lot of time out in Chaos fighting Shades. We’re very experienced.”
“Yeah, plus, I’m sure we’ll get a ton of volunteers to come with us. Meeting a new Realmwalker is seriously exciting. You’ll be surrounded by seasoned warriors, all bent on getting you to Major Calm safely,” Ember says comfortingly.
Sam explains further, “The whole process will only take an hour or two. Then we can spend the rest of the night showing you around Major Calm and explaining life in Chaos to you.”
I try to think what the other Realmwalkers will be like. “How many of us are there?” I can’t believe I haven’t thought of asking before now.
“You make thirteen. Lucky number thirteen!” Ember laughs.
“It’s a good thing I’m not superstitious.” I cross my fingers jokingly. “Gosh, I’m so anxious, I’m not even sure if I CAN fall asleep tonight.”
“No worries,” Ember says. “Sam can help with that. He’s got some telepathic abilities.”
I’m surprised. “You can read minds?” I ask him, suddenly feeling insecure.
“No, nothing like that. I can suggest things to your mind. That’s all,” he tells me.
“Like how?”
“Well, for example, let’s say I’m chasing down a suspect on foot. I can suggest extreme fatigue to his mind, and even though he’s in top physical shape, he suddenly finds he’s too exhausted to run another step.”
I am astounded at this information. What an amazing ability. It reminds me of another question I have. “How is it that you can all do these insane things? Mel can stretch herself to be super tall. Ember can somehow make fire? And now this?” I gesture at Sam. “How is it that you’re all superheroes? I can’t do anything even remotely fantastic.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Sam says. “We all start out that way. You’ll learn how to do some really neat stuff once you’re in Chaos. It’s a bit complicated to explain and would take too long to get into right now. Be patient, Adelaide. We won’t leave you out to dry. We have a really good system in place to help new Walkers adjust.”
All I can do is take his word for it. I can’t think of anything else that’s really pressing. I guess I’ve delayed the inevitable long enough.
“Is there anything else I should know right now? Before going back?” I ask them.
“Nope!” says Ember cheerfully. “Gosh, I can’t wait for you to get to Major Calm!”
“Well, I guess I’m ready then.” My stomach is a tangle of knots.
Ember climbs over to her half of the bed. “Don’t worry, Mel and Crank will take good care of you until we get there. Hey, you wanna see something cool?”
“Sure,” I say, wondering what else she can do while simultaneously hoping she doesn’t do something to set my house on fire. Instead, she gets under the covers.
“Good night!” she chirps and falls back onto the pillow. She’s perfectly quiet except for her soft breathing.
“She’s not asleep, is she? Seriously? Just like that?” I ask.
Sam smiles a little. “Yeah, that’s one of the first things you’ll learn. It’s a very important ability to be able to get to Chaos on a moment’s notice.”
“Wow.” I look down at my hands. How will I ever measure up to these people? It’s intimidating to think they expect me to learn these things. What if I’m a dud? What if I get there and find that I can’t do anything special?
“Don’t worry, Adelaide,” Sam says. I look up to find him watching me intently.
“You must have lied earlier, about not being able to read minds,” I say to him.
His expression softens and I can tell he’s trying not to smile. “I can’t read your mind. But anyone can tell what you’re thinking just by watching your face. You’re not so great about hiding your feelings.”
Embarrassed, I cover my face. Shaking my head back and forth, I say into my hands, “Sheesh, what you all must think of me.”
“It’s not a bad thing,” he insists. “It tells me you’re a passionate person. That’s a good thing in our line of work.”
He stands up and I remember he’s supposed to help me fall asleep.
“Oh, right,” I say nervously. “So, I just lay down? Like normal?”
“Yeah.” He waits for me as I climb between my sheets. When I’m lying down with my head on my pillow, he walks to the edge of the bed. There’s a light fluttering in my stomach, and I’m finding it hard to look at him.
“I know you’re nervous,” he says quietly as he sits on the edge of my bed.
Am I that obvious? I think.
“But this won’t be like last time. You’ll fall asleep and wake up safe in Minor Calm.”
Oh.
With relief I realize he thinks I’m nervous about what I’ll find when I fall asleep. I’m glad he doesn’t know I’m nervous because he’s really attractive and really close to me-on my bed even-and we are basically alone.
“Okay, you need to look at me,” he says. His voice is so gentle it contradicts the tough image I have of him. I turn my head and look at him. His eyes are such a clear blue; it’s hard not to get distracted looking into them. He places his hands on the sides of my face and looks into my eyes.
“Peace.” Almost as soon as the word escapes his mouth, my anxiety melts away. I’m comfortable. Everything feels wonderful: the soft pillow under my head, the warm blankets covering me, Sam’s rough hands on my face. It’s euphoric. I can’t stop myself from smiling blissfully.
“Courage,” he whispers fiercely. I feel like I can do anything. Send me to Chaos. I want to go. I want a
chance to prove myself. I’ll make you proud, I think as I’m looking into Sam’s eyes. I’ll make you all proud. Sam smiles knowingly.
“See you on the other side, Addy,” he whispers.
“Sleep.”
Chapter 9
I know I’m awake and in Minor Calm, but I keep my eyes closed. I’m not ready to lose the feeling and image I just left behind. Before I know it, however, I hear voices whispering nearby. I open one eye and peek out. I’m in a bed. Two figures sit at the end, talking in hushed voices. I open both my eyes and look around. I’m in a comfy-looking bedroom with lavender walls. As I look around, I draw the attention of the two people at the foot of the bed.
Mel and Crank both turn around and shout simultaneously, “WE TOLD YOU SO!” And then we’re all laughing. “You didn’t think we’d forget that part, did you?” asks Mel.
“I have to admit, as crazy weird as all of this is, it’s good to see you guys.” I look down at myself and see I’m still wearing yesterday’s tattered and bloodstained pajamas. “Please tell me we can do something about this.” I indicate my clothes.
“Oh, absolutely, mate. Come with us.” I follow Mel and Crank out of the room. We go down some halls and through a series of rooms before we reach two large blonde oak double doors. Mel pulls one open while Crank gets the other. Crank fumbles for a switch on the wall and flips the lights on. Rows of large florescent lights along the high ceiling flicker on in sequence, the ones closest to us first, then down the length of a very large, very long room.
“This is the Minor Calm warehouse. You can find about anything you need here. And what you can’t find here, you can find in Major Calm’s warehouse, which is nearly twice this big,” Crank explains.
Mel motions for me to follow her. As we walk down the center aisle, we pass all different kinds of furniture and appliances. There are bed frames and mattresses of all sizes to my left. Dressers and vanities to my right. Farther down we pass some sofas and an assortment of electronics. I’m amazed at the variety and quality of everything here. We arrive at a section that looks like the inside of an apparel store you see at a mall. There are clothes racks here and there and tables with folded stacks of clothing. Toward the back wall are rows and rows of shoes.
“Wow,” I say insufficiently. I’m at a total loss for words.
“Go ahead and help yourself. There’s basically every size here, so I’m sure you’ll find something,” Mel says. “This side is for sheilas. That should help ya out.”
“Thanks, guys, but, um … how does this work? Do I need to pay?”
Mel and Crank both laugh at me.
Crank shakes his head. “Oh, hermana, you’ve got a lot to learn.”
I delve through all the clothes on the racks and tables until I find some things that look comfortable. I grab some extra stuff too in case not everything fits. I find a pair of shoes that fit and the three of us head back to the room I woke up in.
“This place is so nice. It’s huge! How many rooms are in here?” I ask them.
“There are twelve bedrooms here and about five comfortable lounging areas,” Mel says.
“And this is only the ‘way-station’?” I’m amazed at the size of everything. I can’t even imagine how they pay for everything inside it, let alone get it all here.
“Yeah, the Realmwalkers who made the Calms wanted to make sure it was big enough to comfortably house all of us in case of an emergency,” Crank informs me.
“You’ll learn all about it soon.” Mel smiles encouragingly. “Essentially, your whole first week is spent learning the basic history of Chaos, as far as we know it. That includes learning how the Calms were made and how we keep them stocked and updated with the latest technology. It’s pretty interesting stuff. Well, we’ll leave you be so you can get cleaned up. The lav is in there.” She points to a door at the back of the room.
They close the door on their way out. I assume that when Mel says “lav” she means the bathroom. Sure enough, behind the door she pointed to is a fully functioning bathroom. I find all the necessary toiletries in drawers and cupboards. After showering, I dress myself and examine the finished product in a full-length mirror by the bed.
I chose a comfortably snug black cotton T-shirt and some olive green cargo pants with a matching woven fabric belt. I decide I’ve fallen in love with the pair of shoes I chose—black boots with thick soles, not the gross clunky kind that are easy to trip over. These manage to look military and feminine at the same time. I pull my hair back into a high ponytail using a hair band I found in a bathroom drawer.
I toss my old, bloody clothes into a wastebasket by the dresser and make the bed before heading out to look for Crank and Mel. I find them in the living room I remember from last night. As I join them, I catch the tail end of a conversation Mel is having on her ear device.
“Sounds like perfect conditions. What’s your ETA?”
Sam’s voice is a little muffled, but I can make out what he says, “Twenty minutes.”
“All right, Boss. We’ll be ready. Mel out.”
I start to get nervous again as I think about actually having to go out into Chaos. I sit next to Crank on one of the sofas. “Can you tell me what to expect? What’s it like out there?”
“Boss was just telling Mel there’s little to no activity right now. Looks like Fate is smiling down on us today. The trip to Major Calm should be pretty uneventful,” Crank explains.
“So there aren’t many Shades out?” I ask for clarification.
“That’s right. Which is lucky. We normally come across at least a dozen Lesser Shades mulling about between Major Calm and here.”
“Holy crap! A dozen of those things?” I blurt out. “The one I saw last night was enough to last me quite a while, thank you very much.”
Mel waves her hand back and forth. “Things aren’t normally that way. You see, Lesser Shades are a lot like cattle—big stupid cows that roam around searching for a tear to pass through. It’s pretty rare to come across one like we did the other night. If you’re out in the open and alone, the way you were last night, and a Lesser Shade is close by, they’ll seize the opportunity and try to kill you. But most of the time, if we’re in large numbers, they tend to stay clear of us.”
“But wait, I thought all you guys did was fight Shades. If they aren’t aggressive all the time, when is it that we’re supposed to fight them? Do we attack them as soon as we see them?” I’m getting confused again.
“Okay, it’s like this,” Mel goes over to the large flat-screen monitor on the wall that Crank used last night. She touches the screen, pulls up some files, and scrolls through them until she finds one titled “Known Shades.”
“Crank, can you get the lights?” Once the lights are off, she selects the folder. From two small units on the floor, one located on each side of the screen, come projection lights. Where the two lights meet, in the air above the coffee table in front of me, they form a 3-D holographic image of a dark, beastlike creature, similar, but not identical to the Lesser Shade that nearly killed me.
“There is a hierarchy among the Shades. Both types, the Lesser and the Greater have their roles and purposes. This is a Lesser Shade, like the one last night.” The image of the Shade is slowly rotating so I’m able to see it from all angles. This one reminds me of a large dog, only instead of four legs, it has six, three on each side. Each leg ends in three bulgy finger-like appendages that look able to grab things. It’s disgusting.
“There are all different types of Lesser Shades.” Each time Mel touches the screen, a new type of beast appears. Some look insectile, some amphibious. To my horror, I see a few of them have large spanning wings. Mel continues, “The Lesser Shades’ main goal is to find a tear in the fabric of Chaos and get through it. That’s when we need to watch out for them most. Try to stop them and they get spewin’!”
“So other than that, we basically leave them alone?” I ask her.
“Not exactly. When we aren’t busy hunting Greater Shades
and sealing tears, we do a bit of what we call ‘population control.’ If we don’t kill ‘em off when we can, before we know it, there are too many to deal with. We also try to discourage Lesser Shades from herding. They are more dangerous when they gather up in groups, so we break them up, thin out their ranks.”
“You really shouldn’t worry too much about Lesser Shades,” says Crank. “Honestly, they’re stupid creatures. They may seem terrifying at first, but they act purely on instinct. They’re simple to outsmart and they always fall for the same old tricks.”
“Oscar’s right. It’s the Greater Shades you need to watch out for.” She touches the screen again and the image in front of me changes to what I can only assume is a Greater Shade. “Now, don’t let their appearance fool you. These blokes are as cunning as a dunny rat.”
So this is a Greater Shade? In terms of “scary,” it doesn’t look like much—not compared to a Lesser Shade anyway. The creature stands erect like a man. It has arms and legs similar to a human’s, only slightly off. Disproportionate. It’s as if the monster tried to emulate a man, but this twisted, mutated form is as close as it can come. It seems to be made up of the same blackness as the Lesser Shades. It’s hard to get a real idea of its size as I’ve nothing to compare it to.
“How large are these things?” My voice comes out quieter than I intended. She turns to the screen and types something in. I watch in awe as the hologram steadily expands. When it’s finished growing, it’s about eight, maybe nine feet tall. Seeing it this large makes it easier to see details.
Even though I know it’s only an image and not the real thing, the hairs on my arms stand up and a sudden coldness runs along the length of my spine. Up close like this, the creature looks as though its flesh is made of a thick, oily, black sludge. I wonder how it’s able to hold its shape. Under the swirling shadows surrounding the beast, I can see that where its eyes and mouth should be are only gaping, black, empty holes.
“These hooligans,” Mel continues, “are the rippers. They are the only ones who are able to tear holes into Chaos. They are also considerably more intelligent than the Lesser Shades. Still nothing compared to us, but underestimating them can be dangerous. Every once in a while one will do something surprisingly clever.”
