Lumen and the Thistle

by EJ Wozniak

  “I’m sorry, what is so funny?” Lumen demanded.

  Janis took a few seconds to stop laughing. He wiped the tears away from his face and whiskers.

  “Everyone reacts differently to this little test. This is the first time we have seen someone so angry. It’s hilarious, mate.”

  Allister chimed in. He was serious again.

  “Most of our students aren’t angry after those dangerous endeavors. Most are scared, confused, panicked . . . you get the point.”

  Lumen responded more loudly than he intended, his adrenaline still pumping through his body.

  “Well, that is a normal reaction for someone WHEN THEY ARE ABOUT TO DIE!”

  “That is correct. But you, you were, for the most part, calm and collected. You were able to quickly escape all three predicaments. Every single person before you has had to be rescued at some point or another. I will say, we did have to get you out of the ice, but most don’t get this far without failing. You should be proud of yourself, Lumen,” Allister said.

  Lumen smirked. He liked hearing that he did something well. He didn’t get much praise from anyone other than his mother and Alec.

  “Well, thanks . . .” Lumen tried to keep an angry look but was failing miserably.

  It fell silent in the cabin. Lumen realized he was soaking wet, and he was beginning to get cold. He walked over to the fire to warm up.

  “Hey, could I get a towel or something to dry off?”

  “Oh, my apologies, my boy . . .” Allister looked at Lumen and snapped his fingers. Lumen felt the water being pulled off of his body and clothes. He looked up and saw it accumulating in a ball above him. Allister moved the ball of water over to a plant in the corner of the cabin and let it drop. Both Lumen and his clothes were now dry.

  “That was amazing! When can I learn to do something like that?”

  Allister and Janis looked at one another, as if they were speaking to one another, then looked back at Lumen.

  “In time. Performing something like that is a bit tricky. You don’t want to accidentally pull water from within the body. It can get messy,” Allister said casually.

  Lumen thought about what awful things could have happened to him if Allister had performed the magic, or whatever that was, the wrong way. He decided it was best not to think about it.

  “Okay . . . well, what’s next?” Lumen asked.

  “You will begin classes in a week. We like to do this little charade to see what our students are capable of. Once the students have all experienced what you have, we will begin classes,” Allister said.

  “Classes?”

  “Right. You will begin learning about the world and the power of Eauges. I pick the students I want to learn to be an Eauge. You will learn about the culture and history of the Eauge people as well as how to wield the power of water responsibly,” Allister stated matter-of-factly.

  “So I am going to be an Eauge?” Lumen asked the question very slowly.

  “That is correct. I hand select my peers as do the other heads.”

  Lumen was confused. He hadn’t even realized other people lived in this bizarre world.

  “Other heads? What do you mean?”

  “Well, there are the Aeris people who are led by our good friend Janis here. He wanted you to be his student as well, but I have convinced him you would be better suited in the Eauge caste.”

  Lumen looked over at Janis laying on the couch. The catman was keeping a feather floating above his mouth by blowing air out of his mouth.

  “There is the Liros tribe, which is led by our good friend, Sasha. You will meet her soon,” Allister continued.

  “Liros? What is that?”Lumen asked.

  “They are the people of the element earth. That forest in the sky was their land. You will be back there again.”

  “Okay, so that leaves the fire people. What are they called?”

  “The Ignous. You will be learning from Aidan,” Allister said.

  Lumen said the tribe names in his head to try and remember them.

  “Oh, I will learn from all these people you mentioned? I thought I was going to be an Oosh.”

  “You are. But it is important to know of all the elements, Lumen. You will need to understand how they all work together, and the power of each,” Allister said.

  Janis sat up.

  “Oy mate, vr’y import’. We all work t’gether. When we don’t, thas when thangs git a bit messy.”

  “Right . . .” Allister shot Janis a look as if to say don’t confuse the boy anymore than we already have. Janis caught the look and he laid back down. The feather was still floating there.

  “What Janis meant to say is it’s important for us all to work together. Like we told you, there is a constant war. It is important that we all cooperate to manage it.”

  “What war? Are we going to be fighting someone?” Lumen asked.

  “Not quite, Lu. It is not that kind of war,” Allister said with a smile.

  “Oh okay . . .” Lumen brushed off the statement, thinking instead about what he was going to learn. He was eager to get started.

  “So, can we start now?”

  Allister laughed again.

  “Not yet. We will wait for the other students to begin next week.”

  “Right, you already said that. Well, I have two questions for you then,” Lumen said.

  “Let’s hear them.”

  “I thought you said you were a master of all the elements?”

  Janis jumped into the conversation again.

  “Righto he is, mate! Better than n’one ‘round!” Janis said, loudly.

  Allister looked at him again and Janis laid back down.

  “I wouldn’t say master, Lumen, but I do practice all four.”

  “Why do you teach Eauges then? Are you like the leader of this world or something?”

  “No, no, don’t be ridiculous. The Imperiums are the ones in charge here,” Allister said.

  “Imperiums? What’s that?”

  Allister looked over at Janis for help.

  “Oy, now ya want me help? Fine . . . The Imperiums are like a group of governors. They are like a council that decides what goes on here. They try and keep balance here as well as in your world,” Janis said without an accent.

  “Wow, I could understand you this time.”

  Janis rolled his dark eyes and laid back down. Lumen realized how crazy this would seem to the normal human. He was talking to a cat.

  “Thank you, Janis. The Imperiums try to keep order. You do not need to worry about that right now. You will learn more about Bonumalus the more you are here,” Allister added.

  Lumen nodded.

  “Okay, well what were all those places you tried to kill me in before? Is that all part of Bonumalus?” Lumen asked.

  “I have to say, this is starting to seem like more than two questions,” Allister said with a smile.

  “These are all a part of the first question.”

  Allister smiled at Lumen. Lumen couldn’t help but feel at peace and secure around Allister. There was something about the way Allister carried himself. Lumen thought back to one of the few conversations he had with his mom about his dad.

  * * *

  “What was he like?” Lumen asked his mother on a random Sunday afternoon.

  “Well honey, he was a great man. He cared for others, and others cared for him. A lot of people looked up to him. He was very charismatic. There was just something about him that everyone liked. He was a good man, at least I thought he was until he left abruptly,” Alice said.

  “What’s charismatic mean again?”

  “Hmmm. . . someone you look up to. A person that is appealing,” Alice said.

  * * *

  Lumen thought Allister was charismatic.

  “Well, Lu, Bonumalus is really segregated into four separate areas, each of which corresponds with the caste of people that live there. The floating forest is where the Liros live, the desert is where the Ignous reside, and th
e Eauge people live in this area.”

  “What about the Aeris people? Where are they?” Lumen asked curiously.

  “Oh, they live in the clouds, of course,” Allister said.

  Lumen thought that was crazy, but he didn’t question it. Allister and Janis didn’t even bat an eye at the comment. People just live in the clouds—that was normal here.

  “Right, the clouds. Dumb question. Okay, and my second question . . .” Lumen stammered to find the words for a moment.

  Lumen turned and looked at the walls of the cabin.

  “What’s up with all the drawings of you and Janis?”

  Allister peered back at the drawings with a smile before answering Lumen.

  “I like drawing. I have always felt drawing myself and the ones closest to me to be a great challenge. I find we are always more critical of oneself. Trying to perfect myself and others I care for through art is a great test for me. Plus, it is fun drawing Janis now that he is a cat.”

  The feather fell onto Janis’ face, and he got up to give Allister a foul look.

  “Well, I think it is time for you to get going. Rest up for the week. I will have Alec go with you to get some supplies you will need to get started. See ya soon.”

  Before Lumen could say anything, Allister waved his hand, and a window opened. He moved the window right through Lumen, and suddenly Lumen found himself sitting on his bed. About a second later Wrigley came jumping through the window as well, then it disappeared.

  “Supplies? What could I possibly need for Oosh class?” Lumen looked at Wrigley.

  Wrigley turned his head sideways, trying to understand Lumen.

  Chapter 7 - Lumen’s Luxem

  Lumen had a hard time focusing on Monday morning. He was lost in thought multiple times throughout his morning classes. He decided to accept that Bonumalus was real. Not one person treated him differently that week; his mom was worried as usual, and the other students at school treated him the same. His teachers were still boring. Lumen had a lot to think about this morning. Not only did he have to prepare for classes in this exotic new world, but he had to muster up the courage to speak to Sofia. Not only that, but he had to ask her to come to dinner.

  Lumen looked around for Sofia as we walked from second-period. He always saw Sofia on his way; she had a class next to his. He decided to catch her before she walked into her class. He would just approach her, ask her how the dance was, and ask her to come over. It was that easy. Lumen felt confident for a moment and then felt sick immediately after as he began to think of every way this could go wrong; the possibilities were endless. Lumen thought he might puke.

  He was almost to his next class when he saw Sofia walking by herself from in the opposite direction. This is it. Do or die, Lumen thought as he took a deep breath. He cupped his hands and put them over his mouth to make sure his breath was okay. He asked a random student walking by if there were any signs on his back. There weren’t. Lumen straightened his posture and made his way toward Sofia, feeling confident. She asked about me at the dance, he thought as he walked her way. She had to like him.

  Lumen was a few steps away and about to call her name when Alec ran up behind him.

  “Hey man, how you feeling? Big week, we got to get you ready. I was thinking every night this week we should discuss what you can expect in these classes, where to meet every day . . .”

  Alec was standing between him and Sofia. Lumen tried to sidestep him, but Alec followed his moves.

  “Dude, what are you doing? I’m talking to you.”

  Lumen moved Alec aside, and Sofia was already walking into her class. He was too late.

  “Will you shut up, Alec? Thanks a lot. I was going to talk to Sofia . . . it’s your fault I have to do this anyway.”

  “Next time, just say that and I will get out of her way. Much better than staring at her like a creeper. And my fault? I did you a favor by telling your mom what I told her. Now you are forced to speak to someone other than me, big deal. Also, that someone is a girl you’re madly in love with.”

  Lumen turned red.

  “I’m not in love! I just think she’s cool. I mean look at her, her big, green eyes and long, dark hair.”

  Alec rolled his eyes.

  “Oh jeez, stop now before I puke. Just be ready to meet up after school. Don’t pansy out of talking to her either. I’ll see you later.”

  Alec took off for class as the bell rang. Lumen walked into his class.

  “Great, now I have to wait until lunch.”

  Lumen had two more periods until lunch. They went by slower than ever. He wished he could use the lights to travel in time. He could jump to the future and just talk to her already. He was getting tired of feeling like his heart was going to pound right out of his chest.

  Period three ended, and he walked to fourth. He took a test that he completely forgot about. He finished faster than anyone else and just sat at his desk, staring up into space. He rubbed his eraser down to the nub. The student next to him gave him a dirty look when the metal end of the pencil began to screech on the desk. Lumen deferred to twiddling his thumbs.

  Fourth period finally ended after an eternity. It was lunchtime but Lumen didn’t have much of an appetite. He had to find Sofia. Lunch lasted about 30 minutes. Plenty of time.

  He walked around the courtyard where most students ate their lunches and socialized with one another. Lumen usually ate near the principal's office. He figured most people wouldn't bother to go over there. Not today though.

  He wandered out and about the courtyard.

  Where would she eat, and who would she eat with? he thought to himself.

  He walked around for 15 minutes and couldn’t find her.

  Is she here today?

  He remembered he had seen her before third period, when Alec ruined it.

  Time was running out. He thought about waiting until tomorrow to talk to her but thought he might die from stress if he did that. He had to today.

  He walked into the library to think about where she could be. He walked in and sat at a table to think.

  After getting frustrated and deciding that she must have had left school early, he got up ready to face the disappointment when he looked up and realized she was sitting on the other end of the library. By herself. This was perfect. It was quiet, and nobody hung out there during lunch. She looked up, saw him, smiled, then waved. Lumen looked behind him to make sure nobody was there, then awkwardly waved back. He started to head over when Blake and his buddies walked into the library.

  “There ya are, skitzo! We missed you on Saturday! You been practicing magic? You did a great disappearing act on us . . . You owe me now, though.”

  Not now, that is all Lumen could think. Lumen would take a swirly any other time if he could just talk to Sofia now.

  He looked back at Sofia and saw her gathering her things. She looked at Lumen and seemed sad. She mouthed something to Lumen, but he wasn’t good at reading lips. She walked out of the back of the library.

  “Looks like it is just us buddy. Make this easier for all of us and come into the bathroom.”

  Lumen was still staring where Sofia had just been. He couldn’t believe his luck.

  Lumen turned toward Blake and walked toward the bathroom in the library.

  “I’ll handle this one on my own boys. Keep watch for his friend Alec. Don’t let anyone in here. The locks on these bathroom doors aren’t very reliable either.”

  Blake and Lumen walked in.

  “Let’s see which toilet we will use today.”

  There were three stalls in this bathroom. It wasn’t as clean as the other bathrooms.

  “Stall number one . . .”

  Blake kicked the door open.

  “Looks to be clogged with toilet paper. Can’t use this one.”

  Blake walked to the second one and kicked the door open.

  “Behind door number two, we have a toilet seat covered in old pee and an unflushed toilet. I think we have a winner!”r />
  Lumen thought Blake was talking like some sort of sick game show host. He wasn’t amused.

  “Contestant number one, walk on down. You are our lucky winner tonight.”

  Lumen walked over slowly.

  He thought there was no way he could talk to Sofia today. He would be wet and probably smell for the rest of the day. Who was he kidding? He may never be able to talk to her. She probably thought Lumen was lame and weak. He couldn’t even stand up for himself.

  “Hurry up, crazy!”

  Blake shoved him into the stall and down to the ground.

  “Take a deep breath, you ain’t coming up for a while. I’d keep your eyes closed; you’ll probably get pink eye from the pee.”

  Lumen decided he would never be able to talk to Sofia.

  He took a deep breath. He closed his eyes. The sooner this was over the better he thought.

  Blake cracked his fingers and did some stretches as if this was an exercise.

  “No Alec to save—-”

  Before he could finish his sentence, everything went white until Lumen found himself standing behind Blake. Alec was next to him.

  “What the . . . how’d you do that? Alec? How’d you get in here?”

  “Your buddies aren’t the best look outs I guess. You hear that, Blake?”

  “Hear what?”

  “I think that toilet’s broken.”

  Blake looked behind him and at the same time Alec moved his hand up. The water in the toilet began to gurgle and the pipes trembled. The water from the toilet came flying out all over Blake. He was covered in pee water.

  Blake turned around with his hair and shirt soaked and walked out of the bathroom.

  “Oh my. . . oh. . . I think I’m gonna puke. . .” Blake shook his hands to try and rid them of the pee water.

  “You two better watch yourselves. I’m coming for you too now, Alec. You’re dead.”

  Blake walked out of the bathroom, followed by a trail of pee water. Lumen and Alec could hear him yelling at his friends about letting Alec in.

  “We didn’t see him, we swear! He must have slipped by!”

  “Shut up! One of you idiots get me some clothes! Oh m . . . this smells so bad . . . Hurry up idiots! This is all of your faults!”