Chapter 10
The howling reaches the sky above, rebounding back at me; a screech so loud it almost resembles laughter.
“Your face!” A deeply strained voice yells.
Peering through my fingers, I witness Matthew hovering over me, unable to contain himself. “I so wish I was filming that!” he beams.
Angered, I can’t even find the words to bite back, so I pick myself up off the ground, and push past him, storming on ahead as he trails behind cracking up every now and again. We walk in silence for the next few minutes, at least I do, whereas Matthew makes many unsuccessful attempts to apologise to me. “Mitchell, I’m sorry, ok?” he says half-heartedly, trying not to chuckle.
Ignoring his empty apology, I stomp towards the seating area situated in an opening beyond the trees. It’s nothing fancy, just a couple of picnic tables and a few benches surrounded by street lights styled as old-fashioned gas lamps. Matthew tries again. “Oh come on! It was just a joke.” He pleads, quickening his walk to match mine.
“A joke?” I ask, stopping dead in my tracks a few feet short of the first picnic table. “That’s just it Matthew, it’s always a joke with you. Does anything that has happened to us today faze you at all?” Although he attempts to answer, I cut him off, bombarding him with countless words my mouth throws up before my brain can even process what to say. “Are you unable to be serious about anything? Because you do know what’s happening to us isn’t normal, right? You shouldn’t be able to cover your body in swirling lights and I shouldn’t be able to shoot fire. And now, the slim chance we had at getting any answers is probably long gone, because you were too busy joking.”
Matthew stares blankly at me for a moment, he must not have been expecting my outburst. Now I wait; wait for him to compose his thoughts and give it all back to me. His eyes narrow in, and the look of joy is replaced with a look I’ve never seen from him before. “You’re going to blame this on me?!” he yells, his powerful voice echoing through the open picnic area. “Maybe I haven’t been all that serious about our situation, I get that, and yes I’ve made the odd joke here and there, but that’s just how I deal with things.” It’s fear. Behind those different coloured eyes of his, I can see fear. “Of course, I know we shouldn’t be able to do any of this stuff, and now you have us chasing after some girl you spoke to, in a dream!” his voice trails off, becoming softer as he looks away from me. “You didn’t see what I saw. The look on your face as your body burst into flames. It wasn’t you. You weren’t there anymore. And I’ve never had that before.”
“Had what?” I ask.
“Being alone. I thought I’d lost you.”
I’m in that position again, where I’m needed to make things alright, but that’s not who I am, nor is this how these situations normally play out. That’s who he is! He saves the day and makes everything better. And now when he looks to me for answers, I have nothing. As there’s nothing I can say, I don’t know what happened to me, but he’s right, I wasn’t there anymore, no longer was I the one in control of my body and mind. “I’m sorry,” I say. It’s not much, but it’s all I have.
Matthew kicks a small stone at his feet, which fires into a tree, denting it and breaking free some of the bark. “It’s fine. We’re here to find out why, right?”
He slaps me on the shoulder, nearly flooring me. “Sorry,” he smirks. “Guess I should lay off the gym for a few weeks.”
First the window, next the stone and now my shoulder, there’s no way his new found strength has come solely from working out, he hardly put any force into that slap, nor did he when he kicked that stone. There has to be more to it, but after the day I’ve had I try not to think about it, as I already have far too many questions trashing my already overcrowded brain.
Rubbing my throbbing shoulder to dull the pain, I take a seat on the cold hard bench. “Well, she’s not here,” I say. “She must’ve gone?”
“I do believe I told you to meet me here at sunset. Yes… yes, I did.” A light feminine voice announces. It’s her, the person from my dream. On the woodchip path, she stands, covered by the dark of night, a perfect silhouette.
“Sorry, we’re late,” Matthew calls out. “But we’re here now.”
“I can see that.” She replies.
Even shrouded in darkness, I sense something familiar about the person before me. We’ve met, I know that much, but when and where?
“Would you be able to come into the light? We can barely see you.”
“Of course, I can, Matthew.” She takes a graceful step forward, entering the circle of light and lets it wash over her entire presence. It’s the dark haired girl. I can’t say I’m surprised, deep down I think I always knew it would be her.
“I’m Talia.” She confirms, baring the tips of her teeth as she grins.
“Um, hey.” Replies Matthew with a flimsy wave. “So… how’d you know my name?”
Gliding towards us, her body moves slow yet her pace is that of a normal person, giving the illusion she’s floating. Before taking a seat next to me, she circles Matthew and his eyes follow her, causing him to twirl. Instantly, I feel a pull to her, a strange feeling like she is sapping my energy, or worse, my life. “I know who you are and what you are.” She sneers, widening her grin.
“Come,” she tells to Matthew, waving her hands to the bench. “Won’t you sit?”
He looks to me for an answer, before hesitating, then finally takes a seat the other side of me, away from her. “She’s creeping me out.” He whispers from behind, but I pretend not to hear anything under her watchful eyes. “Can’t we just bail, she’d never catch us.”
He means she’d never catch him. There’s no telling how fast she can move, all I do know is I can’t move very fast and would probably have a stitch within seconds of moving, or worse, I’d fall from the bench before even getting started. But I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it, the second she stepped into the light I was looking for the quickest escape route… just in case.
Sitting silently, Talia stares at us with an eerie smile, which is even worse up close. All the while Matthew constantly prods me in the back trying to get my attention so we can do a runner. I guess it has fallen to me to take control of the conversation, to lead it.
“So… you said you had answers?” I don’t speak loud, but in this silence it echoes through the trees, booming back at us.
“Oh yes.” She confirms, calming her usually rigid face. “Have you ever heard of Mundarium?”
“No.” I confirm.
She grins while swaying her head like she’s listening to music. “Well,” she begins. “Since the beginning of time, our world has not been alone. It has been living alongside another, occupying the same space in time. That world is called Mundarium, a world much like ours. We are the children of Earth, better known as humans. We’re born, we live, and we die. The end.”
“Mun – What?” queries Matthew.
Her face breaks, the calming look she once had, gone. “Do not interrupt me, Matthew, I will not repeat myself.” She scoffs, glaring deeply at him.
Matthew swallows hard as he edges back, nearly falling off the bench in the process. “I-I-I’m sorry.” He stutters.
I’ve never seen him act this way before, normally he’s always so calm, and able to turn an awkward moment like this into a joke in seconds. But this guy; this babbling, frightened individual… I don’t know him.
Moments later her face turns back to its normal self as if someone has flipped a switch from crazy looking, to a little less crazy. “Where was I?” she wonders. “Oh yes. Humans have always lived a simple life. We’ve grown throughout the years to the prominent species of this planet we see today, and will continue to grow for future generations. But Mundarium has never needed to grow or learn. Everything we’re aiming for, they’re already there and have been, from the very beginning. It’s perfect. Though unlike Earth, there are two main species that dominate Mundarium. The Celestials; strong beings, pure,
kind and the physical force of the land. The other is the Daemons; smart beings, ruthless, cunning and arguably the geniuses of their world. For billions of years, they lived side by side, a perfect match, for a perfect world. Until a great war broke out, dividing these once unified people. A war that waged on for many years, causing countless casualties from both sides and the demise of their once peaceful world. Finally, they were able to reach a truce, an unknown sacrifice from either side, ending the war.”
She turns to me, looking proud of herself, as if she’s given me the answers I was looking for, but instead has left me more confused than I was before.
I hesitate, not wanting to be scolded the way Matthew was, but she remains silent as if she’s waiting on one of us to speak. “That’s a lovely story, but I don’t see what it has to do with us?” I cautiously ask.
Throwing her head back, she begins to chuckle, shrieking at the top of her lungs. No sooner had she started, she abruptly stops mid-laugh with an emotionless face, set on me. “Mitchell Harper! I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. Don’t you get it?”
I shrug. “I’m sorry. I have no idea what you mean.”
“Don’t you see Mitchell? You’re a child of both worlds!” she concludes, unable to control her excitement.
“I… don’t get it.” Announces Matthew, screwing his face up.
Sinking into the bench, deflated, she sighs. “Of course, you don’t. Let me put it more simply for you. At some point, the inhabitants of Mundarium became aware of Earth’s existence. Having found a way to cross over into our world, via a gateway called a Nexus-Point. Many of them at some point lived amongst us, meeting humans, who were none the wiser and starting… relations with them.” She begins to smirk while raising both her eyebrows suggestively. “Thus, the first of the Half-Breeds were born, half human and half Celestial or Daemon. Children born of Earth, with the powers of Mundarium, not as strong as their Pure-Blood heritage, but powerful nonetheless… by Earth’s standards at least.”
“You’re telling us that we’re these Half-Breeds?” I ask. The very thought of it is laughable and I feel sorry for her, having to sit there and recite a fairy-tale for our benefit.
“In the flesh.” She calmly replies.
Mundarium? Celestials? Daemons? Nexus-Points… Half-Breeds? This is what I’ve come here for, to have confirmed that all those tales I was told as a child are true. And she expects us to believe that no-one was the wiser; that the world has always played ignorant to such a threat?
She continues. “You and your brother are the result of a being from Mundarium and a being from Earth. But you are not the only ones, there are Half-Breeds like you all across the globe, leading normal lives, looking no different to you and I. Some still don’t even know what they are. But I know they’re there, I can feel them all, their powers erupting through the Earth, connecting to me.”
“Superpowers?” asks Matthew.
“Not superpowers,” she scoffs. “Powers. Even now I can feel the raw strength pulsating from you Matthew, the beacon of light glowing within you, awakening.” She closes her eyes and begins to twirl her head. “And you Mitchell! The scorching flame within you wants to burn again!”
“And you’re a Half-Breed too?” Matthew queries, sounding somewhat confused.
“Me? Gosh no!” she protests, appalled by the very notion. “I am human, both parents born in this world.”
Matthew looks to me for answers again, his eyes filled with worry, then back to her. “Then, how do you know all this?”
I wait for it, the verbal bashing he’s about to receive or even a quick look; that look that lasts no longer than a second, but can throw a person back in their place. But all she does is chuckle a light-hearted laugh. “Just because I’m human, doesn’t mean I’m powerless. I’m what you’d call a Nexus-Being, a human that can wield the energies of Earth. Chosen at birth, a peacekeeper of our world, if you will.”
The more she speaks, the harder it is for me to believe. Because if I were to, it would mean my life up until this point was a lie. That half my heritage is not even of this world, and that results in me now having powers. All the while this is not common knowledge, and no one has ever spoken out about it.
“A peacekeeper. To what exactly?” I firmly ask.
She recoils, surprised I’ve spoken. “Why… to you Half-Breeds of course! All those powers need to be kept in check. We can’t have you running around causing havoc now, can we?”
Her voice takes on a mocking quality, one that doesn’t sit well with me and becomes more grating with each word she speaks, like nails on a chalkboard. Made much worse as I feel a shadow descend from the sky above, overlaying my entire being.
“Let’s say I do believe you,” I propose, eyeing her up. “That everything you’ve said tonight is true. I’m a Half-Breed, Matthew’s a Half-Breed, heck, everyone’s a Half-Breed, apparently”
“Mitchell… what are you doing?” Matthew worryingly asks. But of course, he would, like she said, I’m the smart one. I’m the one with the brains.
I hold my hand up to shush him. “Hear me out, brother. You can feel us you said?”
With an eager look in her eyes, she answers. “That’s correct.”
“Then tell me. Which one are we? Celestial or Daemon?”
Her face drops, she’s speechless, something she’s obviously having a tough time with, but I relish in. This know-it-all comes out of nowhere to tell me what I am. I know what I am. I’m power. I’m destruction. I could, if I wanted to, burn her to a crisp with a simple flick of the wrist.
“Surely you can tell us that?” I add.
“Mitchell!”
I raise my hand to him again. “Let her answer, brother!”
“I can’t.” She admits, looking to the floor. “I’ve never come across a situation such as yours before. Siblings, one displaying Celestial powers, the other, Daemonic.”
It feels so good to be able to wipe that smug look off her face, my personal tormenter nothing more than a worthless human. “And you expect us to believe you? You probably don’t even have any powers.” I berate, feeding on a darkened energy I never knew existed.
Pushing herself from the bench in one fluid motion, Talia stands tall before us, curling her fingers into fists. “Do I have any powers you ask?”
“And she speaks again. Is that your power?” I mock, leaning into a stretch and faking a yawn.
“Mitchell, please, what’s wrong with you?” questions Matthew, as he stands between us with trembling hands.
“You’d test me!” She roars, with her hands reaching out in front.
Curling her fingers again, like she’s caressing the air, Talia’s body goes rigid, as if she’s latched on to something, making the bench jolt and rumble beneath me. Seeing this, the coward that is my brother leaps back in terror, as he desperately tries to plead with us both.
I laugh. “Is this it? Surely your magic tricks can do better than this?”
“Mitchell… Please stop this!” begs a snivelling Matthew.
“Silence!” I roar in a voice that is not my own. “Are we scared Matthew, is that it? Scared that your brother is finally on par with you, if not stronger.”
His eyes dart between us both. “This isn’t you, Mitchell!”
I glare deeply at him. “You’re right. I’m much better.”
The bolts holding the bench to the ground suddenly fire up into the air as Talia struggles to lift her hands higher. She puffs like she’s running a marathon, and with gritted teeth, turns her face a darker shade of red. Metal begins to bend, snapping in places as the bench begins to raise from the ground. Talia, keeping her eyes solely on me, throws her hands up and lets out a deafening screech. Finally, the bench breaks free of the ground and rushes upward into the night sky. It feels sturdy like it’s still bolted to the floor, only now it’s ten feet in the air.
Now as far back as the woodchip path, Matthew murmurs. “H-H-How?”
Talia’s demeanou
r returns to its normal self about as quickly as it was to fire up. Panting, she turns to Matthew, while still holding the bench up in the air. “I control Earth’s energies, magnetic fields being but one of them.” Then she drops her hands to her side and I remain stationary for a moment, before plummeting back to the ground, with the fall throwing me from the bench to my knees.
Taking a knock allows me to think straight again, and although I could hear myself speak, it was as if the words were from someone else. Why did I goad her? And Matthew! Why would I say those things?
“This is crazy,” protests Matthew, making no attempt to re-join us. “Superpowers? Different worlds? Monsters? All I want to know is how I cure this… disorder.”
“Disorder?” Talia shoots back. “It’s not that simple Matthew. This is part of who you are, to cure you, would be to cure the whole world of Half-Breeds.”
“Matthew,” I plead. “Come back and we can talk it through.” But I already know he won’t, from the looks of fear in his eyes, especially when he looks at me, I know he’ll be gone in moments.
“Mitchell, I know you wanted answers. But I can’t, I can’t do this.” He then turns before finishing his sentence and bolts down the path away from the light and into the darkness.
Staggering to my feet I begin to follow him down the path and through the trees, only to be held back by a sudden pull on my arm, and as I turn I find Talia. “You’ve already seen the future, haven’t you?” she asks.
I pull away from her and stumble back. “The future?”
“There is so much more to you, Mitchell Harper. Don’t ever underestimate your powers. We both know what it can become.” With glazed eyes, she takes a step closer and whispers into my ears. “This is only your beginning.”
“I’m sorry Talia, but I have to go after my brother,” I utter as I hurry down the path.
She then begins to chuckle to herself, forcing the sound echoing through the trees. “The fuse has just been lit, igniting the flames of your future, which will burn brightly!”
Her voice booms into the dark sky. “Always burning!” She yells, repeating it over and over again until it slowly fades into the distance. And once more, I am alone.