《The Solar Towers: Telilro》


 Prologue: The Rip

    <h2>Prologue: The Rip</h2>


    <hr>


    Twenty Years Ago


    <hr>


    Mia Bales checked the console for the hundredth time, before she looked out the window for the thousandth.


    There weren¡¯t many windows aboard the craft, and all of those along the left side were now closed due to their proximity to the Sun. The view outside of the safe side though, was breathtaking every time.


    Sunsoul. They were bathed in it. It permeated the hull of the ship, casting the interior in a gentle green glow. Recordings of the ship looked completely normal. In fact, almost none of the people on earth could see the glow. But everyone on the ship, except poor Hanna who was the control group, had been chosen because they could. And it was magnificent.


    Outside the ship looked even more so. Just¡­ glowing. She reached out and touched the energy, holding it in her hands like she could only dream of doing on earth before letting it go free. It was beautiful, and she, like the rest of the crew, had been lost within her own awe for days. The closer they came to the sun, the more it filled the world.


    ¡°God, I wish Fontaine were here. She should¡¯ve gotten to see this,¡± Angelo said dejectedly. It was an unspoken secret that he was fond of the brilliant woman and was truly looking forward to the year-long mission to more closely examine Sunsoul in order to get closer to her. When a fucking cold had kept her from coming along, they¡¯d almost delayed the mission another six months. Investors be damned. Alas, Violette had not been able to come on the very ship she had designed because she¡¯d gotten sick.


    Angelo had been bitching about it for the past three months.


    ¡°Yep, Angelo. It¡¯s a real shame,¡± Mia deadpanned, annoyed.


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    Today was the day. Today they would reach the outermost layer where the Sunsoul was at its highest concentration if Dr. Fontaine¡¯s studies were accurate. Which they were.


    ¡°Mia to the console. Mia! There appears to be a bit of an anomaly on the intensity scanners. You mind checking it out?¡± came a call over the ship¡¯s intercom.


    An anomaly? She was already at the console and she hadn¡¯t seen¡­!


    Well hot damn.


    There on her screen before her was a bit of a hitch in the intensity ratings. Sunsoul, as best as they had been able to tell from Earth, was a thin layer of some sort of exotic energy that wrapped around the sun much like ozone around the Earth. Why only some people could see it was still a complete mystery, but you didn¡¯t have to see sunsoul to be affected by it.


    Apparently, it was interacting with scanners aboard the ship, and they were heating up at an alarming rate.


    Her eyes widened, as she watched the temperature gauge of the zenith sensor skyrocket, quickly followed by the other three. They were interacting with the Sunsoul! That shouldn¡¯t be happening! Fascinating! They were only passive systems, meant to examine the energy and guage the overall quantity of the stuff in a specified radius of ambient space outside the ship. But they were being affected by it, while the rest of the ship seemed untouched.


    Wait¡­ if they¡¯re being affected...


    She realized a moment later that if the sensors were interacting with the Sunsoul then the engine, which was propelled by the exotic energy might do the same¨C!


    The world suddenly cracked.


    ¡°Mia!? What¡¯s happenin¨C!¡± Angelo shouted before his voice abruptly guttered.


    For just a moment she felt weightless like she had in the early days of the mission before they''d gotten close enough that the ambient Sunsoul concentration was high enough to start the artificial gravity generator.


    A moment of weightlessness. Another moment of pressure like holding up a heavy door with every part of her body¡­


    Then¡­ a distinct ripping sound, before the world was consumed by green.


    <hr>

 Chapter One - The Noonday Survivor

    <h2>Chapter One: The Noonday Survivor</h2>


    <hr>


    ¡°Dad,¡± I nearly whispered into his room, quietly sliding the door open. I was embarrassed. This felt like the type of thing kids would have problems with. Not a full-grown adult! I felt a little stupid, but I didn¡¯t know what else to do. I couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. Kept having nightmares. If I didn¡¯t talk to someone about it soon, I¡¯d probably do something I¡¯d regret.


    So, I needed Dad¡¯s help. But, talk to him? About this? God no.


    David Meadows was shorter than me as of last year, but that had never made a difference. He was shorter than Mom too, but some people didn¡¯t need height to be tall. He¡¯d been putting on even more muscle lately, a result of his recent desire to stay fit. He had a wide face and perpetually squinting eyes, as if the world was always just a bit too bright. He wasn¡¯t balding though, and his hair was as black as I could ever remember, even into his late forties.


    He was busy in his bedroom when I entered, drawing even at this early hour of the morning. He was an artist by trade, and a ridiculously good one. For some reason, he never seemed to make as much money as I thought he deserved, but he¡¯d always been content with what he did make. Mom was the real breadwinner in our house. Her doctorate made that understandable though.


    ¡°Hey Dad.¡± I called in a normal tone, surprised to find him awake. He normally slept right through Mom leaving and my breakfast and we wouldn¡¯t see each other until I got home most of the time, but apparently something had made him wake up early today.


    ¡°Bran! Hey there, Noonday! I was hoping you would stop in before you left for school.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ don¡¯t call me that¡­¡±


    He was almost ready to say something else, but he paused as he looked up from his sketch pad through a pair of golden framed glasses.


    ¡°Why not! You¨C!¡± he started in worry at the sight of me. He had almost scratched his page. I must have looked worse than I thought. ¡°Are you alright, Brandon?¡±


    I stepped fully into the room. It was a luxurious master suite for most families, though still cozy. Soft brown carpeting matched the cherry wood furniture of the queen-sized bed, the dresser, the chest, and Dad¡¯s desk which was offset into its own little cordon. Once upon a time, it would¡¯ve been used to let light in, but that was before Fontaine¡¯s Folly. Now it looked like a studio with an array of artificial lights shining down.


    He instantly stood from his desk as I approached and put a hand to my forehead as if checking for a fever.


    ¡°I¡¯m not feeling so good. Not sick; just can¡¯t sleep,¡± I said, allowing him to be sure that it wasn¡¯t a sickness that was bugging me. Well, at least not the flu, or a strep throat. ¡°I haven¡¯t felt very good for the past two weeks.¡±


    He grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s still bothering you,¡± he stated. Not a question.


    I nodded.


    ¡°This must really be eating you up, Bran,¡± He said worriedly. I used to be annoyed at the shortening of my name, but I guess it didn¡¯t really matter anymore.


    ¡°There¡¯s more to it than just Clara, Dad. Could I¡­?¡± Each word was a fight against embarrassment and social stigma, but this couldn¡¯t go on. I just had to talk to someone,so I pressed forward. ¡°Could I see a therapist?¡±


    Dad blinked. Whatever he had been expecting, that hadn¡¯t been it. I trusted him with everything, but somehow, I felt that if he knew I¡¯d been having nightmares he¡¯d lose respect for me. As if he couldn¡¯t tell already. But that thin veneer of pretending that I just couldn¡¯t sleep was enough to keep at least a little of my pride.


    Nightmares. Are they nightmares if they¡¯re about something you actually saw?


    ¡°You can¡¯t tell me about it?¡± He asked. Therapy was expensive. It was hard to blame him, but I just couldn¡¯t talk to him. My need for it to be a stranger was probably some latent psychological issue. Call it pride, I guess, but if I tried to talk to him, I knew what would happen. Dad would be beside himself to help with whatever he could, and in the end, he¡¯d offer suggestions on how to fix the problem without listening. Mom? She¡¯d¡­ probably just tell me to get over it. Mom could be a cold woman.


    Besides, we could afford it, and I needed to talk to someone¡­ someone who didn¡¯t know me. I thought I¡¯d be able to get over the whole thing, but every time I tried, I couldn¡¯t help but think it had been my fault. I¡¯d seen a few little signs, hints of what was coming beforehand, but hadn¡¯t been willing to believe them until the issue was shoved right in my face. Maybe it was the guilt that was causing these vivid dreams.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can help with this one, Dad.¡± That wasn¡¯t a dig at him. I truly didn¡¯t think he could help. He¡¯d never seen a girl melt alive in the sun before.


    He stared at me for a long moment, and then nodded, putting down the thick wooden pencil which most of his drawings materialized from. ¡°You¡¯re not asking if you can go see the school counselor or something like that, are you? Someone professional. The nightmares are that bad?¡±


    I flushed and scowled simultaneously.


    ¡°Not having nightmares.¡± An obvious lie. My dreams were bizarre but mostly centered around things that made me feel more guilty.


    Dad only sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair.


    ¡°What she did isn¡¯t your fault, Brandon,¡± he told me with finality. Dad had a brash personality. He gave me my space, but he made sure I knew he loved me. Even to the point of his own discomfort at times. It was only in this past year that I really felt like I¡¯d earned his respect though. Maybe it was just my age, or maybe it was just how I¡¯d gone out of my way to help him cut down the fallen trees out of Mrs. Kellerman¡¯s yard after that storm over the summer. Whatever it was, there was a¡­difference. I didn¡¯t want to lose that by whining about my dreams, and my lingering guilt.


    I had to talk to someone, though.


    ¡°Money¡¯s a little tight with your grandma¡¯s nursing home bills just dropped in our lap, but I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± He laid a hand on my shoulder and gave me a smile. ¡°If you do want to talk, your mother and I are always here though. Just keep us in mind, alright?¡±


    Talking to Dad was unthinkable. Mom would¡¯ve been even worse. Sure, she would¡¯ve tried but in the end, she probably would just try to science me. I suppressed a shudder as I returned his smile. ¡°Yeah, Dad. And I¡¯ll help pay. Is¡­ half okay?¡±


    Dad¡¯s eyes really did widen then. He reached out to my forehead again, this time with an eyebrow arched incredulously. I batted it away when I realized what he was doing. ¡°Well, your forehead¡¯s just fine but hell seems to have frozen over.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I trailed off, not certain what I¡¯d been about to say. I wanted to laugh. I really did, but the situation was too serious. He seemed to catch on quickly and smoothed the joke over.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Brandon,¡± he said soberly, joviality fading as he realized this wasn¡¯t something to kid around about. ¡°It might take some time, but I¡¯ll look into some options, okay? The fact that you¡¯re willing to pay anything makes me pretty sure you¡¯re not joking about this.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t. If I could afford it, I¡¯d pay every penny and not even tell Dad, but a part time job at a truck stop wasn¡¯t going to be enough to cover it. I was barely managing to keep up on the car payments. I¡¯d probably have to give up the MMOs for a while. That was for the best anyway. I needed to concentrate on my running.


    I returned the smile. As I stepped out of the room, I told him softly, ¡°Yeah, Dad. Thanks.¡±


    I turned and stepped back out into the hallway, making for the kitchen when I heard the garage door begin to open or close. Mom was already going to work. Some friends of mine, Monroe and April, had always found it weird that Mom worked a regular seven to four while Dad stayed home all day, but I¡¯d grown up that way. It had never felt odd to me.


    I yawned, pouring myself a bowl of cereal. The house shook as Mom¡¯s armored yacht of a vehicle pulled out and she left, almost causing me to spill the milk. I scowled, annoyed but there was no one to direct the feeling at.


    I normally didn¡¯t have enough time in the morning to eat breakfast. I was perpetually late, but my homeroom teacher, Mr. Bales, liked me enough that I could usually get away with being only a few minutes tardy.


    He¡¯d let me off skipping class entirely a few times over the past few weeks. No one blamed him. Even so, I didn¡¯t like the pitying looks my friends had started giving me when they thought I wasn¡¯t looking. The bags under my eyes were getting worse, but they shouldn¡¯t be. I¡¯d received nothing more than a few small burns.


    Except it¡¯s still bothering me two weeks later.


    I ruthlessly shoved the thought away as I sat at the table and started eating my Cheerios.


    ¡°Morning¡­¡± The sound, more a groan than a word, filtered through lethargic lips from down the hallway.


    The word was followed by the grumpy and disheveled form of Abigail, my younger sister. Her normally shining blonde hair was clumpy and frizzy mess, but she was gunning for the bathroom. I knew that within a half hour that hilarious mess of hair would shine like the moon.


    ¡°You seem cheerful,¡± I murmured. I probably looked even worse than she did.


    ¡°Nnngh¡­ So¡¯s your face,¡± was her intelligent reply. She didn¡¯t even glance at me, eyes trained on the bathroom and the shower that would transform her from a wookie into a real person.


    I grinned. I could always count on Gale to see me the same.


    Gale was a freshman now, joining me in high school for only one year. I would graduate in May and be bound for Missouri State by September, especially if my track scholarship went through. With the way I was running lately though, that seemed more and more unlikely. I just hadn¡¯t been able to sleep the same, and it was affecting my run times as well as my homework. Still, my family was relatively well off, so I¡¯d still likely be going even without the scholarship.


    I continued with the few more preparations I had left after breakfast. I showered, brushed my teeth, and shaved, though that might¡¯ve been a waste of time.


    When I was finally ready, I moved to grab my backpack from the floor of my bedroom before realizing that there was no reason yet. It was only five after seven, and class didn¡¯t start for an hour and a half. I could make the bus if I wanted to. I didn¡¯t, of course, but I could.


    Gale took the bus as often as she rode with me. The bus was more reliable than I was but showing up in a car was cooler. If I were on time a little more often, I suspected she would never ride it. There was a stigma that came with needing to ride the bus, and a form of popularity that accompanied having friends or siblings who could drive you. Gale, surprisingly, cared more about her grades than her social standing though. She took being late more seriously than I did, and my habitual tardiness made her wary of riding with me.


    I was up earlier than her for once, though, so she¡¯d almost certainly go with me today. Ever since the Noonday thing, she¡¯d been making excuses to be around me more often. Probably pitying me or worried about me. Something stupid like that.


    Ugh, why is this bugging me so much? It wasn¡¯t my fault!


    I had to do something. Work off the restless energy still lingering from my dream. For a moment, I considered changing into slacks and going for a run on the treadmill but then I would undoubtedly be late. So, I was stuck in one of those limbo moments. Not enough time to start anything fun, but too much time to not feel bored.


    I grabbed my backpack and made my way to the dining room table and turned it on, the display in the center lighting up with a blank tab from the browser. Maybe a few memes would cheer me up. Ten minutes later I shut the thing back off though. No new updates from any of my favorite channels and I was too lazy to try and find new sources of entertainment. Dry, dull, and boring all around. I glanced outside noting that the sun still hadn¡¯t crested the horizon yet. It would be hot but maybe I could find something to do outside while I still had a few minutes.


    Should be alright if I stick to the shade. It¡¯s early yet.


    I slid the thick door open and stepped out into the dry heat of early October. Damn. Today would be a scorcher. It had to be at least a hundred degrees and it wasn¡¯t even seven yet. It felt quite good to me though.


    Our yard was a great five-acre grassland on the outskirts of town, and a pain in the ass to keep mowed. Untouched Prairie stretched for miles beyond behind our property to the east, until it reached a thin line of trees on a tall hill. Our closest neighbors, the Daniels, lived behind those trees but we¡¯d never dared cross the grasslands between those zones directly. Too many snakes, and too much chance to trip or get stuck out there. Getting stuck out overnight would be alright. During the day, that could easily be fatal.


    Gale swore up and down that she saw a bug the size of a large dog once, and the Daniels¡¯ youngest son, Matt, had been attacked by something when he¡¯d wandered in there on a dare a few years ago.


    That was more than enough for me to steer well clear. I¡¯d stick to the lawn and roads.


    Near the middle of our property was a big tree, one of the few old trees that still showed some green every winter. Most trees hadn¡¯t adapted to the drastic climate change well, but our old one had. I liked to climb the thing in the early hours, or the late evening when it was safe. Something about the thrill of it. Especially since once I reached the top, I could see the Scorched Lands, far to the south.


    I didn¡¯t have time for anything like that this morning though. The sun was too close to rising. A thrill was one thing. Stupidity, quite another.


    I wandered around the yard for a little while, just passing the time. Sweat beaded on my brow as the temperature slowly rose with the sun. I probably would have to go inside before eight. Still, I took my time and leaned against my favorite tree right off the driveway, taking solace in the shade the thick trunk and thicker leaf covering provided.


    I grinned as I spotted a good four-foot-long stick on the ground and picked it up. For a few minutes I waved it around, laughing at the thought, and trying to pretend I didn¡¯t want to beat the crap out of something with it. I stripped it of the growths and small twigs extending off it to make it as straight as I could before brandishing the thing at the tree it had fallen from.


    I flung the stick around, pretending it was a sword, and struck at dead dandelion stems and low tree branches. It felt cathartic. Almost everything was a potential target, as long as it wasn¡¯t green. I left the occasional patch of green grass alone. Those were rare and had to be preserved before they inevitably died under the harsh heat, or changed like some plants did in the sun these days.


    I may as well have been in a trance. The dance, the feel of wooden grip, the sweat, and the adrenaline all mixed together with memories of fighting my best friend with sticks when we were both younger. He¡¯d moved away a few years ago. His parents had been wealthy. Gale and I had always called them ¡®richers¡¯ behind their backs. Turned out, that wealth let them move to Minnesota, or maybe even Canada. We¡¯d fallen out of touch since then.


    After that, Mom got her job at Tellroan and suddenly we were the richers. But we weren¡¯t going anywhere. We were staying right here in West Steppe. Soon to be one of the safest places in the world.


    My grip on the stupid stick tightened, wishing that this place was already safe. Maybe if it had been¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re weird, Bran,¡± Gale¡¯s voice shocked me out of my thoughts, and I dropped the stick. Just like that the spell of amusement and the grim thoughts both vanished as if they had never been. Sheepishly, I tried to come up with an excuse, but my mind was blank. Yes. I was weird. And getting weirder by the day.


    ¡°Stop horsing around! It¡¯s time to go!¡± She shouted from the doorway, waving her hand in her face to alleviate the already intense heat. Her hair had been transformed almost by magic from a witch¡¯s tangle to the straight thin locks of a princess. She still sounded like the witch though. ¡°You¡¯re going to be on time for once if we leave now! Plus, the sun is almost up!¡±


    I stuck my tongue out at her. Childish, maybe, but she was a child, so it was fine. She didn¡¯t react, and instead, slammed the door behind her as she turned back inside the house. I walked back towards the door, grumbling as I realized I¡¯d probably need another shower.


    Fifteen minutes later, my sister and I sat on the cozy and not-at-all sunburned seats of my Chevy Meridian. One of the newest cars at school and, even though Dad was helping me pay half the car payment each month, it was not easy on my savings.


    When I¡¯d started driving Gale to school with me though, Mom had insisted, and really, who was I to turn down assistance with paying for a top of the line vehicle? I suppose there was some comfort in knowing I was the least likely student in the school to have a breakdown. When a vehicle breakdown or a flat tire out in the country could mean death, that was a big deal.


    When we pulled out of the garage, the sun was already blazing hot. The light reflecting through the glass was scalding for a moment before the auto-dampeners kicked in and the AC blasted us, as usual. Gale shivered as the temperature went from hot to chilled almost instantly but I only grinned at her discomfort. I was wearing a sweatshirt in preparation for the cool air conditioning. God, I loved my car.


    The strange haze from burning tar and sizzling street-tops in the distance blurred the road just a little. The sun baked country had long since dried the trees until the regular ones only grew green in the deepest of winter. I could remember a time when they were supposed to be green in summer, but I¡¯d barely been old enough to write then. Gale didn¡¯t remember at all.


    The occasional cactus and quite a few small palm trees dotted the road. Their leaves and some patches of grass were the only color to offset the dead yellow of the prairie and the pitch black of the road.


    I drove fast, edging upwards of fifty miles per hour once I got onto Baker Street. Idle tires could pop if left on that baking ground for too long once the sun rose. Best to keep moving. I knew all the rules by now though.


    We drove in relative silence, Gale playing with the mirror and some sort of eye liner or mascara or something. I didn¡¯t pay much attention to that sort of thing and had instead settled into the rhythm of diving. It was only about a twenty-minute drive into the Hub anyway.


    As we passed the few traffic lights that still hung, forever unlit, I wondered what it was like for people like my Mom and Dad who remembered when they were still in use? I laughed a little at the thought. How weird would it be to need to turn left? Roads no longer allowed it, because stopping was risky. You had to keep constantly moving, so the roads had been redesigned at least here in Missouri, to allow a ceaseless flow of traffic. There were still a few dangerous places where you had to cut across other traffic but none on my route, nor any route that was regularly upkept.


    I was so distracted by my musings about the world that I jumped when I noticed Gale looking at me sharply.


    ¡°Are you okay, Brandon?¡± the girl asked, pointedly.


    I sighed in exasperation. ¡°You too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± she said as if admitting to a fault. ¡°We¡¯re worried. Everyone is. Even my friends at school are worried about you.¡±


    I felt irrationally annoyed for some reason. I¡¯d watched a girl¡¯s face melt off. Not someone I¡¯d known well, or even really talked to much, but she was still an acquaintance, and she¡¯d nearly died. Right in front of me. She was still in the hospital, still burned and hurting, and for some reason everyone was worried about me.


    ¡°They should be worried about Clara. I¡¯m alright, Gale. I¡¯m fine even,¡± I lied. It ate at me that I hadn¡¯t even noticed the girl¡¯s troubles until it was too late. I had always prided myself on knowing people. I loved talking, being social and having a huge group of friends. I was proud to say that I¡¯d had friends in almost every ¡®clique¡¯ in the school.


    I had been proud to say that. The thought felt hollow, now.


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    If I¡¯d only gotten to know her a little better, maybe I could¡¯ve¡­


    No. There was no point in thinking of ¡®what ifs.¡¯ What was done, was done. All I could do was hope she managed to get better and try to be there for her if she did.


    ¡°You¡¯re acting different. You don¡¯t talk as much. You stopped visiting us during your free hour,¡± she insisted. Her voice went lower, conspiratorial. ¡°I¡¯d even heard you yelled at Haley.¡±


    I grimaced. I¡¯d intended to pay them a visit today, but she was right. I hadn¡¯t stopped by. I¡¯d been spending my free hour alone, trying to think of ways I could¡¯ve helped Clara beforehand, or avoiding my friends. Brooding, basically. Last Tuesday I actually did homework, just to try and stop thinking about it.


    Maybe Gale does have reason to be worried.


    Then, the name my sister had used registered, and I narrowed my eyes, glaring at the road and seething, annoyed for an entirely more justified reason.


    ¡°Haley is a bitch. I¡¯m ashamed I ever liked her,¡± I said succinctly, trying to make the partial lie into a truth in my mind. She was one of the most beautiful girls I¡¯d ever met. Apparently, being pretty was enough to make her think she was better than everyone else. I¡¯d avoided her for almost a week now and she still didn¡¯t know why. I didn¡¯t even want to talk to her anymore. The one time I had been forced to speak to her, I hadn¡¯t been able to hide my anger. Apparently, word had gotten around.


    ¡°Really? What did she do? She¡¯s always seemed really nice to me,¡± Gale asked, surprised.


    ¡°I always thought so too. It¡¯s an act. Overheard her talking with some of her friends just before the Clara thing,¡± I told my sister as I made another slow right turn, merging into the flowing traffic with ease. ¡°What Clara did is probably Haley¡¯s fault.¡±


    I wanted to drop the subject.


    ¡°Really? Dang¡­¡±


    I tried to turn my thoughts to happier things and chuckled as I spotted our school bus two cars ahead of me. Its massive metal roof and thick layered tires, along with special tinted windows and a coating shell that could be deployed whenever the driver wanted made it one of the few vehicles able to handle a breakdown even in noonday heat.


    More importantly, if we were right with the bus then we¡¯d definitely be on time today!


    ¡°Real good act,¡± Gale murmured, glancing at one of the many banners for team spirit and sportsmanship that Haley had been in charge of making as we drove past, hanging on the side of an old gas station.


    I wasn¡¯t paying attention anymore though as we turned around the next bend onto Main Street. I stared hard beyond the treeline and was just barely able to make out the enormous structure in the distance.


    The Tellroan Industrial Power Plant was due for activation this coming month. After ten years of construction it was finally going to be turned on. If estimates were right, it should be enough to handle the power needs for an area the size of a state. Maybe more.


    If it worked as they said it would, it would save thousands of lives, too.


    The tower was a great silver monolith. It was miles outside the town but that hardly mattered. As long as there wasn¡¯t a woods or a hill in the way you could glimpse it from a hundred miles. Towering as tall as some of the world¡¯s largest mountains, its height defied the imagination. It was a new form of energy powered by the sun, and Sunsoul. Tellroan was the fourth in the United States, and its energy output and simultaneous ability to protect all who lived within its reach would make all other forms of electricity, as well as most forms of sun protection, obsolete.


    It was incredible, but I¡¯ve been told it wasn¡¯t even the most amazing one. That honor belonged to the first tower they had abandoned deep within the desert. Old Texas. The Scorched Lands had swallowed it before it could be completed though.


    Tellroan was the fourth of seven major powerplants, but each tower connected to thousands of other, smaller poles in the surrounding area. Usually the poles were made from converted telephone poles, but each of these fixtures would act as hubs for a massive energy dome, that would cover the areas around them for hundreds of miles. They would absorb sunlight. They would make the world right again, and already had in some of the more northern areas of the country. Some of the older folks even joked that they¡¯d get to move back to Arkansas, or even Florida. Mom had told me directly that Arkansas might be possible but Florida was well outside even the most optimistic estimates for Tellroan alone.


    I was still thinking about it ten minutes after I¡¯d lost sight of the tower and was pulling into the great seven story garage that hosted the students who could drive to school. I lucked out in parking, managing to get a spot on the third floor today rather than the seventh where they tended to park the overflow students who didn¡¯t make it on time. I never understood that. If you were late, they made you later by forcing you to park further away. That had always seemed stupid to me, but that was probably because I was perpetually late.


    My sister and I left the car. She winced a little at the wash of heat that accompanied the step back into the parking lot, but for some reason, I didn¡¯t even feel it anymore.


    Man. Maybe there really is something to those stupid rumors. It almost feels pleasant here. Did they really install AC in the parking garage?


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m going home with Stacy and Odette tonight so you don¡¯t have to worry about me, okay?¡± Gale said in a way that was less a question and more informing me how things were going to be.


    ¡°Does¨C?¡±


    ¡°Dad knows,¡± she cut me off. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid.¡±


    ¡°Just making sure. Dad¡¯ll kill me if I leave you here again, and Mom will probably throw me straight into the noonday sun!¡± I joked.


    She looked at me oddly, then snickered and pointed at a newspaper rack on the wall. ¡°Well that¡¯s not so scary for you, anymore right?¡±


    The paper boasted a good picture of me fresh from my brush with death, skin burned and bubbled. It was captioned: ¡°Brandon Meadows: The Noonday Survivor.¡±


    I groaned. ¡°Dammit. Gavin¡¯s article made it into the actual newspaper!? Jeez¡­ The guy has been practically begging me to talk about it all this week!¡±


    Gale flicked one of her long strands of hair idly out of her eye. ¡°Might not be about the article. Maybe he has a crush on you. He does like guys after all.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t think so. He¡¯s just milking the story for funding, but what happened was sheer luck. If he keeps printing this soon someone¡¯s going to try to walk out there. I was lucky.¡±


    Beyond lucky. I still don¡¯t understand how I¡¯m alive, let alone Clara.


    ¡°Besides, I¡¯m pretty sure he likes that George kid from L Division anyway,¡± I commented idly.


    Gale eyed me with a glint of mischief in her eye. ¡°You keep track of who he likes?¡±


    I flushed. Such a wicked tongue my little sister had developed. ¡°He tried to get me and¡­ Haley,¡± saying her name was almost physically painful. ¡°To go on a double date with them about a month ago. We actually went but George didn¡¯t even realize Gavin was trying to flirt. It was a little sad.¡±


    Gale laughed a little at that. ¡°Only you, Bran. Only you.¡±


    The bridge that crossed the street into the school was a great stone thing, lined with more of Haley¡¯s banners and plenty of others, though no windows to let in the dangerous sunlight. Our school was a big one that served pretty much the entire local area and held something like three thousand students this year.


    Every one of us capable of driving had to walk into the school across on one of three huge bridges on the second floor. My sister and I stepped onto the middle bridge along with a horde of other students, most of which I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Holy shit. Brandon?¡± came the voice of a pudgy boy with acne covering most of his face. He was coming up behind us and walking at a quick clip. Monroe Mills was a bit of a bookworm and a band geek. Still one of my best friends, but sometimes his nasally tone could get tiresome.


    The boy glanced dramatically at his wrist, looking at a watch that wasn¡¯t there, and then back at me. Back at his wrist again.


    ¡°Nah.¡± He breathed. ¡°Figment of my imagination. There¡¯s no way you¡¯re here this early.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. Okay. So, I was late pretty often. That was no reason to go making lame gags about it.


    ¡°He¡¯s right. This is practically a blue moon for you Brandon,¡± Gale commented helpfully. I glowered at her, but she didn¡¯t seem intimidated in the slightest. In fact, she grinned a little smugly as if she¡¯d scored a point in a game I wasn¡¯t aware of.


    Monroe shared a laughing nod with my sister, and I directed my glare back at him. It had equally little effect.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m off to class. See you later tonight ¡®Brutha¡¯!¡± Gale said before walking off on her own. She was quickly lost in the deluge of people squirming into the bridge¡¯s entryway.


    ¡°So, Noonday, how¡¯ve you been? Saved any more damsels in distress since yesterday?¡± Monroe baited.


    I decided to ignore the nickname that people had taken to calling me lately. I imagined it would get even worse now that there was an actual article about it.


    ¡°Only two.¡± I replied as we fell into step to get into the school. ¡°The pizza girl from Little Caesar¡¯s and your mom.¡±


    He chuckled, hollowly, trying not to look affronted.


    Crap.


    ¡°Err¡­ sorry,¡± I said slowly, realizing the joke had been in bad taste. This was one of those subtle things I¡¯d come to know about Monroe over time but never really pried into. His parents were fighting. A lot lately. The jokes at her expense weren¡¯t so funny when he was worried that they might get a divorce any day.


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he said, avoiding my eyes. There was a hard glint in them that told me I probably would¡¯ve needed to worry about it, if I hadn¡¯t apologized. Monroe wasn¡¯t exactly intimidating but that was probably because no one had ever seen him get angry. I did not want to be the first.


    ¡°Plans for the weekend?¡± I asked to change the subject.


    He gave me a bland look. ¡°Well, Saturday¡¯s already going to suck. The Tower¡¯s activation is happening that day and my Dad wants me to be there. Mom, of course, doesn¡¯t want to go. It¡¯ll probably last for half the night, but if I¡¯m lucky they¡¯ll let me slip out early.¡±


    ¡°Dude, that¡¯s awesome! You get to be there? Trade you.¡±


    Monroe waved it away. ¡°Meh, I¡¯d much rather be reading. Or going to Haley¡¯s party. She plans on having a rooftop viewing an¨C!¡±


    I snarled. ¡°Dude. Don¡¯t go to that. Don¡¯t have anything to do with that two-faced bitch.¡±


    ¡°Man, you¡¯re pissed at her. Did she cheat on you or something? I don¡¯t remember you ever holding a grudge for this long.¡± He commented idly. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like I¡¯d be going there for her. Florence wants to go.¡±


    I sighed but didn¡¯t really know what to say. What to do. What Haley had been saying to Clara had disgusted me, but at the same time I¡¯d dated her for a few months, kind of. Telling anyone she was sort of responsible for what Clara had done might get the girl expelled. Well. Probably not. Everyone liked Haley. But the point was, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to throw her under the bus, no matter how much she deserved it.


    I wouldn¡¯t be caught dead kissing her again though. The thought made me gag a little.


    ¡°She¡¯s¡­ just not who I thought she was.¡± I said a little mournfully.


    A bully. A monster behind a pretty face.


    ¡°Seems like a bit more than that, but alright,¡± Monroe said, dropping the subject. ¡°Hey if you want to come along Saturday, that would be awesome. It¡¯s gonna be boring but having you along might at least make it seem like I¡¯m not wasting the entire day. Also, seeing the tower light up from right there at ground zero might be cool.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°You should invite Florence. I¡¯m pretty sure she likes you. She might say yes. Either way, I¡¯ll see if I can come. Don¡¯t think my mom is going to let me though. She seems to want us to actually avoid the plant.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s weird. Isn¡¯t she like, CEO of Tellroan or something? I¡¯d think she¡¯d want you to be there to witness the activation.¡± His voice suddenly lapsed into sarcasm.


    ¡°Co-Chief Executives Manager. CCEM. She¡¯s up there but like, not even in the big boardroom meetings,¡± I replied, defensively. I¡¯m pretty sure I was lying too.


    Mom was¡­ important at Tellroan, and that had a weird impact on me. I was touchy about how close to rich we were. Growing up, we had mostly been broke. I remember when Mom was managing a small business that was barely keeping afloat and spending more than a few nights with grandma while we were freaking homeless. I was pretty young at the time, but it¡¯s not hard to remember a straight week of instant ramen dinners because we didn¡¯t have a paycheck coming in till Friday. Being made fun of for wearing sewed-to-fit versions of dad¡¯s clothes. Worse, I remember making fun of my best friend for his ¡°gold plated skateboard with the twenty- inch rims.¡± Now he¡¯d moved north, and I was the one who got those jokes.  Mom had been at Tellroan for five years now and I still wasn¡¯t used to it. Having lots of money wasn¡¯t a bad thing, but the drastic difference between my childhood and now crept up in weird ways sometimes. For example: my car was that skateboard these days.


    ¡°Sure, she¡¯s not, man. Sure, she¡¯s not,¡± Monroe replied good naturedly. ¡°So¡­ what does that title actually mean? I mean, what¡¯s she do?¡±


    This conversation already had the practiced feel of a well-fitting baseball mitt. Monroe had asked before and I¡¯d told her how little I knew. This conversation would be no different and we both knew it.


    We made it across the bridge, our words swallowed by a hundred other conversations as we entered the second floor¡¯s main hallway. Lockers. Lockers as far as the eye could see! Mine and Monroe¡¯s happened to be relatively close together this year, so we continued in the same direction as I began the traditional response.


    ¡°She¡¯s one of the directors who works under the head of Research and Development. Whatever that means. Honestly, I¡¯ve got no idea what she does there. Researches shit I guess,¡± I joked.


    It was a long running gag between our Dad, Gale, and I, that Mom built laser guns. As far as I knew, she didn¡¯t but she did have a green laser pointer on her keychain that actually stung when she used it. She¡¯d always respond with jokes that her work was above our pay-grade. Sometimes though, she¡¯d get this almost-guilty look that made me pretty sure she wasn¡¯t joking.


    The halls had a brown and tan tiled floor pattern, and stark white drywall with AC vents running along the upper corners. The second floor was exactly the same as the first and third, each with classrooms splitting off, and each lined with painted orange lockers in every spare nook. Each hallway continued on to form a nearly perfect square building.


    I was a senior, so this year I almost had more room in my locker than I knew what to do with.


    Senior privileges, baby!


    I opened it as Monroe continued to his locker around the corner. I was tugging off my backpack and changing the books I¡¯d need for the day out with a few that I wouldn¡¯t when I felt someone approach from behind me.


    ¡°So. Haley says you¡¯ve been ignoring her. Why?¡± a girl¡¯s voice demanded in a flat tone that commanded all the vaunted authority the top of the school¡¯s popularity chain could afford a girl.


    Brenda. Haley¡¯s best friend. I¡¯d always thought she was snobby, and a bit of a chore. I¡¯d never understood how such a sweet girl like Haley could stand to be around her for more than a few minutes. I remembered assuming that maybe Brenda was a nice person under all the prickly thorns. Maybe once I got to know her better, I¡¯d find the good person Haley saw underneath. Turned out, Haley and she were a perfect fit. Brenda was just more honest.


    Brenda was dark-haired, fit but not muscled, and naturally slender in a way that few women could ever hope to be. Her middle eastern descent made her exotic, but she¡¯d been raised entirely in America, and had almost none of her parents¡¯ accent. She was nearly an expert on several musical instruments and even I had to admit that she could play a piano like no one I¡¯d ever heard. She was almost as good with a violin. It had been one of the few things about her that had been tolerable while spending time with Haley. Most the time when she¡¯d been around, I¡¯d just wanted her to go away.


    Now was no different.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t like her anymore. Never really liked you,¡± I said simply.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re cheating on her,¡± She insinuated with a conniving grin. ¡°High on all the hero worship, Noonday, you decided to cheat on your girlfriend. That sound, about right?¡±


    I cocked an eyebrow, unintimidated, and lazily bated, ¡°Is that what the rumors say?¡±


    ¡°They will soon enough, if you don¡¯t shape up. Honestly, I don¡¯t know why Haley puts up with a little rugrat like you.¡±


    I scowled. Okay. So being taller than my dad didn¡¯t exactly make me tall, and maybe I was annoyed that Brenda had height on me. That was no reason for her to go rubbing it in.


    ¡°So¡­ what? You¡¯re blackmailing me? Besides Haley and I were never dating anyway. She never said yes.¡±


    Now I wouldn¡¯t want her to.


    ¡°Ugh. You¡¯re such an idiot! She likes you, you dumbass. Why would you go and screw up something like that? Who could you possibly want more than her? I mean yeah, girls have been throwing themselves at you lately with the Clara thing, but seriously!¡±


    ¡°Ever think that maybe I just don¡¯t like her? That Clara thing? Yeah. I found out who she was. Who you are. And I didn¡¯t like what I saw,¡± I said with a glare.


    She stiffened, suddenly wary, as if realizing I held more cards than she did.


    ¡°It¡­ was just some harmless pranks,¡± she admitted, hesitantly.


    ¡°Yeah. Harmless. Clearly.¡± I said with all the venom I could muster.


    Brenda closed herself off, wilting into an expression I¡¯d never seen on her face before. Remorse?


    ¡°Look, we played some pranks but nothing that would make her want to try to¡­ to¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard you talking to her that day. Why did you think I followed her to the doors in the first place? The things you girls said were disgusting, and they made me sick. Haley, made me sick. I followed Clara, wanting to see if she was alright. For the record!? She wasn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but they were just jokes! They weren¡¯t supposed to¡­ she wasn¡¯t supposed to¡­¡±


    I shrugged a little uncomfortably. So, Brenda did feel a little guilty. Maybe not a complete monster then. That was a step in the right direction at least.


    ¡°Jokes can hurt, Brenda. Especially if that was going on for half as long as I think it was. Not that you¡¯d know, sitting up on your pedestal,¡± I sighed. Clara¡¯s decision to carelessly step outside at noon probably wasn¡¯t all Haley¡¯s little clique¡¯s fault. I imagined there were plenty more factors in why the girl had done something so insane. Suicide by Sun. God, what a gruesome choice¡­


    Brenda flinched, now entirely on the backfoot. I¡¯d never seen her look so uncomfortable. ¡°Look¡­ I feel bad about what Clara did. We all do. What we probably helped along. But we wouldn¡¯t have done anything like that if we¡¯d known she needed fucking suicide watch!¡±


    ¡°Oh, but if she hadn¡¯t then it would¡¯ve been okay?¡±


    ¡°No! That¡¯s¡­ I didn¡¯t say that!¡± She barked, affronted.


    ¡°But would it have gone on, Brenda? Shit, it was only luck that I happened to overhear and followed her. She¡¯d be dead ¨C dead ¨C if I hadn¡¯t! And you have the nerve to feel bad?¡±


    I slammed my locker to punctuate my words, and she flinched. A couple people had actually noticed how angry I was, and who I was angry at. Whispers were echoing around me and I grimaced. ¡°Just tell Haley and all of your friends to leave me alone. I don¡¯t want anything to do with you.¡±


    She certainly looked chastened.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not going to tell anyone, are you?¡±


    I snarled, and the girl squeaked. Actually squeaked.


    What a selfish little¡­!


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t have Gavin fucking print it!¡± I hissed, but at her horrified expression I relented with a sigh. I was angry, not an asshole. ¡°No. Your dirty little secret is safe, unless I hear even a whisper of you picking on some other poor girl. Or boy for that matter. You¡¯re like freaking queens of this school. Top of the chain, teachers practically dying to help you with anything you could want, and scholarships lined up for Ivy Leagues, right? With all that power, this is what you chose to do with it?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, it wasn¡¯t supposed to get that bad. I like Clara, even if she is a little¡­ weird. We were just doing a little sanctioned hazing. That and what she did to Haley¡¯s Dad... If you knew the full story¨C!¡±


    ¡°Come with me after school to visit her today then. Look at the burns that she still has and try to keep telling yourself that!¡± I snapped. With that, I flung my backpack over one shoulder and strode around the shocked girl, leaving her standing there. She stayed there for a while, staring blankly at my locker before turning in the other direction.


    Monroe was at the end of the hall, staring at me like I¡¯d grown a second head.


    ¡°Dude, what was that all about?¡± Monroe asked, falling into step beside me. ¡°You do realize you just yelled at like, the hottest girl in school, right? What the fuck did they do man? You can¡¯t hold out on me like this.¡±


    Brenda did feel guilty, but how different would that conversation have been if I hadn¡¯t overheard them two weeks ago? If I hadn¡¯t made a split-second decision to follow Clara out into the sun?


    Would I have even noticed?


    Weeks later it was still bothering me. Watching her skin seem to melt under the blaze and knowing that I must¡¯ve looked the same. I shuddered and cast the memory out of my mind. I didn¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t want to know. By all rights we should both be dead.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ personal.¡± I told him. If there was anyone I couldn¡¯t tell, it was Monroe. Good friend that he was, he had a long history of failing to keep secrets.


    He seemed hesitant, as if he wanted to press the issue, but he dropped it in the end. I was glad he did. I probably would¡¯ve snapped at him.


    ¡°Well, come on then. I want to see Mr. Bales¡¯ expression when he realizes you¡¯re on time,¡± Monroe said with only marginally faked enthusiasm.


    I scowled, good naturedly this time. Seriously though. Weren¡¯t these jokes getting old?


    ¡°Really, I¡¯m not that bad,¡± I said, bemused.


    ¡°Sure, you¡¯re not!¡± he joked as we continued down the hall.


    <hr>

 Chapter Two - The Helios Array

    <h2>Chapter Two: The Helios Array</h2>


    <hr>


    The first class of the day was astronomy, as it had been since as far back as I could remember. I sat in my usual seat near the front right of the room. Occasionally I¡¯d been able to sneak in on Mr. Bales mid-lecture without him even noticing. Of course, he would usually notice a few minutes later but that was irrelevant. If I¡¯d succeeded then, I¡¯d already won for the day.


    The classroom held about forty students and was a bit larger than most. The school was pretty much the only place for a solid hour drive in any direction for a teacher to work though, so the staff could easily handle the large influx of students.


    Classes in school were lined up A through R division this year. More letters were added as needed and groups were separated into classes of about thirty to forty students, who would usually stick together from freshman year until senior so I knew all of these people pretty well.


    There were a few deviations, of course, particularly for the electives after lunch, but even the most antisocial of us knew everyone in their first hour astronomy class, and a significant portion of their backstory by senior year.


    A few of the others waved at me, one of them holding up one of Gavin¡¯s papers and clapping his hands twice to get my attention.


    ¡°Hey Brandon, is it true? Did you really walk out into the sun for this girl?¡± Asked John Warner. He was a tall, athletic boy with a spitfire tongue. Mr. Bales liked him too, but the boy had a habit of talking about people behind their backs. He was a basketball player, and apparently a pretty good one. I wouldn¡¯t know.


    ¡°That¡¯s so romantic!¡± Gabby Ellen chimed in. She was a short blond girl who truly lived up to her reputation as a gossip. In her hand was a tablet with an e-copy of the newspaper, clicked over to the article instead of just the front page. When she waved it in my face, I went a little green.


    It was a picture of me with boils on my skin, hovering over a hospital gurney that presumably held Clara. Fortunately, she was hidden from view by a doctor. I looked about ready to fall on my face, skin scabbed and burned, but I appeared to be staring down at the gurney like a concerned boyfriend. I hardly remembered that mad run for the nurse¡¯s office, holding the badly burned girl.


    I was a little surprised some of the other students were only hearing about this now. I¡¯d been out of class for the remainder of that week being treated for my own burns, light as they were. Last week I¡¯d tried to keep to myself, and largely succeeded with the noticeable exception of blowing up on Haley.


    Gavin¡¯s article appeared to have changed all that.


    ¡°I heard he¡¯s visited her every day after school since.¡± Someone whispered loud enough for anyone in the room to hear.


    I bristled, irritated. I had goddamn nightmares about that girl and her bubbling skin, and these people were trying to romanticize it?


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that, okay? It definitely wasn¡¯t romantic. Can you just drop it already?¡± I asked, more to the room itself than any individual.


    ¡°Touchy, touchy.¡± John replied, with a grin.


    John was a bit of an ass. I¡¯d never really liked him. He was the type of kid who flunked every class in school and seemed like he already had a cell lined up for himself after he graduated. If he graduated. It was a surprise to even see him here to be honest. There was probably a basketball game tonight.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s right. It isn¡¯t romantic at all. He was seriously injured because that girl is a lunatic! It''s heroic if anything,¡± Haley said, and beamed at me. I think she expected me to smile back at her but the words only made me more disgusted with her.


    Apparently Brenda¡¯s ¡°We feel guilty,¡± didn¡¯t actually include Haley.


    How dare she!?


    I wanted to snipe at her somehow. Tell her I knew it was her fault Clara had tried to¡­ to kill herself. Tell her she should be ashamed. Or just¡­ something! But I didn¡¯t have the words. I couldn¡¯t even come up with a subtle attempt to make her feel guilty. I was never good with snappy comebacks.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± I said nonchalantly as I sat down in my usual seat. We probably wouldn¡¯t be at the desks for long, but I pulled out my book anyway. I¡¯d finished my homework, and actually felt pretty good about it for once.


    Monroe had remained silent through the whole exchange, and most of the class seemed to realize that I didn¡¯t want to talk about it. April, my other close friend along with Monroe, shot me a concerned look. I waved at her and gave her a sad but accepting grin.


    My little bout of fame will blow over soon enough, I¡¯m sure.


    As if my sitting had prompted his appearance, Mr. Bales glided into the room, his long mustaches blowing around like living things. Pushing either his upper forties or early fifties, Mr. Bales was a stately, sophisticated sort. At first glance, you would think he was a hardass, no nonsense type. Instead, he had a soft spot for pretty much every student he taught. He wore a brown suit every day no matter how hot it surely was, and kept his graying hair cut short. He was a stickler for the rules but he wasn¡¯t unsympathetic to a few tardies or even a few skipped classes if he felt you were adequately accomplishing the coursework.


    He was one of my favorite teachers. The type of person who was usually much smarter than everyone else in any room he walked into, but never really held it against anyone. Why he spent his time here teaching when he could probably have a much better job, I never understood. Perhaps that was just the sort of person he was.


    ¡°Ah, it seems everyone has beaten me here today. Oh, except Mr. Kincaid. Hmm, well that¡¯s alright. Good, good. Well, it¡¯s Monday. You all know what that means. Right. Assignments here, and to the telescopes,¡± he made a gesture to a basket on the front of his desk and a few groans followed his announcement. Mine wasn¡¯t among them for once. My homework was done.


    I pulled the folded paper out of my book and smoothed it on my desk before following the majority of students as they got up to hand in the weekend¡¯s assignment and then made my way to the backside of the classroom where the twenty odd telescopes were arrayed.


    The back of the room was a long desk lined up against the wall on all three sides. Each station had its own protrusion that looked sort of like a pair of long binoculars sticking out of the wall. Each student could look in those eyeholes and see through their telescope arrayed on the outside of the room, and adjust the angle by inputting astronomical coordinates in the small keypad on the desks. All fifteen astronomy rooms on the third floor had a similar setup. The world needed as many eyes as possible on the sun, after all.


    I arrived at my own, telescope number 17, and was surprised to see that Chase Kincaid, my partner for the month, didn¡¯t seem to be here today. A sudden memory hit me like a truck. Last Friday, Chase had been talking about getting new tires. He drove a beat up older Ford that probably wouldn¡¯t do well in a breakdown.


    He¡¯s got a cell phone and it''s early morning yet. The buses could get to him easy if he had trouble. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s fine¡­


    Even so, Chase wasn¡¯t the type of person to skip classes unless he had to. Try as I might I couldn¡¯t stop the niggling worry that crept into my gut. But Mr. Bales didn¡¯t seem worried and it was his job to worry. I assumed he probably knew what Chase was up to, and put it out of my mind.


    ¡°Alright. Nothing unusual today. Keep your eyes open. Now tomorrow we¡¯ll finally be starting on the inner planets and getting closer to the sun itself at the end of the semester, but you all know your assignments for today,¡± Mr. Bales said as he sat down at his desk and began looking over the papers we¡¯d handed in.


    I was rather proud of mine. Last Friday we¡¯d been assigned to write a short essay on the changes the Helios Array had made to planets other than Earth, and use observations to supplement the essay.


    It wasn¡¯t like any of us were actually expected to find anything new. I¡¯d long suspected that the thought process on teaching Astronomy for all four years of high school was a hope that some new genius would come out of nowhere and be able to understand Sunsoul in the same way the near-legendary Doctor Fontaine had.


    That was just unlikely. The number of people who could even see Sunsoul was miniscule, and that was practically a requirement to work in any of the upper positions of Tellroan. Though every now and then a few students with particularly insightful essays got picked up for a job there, or at one of the other Towers. The only easy way to get a job there was to be one of the people who could see Sunsoul, which could only be tested if students actually spent time looking. There were a few, a very few, who could actively manifest Sunsoul and manipulate it. Dr. Fontaine was the most famous one, for obvious reasons. Dr. Scarlatte, too.


    I handed in my assignment and returned to my seat quietly. Most students usually just took assignments like this one as an excuse for an easy A. All you really had to do was mention how Mars was turning green, and pepper in little factoids to reach the five hundred word count requirement. I liked astronomy though. I actually thought I might have discovered something this time, though it was just a little thing. I had a theory that the rotational speed of asteroids was slowing down. I had no idea why but it did seem to be true.


    Maybe the knowledge would help one of the geniuses figure out how to reverse whatever the Helios Array had done to break the sun. I couldn¡¯t even see Sunsoul. Apparently it was a genetic thing, and while the number of people who could was small, there were more and more each year. Also, the ability was latent. You could¡­ grow into it.


    I personally thought the whole process was stupid. A bunch of old people, completely unwilling to see that they¡¯d made their bed and were trying to avoid lying in it. The sun got hotter, but it hadn¡¯t significantly changed in the past ten years. It was over and done with now. Why did they want so badly to return the world to how it was before? Was this really so bad? It wasn¡¯t as lush as the world of the pictures, sure, but the starvations were mostly ending, and the heat didn¡¯t get too many people each year. Was life after the Array really so horrible? It didn¡¯t seem like it to me. But then, I didn¡¯t really remember living with anything else.


    ¡°Miss Westley! Could you come see me for a moment?¡± Mr. Bales¡¯ low alto voice called out over the small discussions between lab partners. I watched Haley give me a sad, confused look before she turned and strode back up to the teacher¡¯s desk.


    I wondered idly what he needed her for. It wasn¡¯t any of my business anymore though, so I decided to get to work. I turned back to my telescope and aimed it at the sun, slipped on my visors and took a peek¡­


    ¡­and almost fell out of my chair.


    ¡°H-holy shit. Holy shit, I found it!¡± I exclaimed, giving the astronomical coordinates, breathless as I took another look.


    Conversations ground to an instantaneous halt as students stared at me, disbelieving. Gasps filled the room one-by-one as they input the coordinates I¡¯d found and they saw the array for themselves.


    ¡°Oh my god, it¡¯s incredible!¡± I exclaimed, unable to tear my eyes from the telescopes eyeholes.


    ¡°Mr. Bales! Mr. Bales, Noonday¡¯s found the Array!¡±


    ¡°The Helios Array¡­¡±


    Set against a grim red background cast by the sun and filtered through my deep shades and the telescope¡¯s own protections, the Helios Array was a massive space station, placed into orbit around the sun before I was even born.


    ¡°What!?¡± Mr. Bales barked. ¡°Someone¡¯s found it? Truly? This isn¡¯t another false alarm is it? Brandon?¡±


    I could hardly take my eyes away from the sight. In real life, I¡¯d only ever managed to catch a glimpse of it four years ago. Another student had found it at another school a few states north. It had vanished only seconds after I¡¯d gotten my turn at the scope. Even with only those few seconds though, seeing it had made my entire freshman year!


    Pictures just didn¡¯t do it justice. Hell I imagined even seeing it through the scope didn¡¯t. It was¡­ breathtaking.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Array. I¡¯m sure of it!¡± I replied, feeling a rush of excitement as I studied the station, trying to take in every shady detail, every contour of the lost station. It would be years before I could see it again, and I wanted every moment of this.


    Mr. Bales came to my telescope and gently touched my shoulder. It was like peeling off my own eyelids, pulling myself away to let him take a look.


    Fortunately he didn¡¯t stay long.


    ¡°Bless my soul¡­¡± He breathed, stepping away before taking down the coordinates and walking to his desk. He opened a separate flap next to the fire alarm before punching in a few numbers and then hit the large button. A loud but almost pleasant alarm blared. Above the door, the display which was reserved solely for this, lit up with those same coordinates, as they did throughout the entire school. Within an hour, hundreds of similar lights and telescopes would be tuned to the point I had just found. In two, every lens in the states would be trained on it.


    The Array. It¡¯s¡­ like finding a Leprechaun.


    Instead of conversation, the room was now filled with hushed whispers. Mr. Bales flipped the lights off and the Array came into even clearer view for us. Even John seemed reverent of the¡­ sanctity of just looking and the only words I could make out from the quiet din were complaints when someone thought their partner had taken too long.


    And then I abruptly realized that, majestic as it was¡­ this wasn¡¯t really all that special. I still couldn¡¯t see it. Same as those few seconds I¡¯d had four years ago. It was just¡­ smudges. Black in the shape of a great station, with a deep red background. Once I got over the shock, I was disappointed. Some people had developed the ability to see Sunsoul between viewings of the station, and I¡¯d hoped I¡¯d be one of them.


    I tried not to feel bitter.


    ¡°God, to get the chance to see it again. Wonderful work, Brandon. Wonderful¡­¡±


    ¡°Saves a girl, and then finds the Array. What next Noonday? Gonna fix the sun while you¡¯re at it?¡± Gabby commented with a smirk.


    ¡°Would you stop calling me that?¡± I flushed a little, but refused to let her distract me. Maybe if I could see it from a different angle, I would see the shining green light. I didn¡¯t even know why I wanted to so badly. I had no intention of working for Tellroan, going to the academy. At least, I tried to tell myself that. Maybe I just wanted to feel special.


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    ¡°Twenty years ago, before the sun began heating up, that station held all our hopes and dreams. Sunsoul was believed to be a miracle.¡±


    Mr. Bales¡¯ words almost drew me away from the telescope, but I continued gazing at the station, hoping to spot a hint of green.


    ¡°I remember wild theories that it could get us to other solar systems. Help us colonize other worlds. Some even believed it could turn back aging,¡± he said, fondly. ¡°The Helios Array was going to find out what it truly could do.¡±


    I did pull my eyes away now. His story had a feel of personal experience that seemed more interesting than just seeing the station, with its infuriating proof that I still couldn¡¯t see Sunsoul.


    ¡°I even saw the Array in person. Well part of it. They assembled it in space before it began its journey towards the Sun, but launched the parts here on Earth. The nose and the fuel tanks. They launched them from Florida. Heh. It was the first manned mission that would take humanity significantly closer to the sun instead of further away.¡± He seemed bitter for some reason, a tinge of anger in his voice.


    ¡°When¡­ when we lost contact I¨C¡± The man¡¯s lower lip trembled, and his eyes were suddenly wet.


    ¡°Mister Bales?¡± Haley asked tentatively. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m fine,¡± He said while scratching at red eyes. ¡°Just a few bad memories. Every time they find the damn thing they send out radio transmissions, hoping they¡¯ll get some response. Never do. The station always disappears without sending back any responses. Besides, it¡¯s been two decades. Any hope for finding a member of the crew alive has been abandoned by this point.¡±


    Haley¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°M-Mr, Bales. Did you know one of the astronauts on the Array?¡±


    The man nodded but didn¡¯t comment further.


    ¡°Oh my god! M¨ªa Bales! I never even realized!¡± Jessie Baker, a tomboy who would be the most beautiful girl in the class if she wanted to be, exclaimed with sudden shock.


    ¡°M¨ªa¡­ Sir, you were related to¨C!?¡±


    ¡°Married to, actually.¡± Mr. Bales gave a small chuckle, his tone lightened as he got over whatever memory that had assaulted him so suddenly. He wiped a shining eye but didn¡¯t seem overly sad.


    Most of us knew the names of the crew aboard the Helios Array by heart. M¨ªa Bales had been mainly in charge of the station¡¯s maintenance though admittedly all thirty three members of the crew had a list of fields they were experts in, each longer than the essay I¡¯d just turned in.


    Mr. Leonard Bales was M¨ªa Bales husband? It was legitimately difficult not to ask questions about it. I almost had to physically bite my tongue while he took his time deciding how to pick up his story, and I saw April doing the same as me. Monroe seemed oddly content. Had he already known?


    ¡°As you all know, the Helios Array went out of contact when it was almost thirty million miles from the Sun. A little closer than Mercury,¡± he said before pausing for a breath. ¡°About an hour after we received the last transmission from Mr. Brown, the Array¡­ jumped. At the time, we¡¯d thought it had simply vanished. Had it burned up in the sun¡¯s heat? Implausible. The Helios Array was top of the line, the product of billions of dollars, Euros, Yen, Rupees. You name the type of currency and you can bet someone spent it on the hopes of the Fontaine¡¯s Folly. That it could burn up, even as close as a mere million miles to the sun was difficult to believe, let alone thirty times that. But at the time, that was all we had.¡±


    His jaw seemed to tremble a little. His fingers twitched.


    ¡°Three years later, a lucky scientist found it. Impossibly out of line with any of the plans or trajectories for the original mission, the Helios Array was only five million miles from the sun, yet with the amount of fuel it had, it should not have been able to get there! The hour and thirty two minutes it remained visible before jumping again was the worst hour of my life. For a brief moment, I had hope again. And then it was just¡­gone. It was worse than giving her up the first time.¡±


    I was caught up in the story. I think our whole room was. Something I¡¯d only heard about in dry, textbook form, was suddenly being made into a real event. Something that had happened, that had affected someone I actually knew. It was¡­ humbling in a way.


    ¡°The Array wasn¡¯t even supposed to stay out there for a full year, so the chances that any of the crew were alive was negligible even during that first rediscovery, but we hoped. We sent radio signals, and transmissions through every known channel. Hoping. Praying that by some miracle someone might still be alive.¡±


    He seemed lost in memory as he spoke to the darkened room, lit only by the small lights of the sunlight glittering through telescope lenses. I was torn between glancing at the ship again, and keeping my eyes riveted on Mr. Bales.


    ¡°The station vanished of course, as it has ever since. Vanished again, into thin¡­ well. Thin space, I suppose.¡± He laughed, a small bitter semblance of a laugh. ¡°A global search was mounted for the station, which led to the early morning classes you now have to suffer through with me, and things like this.¡± He said pointing to the coordinates displayed above the door.


    The class chuckled along a little. I didn¡¯t think anyone really found it funny though.


    Those coordinates had probably made it all the way to the International Astronomical Conglomerate by now. For me, for the average person, looking at the station was merely a chance to stare at something amazing, and maybe find out if I could see Sunsoul. For people smarter than me though, who knew what they could glean from it? The station had never been further from the sun than it was now; did that mean it was trying to leave the Sun¡¯s orbit maybe?


    Mom would probably know better than I would.


    ¡°It was snowing. I remember it was snowing when I first found out the Array had been spotted. Do any of you remember seeing snow?¡±


    I didn¡¯t, but April piped up. ¡°Once I visited Montreal and it was snowing about three years ago. But it melted as soon as the sun came out.¡±


    Mr. Bales smiled a sad smile.


    ¡°Yes. It hasn¡¯t snowed much anywhere since. You almost have to go to the poles to see real snow these days. Or the high mountains that can still stay frozen,¡± He paused then, his tone becoming nostalgic. ¡°Hmmmm¡­ The Rockies just don¡¯t look the same anymore.¡±


    I don¡¯t care about snow!


    To be honest, I almost didn¡¯t believe in snow. Rain sure. Frozen rain? Harder sell. And yet there were pictures of entire plains covered in the stuff. The idea that it used to snow here in Missouri seemed impossible.


    Almost out of spite, I turned back to look at the station again, flipping through filters to see if I could get a clearer image. None of them were really much better than the first.


    ¡°It vanished before I could see it that first time. Jumped they call it now. There isn¡¯t much more to tell really. We have received no contact from the Array since that last transmission before their first jump, and now somehow, the station warps to different places in orbit of the sun. No pattern has emerged that anyone has found yet so there was no way to predict where the station might show up next. No way to send a message to where it will be, and no clue as to the number of times it has jumped between findings. Is it jumping every five hours or so and we just can¡¯t find it? Is it blinking in and out of existence? Sunsoul can do amazing things. It¡¯s¡­ all a mystery.¡±


    He gave an exasperated sigh. ¡°Over and done with. I remarried almost seven years ago now but¡­ sometimes it¡¯s still hard to forget.¡±


    A pang of sympathy welled up in me, but I felt embarrassed when my feelings were reflected by a deluge of ¡°awws¡± from some of the girls in the room.


    Mr. Bales seemed to take them in stride. ¡°Oh enough of that, or I¡¯ll give you an essay twice as long.¡± That stopped the pity dead. ¡°Now, classes are surely going to be cancelled at least until the Array jumps again. Feel free to make any observations you can. Remember, if you can see the Sunsoul, please let me know immediately. For those who can see it, it is clearest around the station¡¯s main solar panels. I¡¯m told it looks like a vaguely green mist that sparkles. Just barely visible, usually on the opposite side of the station. Look sharply now, and don¡¯t be disappointed if you can¡¯t see it. There are very few who can, after all.¡±


    I secretly quashed the sadness at that. I¡¯d heard the descriptions of Sunsoul a hundred times. A thousand times. Some people could see it just on the edges of the sun itself, some few could see and manipulate what little there was here on earth, but the best test to find out if anyone could see Sunsoul was to look at the Array.


    I saw nothing. I tried not to feel disappointed.


    ¡°I¡­ I think I can see it!¡± John exclaimed, staring down into the telescope, April sitting next to him, impatiently waiting for her turn. I didn¡¯t envy her unlucky partnership with John for this month. She disliked the guy as much as I did. He normally let her do all the work, but now he was hogging the scope.


    But¡­ since classes were technically canceled and Chase wasn¡¯t here¡­!


    ¡°Dammit.¡± Monroe murmured a little further down, and his voice was echoed from a quarter of the class. Half of them glared at John jealously, myself included. I shook myself out of the tiny bud of resentment and waved April over to my empty partner¡¯s seat with a smile.


    She blinked, noticing Chase wasn¡¯t here and then grinned, standing to leave John to his own exclamations of excitement.


    ¡°M¡¯lady,¡± I joked, then gestured to the lenses with an elaborate bow. ¡°Have a gander?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot,¡± she scoffed at my mock chivalry. ¡°And sure!¡±


    April Lloyd was my closest friend ¨C closer than Monroe by a large margin. She was a short, mousy girl with freckles and a ponytail she¡¯d worn for so long that no one knew what it looked like without it. She wore a pair of tan sweatpants and a t-shirt today. A wide face framed a pair of wider glasses and a small mouth, drowned in freckles. Her hair was a shade of midnight black that contrasted her shiny blue eyes.


    She put those eyes to the two holes that connected to the telescope. She inhaled sharply, but I only barely noticed. She hadn¡¯t even gotten to look before. I spared another moment to glare at John.


    ¡°You will probably only have about ten or fifteen minutes before the underclassman will be coming up to look and see if they can also see the Sunsoul. Make sure you use them wisely. Oh, and use these coordinates if you haven¡¯t yet found the solar panels,¡± Mr. Bales called helpfully.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this! I can actually see it! It¡¯s faint but¡­ wow! Hey, Eric, can you see what I¡¯m talking about?¡± John was yelling wildly, completely oblivious to the glares half the class was throwing at him.


    He was so distracting that I almost didn¡¯t notice April¡¯s fearful, whispered words.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it sparkle so clear¡­¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± I breathed, shocked. April jumped as if unaware she¡¯d just spoken.


    She can¡¯t! She couldn¡¯t!


    ¡°April! Can you see the¨C?¡±


    She shook her head immediately, flushed and a little surprised.


    ¡°No!¡± She barked almost before I could finish speaking. ¡°No, of course not. I¡­ I saw the Array back in freshman year remember? I can¡¯t see Sunsoul.¡±


    Right. Of course¡­ of course she couldn¡¯t. Why would she lie about that? She was just talking about the Array itself. That made sense. I was privately horrified a little by how strongly I¡¯d reacted. I turned away from her, embarrassed. I realized suddenly that I¡¯d been staring at her as if she¡¯d grown a second head.


    If she could see it, then I should¡¯ve been happy for her. Seeing Sunsoul meant she could get a well-paying job at any of the powerplants. If she was skilled she might even be allowed to handle Sunsoul directly. Only a handful of people in the world could do it unaided after all. But it also meant that she would leave high school and go train at the academy, which was my dream. Not hers. Also, I didn¡¯t want to lose her. It startled me more than I cared to admit. Until that moment I hadn¡¯t even realized just how much the idea of April or Monroe being able to touch Sunsoul bothered me.


    The truth was that I dreaded graduation. I had friends here in high school. Lots of them, and good ones that I wouldn¡¯t see nearly as often afterwards. Sure, plenty of them would stay here in the West Steppe, and probably come to the Hub to work for the rest of their lives. It was what I intended to do as soon as I finished college, conveniently located only about a mile away. I wanted to be a teacher. Always had, and I loved nowhere more than home. Though, who knew what Tellroan¡¯s impact might have on the place. I might come to hate it after the Tower was shielding us.


    Perhaps that was odd, as most of my classmates seemed to want to explore the world. Go north. I¡¯d heard that the Sun was only barely dangerous at noon in the far North of Canada. I could sort of understand the appeal, but I wanted no part of it. I didn¡¯t want to leave my friends and family at all, and April was one of my closest friends. I only had seven more months with her left, as it was. She planned to move up to St. Louis for College, while Monroe was going for his medical degree in Illinois, under the protection of Chicago¡¯s tower. To cut that short early¡­?


    ¡°Alright.¡± I told her, willing myself to believe, even as she made that cute twisting fidget that she couldn¡¯t seem to help when she lied. ¡°That¡­ that sucks. Sorry. I imagine it¡¯d be great if you could.¡±


    She beamed at me happily for some reason. Was I being oblivious? Would it really affect me if she could touch Sunsoul? She certainly didn¡¯t want to go to Tellroan like I did. Thinking about it wasn¡¯t helping so I tried to ignore the niggling feeling inside that she was hiding something.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she agreed, every bit as relieved as me, before she joked, ¡°Yeah, it would be nice if I could, I guess. But you¡¯d be lost without me after all. And Monroe.¡±


    I would not! I¡¯m not that attached!


    Except that I kind of was and by the way she was laughing, my reaction was all the proof she needed. My cheeks heated.


    I knew how little she wanted to work at Tellroan. She had a dream of seeing Telilro one day, though god only knew why. It was the exact same as Tellroan but supposedly bigger. Not to mention smack in the middle of the scorched lands, where the sun didn¡¯t just bake the land; it broiled it. Then there were the rumors of monsters and giant animals down there. Crazy.


    My expression showed my thoughts and she laughed so brightly at my expense that I couldn¡¯t help but join her.


    ¡°Well. Maybe a little lost,¡± I admitted.


    I stood then to look around the room, in part to get away from April¡¯s smirk, and in part because I wanted to know if anyone else could see the Sunsoul. From the disappointed looks on my classmates¡¯ faces, excepting John, I didn¡¯t think anyone else could.


    ¡°No luck, Brandon?¡± asked Emily, an elephant of a girl as wide around as she was tall, with a smile as wide as her cheeks. I couldn¡¯t help but pity for her size, sometimes. It was caused by a medical condition though I¡¯d never asked what. Something she couldn¡¯t help. I hadn¡¯t associated much with her, and knew she occasionally took some flak for her weight. She had a forceful personality so it rarely mattered, but I made a note to watch Haley around her too. After hearing what the girl had said to Clara, I didn¡¯t want to know what she might do behind my back, with an easy target like Emily.


    Then again, my first thought of her was that she looks like an elephant. Maybe I¡¯m not so innocent myself. I scolded myself mentally for the rude thought.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that,¡± I replied. ¡°I did find the thing after all.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± Phillip, Emily¡¯s partner and one of my friends from the track team asked me, snidely. ¡°It¡¯s not like there¡¯s any prize for finding the Array.¡±


    He was clearly disgruntled at the fact that he couldn¡¯t see the Sunsoul, and whining about it. Unlike me, of course. I kept my pouting inside my own head.


    ¡°Sure there is. A hundred or even a thousand new people working on the power plants. People who might be able to figure out what¡¯s wrong with the Sun.¡± I lowered my voice a little conspiratorially. ¡°Though I doubt John manages to become more than a janitor, no matter how well he can see Sunsoul.¡±


    Emily barely stifled a giggle and Phillip smirked.


    A knock came at the door, before it opened to admit Mr. Faraday, a thin, lanky man who stood head and shoulders above me, despite his slouchy posture. Behind him I could see the faces of anxious juniors, all waiting impatiently for a chance to see the Array.


    ¡°Mr. Bales. I¡¯d heard someone from your room found the Array this morning. Brought my class up as soon as I could. Has your class gotten the chance to look?¡± He asked in a clipped tone that had always annoyed me. I was glad I didn¡¯t have to deal with him anymore. He¡¯d been my teacher last year.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯d say they¡¯re all about finished,¡± our teacher replied, to a smattering of grumbles from us. ¡°Mr. Warner over there might want to spend a little more time looking; he claims he can see the Sunsoul.¡±


    Mr. Faraday blinked, running a finger through his trimmed beard. ¡°Already? What a lucky class.¡±


    He turned back to his students and stepped out of the doorway allowing them to walk in. A few of my classmates grumbled as the younger class moved in to usurp their telescopes. Soon the room was filled with gasps of amazement. For some, this might¡¯ve been the first time they¡¯d ever seen the Array except in pictures. The telescope rooms for high schools all over the states were a relatively new thing after all.


    Class days like this were rare but we all knew what to do. The room needed to be free for the lower grades of students that would be brought up one class at a time, so we began to gather our books and leave the room. We¡¯d be able to come back later and look again if the Station hadn¡¯t jumped by then, but they wanted to find as many people who could see the Sunsoul as possible.


    If John was one¡­ the chances that April could too were about as bad as the chance of me finding the Array in the first place. That assured me a little. She had to be telling the truth. After all, why would she lie?


    <hr>

 Chapter Three - The Flower Girl

    <h2>Chapter Three: The Flower Girl</h2>


    <hr>


    About seven hours after I¡¯d discovered the Array, no one else had been found who could see the Sunsoul. On a brighter note though, a couple of Tellroan employees had come to collect John. Almost ten o¡¯clock, and they¡¯d still sent a vehicle from the plant over ten miles away through the sunlight for him.


    It was actually a bit awe inspiring. Who would be willing to drive with that sort of risk? Then again, maybe there really wasn¡¯t much of a risk. Tellroan was pretty much the company working on sunlight-safety these days. Its transportation was great.


    I wouldn¡¯t even want to be on one of the school¡¯s buses this close to noon, and those things could be better described as tanks. Literally in some cases, as a few school systems had done away with risky rubber tires entirely.


    Most cars these days could keep a person safe in the morning or evening sun for a couple hours. At noon, things were different. The windows could act as magnifying glasses and cook passengers alive in their vehicles. Even my top of the line air conditioning and tinted windows wouldn¡¯t save me if I were stopped on the side of the road at noon. Driving on the rims of a flat tire could usually get the driver to safety, but I¡¯d heard more than one story of a panicked driver with a popped tire driving too quickly. They¡¯d break the rim and then be stuck, unable to get out of their vehicle and unable to drive to safety. At that point, their only hope was a tow, or a friendly passerby with a death wish. Worse, the car would almost certainly be ruined.


    That was only at noon though. It was much less dangerous in the mornings or the late afternoons, and a smart person could get their car to any of the numerous shade stations to avoid this, even with a flat. Stepping out between ten a.m. and two p.m. would still kill a person, so the unlucky soul caught out at noon under a shade station would be stranded until the evening when getting out was safe again, or be rich enough to pay for a tow after it was safe around two or three. My family could afford this. Chase, for a grim example, was not.


    This wasn¡¯t uncommon either. I was sure John was probably a little bit terrified. I doubted he¡¯d thought far enough ahead to realize they¡¯d be taking him straight through to the Tower, no matter what time it was. Long habit had drilled home the fact that going outside anywhere near noon was just inviting a death sentence. The sun could and did kill the unprepared. Everyone knew at least one person who¡¯d popped a tire, or gotten stranded at night somehow, far between the safety of hubs, where shade stations were rare. Other¡¯s had stories of friends who had their AC blow out, or a stray crack in their anti-heat windows shatter too close to daylight. It didn¡¯t happen often anymore, but it did happen.


    Feeling a bit of pride, I thought that my car might make it through a noonday drive. It wasn¡¯t a risk I intended to take, though.


    John was gone now, and likely wouldn¡¯t be returning at all unless he lied about being able to see Sunsoul. In which case he¡¯d probably still not be coming back. That wasn¡¯t exactly a punishable offense, but it was certainly not something the power company took kindly. They tended to sue people who claimed false sightings of Sunsoul.


    In retrospect, my jealousy was overrated. I contented myself with the knowledge that getting rid of John might be a better gift than seeing Sunsoul would ever be.


    Best. Day. Ever.


    ¡°It stayed there for over five hours. Can you believe it? Much longer and they would¡¯ve had to start testing preschoolers!¡± Monroe was talking while simultaneously chewing a bite of baked chicken.


    ¡°Dude. Eat. Then talk,¡± April commented dryly before I could.


    I chuckled and Monroe blushed a little, rubbing a nervous hand through his shaggy dark hair. He was a broad shouldered boy with a little more fat than muscle. His nasally voice never seemed to fit his body type.


    ¡°Err, sorry,¡± he replied lamely after swallowing his chicken. ¡°I¡¯m just excited! What¡¯s different? What¡¯s changed? The array hasn¡¯t stayed in a fixed spot for more than an hour since¡­ what six years ago? And now it stays still for hours before jumping! It¡¯s almost like someone¡¯s still piloting it, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    After the initial excitement in the first hour of the day, the rest of it had been boring. I¡¯d gotten the chance to observe the array more than I ever thought I¡¯d want to, and I was already getting sick of hearing about it.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t care,¡± I said, now not even partially enthused. I enjoyed stargazing and talking about Fontaine¡¯s Folly as much as anyone but at a certain point I just didn¡¯t want to hear about it anymore. The number of times I¡¯d been told ¡°Congratulations on finding the Array, Noonday!¡± today was nearly countless. People who didn¡¯t know me from Adam, recognized me now and called me ¡°Noonday¡± as if it were an actual name. I almost wished I hadn¡¯t found the damn thing.


    Almost.


    I hadn¡¯t eaten much for lunch today and the early dinner Monroe and April had wanted just after the last class of the day looked awful too, which was strange. I¡¯d always loved Panini day, but now with it sitting right in front of me, it just didn¡¯t look good.


    Maybe it was the bad dreams and the general lack of sleep, but I¡¯d just been less hungry lately. Burn victims were supposed to be hungrier, especially after operations like mine.


    Ardnocures, horrifyingly complex 3D printers which specialized in eradicating and replacing burned skin simultaneously had made burn wounds a thing of the past for the most part. All a burn victim had to do was get to the hospital before death. Most burns these days were caused by the Sun after all. I¡¯d been healed of the strangely minor burns I¡¯d taken saving Clara by sitting in an ardnocure for about an hour. I was supposed to be hungry after that, but instead my appetite had dwindled over the last few weeks.


    Better that, than what happened Clara, though.


    I shook my head to stop thinking about it and turned to something else. The first thing that came to mind was money, and getting therapy. I was surprised that Dad had mentioned money this morning but I guess maybe the ardnocure¡¯s cost had been a little much. Even Mom¡¯s impressive salary had trouble supporting something that expensive on short notice. Coupled with the bills for Grandma¡¯s move into assisted living after a bad fall last year, it was apparently stretching my parents¡¯ income.


    Dad implied it was, anyway, and that might be true. I sort of doubted it though. My parents probably just wanted to teach me to be frugal. They had money now. I didn¡¯t. They kept stressing that to me as I got closer and closer to going to college. They weren¡¯t being mean, or malicious, and I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d hesitate to help me if I really needed it, but they didn¡¯t want me to rely on them. I needed them now though. I needed to get this off my chest.


    I kicked my feet out and stood from the cafeteria table and stretched with a yawn and a glance for the clock. Quarter till¡¯ five. The Sun was cooled off enough now that I could get home, but that didn¡¯t matter. I hadn¡¯t visited Clara yet.


    ¡°You out, Brandon?¡± Monroe asked, looking at my tray. ¡°Can I have that?¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Sure. Yeah I¡¯m out,¡± I replied simply.


    Monroe and April shared an odd look. April sat on her hands suddenly, apprehensive about something. Monroe cocked an eyebrow at her, and gave her a prodding nod.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ something I should know?¡± I asked, confused.


    ¡°No!¡± April pounced before Monroe could open his mouth. ¡°Ahh, nothing Brandon. Nothing important anyway.¡±


    Monroe rolled his eyes. I wouldn¡¯t ever claim to understand women but April was a friend. I¡¯d grown up with her, and I could at the least tell when she was hiding something from me. Monroe¡¯s exaggerated eyeroll only made detecting the lie easy mode.


    ¡°Ohh-kay?¡± I drawled, hoping to prod whatever April wanted to say out of her, but she clamped her mouth shut and stared down at her mostly finished Panini. I shrugged. Whatever it was would probably come out eventually.


    ¡°Talk to you guys later then,¡± I murmured and headed off.


    Monroe cackled at something hilarious when I was a little ways away. I even heard him over the din of all the people waiting on the sun to go down, and I thought I heard the distinct sound of April smacking him, but whatever he¡¯d said that had pissed her off so much was unimportant.


    I had a hospital to visit.


    The walk to the hospital was a pretty long one. It was almost two miles away, but easy enough to reach if you were simply willing to walk there and back. Ever since they finished the moving walkways, getting around was a breeze.


    Leaving the cafeteria I cut through the school¡¯s square main halls and made my way towards the exit from the school to the Hub.


    The huge hallway, at least four stories high and wide enough to comfortably fit a large interstate inside it, was just beginning to pick up a crowd. In fact, there were places in the Hub that had once actually been parts of the highway that had passed right through the area before, though most of them were on the northern corner. Some actually still did. The halls were lined with rows of beautiful green trees that were no longer able to survive the harsh sunlight outside. The walls were painted with long mosaics that seemed almost like skilled graffiti stretching all the way up to the ceiling. The ceiling itself, though, was painted green in memory of the land that had lost most of that vibrant shade.


    The Hub was basically the city of West Steppe itself. An enormously complex single building with offshoots to hundreds of other buildings, connecting them and safely sheltering anyone who wanted to get somewhere nearby in town but didn¡¯t want to risk the outdoors.


    The Hub was, quite simply, a giant mall. The only difference was that the outlets were more in the line of ¡°School,¡± ¡°Post Office,¡± ¡°Hospital,¡± and ¡°Residential Area,¡± rather than just shopping outlets. Most cities in the Midwest that hadn¡¯t been long abandoned now had a Hub or even several, and all of them were permanently under construction as new businesses grew and expanded.


    The place would grow even livelier as night came, and not for the first time I lamented the fact that West Steppe wasn¡¯t a ¡°Night Town.¡± Several cities had begun converting to a sleep-during-the-day lifestyle to avoid the Sun entirely. St. Louis was one. There were¡­ problems with that though.


    For one, it made the Hub¡¯s original function almost obsolete. The Hub, which had cost millions to connect the city''s various necessities and air condition properly, was made to function in the depth of the hottest summer noonday. That alone had probably swayed the votes in favor of keeping with the traditions of the previous generation.


    ¡°Sure would be convenient if we¡¯d switch though,¡± I murmured to myself as I stepped onto one of the moving walkways and continued at a quick clip. I felt like it would be safer at least, but old folks were slow to change. And maybe as long as we didn¡¯t change our lifestyle, they could still feel like there was a chance the world would go back to how it had once been.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    I was walking down the southern edge of the Hub, the fastest route between the school and the hospital, and also the most scenic. As I walked I noticed my mirror reflecting from the marble pillars that occasionally took the place of one of the trees in the pattern.


    I couldn¡¯t be called tall, but not really short either. Boringly normal brown hair matched my eyes which held a darker shade of the same. I was what I¡¯d always been. Average. It was even how I thought of myself in regards to everything except sprinting. Put me in long distance and I was toast, but in a sprint, no one could match me.


    I¡¯d hardly even thought about track since this whole business with Haley and Clara had come up though. I had actually missed a meet with one of the schools from St. Louis while my burns were being healed. Now with the Array on top of all that, I wasn¡¯t sure if I¡¯d ever be able to keep my mind focused where it should be.


    ¡°Can you believe it? Four hours! Four whole hours!¡± I caught a clip of conversation as I passed, and that was mimicked on a hundred other mouths. Everyone was talking about how long the Array had stayed still this time.


    ¡°I heard it was five!¡± Someone yelled in response.


    I rolled my eyes, tired of hearing about it now.


    People from my own age all the way up to senior citizens sat on the benches or circled the many trees and pillars in small groups, all waiting for their favorite store to open at the shopping center, or a new movie to start in a few hours.


    ¡°Noonday! Hey Noonday!¡± Came a voice from behind me. I studiously ignored it, but began walking faster when it sounded like whoever was shouting that stupid name was trying to catch up to me. Luckily, my pace and lack of acknowledgement seemed to discourage the follower and I wasn¡¯t bothered again.


    I strode in through automatic doors to find the lobby. It was a stark white room, so bright compared to the Hub that I almost had to squint. A small lobby to the right of the door held four nurses in scrubs, who appeared to be taking a short break. I knew one or two of them, but only in passing.


    Ms. Cassy McCaw sat in front of me at the main desk. She was one of the head nurses who I did know and she could only be described as a stern woman. Shoulder length blond hair framed a blocky face that had the perpetual tiredness I¡¯d come to associate with nurses. She wasn¡¯t fat, but she clearly had been once. Her loose skin hung off her bones, and I¡¯d assumed she was one of many who¡¯d lost weight during the famine when the country was still adapting to indoor farming. No matter how ugly or firm she was though, she had the heart of a saint.


    I waved to her and watched her eyes sink as she caught sight of me. ¡°Oh¡­ Hello Brandon.¡±


    Something in her tone told me that things weren¡¯t going well.


    ¡°Has something happened?¡± I asked, concerned.


    Cassy grimaced and made a glance down the hallway towards Clara¡¯s room. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ getting worse. The ardnocures just don¡¯t seem to work on her, which is absolutely baffling. We¡¯ve had to resort to creams to soothe her. She¡¯s the worst burn victim I¡¯ve ever seen still alive. I don¡¯t want to say it¡¯s hopeless but you might¡¯ve gone out into the sun for her for nothing.¡±


    ¡°Dammit¡­¡± I sighed in helpless frustration. ¡°Still no visitors?¡±


    ¡°She did have a few today, actually.¡± She replied a little somberly. ¡°Quite a few, in fact, but they¡¯re all gone now. You should go see her.¡±


    She fished in the desk between us for a visitor¡¯s badge with elastic that had been frayed at the edges by years of use.


    I thanked her for the badge before I turned down the long hallway to the room that would hold the burned girl. I imagine visiting her every day and seeing her like this was probably part of the reason for my irritatingly vivid dreams, but I just couldn¡¯t stop.


    I opened the door and blinked.


    Hard.


    Clara was there alright, her burned body portraying an object lesson of the sun¡¯s effect on human skin. Her face was still that charred mess and her body, covered in a light hospital gown, hid fringes of the same, save in splotches where her jeans had actually melted into her skin.


    That wasn¡¯t what shocked me though. What did was the flowers. Loads of them. It was almost as if someone had gone to a grocery store and just bought every flower they had. There was no rhyme or reason to them, no specific color or type. Tulips and Roses, Lilies and Lilacs were thrown together with weeds like dandelions and tiger lilies. It was almost as if someone just needed plants in the room, and that the type didn¡¯t matter.


    The girl¡¯s hand, lying peacefully on her chest, clasped one of the yellow tulips as if it had been placed there.


    Flowers on their own were rare these days and had to be brought down from the north or grown in gardens. Of course everyone had gardens and most people usually grew one or two little patches of some flower or other in them, all year round. They¡¯d usually keep them for special occasions but these almost felt as if they¡¯d been grown specifically for Clara.


    I even had my own little plot in the lamphouse back home. So many, though. It was incredible.


    ¡°W-wow,¡± I breathed in unexpected awe. ¡°Who could afford this?¡±


    For most of the past week I¡¯d been afraid that Clara had no family at all. Now I feared she might have an overabundance.


    Even now I could hardly believe the casual way in which I¡¯d seen her walk out that door that day. She¡¯d just opened it and slipped right out into the sunlight. She¡¯d done it almost nonchalantly; nothing like a girl who was trying to commit suicide. She must have felt so alone. That was what I¡¯d thought at the time. Now, what she¡¯d done made even less sense. She had someone, many someones apparently, who cared for her deeply. What could have caused her to abandon that so senselessly?


    I walked over to one of several chairs and took a seat right next to her. She looked so¡­ hurt. Even in her sleep she seemed in pain.


    Clara had always been a thin girl. She was short, with brown hair, though after coming back from summer break last year, she had somehow died just the roots of her hair to an almost comical shade of aqua blue, leaving the rest brown. She¡¯d never been the type of girl to stand out or make waves but she certainly had when she came to school with that change.


    At the time, I¡¯d thought she¡¯d just grown tired of the attention because only a short few weeks later she¡¯d gotten rid of the blue dye. Staring at the thin trace of the light blue fuzz growing on her scarred head, I realized that the brown color must¡¯ve been the real dye, hiding her strange hair-color. Apparently a natural blue-head. Well, weirder things had happened because of Sunsoul. It was actually pretty common for those who spent time outdoors during the safe hours while the sun was up to experience unusual changes, and they were usually for the better. Arthritis curing miraculously. Eye color changing. Lifelong skin rashes healing. My mom had done some research on the phenomenon, so I knew a little.


    Still, her hair had seemed so natural when it was brown¡­


    Clara wasn¡¯t a person I¡¯d ever paid much attention to before I saw my almost-girlfriend being a malicious asshole to her. We were in different divisions; She was in E, while I was in B. I¡¯d barely even known her, other than that she was a music student, who didn¡¯t have many friends. Clara was devoted to her violin and not much else, and she resented being second string to the more-talented Brenda. That tidbit was second hand from Haley, though, so that could easily be a lie.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t they fix you, Clara? What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked her sleeping form. She was peaceful at the moment, but even in her sleep I could see pain in her features and couldn¡¯t help but feel like it was somehow my fault.


    ¡°Fuck. Why would you do that? I know Haley was a jerk but she didn¡¯t say anything so horrible to make you¡­ ugh.¡± I breathed. My guilt had washed away slightly over the past weeks but as I watched her deteriorate more and more, I found it rekindling.


    She was dying. I¡¯d been in the sun almost every bit as long as she, though, and I¡¯d barely walked away with second degree burns. It bothered me. I knew I must¡¯ve imagined it. Knew that I couldn¡¯t possibly have seen what I¡¯d thought but¡­ for some reason, I recalled with perfect clarity that the girl had not started burning herself until the moment I reached her.


    ¡°¡­How?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    I jumped, the voice at the door startling me. I jerked my eyes away from Clara and found a tall, slim woman standing in the doorway. A pair of half-moon glasses rested upon a pointed nose. Her face was as narrow as her body, and she wore a dark sweater and long black pants. A sweater. I didn¡¯t even know you could buy those anymore. Her dark skin made me certain she wasn¡¯t family to Clara but something about the way she regarded me, as if I were beneath her, made me think she didn¡¯t care much about either of us.


    ¡°You are Mr. Meadows, the boy who¡­ saved Clara, are you not?¡± the woman said with a grimace. She had a clipped way of speaking that made Cassy seem like a meek kitten.


    I didn¡¯t like her, almost immediately. Something about the sarcastic way she spoke put my hackles up. ¡°I suppose, I am. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Who I am is none of your concern. For now. We¡¯ll meet again soon enough, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    I growled. ¡°Bullshit. Clara¡¯s been here for a week and a half, and only now she gets visitors? If you know her then what took you so long?¡±


    She ignored me in favor of approaching the girl. ¡°You¡¯ve interrupted a great many things of which you are unaware, Brandon Meadows. It would be best if you stopped visiting Clara.¡±


    How does she know who I am?


    It was only then that I realized the woman held a single flower of her own. I blinked when I looked at it. I¡¯d never seen a flower that looked anything like the one the woman held. A long green stem was the only normal thing about it. Long wispy white petals stretched out and up to meet at the top, making what appeared to be a small cage for a thin red bud of some sort, held in the middle.


    The woman didn¡¯t hesitate as she approached Clara and immediately grabbed the tulip in the girl¡¯s hand and slid it out of Clara¡¯s loose grip, carelessly tossing it to the floor.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I hissed as I watched the woman methodically place the strange flower in the same place in Clara¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I have been curt, Mr. Meadows. You are not helping her by visiting. She will become better in time, but you must leave her be.¡±


    ¡°Why!?¡± I exclaimed. I didn¡¯t remember standing up but suddenly I was. ¡°Who are you!¡± I demanded again.


    For the first time, the woman¡¯s eyes softened a little as she looked at the burn victim on the bed before us. I watched her hand trail from the flower up to gently caress Clara¡¯s forehead. Much to my shock, the comatose girl¡¯s breathing seemed to ease almost instantly.


    ¡°C-Clara! What did you do!?¡±


    The woman smiled and looked at me with dark, piercing eyes. ¡°For Clara¡¯s sake. Please¡­ stop visiting her for a time, Brandon. She will be well.¡±


    There was a small note of care in the woman¡¯s tone now, where before there had been nothing but sternness. Perhaps she was not used to showing it. Her words though¡­ She knew something.


    ¡°Why should I trust you?¡± I said, my anger losing its grip, as I watched Clara¡¯s breathing seem to finally ease a little.


    ¡°Because I know what she is, and how she rescued you. You are already caught up in things you can¡¯t understand. Best you try to enjoy the few remaining days of ignorance while you can.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean!?¡±


    ¡°You did not save Clara, Mr. Meadows. She saved you. And in the doing, made you more.¡±


    I shivered as the woman confirmed suspicions that I desperately wanted to not believe.


    ¡°This¡­ is my fault?¡± I asked, trying to ignore the lump in my throat as I glanced back down at her. She almost seemed to be smiling. Could the flower be doing that somehow?


    ¡°Yes. As I am sure you have begun to suspect, she would have been fine had you not intervened. Consider yourself lucky. You¡¯ve received a gift many have paid billions for.¡±


    I winced. That was blunt. The lump grew rather than diminished.


    ¡°What? H-How? What is she? What¡­ what did she give me?¡±


    She looked at me sympathetically. The expression was hard to read, but I felt like she was annoyed and sorry for me at the same time. ¡°For now, know that your visits have been keeping her from healing. You may return in four days. She will be ready to see you then.¡±


    I twitched. I wanted to yell at her, tell the woman to fuck off and I¡¯d visit whenever I could but something about her tone made me agree before I even realized what was happening. I tore my eyes away from Clara. Thinking that it might¡¯ve been my fault and having it confirmed were two very different things.


    ¡°F-fine. And she¡¯ll be okay after that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She will, if you stay away. You are draining her. The flowers will help, but you must go,¡± she said, all sternness returned to her voice.


    I gulped, then nodded before leaving.


    I pounded out of the hospital, practically throwing the visitor¡¯s badge at a shocked Nurse McCaw as I passed. My eyes were wet, and my throat filled to bursting with the immobile lump of guilt lodged there.


    Fuck¡­ just. Fuck.


    <hr>

 Chapter Four - The Wanderers Soul

    <h2>Chapter Four: The Wanderer¡¯s Soul</h2>


    <hr>


    I didn¡¯t go home after leaving the hospital. I didn¡¯t know what to do with myself but somehow going home didn¡¯t feel like it would satisfy the ache in my gut. I wanted to apologize, to make things right, but I couldn¡¯t do that as long as Clara was still hurt. Going home and watching comedies as I surely would, somehow felt wrong. Why should I be allowed to forget while she lay dying?


    Clara. A girl who could survive in the sunlight. Did that mean regular fire didn¡¯t hurt her? What about Mom¡¯s damn laser pointer? Did she still get dehydrated?


    What about me?


    I¡¯d almost disregarded the woman¡¯s words before but they rang like a gong in my ears now.


    ¡°¡­and in the doing, made you more.¡±


    I shivered. That hadn¡¯t been ominous at all.


    Unfortunately, home was where I spent most of my time, so I didn¡¯t really know how to spend it here. I almost wished I¡¯d had track practice today but I had been benched due to the burns, which I no longer even felt. Whenever I ran, I could forget about whatever was bothering me.


    Forgetting felt wrong now, though. So instead I just ended up wandering around the Hub.


    I wasn¡¯t alone in that. The Hub, despite all the effort of the city, had a night life twice as lively as the day. Public businesses were run during the day, same as ever, but private ones knew when people were actually out and about. The time was in that sweet spot where the high schoolers like myself had to start worrying about curfew while the older college students and even some parents were just waking up for work. In other words, busy.


    The changes made for an interesting juxtaposition of businesses. A Dunkin¡¯ Donuts declared proudly that it was breakfast time while the pizza place right next door advertised dinner in neon red lights.


    I walked up the western hall and listened to a band far enough away to warble the sound into a mindless blur. People shuffled past me in an endless mass. West Steppe was the second largest city in Missouri behind St. Louis, and while its close proximity to the Scorched Lands might dissuade tourists, the Tellroan Industrial Power Plant employed nearly a tenth of every resident here. Since they worked at all times, day or night, the Hub was always busy.


    ¡°Brandon! Hey, what are you doing here?¡± Came a pleasant exclamation.


    I blinked and a grin spread across my face.


    ¡°April!¡± I greeted. ¡°You look great! What¡¯s the occasion?¡±


    The girl flushed and threw her thumb over her shoulder at the band. ¡°Seein¡¯ them. Kinda disappointed, actually. They¡¯re not great live.¡±


    I turned and looked, realizing that I recognized neither the band nor the song. It was pleasant, a peppy sort of techno mix, but I wouldn¡¯t go so far as to call it enjoyable either.


    ¡°They¡¯re always better on a player.¡± I told her. ¡°That¡¯s why I like older stuff. Nobody sings anymore, just uses voice enhancement. Heck I could turn your awful voice into a song better than this with a little work.¡±


    She seemed indignant and scowled at me, which only prompted me to playfully rub it in further. ¡°You¡¯re right. A lot of work.¡±


    ¡°I hate you,¡± her scowl deepened but there was no malice. Whether she was disappointed in the music or not, she was clearly in a good mood for some reason.


    I grinned at her, feeling better already as I abruptly changed the subject. ¡°Who ya with?¡±


    ¡°Kevin and Leece. Monroe obviously didn¡¯t want to come, but it¡¯s great that you did anyway! How did you hear about it?¡±


    I blushed, a little embarrassed. ¡°I¡­ uh. I didn¡¯t. I was just wandering around, trying to take my mind off things.¡±


    I¡¯d actually made two laps of the entire Hub already since leaving the Hospital, but April didn¡¯t need to know that.


    She wore a knee length brown dress with a wavy skirt. Her black hair, still up, was actually braided instead of just in a ponytail. She never let her hair fall loosely. Pale skin accentuated her freckled face and while she had to look up to meet my eyes, she was only a few inches shorter than me.


    She sighed then, but brightened immediately and grabbed my arm, ignoring my bubble of personal space entirely. ¡°Well then come have fun and take your mind off things with me!¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ okay,¡± I agreed, brightening when she dragged me not towards but away from the band.


    I was never much for music in general. Only liked specific songs and this band certainly didn¡¯t play any of those few favorites I had.


    ¡°You¡­ want to get some ice cream or something?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Ice cream sounded spectacular. I paused then and turned back to her, ¡°Uhh. Hey Leece and Kev won¡¯t mind you coming with me will they?¡±


    ¡°Hang on, I¡¯ll send them a message. You¡¯ll give me a ride home tonight.¡± She replied, more of a certainty than a question as she dug her phone out of a surprisingly girly purse for her.


    ¡°Uhh yeah sure, no problem April. I¡¯ll drop all my plans to give you a lift out to Havery any time. You don¡¯t even need to ask, obviously,¡± I said sarcastically.


    She rolled her eyes and muttered ¡°Your plans¡­?¡± before she turned back to me and adopted a voice so sweetly saccharine it made my own sarcasm seem like a love letter. ¡°Fine. Brandon. Would you please take time out of your precious wanderings to drive a poor damsel to her home?¡±


    I gave a considering pose and rubbed the nonexistent beard on my chin, deep in thought. ¡°Mademoiselle, must pay for gasoline.¡±


    ¡°Dick. You¡¯re the least romantic person in the world, you know that?¡±


    ¡°Aww, you love me anyway,¡± I joked back with her, stepping ahead to open the door for her to Phil¡¯s Ice Cream Parlor.


    April and I lived nearby, her house only a few miles closer to town, in a gated community that had a residential Hub of its own called Havery. She was on my route back home, and we¡¯d known each other since we were children. I could still remember running in the grass and climbing green trees with her as a little kid before the days grew too hot for that sort of thing and the scorched lands crept up to our doorstep. We must¡¯ve been eight or nine years old I supposed.


    When I glanced back at her, she¡¯d paused in the doorway looking at me. I blinked as she stared, long enough for me to feel like I¡¯d said something wrong.


    ¡°Uh¡­ April?¡± I prodded.


    ¡°O-Oh,¡± She blushed a little cutely, then realized I was holding the door for her. ¡°Yeah, sorry. Thanks, Brandon.¡±


    I shook my head in confusion. April had started spacing out like that every now and then during the course of the past year or so and I still didn¡¯t understand what it was about.


    What had I said? You love me anyw¡­?


    No. That¡¯s ridiculous.


    Half a moment to enter the building and April had immediately become her old self again, rapidly approaching the counter and happily ordering some sort of strawberry and Butterfinger concoction with cherry dressing that sounded so sweet that I was almost certain I¡¯d get diabetes from looking at it.


    ¡°Oh, uh, hey I just realized I¡¯m fresh out of cash. Uhm, do you mind, Brandon?¡± She asked.


    I sighed long-sufferingly and gave her a grin. Inwardly I wondered why she didn¡¯t just pay with a card. She wasn¡¯t as well off as I was with my truck stop job, but I knew she had money. Whatever.


    ¡°Sure, sure fine.¡± I said dramatically.


    ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡±


    I paid for hers and got myself a waffle bowl with cookie dough ice cream and we sat at one of those small booths in the corner.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve still been having a hard time?¡± She asked a little worriedly. ¡°I know the Clara thing has been bothering you. Even finding the Array didn¡¯t pull you out of your funk.¡±


    I grimaced. April always was good at reading me. ¡°I guess so. I¡¯m having some fucked up dreams, all of them centered around her. I can¡¯t get that image out of my head. Seeing someone cooked alive like that¡­? It¡¯s not pretty.¡±


    April gave me a sort of pained look. ¡°Have you talked to anyone about it?¡¯


    ¡°I want to. I actually asked Dad to find me a¡­¡± No. I wouldn¡¯t admit that, not even to April. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m trying to get some help, but I just feel so damn guilty. First it was because I was dating the girl who caused it, and now¡­¡±


    Now I¡¯m guilty because I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s my fault entirely. But how could I have known?


    I trailed off. How to explain? Did I even want to?


    ¡°You can talk to me, if you want,¡± She said in a weirdly shy tone.


    I cocked an eyebrow at her, then shrugged and took a bite of my ice cream, making sure to break off a piece of the waffle bowl to go with it. It was delicious. Blessed sugary goodness. The first good thing I¡¯d tasted in a week.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Not much more to say about it, really. I¡¯m just feeling guilty is all,¡± I lied. ¡°It¡¯ll pass once Clara gets better and I can apologize to her.¡±


    If she gets better.


    ¡°Alright. Well uhm. Let¡¯s talk about something else then. Like your plans for after school. Are you still going to the local college here?¡± She asked, plainly curious.


    ¡°No change in plans from me!¡± I grinned back at her. ¡°I¡¯m going to teach, maybe right here at our highschool, though I might have to transfer to one of the other Hubs further north if the staff is already locked in. That¡¯s a long way off though. At least four years.¡±


    ¡°Heh. I still wish you¡¯d come with me to St. Louis.¡± She said happily, but her expression faded to a dejected frown quickly. ¡°If I even get to go anyway. You already know my dream.¡±


    I rolled my eyes, trying to hide my grimace at the thought of her leaving. That thought still made me burn inside in an unusual way. ¡°Your crazy dream.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not crazy! Ugh, how could you not be interested!? There¡¯s so much that we¡¯ve lost down there! I want to find treasures! Secrets! Telilro, Bran! Telilro!¡±


    ¡°I am going to be holding your casket when I¡¯m thirty, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°You kidding? You¡¯re way too short. I would slide all around and be lopsided if you were one of my casket bearers. All of them must be six foot two and handsome! You¡¯re neither.¡±


    I stuck my tongue out at her and she cackled. Cheeky.


    ¡°You seriously want to do it, though? Become an archaeologist? A researcher on the scorched lands?¡±


    She gave me a half lidded stare. ¡°You thought I was lying all those times I said I did? Of course I do! I love hearing about the desert and all the changes. You know animals still live even as far as the equator? No one knows how they¡¯re doing it! Oh and the people who live down there!¡±


    ¡°Animals. You mean monsters right? And people? There are no people in the Scorched Lands. That¡¯s a myth. It¡¯s so damn dangerous. We joke, yeah, but if I¡¯m seriously anywhere near your coffin I will be so pissed at you.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t joking this time. It legitimately worried me, what she wanted to do. I was afraid to even traverse the field of dying grass between our house and the Daniel¡¯s, and April wanted to wade down into the South Waste?


    Ludicrous. And a little embarrassing to know so firmly which of the two of us was braver.


    She probably wouldn¡¯t be moping about if this thing with Clara had happened to her.


    ¡°I¡¯m still not sure I believe those rumors. I mean¡­ seriously? A Sand Kraken? Come on that¡¯s got to be made up.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll put that on your grave,¡± I replied, holding up my hands and gesturing like some sort of announcer. ¡°Famous Archaeologist, April Lloyd. Eaten by Sarlacc. May she Digest in Peace.¡±


    She laughed, barely managing to turn it into a scoff. It was a game we played almost without even thinking of it anymore. Each used sarcasm at its best and whoever laughed was the loser. I just won.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a nerd,¡± She said with a bit of endearment in her tone. But only a little. She was a sore loser.


    ¡°I won. You know it.¡±


    ¡°Fine. So¡­ I¡¯ll buy ice cream this Friday night. To make up for tonight and for losing?¡±


    ¡°Trying to make me fat?¡± I joked.


    ¡°Eh, you can handle it. You run all the time right?¡±


    True enough. I wasn¡¯t exactly thick, but it was only a matter of time before losing weight would be something I would have to devote time to, if I couldn¡¯t get a track scholarship anyway.


    ¡°Well¡­ I guess ice cream Friday will do. Why Friday though¨C?¡±


    ¡°Great! Will you pick me up?¡± She interrupted sharply.


    ¡°Pick you¨C? April we can just go right after schoo¨C! Af¡­ ter¡­¡± I trailed off, my eyes widening. Without warning, everything that was happening right now clicked with all the impact of a meteorite.


    April was wearing a dress. Her hair was braided. She had on lipstick. She never wore lipstick. Maybe some of that eye stuff, but never lipstick. Abruptly I realized that she smelled wonderful. We were in an ice cream parlor and I had just paid for it like¡­ like it was a¡­


    She winced looking at me, and I could already tell she knew exactly what was going through my mind at that moment.


    Maybe I ¡®am¡¯ thick. Just in a different way.


    ¡°April?¡± I asked, suddenly a little nervous. ¡°Are¡­? Did you just trick me into a date?¡±


    She flushed too. Embarrassed. ¡°Uhm. Kind of?¡±


    I blinked. Then I blinked again, staring at her in a sort of expressionless shock, until she wilted and couldn¡¯t meet my eyes anymore.


    ¡°W-well! Well say something already!¡± She hissed, a little of her usual fire coming to the front. She was blushing a storm but I think she was trying to cover it with anger.


    ¡°You¡­ like me?¡±


    I¡¯d always thought she had a thing for Monroe.


    ¡°I keep forgetting how much of an idiot you are. Yes, alright?¡±


    ¡°You like me.¡± I repeated, this time teasing her.


    To my regret, the girl adopted a sort of ¡®kicked puppy¡¯ look at that. ¡°Cut it out¡­ please? If you¡¯re just going to tease me then forget it. But I thought¡­ since you and Haley aren¡¯t¡­ well¡­¡±


    ¡°Hell no!¡± I said giddily. ¡°I¡¯m going to make you suffer in embarrassment all the way till our date.¡±


    She blinked, confused and unsure whether to be pleased or disgruntled. ¡°So¡­?¡±


    ¡°April, would you like to go out with me Friday night?¡±


    She beamed, bright enough to outshine the sun. ¡°I¡¯d love to.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± I breathed. ¡°Condition though.¡±


    I¡¯d never seen a smile evaporate so quickly.


    ¡°What?¡± I said defensively, cocking an eyebrow at her. ¡°We know each other so well that it¡¯ll be hard to differentiate a date from just hanging out. You and I both know we¡¯re going to end up at the movies. So to make it a date, we have to do something significant.¡±


    She blinked curiously. ¡°Like what?¡±


    It was amazing to watch her expression warp so quickly between hopeful, disgruntled, and curious. I ran my fingers over my chin as if stroking a beard once again, and let out a long hmmm. She laughed this time, and leaned back into the booth.


    She was pretty. Definitely pretty. Why hadn¡¯t I ever asked her out before? Mom teased us about it often enough but somehow I¡¯d never thought April was interested. Then again, I¡¯d been sort of in a relationship with Haley for almost a year so the thought hadn¡¯t crossed my mind then.


    ¡°Well. How ¡¯bout this? I want you to go on the date with your hair down. I don¡¯t care how you wear it otherwise, just no pony tail. No braid.¡±


    She gasped as if I¡¯d kicked her dog. She caressed the back of her head as if to subconsciously make certain her precious pony tail was still in place.


    ¡°B-but. But I can¡¯t! My hair is ridiculous when it¡¯s loose! No. The date is off.¡± She declared firmly.


    ¡°Hey, you get to ask me to change something about myself too, so it¡¯s even!¡± I insisted.


    ¡°You¡¯re a guy! Looks don¡¯t matter to you!¡±


    I cocked an eyebrow again and she relented a little. ¡°Well. Not as much as for girls anyway.¡±


    I could agree with that. But I wasn¡¯t going to let up on this one. I felt pretty sure the last time I¡¯d seen her without her hair up in some fashion was before middle school. Six years ago.


    ¡°Why do you care about that pony tail so much anyway?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯d look beautiful either way, but you¡¯re oddly attached to it.¡±


    She flushed and tried to shrug, noncommittally, but her voice caught at the compliment. ¡°I-I don¡¯t even know. It¡¯s just my look. It¡¯s curly and silly without it. I¡¯ll have to straighten it for hours.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°Maybe it was a bad idea then.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± She barked, switching sides. ¡°No, it is a good idea. I just have to think of something equally embarrassing for you.¡± She grinned a snide little thing. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll make you wear overalls.¡±


    ¡°Oh god,¡± I laughed. ¡°You would.¡±


    She chuckled along but then said, ¡°Nah, I¡¯m not that mean. Plus at a certain point, embarrassing you would turn it into less of a date than¡­¡± She flushed. ¡°¡­than I want. You have to look good.¡±


    ¡°I always look good!¡± I insisted, fishing for a compliment.


    Her mood went somber. ¡°Not these past few days, you haven¡¯t.¡±


    Dammit. Clara.


    April had managed to pull me completely out of my depressive state from before. I realized that I had been laughing, having a hilariously good time, while Clara was still lying on a hospital bed, dying of burns that were probably my fault.


    It felt wrong to be happy, and my mood plummeted.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± I murmured and took a bite of ice cream. I almost wanted to gobble it down and force a brain freeze. Anything to distract me from the gnawing guilt in my gut.


    ¡°I guess I haven¡¯t,¡± I admitted. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s Clara. She¡¯s not doing well. The ardnocures just aren¡¯t working and¡­¡±


    I realized I was repeating myself from earlier and dropped the conversation. ¡°You don¡¯t have to listen to me whine. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Brandon¡­ you¡¯re kind to a fault sometimes, you know?¡± April sighed in exasperation. ¡°You¡¯ve got to know what she did isn¡¯t your fault. It isn¡¯t even Haley¡¯s fault, no matter how much of a bitch she turned out to be. Only Clara chose to walk out on the roof like that.¡±


    Yeah. I guess that¡¯s true. If Clara had actually been in danger that would be true, but I know what I saw¡­


    ¡°I guess so. Just really hope she comes out of it okay. She might never look normal again, even if she does survive. They don¡¯t know why the machines aren¡¯t working for her.¡±


    She groaned.


    ¡°Why did I say that?¡± She murmured, more to herself, than to me, running an exasperated hand through her hair as she did. ¡°You were almost back to normal and then I just had to go and ruin it.¡±


    I tried to grin and get back into the fun we¡¯d been having. ¡°I know right? How could you, April?¡±


    To my regret, the words came out almost accusatory, but April rolled with it. She stuck her tongue out at me after a long spoonful of ice cream and I laughed. She had the red cherry dressing on her nose. I couldn¡¯t tell if she¡¯d done it on purpose or not but it god, was it funny. Her blush was certainly unfeigned, her freckles brightened, uncountable as the stars.


    What would I do when she was gone after next summer? Maybe I should look into going to St. Louis¡­


    While driving April home that night, I felt better than I had in days, and talking to her lifted my mood like nothing else could. Guilt still gnawed at me for Clara but my spirits were still high. Friday. My heart skipped a little beat. Friday, I would go on a date with my best friend. Those sort of stories normally had unhappy endings but I was an optimistic sort. Clara would be fine, April would give up her crazy idea to become an archeologist and get herself killed, and I would get over my damn dreams.


    Everything would be okay. It would.


    ¡®She saved you, and in the doing, made you more.¡¯


    I shuddered.

 Chapter Five - The Pariahs Friend

    <h2>Chapter Five: The Pariah¡¯s Friend</h2>


    <hr>


    The bar was a dimly lit place with a rather pleasant atmosphere.


    The beer tasted of bitter glory, and a little piece of me felt new life as I gulped down the last of it. I¡¯d hardly tasted the drink itself. I was still overcome by the fact that he¡¯d actually let me buy it. For so long I¡¯d given up even trying, I could hardly believe it.


    I had to try again.


    ¡°E-Excuse me. Could I get another? Mack?¡± Unsurprisingly, I was ignored. Mack continued washing old beer mugs behind the counter without even turning towards me. I gripped the edge of the counter tightly.


    Cool it Violette. He¡¯s actually letting you stay so that might mean he¡¯ll let you come back. Maybe¡­


    ¡°Uhm. Mack?¡± I asked tentatively.


    ¡°My name is Matt. How fucking hard is that?¡± The man glared at me as he rummaged through the refrigerator below for what would be my fourth beer. He had a particularly venomous tongue but at least he didn¡¯t throw me out on my ass like most of them did.


    ¡°S-sorry. Matt,¡± I apologized through his glare, still feeling a little grateful for the real live store bought beer he¡¯d sold me. It was difficult to hold back my thoughts, though. Of course he had to fuck with me a little. Everyone had their own sick way. I guessed this was his.


    I guarantee you called yourself Mack. You¡¯re badge says Ma¨C oh fuck it is Matt! God damn accent!


    My eyes widened as realization swept over me. S-so? So he¡¯d really¨C?


    ¡°Whatever. What do you want?¡± He said, his exasperation reaching a lower caliber.


    I want someone to not look at me like that. Just¡­ just one person.


    ¡°Could I get three?¡± I asked, timidly pointing at the empty bottle now sitting in front of me. ¡°So you don¡¯t have to c-come back over? I won¡¯t be any trouble.¡±


    He stared at me for a long time and then sighed, his eyes losing a bit of their hard edge. Perhaps it was something in my posture, but he relented, the hate fading to something else entirely. ¡°Yeah. Just a sec. And sorry. That was uncalled for.¡±


    I tried not to gape, but I don¡¯t think I quite succeeded.


    He¡¯s like a unicorn.


    The thought was irrational but it was the first thing that came to my mind. I squashed it down but a part of me wanted to tear up. Kindness like that was so rare I thought I might kiss him. Of course then he would definitely throw me out, so I just sat quietly while he peeled the caps off my three beers, and tried not to notice the glares I received from other patrons occupying the seedy establishment.


    The last two would probably be warm by the time I started drinking them, but that was better than annoying the one person willing to actually talk to me.


    My self-esteem was not doing well.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ very kind,¡± I stuttered.


    ¡°Even you probably don¡¯t deserve all the hate you get. It¡¯s hard to believe you¡¯re even the same person I used to see on the TV all those years ago. Shit, you probably need these more than any of us,¡± He said as he resumed cleaning the mugs.


    I did tear up then. I couldn¡¯t help it.


    ¡°Th-thank you.¡± I sniffed, mentally trying to ignore the burn marks he bore on his arm, his bald head, and his myriad of tattoos. To me, he was the most beautiful person I¡¯d met in years. People like him were why I still even tried at all.


    ¡°Shit woman, it¡¯s just beer,¡± he said, surprised as I took a gulp of one of the bottles and tried to hide my face behind it.


    ¡°Not to me. I¡­¡± My jaw trembled. How long had it been since I¡¯d even managed to walk into a public place without being threatened? I couldn¡¯t even get drunk except in the safety of my home, which made it a bad time to have become an alcoholic. More bartenders had served me drinks after spitting in them than I cared to admit.


    It¡¯s not even original anymore but every last one of them has to do it with that smug look, like they¡¯d just played the cleverest prank in the world.


    Was I bitter? Noooo¡­


    ¡°Hmmph. I remember when your speeches could stir up a crowd of millions. When I was a kid you were an inspiration. For that, you at least deserve a fucking Bud,¡± he breathed. ¡°God, what has happened to you anyway?¡±


    Wait, he¡¯s still talking to me?


    ¡°I¡¯ve had a few bad years,¡± my throat was scratchy and raw from the long periods of silence spent pouring endlessly over documents. Maybe a few too many cigarettes. All I¡¯d wanted back in college was my research. It was all I was allowed now, not that anyone would ever listen to a word I said.


    ¡°Nothing you don¡¯t deserve,¡± He said, but there wasn¡¯t any malice in it. He corrected himself immediately after. ¡°Nah, didn¡¯t deserve. You¡¯ve probably paid for it by now.¡±


    I flinched anyway and took another gulp. It slid so smoothly down my throat. Something about having it anywhere but my cold dank home made it seem like the best drink I¡¯d ever had. I tried to cherish it, and ignore the lump of guilt in my throat.


    Hear something long enough and you start to believe it.


    I wanted to be defensive. To tell him it wasn¡¯t my fault. To¡­ dammit, to stand up for myself again! The energy was gone though. The fight had left me. I¡¯d screamed and hollered for long enough and I would never stop being blamed. The world over, blamed, and still not even sure what had happened.


    ¡°I suppose not,¡± I admitted ruefully. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry. About your arm I mean. It was probably my fault after all.¡±


    He shook his head and grinned at that. ¡°You kiddin? This was my dumbass fault. Don¡¯t you go taking credit. ¡®Sides. Ladies dig burns.¡±


    Now that is a straight lie.


    I didn¡¯t say that though. Instead I asked politely, ¡°You don¡¯t blame me?¡±


    ¡°Lady, do you blame the zookeeper if a kid gets his hand bitten off because he kept sticking it in the tiger pen?¡± The question was obviously rhetorical because he continued right on. ¡°Heh. Yeah, you do, maybe a little. But just because ya want someone to blame. This though? My fault. Got these burns playin¡¯ Hotrush.¡±


    ¡°Hot¡­ rush?¡± I asked. I couldn¡¯t help it. The man gave another roguish grin and I found myself blushing. The word had a dirty implication to it, but after so long alone, I couldn¡¯t deny a little curiosity.


    ¡°Yeah. Good times. See Hotrush was back when they still sold cars with sunroofs. It was a race, obviously, but ya had to do it at noon. Two cars zipping down the drag. You¡¯re driving with one hand, while the other holds up a big piece of cardboard to block the sun from your open sunroof! Heh. I still fucking won the race but my damn cardboard caught on fire.¡±


    ¡°That sounds¡­¡±


    Unbelievably stupid.


    ¡°Unbelievably stupid,¡± He said. I blinked as his words perfectly mirrored my thoughts. ¡°Yeah. It was, but it was a thrill and I was twenty five. We still thought it was all global warming at that point. Sides, it can¡¯t possibly be more stupid than building the machine that broke the sun.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes.¡± Okay. So maybe not a unicorn. The little barbs hurt though. Maybe even more than outright insults. At least he was still talking with me.


    God I¡¯m so pathetic.


    He couldn¡¯t be a day over thirty five now. A young man, he would¡¯ve been handsome without the scars. His dark skin did make them a bit less noticeable though. He was at least ten years my junior. From this story, I couldn¡¯t help but think that my sister¡¯s ten year old must¡¯ve been smarter than him.


    But then¡­ my sister hadn¡¯t talked to me in ten years either so the point was moot. He was here. He would talk to me, and I would shut up and be grateful for the brief moments of human interaction that I could enjoy without a headset and the internet to hide behind.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± He said genuinely, stunning me all over again. ¡°That was cruel. I like to think I¡¯m better than that. All those damn court hearings about you coloring my opinion. I¡¯m Matthew Scapel. That¡¯s scuh-pel. Not scalpel, got it?¡±


    He stuck out his hand at me, and I flinched, preparing to summon my Sunsoul.


    He hesitated, his eyes going piteous and soft. ¡°I¡¯d never hit a woman, Ma¡¯am.¡±


    I stared at it like an adder, hardly even recognizing the gesture. It had been over ten years since I¡¯d seen it directed my way after all.


    ¡°Friends?¡± He asked.


    I continued staring, a little dumbfounded. A little disbelieving.


    He grabbed his good right arm with his burned left one to hold it up, acting like it was straining him to hold it out for so long. ¡°Kiiinda leaving me hanging here, Doctor.¡±


    Joking. This man was joking with me. With me! Like. Like a friend would.


    I practically lunged for his hand to shake it. ¡°Y-Yes! God, yes!¡±


    He laughed. It was a pleasant laugh after all.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Well, I best get back to it. Night crowd is about to pick up here in the next hour or two, and much as I have no problem with you, might start scaring away customers if they see me chatting you up for too long. I mean no offence, but I got a business.¡±


    I tried to hide the crestfallen look that I knew must¡¯ve been screaming from my eyes. I failed miserably. Even my nephews and nieces seemed to hate me these days. That I could make a friend with some random man at the bar was practically ludicrous. I shouldn¡¯t have gotten my hopes up.


    ¡°But¡­¡± He said with a smile. Maybe he did just pity me, but he seemed genuine. ¡°I got no problem with you comin¡¯ in early like this. Chatting with me about Hotrush. Whatever. You can grab a beer any time. Something harder if you¡¯re feeling frisky.¡±


    His grin had a bit of a leer in it, but it wasn¡¯t creepy. I wasn¡¯t exactly beautiful anymore but at 47, with nothing but working out, studying, and an addiction to online games to occupy my time, I was more fit than average. I got the feeling that he might honestly be attracted to me.


    I¡¯d never considered a younger man before. Before I knew it I was appraising him in the same way. The burns weren¡¯t nearly as bad as I¡¯d thought and he did have a nice smile and kind eyes. Then again, he had insulted me more than once already. Perhaps he was just a kinder brand of cruel.


    I took the plunge and grinned at him anyway. Who was I kidding? An open invitation, even as limiting as it was, forcing me to come in early, was more than I¡¯d ever hoped for.


    ¡°G-gladly.¡± I replied. I must¡¯ve looked like a kicked puppy, the way his grin turned from appraisal to pity. ¡°No guarantees on being frisky, though.¡±


    He laughed again before he grabbed one of my beers and clinked it against the one in my hand before taking a gulp. ¡°Cheers,¡± He said before setting it back down, then sliding it over towards me.


    I eyed the bottle.


    Long experience with people openly spitting in whatever I ordered had accustomed me to that sort of thing but it normally came in a much more insulting and humiliating way than this. I didn¡¯t know what this was.


    ¡°I¡­ Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯ve got to kiss me to get your third beer,¡± he said with a wink.


    Oh. Ohh!


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    ¡°Heh, sorry. Friends tell me I¡¯m a little too forward sometimes. I¡¯ll get you another if you want.¡± He said with a wink. Then abruptly his tone, and topic, changed. ¡°My patrons are a little grungy but most of ¡¯em probably won¡¯t care about you too much as long as you don¡¯t stick around for the high times, which I figure you weren¡¯t planning on anyway.¡±


    Well. That is true I suppose.


    ¡°In¡­ in that case, it¡¯s been wonderful to meet you. I¡¯ll gladly come back.¡±


    I made a point of picking up the bottle he¡¯d drank from and took a drink. A tingle of dread crept up my spine as I did. Could he have slipped a pill inside it somehow? Could he drug me that way? He wouldn¡¯t be the first to try. People were vicious and vindictive.


    Why did I come out without a disguise again? It had seemed so important to me back in my apartment.


    The alcohol hit the spot marvelously and five minutes later I was still sipping on the same beer he¡¯d given me, even though he¡¯d walked away to start cleaning things at the far end of the bar. Nothing was happening. No drowsiness or weariness. No sluggish feeling; well, no more than expected with alcohol.


    I could never be called a large woman and my tolerance for even light beer was somewhere around that of a four year old. That fact had made it very cheap and easy to become an alcoholic after my Helios had failed. Then it became almost impossible to stay an alcoholic when people started throwing rocks at me.


    I was a genius. Simple fact. Equally factual, I was easily intimidated. I was afraid of people. I hated being embarrassed, humiliated and I couldn¡¯t even show my face without one or both happening. Being chased or beaten was rarer, but I was small and pitiful, and now, old¡­


    ¡­so my bones had only been broken twice.


    Gaming was the one business that had truly flourished in the wake of My-Fucking-Folly. People wanted to escape the world I¡¯d made. I was no exception, but I took shut-in to a new level. I¡¯d managed to go six months without once leaving my house for fear of being kidnapped, beaten, or worse. I¡¯d learned to wear wigs and had a collection of them. I¡¯d even forced myself to learn a few accents to keep anyone from recognizing me.


    But today, I¡¯d wanted to be me. Just once. Just to try one more time.


    A surly old man in the corner glared at me from his booth, and I got the feeling another man hidden behind the seat was whispering about me. Around a small pool table, the players were ignoring their game in favor of a lively conversation. Two young men and a moderately attractive woman were all glancing at me out the corners of their eyes.


    Some old song from the last century was playing, a song old even when I was young. It was soft and mellow which seemed a little unusual. I could tell this bar was the sort of place where half the people came to dance in a decent sized crowd as soon as it was late enough.


    But for me, there were glares. Only glares. It seemed it had only taken eight or nine years for the hatred to simmer down. At least a little. Enough that I could pretend to be a real person again. I almost beamed. Moving to this city really had been the best idea.


    Abruptly the television in the upper left corner changed from a football game to some sort of bulletin. ¡°Hello folks, I¡¯m Chester LeNight, channel fourteen, live from New York¡¯s own Telanex Incorporated, here with Doctor Chandra Scarlatte.¡±


    My meek appearance turned to ice. Scarlatte¡­ that asshole!


    I seethed, hackles rising almost before I could realize it. I quelled the Sunsoul that was filling me, aching to reach out and crack the television so I didn¡¯t have to watch.


    ¡°God, I¡¯d like to wring her fucking neck.¡± I hissed under my breath.


    ¡°Don¡¯t like her much, Doctor?¡±


    I jumped, startled, anger draining from me instantly as I realized Matt had made his way back over to me. Then, comprehending what he¡¯d called me, I winced. ¡°Please don¡¯t call me that.¡±


    He blinked, genuine concern on his face before realization seemed to cross his features. ¡°Oh. Yeah, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just, you¡¯ll always be Dr. Fontaine to me. To everyone really. What would you prefer?¡±


    ¡°Violette. Just Violette is fine with me,¡± I said softly. ¡°When they revoked my Doctorate¡­¡±


    I¡¯d been crushed. I still feel crushed every time I think of it.


    He seemed to catch my tone and changed the subject with a grin. He had a quick wit. ¡°Your first name is Violette? I mean, yeah. V. B. Fontaine, but I never thought the V was something so¡­ girly.¡±


    I surprised myself by laughing. ¡°I didn¡¯t pick my name, you know. My mother wanted me to be an opera singer. I have a marvelous voice.¡± I bragged, with a flirtatious tone, but then sobered. ¡°When I discovered Sunsoul it¡­ changed things.¡±


    Changed me. An eleven year old girl cutting through college courses like a knife through cake.


    I knew Sunsoul better than anyone. It came naturally to me, as it should to anyone who would use it. Scarlatte¡¯s towers amplified it. They projected it outwards in a way that turned it into a barrier against the natural Sunlight and Sunsoul that had begun burning the earth to a crisp ever since the Helios Array had¡­ broken it. But they did more than that. In its raw form, when manipulated by a person like Scarlatte or myself, Sunsoul was a miracle hiding in a sunbeam. It could power electronic devices, grant warping abilities, energy beams, shields, and even more esoteric abilities like DNA manipulation. I¡¯d given a certain type of tree the ability to absorb it once, and now that tree¡¯s species was one of the only green things left growing in Central America. And I¡¯d done that on a fucking whim.


    It touched people in a way that storied magic had only managed in the past, and once I had proven it was real, everyone wanted a piece. Facilities dedicated to testing the ability were built. Schools built telescope rooms and devoted whole class blocks to astronomy. People were entranced. It was the magic we had all dreamed about as children, come to life in the palm of my hand.


    The Helios Array made it horrifying after that. Then Scarlatte¡¯s towers offered a solution to the problem and brought all the magic back again. They took that magic, that sunbeam miracle, and refined it. Amazing as it was in its raw form, the towers made it into a true miracle, though they weren¡¯t solving the problem. I hated her for them, and hated that I hadn¡¯t come up with them in equal measure. Maybe I could¡¯ve been forgiven, if they had been mine. Maybe I could¡¯ve been a person again. Maybe, with her influence I could¡¯ve stopped the coming dark instead of building a playground for the rich and the lucky to watch the rest of the world burn under.


    Stupid old woman.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know a lick about Sunsoul. I¡¯m more interested in your Opera skills. Care to prove em?¡± Matt piped up, distracting me from my brooding. ¡°I got a mic, you know. We have karaoke nights too. Usually it¡¯s the college kids who go for that sort of thing but I won¡¯t complain.¡±


    I stiffened. ¡°Um¡­ they. They would probably start throwing things at me no matter how good I was.¡±


    The group at the pool table seemed to be including Matt in their glares now.


    ¡°¡­at you, too. Shit. I¡¯m scaring your customers away, already,¡± I said, downheartedly.


    ¡°Eh, these folks aren¡¯t going anywhere else. There¡¯s no good bar between here and South Arbor, and they ain¡¯t walkin¡¯ that far. Like I said, hour or two I might have to hold my distance but you are welcome ta¡¯ come here.¡±


    He was apparently feeling more comfortable as his pleasant tenor voice had slipped into a more slang version of itself. Despite the occasional trouble understanding a word or two, I found myself liking it. Liking him.


    ¡°Thank you. Really. It means more than you could know, to find someone who doesn¡¯t blame me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯d have built the Array if you¡¯d known all that would come of it,¡± he replied. ¡°Yeah. You deserved a slap on the wrist like all hell, but ten years of one when you were already beating yourself up over it?¡±


    I flushed. He had to bring that up.


    That damn night.


    Fifteen years ago¡­ five years before anyone else figured it out, I knew that this heat would come. I¡¯d predicted the tear in the blue sky where only white sunlight shone through, the ozone ripping. The night I¡¯d realized that not only had the Array been lost, but that it had doomed us all, I had gotten drunk.


    Very. Publically.


    That was the start of what had led me to becoming a middle aged woman starved for attention, addicted to alcohol, and hated by nearly everyone. By that point I¡¯d become somewhat of a celebrity, youngest ever inventor of a new type of spacecraft and all, not to mention my discovery of Sunsoul and ways I could use it.


    If only I hadn¡¯t had that god-forsaken flu. Then I would¡¯ve been on the Array, dead with the rest of them. Better dead, and knowing what went wrong than this, the living destroyer of the world. Put like that, it was a wonder I wasn¡¯t in jail.


    ¡°Do you have to say it like that? I made an idiot of myself, I know already.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t talking about the Drinking vid, Violette. Anyone could tell you wished like hell you were on that ship. You have more sympathizers than you¡¯d suspect, but by that point you¡¯d become a hermit. I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d moved here.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ was a more recent thing,¡± I replied. ¡°New York was getting dangerous for me. They ¨C the government, that is ¨C relocated me here. Safer near the border, and I wanted to see Tellroan.¡±


    He seemed to catch the heat in my eyes and met mine with his own. God did he have pleasant eyes, dark as the sky at night.


    ¡°But you hate Scarlatte? Hey, you were her prot¨¦g¨¦ right? Are you going to be there when they activate it?¡±


    ¡°It was the other way around. She was my student. No one believes it, though, because she¡¯s older than dirt. I taught that old hag everything she knows, and when the Array failed, she threw me to the dogs then used my corpse to gather all the support she needed. She blamed me for everything that went wrong, insisting on her god-damned towers, and amazing as they are, they won¡¯t save us. She¡¯s a greedy fool.¡±


    A fool was the least of what she was. The Towers. I¡¯d seen her mad blue-prints. Yes. They did such amazing things. They would absorb Sunsoul in the same way the Array had, and then distribute it, sheltering any beneath their light.


    But their real purpose¡­? And the cost to the unlucky Seer? I shuddered, in equal parts fear and disgust.


    A stop-gap, a patchwork solution when they should be mounting a mission to the Array! I could fix this! I could stop it! I know I could!


    But no. No one trusted me anymore. The best I could do was watch as the world baked, and prepare for the endless night to come¡­


    I stared at the tower and Scarlatte without hearing her words, filled with loathing. I was so transfixed I didn¡¯t notice when Matt quietly excused himself.


    <hr>

 Chapter Six - The Streak of White

    <h2>Chapter Six: The Streak of White</h2>


    <hr>


    I stood silently behind the counter. Chicken was frying in the vat in the back, and a timer sitting on my counter would alert me when it was done. I probably needed to brew some more coffee, but we had two of them for a reason and I didn¡¯t really feel like it at the moment.


    My legs were killing me, as was normal on one of these late nights. The hours were shitty but damn if it wasn¡¯t nice having so much more money than Monroe and April. I was by no means rich, but for high school? Rich enough to be the one everyone stole fries from at lunch.


    I¡¯d become a little bit privileged. Even I wasn¡¯t dumb enough to deny that. My mom made bank for her knowledge, and her ability to see Sunsoul was apparently one of the best in the South. Grandma¡¯s bills had started straining that recently, and my own surgery after the burns had been expensive, but not enough to truly impact us.


    Dad, while making significantly less than Mom, still made enough to give me an allowance that trumped most kids. Well. He had. Until they demanded I get a job. Blah blah, character building, blah blah. Which I supposed I was glad for. Still, didn¡¯t the noonday crap prove my character at this point? Even if it was my fault Clara got hurt, I still dove into the sun to try to save her. That counted for something, didn¡¯t it?


    Should at least get me out of standing here for hours a night.


    ¡°Fuck, my legs are killing me,¡± I groaned, voicing my pain and leaning heavily on the red countertop that held the lottery dispenser, the cash register, and the warmer.


    Five hours every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday night as well as a good portion of my Saturdays were spent cooped up in this awful corner of one of the local truck stops, working for pennies.


    It wasn¡¯t tiring work, like fast food or god-forbid construction. It was tedious. Boring, and oddly painful. People in professions that showed physical results never really seemed to understand just how difficult standing in one place for hours could be, leaving me always feeling just a little inadequate next to guys like Damien who actually did construction, sun risks and all.


    Despite all that, speculation about my upcoming date with April, along with that strange woman¡¯s promise that Clara would be alright, was giving my mind an unusual break from the tedium. For once, I actually enjoyed the slow paced job and the seemingly endless hours it gave me to think and daydream.


    If only my legs weren¡¯t killing me. I cursed, realizing I¡¯d subconsciously locked my knees again, and did a few squats to get the feeling back. As anyone who¡¯s ever worked a job where standing for long hours was the main order of business knows, it barely helped at all.


    The register started beeping suddenly and I craned my neck over to look at it.


    Pump 7?


    Glancing outside I saw that a Semi had pulled up, somehow entirely without my knowledge. I cursed, irritated. It was understandable that I hadn¡¯t heard it, but its gaudy green siding meant I should¡¯ve spotted the thing. They ran more quietly than my own car. Solar panels were expensive but leaps in technology made them a viable alternative to gasoline for people planning to brave the sunlight in one. Most of them used both and now had two engines. A day engine, powered by the solar paneling, and a regular gasoline one as a backup and for those who didn¡¯t mind driving at night cross country with the roads going to shit.


    I hastily clicked a button or two on the register, turning on the fuel for the pump.


    The Raceway Truckstop was on the southwest corner of the West Steppe. It was about as far from the school as it could be and still be part of the Hub. Once it had been separate entirely. Now it was just one of the many wings that branched out as construction workers continued expanding the ever-growing labyrinth of the Hub. The interior was nice, grout-tiled flooring with walls as clean as I could keep them. The showers were perpetually in need of cleaning, and the usual assortment of truck stop snacks and goodies lined the racks, sporting absolutely nothing healthy.


    It was rundown, shoddy, and a little bit dangerous since it was close to the highway where so many Californians and Caroliners passed through. I didn¡¯t care for either type based on reputation alone, but any of them beat the Northerners.


    Northerners were sort of lumped into the same category as celebrities. Most people usually professed to hate the vast majority of them, while harboring secret dreams of being one someday. I wanted to be one simply to get away from constantly fearing being caught out in open sunlight at noon.


    Or¡­ watching anyone else stuck there.


    The alarm for the food whined from the counter and I sighed. Hours of nothing and then suddenly I had to juggle watching the trucker and putting the food out in the warmers. Oh well. The guy had a large truck and he¡¯d probably take a while to fill it.


    I left the small room behind the counter and the rows of various snack foods and headed into the equally small kitchen where the fryer was just pulling a metal net of sizzling chicken out of the dripping oil. It smelled freaking delicious.


    Oh yeah. Definitely having a piece of chicken tonight.


    I grabbed the rack by the handle and gave it a few small shakes to get as much of the hot oil off of it as possible before I poured the chicken legs and wings out into a tray that I¡¯d already set up. When I¡¯d first started doing this I¡¯d burned myself way too many times to count but I was a bit better at it now, and managed to pour the pieces out to where they lay evenly. I couldn¡¯t wait to tear into one, but duty first.


    I rinsed the metal net with some water before opening a bag of fries. I poured them into the rack and dropped them back into the oil to a glorious sizzling echo that filled the room. I started the timer again, set up a rack that would hold the fries, and grabbed the tray of chicken.


    Stepping out of the backroom I was immediately annoyed by the man standing in front of the counter, staring at me expectantly like I was somehow imposing on him. I walked behind it and slid open the back door to the warmer, blinking in further annoyance at the lack of heat. I could¡¯ve sworn I¡¯d turned it on, but I must¡¯ve forgotten.


    The man standing at the counter watched me like a hawk as I laid the metal tray of chicken down in the warmer. The man had a tan, which was odd in and of itself. Probably in his forties. His hair, what little of it I could see was stringy and thin. Black with hints of grey, the mess spilled down out of an Atlanta Falcons baseball cap that had definitely seen better years. Even so, the hat still fared better than the city it represented.


    A few burn marks dotted his bared arms, signifying a few bouts with sunlight, or more mundane fires. He had a long mustache that expanded into two thick whiskers which framed his lips, but he¡¯d shaved his chin clean. His hands were dirty with either paint from the driver¡¯s wheel or soot of some sort, and he had a scent of cigarettes about him. The smell was deep, the type that would linger in the store long after he was gone. A gun, a large black pistol, was holstered on his right leg that I couldn¡¯t help but notice.


    ¡°Sir?¡± I asked, trying to remain pleasant. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t expect you in so quickly.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± He grunted, his tone deep and accented, handing over a card. ¡°Just toppin¡¯ ¡®er off.¡±


    I took the card and glanced at the register. He hadn¡¯t come close to filling a whole tank. I rang him up, pushing the card up to the reader where it beeped. He pressed his finger to the ID checker and it beeped as well.


    ¡°Where you headed, sir? The Carolinas?¡±


    ¡°Well your break room back there seems nice enough for the moment.¡± He joked, avoiding my real question. ¡°And that chicken looks good. Gimme¡¯ two legs.¡±


    He replaced the company card in his wallet and pulled out another personal card to pay for his food.


    The Raceway was a rest area for truckers heading through, but only a small one. There were four more here in the Hub, all of them bigger and more accommodating than the Raceway, but this place stayed afloat due to the sheer volume of trucks coming through. Those who couldn¡¯t find parking at the four other stops usually found their way here. We didn¡¯t have the indoor lots like they did though. Sure the trucks could stand the heat but it made walking into the station impossible during the day.


    West Steppe wasn¡¯t the largest Hub out there, but once Tellroan went online, that would certainly change. The first southern tower. I couldn¡¯t wait either. Everyone was anticipating a population flux in the order of millions.


    It had happened in New York, since Telanex had been built a pretty long way inland from the city. The hurricanes on that coast were so bad that the city¡¯s center had actually moved to resolve itself on the tower over the course of a year. Milwaukee had taken most of Chicago¡¯s population when they finally finished theirs. Seattle¡¯s had been built near enough the city that no one needed to relocate, but people from the surrounding states did.


    Everyone wanted to live under a tower. The trend was obvious. Anyone with the money to buy was buying land here, and anyone with the equipment to build was building houses. Rumors were that some northerners had even decided to move to West Steppe.


    Construction was booming already. Newly constructed ghost towns, a few miles out near some of the closest obelisks were waiting for movers as soon as the Tower went active. There were even Hubs being built overnight, empty now, but ready for franchises to open, knowing profit would come. The world would suddenly spread from only where I could get in a car safely overnight, to anywhere within a hundred miles. What would it be like¡­ to stand in the sunlight and be unaffected?


    I had the uncomfortable realization that I already knew. I shuddered, trying to push down the memory of Clara¡¯s skin burning while I remained fine.


    ¡°Yeah, Carolina,¡± The man answered. ¡°I figure I¡¯ll head that way in a week or two. For now, I ain¡¯ never seen a Tower light up before. I wanna see that. This one here¡¯s even bigger¡¯n the one up in New York.¡±


    ¡°Twice as big!¡± I bragged, before I registered what he¡¯d said. My eyes widened as he set his coke down on the counter and I almost dropped the chicken leg I was getting for him.


    ¡°W-Wait what? You¡¯ve¡­ you¡¯ve actually seen Telanex!?¡± I breathed excitedly.


    ¡°Sure have!¡± He bragged. ¡°Just came from New York. How else ya think I get this tan?¡±


    I had wondered about that. Tans were machine-only these days. Real ones were actually a pretty heavy sign of major money most of the time. Since people couldn¡¯t use the sun to do it anymore the price of tanning salons jacked through the roof during my childhood. The cheaper option was smearing on tan lotions or spray on tans. April and I both thought that looked a little tacky. This man though, he had the appearance of having sat in the sun. The real thing.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°I guess I just thought it was natural,¡± I replied, trying to save face. ¡°I see all sorts here. Not many who have been allowed up north though.¡±


    ¡°Aw we drivers can go anywhere for the right price. Risky though, drivin¡¯ through the warzones and all. Virginia sure as hell ain¡¯t the place to be. Plenty a folks willing to just break open a truck and take whatever¡¯s inside on the borders. Most down here aren¡¯t willing to take the risk. Paperwork¡¯s a bitch too. Gotta make sure you go straight to your location. No detours, no tourism, blah blah. Fuckin¡¯ strict up there. I like you southlanders a lot more.¡±


    I cocked an eyebrow.


    You southlanders?


    ¡°You¡¯re a northerner?¡±


    For some reason I thought he¡¯d be more¡­ menacing somehow. Not to mention his accent was about as deep south as they came.


    ¡°Kinda? I spent a lot of time on both sides. Born in Wisconsin. But I¡¯s raised in Georgia.¡± He trailed off, his eyes going glassy. ¡°Damn shame that¡­ Losing Georgia I mean. Damn shame.¡±


    I sighed along with him. I might¡¯ve hardly ever left West Steppe but I understood at least a little of the nostalgia he seemed to feel. It was shared by a lot of the truckers I met working here.


    ¡°What do you miss most?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sweet, fuckin, tea. Even here right on the Scorched Lands doorstep it¡¯s just not the same.¡±


    I groaned. Everyone missed the South¡¯s sweet tea, and apparently the sweet tea we could make now, loaded down with a fifty fifty sugar to liquid ratio, still wasn¡¯t the same. I¡¯d been to Louisiana once when I was a kid, before everything had gotten too hot. New Orleans. I¡¯d tried the sweet tea, and I remembered it was nothing to write home about.


    The old man grinned at me. ¡°Heard that one before eh?¡±


    ¡°More often that you can imagine,¡± I said with a long-suffering tone.


    He laughed warmly and his modest gut jiggled under his faded red shirt. ¡°Eh, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll hear it again. Ey, you got showers here?¡±


    ¡°Yep, fifty six bucks,¡± I retorted good naturedly. ¡°They¡¯re not the best in town but they¡¯re the cheapest.¡±


    ¡°Aghh figures. Not too bad, actually.¡± He commented with a grimace. ¡°Paid almost ninety for one in St. Louis last night, and it ¡°wasn¡¯t the best¡± either.¡±


    I was about to reply when a loud snarling sound echoed from outside the building. A low, menacing growl like something that would come from an enraged dog or a¡­


    I chanced a glanced out the window, not seeing anything unusual until¡­ there.


    The gas station¡¯s overhang was well lit at night but off to the left out the window I could see into the darkened prairie land beyond. In that darkness I saw something move. Something enormous.


    ¡°The hell?¡± I murmured, walking to the right side of the window to get a better view. Whatever I had seen was gone before I could get a good glimpse of it, running around the other side of the building.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± I asked the man at the counter. Turning back to him, I saw his own expression was as curious and perplexed as mine.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I did,¡± he said. Something in his tone made me feel tense.


    I headed around the counter and to the door, and stepped outside. I¡¯d expected the usual sweltering heat of early evening but it was actually quite cool. I hardly noticed though. Something felt strange. Off.


    Another truck was pulling up beside the man I¡¯d been talking to but it was far enough away that I could still hear.


    Hear¡­ nothing.


    I didn¡¯t know why but my blood suddenly ran cold. No crickets. The little night sounds that were so common normally were just¡­ gone. Staring out across the parking lot at the open field where I¡¯d seen the dark shape moving in the night, I slowly backed up towards the door.


    Something felt wrong out there.


    I walked back inside only to find the trucker standing right by the door, his gun in his hand.


    ¡°You alright?¡± He asked, concern seeping through his features. He didn¡¯t look at me though, instead keeping his eyes focused out the window.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I murmured, feeling chilled. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Any idea what that might¡¯ve been?¡±


    He sighed and holstered his gun, as nothing appeared to happen. Maybe it was something in the plumbing?


    What sort of growl could you hear through a wall and across a parking lot anyway?


    ¡°No¡­ It sounded like a wolf or somethin¡¯, but I¡¯d thought those all died off after Fontaine¡¯s Folly. Most things did. Cept the bugs.¡±


    I grinned, no longer feeling quite as shaky. Why had I gone outside anyway?


    ¡°World could freeze over or burn and the bugs would still make it,¡± I declared.


    ¡°Eh so would we, though,¡± he replied. ¡°What¡¯s your name, kid?¡±


    I would¡¯ve been miffed by that if the man hadn¡¯t looked old enough to be a grandfather. He didn¡¯t seem like a bad guy, and he certainly seemed like he could take a joke.


    ¡°Brandon. Yours, old fart?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Bruce Engel.¡± He replied and proffered a meaty hand. ¡°Nice to meet ya.¡±


    I shook it, feeling the worry ease.


    Bruce went back to the lounge to eat his chicken and I remained on vigil at the front counter, clicking the register as it blared telling me another customer wanted gasoline.


    It took a while for me to stop watching the fields out of the corner of my eye, but nothing happened.


    I got the fries in the warmer, and also wrote up a ticket for the manager to look into why it wasn¡¯t actually heating up. I tested the metal and it was as cold as¡­ well as cold as air-conditioned metal could get, though the light was on, and the customers seemed content to keep buying the food.


    Ten o¡¯clock seemed to come agonizingly slowly. It hurt that there were so few customers that night. As the anxiety began to fade, I slipped back into my usual boredom. Bruce stopped by the counter and asked for the key to one of the showers stalls about an hour later and I handed it over to him. Since it was likely I¡¯d be leaving before he got out, I wished him luck wherever he was going.


    He grinned and waved. ¡°You too, Brandon.¡±


    At ten minutes after my shift was supposed to be over, Danielle, a beautiful girl who I¡¯d become acquainted but not friends with finally arrived. As usual she stepped out of the passenger¡¯s seat of some loser¡¯s car outside. She rushed around the hood of the car but obviously didn¡¯t feel in too much of a hurry as she took the time to stop at the driver¡¯s window and lay a kiss on whoever was inside.


    The tinted windows hid him from view, but I already didn¡¯t like him. One of those people who spent their whole life tricking out their cars in order to make them loud for no reason I could understand. I heard the girl give a muffled ¡°Bye babe¡± and turn to rush to the door, while the driver burnt rubber, peeling out of the parking lot so loudly that I could no longer here the truckstop¡¯s intercom radio.


    I rolled my eyes. The car was vintage and looked like it actually had a sunroof. The idiot probably played Hotrush, or at least pretended he did.


    Danielle was an annoyingly beautiful Latina college girl that I probably would¡¯ve asked out if it hadn¡¯t been for Haley, or if I hadn¡¯t ever met her. She¡¯d been a year above me but I¡¯d only gotten to know her since I started working this job. Our shifts overlapped on Saturdays pretty often so we¡¯d spent some time together and¡­ she wasn¡¯t my type.


    She strolled in with a pissed off look, her hair slightly askew as if she¡¯d been running to get here.


    ¡°Hey,¡± was all she said, before walking past the counter to the back room where the timecard punch was.


    I glared at her lightly, waiting as patiently as I could while watching the clock. I couldn¡¯t clock out until someone was out here at the counter, which meant I had to wait for her to clock in.


    Oh well. Extra fifteen minutes was a few extra bucks for me. I¡¯d survive. At least, that was what I told myself while I stewed in anger. I hoped the manager would fire her soon, though I knew she wouldn¡¯t. Prolonging these already late nights was killing me.


    It felt like an eternity later when she finally came back out, headphones in her ears and not even a word of apology for me.


    I sighed, glad that I¡¯d already run my register out, and in my boredom, set hers up for her while I¡¯d waited. ¡°There¡¯s a guy in shower one, and I think the warmer¡¯s broken.¡±


    She blinked and then looked at me, tugging an earbud out. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said there¡¯s a guy in shower one; he already paid. Also, the warmer¡¯s broken.¡± I told her putting my hand on the metal and pointing at the red light on the side. ¡°Cold as ice.¡±


    ¡°Cool,¡± She said taking my spot behind the register and plugging her earbud back in.


    I sighed. Apparently she didn¡¯t give a damn that she¡¯d now made me wait twenty minutes. Oh well. What was I going to do, yell at her? I wasn¡¯t the one who paid her, after all.


    Walking to the door, I was surprised when the girl suddenly stopped me.


    ¡°Hey, Brandon, nice hair.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Huh?¡±


    She pointed to my head with a grin that seemed a little condescending. ¡°You trying to make a statement or something?¡±


    I raised a questioning eyebrow at her and then just shrugged. I hadn¡¯t looked at my hair since this morning, and certainly hadn¡¯t done anything unusual with it.


    ¡°Not that I know of,¡± I told her.


    I strode out into the night and was surprised by how chilly it felt. The thermometer read ninety six degrees though and I supposed that was a little cooler than usual. As I reached my car, I realized that I still couldn¡¯t hear the sounds of crickets chirping. The night was dead quiet.


    I got into my car and drove away fast enough that my own tires peeled out a little, silently hoping that it was all my imagination. Ten minutes later when I made it home, I finally pulled down the visor and looked at my hair in the window. To my surprise, a streak of white hair was visible hanging down the front. All of the rest of it looked perfectly normal, except a few perfectly white strands that looked purposefully dyed.


    Did someone play a prank on me?


    I shrugged it off. It was noticeable, but this whole night had been weird.


    Something kept tugging at my memory about white hair.  Even so, I was tired and I just wanted to sleep. I¡¯d deal with this strangeness tomorrow. It was nearly eleven and school the next day was already going to suck. I drove home, irritable and groggy, and stumbled my way into bed without bothering to do more than tug my pants off.


    I awoke six hours later to a frantic tugging on my arm.


    ¡°Brandon. Brandon wake up!¡± Someone said, panicked.


    ¡°Wha¡­?¡± I murmured, drowsily as life crept back into my eyes. Gale was there, but there was a worried frown on her face. ¡°Gale? What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°The Raceway. That¡¯s the Truckstop you work at right?¡± she hissed, whispering for some reason.


    ¡°Yeah¡­? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°You should get up. You need to see this.¡±


    She dashed out of the room before I could question her further, but the worried look in her eyes made me rush. I threw on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and dashed out to follow her into the living room.


    To my surprise, my Mom was there, along with Dad and Gale. How early was it? All of them were staring at the dining table¡¯s hologram.


    ¡°Mom?¡± I asked plainly. ¡°What¡¯s going¡­?¡±


    I cut off as I saw the image displayed. The front of the Raceway. Only something was wrong with it. There was a massive tear in the door. It had been ripped and shredded off its hinges, but that wasn¡¯t what caught my attention. What did was what looked like a massive dead wolf lying just inside the place where I worked, surrounded by a pool of blood, slowly oozing from the corpse.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± I breathed, as I read the marquis along the bottom of the screen.


    ¡°MONSTERS CONFIRMED. SUNSOUL TO BLAME?¡±

 Chapter Seven - The Dead Plants

    <h2>Chapter Seven: The Dead Plants</h2>


    <hr>


    The Raceway itself was alright. The door had been busted off its hinges and the building would probably sustain a little heat damage over the day until a replacement could be fitted. None of the patrons had been harmed by the enormous creature that had burst into the front door.


    None of the patrons.


    ¡°The cashier in charge of the Raceway was grievously wounded, and of course, not available for comment. If not for the lucky intervention of one of the gas station¡¯s patrons, a hero by the name of Bruce Engel, she may have lost more than just her arm.¡±


    Danielle¡­ I didn¡¯t like the girl but hell, I didn¡¯t think she deserved something like this. Guilt locked my throat, but it wasn¡¯t as bad as Clara. What? I should¡¯ve warned her that I¡¯d heard a strange growling from outside? It sounded like it was only luck that I hadn¡¯t been the one attacked.


    How did that wolf get so fucking huge?


    The only explanation was the monsters people had been talking about for so long. Scares were nothing new. Stories about how someone saw a turtle the size of a smart-car, or a twisted abomination of two normal animals. Sometimes they were even smaller versions of regular animals. There was no rhyme or reason to the stories and they¡¯d always been limited to the Scorched Lands. But until now, they¡¯d always been just that. Stories, from people brave enough to venture south.


    There weren¡¯t many of those these days.


    My mom stood beside me, watching the newscaster as he sensationalized an event that probably didn¡¯t need a bit of it. Uncharacteristically, she seemed nervous. Borderline worried.


    Blanche Meadows was a tall woman, standing above both me and Dad. She¡¯d always been the stern one among my parents. Whenever we asked for something we probably wouldn¡¯t get we asked Dad. Mom was the no nonsense type, and it showed in every facet of her personality. She had shoulder length black hair that lay straight as an arrow, a sharp nose, and the whitest teeth of any person I¡¯d ever met. I suspected that was a symptom of her germophobia, which had always struck me as irrational.


    I couldn¡¯t recall a time I¡¯d seen her looking so nervous. Even when she¡¯d found out I¡¯d almost died, she hadn¡¯t seemed quite so frazzled.


    ¡°Did you know the girl who was attacked, Bran?¡± She asked, concerned.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said slowly. ¡°I didn¡¯t like her much but¡­ shit. Before my shift ended I thought I heard something. I met that trucker. It must¡¯ve happened just after I left.¡±


    ¡°Mmm,¡± Mom said, lost in thought.


    ¡°Why¡­ who was watching the television at this time?¡± I asked. No one understood the question, so I rephrased. ¡°I mean, how did we find out about this? Did you just happen to be watching the news at five in the morning?¡±


    I turned to Gale first, thinking her more likely than Mom, since mom barely watched TV anyway. My sister just gave a noncommittal shrug and we looked back to our mother.


    ¡°Work called me,¡± she replied. ¡°My boss was concerned that the news¡¯ claims might have merit; that Tellroan is drawing creatures to the Hub. They wanted to make sure they had ready proof that the claim was ridiculous.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°But¡­ the Tower is about to go active any day now. Is it ridiculous?¡±


    Mom didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Uncertain. But I¡¯m sure I will know by the end of the day. I¡¯m a little embarrassed; I didn¡¯t even realize the attack¡¯s location was your job until ten minutes ago, Brandon.¡±


    Before Clara, I probably would¡¯ve made a joke about not working that evening. Too soon. Too much weight. First Clara, and now Danielle? The hell was going on¡­?


    ¡°Dammit. I should¡¯ve¨C!¡±


    ¡°Ugghh! Not your fault, Bran. This is no different from your suicidal idiot of a classmate,¡± Gale interrupted, surprising the both of us. I blinked at her.


    ¡°What?¡± She asked, annoyed. ¡°You were about to go all martyr again. It gets old. Last thing I need is for you to start feeling guilty about this, too. Apparently Haley was a bii¨Cer butthead, but she didn¡¯t make Clara walk out there. Same thing. You didn¡¯t know something would come in and attack her! So stop feeling sorry for yourself!¡±


    She turned back to the dining table, in a way that signified that I wasn¡¯t even allowed to make an argument to the contrary, let alone that she was wrong. This also allowed her to conveniently ignore Mom¡¯s glare at the curse word she¡¯d almost let slip.


    I managed a small smile.


    ¡°Thanks, Gale,¡± I murmured, under my breath.


    The scene on the dining table¡¯s projection would¡¯ve been comical if it weren¡¯t so deadly serious. A line of baffled policemen stood behind the yellow tape, frantically trying to figure out the best way to remove the corpse of a wolf the size of a small car. They had a few hours yet before the sun rose, but I was almost certain they would have to resort to a tow truck.


    The vindictive part of me, that little devil inside that made people grin at the misfortune of others, kept me from feeling very bad. The plain and simple truth of it was that I didn¡¯t like her. I¡¯d been annoyed with her, filled with that sharp anger that comes from everyday inconveniences, rather than true enmity. I felt bad, but I truly couldn¡¯t have done anything to help her. It was only luck that I hadn¡¯t been the one attacked.


    My spirits were high as I drove to school, for once happy Gale had decided to take the bus instead of riding with me. I was going to be a little too early for her tastes today. I lucked out and got a decent parking spot. I also refused to acknowledge that my early arrival had anything to do with that. It was definitely just luck.


    The school looked the same as always. Pristine hallways and gleaming lockers lining them. Since it was pretty much the only school for probably fifty miles in any direction, tax dollars were spent often to keep it that way. I only remembered a few years before Fontaine¡¯s Folly. The school I¡¯d gone to then hadn¡¯t been nearly as nice as this one. It certainly didn¡¯t have moving walkways, though it also hadn¡¯t had so many people.


    A nagging worry lingered in my gut about that huge monster. Worries about how it survived the Sun, and why it had chosen to attack now. Despite all my uncomfortable thoughts, I was feeling pretty good. Friday. Everything always felt better before a weekend.


    I walked into the school, and my good mood evaporated.


    Standing in the hallway stood the girl I¡¯d pined after for months. She sported shining blonde hair and a beautiful shade of light brown eyes. She was shorter than me by about five inches. Athletic, trim, and utterly gorgeous. She wore a sleeveless shirt that looked undeniably stunning. It was the type of thing anyone who¡¯d lived before the Folly would¡¯ve called indecent. Heat had made lighter clothing universal though. Her skirt was more modest, and honestly wasn¡¯t much different than what any other girl here was wearing. She made it look better somehow. If looks were all that mattered, no one could compare.


    Haley was beautiful. The ideal I¡¯d always had in my head. It was too bad her looks didn¡¯t reflect her personality.


    ¡°Brandon,¡± came her silken sweet voice, laced with honey lies. ¡°What are you doing for the activa¨C!¡±


    Haley blinked in mild shock as I walked right past her. The twinge of regret tugged at me, and I felt just a little foolish. Maybe it was shallow but the only thoughts running through my head in favor of forgiving the girl were how much of a bombshell she was.


    Until she spoke again, anyway.


    ¡°Bran! Please talk to me?¡± she begged loudly, drawing the attention of the crowded hallway. A few eyes turned, and I couldn¡¯t bring myself to keep walking. The sheer brokenhearted desperation in her voice practically forced me to turn around.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to talk about, Haley?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry okay? I didn¡¯t know¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to hurt her that much. It was just some jokes!¡± she simpered.


    Her expression made me feel like a scab. ¡°Would you be? If I weren¡¯t pissed as all hell at you, or if Clara hadn¡¯t gotten hurt, would you still be sorry? I don¡¯t care what she did, or how fucked up she looks. That shit was gross. I felt bad for having wanted to date you. Laughing at her like that? What did she ever do, huh!?¡±


    Curse your puppy dog eyes.


    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ context dammit! It wasn¡¯t supposed to go that far,¡± She said, a hike in her voice causing her to hesitate.


    ¡°Yeah. I wasn¡¯t supposed to see it right? What sort of context could possibly justify¨C!¡±


    ¡°She got my Dad fired, Bran.¡± Haley hissed, unexpected tears coming to her eyes. ¡°That stuck up bitch got my dad fired. I probably won¡¯t be able to go to Uni because of her!¡±


    That brought me up short. ¡°Wha-I¡­?¡±


    Clara did what?


    Haley spoke before I could gather my thoughts.


    ¡°I overreacted. I was an ass, I admit it, turning the other girls against her like that. Still, I couldn¡¯t have known she¡¯d go and try to commit suicide! And then you heard¨C!¡± She cut herself off, her fist clenched and shaking as if the words wouldn¡¯t come. ¡°God dammit Bran, it¡¯s all so fucked up. You were the one good thing in all this and then you stopped talking to me and I just¡­!¡±


    I blinked, suspended in a hesitant stupor as I watched the girl break down in front of me. I¡¯d never even thought about it. Of course, she had a reason! People weren¡¯t just malicious assholes like Haley had been without some provocation! But, like a complete idiot, I¡¯d just dropped Haley. All my thoughts bent around Clara and how depressed she must¡¯ve been in order to do something like walk outside at noon. I¡¯d never even once considered why Haley would attack Clara like that.


    Still¡­


    I hesitated. I still thought I¡¯d done the right thing. I¡¯d always hated seeing people made fun of. Belittled. Put down. That sort of thing disgusted me, no matter who it was. Watching the girl I¡¯d pined after for years doing exactly that behind my back, to a loner girl like Clara? It had cemented Haley¡¯s place in my mind. A snob, a spoiled princess who hid behind her pretty face.


    ¡°P-please, Brandon? Give me another chance? I¡¯m not¡­ I¡¯m not that girl you saw, okay?¡± she pleaded.


    I wasn¡¯t a saint. I¡¯d always been a bit of a geek, if a well-liked one. One foot in every crowd, and barely a full part of any. I got along with the football players. I joked with the band kids and the JROTC military die-hards, but April and Monroe were my only truly close friends. I had been lucky to even catch Haley¡¯s attention, and my persistent flirting had actually been about ninety percent me making a fool of myself. I¡¯d never really thought she¡¯d even be interested in me, even after five months dancing around the topic. Now she was crying, making a scene in the middle of the hallway that gossip hungry students would feast upon. I couldn¡¯t turn her down.


    I stepped up to the girl, feeling my resolve waver. She was so damn beautiful. I put a hand on her quivering shoulder and pulled her into a hug. She accepted it. Goosebumps crawled up my skin as her arms slipped around my back. She held me tight.


    ¡°I¡­ Haley, look. I¡­¡±


    ¡°No. No, you don¡¯t have to. I mean, you don¡¯t have to apologize. I know why you started avoiding me. Brenda told me what you thought. Dammit, you¡¯re probably right, too. I didn¡¯t think either. Didn¡¯t think it would hurt her that much.¡±


    We pulled apart a little. My hands were still loosely wrapped around her, and one of hers slid up over my shoulder unconsciously. I shook my head.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to apologize,¡± I grimaced, trying to force myself to do this. ¡°Just because¡­ just because you had a good reason to be angry doesn¡¯t justify bullying like that. I¡¯ll give you another chance if you come with me to see her. Tonight.¡±


    The girl winced. ¡°I¡­ I can do that. She¡¯s still in the hospital?¡±


    I nodded, then let out a tired sigh. I¡¯d thought Clara had peeled out of the school because she¡¯d been depressed but the more I thought about it, the surer I was that Haley¡¯s words hadn¡¯t been the cause. She hadn¡¯t been committing suicide.


    Could it be that the sunlight doesn¡¯t normally affect her? If she protected me somehow¡­


    ¡°I can¡¯t get her burning face out of my head, Haley. It¡¯s stuck there like a bad song. I¡¯m trying really hard not to blame you,¡± I said.


    One hand clutched her heart, while the other reached out to my cheek as if to sooth me. Rather than address what I¡¯d told her she changed the subject. ¡°I¡¯ll make this right. I keep feeling so goddamn guilty. She got burned, you got hurt and I never knew what to say or how to apologize. But I¡­ Brandon. Would you be my boyfriend? I should¡¯ve said yes weeks ago.¡±


    I blinked. My mouth hung open a little, and I shut it with an audible click.


    We¡¯d been on several ¡®dates¡¯ already. I remembered the double date we¡¯d gone on with Gavin and George. There¡¯d been another at a skating rink, and a third at the movies and dinner. We¡¯d had a great time at all three. Since we¡¯d began these casual dates, I¡¯d asked her to be my girlfriend, what, seven times? She¡¯d said no every time, but always playfully. Like a cat tentatively poking a toy, unsure whether she wanted to nuzzle it or sharpen her claws on it.


    To just have it thrown back at me like that? The request felt like she was trading her happiness for my forgiveness. It felt sour. Luckily, she saw my internal struggle and seemed to interpret it before I needed to say anything.


    ¡°No. No, of course you don¡¯t. Shit! I fucked it all up again. Dammit. Dammit, I¡¯ll go. I shouldn¡¯t have done this here in front of everybody. Pressuring you like this. I missed you and¨C!¡±


    ¡°The Activation party,¡± I interrupted. I managed to plaster a wry grin on my face. ¡°Is it still on?¡±


    She stopped, taking a moment to catch up with my slightly random question.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°The¡­ oh. Yeah, as long as Tellroan doesn¡¯t postpone the activation itself, the party is still on.¡± A sparkle came to her eyes as she caught on to my idea. ¡°Will you come!?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°I think I could. Shit, it¡¯s tomorrow already isn¡¯t it?¡±


    She smiled back, and I noticed the people subtly pretending they weren¡¯t listening to us. A few girls, Sabrina, Elliot, and a third I didn¡¯t know, giggled and kept stealing glances at us as we PDA¡¯d all over the first floor hallway.


    I split apart from her before one of the teachers could scold us, but let my hand linger in hers. She stared at it and blushed a little.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Brandon.¡±


    ¡°Stop apologizing, already. Look, we¡¯ll visit her tonight. I think she¡¯s going to be awake by now.¡± I said, not sure if I believed the word of the woman I¡¯d met the last time I visited Clara. ¡°You can say your piece, and then tomorrow I might see you at the activation party okay? I doubt¡­ I honestly doubt this is something I¡¯m just going to be able to let go, but maybe we can be friends at least. Okay?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Okay. Yeah. That sounds good.¡±


    I hesitated for a second. The nagging feeling that I was forgetting something important crossed my mind. I wracked my brain for a few moments trying to think of what it was but the five minute warning bell rang, interrupting my train of thought. My locker was still halfway around the building and then another few floors up to reach Mr. Kinard¡¯s math class, my first class on Fridays.


    Silently cursing, I waved to the girl. ¡°Shit, I gotta run. Mr. Kinard said he¡¯d fail my ass if I was late again.¡±


    Haley beamed. I ignored the wetness in her eyes. ¡°Yeah. Me, too. Well. Not¡­ failed or anything but, I meant that I need to get going and¨C!¡±


    She paused, her thoughts catching up to her tongue. Haley was good at hiding it most the time, but she was a little scatter-brained the rare times that she was nervous. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll see you in a few hours. Uhm. Outside the school? We¡¯ll walk to the hospital, alright?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t miss it,¡± I told her with a smile, my heart feeling a little lighter, before turning and breaking into a dead run.


    I would undoubtedly be late.


    Six or seven hours later, Haley and I walked into the hospital together. She was filled with nervous apprehension, while I felt a little excited. That strange woman I¡¯d met visiting Clara on Monday, had told me to wait ¡®till today and then Clara would be fine. I didn¡¯t know why, but I was sure that she¡¯d been telling the truth, and that Clara was alright. Or maybe I just really wanted her to be.


    Haley held my hand the whole way here. She¡¯d grabbed it when we¡¯d met at the inner exit into the Hub, and refused to let go after that, even when it became sweaty and uncomfortable. I hadn¡¯t closed my own around hers, but I hadn¡¯t pulled away either.


    ¡°Brandon!¡± Came an excited shout from behind the front desk. ¡°Great news!¡±


    I blinked, a little taken aback. Cassy, the nurse at the front desk, seemed unnaturally excited, and I felt my hopes rise.


    ¡°Clara?¡± I asked.


    The block-faced woman nodded emphatically. ¡°Woke up just this morning. We saw improvement in her vitals last time you left. Thankfully, the ardnocure finally seemed to take. It was like those flowers brought new life to her! Damn near a miracle! Strangest thing though¡­¡±


    I quirked an eyebrow. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Well, those plants died. All of them. Unnaturally fast. Like with every successful application of the ardnocures that worked, the plants withered. It was strange,¡± the nurse replied a little pensively. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about flowers anyway, though. Heh. Do I look the type to get many? Maybe they normally die that fast.¡±


    Haley seemed curious, and piped up at that moment. ¡°Ahh, who is this Brandon?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± I blinked, turning to gesture towards Haley. ¡°Ah, Cassy, this is Haley Westley. A¡­ friend. Haley, Cassy McCaw. Clara¡¯s nurse.¡±


    Haley winced so imperceptibly when I introduced her that I almost didn¡¯t see it. I¡¯d introduced her as a friend. Nothing more. I wasn¡¯t willing to give her more. She recovered quickly though and stepped forward to shake Cassy¡¯s hand around the desk.


    ¡°Good to meet you,¡± Cassy said happily, before pulling back and bending under the desk, ignoring Haley¡¯s muttered ¡°Likewise.¡±


    She fished out a pair of visitor badges, and tossed them onto the counter. ¡°Well, I suppose you¡¯ll want to visit her. It¡¯s always a pleasure when a patient recovers. Especially a critical one like Ms. Joyner. Pleasant girl, if a little¡­ abrupt. She¡¯s in her usual room. Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Cassy,¡± I replied, taking mine and pinning it to my shirt while Haley did the same.


    We waved to the nurse and walked down the hall, Haley following as I expertly navigated the maze-like corridors to Clara¡¯s door.


    I almost grasped the handle before Haley put her hand on my arm. I turned to her. ¡°Uh¡­ she¡¯s awake. Shouldn¡¯t you knock?¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Oh, yeah. Right.¡±


    I knocked on the door, unused to the idea that she was actually awake on the other side.


    ¡°Come in?¡± Came a surprisingly deep female voice. It occurred to me at that moment that I¡¯d rarely ever heard Clara speak. We didn¡¯t share any classes, though I think we had last year.


    I entered, Haley right behind me.


    Clara lay on the bed, same as she always had. But where four days ago she¡¯d been a charred broken mess, her skin more akin to something out of a horror movie than real life, now she looked like her old self. Well. Closer to her old self.


    The blue hair really was natural. A thin layer of fuzz was already growing back. Her face was pale, as it always had been. Slight blemishes adorned her right cheek and most of the right side of her body and arms, permanent reminders of the effect of the noonday sun. But she was otherwise hale and whole.


    The curiosity on her face instantly evaporated as she spotted Haley and me, replaced with narrowed eyes and a deep frown.


    ¡°Oh. The idiot and the bitch. Great,¡± she breathed.


    I blinked, my mouth hanging open with the cusp of a greeting hanging on the tip of my tongue.


    I could almost feel Haley¡¯s visage darken behind me.


    ¡°What the hell do you two want?¡± Clara asked, turning her eyes away from us to focus on one of the many medical posters that lined the room¡¯s walls.


    ¡°I¡­¡± I blinked, utterly taken aback. I tried to come up with something to say, but Haley beat me to it.


    ¡°I get calling me a bitch. I probably deserve that. But, how dare you call Brandon an idiot! He saved your fucking life you snobby little¨C!¡±


    ¡°Haley,¡± I intoned.


    Her mouth snapped shut, eyes jerking to me in equal parts annoyance and worry.


    I stepped fully into the room, blinking. Cassy hadn¡¯t lied. The flowers were dead. Not dying, dead. Each and every one of them had wilted to a sickly pallor of grey or deep brown that actually gave the room a slightly nasty stench. Shriveled flowers lay in every pot in the room, reminding me a little of the Scorched Lands. I was a little surprised the doctors had left them in here.


    ¡°So. What brings you two to visit me? Here to make fun of my fucked up hair? Or maybe give me a few more third degree burns?¡± She asked casually. Her narrowed eyes made me flinch.


    ¡°I just wanted to see how you were doing,¡± I said, feeling dumber by the minute.


    So she blames me too?


    ¡°Great! Dandy,¡± she said sarcastically. ¡°Love getting nearly burned to death because of idiots. It feels spectacular!¡±


    ¡°Wh¡­ okay.¡± I breathed, noting the flaming fury boiling in Haley¡¯s eyes. It was a struggle to keep my own temper in check. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry. I was trying to save your life.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never even fucking spoken to me, Bradley!¡±


    Okay. Now I was getting ticked off too. ¡°My name is Brandon.¡±


    ¡°Your name is probably Dumbass. Seriously. Who the fuck runs out into the sun! Who does that!? Now Thelma¡¯s pissed, the Yates are pissed, Tellroan is going apeshit and I nearly died!¡±


    ¡°You!¡± I barked back. ¡°You ran out into the sun! What was I supposed to think!?¡±


    The girl¡¯s eyes darted to Haley for half a second. A very conspicuous half a second.


    ¡°Oh my god, there is no way I¡¯m apologizing to this jerk, Brandon. Forget it.¡± Haley hissed. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go,¡±


    ¡°Thank God. I hear the apple doesn¡¯t fall far from the tree, and I wouldn¡¯t want to get molested by you, too!¡± Clara baited. Loudly.


    ¡°You take that back, you goddamn lying sack of¨C!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± I yelled, doing my best to ignore the implications of what Clara had just said. This¡­ was not how I¡¯d expected this to go. Clara, to the best of my knowledge, had always been a quiet, unobtrusive girl, who went out of her way to never be noticed.


    She gave me another look, followed by another long look at Haley. Fortunately the blonde was already on her way out of the room.


    ¡°I, uh, yeah. Just give me a minute Haley,¡± I told her as she turned and smashed the door open. I didn¡¯t know if it was possible to walk loudly, but that was exactly what Haley was doing. She slammed the door behind her¡­ or tried to. Instead the door stopped midway like hospital doors tend to do, and finished closing unsatisfyingly slowly. I gave Haley an apologetic look as the door shut between us.


    ¡°Finally. Thought she¡¯d never leave.¡±


    ¡°Did you just insult us, solely to get her to leave the room?¡± I asked, curiously.


    ¡°No. I called you an idiot because you¡¯re an idiot.¡±


    I scowled. I was getting really offended at this point, but the only rebuttal I had sounded petulant and childish. I said it anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot,¡± I insisted, cursing as soon as the words left my mouth. Why? Why couldn¡¯t I ever have a good comeback?


    ¡°Moron. Dumbass. Nincompoop, take your pick,¡± the girl bit back. She threw her hands behind her head and leaned back into her pillow lazily. ¡°But I know what you were trying to do. So, for what it¡¯s worth, thanks. Even though it was actually me that saved you, and not the other way around.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°You were walking in the sun, and it wasn¡¯t burning you. I was already halfway to you before I realized that. Then, the second I reached you, you started burning, and I started feeling better. What the hell did you do to me?¡±


    Clara sighed. ¡°I¡­ gave you something. Something that was supposed to go to someone else. Something I can only give out about once a year. And¡­ something that¡¯s probably going to get you killed if the wrong person finds out about it. So keep your abilities on the down low, okay?¡±


    I blinked. ¡°What abilities?¡±


    She looked at me strangely. ¡°Heat immunity? The ability to walk around in the sun? The whole reverse-green-thumb thing? It¡¯s not manipulating Sunsoul but it¡¯s the next best thing.¡±


    I gave her a blank look.


    ¡°Oh my god, you¡¯ve had three weeks and you haven¡¯t figured it out yet,¡± she said, in a way that made me certain she was making fun of me.


    ¡°Figured what out?¡±


    ¡°You can go outside. At noon. You¡¯re tied to one of the Towers, now. My Tower. Dumbass.¡± She said, enunciating her words like she was speaking to a baby. The wide sweeping gestures she made with her hands made me even more angry.


    ¡°Bullshit.¡± I said, irritated, even as a nagging feeling of doubt swept over me. The early mornings, barely feeling the heat. The warmer at the Raceway?


    The girl shrugged off my doubt with casual ease. ¡°Quit kidding yourself. Your fucking hair is already starting to turn. Soon it¡¯ll be as white as mine is blue.¡±


    I gaped, my hand trailing subconsciously to my head.


    ¡°Honestly, while you are an idiot, I¡¯m glad you gave me the excuse. Better someone my age than another half dead ancient millionaire crone buying the rights. God I wish I could¡¯ve seen the look on Thelma¡¯s face when she figured out what I did! Hah! Fuck! So worth another transfer!¡±


    I blinked, unsure what to make of this utterly strange, white haired girl. ¡°Exactly how many tickets for the crazy train do you have?¡±


    She snorted. ¡°Heh. Good one.¡±


    I sighed. I¡¯d spent weeks agonizing over this girl and what I thought Haley had done to her, only to find out she was abrasive, obnoxious, and pretty much exactly the opposite of everything I¡¯d thought. I was beginning to wonder who the victim was here.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ gonna go. I wanted Haley to apologize for the shit she said but¨C!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t care,¡± Clara interjected gleefully.


    ¡°Yeah. I got that feeling. Well, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re better.¡± I said, hoping she¡¯d give me free reign to leave. I suddenly did feel like a moron. Worrying so much over someone who didn¡¯t even care.


    ¡°Doubt it. They¡¯ll probably transfer me away. I¡¯m ¡°Not Safe¡± here anymore, I¡¯m sure.¡± For a moment, something resembling real sadness crossed her features, and her voice dropped to a mumble. ¡°Never safe anywhere¡­¡±


    I sighed. I felt relieved that she was okay. For a certain value of okay at least. What reason did I really have for visiting her anyway? At first I¡¯d felt responsible, since it was Haley that had driven her to suicide. With that apparently debunked and her now feeling fine¡­


    ¡°Well, good luck with that. I¡¯m sorry to hear it,¡± I told her turning back towards the door. I kind of just wanted to get away now. Feeling out of place.


    ¡°Hey,¡± She asked suddenly. ¡°That nurse. She, ah, said you visited me. Like, every day.¡±


    I tugged at my collar, feeling a tad embarrassed. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    I turned back to her. ¡°I felt responsible I guess. I¡¯d thought Haley made you try to... you know.¡± I trailed off dumbly.


    ¡°Well aren¡¯t you just noble?¡± she said with a laugh. ¡°No wonder it took me so long to heal though. I¡¯d guess you met Thelma and she told you to stay away?¡±


    ¡°Uhh. Maybe? A dark skinned woman brought you all these flowers. She told¡­ yeah. She told me to stay away till today and you¡¯d get better. Told me you¡¯d saved me,¡± I said quietly.


    ¡°I did. You¡¯d be dead if I hadn¡¯t given you the gift. Though she¡¯s going to be so pissed at me. Moving again. Billions down the drain. All because you had to go and be heroic. Moron.¡±


    I glared at her, now more than a little ticked off. Billions? Of dollars? What?


    ¡°Right. So, I¡¯m going to go now,¡± I said with a final withering glare.


    ¡°Yeah, I figured,¡± she said brightly. ¡°Good luck getting into Haley¡¯s pants!¡±


    I scowled, utterly disillusioned. But what had I expected, really? Her to be happy to see me? Thankful? She didn¡¯t know me from Adam, and I guess I didn¡¯t know her either. In her eyes, I was the reason she was hospitalized, not the reason she was still alive. I didn¡¯t even want to know what sort of gift she was talking about.


    I stormed out, and brightened when I saw Haley still waiting for me. For some reason though, I turned and took one final look back as the door closed. I caught a last glance at the girl. She¡¯d turned to stare at one of the dead flowers.


    She looked so lonely.


    Haley and I walked out of the hospital. Cassy wasn¡¯t there when we reached the front desk so we dropped our badges off and left without saying a word. Haley was even angrier than me. She spent the whole walk trying to calm herself down, and did a pretty bad job of it.


    When we were half way back to the school, she finally found the words to speak to me again.


    ¡°Can you forgive me, anyway?¡± She asked. ¡°I know I didn¡¯t apologize. But I tried. I¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I guess it¡¯s okay. I think I was expecting that to go differently somehow. Either way, I think I¡¯m going to go home and¨C!¡±


    I stopped dead. My words died as my eyes fell on a small ice cream parlor behind Haley. My stomach dropped out as a sensation of panic overtook me. How the fuck could I be such a monumental idiot!?


    ¡°Oh shit!¡± I screamed, not caring who heard. ¡°Oh man, she¡¯s right; I am a complete moron!¡±


    ¡°Bran?¡± Haley asked, worried.


    I glanced at her. Annoyed. A part of me wanted to blame her. I wouldn¡¯t have fucking forgotten if not for Haley¡¯s confession. I was a little surprised at how easy my decision was though.


    I took off at a dead sprint for the school and my car, listening to Haley¡¯s confused shouts behind me. I ran like a madman, desperately hoping April would still be waiting for me. I couldn¡¯t help but think that April herself called me an idiot all the time, too. This was the first time in a while that I¡¯d really felt like one though.


    <hr>

 Chapter Eight - The Soul in the Stars

    <h2>Chapter Eight: The Soul in the Stars</h2>


    <hr>


    I was panting by the time I reached the school. I was no stranger to running but I had bolted from the hub back to the School¡¯s entrance, heedless of the stares I received. Guilt spurned me on, and I didn¡¯t even care how I would look. Dashing madly on a solid mile run through the huge building¡¯s packed inner hall way drew plenty of stares but I didn¡¯t care.


    By necessity, the school remained open all night so people could get through it from the Hub to the parking garage on the other side, and so anyone could visit the astronomy rooms, which were free to use at all non-class times.


    No one was in my way as I dashed through the empty hallways.


    I¡¯d told her I would pick her up after school and it had already been nearly two hours. How could I be such a fucking idiot!?


    I was surprised by the lack of conflict in my mind. Staying with Haley and ignoring the date I¡¯d had with April wasn¡¯t even an option. April had been my best friend for long enough that I didn¡¯t remember a time without the girl. Even before the whole Noonday thing, if April had asked me to, I¡¯d have left Haley. I would¡¯ve been really angry about it, but I trusted her. Hell, I loved her. It had been platonic until now but the idea that there might be something more had been bouncing around in my head since our conversation at the beginning of the week.


    And I¡¯d fucking forgotten the whole thing.


    Of course, I¡¯d probably already ruined that.


    Maybe I was overreacting though. I was late all the time. I¡­ I could play this off. That might be true, if it were anyone but April, whom I¡¯d told a thousand times that I was only late because I chose to be.


    Unfortunately, we hadn¡¯t shared any classes today, and had a different lunch hour. If only I¡¯d seen her! One glimpse would¡¯ve been enough to remind me that I had more important plans than Haley. More important than even Clara!


    That damn wolf on the news, and then Haley¡¯s teary eyed confession that morning had put all thoughts of my best friend out of my mind. But those were just excuses. The truth of the matter was much more simple. Clara had gotten it right on. I was a damn moron.


    Worry seized my stomach in knots. I was only an hour late or so, technically. She probably had expected me to go home and get ready, too. She wouldn¡¯t care too much if I showed up in school clothes, sweating like I¡¯d just finished a marathon.


    Right?


    The sun had gone down completely about an hour ago, leaving the streets free for me to drive. I blasted down them, hanging every turn at speeds that were probably unwise.


    I laughed a little hysterically when I realized someone had erected a ¡°stop ahead¡± sign on the highway a little ways down the road. I blasted right by it, knowing from my drivers ed class that stopping a vehicle on the highway for anything less than a breakdown was illegal. A small part of me wanted to phone the prank in, but I chose not to. Someone else had surely done so already. That sort of shit could get people killed.


    Unfortunately, another few hundred feet later I saw another caution sign. Behind it was a blaring ¡°Caution, slow ahead.¡± light.


    ¡°Are you fucking kidding me!?¡± I screamed into my steering wheel as I noticed the red headlights of a line of cars slowed to a full halt ahead of me. ¡°No, no, no! Not tonight! A traffic jam? Those don¡¯t happen on the fucking highway!¡±


    Apparently they did. In the two years I¡¯d been driving, I¡¯d never once seen one. Even the dramatic influx of new residents anticipating Tellroan¡¯s activation hadn¡¯t caused one. Yet now, here, at the worst possible moment, was a slow moving traffic jam? I could feel the melty tar roads ruining my car¡¯s precious tires as we inched along. What could possibly slow the highway down? A wreck? That wasn¡¯t likely. Tow trucks were on standby at all hours of the night for exactly this possibility, and their primary objective was clearing the roads. If the sun rose on a traffic jam then it would set on a graveyard of motorized caskets. Wrecks were cleared off the roads very quickly these days.


    So what could possibly be the hold up now?


    The lane moved at an agonizing fifteen miles an hour, each car taking care to remain as continuously in motion as possible. Ten minutes passed, and by then I was considering calling April and just¡­ telling her what a fuckup I was. I knew she¡¯d forgive me. She always did. I didn¡¯t want to though. I felt guilty, and I probably deserved to feel guilty. Even if she didn¡¯t realize that I¡¯d ditched her to visit a girl, with another girl. I shouldn¡¯t have forgotten her at all.


    When I saw the cause of the delay, I promptly forgot her again.


    Dead once again, and blocking two lanes of traffic this time, lay the remains of an absolutely massive deer. The creature was half again as big as an average horse, with antlers that looked like small trees. Standing at full height, a car could probably fit under its belly with no trouble.


    Grotesque bloody pustules marked its furry body and it looked like it might be rabid from the short glimpse I was able to get of the thing. The truck that had crumpled against it was already moved mostly out of the way. That, the tow truck drivers were familiar with moving. Giant, dead, monster deer? Not so much.


    I passed the huge creature slowly as I was shuffled along by sad traffic agents who were stuck out in the sweltering seven p.m. heat. Admittedly, I found myself actually slowing to get a better look, despite the hurry I¡¯d been in before.


    First a wolf, now a deer. Both creatures that had been driven nearly extinct in the past ten years, now turning up in colossal form. I wondered as I got my last look at the creature, what all the sickening exploded boils on its skin were. For them to be visible outside the thick coat of fur, and through the darkness meant they must¡¯ve looked hideous in daylight. What the hell was happening around here anyway?


    The speed picked up immediately after I passed the corpse and the crash. Gradually, I rid myself of the thoughts of the giant deer. Big animals somehow surviving in the sun wasn¡¯t really my problem. Besides, I was sure Mom would give me the details sometime soon enough anyway.


    I arrived at April¡¯s house, feeling the little pang of guilt and worry for her that I did every time I came over here.


    April was, to put it bluntly, destitute. As such, she and her family lived in one of the early attempts to replace apartment buildings in the early wake of the sun¡¯s change.


    They¡¯d been grand when they¡¯d first been built. But they¡¯d been built before it became apparent just how much Sunsoul would affect the world. These metal plated, central air cooled apartment complexes were a testament to just how unprepared people were for Fontaine¡¯s Folly. Ten years had devastated their value. Sun damage, on top of years of vandalism, poor safety conditions, and sub-par walls lead to a sun-burned death or two. This had driven the rents downward to pennies which, in turn, made it impossible to for landlords to upkeep or renovate the places. In the end they were dangerous, piteous homes only fit for those who had no other choice. Junk-heaps, mascaraing as apartment complexes.


    April lived on the top floor, with her dad and mom. I hated to admit it, but I¡¯d always found the pair a little trashy. Her dad, also named David like my own, smoked enough that he coughed more than he spoke. Her mom, Cambria Mills, rarely seemed to care about April¡¯s curfews and homework the way my own parents did.


    Trashy didn¡¯t mean unloving though. They loved April to death, and I could see it when they grimaced at the cracks in their apartment¡¯s walls. The bags under their eyes and the long hours they both worked were even more telling. Their clothes were both aged and worn; in David¡¯s case they smelled of garbage due to his occupation. Despite all that, April never wanted for herself. Her parents both bent over backwards to make sure she had whatever they could give her, and I admired them for that almost as much as my own parents. They might be of humble means but they loved their daughter with a fierceness any kid could envy.


    I knocked on her door after running up four flights of stairs, in too much of a rush to wait for the elevator. For what felt like a painfully long moment, no one answered. Then, slowly, the doorknob twisted and the door swung open.


    I almost didn¡¯t recognize April, for two reasons. The first was her hair. It was¡­ straight. Long black locks spilled down to her upper back and framed her face, making it almost unrecognizable.


    She wore a dress. Nothing too fancy but it was enough to show off a figure that she tended to hide behind jeans and T-shirts that were usually too big for her. What really threw me though, was the sharp, narrow gaze she focused in my direction.


    She took in my sweaty appearance. I could see her noting my clothes, the same ones I¡¯d worn to school, and I could feel palpable displeasure rolling off her.


    ¡°Hi. Brandon.¡± She punctuated. ¡°Bit of a rush?¡±


    Her words didn¡¯t match the tightness in her eyes. They barely contained anger and hurt that I knew I¡¯d caused.


    ¡°I¡­ April let me begin my three part apology by saying I am a moron, okay?¡± I asked, smiling in a vain hope that she wasn¡¯t as angry as she appeared.


    She didn¡¯t return my grin. Her expression didn¡¯t alter the slightest bit.


    Words wouldn¡¯t come. I tried to think of a way to apologize. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to¡­ Clara woke up and¨C!¡±


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    ¡°Then why couldn¡¯t you have brought me!?¡± She cut herself off abruptly. ¡°No. No, It doesn¡¯t matter anyway.¡±


    ¡°Of course it matters!¡± I bit out, offended on her behalf. ¡°I should¡¯ve brought you. I should¡¯ve remembered. If I¡¯d seen you even once today¨C!¡±


    ¡°Sure, blame it on that!¡± the girl screeched, real bitterness leaking through her voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m not blaming it on anything except myself, okay? I just forgot. The second I remembered I came running as fast as I could. I know that probably doesn¡¯t mean much,¡± I said, trying to remain quiet so she¡¯d lower her own voice.


    She threw the door fully open, and I winced as the handle slammed into the wall. The loud bang proved sufficient to distract me from the short girl¡¯s fist as she slammed it into my stomach, knocking what little wind I¡¯d retained after my run out of me.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I wheezed, my voice cracked and raspy. ¡°I deserved that.¡±


    The girl proceeded to throw her arms around my neck and bury her face in my shoulder, hugging me tightly. One arm was jammed between her body and mine, my arm unconsciously clutching my stomach as I tried to catch my breath. I managed to wrap the other arm around her back, feeling more and more confused by the moment.


    Her perfume smelled amazing, but I gagged a little as I inhaled some of its lingering scent in my desperate bid for air.


    ¡°Apr¡­¡± I cut off trying to stifle a round of coughing, before I tried again. ¡°April, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    I knew I¡¯d upset her. That much was obvious, but I didn¡¯t think what I¡¯d done was bad enough to warrant the way her shoulders were quivering. The wetness she wiped on my neck.


    ¡°Dammit, I didn¡¯t want to tell you like this.¡± She murmured pitifully.


    ¡°Tell me what?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± she stuttered, still sniffling. ¡°I didn¡¯t get my scholarship.¡±


    I frowned, a little confused. She didn¡¯t get her scholarship? Okay, that sucked but it was no reason to be crying.


    A bitterness crept into her voice. Anger at me for making her repeat herself seeped through her tight lips. Her words reeked with a mixture of failure and anger. ¡°I¡¯m not going to get to do what I want. I¡­ I don¡¯t think I ever really had a chance to. It was my only chance to get out of it, and I didn¡¯t get the fucking scholarship I needed.¡±


    I felt guilty for the gleeful little jolt that leapt up my stomach. She didn¡¯t get the scholarship. The Hewlington Foundation Scholarship that would¡¯ve allowed her to go to college in St. Louis. She¡¯d talked about it a month ago, but she hadn¡¯t acted like it meant much to her then.


    Or maybe I¡¯d been so obsessed with Haley that I¡¯d just missed how important it was to her.


    Even so, I couldn¡¯t help the elation I felt. If April couldn¡¯t go to her Archaeology school then that meant that she didn¡¯t have to leave West Steppe! She wouldn¡¯t get herself killed in the Waste, like I always feared she might. She already spent enough time creeping out into the desert at night that it was a wonder she hadn¡¯t already gotten hurt.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m really sorry April. But, hey, that¡¯s alright. You can just work for a few years to save up some money and then¨C!¡±


    She cut me off again. Her voice was clenched as tightly as her fists at her sides. ¡°Tonight is my last night in West Steppe, Brandon.¡±


    Wait, what?


    ¡°But where would you go?¡± I asked fearfully. ¡°Why would you leave tonight?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving tonight, Brandon. I¡¯m going tomorrow morning,¡± she breathed with a defeated sigh. She pulled apart from me and gazed into my eyes. I couldn¡¯t help but notice the tear streaks sliding down her face.


    I was dumbstruck. Words failed me, and emotions that I was all too uncomfortable with filled me. The small lump of guilt in my throat grew. She was leaving and I¡¯d wasted my time worrying about Haley?


    ¡°Wh-why didn¡¯t you tell me? Where are you going?¡± I squeaked, heedless of the slight hysteria in my voice. Then softer, disbelievingly, I breathed, ¡°Tomorrow?¡±


    But why!?


    ¡°That¡¯s what tonight was all about! I wanted to tell you before. I tried! I just didn¡¯t know how. Then I saw you leave with Haley, and I thought you¡¯d forgotten about me entirely! I was angry, and just¡­ angry! I was debating whether you deserved a phone call when you knocked. If you didn¡¯t even care about me enough to remember a date why the hell would you care if I was gone entirely!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little unfair! If I¡¯d known it was my last night to see you it would¡¯ve been different! Fuck, this whole week would¡¯ve been different! Why didn¡¯t you tell me!?¡± I protested.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want it to be!¡± she shouted right back. Then more quietly, as if realizing she¡¯d admitted something she hadn¡¯t wanted to she said more softly. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to feel obligated to spend time with me. I wanted it to be because you wanted to.¡±


    ¡°Well I did, and I do! I ditched Haley in the middle of the hospital the moment I remembered,¡± I returned. My heart wasn¡¯t in the words, and I couldn¡¯t meet her eyes. I felt like a scab, something to be peeled off a wound and discarded.


    I chanced a small glance at her face and saw a small, little smile on the girl¡¯s lips. Had I known her any less than I did, I might¡¯ve not even noticed it.


    Her frown returned quickly though. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Dammit, I¡¯m not going to be leaving the Tower. I¡¯m going to be stuck in that place for ages.¡±


    ¡°Wait, the tower? What does that have to do with anything?¡± I asked, seized with sudden fear that she planned to strike out for Telilro on her own, and damn the consequences.


    ¡°Tellroan. I¡¯m going to be working at Tellroan,¡± She said, hesitantly. Her blue eyes sparkled with worry.


    I blinked in realization. My eyes widened. No one got a job at Tellroan unless they could¨C!


    She cut me off before I could speak. Her tone was defensive as if she was already warding off an accusation I hadn¡¯t even made.


    ¡°Yes. Alright? I can see Sunsoul. I can see it unaided. I can even¡­¡±


    She held up a hand, and in the middle of the dank living room a small mote of light appeared, glowing, shimmering like something out of a sci fi flick. I¡¯d only ever seen people do it on youtube videos with high end equipment, and the infamous drunken demonstration Fontaine had given way back when.


    I goggled at her; my jaw hung in open awe.


    ¡°You can touch¡­?¡± I breathed, hardly able to express my shock.


    She lowered her hand and the pulsing green light faded into nothing, casting the room in the normal light given off by the bulb above. It felt dimmer than ever before.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been able to. Never could get up the guts to tell you, though. I thought you¡¯d get jealous,¡± she hedged, making a wild gesture. ¡°The way you¡¯ve always acted, I thought for sure you¡¯d resent me if you knew. But now, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore. I¡¯ve been able to see it as clear as the moon since as far back as I can remember. They told me I was one of the best. Maybe even better than Scarlatte herself once I learn what to do with it.¡±


    I struggled to find words. Sunsoul!? My best friend had been able to touch Sunsoul unaided? For years?


    ¡°Well?¡± she asked, pretending to be affronted by my silent stupefied expression, in order to cover her nervousness. ¡°Say something!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so¡­ awesome!¡±


    She seemed a little taken aback. She tilted her head and asked, ¡°You¡¯re not angry?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am! How could you keep something this amazing from me!? I mean, yeah, I guess I¡¯m jealous but mostly I¡¯m just excited! And Tellroan! What are you so worried about? You¡¯ll be right here in town! We can see each other every day if we want! If¡­you want,¡± I corrected, remembering suddenly that she was still mad at me for a pretty good reason.


    She opened her mouth but seemed unable to find the words.


    ¡°How the hell did I miss this? Oh my god, all the signs. The way you¡¯d stare at the horizon at night? What you said when we saw the Array? I should¡¯ve seen this! God, Clara was right; I really am a fucking moron.¡±


    ¡°No arguments here,¡± she replied curtly, but her teary grin held little real malice. Her voice trailed off into a pout. ¡°You didn¡¯t even wear the overalls¡­¡±


    ¡°But seriously? Your scholarship? What could you possibly want to do more than get a job with Tellroan as one of the best Sunsoul Seers in the world?¡± I asked frantically. Realizing that my excitement was entirely one sided, I calmed myself down to a more normal tone.


    April wasn¡¯t moving away. She wasn¡¯t leaving. So why did she still seem so sad? Could she really have cared about being an archeologist that much?


    ¡°I wanted to see the Wastes. I know you think it¡¯s stupid, but the day I go to Tellroan, I¡¯ll never get to do anything else. I¡¯ll be stuck there. Away from my dreams, and away from¡­ from¡­¡±


    She trailed off, looking at me with a longing expression. All at once, I understood. She wasn¡¯t going to be like my mom. She would be living at Tellroan. Even though she would be staying so close, this was still a goodbye.


    ¡°What are you going to do there, April?¡± I asked, as the cold pit returned.


    That was right. Most of the people who went to work at Tellroan, weren¡¯t able to leave for a few years. Scarlatte¡¯s paranoia hard at work. My mom had actually lived in Tellroan for two years before she finally came home. I still remembered how happy Dad was that day¡­


    She let out a bitter laugh and said, ¡°Classified.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± I groaned. The girl was knowingly mimicking what my Mom said all the time, and getting a laugh out of it. ¡°Not you too. Come on, you can surely tell me. You know I can keep a secret!¡±


    She smiled. Probably her first genuine expression of happiness I¡¯d seen tonight. It evaporated all too quickly, though, replaced by somber melancholy.


    ¡°Saving the world, I guess. One fucked up power-plant at a time.¡±


    I cocked a quizzical eyebrow at her, but she didn¡¯t say anything else.


    She approached me suddenly and hugged me again. Hesitantly, I let my arms fall around her waist, but I only let them linger lightly.


    ¡°So¡­ don¡¯t go,¡± I told her. ¡°Why not turn them down? You might not have your scholarship, but we can still get you to St. Louis. Loans aren¡¯t that bad and¨C!¡±


    The girl shushed me by putting a finger on my lips.


    ¡°Just¡­ hold me for a little while? Okay?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I replied, feeling afraid for her, and not really sure why.


    <hr>

 Chapter Nine — The Pariahs Ambition

    Chapter Nine: The Pariah¡¯s Ambition


    <hr>


    I grinned widely. My smile was a sheepish little thing that I¡¯d never cared for. As a child, I actually went out of my way to avoid smiling. I didn¡¯t like how it made me look in the mirror. I¡¯d never found myself attractive and somewhere between starting college at sixteen and my graduation, I¡¯d come to accept that. Beauty was unimportant to me. All that mattered was Sunsoul, back then.


    I was lonely. But the loneliness was worth it if I could accomplish my dreams. If I could show everyone else what I saw in the sun. That hadn¡¯t gone well. Oh, they¡¯d believed. One dream accomplished. Then when I didn¡¯t get to go on the Array, everything went wrong. No more science, and worse, I could no longer look at the sun, because my Array had¡­ broken it. Unleashed a paper thin ribbon that had been protecting us from it, or so my best guess would have me believe. So I received my just rewards. I was an ugly, aging woman, doomed to die alone and disgraced.


    Now I couldn¡¯t stop smiling, so much so that my cheeks were beginning to ache. What a wait. It had only taken forty five years.


    I scowled at myself, annoyed at the girlish squeals of glee that were firing off inside my brain. My lips still tingled, and my knees were still wobbly as I leaned against the door of my apartment.


    I¡¯m too old for this.


    Apparently not. I stole over to the window and snuck a peek outside and down to the indoor parking garage below. I spotted Matt as he walked back out to the beat up Bonneville he¡¯d picked me up in earlier this morning around 1:00 A.M. It was hard to tell from three stories up at night, but I thought he had a little grin on his face, too. It had been a good date.


    I flopped down onto my bed in a daze and let loose. Sunsoul seeped from my fingers, as if aching to be released after so many days spent holding it in. Green light burst around the room, and I played with it, heedless of the frivolous waste of power, as I made illusions of light on the walls. I changed the colors, using the study of countless hours of trial and error for the most mundane amusement I could fathom. Sunsoul. The stuff of magic, of wonder. The substance I¡¯d devoted my life to solving, wasted in a fit of euphoric giddiness that would be childish if a teen did it.


    I can paint with all the colors of the wind!


    I amused myself for a few minutes more before I started feeling embarrassed, even though I was entirely alone. I stopped playing with Sunsoul, and the lights faded as I chastised myself. It shouldn¡¯t be squandered. I¡¯d never actually found any limit on how much I could use and draw, but that didn¡¯t mean there was no limit. Most who could see it seemed to need to strain their backs for even the slightest ounce. Even Scarlatti, the traitorous hag, couldn¡¯t touch it like I could. Manipulating Sunsoul had always felt like second nature to me; easy and light. I felt like a master artist, in a world filled with finger painters. I had never met my equal, much less my better.


    Sunsoul was my refuge, my protection, my reason for being. Without it, I wasn¡¯t sure what I would do.


    Drown myself in even more games and books I¡¯m sure.


    And yet it was still more of a mystery to me than I cared to admit. It didn¡¯t follow logic. It didn¡¯t run out. Nor did it burn out. I grew tired when I manipulated it for too long, and it came from the sun. In all my years of study, those were the facts. Everything else was as mysterious as the northern lights must¡¯ve been to explorers a thousand years ago.


    I¡¯d been more devoted to my studies a few years ago, but when it became apparent that no one would ever listen to me, even if I had unfurled the secrets to returning the sun to normal, my drive had finally died. I no longer cared to study, save in idle dreams about somehow finding a way to get to the Helios Array and find out what the hell went wrong. Science was dead to me.


    But Sunsoul remained. Unexplained even now, it filled people and plants and animals alike. Randomly. Why one human could touch Sunsoul as easily as they could breathe while others couldn¡¯t even see it, made even less sense to me than it ever had.


    Some expert I was...


    Scarlatti claimed to have discovered the reason, but if she truly had, I couldn¡¯t see how. When she¡¯d stabbed me in the back, she¡¯d been nothing more than a child playing in a sandbox. Her towers. Her stopgap attempt to save the world was probably the best shot we had, but every time I dwelt on them, I couldn¡¯t help but think of what a colossal waste they were. Treating the symptoms rather than the source.  Yet, here I was, about to benefit from that waste.


    I couldn¡¯t help it. I... wanted to stand in the sun again. Well. Without creating a shield of Sunsoul to protect myself anyway.


    I sighed, feeling a little disgusted with myself as I powered on my computer¡¯s monitor. I never turned the thing off these days.


    Once, I would¡¯ve gotten online and immersed myself in some sort of scholarly article on Sunsoul, physics, astronomy, or some other esoteric dialogue that would further my knowledge and understanding. I didn¡¯t even feel guilty as I started one of the more popular Massively Multiplayer Online games that had exploded in popularity now that going outside was no longer recreationally possible.


    I might¡¯ve had my first date in ten years this evening but that didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t still orcs to kill. And there¡­ there I could be someone else. There I didn¡¯t have to worry about mobs or enraged citizens who blamed me for destroying the world. Online, I could almost be¨C!


    I jumped, startled by the sound of a firm knocking on the door.


    I quirked an eyebrow. Matt? It¡­ could be him coming back after dropping me off, but that felt out of character for the man. But who else would be knocking at my door? The only other person who made any sense was Natasha, my government-assigned handler. She¡¯d actually saved my life by moving me out of Philadelphia a few months ago when the riots got bad, and set me up here.


    The southern states had more reason to hate me, but it was the coastal cities that had to fear the ocean¡¯s boiling hurricanes where things were truly getting bad. Contrarily, West Steppe was about to become one of the safest places in the world. Much as I hated being so close to Scarlatti¡¯s next seat of power, I was grateful for Natasha¡¯s willingness to put her job over her personal animosity for me.


    But it was still rather unusual for her to come knocking so close to sunrise.


    Cautiously, I grabbed my taser, and made sure my knife was ready in case there were more than one. Sunsoul was a last resort. It could be¡­ deadly when used offensively. I¡¯d never had to kill anyone, but that didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t plenty of people out there who wanted to kill me. I¡¯d come close more than once.


    I opened the door slowly. I couldn¡¯t help a small sigh of relief when I found only one squat little man standing in the doorway, smiling a politician¡¯s grin.


    ¡°Doctor Violette Fontaine, as I live and breathe!¡± He said boisterously. ¡°Good morning, good morning!¡±


    His unnaturally pleasant attitude put me on edge faster than three men with guns might¡¯ve.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked, not really caring how rude it was. No one was ever happy to see me. No one wished me a good morning.


    Matt did.


    I scowled, trying to silence the traitorous thought. Matt was different.


    This might be too.


    ¡°Ahh yes. Apologies. I know it¡¯s early. My name is Elias Hundley,¡± he said, his good humor never faltering for a moment. He wore a suit that he looked comfortable in. He was short, with a wide face, a body to match, and dimples that made his cheeks stand out. He had no visible facial hair, and probably never had. Black hair peeked out beneath a black and gold trimmed hat that was completely impractical in this age. All hats were really, though they¡¯d been making a comeback since the three northern towers had come online.


    Everything about his mannerisms was disarming and inviting. He carried no weapons that I could see, which was a point in his favor. Instead, he carried a small black briefcase. That could be used to bludgeon me, but if that was what he wanted, there were better ways to go about it. That suit looked expensive, too.


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    For the life of me, I couldn¡¯t tell what he was doing here.


    ¡°Are you a Jehova¡¯s witness? Because I haven¡¯t believed in a long time,¡± I ventured, semi-seriously.


    He gave another boisterous laugh that made me think that his every word could be described as such. ¡°No no, my dear. I am here representing Sirahn Industries, LLC, and I come with a rather unique, time-sensitive, business opportunity.¡±


    He actually said L, L, C, out loud.


    ¡°Sirahn¡­ the parts manufacturer?¡±


    He smiled, the first hint of slyness creeping into his expression. ¡°We have diversified significantly since our involvement with the Helios Array, Miss Fontaine. Much of our business comes from constructing Hubs these days, but we still have several contracts with NASA. May I come in? I promise, I mean you no harm.¡±


    It spoke of his research on me, that he¡¯d added that last bit. There had been plenty of people who had meant me harm. Usually, they¡¯d regretted it. With Sunsoul, I was never unarmed, and thoughts were faster than trigger fingers.


    ¡°I¡­ suppose,¡± I said. I opened the door and he stepped inside with a polite gesture, only to promptly snort as his eyes fell on the video game splash page I¡¯d forgotten to close on my computer screen.


    I flushed vividly, and hurried to my desk to close the program.


    ¡°I apologize.¡± He said, immediately contrite. ¡°That was rude of me. It can¡¯t have been easy living through what you have. I¡¯ve no right to judge your indulgences, especially when I am no stranger to dungeon crawlers such as that one. They are quite enjoyable, yes? Do you play Dark Knight?¡±


    I brightened, ¡°That¡¯s my second class! You play?¡±


    ¡°Often and avidly!¡± He said, his own enthusiasm bleeding through in a way that was beginning to convince me that he always sounded this way. ¡°I suppose I just didn¡¯t expect to find a genius like yourself enjoying something that I waste far too much of my own time on, Doctor Fontaine.¡±


    I grimaced. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t call me that, please. People mock me with it. I¡¯m not¡­ if I were a genius this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± I gestured upwards helplessly, knowing he would understand.


    He did. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I cannot comply. I have, and will always, look up to you as Doctor Fontaine. You have more supporters than you know. Many people feel you were, how shall we say¡­ shafted? That actually brings me quite close to the topic I came to discuss.¡±


    I quirked an eyebrow. ¡°And that is?¡±


    ¡°A planned mission to the Helios Array. A mission to fix what the last craft broke.¡±


    My eyes widened. My fingers trembled. ¡°Th-there must be some mistake. NASA told me there were no planned missions to the array because¨C!¡±


    ¡°Because there was no guarantee anything could be corrected, or that the Array could even be found given its volatile nature. Yes I know. I read the same manifests,¡± he interrupted. ¡°It has been some time since then, however, and a mission has been on the table for the past three years. Funding is slow. The bureaucrats are not fond of another mission to the sun. They fear the unpredictable nature of Sunsoul is too volatile and that tampering at the source might further disrupt whatever the Helios Array unleashed. The reason they feel this way, however, is their annoying confidence in a certain power company.¡±


    I growled. ¡°Telilro¡­¡±


    ¡°The very same,¡± He said confidently. ¡°In fact, while our businesses are quite different, we often find ourselves competing for tax dollars with Scarlatti¡¯s ever growing empire, and its subsidiaries. Why build hubs when you can build one tower and walk in the sunlight again? Why worry about the sun when you have a big blue dome protecting you!?¡±


    He grew incensed, and his large cheeks heated. ¡°Why worry about the people who will burn alive as long as you are safe behind¨C!¡±


    He cut himself off abruptly. ¡°I apologize. Scarlatti¡¯s company is¡­ a sore spot with me.¡±


    ¡°Preaching to the choir,¡± I said, as the true implications of this evening were becoming clear to me.


    Is this real? Could this really be happening?


    ¡°I knew I would find myself in good company,¡± He said with a grin. ¡°Anyway. The project is nearing completion, and we would like you aboard.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Every fiber of my being screamed to say yes. To scream it at the top of my lungs. A chance to fix it. A chance to save everything. To redeem myself. To maybe make up for a little of the devastation and ruin I had wrought.


    ¡°But there is a problem. Tellroan, obviously,¡± he said with a sneer. ¡°Confidence in Telilro¡¯s towers has reached an all time high, and with every tower they build, the demand for them increases tenfold. There are seven under construction in the United States, but a further fifty eight more towers are scheduled to be activated worldwide over the next three years.¡±


    I think he expected astonishment but he received none from me. I was well aware of Scarlatti¡¯s not so subtle attempts to begin covering the globe. They would work, too, the people never knowing just what they were truly giving to her.


    ¡°You need money, and support. Backers. Attaching my name to the project probably causes a few hackles to rise, but if there really is a project, then it¡¯s got to be nearing cancellation, with or without my name. The government is throwing its support behind Telilro, and everyone knows NASA hasn¡¯t really been funded since the Array.¡±


    I was missing pieces of the puzzle. They wouldn¡¯t contact me, not unless the mission was already a go, or I could make it possible, but I didn¡¯t see any way I could help them.


    ¡°Clever, but not quite accurate, my dear. In fact it''s quite the opposite. The mission has already been greenlighted. The Helios Array is closer than ever, actually outside of Mercury¡¯s orbit whenever it appears now. We would like you to come, but your attendance is neither necessary, nor is it guaranteed. We would require something in return.¡±


    I stiffened a little. The catch. Because of course there was a catch.


    ¡°But¡­ I can¡¯t think of anything I could do to help you. You surely don¡¯t think I have any money, right?¡± I asked, feeling the chance of a lifetime slipping through my fingers.


    He laughed. ¡°No no, nothing like that. It is, indeed, a catch. But one I think you will actually enjoy. How would you like to get back at your ex-prot¨¦g¨¦e, and earn your trip to the stars at the same time?¡±


    ¡­This might just be the best night of my life.


    ¡°How?¡± I asked, feigning disinterest. I suspected my acting was poor, since I couldn¡¯t have pried my grip off the couch¡¯s armrest with a crowbar.


    ¡°Scarlatti has given you an open invitation to all activation ceremonies for her Towers, has she not? We would like you to take her up on it. Surprise her, and distract her. Make the biggest commotion you¡¯ve made in years. Draw everyone¡¯s eyes.¡±


    I gulped. I tried to play it cool. Pretend like I hadn¡¯t dreamed of doing just that for weeks now. But this didn¡¯t sound like an idle boast. They had a real plan. A real idea that might actually work. They just needed the average American taxpayer to be a little less confident in the towers. What better way than to have one of them fail?


    My inner hatred for Scarlatti warred with the knowledge that thousands of people who had staked their lives on a new home in West Steppe might be ruined or even lost if Tellroan failed. I gulped, suddenly aware that I was privy to information that could cripple an international company with an annual budget in the billions. Could Sunsoul protect me from bullets?


    ¡°A-And if I were to refuse? If I... Wh-what¡¯s to keep me from just calling the police and telling them about this plan?¡±


    ¡°Please, my dear. Any law enforcement agent would arrest you for suspicion of living before listening to anything you have to say. And admittedly, if the plan fails, you are an incredibly convenient scapegoat.¡±


    I grimaced. A scapegoat. Of course¡­ they wanted fallback insurance. Who better than me? Who¡­ who better than me?


    To my surprise, Elias continued, his tone going low, and grave. ¡°But to be honest, I¡¯m not lying. I am trying to help you, us, and the world. I¡¯ve read your blogs, VoiceofSouls, and I believe you. The towers will not save us. The sun is behaving strangely, and no one is sure why. At any moment it could grow a few degrees hotter and burn Scarlatti¡¯s towers along with the rest of the world, or snuff out like a blown lightbulb and freeze us in an instant! I¡¯m trying to keep a dying world alive, while the towers are only going to help us die comfortably.¡¯ You wrote that, did you not? Your words may not have been printed in the Solar Physics Journals for a decade, but they are still heard.¡±


    A lump formed in my throat. Guilt and belief and above all hope. ¡°I¨C you¨C! You read my...?¡±


    ¡°Many, many times.¡±


    A small voice in the back of my mind told me he was playing me. He knew exactly what to say. Exactly how to say it. To make me yearn. But¡­ If this failed, what did I really have left to lose? A kiss with the owner of a rundown bar in St. Louis? Was that enough to balance my chance at redemption?


    I looked at Elias¡¯s pleading face, searching for any trace of a lie. Any hint of malevolence, but I found none. I wasn¡¯t an expert on people. I was, in fact, bad at reading them. But even if this was a lie, it was one I¡¯d been waiting to hear for almost twenty years.


    ¡°If¡­ if you¡¯re lying to me, it will break me, Mr. Hundley. If this is a trick, I won¡¯t survive it,¡± I told him, trying to emphasize how much he was truly asking of me.


    He smiled again, making even his bittersweet sadness look boisterous. ¡°I see the writing on the walls, Miss Fontaine. My dear, if something isn¡¯t done¡­ I fear none of us will survive at all.¡±


    I was quiet for a long time.


    Sooner or later, as the warning bells signaled dawn was approaching, I asked in a small voice, ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    <hr>

 Chapter Ten – The Activation Day

    Chapter Ten: The Activation Day


    <hr>


    ¡°Just hold me for a little while, okay?¡±


    The words swam in my memory.


    My fingers tingled a little. My lips more so. We¡¯d kissed. More accurately, she¡¯d kissed me. I¡¯d been too stunned to move for a few seconds. And now I felt empty. Lost. As if half my life had been torn away. In a very real sense, I supposed it had.


    Five years? Five years until I could see her again?


    For the first time in my life, I absolutely hated Tellroan. There had been many nights that I¡¯d stayed up and wondered what Mom was doing. Why she had to be gone so often? Those mysteries had never really been assuaged. But I¡¯d never been so resentful as I felt now.


    Mom came back almost every day, at least. April wouldn¡¯t, and I didn¡¯t even get the satisfaction of knowing why. She was just gone. Poof. Out of my life forever. Or for five years at any rate, which might as well have been forever. She wouldn¡¯t even be at the activation ceremony. She¡¯d be too busy running tests¡­ or something. I didn¡¯t actually have any idea. All I could do was let my imagination fill in the gaps. Was she scared? Worried? Was she missing me as much as I was her? I bit my tongue and clenched my fist in an effort to avoid letting tears fall. She was my best friend!


    ¡®Is. She is my best friend,¡¯ I thought firmly.


    I felt a little guilty, shorting Monroe in my head. I¡¯d known him longer after all, but we weren¡¯t as quite close as April and I had been. Were. I suspected he felt the same way. Sudden anger bubbled in my thoughts as I noticed Monroe¡¯s absence yesterday as well. Where had he been all day yesterday? He hadn¡¯t reminded me of my date, but he¡¯d known April was leaving, where as I had just been kicked in the face with it.


    I wasn¡¯t really sure what I¡¯d expected, but her parents had asked me to leave when they¡¯d both gotten home around two in the morning. I sort of understood. I was a very close friend but not the same as family. April would be leaving them behind, too.


    On the upside, they weren¡¯t destitute anymore. There was usually a generous stipend allotted to families of Tellroan employees able to see Sunsoul. I didn¡¯t know the details. What I did know was that the chance of getting a job at Tellroan if you couldn¡¯t see Sunsoul was practically nil.


    My goals hadn¡¯t changed though. Where before I was pretty sure I wanted to work for Tellroan, now I had a burning passion to get into that building. My dreams of being a teacher fell by the wayside, supplanted by my desire to stay with April. Somehow.


    I went through the remainder of the night in a sort of numb stupor. Hours dragged by as I sat, staring at the television, hearing and seeing nothing. Almost before I knew it, morning had come. Eight fourty. Eight fourty one. Eight fourty two...


    Mom was gone. With the activation set for one in the afternoon, she would probably be gone for the next few days. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time, but it would definitely be the most important. I didn¡¯t know what she did there but I knew today was big for her. A chance to meet Scarlatte herself? Mom would be over the moon.


    I still wasn¡¯t exactly sure why she didn¡¯t want me at the Activation ceremony. She¡¯d seemed almost worried about it. But the alternative was going to Haley¡¯s party, where I¡¯d have to explain why I¡¯d bolted on her the other day. Then again, Monroe would be there, and I could really use a friend to talk to. Maybe to yell at.


    How the fuck could he have not told me? How¡­


    Dammit.


    My phone buzzed in my pocket, jolting me out of my numb stupor. I looked at it and blinked in surprise as it showed me a positively ridiculous amount of missed calls and text messages. Nine messages and thirteen missed calls.


    ¡°Speak of the devil,¡± I murmured to myself and answered the newest call, still shocked at how distant I must¡¯ve been to have not noticed my phone before.


    ¡°Monroe,¡± I snapped, coldly.


    ¡°Hey. Ah, how¡¯s things?¡± Monroe stammered awkwardly.


    ¡°Been better Monroe. Been better. The fuck, man?¡±


    I could practically hear my friend wince apologetically. ¡°She asked me not to say anything, Bran. She didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t really want to tell you anyway.¡±


    ¡°So, you figured leaving me in the dark was the better idea, hmm? Fuck you man! Fuck you!¡± I screamed, before throwing the phone across the room. The damn thing didn¡¯t even dent, and I hissed in dissatisfaction, hearing the minute sound of Monroe¡¯s hollow apologies on the other end.


    Even as I raged inwardly, I knew it wasn¡¯t his fault. It was mine. I should¡¯ve spent more time with April, but I didn¡¯t. I¡¯d forgotten her and wasted what little time we¡¯d had. I should¡¯ve spent more time helping her get her scholarship. Maybe if I had, then¡­


    No. There was no use running my thoughts in circles like that. April was going to be one of Tellroan¡¯s permanent workers. The mystery workers. The ones who tended to cut off all ties to the rest of the world and devote themselves to whichever tower they¡¯d been employed at entirely.


    Something was still strange though. Even the people who could see Sunsoul were usually allowed to keep in touch. What could be so important, so dire, to convince her to remain in complete isolation from her family? For years?


    She¡¯s one of the best. Maybe that means something?


    I didn¡¯t know, but slowly, the inklings of an idea began to form in my mind. An insane idea, that might possibly get me jail time. I thought it would be worth it though.


    ¡°Did you just¡­ throw your phone?¡± Monroe asked when I picked it back up, sounding a little worried.


    ¡°How long did you know about the Sunsoul? Huh?¡± I asked, ignoring the question. ¡°You two been having a laugh behind my back for years about it?¡±


    Monroe hesitated. ¡°H-Huh? What about Sunsoul? I mean, April didn¡¯t actually say anything, but I kinda got the feeling she could see it when you spotted the Array a few days ago. When she told me she¡¯d be going to work at Tellroan and wouldn¡¯t be able to contact us anymore, it made it a little obvious.¡±


    Well. That took the wind out of my sails. ¡°So, you didn¡¯t know before Monday?¡±


    ¡°I found out Wednesday. That¡¯s when she told me. She could see it before?¡±


    ¡°She freaking used it man.¡± I hissed. ¡°Summoned a green ball of light right there in her bedroom!¡±


    ¡°Impossible,¡± Monroe replied curtly. ¡°There are like eight people in the states who can do that, and maybe two hundred worldwide. That April could is just¡­ just¡­¡± He trailed off, thinking about what he was saying.


    ¡°She can. And better than almost anyone. She said we wouldn¡¯t even be able to contact her, Monroe. Tellroan is tight with all their new employees. Secretive. But they don¡¯t cut off all contact. They at least get video chats and emails and stuff. Not April though. Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t question it. It¡¯s Telilro. Everyone knows Scarlatte is paranoid. You gonna ask your mom?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± I hedged cautiously. My mom. She worked at Tellroan. She was high in its command structure. Not really near the top but one of the leads of¡­ something. A research division, I thought. Co-Chief Executives Manager, which I was more and more sure was a title created simply to bore people into not asking any further questions. Her degree was in Environmental Biology, though more recently, a degree in Biology just meant you wanted to study Sunsoul and why it was destroying the environment most the time. Just like a degree in Astronomy meant you wanted to look further into the solar system, rather than out anymore.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call you back,¡± I said when Monroe let the silence last too long, and the sadness of losing our best friend started to feel a little too close. A plan was beginning to form in my mind. My mom was already at Tellroan, and I knew about the activation party this afternoon. She had discouraged me from coming without actively telling me not to, but she didn¡¯t say I couldn¡¯t go.


    ¡°Wait. Monroe. That invite to the activation still open?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Uhm. Yeah? Wait what?¡± he asked, trying to catch up to my train of thought. ¡°You¡¯re not going to Haley¡¯s¨C?¡±


    ¡°Forget Haley. The Activation today. When are you leaving?¡± I interrupted.


    ¡°Pretty soon. It¡¯s already getting bright. Probably, about two hours,¡± he said, then hesitated. ¡°Are you¡­ going to do something stupid?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. I¡¯m coming over. I¡¯ll be going with you if that¡¯s okay,¡± I said in a way that implied that it had better be okay. His parents were usually cool with me going along to things, but this was an adult party. Monroe was not excited about going, and me asking to attend would likely be weird. That wasn¡¯t my problem though. I hung up before he could reply.


    I gathered my courage and¡­ my recklessness. I had my own job to do before this party started. It would take all my sneakiness and cunning.


    ...Or. So I thought. Stealing mom¡¯s spare keycard was actually stupidly easy.


    Several hours later I arrived at the activation party in high spirits. Monroe¡¯s family hadn¡¯t batted an eye at my request to attend, and even allowed Monroe to come with me instead of forcing him to ride with them. They were too busy actively not talking to each other to spare much attention for Monroe and I, so getting them to agree was quite easy¡­ if uncomfortable. Tellroan shined like a stark metallic obelisk. Its height was the first thing anyone noticed, even approaching it from dozens of miles away. That made it easy to forget just how wide the base of it was. Standing in its shadow, it was more comparable to a mountain than a tower. It stretched into the sky higher than almost any other building in the world, excepting its own twins. During the rare storm, when the clouds provided a flimsy shield against the sun¡¯s rays, the Tower could be seen cutting through them, stretching up into eternity.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    It was common knowledge that the air at the top of the tower was tough to breathe. According to Scarlatte, there would be no need for manned maintenance at levels that high, though. All the actual functions of the tower took place on the lower floors. Its height was to catch both Sunsoul and sunlight above the clouds and use it to generate the shield. Each ray of light that erupted from the tower would provide power, protection, and eternal light to the land below. And land was the right word. It acted as a conduit, dividing out its power to all the hundreds of thousands of light poles placed as far east as Nashville and as far West as Tulsa. St. Louis too would be protected by the light of the tower. Early estimates when Milwaukee¡¯s Tellvera first activated assumed that it would reach as far as St. Louis, but that had proven optimistic. Tellroan would reach that far though. It would even make a giant half-oval chunk of the Scorched Lands safe again.


    My fingers shook as I thought through what I had planned. Was I really going to try to sneak into the upper floors of Tellroan? There was quite a deluge of information on what the first level of the tower was like, as that was open to the public. The base level was so wide that it rented its space out to various companies and businesses so they could run their own operations there, much like any of the old Skyscrapers used to do in big cities. The sheer amount of space granted by a circular building almost two miles wide, just on the first floor alone, was mind boggling.


    The second level was also open to the public, though it served as the courthouse, DMV, and a few of the more stately functions of the area. When you had a building that stretched unfathomably high into the sky, it apparently kind of emasculated the government. So the local courthouse ¨C already barely standing and practically impossible to protect from the damaging sunlight ¨C moved into the Tower too. That still didn¡¯t make much of a dent in the available space left, though it was filling quickly. Soon residential areas and whole cities might exist on the first floor alone.


    The third floor was where information became fuzzy, but it was mostly believed to be the main administrative layer of the tower. Where finances were handled and cubicles were lined up forever onward. The tower, upon completion, served many purposes for the surrounding area. One of those functions was providing power and the shield. People couldn¡¯t directly pay for their power though because Tellroan couldn¡¯t exactly shut off the power for a late bill. So, instead, the government paid Tellroan for the power it would shell out on a permanent basis. So taxes rose. This required people. Each township or hub Tellroan would cover had its own representative, usually their respective Mayors, so there would be hundreds of people there, serving the best interests of their individual communities. This was also where most of the people here in town worked, and it was as high in the tower as you could get if you didn¡¯t actually work for Telilro.


    Beyond that, my Mom probably knew what was up there. Hardly anyone else though. It was theorized that the floors above the third were mostly hollow. Something about its own weight crushing itself if there were actually floors all the way up. There were most likely maintenance floors or observation decks every so often, and the main scientific labs probably weren¡¯t at the top. That would make for one long wait in the elevator, no matter how fast it moved.


    We walked into the enormous tower, and I felt my excitement rise. I didn¡¯t have much reason to visit the Tower and even going into the lower levels was a treat to me. I was quickly overwhelmed with the size as I walked in.


    Just as I¡¯d seen it during my eighth grade field trip, it was an enormous maze of stark grey halls, offset by bright glass windows and shining signs for company names. Everything from Nike to Walmart to AT&T had an office here. Some used the place like a headquarters while others rented enough space to turn their portion of Tellroan into a full distribution center. Most the exterior of the building was actually surrounded with the massive sun-shielded semitrailers for those companies who used the building for shipping, and that showed inside.


    It felt like the inside of home improvement store, mixed with the floor to ceiling glass windows and white lights of an office building. It wasn¡¯t like the hub though. None of the divisions were for retail or services. It felt like a warehouse, boxes and people operating forklifts visible through some windows, while comfortable offices, lounging sofas, leisure rooms, and the occasional caf¨¦ lined others.


    Visitors like Monroe and I were everywhere, most of us gawking at the massive size of the place as we followed the signs directing us towards where the activation ceremony would be. The more I saw, the more I wondered why in the hell I¡¯d wanted to go to Haley¡¯s party at all when this had been an option.


    ¡°It¡¯s incredible,¡± Monroe breathed. ¡°I wonder what the upper floors are like.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ The activation is going to be great, too. I¡¯m looking forward to standing in the sun,¡± I said distractedly. I tried to focus on what I¡¯d come here for. I was going to use the elevator to go up to the higher levels. I was going to find April and talk to her. If it would really be the last time then¡­ well. I didn¡¯t know what I¡¯d do after that.


    The crowd was directed to a large auditorium, which I realized looked a lot more like an aircraft hanger. On one end were a pair of gigantic closed doors and a portable stage had been erected on the side adjacent to the doors. I followed, expecting that I would get a chance to slip back into the building during the party. Irritatingly, I hadn¡¯t spotted anything that looked like it might be an elevator.


    We¡¯d lost Monroe¡¯s parents in the crush of the crowd and more people were spilling in behind us. As we entered the auditorium and began to take stock of the scene of this party, I found myself a little unimpressed. It was just a big room. But it wouldn¡¯t be safe outside until the actual activation, scheduled for more than an hour from now. Were we all expected to just hang out in this hanger until then?


    ¡°Bran, hey, Brandon. Look! Isn¡¯t that Doctor Fontaine over there?¡± Monroe exclaimed excitedly.


    I looked and sure enough, the woman leaning against one of the auditorium¡¯s pillars was none other than Violette Fontaine. The infamous scientific prodigy who had convinced the governments of the world to build her a spaceship when she was only twenty five. She looked unobtrusive, quietly looking up at the stage, then over to the hangar doors. I abruptly realized that they were going to open them. Probably soon too.


    We found a place to stand relatively free of people, and looked towards the stage where Scarlatte was just walking out. I grinned and Monroe grinned back at me excitedly. The woman was old, and looked it, though I would swear she looked younger than she had last time I¡¯d seen her on the television. She had long, flowing platinum white hair, and she wore a sort of suit-robe mix that made her look like a witch had dressed up for a job interview. She held a walking cane with jewels embedded in the handle. They sparkled with an admittedly impressive glow. She carried the cane as if it were a prop though, completely unneeded as her confident stride took her to the center of the stage.


    ¡°Ladies and Gentleman!¡± Scarlatte¡¯s voice burst out over the excited murmur of conversations and shuffling feet with an exuberant air of showmanship. ¡°Welcome, one and all, to the fourth of these ceremonies to take place in our world, and hopefully the most successful one yet! My guests I am Doctor Chandra Scarlatte, and welcoming to the activation ceremony of Immortality Engine Number Four. Designation: Tellroan!¡±


    A wild cheer erupted from the crowd and I found myself shouting as well. Monroe, much more reserved than me, merely clapped. Still, a wide grin spread across his face.


    ¡°Now, my guests. This ceremony¡¯s purpose is to watch the activation. How would we do that from here, inside the tower? I¡¯ll tell you how. We won¡¯t!¡±


    The old woman held up her hand and a perfect sphere of what looked like burning blue glass seemed to burst into life in her open palm. The crowd cheered once more as the blue fire took form. The woman smiled a secretive smile at her captivated audience before she raised her palm just a tad higher, and the blue light erupted, climbing to the top of the auditorium in a beautiful pillar of flame. The lights dimmed as the blue fire took over the show.


    The last of the flame leeched into the ceiling and began to slide down the edge of the room, forming a blue dome that began to sink down to the floor. I was mesmerized by the massive show of power and skill. In the back of my mind though, I wondered why Scarlatte¡¯s Sunsoul was blue, when April¡¯s had been green.


    The sunsoul finished encasing the room and the whole place seemed to get a tad colder. The crowd continued to cheer for Scarlatte as she raised her hands to quieten them. Then, realizing she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to, she turned towards a control room sitting above the entrance to the auditorium and shouted, ¡°Open the hangar doors!¡±


    At her command, the massive hangar doors began to open outward, letting sunlight spill in and seem to sparkle as it passed through the glistening blue shield. Yet no one was harmed as the room brightened to a light I could hardly ever recall seeing. I gasped in awe as I felt the sun touch me, and felt no pain through the blue shield Scarlatte was projecting. The crowd joined me, fading to awed silence as the sun was let in, and washed over us without harming anyone.


    ¡°Special thanks go out to Janice Yates, Jack Tew, Evolyn Bellflower, Blanche Meadows, Doug Phillips, and Catherine Quaker, all of whom will be maintaining this barrier until the activation! Please, step outside! Enjoy the sunlight, and have some refreshments! Thank you all for coming, and we hope you love standing in the light as much as we do!¡±


    I blinked. Mom!?


    Sure enough, there was my mom, holding up her hand and adding a thin flow of green Sunsoul to the blue barrier Scarlatte had made.


    The enigmatic old woman waved her cane and walked off the stage, slowly walking outside as the barrier warbled its way out of the hanger like a balloon.


    ¡°I guess I knew your mom could use Sunsoul Brandon, but it¡¯s different knowing she can and seeing her do it!¡± Monroe exclaimed. ¡°April can do this too?¡±


    I nodded dumbly. I¡¯d never really seen Mom use it either. Why? Why wouldn¡¯t she be using it all the time? I would if I could!


    We both continued gawking in shock as we followed the crowd outside into the dome of Sunsoul that protected us from the deadly sunlight above. Eleven A.M. and we were almost standing under the sun. Amazing.


    ¡°Is this all you can do?¡± Came a sudden voice. Not loud, but it boomed in the awestruck silence.


    I blinked and searched through the crowd for the familiar voice.


    Without warning, another ball of light appeared in the palm of someone else¡¯s hand. I couldn¡¯t actually see her but everyone knew Violette Fontaine¡¯s voice. The sunsoul gathered in her open palm was the same pure green as what I¡¯d seen April use, but this burned more intensely than either April or Scarlatte¡¯s blue flame had.


    The green fire shot up into the sky, bursting through the blue shield without affecting it. Above the blue light a bigger shield formed, falling down over the blue one and surrounding it in a larger dome. ¡°And I¡¯m not even trying, Scarlatte.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, you finally came to visit. Everyone! We have a special guest this evening. The destroyer of the world herself, Doctor Fontaine!¡± Scarlatte exclaimed, holding out her hand to the woman in a formal introductory way. She spoke as if trying to induce a round of applause, but no one clapped. Space cleared around the pariah as more and more people realized who she was. I edged away from her too as the thinning crowd revealed the small woman. I didn¡¯t want to draw any attention to myself. I was completely un-noteworthy here and if I wanted to sneak away, I¡¯d have to remain so.


    I knew intellectually that it was Violette who had actually taught the aged old woman Scarlatte, but it was nearly impossible to not regard them the other way around. Violette was still strikingly beautiful for a woman in her forties. While Scarlatte certainly seemed spry for an eighty-year-old woman¡­ she was still an eighty-year-old woman.


    ¡°Good evening, Chandra,¡± Doctor Fontaine said. ¡°I know you¡¯d given me an open invite. I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about. I just thought I¡¯d add an extra layer of protection. Wouldn¡¯t want anyone getting hurt.¡±


    ¡°I assure you, no harm will come to anyone here. And once the activation is completed, there will be no further need of bawdy showmanship, eh?¡±


    I realized suddenly that there would be no better time for me to slip away. Everyone was focused on the two of them, to the exclusion of all else, but both shields still encased the hangar so people could go back into the building for bathrooms and the like. Slipping away as the drama unfolded before me, I left as the two women began a truly unrivaled trade of insults thinly disguised as compliments.


    I had to find April. I had to see her again. One more time.

 Chapter Eleven - The Throne of Light

    Chapter Eleven: The Throne of Light


    <hr>


    The building was a maze. Despite the large number of glass windows, the main hallways spiraled around, twisting and turning on themselves to the point where it was hard to focus. Fortunately there were maps of the first floor every now and then, and there were so many people here today for the activation that it was no surprise to find as many people wandering the halls looking at the sites as there were actually employees working. It seemed like there were as many people taking the opportunity to explore the business sector on the bottom floor as had decided to attend the activation.


    The building¡¯s interior was a series of massive inward spiraling hallways, made by the glass windows that showed the various businesses and warehouses within. This allowed large storage and warehouses to be near the outside, while more mundane offices and company headquarters that didn¡¯t need as much space rented areas closer to the middle. The garage, as was custom with all new construction these days, was on in the basement levels. The stairs and elevators were all located in the middle of smaller paths that connected the wider spiral hallways together. There were four of them, though one of them was labeled Main Elevators. I assumed I¡¯d have to use that one.


    My mom¡¯s keycard was burning a hole in my pocket. I didn¡¯t really know how much trouble she might get in if I were caught sneaking in with it, but frankly, I was kind of mad at her. She surely knew April would be coming to Tellroan. So what the hell? Did Gale know too? Did Dad?


    Getting her fired might be disproportionate revenge though, so I elected to be extra careful. I did not consider turning back though.


    It took me about fifteen minutes to find the elevators, only for my heart to plummet as I saw the security guard standing nearby them. Well, I wasn¡¯t going to just give up without even trying.


    I approached the elevator, and the Security guard looked up at me. He was about mid-thirties, his hair just beginning to turn grey. He had an immaculate suit that was marred by a ketchup stain that he¡¯d clearly spent quite a bit of time trying to rub out. Still he greeted me cheerfully.


    ¡°Good Morning. Court, or the DMV? Shame. You¡¯re missing the Activation you know,¡± he asked in a heavily northern drawl. Well. Someone had certainly fallen in the world. Fortunately, that was the perfect excuse. He clearly assumed I meant to go to the second level.


    I shrugged nonchalantly, rolling with his ready-made excuse. I just needed to get into the elevator. The card would get me higher. ¡°Eh, it is what it is. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll still be activated a few hours from now. Shame I¡¯m missing Scarlatte though. Always wanted to see Sunsoul in action.¡±


    ¡°Good attitude, kid! Head on in, and I hope whatever you¡¯re here for doesn¡¯t take long, eh?¡± He asked with a wide smile.


    ¡°Thanks, uh, Henry!¡± I replied, noting the name on his badge before hitting the up button on the elevator. I stepped inside with a wave, and sure enough, found a keycard scanner on the panel listing the floors.


    Wow that¡¯s a lot of floors.


    I waved Mom¡¯s card under the scanner and the elevator lit up green.


    ¡°Welcome, Doctor Meadows. Please hold one moment. Commencing Sunsoul Scan. Error. Sunsoul not found. Intruder detected,¡± the delightful automated voice said, spelling out my doom. The lights turned red and singled loud claaack. Echoed.


    ¡°Hey¡­ what you up to in there, kid?¡± Henry called from the front desk.


    I panicked, as I hurriedly stuffed my Mom¡¯s keycard back into my pocket. The damn elevators had Sunsoul scanners? I didn¡¯t even know that was a thing!


    ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ was¡­ I think I hit the wrong butt¨C!¡±


    ¡°Hey, Henry. He¡¯s with me. He¡¯s brand new, and Thelma was about to call him up soon,¡± came the second unexpectedly familiar voice of this infiltration.


    ¡°Clara! Welcome back! I¡¯d heard you took a bad burn! Good to see you up and about!¡± The man said, absolutely delighted.


    ¡°It was pretty bad, but I¡¯m as good as I can be now. Maybe better, actually!¡± The girl said, sounding much more bright and cheerful than she had while calling me a moron over and over again. My heart leapt into my throat as her words caught up with me. Thelma? Call me up? With her? What was she talking about? For that matter, why was she here?


    ¡°Now, would you let me and him on up? He¡¯s a dunce, but I¡¯ll keep my eye on him until he gets to Thelma, okay?¡± She asked. ¡°Don¡¯t report him. If you do, I¡¯ll be stuck down here all day, and I want a shower like you wouldn¡¯t believe.¡±


    The man looked to me, then back to Clara, his eyes softening. The lights in the elevator flashed back to their regular green hue.


    ¡°Only for you, Clara. This better not come back to bite me though, y¡¯hear?¡±


    Clara stepped into the elevator with me, beaming at the security guard. ¡°Thanks, so much Henry. You won¡¯t regret it!¡±


    Clara shouldered me out of the way and put her own key card against the scanner. It blipped a shining green. The automated voice chimed in again and confirmed that she and a guest would be allowed access. Finally, it gave an automated warning that I was to be escorted at all times while on the premises, before the doors finally closed the two of us inside.


    She turned to look at me as we began to rise rapidly, and quirked an eyebrow.


    I flushed, but met her gaze levelly.


    ¡°So. What are you doing here?¡± She asked softly.


    ¡°I could ask you the same question,¡± I replied sourly.


    ¡°I live here. You on the other hand, didn¡¯t know that. So, you can¡¯t be here for me,¡± she speculated casually, pretending to stroke a non-existent beard. ¡°Thelma didn¡¯t actually call you did she? No. So what does that leave? The activation¡¯s today so¡­ were you actually just breaking in to see it from the inside or something? Maybe someone from Sirahn payed you to find secrets? It better not be that one by the way. If it is, you¡¯re just¡­ so very screwed.¡±


    I quirked an eyebrow this time. ¡°You live here?¡±


    ¡°So, not Sirahn. Gotcha. And either more brave or more stupid than I thought. You know that Scarlatte could and would totally erase you if she found out you¡¯d snuck in right?¡¯


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t care. Not that it¡¯s any of your business what I¡¯m here for.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say it is my business since I just stuck my neck out on the line for you. Again,¡± she disagreed, menacingly. ¡°And if I don¡¯t get an answer in the next few seconds then I¡¯ll hit the alarms and you¡¯ll be in a holding tank awaiting experimentation before you can blink.¡±


    I grit my teeth, annoyed. She had gotten me into the elevator at least. Maybe I could give her the benefit of the doubt.


    ¡°It¡¯s my best friend. Her name is April, and she got hired by Tellroan just yesterday. I wanted to see her one more time¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­ you risk your life for that? Hell, just call her on Skype or something,¡± Clara said, irritated.


    ¡°They won¡¯t let her. Not for five years apparently. Though I have no idea why,¡± I said, softly.


    Clara blinked at that, her eyes widening. ¡°Oh¡­ ohh. Your friend is ¡®New Girl.¡¯ Well. Don¡¯t you just know people in high places? Infused by Ilro and friends with Roan. Maybe it is a good thing I brought you up here.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    I blinked. ¡°What? What are you talking about? Who¡¯s Roan? My friend¡¯s name is April.¡±


    ¡°Tel-Ilro and Tell-Roan. Dumbass. Me and New Girl. I haven¡¯t actually met her yet, though we¡¯ll be roommates soon enough. For a little while anyway. Hope she isn¡¯t a bitch.¡±


    I growled. ¡°April is the kindest girl you¡¯ll ever meet.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, touchy touchy. I thought you liked the cheerleader anyway?¡±


    I grit my teeth, becoming more annoyed by this girl by the second. What was with her? I¡¯d given up my relationship with Haley specifically because of her, and now I was being mocked for it?


    ¡°I dumped her after I saw what she was saying to you that day,¡± I hissed.


    She blinked, struck with surprise. The elevator chose that moment to chime ¡°Ninety!¡± and the door opened to a massive room.


    My eyes widened in shock as I took in the ninetieth floor of Tellroan. The room it opened out into was huge. The absolute first thing I noticed upon walking out of the elevator was the complete lack of ceiling. The walls of the gigantic circular room went up. And up.


    And up. I couldn¡¯t see the top, due to how bright it became up there, and I had to look back down to the floor before being blinded. Spots danced in my vision.


    The tower thinned out as it rose and the elevator that had been near the middle of the bottom floor was at the edge of the building this high up. Ahead was a tiled floor filled with intricate patterns that made my eyes water to look at them for long. Along the circular side of the room the path went left, right, and towards the middle. To left and right were various pods that looked sort of like huge tanning beds. They had no apparent purpose that I could see but each of them appeared to contain bubbling water and glowed a neon green.


    Further down were a series of squat square buildings that looked like townhomes. It took me a moment to realize that they were townhomes, each about five stories high. They ran along the curved outside edge of the interior of the tower. Buildings within the building. Their entrances all faced toward the center. There were doors and numbers and mailboxes and even little potted plants and gardens on what had to be artificial lawns. Each level had its own balcony, almost exactly like roadside motels. The buildings seemed to continue all the way around the back wall of the buildings interior. Homes for a mountain of employees.


    Sidewalks, made of some sort of futuristic metal panels ten feet by ten feet like the interior of a Home Depot, made up the empty ground between the homes, their artificial lawns and the center. Everything led to what could only be called a column of light. Glowing the same neon green that April¡¯s Sunsoul had, the power seemed to flow downwards in a rushing torrent on the left before rushing back upwards on the right.


    Between the two godlike currents of light that illuminated the entire interior of the massive space, a staircase extended outwards over open air to where a raised platform held what could only be called a throne. Ominous wires and tubes ran out the back, stretching down below the floors level to who knew where.


    I could hardly believe what I was seeing. The path and the throne were both surrounded by a metal banister, but it was easy to see that the ground simply fell away beyond it to allow those two pillars of light the room they needed. The chair was empty, but it made me shiver just looking at it. Mysterious dials and buttons glowed all over the armrests. It looked comfortable if not for the unpleasant similarities to childhood nightmares about what electric chairs might look like.


    ¡°Welcome! You¡¯re technically the first boy I¡¯ve ever brought home. Just wait till you meet my parents!¡± Clara exclaimed in an exaggerated voice that echoed in the vast chamber.


    Her voice had a way of pulling me out of the majesty of this place.


    ¡°Are you always like this?¡± I asked, annoyed.


    She pouted, looking put out.


    ¡°Take the fun out of it, why don¡¯t you? Well, come on. Might as well introduce you to Thelma, and see if we can get you in to see New Girl before she sits in the big chair. It¡¯s almost time, you know?¡±


    ¡°W-wait, April is going to sit¡­. there!?¡± I exclaimed, pointing at the wired throne with a trembling hand.


    Clara¡¯s voice became uncharacteristically solemn. ¡°April¡¯s her name? Huh. Cute. If she¡¯s really not allowed to see anyone for five years, then probably yeah. The only reason someone has to stay on lockdown for that long is if they¡¯re going to be tied to the tower. That¡¯s what the chair is for. The tower won¡¯t work without her after that. Until she¡¯s recovered and made at least three Gifted, she¡¯ll have to be protected. She¡­ she definitely can¡¯t leave until then either.¡±


    She was quiet for a while. Long enough to make me feel uncomfortable, but I didn¡¯t know what else to say.


    ¡°It¡¯s a brave thing she¡¯s doing. Even more brave than what you thought you were doing for me. You should be proud of her,¡± she said somberly.


    ¡°I am! I just¡­ she never told me any of this. I didn¡¯t even know she could see Sunsoul until yesterday, let alone use it.¡±


    ¡°Wow. That¡¯s impressive. It¡¯s actually kinda hard to hide it. There¡¯s a¡­ desire to use it. To play with the light you know?¡±


    Wait a minute.


    ¡°You can touch Sunsoul too!?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± She said, popping the P. Even as she spoke, she held up her own hand and a blue orb appeared above it.


    I let out a screech of frustration that Clara delighted in. Was¡­ was it my destiny to just be surrounded by people who had what I wanted? My Mom, John, April, and now Clara too!? What next, Monroe!? Gail!?


    I sighed, and joined her in staring at the little ball of light.


    ¡°Why is it Blue?¡± I blurted after a few seconds passed.


    ¡°Huh? Oh. It¡¯s because I¡¯m tied to a tower. My Sunsoul is refined now. New Girl¡¯s was probably green, right?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, after today hers will be blue too. The towers make it stronger. Thelma or Scarlatte could tell you why but it''s all a bunch of mumbo jumbo to me.¡±


    She let the light fade before she turned and continued walking towards a small building near the raised throne. Small patches of grass and plants decorating the sides of the paths seemed out of place in the neon green world I¡¯d stepped into.


    ¡°Quite the sight, huh?¡± she asked, amused as I continued taking in Tellroan¡¯s splendor.


    ¡°It¡¯s incredible¡­¡± I breathed. Somehow terrible too, but I didn¡¯t tell her that. I¡¯d always known the tower was enormous but seeing it from within was like stepping into another world. The base levels were practically mundane by comparison. Basically no different from a big Hub. But this¡­


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not going to get in trouble for bringing me here?¡± I asked, suddenly feeling weirdly out of place. Like I forgot to take my shoes off at the front door.


    Clara shrugged, running a hand through the thin white fuzz growing back in on her head. ¡°As my sixth Gifted, you¡¯ll probably be looped into what I did to you soon enough. Lucky for you, lover-boy. You might get to see New Girl more often. You can¡¯t touch Sunsoul like her and me, but you¡¯ve got the next best thing! Immortality and Sunlight immunity until the day Telilro falls!¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell, its like everyone I know can use it except me¡­¡± I pouted. I knew I was pouting but I didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Trust me. It isn¡¯t something to envy. It¡¯s a fucking curse. Beyond that it¡¯s not even all that useful, you know? I mean. It¡¯s cool. Pretty. But if you suddenly wake up one day and have the ability to make light with your hands, what are you really going to do with that? Find your phone in the dark. That¡¯s about it.¡±


    I blanched at her.


    Not very useful!?


    ¡°How can you say that?¡± I shouted. ¡°That power is allowing thousands of people to live here! Did you see the barriers they put up down there? That¡¯s safety! That¡¯s valuable! Without Sunsoul we¡¯d probably have to dig underground and become cave people!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but if not for finding it, we wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the Sun at all,¡± she countered. ¡°It used to be safe for everyone¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t buy that. Someone would¡¯ve found it sooner or later,¡± I rationalized. ¡°If not Violette it would¡¯ve been someone else. It was only a matter of time.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Something¡¯s off about her. Even refined, it takes multiple people to put together a barrier as big as that one Scarlatte¡¯s using out there, but Violette¡­?¡± She shuddered. ¡°She¡¯s kinda scary.¡±


    ¡°You saw?¡± I asked, remembering the way Violette made a shield that encompassed Scarlatte¡¯s entirely.


    ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t even come close to manipulating that much Sunsoul,¡± she confessed. ¡°Not that I¡¯ve ever really tried.¡±


    ¡°Why not? If I could do that I¡¯d never stop messing around with it,¡± I admitted.


    She scowled at me, eyes flashing and I winced.


    What did I say?


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying¡­ it¡¯s pretty important,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Only because the fucking world is ending. Sunsoul users like me? We¡¯re pretty lucky Scarlatte and Tellanex found a way to use the stuff for power and to generate barriers. If the Sun wasn¡¯t steadily burning up the planet people like me would be¡­ useless. Freaks of nature,¡± she said softly, putting a hand on my slumped shoulder.


    It was the first time I¡¯d ever heard the girl sound anything but sarcastic. I preferred the sarcasm.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little selfish?¡± I said. Still, hadn¡¯t I been thinking that exact thing before when I¡¯d seen my mom using Sunsoul? It wasn¡¯t very useful.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± she replied softly. ¡°We¡¯re sacrifices though. Five years, remember? I think we deserve to be a little selfish. Well. The others anyway. I certainly don¡¯t.¡±


    Suddenly, the implications of what she¡¯d said clicked. She was tied to a tower. Just like April was apparently about to be. Infused by Ilro, friends with Roan. If April, Roan, was my friend then that meant Clara was¡­


    ¡°You¡¯ve¡­ you¡¯ve been to Telilro,¡± I gasped.


    She gave a brittle smile. ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    <hr>

 Chapter Twelve – The Bullet to End the World

    Chapter Twelve: The Bullet to End the World


    <hr>


    Clara and I continued the walk toward the small building near the throne in uncomfortable silence. I didn¡¯t know what to say, and it appeared Clara, for once, didn¡¯t have anything to add either.


    Fortunately, by the time our conversation died, we¡¯d gotten pretty close to the obvious destination. It was the only building near the center of the tower. A squat thing that felt almost like a barn by comparison to everything around it.


    Most of the middle area of the entire level was kept vacant specifically to give a better view to anyone who wanted to look at the big chair, as Clara called it. The place felt wondrous but also¡­ creepy. The neon green glow that suffused everything gave the floor a dystopian futuristic vibe.


    I¡¯d have loved this in a video game. In real life, this feels like the place where plagues are born.


    The clear plastic tubes, the capsule tanks with glowing green liquid that looked suspiciously like high-tech coffins, and the strange gardens were surreal. Huge venus flytraps and exotic mushrooms that actually looked like they were from a Mario game were all kept trimmed to a maximum waist height. Glass flower pots hung like lanterns with plants that glowed as well providing their own dim pathway, unnecessary considering just how well the columns of light touched everything.


    I realized as we walked that all of those flowers Thelma had brought to Clara, the ones that seemed to die in order to revive her, must¡¯ve come from here. Were they like¡­ batteries maybe? Could Sunsoul users heal themselves by slurping on green plants?


    I chuckled at the mental image of Clara eating a tulip, and almost outright laughed when I thought of all the ¡®healthy greens¡¯ memes that little revelation might generate.


    When we finally reached the door to the building, I noticed I could see inside the windows. The interior looked closer to what I would¡¯ve expected for Tellroan. A lab. I recognized Thelma immediately from the black hair on the back of her head. She was facing away from us and talking to someone much smaller than her.


    Clara practically smashed the door open before shouting ¡°Lucy, I¡¯m Hooome!¡±


    The building consisted of one large living room area, surrounded by desks on all sides and windows which allowed anyone sitting there to look out into the floor beyond. A strange mix between a living room and an office, save for the extra coffin which looked to have a monkey in it, sleeping inside the green liquid. At the back end where Thelma stood was a hallway that led to a series of small occupied rooms on the left and right that reminded me a little bit of a string of recording studios. There were windows allowing me to see into each office.


    Thelma turned around slowly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as if bracing for a battle. Her lips were a thin line. It seemed I wasn¡¯t the only one who annoyed this woman.


    ¡°Clara,¡± she finally said when she opened her eyes. ¡°I¡¯d like you to meet April. She will be¨C!¡± she cut off abruptly as her eyes landed on me, and her eyes blazed.


    ¡°What the hell is he doing here, Clara!?¡± she shouted.


    ¡°What, no welcome back? Thank god you¡¯re not dead? We¡¯re so glad you¡¯re still alive to keep being our live-in piggy bank? None of that?¡± Clara snapped bitterly.


    ¡°Welcome back, Clara. It''s so good to see you are well,¡± Thelma said with the most deadpan voice I¡¯d ever heard in my life, putting even my mom to shame. ¡°Now what the hell is he doing here?¡±


    Clara shrugged before sitting down in one of the chairs lining the room¡¯s walls. ¡°He seemed cute. I figured I¡¯d take him to my place so we could make out. Plus have you seen his car? Like Ohmigawd!¡±


    I flushed, both annoyed and embarrassed by the sarcastic girl, wondering if she was ever serious. ¡°Uhm. H-hello again. Ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Brandon!¡± April cried, appearing as if from nowhere behind the tall woman. She splashed into me like a tidal wave, arms encircling my waist in a huge hug.


    Thelma blinked, taken aback by April¡¯s excited reaction. ¡°Well, that certainly is a coincidence. You know this boy too, April?¡±


    ¡°Fucking boys. All the same. You bring ¡®em home and the first thing they do is hook up with your roommate,¡± Clara joked with false indignance. I glared at her over April¡¯s head but she just gave me a smug grin.


    ¡°Speaking of, hi roomy!¡± Clara said, waving to April wildly. She seemed to love being the center of attention. I wondered what made her so¡­ bitter. She was constantly sarcastic but¡­ damn.


    Thelma watched the scene from over her thin spectacles, the spitting image of a disapproving librarian. She hadn¡¯t worn those the last time I met her but they seemed to complete an impression I hadn¡¯t managed to fully form the last time we¡¯d met.


    Thelma sighed. ¡°I suppose it was only a matter of time anyway. Clara, are you feeling well? Do you need another Iklumary?¡±


    Clara waved the woman away, opening a minifridge under one of the desks and pulling out a can of Pepsi. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯m fully healed as best I can tell. No lasting damage.¡±


    ¡°How are you here?¡± April whispered, still hugging me as tight as a life buoy. ¡°They told me I¡¯d have to be protected here. No outside contact! How did you get in?¡±


    I looked down at April and beamed, relief overwhelming me. She was wearing a white outfit that looked like a cross between a lacey sundress and a hospital gown. She looked beautiful.


    ¡°I brought him, lovergirl,¡± Clara injected. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Uh. Seriously this time. It¡¯s¡­ scary to sit in the big chair alone.¡±


    I blinked as I looked at her. Every now and then something real peeked out from beneath all of her sarcasm.


    April pulled away from me and turned to Clara, before blinking. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re that girl! The one Brandon saved! I never realized¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± she drawled, the indignation real this time. ¡°I saved him. Obviously. He¡¯s one of my conduits now. They told you about those, right?¡±


    I was completely lost. Conduits. That was the second time she¡¯d called me a conduit and I still didn¡¯t know what it meant, but April nodded as if she understood.


    ¡°Right. That whole thing¡­ it makes so much more sense now! I¡¯m¡­ sure it wasn¡¯t easy. I know some people have got to be really mad about it, too.¡±


    ¡°Meh,¡± Clara replied. ¡°Fuck ¡®em. They¡¯ll sit in line and shut up or they¡¯ll get thrown off the queue. There are thousands of wealthy crones waiting to fork over their whole fortunes for the chance. Tellroan can spare a few mil.¡±


    ¡°I assure you, it cannot,¡± Thelma snapped. ¡°What you did will set back production on Tellcora and Tellecho by months. Maybe years. That¡¯s years'' worth of people unable to live in the free air. Years of economic growth, lost so you could save one boy. I hope it was worth it.¡±


    Clara wilted with each word from Thelma, but anger burned there as she was scolded.


    ¡°I¡¯m not letting anyone die if I can help it. I¡¯m sure you could¡¯ve just let someone burn right in front of you. Heartless witch,¡± Clara mumbled, but her voice was sharp and tight as a coiled spring.


    ¡°A simple barrier would have sufficed, to protect the boy. Instead, you wasted a multimillion-dollar product, and almost got yourself killed.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± she shuddered, wilting under the weight of the accusation. ¡°I know¡­ I wanted to but it didn¡¯t work! I tried, I¡­¡±


    Thelma¡¯s eyes softened, and she sighed. ¡°I know. I know you would¡¯ve shielded him if you could¡¯ve. It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s a miracle that you survived anyway, and we do have Mr. Meadows to thank for that at least.¡±


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Clara suddenly looked over at me, glaring as if annoyed that I¡¯d seen her embarrassed or vulnerable.


    ¡°Doctor Louise?¡± came a sudden small voice before Thelma could speak. ¡°I¡­ hate to interrupt but I have to ask. Will Clara being here cause any problems with the activation? It¡¯s going to be time to start very soon.¡±


    A mousy Asian woman with an Irish accent poked her head out of one of the rooms down the hallway, looking directly at Thelma.


    ¡°No, no, Clara shouldn¡¯t interrupt anything. No more than she normally does at any rate,¡± Thelma said with a glare for the girl. ¡°She is the same as Scarlatte. Her presence will act as a stabilizing influence for the binding. Her presence should actually make the activation run more smoothly for April. Speaking of¡­¡±


    The woman trailed off as she sat down in a chair. Bits and bobs littered the desk along with one of those strange flowers that had healed


    ¡°April. It is almost time. Are you ready?¡± she asked.


    April spared a glance out the window to the two conduits of pulsing light and the menacing throne illuminated in the middle.


    ¡°Is¡­ anyone ever ready for that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No. I suppose not. Even Scarlatte was intimidated by it, and these towers are her inventions after all. I wish someone else were strong enough with Sunsoul to take this burden from you. I wish I were. But¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s okay,¡± April replied, as she pulled away from me. She was smiling. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    She turned that beautiful smile on Clara and said, ¡°Thank you. Thank you for saving Brandon, and for bringing him here. It means the world to me. I¡¯ll never forget it.¡±


    To my shock, Clara flushed at the praise. ¡°Shit, I just ran into him in the elevator. Wasn¡¯t any big thing¡­¡±


    She walked over towards the door we¡¯d entered through, before turning around. Her dress actually became even more beautiful with the lace reflecting the neon green light.


    ¡°Thanks for coming, Bran,¡± she said simply.


    ¡°Better late than never, right?¡± I replied, sheepishly.


    She laughed. ¡°Well. I¡¯m gonna go help fix the world, yeah?¡±


    She turned and skipped out the door.


    I moved to follow her, but Thelma placed her hand on my shoulder. ¡°No. No one can be out there once the binding starts except her. You¡¯ll have to stay here. Ciara? Would you mind Brandon and Clara joining you in your office during the activation?¡±


    The doctor from before popped her head out of the door again. ¡°Little busy at the moment! Can¡¯t Iramo take them?¡±


    ¡°Busy with what? Your tasks were completed hours ago,¡± Thelma replied, a little annoyed. ¡°Besides, Iramo and most of the non-essential staff, not to mention half the security team went down to the ceremony when they heard Violette was there. Apparently, seeing a pissing match between those two is more important than saving the world!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ Doctor Fontaine is here?¡± Ciara asked with an impish grin.


    Thelma glared.


    ¡°Kidding! Kidding. But, I really can¡¯t, Doctor! This is my first time seeing an activation and I really don¡¯t want to be distracted by kids! No offense,¡± she said with a quick glance toward Clara and me.


    Thelma rolled her eyes. ¡°Very well. Come with me, Clara. You too, Brandon. I¡¯ll call your mother after the activation. She can deal with this mess. For now, you can watch from my observation room. I¡¯ll be very busy so don¡¯t touch anything.¡±


    I watched April for a moment from the large windows, kind of wanting to just stay here where I knew I could see her. Still, I didn¡¯t want to mess anything up. I followed along after Clara as we walked into the furthest office. There were windows in here as well and I was happy to see that they gave me an even better view.


    April slowly climbed the steps up to it. I could almost see the apprehension on her face. The staircase extended out over a vast chasm and April took a moment to peer over the edge before backing away towards the center of the stairs. She approached the throne and only then did I realize how small she seemed in comparison to the huge seat.


    She sat down and scooted back. Unlike thrones from most fairy tales, this one did at least make an effort to look comfortable.


    ¡°Good. I¡­ Good,¡± Thelma said, suddenly uncomfortable. ¡°Clara? Be sure to tell him what to expect. I won¡¯t have him blundering into this activation because he thinks the girl is in danger when she is not.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯ll make sure he doesn¡¯t go all Noonday on her,¡± she snarked.


    I groaned, glaring at her. I turned back to Thelma, about to tell her that I wouldn¡¯t do anything like that, but the woman was already closing the door. I frowned, irritated.


    ¡°Sooo¡­ Better late than never,¡± Clara drawled mockingly. ¡°Really? That¡¯s what you chose to say to your girlfriend before she sits down on the altar of boredom? And I thought I was a shitty romantic.¡±


    ¡°I¡­! Well¡­ shut up!¡± I shouted.


    She cackled gleefully before pulling a chair near the back of the room up towards the window while I took the one already there. They were regular office chairs. The kind with five wheels Painfully mundane. They felt so out of place amidst the exotic world right outside this little haven of normality.


    ¡°So¡­ Telilro huh?¡± I asked after I¡¯d calmed down. It felt like it should¡¯ve been a monumental moment but after a few minutes of just watching April sit there, it started to feel awkward.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said softly. ¡°Fucking Telilro.¡±


    I didn¡¯t really know what to say to that. I¡¯d never met a survivor of Telilro. Unless I missed my guess entirely, it seemed like Clara had been the person tied to that tower, the same as April was being tied to Tellroan. Clearly there was history there; even my dense mind could pick up on that.


    ¡°Why is there only one L?¡± I asked, blurting out the first thing I could think of that probably wouldn¡¯t offend her.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Telilro. All the others have two L¡¯s. Tellroan, Tellanex, Tellvera. Two L¡¯s in the ¡°Tell.¡± Why is Telilro the only spelled with just one?¡±


    She looked at me like I¡¯d just asked the stupidest question, but as it sank in, she put her hand to her chin in thought. ¡°I¡¯ve never thought about it.¡±


    ¡°Huh. I guess it does technically have two¨C!¡±


    At that moment, the light spilling in from the window flared, tripling in intensity for a sharp moment. A green haze filled my vision and I had blink away the spots in my eyes away before everything dimmed again.


    When I could see out the window again, April hadn¡¯t moved, but she was breathing heavily. Her arms were now strapped to the throne¡¯s armrests. The tubes running into the throne were lit up and that green liquid that was in the coffin-like tanks now filled the tubes as well. The glow of her Sunsoul appeared in a nimbus around her. She gritted her teeth as if straining for something.


    ¡°She¡¯s okay,¡± Clara said, reading my question before I even asked it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt. I remember. It¡¯s just¡­ overwhelming. Right now she feels like a million bucks. The limit of what she could do before will feel easy to her now. It¡¯s like she¡¯s suddenly lifting ten cars and she knows it should be tough but it isn¡¯t. Trust me.¡±


    April was sweating. Her black hair seemed damp, but the air around her crackled and sizzled, mutely through the protective glass. It felt like a thunderstorm was happening right above her, and she sat in the eye. The columns of light pulsed bright once more. Before they felt static, but now they seemed like the heartstrings of a great giant, pulsing its first breath of life.


    ¡°It feels like there should¡¯ve been a countdown. Doesn¡¯t it?¡± I asked, unable to tear my eyes away.


    ¡°Yeah. I bet they had one. We just couldn¡¯t hear.¡±


    I wondered what was going on down below. They¡¯d opened the hangar doors leaving people protected only by Sunsoul until the Tower took over. So¡­ was it like the ball drop on New Year¡¯s Eve? I wondered what Monroe was doing. Looking for me, probably. Was my Mom looking for me in the crowd down there, too?


    It didn¡¯t matter. Trying to distract myself didn¡¯t help. April, stuck out there in that torrent of energy was all I could think of. Looking at the columns of light I could hardly believe that this was the tower in its inactive state. April¡¯s hair began to whip wildly, still tied up in its ever-present ponytail.


    Clara seemed as mesmerized as I felt. The left column, the one with the energy rushing down pulsed, and April screamed. I could faintly hear her through the glass. I clenched my fist but was surprised when Clara put a hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°She¡¯s fine. I promise,¡± she said. To my surprise, I found the words comforting. I relaxed, and it seemed April did too. The left column pulsed again, and then the right one followed suit, a bubble of light rushing through a vein. It reminded me of Christmas lights that lit in a chain, one after another. Blue, within the pillar of green. She was being tied to the tower.


    She settled down, and while I could see her hands tightly gripping the edges of her armrests, her feet settled calmly onto the ground. Her shoulders relaxed. More blue pulses ran back up to the top of the tower and before my eyes, the right column began to gradually shift its color.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s going well!¡± I heard Thelma shout. ¡°Ciara, see if you can¡¯t close a few of those ventilation shafts now! They should be loose enough!¡±


    I wondered what the hell Thelma meant, but decided that I¡¯d probably never know. Even so, I felt like I was a part of this. Tellroan was more than just a power plant. More than just a barrier. It had so much hope placed in it. I could hardly fathom how much our lives would change after this. All of the wonderful things we¡¯d be able to do after we were safe in the daylight again. It seemed like a dream, but that dream was becoming a reality right in front of me. It was all because of my best friend too.


    The pulses grew faster and faster until they blurred together. Greater light within that already intense beam. In contrast, April seemed to relax into the increased speed.


    It all felt so surreal. It condensed until it looked almost solid, a tube of green rocketing down into some unknown mechanism below, only to be forced back up as the refined blue Sunsoul of Scarlatte¡¯s solar towers. Both beams solidified and the light dimmed back to a more intense yet confined plasmatic shape.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Clara said. ¡°It¡¯s still so fucking amazing, even after all this time.¡±


    I was about to agree with her when a sudden deafening boom echoed from the next office over. I watched in horror as April¡¯s body, finally relaxed in peaceful rest, suddenly crumpled in a heap. I could clearly see the trail of blood as it seeped through her white gown.


    <hr>

 Chapter Thirteen – The Creator of the Towers

    Chapter Thirteen: The Creator of the Towers


    <hr>


    April slumped forward, held in place by the metal cuffs that encircled her forearms and strapped her to the throne. There was a brief moment where I couldn¡¯t believe what I¡¯d just heard. What I¡¯d just seen. In this ethereal place, the sound of a gunshot seemed so foreign.


    ¡°Was¡­ that supposed to happen?¡± I asked, turning to Clara in horror.


    Her eyes were as wide as mine as she stared at the girl, shocked. Her fingers were shaking as she placed her hand on the glass. She wiped at it as if it were the image on a tv screen blurred by fingerprints. If only she could clear the smudges perhaps it would present a better picture.


    ¡°N-no,¡± she whispered, turning to look at the wall where we¡¯d heard the gunshot. The doorway back out into the hall seemed ominous now. Deadly.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± She asked, fearfully, reality crashing down. ¡°Oh god, in school they always s-said lock the door. Fuck. Fuck, who was up here? Rhodes. Ciara. Th-Thelma but Thelma would never¡­! So it must¡¯ve been¨C!¡±


    She was babbling names and I realized that she might be going into shock. Maybe I was, too. Had someone really just shot April? I couldn¡¯t believe it, even as I watched the stain on her dress grow. It looked black in the neon green glow of this place.


    As if to punctuate the audacity of the situation, another boom rocked the entire room and I had to grab hold of one of the desks to keep from falling over. Completely different, yet no less terrifying than the gunshot, this felt like a bomb had gone off. Maybe below, maybe above. I couldn¡¯t tell for sure. For half a moment, the columns of light flickered, leaving everything in utter darkness before they relit. Dimmer, less radiant, but still the right colors. Still where they should be. Green on the left, going down. Blue on the right, returning to the sky. Rather than a pure blue beam though, there were swirls in the light, as if someone had dropped a spec of food coloring into a glass of water.


    The rolling room floor was enough to shake me out of my stupor. I ran to the door and locked it, before turning and searching for anything I could use as either a hiding place or a weapon. I hoped to find a crowbar or a knife maybe but had no luck. Hiding wasn¡¯t an option either. The desks were wide enough to fit under but they were also so shallow that doing so wouldn¡¯t hide a mouse, let alone Clara or Me.


    April. Fucking hell I¡¯ve got to get to her!


    I couldn¡¯t help April if going to her would just get me shot though. I had to be smart. I stood behind the door, ready just in case the shooter came in.


    Another gunshot echoed out from the hallway. Clara winced, whimpering as she huddled into a ball rocking back and forth in her chair. I wanted to do the same, but thoughts of April burned brighter and hotter. I had to get to her. Stop the bleeding if I could. Fucking hell, the wound looked like it had been right in her chest! People survived worse though. I knew they did!


    My preparations for an intruder proved pointless as a green shell appeared suddenly, appearing like a bubble on the surface of the door, before forcibly tearing the whole thing back into the hall.


    I yelped and leaped away from the splintering wood and metal. Sunsoul. That was Sunsoul used as a weapon!


    The door and bits of the wall torn away with it barreled down the hallway before colliding with someone. I heard a woman shriek before she toppled to the ground a few paces down the hallway.


    ¡°Why Ciara!? You utter idiot! How much did they pay you!? How much was all our lives worth? You¡¯ve killed us! All of us!¡± Came Thelma¡¯s desperate cries. Another green light appeared about the fallen body, partially submerged into the ceiling before it solidified and pulled the metal framework down. The flimsy metal held though, stretching and warping instead of crushing the intruder like I thought it would. A hail of cheap ceiling tiles came littering down over the fallen woman instead.


    As the smoke cleared, I saw that it was Thelma who¡¯d controlled the Sunsoul, her body lit with the green glow that I was becoming all too familiar with. She¡¯d used her power to smash our door into someone from behind, but it wasn¡¯t enough.


    The remains of Thelma¡¯s office door sloughed off of Ciara as she stood to face the intimidating doctor. She too was enveloped in green light.


    Dammit, I really wish I could use that shit right now!


    Should I do something? She was facing away from me, down the hall towards Thelma. She didn¡¯t know I was here.


    I jumped, slamming my hands over my ears as the gun snapped again, the sound deafening in the confined office area. I toppled over and crashed into the chair I¡¯d been sitting in before.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I screamed in pain. I realized suddenly that I wasn¡¯t the only one screaming. Another scientist, maybe two, were both shouting inside their own little offices. Neither of them seemed to be able to get out of their rooms, though they kept demanding to know what happened. What was going on?


    I wish I knew.


    My palms were on fire from catching myself poorly on the hard floor, but the fall bore unexpected fruit. A fire extinguisher was seated beneath the desk I¡¯d nearly crushed. I grabbed it without thinking. Instinct has always guided me before. I was a runner and I was fast as shit when I needed to be. The shooter fired again, and I heard Thelma scream outside.


    I stood holding the fire extinguisher only to see blue lights flickering around Clara.


    Right! She can use Sunsoul!


    ¡°Clara! Can you hit her!? Hit her in the back while she¡¯s distracted!¡±


    ¡°Not again. Not again, please¡­¡± she whispered. She was curled into a ball rocking back and forth as if caught in a nightmare. Blue lights kept appearing around her but they faded and dissipated into whisps long before she could do anything. She was trembling, her breaths coming in short, sharp gasps. I wasn¡¯t sure if she was consciously controlling the Sunsoul at all.


    ¡°Fuuuuckkkk,¡± I moaned as I turned back towards the door. I didn¡¯t think any help would be coming from her. Not now at least. I steeled myself, standing just outside the line of sight from the open door. A loud clanging sound echoed from the hallway, and I thought Thelma might be trying to attack the shooter again. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to get a better distraction than that.


    I charged around the corner and found the shooter with her gun poised to fire at Thelma once again. It was Ciara. The cute scientist who¡¯d joked with the doctor not ten minutes ago looked demonic now, with the green light of Sunsoul bathing her body and the gun in her hand exhaling smoke from a fresh bullet. The dust from rubble fell off her.


    I didn¡¯t hesitate. I ran at her like my life depended on it. For all I knew, it did.


    She only had half a moment to turn around before I was on her. My aim was true and the fire extinguisher slammed into her head. To my shock, it bounced off rather than caving her skull in. I was 5¡¯8¡± with a runner''s build but this girl couldn¡¯t be more than 5¡¯2¡± and a hundred pounds sopping wet. The momentum of my swing might not have been able to dent her skull, protected as it was by her ethereal armor, but it did send her tumbling to the ground. I dropped my makeshift weapon in agony, my hands ringing as if I¡¯d just punched a stone wall. Still, that was all the opening Thelma needed.


    Spikes of green light rocketed forth from the dark-skinned doctor. The blunt impact of the door and my own strike didn¡¯t seem to be enough to pierce the petite scientist''s armor, but the spikes did. They nailed her to the ground and shattered her green barrier before digging deep into her chest. A third missed, and pierced a hole through the floor at least two feet deep. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t necessary. The first two were more than enough.


    Ciara crumpled to the ground, dead. Dead. She was dead. It was over! She was fucking dead.


    I fell onto the ground, caught myself on my burning hands, and screamed at the unexpected agony. I whimpered, cradling my shaking hands close. The pain gave me clarity though. Rather than falling into shock, my senses sharpened. April. It wasn¡¯t over. April was still out there, sitting in that fucking chair, maybe bleeding to death while I sat here on my ass. I had to move.


    ¡°Oh god. Oh god, this can¡¯t be happening,¡± Thelma moaned. She too had crumpled to the floor, weeping into her hands. I couldn¡¯t tell if she was mourning or enraged. ¡°Dammit. God dammit,¡±


    ¡°April!¡± I screamed at her. ¡°Open the chair. Err¨C open her restraints! I¡¯ve got to get her out of that thing!¡±


    I was standing over Thelma, but I didn¡¯t remember how I had gotten there. I still saw April out there, slumped forward, unmoving. That was all the motivation I needed for the pain in my hands to evaporate.


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    ¡°Hah¡­ one boy. Worth it, indeed,¡± she breathed. ¡°Yes. G-go. Bring her here if you can. I¡¯ll¡­ go. I¡¯ll¨C!¡±


    She tripped as she tried to walk to a console but a stool appeared for her to grasp onto, made of the hardened Sunsoul. She made her way to the console and I didn¡¯t need to be told twice to go.


    I opened the door and dashed out into the garden, outpacing my fastest track record at a dead sprint. April. Fucking hell, April was shot, maybe dead for this goddamn tower. No. She couldn¡¯t be dead. I wouldn¡¯t let myself think that.


    I skipped the steps three at a time before I reached the throne. The restraints on her arms sunk back into the armrests just as I arrived and she slumped forward, but I caught her before she could fall out of the chair. I turned her over and gently leaned her back into the throne. Blood trailed down her front, but I realized that it wasn¡¯t directly in the middle of her chest like I¡¯d first thought. It was on her right side, so it hadn¡¯t hit her heart. My inexpert mind told me that that was a good thing as if I had any idea how much damage the bullet had actually done.


    ¡°Bran¡­ Brandon?¡± I heard her whisper. Relief flooded me. She wouldn¡¯t be able to talk if a bullet had hit her lung, right? I didn¡¯t know, but I took it as a good sign. Tears were blurring my vision.


    ¡°Quiet, April. Don¡¯t speak. I¨CI¡¯m gonna get you to Thelma. Sh-she healed Clara in like two days. I¡¯m sure she can do the same for you, okay?¡±


    April wasn¡¯t really listening. Her eyes were rolling. She looked more pale than the dress she wore.


    ¡°It hurts, Bran¡­¡± she rasped, as I picked her up. I¡¯d never been muscular but she seemed lighter than a feather to me now. ¡°D-did¡­ Did I mess up?¡±


    ¡°You did great. You did so fucking great, baby. Just sleep now okay? I¡¯ll take care of you from here,¡± I told her as I slowly took each step down. I moved as quickly as I could without jostling her but she still winced in pain with every step I took. Once I hit the level ground, I took off back to the building at as close to a sprint as I could get. I tried to ignore the uncomfortable wet feeling beneath my right bicep.


    Just sweat. That¡¯s not blood. Not blood. Just sweat.


    Rather than wait idly, I found Thelma running out to meet me. In her hand was one of those fucked up flowers, the petals looking like a cage around a bloodred bud. Even here, the red was vibrant.


    ¡°Lay her down! Yes, here!¡± Thelma said, pointing to the ground. ¡°We can¡¯t take her back in. The flow through her might be interrupted!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you care about right now!? Fuck the flow! She might die!¡± I screamed.


    ¡°Stupid boy! The flow is probably the only thing keeping her alive! Here. Lay her straight. April¨C! My god, she¡¯s awake!? April. Take this,¡± Thelma said. Even with everything that had just happened, she still seemed composed. It seemed she¡¯d gotten over whatever breakdown she¡¯d had after killing her subordinate. I was grateful as she seemed more in control of the situation than I could ever be.


    I laid April gently on the ground, and Thelma immediately lifted her legs. Right. They taught us that in¡­ in fucking somewhere. Elevate the legs? Before I could think further on it, Thelma was already grasping April¡¯s arms. She took the flower and closed April¡¯s hands around it, resting them gently over her chest.


    ¡°We have to step away. It doesn¡¯t look like it hit her heart but it might¡¯ve hit a lung,¡± she said as she stood and beckoned me to walk away from her.


    Step away? Why?


    ¡°Don¡¯t we need to uhm¡­ put pressure on the wound? Fuck. I¡­ fuck!¡± I allowed myself to be pulled away, watching my lifelong friend laying there on the ground. Nothing changed visibly, but I¡¯d seen first-hand what these strange flowers had done for Clara. I hoped they could do the same for April.


    ¡°She¡¯s still awake. That¡¯s a good sign. Let her breathe. The flower will help,¡± Thelma said. I thought she might be soothing me more than herself.


    ¡°What in the world is going¨C! My word! Thelma! What has happened!?¡± Came a sudden elderly voice from over by the elevator. Both of us turned to see Scarlatte herself, rushing over as quickly as her old bones would allow.


    ¡°Sabotage,¡± Thelma replied. Scarlatte reached us, and then made to approach April once she saw her lying on the ground, but Thelma held her back. ¡°I gave her an Iklumary.¡±


    ¡°How bad. What¡¯s the damage, and who did it?¡±


    ¡°It was Ciara,¡± Thelma said softly. ¡°We knew there was a mole but I never thought¡­¡±


    ¡°Ciara¡­¡± Scarlatte breathed. She exhaled as if letting out bad news. ¡°Where is she now?¡±


    ¡°Dead.¡±


    ¡°Good. The subject?¡±


    ¡°Alive. She was shot, but it wasn¡¯t fatal. The tower and the Iklumary should be able to stabilize her,¡± Thelma said.


    I was lost in their words, caught between trying to glean something useful from them and worrying about April. Why were we staying away from her? Subject? What subject?


    ¡°That won¡¯t work. The attack was two-pronged. A bomb took out one of the regulation chambers,¡± Scarlatte said.


    ¡°Damn. Damn!¡± Thelma said. ¡°How long for repairs?¡±


    ¡°Months. Months that we might not have. NASA is insisting on sending more Sunsoul users to the Array. If we don''t have at least four towers running by then¡­¡± Scarlatte almost seemed like a robot, calmly exchanging facts. At least Thelma sounded human.


    ¡°April can¡¯t be stabilized here then. What¡­ what can we do? All our hopes were riding on this!¡± Thelma said. ¡°Humanity was riding on this!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your emotions get the better of you. We can figure this out. Somehow. If only they would delay the launch. Perhaps we should do a little espionage of our own. Come. We¡¯ll talk inside.¡±


    ¡°W-wait! We¡¯re just going to leave her here!?¡± I shouted.


    As both sets of eyes turned on me, I realized I might¡¯ve made a huge mistake. Thelma had just killed a man, while Scarlatte had casually dismissed the murder. I flinched back in fear as Thelma glared.


    ¡°Who is this?¡± Scarlatte asked. She raised her hand and it began to glow blue. Unlike the balls of light Clara and April had produced though, Scarlatte created a sheer blade of light that crackled.


    ¡°Brandon Meadows. A tagalong, of sorts. He¡¯s the boy Clara gifted, and by some strange coincidence, he also knows Tellroan¡¯s conduit personally.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes. I see the whitening hair. Useful. A Gifted can always be useful. Strange powers. What¡¯s the trope? All the Other Reindeer? Yes¡­ He¡¯ll make an excellent scapegoat,¡± Scarlatte said coldly.


    I blanched.


    ¡°He¡­ did save my life. Probably April¡¯s as well,¡± Thelma said as if the admission pained her. ¡°He is also Blanche¡¯s son.¡±


    Scarlatte¡¯s eyes  roamed over me and I shivered. Somehow, the mention of my mother''s name seemed to carry more weight than the fact that I¡¯d saved two lives with this hard woman.


    ¡°Pity. Things would¡¯ve been so much easier,¡± Scarlatte said with a shrug. ¡°Well then, young man. Yes. We¡¯re going to leave her there because Thelma has given her an Iklumary. Either that flower will stabilize her, or she¡¯ll die. Either way, we¡¯re likely all fucked.¡±


    Her matter-of-fact tone was at odds with her words and their grim message. What exactly was she trying to say?


    I ignored the fact that I¡¯d just barely avoided being implicated in causing this whole catastrophe and decided to go for broke. ¡°What¡¯s¡­ happening downstairs? With April hurt¡­ is everyone okay?¡±


    Scarlatte looked at me for a few moments, as if hunting for something before nodding. ¡°Brave. Or stupid. Perhaps a little of both? Ah well. No. A few over-eager fools stepped outside the bounds of the man-made barrier the second Tellroan went live. They were horribly burnt when the whole damn thing suddenly failed. It is fortunate Violette was here. Our shield could not have helped them. It lacks the versatility of unbound Sunsoul. It¡¯s a bit of a mad panic down there. I didn¡¯t have the patience for it.¡±


    I spared a glance back to April, then another for the small building where the dead saboteur was lying in a heap of broken wood.


    ¡°What¡­ what can I do?¡± I asked.


    Scarlatte bit her lip. She didn¡¯t seem apprehensive, or even worried. She had a presence that was unlike anything I¡¯d ever experienced before. Coupled with her strange New Yorker accent, the woman had stormed in and taken charge of everything. Thelma clearly deferred to her, and I¡¯d never thought Thelma would defer to anyone. Scarlatte took the whole scene in and thought for a moment before turning back to me.


    ¡°April is your friend, right?¡± she asked.


    I blushed. ¡°Well, we¡­ ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh Lord, I do not have time for that. You keep an eye on her, from a distance. Too many people too close dilutes the effects of an Iklumary. I¡¯m going to sort this whole mess out. Watch her. Make sure the chest still rises and falls. If it stops, come running like a bat out of hell, you straight?¡±


    I¡¯d never heard an old woman who¡­ talked like this one. Her hard accent made it difficult to understand her, and she was a strange mix between sophisticated doctor and what sounded like a try-hard punk. Coupled with being eighty years old it just threw me off. It took me a few seconds to realize she was asking if I understood.


    ¡°I¡­ y-yes. I can do that,¡±


    ¡°Good boy. See? I don¡¯t know why everyone seems to say kids are so hard to deal with,¡± Scarlatte said to Thelma as she turned around.


    They began walking back to the building, leaving me alone near April, but I was easily able to catch Scarlatte¡¯s half of their conversation. Her voice carried throughout the chamber.


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I said we¡¯re fucked. Half the Regulatory chamber. Someone knew where to attack. If April doesn¡¯t make it¡­ Sirahn, yes. That was my first guess. Their goddamn shelters. As if shelters are going to matter when we¡¯re all baking inside the sun¡­ What? No. No they¡¯re still sending¡­ Yes.¡±


    They closed the door leaving me in the light, yet still painfully in the dark. I settled in on a nearby bench to wait for April to wake up. The Iklumary, the strange flower with its bud encased in a cage of petals, was glowing.


    Does everything in this damn place have to glow?


    I was starting to see spots from all the lights in this place. I sighed. I¡¯d started the day thinking the worst that might happen is being kicked off the property by an angry security guard. Now April might be dying, Clara seemed to be reliving some sort of traumatic episode, Thelma seemed to think we were all going to die, and I didn¡¯t think she just meant the people from West Steppe.


    Baking inside the sun? What did she mean?


    I sat on a bench which gave me a good view of April, tears of fear trailing down my cheeks as I crashed from the biggest adrenaline high I¡¯d ever had. I was scared shitless. I wondered if Scarlatte knew. The job seemed so simple. Watch April. Just watch her. Make sure she kept breathing.


    As my hands were trembling, I was immensely glad she hadn¡¯t given me anything more complex than that.


    <hr>

 Chapter Fourteen – The Land Ablaze

    Chapter Fourteen: The Land Ablaze


    <hr>


    I thought I¡¯d finally calmed down enough to start feeling bored after almost an hour. That was when the thoughts set in.


    I could see the scientists in their little building. The two men who¡¯d been locked in their rooms had been let out. Occasional flashes of Sunsoul lit the windows up as they used it to clean the mess Ciara and Thelma¡¯s fight had left. I remember a surreal moment when the green light was used to lift a dented fire extinguisher. The realization that I¡¯d tried to cave someone¡¯s head in with that no more than an hour ago hit me and reset all my swimming thoughts.


    Huh. I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d hit her hard enough to dent that thing.


    I wondered about what had happened down at the activation. What was happening now. Scarlatte had said people down below had been burned. That sounded awful, but I was glad for the advancements in burn treatments like the Ardnocures. They¡¯d probably be alright. I still thought they could¡¯ve come up with a better name for such an incredible device. One of the first non-Sunsoul-related advances in technology since the lithium battery and they named it Ardnocure? I was sure I could do better.


    ¡°Char-be-gone.¡± ¡°The Burn Deflator!¡± ¡°Burn-concern?¡± ¡°Grouchy Ouchie?¡± Shit¡­ maybe it¡¯s harder than I thought.


    I was pretty sure I was in shock, which was the only excuse I could come up with for having such silly thoughts when so many serious things were happening.


    Fortunately, April was still alive when the adults finally came out. The blood stain on her dress had stopped growing. The flower no longer glowed; the faint red sparkles that had wafted around its bud dimmed. The once stiff cage-like petals now flopped around, no longer held sturdy by whatever magic Sunsoul had given them.


    Everything Sunsoul touches is changed by it. I wonder if this used to be a regular flower before, or if they just grow naturally now, out there in the scorched lands somewhere. Maybe they make them artificially? Oh shit. I wonder what would happen if they saturated an Ardnocure in it? Hah!


    ¡°Brandon? Brandon, are you alright?¡± Thelma asked, concern in her voice.


    I jumped, having somehow lost track of them, lost in my thoughts. ¡°I¡­ yeah. I¡¯m okay. Sorry. Just..¡±


    She offered me a hand as I trailed off.


    ¡°Thanks. Y¡¯know. For earlier. For what you said to Scarlatte,¡± I told her.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Thank you as well. I owe you my life. Ciara¡¯s capacity for Sunsoul was quite strong. Much more than my own. If you hadn¡¯t rushed in so foolishly, she would surely have killed me,¡± she said. ¡°Unfortunately, I think you¡¯re going to have to continue being foolish, I think.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Come. Please bring April. We¡¯ll talk inside. We have¡­ come up with a plan, I think. I hope. It will require you to know the stakes, though.¡±


    I knelt down next to April. I couldn¡¯t help but pull at the split hole in the side of her dress. Carefully and slowly, I revealed where I¡¯d thought the wound was. Rather than a bloody hole, I just saw a massive scab. The area was caked in dried blood so much so that I couldn¡¯t see her skin at all. It certainly didn¡¯t look like there had been a hole in her body just a little while ago though. The Iklumary must¡¯ve been even more effective than I thought.


    She winced in her sleep as I slowly put a hand behind her, though she didn¡¯t wake.


    ¡°A-are you sure moving her is okay?¡± I asked Thelma.


    ¡°She should be fine. She¡¯s been stabilized¡­ physically anyway,¡± Thelma said cryptically. ¡°Chandra can explain better than I can.¡±


    I wanted to ask what she meant but I wasn¡¯t exactly used to carrying people around and it wasn¡¯t as easy as they made it look in the movies. Rather than trying to talk while carrying her, I nodded as I stood. She¡¯d been so light when I¡¯d rushed out to the throne, but now I was struggling with her.


    She held the door open for me as I sidestepped April back into the small building. Clara was there, sitting in a chair, her head down, all snark completely gone. The two scientists I hadn¡¯t met also sat in chairs around the outside of the room, watching me as I laid April down on a cot that they¡¯d set up for her. Scarlatte, stood in the hallway, her back to the dusty area where Ciara had died.


    ¡°Hey kid. Thanks,¡± said one of the scientists. He stood and offered a hand to me, once I¡¯d put April down. ¡°Saw what you did on camera. I¡¯m John Rhodes. This guy here is Derrin Baker.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ nice to meet you,¡± I said, shaking his proffered hand numbly.


    He gestured for me to sit beside him and once I did, Scarlatte nodded. It felt strangely like a class presentation as the old woman walked to the middle of the room.


    ¡°So. This is it. This is what we have to save the world with. Four scientists, two kids, and a half-dead conduit,¡± Scarlatte drawled.


    ¡°Save the¡­ world? What does activating the tower have to do with¡­?¡± I trailed off, feeling silly even saying that. ¡°Saving the World¡± was for cartoons and storybooks. Not real life. Just hearing it from the old woman made me think she might have a couple of screws loose.


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    Scarlatte gave the overburdened sigh of a woman very familiar with my brand of skepticism. ¡°Strap in. This is a long story, but I think it¡¯s necessary. You have to understand the stakes we¡¯re playing with. We don¡¯t have all day, so don¡¯t interrupt.¡±


    To my surprise, Darrin opened a small mini-fridge, one that hadn¡¯t been damaged by Ciara¡¯s attack, and handed me a Sprite from inside. I took it, thankfully, realizing all of a sudden that my throat was dry as a bone.


    ¡°After Fontaine¡¯s Folly, everyone was scrambling for ways to make the outside safer. The sun¡¯s slow cooking of the planet wasn¡¯t really understood and we¡¯re still not sure exactly what the Helios Array did to cause it, but we are sure it was the cause,¡± Scarlatte began.


    I nodded, following so far.


    ¡°They are planning to send another ship. Another Helios Array. If we don¡¯t get at least four towers up and running before this asinine mission reaches the layer of Sunsoul encasing the sun, then we don¡¯t have a chance of surviving the armageddon that follows.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ wow.¡± I noticed that Clara and the other two scientists didn¡¯t react. They¡¯d clearly already known.


    ¡°The ship is going to do the exact same thing, except this time it will be piloted by morons instead of the best of the best that were riding on the Helios. They¡¯re going to make it worse.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­ wait, why? Why would anyone send a ship if someone as important as you thinks that might cause another Folly?¡± I asked, perplexed. I couldn¡¯t fathom that anyone would be willing to risk more problems from the sun and Sunsoul.


    ¡°Che, you¡¯re telling us,¡± Rhodes scoffed.


    ¡°Tell me, Brandon. Have you heard of Sirahn? They are the company responsible for most of the major hubs in America, and a few in England, France, and China,¡± she gestured with her hands.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ not really. Clara mentioned them when I¡­ er¡­ met her at the entrance,¡± I spared a glance for the white haired girl but she didn¡¯t look up. She didn¡¯t even seem to be paying attention.


    ¡°They think they can fix what was broken,¡± Scarlatte said softly. ¡°But if they try, they¡¯ll kill us all.¡±


    ¡°Wait. If they built all the hubs, what benefit does that offer for them? Aren¡¯t they the ones most likely to be invested in keeping the sun¡­ y¡¯know. Overheated?¡± I asked.


    Scarlatte scowled in irritation, before turning to Thelma. Thelma nodded and took over answering the question.


    ¡°They don¡¯t believe sending another ship, a much smaller one, would be as dangerous as the Helios Array was. Admittedly, the Helios Array was incredibly invasive. It had every monitoring device and tool that Violette had been able to come up with at the time. I think, however, that it all boils down to money. The more territory Tellanex and its subsidiary towers make safe, the less useful Sirahn¡¯s hubs begin to look. In their eyes, if the mission fails and the sun gets hotter, that just means more profit. They have no idea¡­¡±


    So this whole mission is¡­ what? A publicity stunt?


    ¡°They¡¯re going to kill us all,¡± Scarlatte said softly. ¡°Unless we get at least one more tower up and running, we have no way to save the Earth if the layer that coats the Sun were to unravel, and another mission to the sun would surely add another rip.¡±


    ¡°That hasn¡¯t been proven, Chandra,¡± said Darrin, and Scarlatte scowled at him. He shrugged unapologetically. ¡°It¡¯s the truth. You don¡¯t know that for sure.¡±


    ¡°I know. I feel it in my gut. We can¡¯t disprove it and I refuse to support any mission to the sun until someone can prove to me exactly what caused the first rip!¡± she shouted.


    I knew Scarlatte was supposed to be a genius, and that her towers in New York, Milwaukee, and Seattle were undeniably amazing. Tellroan growing before my eyes as it had over the last few years was more than enough proof of that. But she wasn¡¯t coming across as very smart to me. If anything, she sounded like one of those doomsday preachers that were usually homeless, riling up mobs and protestors against the walls that were put up back in the early days of the Folly.


    Her callous attitude was making it readily apparent why she rarely spoke on television for any length of time. She was nothing like the once charismatic Doctor Fontaine had been, and despite clearly knowing more than I did about Sunsoul, she did not make me feel like she did. Instead, I was getting the impression that she was more bitter about not being able to prove her theories than she was about whatever might destroy the Earth.


    ¡°How¡­ I don¡¯t understand how the Towers could prevent that. If this newest mission they''re sending does the same thing the Array did, but even worse this time, then we¡¯re all dead. Uhm. No offense!¡± I said with a placating gesture to Scarlatte. ¡°The towers are amazing, but frankly I don¡¯t think saving a few thousand square miles will matter if the rest of the Earth is literally baking.¡±


    Scarlatte actually smiled at this. ¡°The Towers are¡­ more. So much more than the mere domes they¡¯re capable of individually. They are the creation of a fever dream. I honestly think that they were given to me by God. When I first discovered the way to enhance Sunsoul¡¯s potency, the idea came to me. The five we¡¯ve built so far are only the first few in what would be a network of towers spanning the globe. A limitless man-made energy layer protecting the entire Earth. The conduits can enhance the Sunsoul and when the towers are connected they can create a barrier that spans the entire area between them. They provide eternal life to their conduits. Natural immunity to fire and sunlight, as well as power. They can even provide electricity to those sheltered below the beams. They are¡­ they are the first step to becoming a true Type I civilization.¡±


    She shuddered as she described them. Then, she dropped her hands.


    For some reason, my eyes landed on the shorter of the two scientists. Darrin. His eyes were wide as saucers as he stared at Scarlatte with rapt attention.


    ¡°But we aren¡¯t ready. We need at least four, and they need to cover a significant portion of the globe. Without that, they cannot protect us. Tellroan was supposed to be that fourth, but until the conduit is safely stabilized by regulation chambers and returned here, Tellroan will not function. And those chambers have been destroyed.¡±


    ¡°This brings us to you, Brandon,¡± Thelma said.


    ¡°M-Me? What¡­ what can I do?¡±


    ¡°They want you and me to take Lover-girl to the abandoned tower. They want us¡­ they want me to go back to Telilro,¡± Clara said, eyes blazing.


    <hr>

 Chapter Fifteen – The Need to Flee

    Chapter Fifteen: The Need to Flee


    <hr>


    I stared at Clara, not really comprehending what she was saying. Telilro? As in, the defunct tower, some six hundred miles away in Southern Texas? The one April was always dreaming about exploring?


    ¡°Clara!¡± Thelma exclaimed as she embraced the girl. ¡°You¡¯re well. I¡­ I¡¯m so glad.¡±


    I blinked at the unexpected emotion from the woman. When I¡¯d first met her in the hospital she had hardly seemed to care about Clara. For her part, Clara seemed equally surprised at the outburst. She awkwardly patted the normally stern woman on the back as she settled into the hug. ¡°Y-Yeah. Sorry. I¡­ It took me back. I¡¯ll be alright. I¡¯ve been listening. Telilro? Is¡­ is that really the only way?¡±


    She sounded like a scared little child. Perhaps she hadn¡¯t recovered as much as she said. Then again, she had a right to be scared. Nobody could just go to Telilro, and only crazy Indiana Jones types ¨C like April ironically enough ¨C would ever want to try.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why would we go there? Telilro failed. Everyone knows that. If anything is left it¡¯s probably just a melted husk by now,¡± I said.


    ¡°Well, do you want the girl to live, or not?¡± Scarlatte said simply.


    ¡°She¡­ she might still die!? I thought the flower stabilized her!¡± I shouted, horrified.


    ¡°Her body, yes. Her power is¡­ erratic. In flux. She might die, or she might never wake up. Without a regulation chamber though¡­ those are the only options,¡± said the old woman. She wandered over to April and stared down at her, before suddenly slapping the girl.


    ¡°H-hey! What the fuck!¡± I shouted just as she slapped the girl¡¯s other cheek.


    ¡°See? Nothing,¡± she said as April remained limp. Lifeless.


    ¡°Okay I get it! Just stop that!¡± I insisted, stepping between myself and the borderline abusive doctor.


    Scarlatte gave a shrug and returned to her spot in the hallway leading back towards the offices. ¡°Telilro is the only viable option.¡±


    ¡°No, no. I remember the debates on television. The catastrophe. They were talking about ending funding to Tellanex after Telilro got all those people killed!¡±


    Clara flinched like she¡¯d been slapped but I didn¡¯t know why.


    ¡°Ah. It was on the television. Well, I suppose we¡¯ll just go back to the drawing board, shall we?¡± Scarlatte sneered, distracting me from Clara.


    I winced but conceded the point.


    ¡°Telilro did fail, but in its case, we know exactly why,¡± Thelma said while sparing a glance for Clara. ¡°The first tower¡¯s shielding wasn¡¯t destroyed and it still has a successful conduit. Its regulation chambers are likely still in perfect condition. Never mind the world, or even the activation of Tellroan. The only way to make sure April survives is to get her to the regulation chambers at Telilro.¡±


    I sighed, staring between the two scientists and Clara. This all seemed so¡­ sudden.


    ¡°Telilro is still functional. That can be seen merely from satellite surveillance. Its barrier even flickers to life sporadically, though god only knows how. I can¡¯t think of any reason why it would be doing that, but it is enough to prove it still functions. We don¡¯t dare send anyone down into that wretched heat though. No one could ever make it that far without burning up or being eaten by the new fauna. Not even Violette could make it, with all her vaunted power. However¡­ Clara, April, and You. You all have a chance,¡± Scarlatte said with conviction.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­! I¡­ You¡¯ve got to know how dumb that sounds, right?¡± I asked, appealing to their common sense. I turned to Clara for confirmation but she was staring down into her hands again, fists clenched tight. No help coming from her.


    Darrin stood up and wandered over to the hallway, passing by Scarlatte and heading back into his office. Was he bored or something? I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°And yet, it is the only option. If Telilro, or Tellroan aren¡¯t activated before that mission gets to the Sunsoul wrapper encasing our star, then we will all die. Every last one of us,¡± Thelma said.


    I gulped.


    ¡°Okay. Okay. So explain to the idiot why April, Clara, and I can go there when nobody else can,¡± I said hesitantly.


    ¡°Told you he hadn¡¯t figured it out yet,¡± Clara murmured. She glared at me, and I blanched.


    What the heck is your problem? I¡¯m pretty sure I just risked my life for you! A little appreciation would be nice!


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this!¡± Scarlatte insisted. ¡°April and Clara need to be gone. It isn¡¯t safe for either of them here anymore. You all needed to be gone twenty minutes ago. Ciara can¡¯t have been their only method of attack, and someone else must¡¯ve planted that bomb!¡±


    ¡°We should reconsider sending them north. Tellvera is an option,¡± Thelma said to Scarlatte.


    ¡°We already discussed this. They¡¯d be dead before they hit the tarmac! They have to¨C!¡±


    The same as before, a sudden boom rocked the tower. The columns of light did not flicker this time but the floor did shake, sending us all off balance.


    ¡°What the fuck!?¡± Clara cried. ¡°Where is all the goddamn security!?¡±


    ¡°Someone is still here. The northern elevator was just taken out,¡± Thelma said, staring at a holo screen. It looked like something straight out of a movie, showing a schematic of the huge tower, with red areas indicating points of failure. ¡°What do you want to bet our Security teams were in that elevator coming up here?¡±


    Scarlatte stared over Thelma¡¯s shoulder, her aged face even more pale than usual. ¡°I was in that elevator¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps going north would be better but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any time. Clara can explain most of this on the way. Go! Take April. She should be safe to move. Get to your car. You have one of those new models right? That should get you safely into the Scorched Lands. At least there you¡¯ll only have to worry about big animals. Get to your car in the parking garage and drive south. As far as you can go. You¡¯ll have to walk the rest of the way. You must reach San Marcos. Get to Telilro!¡± Thelma ordered. ¡°God be with you.¡±


    Clara was already up and moving, waiting at the door with a hurried expression on her face.


    ¡°W-wait that¡¯s it!? We¡¯re just¡­ just going into the Scorched lands?¡± I shouted.


    Rather than wait and debate with me, Clara came back and dragged me over to where April lay and pointed at her.


    ¡°Buddy, we don¡¯t have much of a choice. Sirahn has been trying to shut down Tellanex for as long as I can remember. I never thought they¡¯d actually go this far though. Fucking Bombs?¡± she hissed, incredulously. ¡°I trust Thelma. Callous bitch that she is Scarlatte knows what she¡¯s talking about too. I¡¯ve known her most of my life and if they say we have to do this, then there isn¡¯t a better option. So what are you gonna do, Noonday? Jump into the Sun for the girl again, or let her die?¡±


    Ahhh god dammit!


    I recognized the manipulation for what it was but I didn¡¯t have much of a choice. Adrenaline kicked in once again and I bent down and grabbed my not-quite girlfriend around the waist, before hoisting her limp body over my shoulder.


    ¡°Get to the South elevator. It¡¯s that one!¡± Clara shouted. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you there!¡±


    The Scientists had all scrambled. Rhodes looked panicked, staring at the floor as if just waiting for it to shake again. Scarlatte was gone, back in one of the offices somewhere, and Thelma had put on a headset. She was shouting at someone on the other line.


    ¡°Wait, where are you going?¡± I screamed at her.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way in hell I¡¯m going to make it to Telilro in these fucking flip flops! I need shoes!¡± the girl screamed before dashing off towards one of the buildings lining the interior of the tower.


    I¡­ could not argue with that. I set off at a small angle away from where Clara was running, dashing as best I could. Regretting all the missed opportunities to lift weights and make this task easier, I made my way at as brisk of a walk as I could towards the row of elevators. A distant part of my mind remembered warnings taught to me in old classes about never using elevators during a fire, but most of those warnings didn¡¯t have ninety floors to travel as an alternative. If all of the elevators were taken out, then there was no way I¡¯d be able to get April out of here anyway.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    It felt like it took an eternity for me to reach the elevators. Despite the relatively flat ground, I decided to stay on the meandering paths rather than cut through the gardens. The last thing I needed was to drop April.


    I spotted Clara coming out of a different building than the one she had entered, but she dashed with agile runner''s legs. The girl had taken the time to change into shorts and a tank top. I didn¡¯t begrudge her that. I wished I could change into something more comfortable too.


    Am I really about to drive into the scorched lands?


    ¡°Here! Let me help you!¡± came a sudden voice from behind me.


    Darrin. One of the scientists. The one who¡¯d grabbed me a soda before.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ve got her!¡± I shouted. ¡°Are you coming down too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Scarlatte sent me to get you kids to the garage, and help you carry the girl!¡± he breathed panting with exertion. He honestly didn¡¯t look like he could help carry his own weight, let alone help me with April, but I wasn¡¯t complaining.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t feel heavy for now, but we¡¯d be glad to have some help down below. I don¡¯t know how far my car is from the elevator!¡± I shouted as we all arrived. Clara had already pressed the button.


    Darrin was a pot-bellied man with round glasses and an equally round face. He had thin dirty blond hair that hung to his cheeks. He¡¯d discarded his lab coat and beneath it, he now wore a polo and a pair of black shorts.


    ¡°Where did you park? Lot?¡±


    ¡°Uhh. It¡¯s¡­ Tiger. Er. The Lot is TI,¡± I said as I came to a stop in front of the elevators. Clara was already waiting there, the button, a relatively normal-looking down arrow already pressed and lit. As if it were waiting for my arrival, the light above chimed as soon I stopped.


    The doors opened to the third elevator from the right and we all shuffled in. I took the opportunity to lay April down against the side wall. Ninety floors was a long wait even with the ridiculously fast elevators.


    I sat against the wall beneath the handrails as the door chimed ¡°Going Down!¡± and began our descent.


    Darrin was out of breath. He was bent over, hands on his knees, panting as if he¡¯d just run a marathon. Hell, I¡¯d just carried an entire extra person here and I thought he might be more winded than I was. Rhodes would¡¯ve been a lot more helpful. What had Scarlatte been thinking sending¡­ him¡­?


    ¡°Jeez,¡± he wheezed. ¡°That sure can take the wind out of ya. Crazy what¡¯s going down huh? Ciara¡­ I can¡¯t believe Thelma just killed her. She¡¯s been working with us for months¡­ shit almost a year, you know?¡±


    I narrowed my eyes. Everyone working at Tellroan could at least see Sunsoul. There were apparently a very small number of people who could use it. However, Thelma and Ciara had both clearly been able to. Could Darrin be among them too?


    ¡°She tried to murder my best friend,¡± I seethed, my suspicions growing by the minute. ¡°I¡¯m glad she¡¯s dead.¡±


    His eye twitched, and I knew. Darrin hadn¡¯t been sent by Scarlatte at all. Clara noticed my glare. She hadn¡¯t guessed what I had yet, but she began to back as far away from Darrin as she could get.


    ¡°Well,¡± he panted, still catching his breath. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not very¨C!¡±


    He doubled over as I punched him in the stomach. I wasn¡¯t much of a boxer. The sport wasn¡¯t really one of my favorites, but I knew a couple of kids from the team. They¡¯d taught me a thing or two. Extending my knees as I slammed my fist into the man¡¯s gut, to give it extra oomph seemed to work well. I could practically feel his stomach shrinking in size under my fist.


    Green light suddenly formed around him but I didn¡¯t give him the chance to use any of it. I slammed my knee into his face which dropped him to the floor, and the lights dissipated harmlessly. Clara yelped, staring between the fat man and me, like I¡¯d lost my mind.


    ¡°He¡¯s the other terrorist. Think about it. Why would Scarlatte send him to help us? He could barely reach us. He¡¯d be no help at all carrying April!¡± I told her.


    Her eyes widened, then narrowed.


    The man coughed, clutching his stomach.


    ¡°You sure?¡± she asked, her cold tone reminiscent of Thelma. Apparently the freakout she¡¯d had upstairs had been a one time thing.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± I said. ¡°If he¡¯s innocent, then we¡¯ll find out when we get back from Telilro!¡±


    Darrin was groaning but still awake, so I kicked him again in the side, hard. He gave a sharp gasp before slumping down, motionless.


    I remembered just a few hours ago I was holding April in her doorway. Life had been normal then. Dates, girlfriends, going off to college. Could this all be a nightmare? If I rolled over all of a sudden and woke up in bed, I wouldn¡¯t be at all surprised. Just relieved. It was like my whole orderly world had turned on its head. One of those awful, ¡°It was all a dream¡± stories. I¡¯d always hated those.


    The elevator stopped, and the automated voice chimed out, ¡°Third Floor.¡± If it was all a dream, I hadn¡¯t woken up yet.


    The door opened and I saw three people wearing business suits, two men and a women, all of whom looked as panicked as I felt.


    ¡°Take the next one!¡± Clara shouted before creating an orb of blue light and holding it menacingly.


    ¡°Wh¡­ what the¨C?¡± One of them said before Clara created four more orbs. They began dancing, ominously.


    The three office workers, probably elected officials, yelped and ran back down the hallway while Clara mashed the ground floor button.


    ¡°Come on, come on! Fuck this thing! All we have to do is get out into the sun and we¡¯ll be fine!¡± Clara said as the doors closed a second time.


    Fortunately, it seemed that most people were paying attention to those old directions to never use elevators during a fire because we didn¡¯t stop again before hitting the ground floor. I knelt down and scooped April up onto my shoulder again as gently as possible before darting out of the room. Clara leaped over Darrin¡¯s prone form. She gave him a solid parting kick in the shoulder before she followed me but he didn¡¯t react.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your car?¡± Clara asked as we exited into the underground parking garage. There were actually four sublevels for parking but I¡¯d actually managed to get a spot on the first floor.


    There were hardly any people here. I saw a digital clock on one of the walls alongside a screen depicting an ad for a fake tanning lotion. It was still only mid-afternoon outside so none of them would be safe venturing out into the sunlight. Everyone was huddled inside the building, all of them probably hoping to god that the bombs they¡¯d heard shaking the upper floors weren¡¯t anywhere near them. There was nowhere for them to go.


    God. It¡¯s barely three o¡¯clock. Was the activation really only two hours ago?


    We came out in the OR, lot. Not nearly as far from my car as I¡¯d feared. We dashed through the P, Q, R, and S lots, running by hundreds and hundreds of cars before finally reaching the T. Traveling up through each of the sub-sections felt like it took forever. I¡¯d never been happier to be a runner in my entire life. When my black sexy little Chevy Meridian came into view, my vision actually blurred with tears.


    ¡°Holy shit, dude!¡± Clara said as we finally came to a stop before the car. ¡°Nice¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, open the backdoor for me!¡± I told her. My arms were burning from the effort of keeping April steady, and while she wasn¡¯t a heavy girl, my back begged to differ.


    Clara ran to the passenger side and opened the back door before jumping into the shotgun seat.


    ¡°Do we really think they¡¯re going to attack again? Maybe¡­ maybe it¡¯s over? If Darrin was the last of them do you think we could just¡­ wait here?¡± Clara asked as I strained my back to gently place my girlfriend down.


    April didn¡¯t budge. When I disengaged from her and finally got to take a good look at her, I cringed. The white dress, covered with blood looked so¡­ wrong on her, but somehow the ponytail that she never seemed to be without had been ruined by the activation and our flight from the tower. Seeing that felt more wrong to me than the gunshot wound, somehow. It was wrong. No one should see April with her hair down unless she wanted them to.


    I looked away, closing the door. Realizing I was wasting time, I dashed around to the driver''s side before jumping in myself and starting the car.


    ¡°We made it¡­ oh god, we made it,¡± I breathed. The only sound was the muffled roar of the engine and our breathing overshadowing it.


    ¡°Heh. Hehe,¡± Clara giggled a little. Slightly hysterical. ¡°W-wouldn¡¯t it be funny if¡­ heh. If Darrin were completely innocent and you just beat the shit out of him for nothing?¡±


    I glared at her. ¡°Can you be serious!? There are fucking bombs, Clara!¡±


    ¡°I-I I know. I get sarcastic when I¡¯m scared!¡± she said. I suddenly realized that her hand was on top of mine on the shifter, clenching with a white-knuckled grip. ¡°We¡¯ve got to go. Let¡¯s get out of here Brandon.¡±


    Despite her words, her hand did not move.


    ¡°I kinda need that to go anywhere,¡± I told her, eyeing the lever.


    ¡°I¡­ Oh,¡± she said relenting, her hand slowly lifting off of mine. ¡°L-lets go. To the Scorched Lands. Yeah. I¡¯m ready. I¡­ I¡¯m ready.¡±


    There was a tremor in her voice as I backed the car out of the spot. There was a lot to unpack there.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± she whispered.


    The pace I took leaving the garage felt at odds with the hurried rush we¡¯d spent getting to the car. Somehow though, I felt safer. My windows were tinted to the point where an xray couldn¡¯t see through them, and no one had any reason to suspect a random car driving around in the garage might hold the girl capable of starting the Tower. Hell, before today I hadn¡¯t even known the Towers used people as conduits to function.


    How did that work anyway? Was April like¡­ some sort of cosmic sieve, filtering out the bad Sunsoul and letting the good stuff through? I didn¡¯t know. Maybe I could ask Clara later.


    I reached the exit uncomfortably quickly. The sun was still bright at three pm. It was the middle of winter, the least dangerous time of year for the sun, and yet I still stopped the car before pulling out into the driveway. I felt like one of those idiots, about to get killed playing Hotrush. There were classes on what to do in this sort of situation though. Rule number one. Don¡¯t stop. Once you¡¯re on the road in sunlight, you couldn¡¯t stop. A stopped car was a melted tire, and a melted tire was a stopped car. Why someone would end up driving out in the sunlight in the middle of the day, I had no damn clue, but the lesson stuck in my brain.


    ¡°Are we¡­ are we really sure about this?¡± I asked Clara, fearfully.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re gifted. April and I are both Conduits. The heat can¡¯t hurt us. Trust me. I spent most of my afternoons out on the school¡¯s roof. You can tell it¡¯s hot, but it¡¯ll just feel like warm sunshine,¡± she said.


    ¡°What¡­ what are my parents going to think? Monroe. Shit, Abigail¡­ I can¡¯t just leave! We should go¡­ we should go back to my house. Leave a note or something!¡± I said, turning to look at the girl. ¡°We¡¯re going to need food at least!¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­ You¡¯re right. I didn¡¯t think about that. On cleared roads at night, we could actually make it the five hundred miles down there overnight no problem, but there¡¯s not going to be any food where we¡¯re going.¡±


    An idea came to my mind. ¡°The Raceway.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°My job. I work at the Raceway Truckstop. It¡¯ll be locked up tight now. Probably filled with truckers but we can stock up on food and drinks there. Maybe some hiking clothes for me and April. You know, assuming we don¡¯t die just driving out there.¡±


    My hands on the wheel were shaking. The ambient sunlight would already be starting to cause minimal damage to my car just being so close to direct sunlight. For April though?


    I hit the gas and drove out into the sunlight.


    <hr>

 Chapter Sixteen – The Pariahs Arrogance

    Chapter Sixteen: The Pariah¡¯s Arrogance


    <hr>


    ¡°I did nothing,¡± I said, my eyes dancing with mirth. ¡°I came here to view the activation. I have no idea what messed it up.¡±


    Somehow I¡¯d embraced my villainy. Scarlatte glared at me but I didn¡¯t care. I hated this woman. I¡¯d borne the blame and rage of hundreds of people to be here for this, and it had been worth every moment. Watching Scarlatte¡¯s little stopgap fail.


    I was going to fix it. For real. I was going to the Array, and with that knowledge, even the scorn of all these people couldn¡¯t destroy my newfound confidence. I played a different role in front of the crowds now. A darker roll, but no less powerful.


    Before the Folly, I was an inspiration. I appeared on television as a youthful dreamer with proof of how I could improve the lives of everyone. I appealed to people''s hopes and dreams, and I was a genius at that, too. Possibly even greater than my scientific acumen was my ability to sway a crowd, and I knew it.


    For the kids, I offered space. I offered hopes of exploring new worlds beyond the stars. I made myself Gandalf, with the wisdom to show others how to learn, if they had the talent, and then proved it.


    For the adults, the common man, I offered practicality. Sunsoul could provide free power. Universal and effective unlike the solar panel movements of the past. The idea of eliminating the electric bill sat well with parents wishing they had an extra two hundred fifty dollars each month. Power companies initially wanted nothing to do with that, so the simple solution was to let them invest, before it was too late. Eliminating power as a burden on everyone was something Sunsoul  absolutely could do. Soon enough it would, so if power companies wanted to stay viable, they¡¯d best have a strong investment in the future!


    They donated in droves.


    Scarlatte had apparently discovered even more about Sunsoul than I had in my long years as an exile, but at its core, electricity was probably the most valuable thing about Sunsoul. That was power in my hands. That gave me the money I¡¯d needed to start with the government.


    For the politicians, I offered jobs. I offered a goal. I offered stability and I offered prestige. A politician supporting Violette Fontaine was supporting progress. Tax dollars sent to me were directly improving lives, making jobs, creating free power, and most of all, giving the people magic. What voter wouldn¡¯t support that? Hold up a big enough carrot and not only did I get foreign countries interested in the project, but I actually got Republicans and Democrats to agree on something.


    I had realized at a young age that people all wanted to feel special. Few actually were, but everyone wanted to feel that they were the center of the universe. There were a few obvious exceptions¡­ the devout priests who actually bought into their religions, the nuns, the die-hards peace-makers, who usually made barely a lick of difference on any grand scale. I admired those people, but I could never be like them.


    The vast majority of people, however, were selfish. My niche was anyone who wanted to believe themselves to be a star, and it turned out that there were a lot who did. With my Helios Array, I offered the opportunity for that to be realized. I was like the lottery, but with my Array in the sky, anyone would be able to see if they were magic. If they were touched. If they were special. Everyone wanted their chance and my mission to the sun held all those dreams on its monumental wings.


    No longer.


    I was the villain now. I was The Traitor. The Betrayer. The Destroyer of the World. Normally my presence might have been enough to cause a full on riot. Normally, I wasn¡¯t channeling massive amounts of Sunsoul.


    I¡¯d saved the lives of three idiots when I¡¯d realized the activation had failed. I was strong enough to maintain my shield and build custom ones to keep the morons from burning. The fools had left the safety of the human powered shields after the Activation began. Had the tower worked they would have been fine, but even I would think twice before trusting it immediately. No one was supposed to step out of the man-made shield for at least an hour, but there were always some people. I almost thought they deserved the Darwin award they¡¯d earned, but since I¡¯d been able to save them, I did. I wasn¡¯t a monster.


    It didn¡¯t matter though. I¡¯d suspected Sirahn would try something to ruin the activation but I hadn¡¯t known what. Still, no one blamed Scarlatte. No. The reason it failed had to be me. They still wanted to spit on me. I could see it. I could feel it. Yet now¡­ I felt untouchable. The shame I¡¯d felt, all the self doubt, the loathing I held for myself. The fear, both of being hunted by a mob, or worse killing my attackers by accident. That was all gone. I was going to the sun. I was going to the array. I had the chance to fix my mistake. I could finally find out what was wrong. If I couldn¡¯t¡­ well. I didn¡¯t even want to think about that.


    It was icing on the cake to me, watching Scarlatte and all her little employees scrambling. The barrier had risen for a few seconds, bright and wonderful. Scarlatte was giving the people everything I¡¯d hoped to provide, once upon a time. Then it had failed, and I could not stop the smug grin. I didn¡¯t know what Sirahn had done to sabotage the damn tower but it was no wonder the people protected by my shield glared at me. I was sure my face had a positively goblin-esque expression as I watched my one-time protege fail.


    Still, the crowds didn¡¯t dare do anything. Not after seeing just how powerful I truly was. Not after I¡¯d saved people¡¯s lives when Scarlatte could not. The ability to use Sunsoul was not equal. To this day, I had never met anyone who could channel even close to as much as I could. It was like an internal capacity of some sort. I¡¯d always equated batteries. Most of the people who could merely see Sunsoul were like dead Triple As. If you plugged them into an old flashlight they might still be able to provide some light but that was about it. Those who could manipulate it were like double A¡¯s, or maybe C¡¯s. Those were all the people helping with the barrier. Scarlatte herself was perhaps a car battery.


    I was a fucking power plant.


    I enjoyed reminding all of these normal people that I did have the ability to kill them. I was always armed. As special as they wanted to think themselves to be, it was me who had brought Sunsoul to life. It was honestly a wonder I hadn¡¯t slaughtered anyone already. More than enough mobs had come at me just asking for it, but I¡¯d always refrained. Always assured of my guilt despite never fully knowing what had happened up there. Alone, afraid, guilty for what I had caused, I could never stand up for myself. But now?


    With the chance to fix my mistake ahead, all of that doubt was gone. I felt like a new woman, and once upon a time, I had lived for my audience as much as I had for science. A villain? I could be a villain. It was just another role to give the people. If everything broke, and I truly did destroy the world, at least I could be the one everyone blamed after I finally died.


    ¡°What do you know about the attack, Violette?¡± Scarlatte repeated, pulling me out of my thoughts. ¡°You haven¡¯t shown your face in years and our activation fails right as you decide to attend? I don¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t the foggiest idea what you¡¯re talking about. It sounds to me like something burst up there,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°That little bump? Was that a big deal?¡±


    ¡°This was not a mistake or a failure. This was direct sabotage. A murder attempt. Gunshots were fired up there, Violette, and that bump was a bomb. People died. Do you understand?¡± Scarlatte said, her oh-so-wise condescending attitude making me want to stab her.


    I sneered. Of course, I understood. Always nagging me, always pretending like she knew anything, forgetting that she was my protege. My student. Not the other way around.


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    ¡°Well it sounds to me like you should have made your towers more secure. No one sabotaged my Array,¡± I said with a shrug, leaning into the sneers and jeers I could feel around me.


    ¡°If only someone had,¡± Scarlatte quipped.


    I ignored the barb, confident in my superiority this time. The people didn¡¯t care though. I wasn¡¯t even wrong but they knew who their enemy was, no matter what I said. Their anger rolled off of me like rain off a windshield. They hated me now, but when I reached the array and fixed the Sun, everything would change. They would adore me once more.


    Perhaps then, I might deign to keep Scarlatte¡¯s little towers running. They certainly were pretty things.


    Scarlatte sighed in exasperation. ¡°Don¡¯t you care at all? Is greed for glory and fame all there ever was to you?¡±


    ¡°Greed? I¡¯ve never been greedy in my entire life! I wanted to propel this world into a new age of comfort. I wanted to help people. I didn¡¯t even get the chance to make a mistake, but I¡¯m the scapegoat, even now when I had nothing to do with this latest failure of yours, and don¡¯t you dare deny it! You rode my downfall straight to the top, so don¡¯t spend even one minute pretending to be high and mighty. No one¡¯s ever cared about me these past twenty years. I¡¯ve been demonized, ridiculed, and outright attacked more than once. I don¡¯t know what went wrong up in your tower any better than anyone else down here, but here I am, being blamed for it as always. I just wanted to watch the show, and maybe provide a little extra security. Without which your towers would¡¯ve gotten three more people killed, I might add! So do I care about some random employees of yours getting killed? No. I don¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass. Knowing you, I wouldn¡¯t be at all surprised if this were just an accident that you were trying to make look like a sabotage! Three out of five towers work. Sixty percent reliability. On billions of tax dollars. That¡¯s a failure in any high school in the country, Scarlatte. And just so I am absolutely crystal clear, it had nothing to do with me.¡±


    Scarlatte seethed and I preened. Even better, I got to watch as some of the opinions of the crowd around us began to turn against the aging doctor.


    Truthfully, I did care. I didn¡¯t want anyone to be hurt, but what I didn¡¯t know couldn¡¯t hurt me. Yes, I¡¯d attended the activation unexpectedly, but I¡¯d always been invited. I hadn¡¯t done anything, nor had I even really colluded. I was just asked to show up.


    Did people really die up there?


    Inwardly, it gnawed at me, a little. A small lump in my throat. I wasn¡¯t a monster. If I was, there would be a damn site more people dead at my hand, and I would¡¯ve been fully justified by self-defense. Being an outcast, a living cause of the apocalypse, the real wonder was that someone hadn¡¯t shot me.


    ¡°Just¡­ go, Violette. Before you start a riot,¡± Scarlatte said with a sigh, giving up the fight. ¡°I know you, of all people, can walk out of here whenever you wish.¡±


    The old woman had spent nearly two hours up there in her tower somewhere, doing who knew what. Getting her story straight sounded like a perfectly good excuse to me. Sirahn might not have done anything and it might have been a legitimate accident, for all I knew. I smelled blood in the water and grinned as she relented.


    ¡°If you insist. Does this mean I¡¯m not invited to the next activation ceremony any longer? I¡¯ve had such a good time today!¡±


    Scarlatte, to my disappointment, did not rise to the bait. Instead she just looked¡­ lost.


    ¡°There¡­ probably won¡¯t be a next time, Violette. Unless you are far smarter than I think you are and find a way to stop that second mission to the Sun¡­ I suspect we¡¯ll all be dead soon.¡± Her words were quiet, meant only for me.


    I blanched, somehow shocked that she knew about the mission to the Array. It took only a moment for me to realize I was being absurd. Of course, she knew. I was sure anyone with a lick of sense did. The ship was remaining stable much more often, and the chances of finding it within a reasonable timeframe must have been getting good enough to try. I¡¯d done my own research after all.


    Something about her words felt ominous. Like she knew something was going to go horribly wrong and could do nothing to stop it. It didn¡¯t matter though. I could fix what my stupid ¡®colleagues¡¯ broke. Where they failed, I would succeed. Smart as all of them were¡­


    I teared up for a moment as I thought of them. As good friends, and as good people as anyone I could ever have hoped to meet, the lot of them. Even little Hanna, the only one who couldn¡¯t see it at all. And Angelo¡­ god, a blind man could¡¯ve seen the crush he¡¯d had on me, never mind that he would never be my type. They were all¡­ wonderful. A day hadn¡¯t gone by that I hadn¡¯t thought about them, wondering what had happened. Even so, I¡¯d always known I was superior. Whatever they had broken, wouldn¡¯t have happened had I just been there.


    I turned and walked away before anyone could see the wetness in my eyes, and stopped dead as I came face to face with Matt.


    ¡°M-Matt?¡± I asked, shocked. I somehow hadn¡¯t expected to find him here. My relationship with the old bartender had felt separate from all of this. Distant. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ isn¡¯t the bar open right now?¡±


    Matt cocked an eyebrow. He¡¯d never been a very expressive man, and that didn¡¯t change now..


    ¡°Closed. Wanted to see all this. I thought you said you weren¡¯t coming?¡± he replied, arms folded across his chest.


    I stepped beside him and we began to walk off towards one of the exits. No one would be able to leave for at least another hour or two, though Scarlatte was right about me. I could make a barrier of Sunsoul and go wherever I wanted, sunlight or no.


    ¡°I changed my mind,¡± I said.


    He grunted. I hadn¡¯t been with him long enough to be sure, but it seemed like dissatisfaction to me. He was often quiet like that.


    ¡°You sounded pretty smug about this whole thing,¡± he said. ¡°Thought everybody really had you pegged wrong, y¡¯know? You were shunned and mistreated for something that wasn¡¯t even really your fault. Seein¡¯ you up there, laughing at all the folks that have staked their lives on this¡­?¡±


    He sighed and pulled out a cigarette before lighting it up.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t laughing at that. I was mocking Scarlatte. There¡¯s a difference.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel that way. Don¡¯t feel that way at all. Seeing you up there, all snide¡­ It was like watching a different person from the woman I¡¯ve been speaking with these last few weeks. Like you just¡­ turned off the real you for a show. Why? What do you gain by watching this fail?¡± he asked.


    I flinched. Dammit.


    ¡°I¡­ they hate me anyway. I just¡­ so I¡¯m not fucking perfect. It was nice, watching someone else fail. Especially her after the way she dragged my name through the mud!¡±


    He leaned against a wall and I joined him there. I held out a hand and he handed me a cigarette, and lit it for me.


    ¡°Guess I can¡¯t blame you for that. But¡­ do you want to be better than her? Or do you want to feel good?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡ªWhat is that supposed to mean?¡± I asked.


    He shrugged. ¡°Just like I said. I feel like you¡¯re better than that. You can be better than that. Than all of this. You weren¡¯t here to protect anyone, and you didn¡¯t save those people because you cared. You did it out of spite.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ what? Are we done? You no longer want anything to do with me, now that you know I can¡¯t live up to the¡­ the fucking fantasy I put on the tv when I was younger?¡±


    He grinned. ¡°Nah. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve been dating you for your boundless altruism. You¡¯ve still got a great rack after all.¡±


    I cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Really?¡±


    His grin widened as he leaned back against the wall and put his hands behind his head, staring up through the barrier of Sunsoul into the sinking sun. ¡°Still. Would it be so bad, trying to live up to what you were?¡±


    I didn¡¯t really know what to say to that. I watched the barrier of Sunsoul with him as they finally began closing the hangar doors. The doctors and workers maintaining the shield all looked exhausted. They hadn¡¯t anticipated needing to keep the barrier up for so long.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying, Matt,¡± I said. ¡°I¡­. I¡¯m gonna be gone. Maybe for a long time. I¡¯m not really sure. But¡­ I¡¯m going to fix this. Fix all of this. Then these stupid towers won¡¯t be needed anymore. Things will grow green again, the animals will stop turning into huge monsters, and we¡¯ll be able to fly again. And no one will get burned playing Hotrush. I¡¯m going to fix it all. This was just the first step.¡±


    ¡°All that, huh? Wish I had a beer. I¡¯d toast to that,¡± he said. Instead of toasting, he plucked the cigarette out of my mouth and kissed me.


    I flushed from head to toe. His business!? He¡¯d lose customers! I was already a fucking leper but he wasn¡¯t! He¡¯d¡­ he¡­


    After a few moments, I stopped worrying and just melted into the kiss. He was an adult. He knew the consequences.


    When we finally parted, he winked at me, before handing back the cigarette. Then, he headed off into the crowd, wading through an ocean of disapproving glares, and amused laughter, leaving me flushed and¡­ horny. The damn bastard.


    Somehow, though, he¡¯d convinced me that I¡¯d played this wrong. I wished I¡¯d behaved differently. The despair in Scarlatte¡¯s voice nagged at me, and I wondered if I¡¯d caused that somehow. I feared what she might know that I did not, with my years separated from academia. That doomed look¡­


    I had to go on this mission. I had to fix my mistake. That was the way forward. The best chance for me to be a hero again.


    ¡­Isn¡¯t it?


    <hr>

 Chapter Seventeen – The Feel of Sunlight

    Chapter Seventeen: The Feel of Sunlight


    <hr>


    With the way I¡¯d been conditioned to avoid sunlight for most of my life, I almost expected to burst into flames the second I drove out into the light. I didn¡¯t. The car didn¡¯t either. I could see the strange haze in the air that always rose when something was cooking but to my great surprise, I barely even felt the heat through the windshield.


    My car was rated for morning and evening sunlight, up to an hour past dawn, and twenty minutes before dusk, but hardly any vehicles could handle direct sunlight. I chuckled idly as I recalled the fine print under those particular ratings. ¡°These products are rated for dawn, dustk, and night driving ¡®assuming changes to the sun do not adversely affect ambient temperature or intensity levels¡¯ Warranties are voided if any use of this vehicle is determined to have occurred outside these times.¡±


    I guess it¡¯s time to void a warranty.


    It wasn¡¯t usually the car itself that broke down in the sunlight, but the tires. Once the tires popped, the person trapped inside could not service them until nightfall. Getting out of the car was literally a death sentence. Double-tired vehicles became quite popular as a result for added redundancy, and my car did have eight tires. Then again, the sunlight a few hours past dawn was hot enough to cook a driver through the windshield so no one even dared to try.


    Driving through the late afternoon sunlight now felt pleasant. Downright comfortable, in fact. I would¡¯ve at least thought I¡¯d be sweating, or burning up but it was as if the hot sun didn¡¯t even affect me. How the hell could that even work? I could tell that it was hot, and yet at the same time, I didn¡¯t feel hot.


    ¡°Sunsoul is weird,¡± I commented. I could see the sunlight on my skin and it made goosebumps rise. I couldn¡¯t make my brain accept the fact that the sun just¡­ wasn¡¯t hurting me. It was like letting someone stab me. I kept noticing it and flinching, expecting to need to dive for cover.


    ¡°Feel good?¡± Clara asked. ¡°Being in the sun I mean. I¡­ figure you¡¯re probably disappointed the tower didn¡¯t activate, but at least you still get to experience it.¡±


    I honestly hadn¡¯t even thought about that, but now that she mentioned it, I was. I contented myself, knowing that I wasn¡¯t anywhere close to as disappointed as the thousands of people who had come here expecting to be able to move into the newly safe area. I was disappointed though. Everyone had such high expectations, and all of us had just been shafted. That scientist girl had even died, attacking the tower, though I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d expected to.


    And for what? Tax dollars?


    ¡°My Mom is probably devastated,¡± I said softly. ¡°She works at Tellroan. She was one of the people holding up the barrier.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like you were really all that invested in it,¡± she said.


    ¡°I guess not. I always wanted to touch Sunsoul, and you know¡­ the towers were always cool, but I was always more interested in the Array. The towers¡­ they kinda just felt like bigger Hubs. Sure, we¡¯d get to stand outside, but it would be like being in this car. Always behind a glass screen. Making the screen bigger doesn¡¯t make it any less of a screen.¡±


    ¡°Heh. That sounds like something Violette said before she fell of the map. I¡¯m probably pretty biased. I¡¯ve spent my whole life living near the towers. I hardly remember anything from before them. They found out just how much Sunsoul I could use when I was eight and¡­¡± she trailed off.


    I couldn¡¯t think of anything to say, so we lapsed into awkward silence. April¡¯s breathing in the back actually got a little creepy after a minute or two, so I turned on the radio.


    ¡°Ughhh. Change it, please!¡± Clara cried, as one of the older country singers sang about how the Crimson Tide would never roll again. ¡°I hate this song. Actually, pretty much all of the songs about the south suck.¡±


    I cocked an eyebrow at her, but nodded, changing it to a pop station. If she was tied to Telilro in the same way April was tied to Tellroan, I supposed it made sense that she would dislike songs mourning the lost southern states.


    Clara beamed at the radio station change and began bopping her head along, dancing with her shoulders as best she could in the passenger seat.


    The events at the tower began to feel surreal as I hummed along to the tune. In light of just driving along, the happy girl next to me dancing, I could almost forget it all. The gunshot. The nails of sunsoul. The blood. Then I noticed the sunlight on my bare skin and shivered. It had all happened. I was really immune to the heat of the sun. And I had to go south, trusting that Clara¡¯s nebulous gift would protect me.


    Shit. Maybe I should just drive April home and try to forget about all of this?


    I glanced at April, lying peacefully across the backseat. Even if Scarlatte was full of shit and April would be just fine, I couldn¡¯t trust that no one would come after her. Two people already had, and now that she was Tellroan¡¯s conduit, I didn¡¯t think they would be the last. Not if we stayed here, anyway. In the Scorched Lands though, in the sunlight, no one could reach us. We¡¯d be safe. If Scarlatte and Clara were trustworthy anyway.


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    We¡¯d been driving for almost ten minutes, circling around to the south side of the hub. I breathed a sigh of relief as the Raceway came into view. I pulled into the overhang alongside a bunch of semi-trucks. They looked more like tanks, especially when comparedto my sleek car. The truckstop¡¯s rooms would be full of sleeping truckers, but I was certain the doors would be locked. Fortunately, I had a key, because I opened the place most nights. We also didn¡¯t have to worry about anyone seeing us driving up. The blast doors had been lowered over the windows, and would stay lowered until the sun went down.


    ¡°You work here?¡± Clara asked, looking at the building. Other than the overhang, it was hard to tell the Raceway apart from any other area outside the hub. Seeing it all burning hot with the sun all over it looked strange. Like seeing my own room, but changing all the lightbulbs colors, the place looked foreign and a little creepy. Uncanny valley, but for a building. I¡¯d never seen the signs outside not lit up.


    ¡°Yeah? It¡¯s a part time job after school,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Shit. I think I saw this place on TV. Didn¡¯t some girl get hurt by one of the giant animals here? Oh shit! There¡¯s a bloodstain right there!¡± She cried, pointing out what clearly appeared to be a dried blood stain.


    I parked the car, hoping that the relatively minor heat under the overhangs would keep any lasting damage from hurting my tires. Mentally I was preparing a list of all the things we would need.


    Clothes for April and me, shoes, food. Loads of food, anything we can get that might last for a while. Shit how are we going to eat on this trip? Beef Jerky? Water. Probably going to need to fill the entire trunk with water. Dammit! What did Scarlatte expect us to do? Hunt for our food?


    Clara opened the door and got out of the car. I gaped at her when she closed it behind her. She wasn¡¯t standing in direct sunlight but it must be at least two hundred degrees fahrenheit, even in the shade! The girl managed to get a few paces towards the door before she realized I wasn¡¯t following.


    ¡°You coming? I¡¯m pretty sure I can¡¯t open these doors,¡± she shouted through the glass as she walked over to my side of the car.


    ¡°I¡­ uh. Y-yeah. I¡­¡±


    My hand wouldn¡¯t move. I put it on the door handle and began to shake.


    Clara seemed to understand the source of my hesitation. Rather than the sarcasm I¡¯d come to expect from her, she leaned down, pressing her face into the window. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Brandon. See? I¡¯m out here, and you¡¯re just like me. See? You¡¯re hair¡¯s turning white, just like mine. The heat isn¡¯t dangerous for you anymore. Okay?¡±


    I took a deep breath before nodding. I pulled the door handle.


    ¡°Warning! Daylight detected. Are you sure you want to get out of the vehicle?¡±


    ¡°Gaaah!¡± I jumped at the loud siren esque voice of the vehicles on board A.I. and slammed my head against the roof of the car.


    Clara roared with laughter. I glared at her and opened the door. I stepped out, rubbing my aching head while glaring at her. The girl seemed to get control of herself before stumbling out of the shade of the overhang, banging her hand on the side of the Hub in genuine amusement.


    ¡°Oh god. Oh god I needed that. Hah!¡± she cried. It hadn¡¯t been all that funny, but I kind of got the feeling that Clara needed any sort of laugh she could get.


    ¡°It¡¯s wasn¡¯t all that funny,¡± I said, marvelling at being outside while the sun was up. I blinked as my eyes fell back on her, seeing the light reflected off of her skin. She seemed to shine. Her short fuzz of white hair almost glowed. She was¡­ beautiful.


    I shook that thought off, wondering where the heck it had come from. It was hotter than hell outside. I should be dead. Yet here I was, gawking at Clara, like I¡¯d never seen a pretty girl before. Ridiculous.


    But¡­ if she can do it. Can I really?


    Tentatively at first, I put my arm into the beam of light outside the shadow of the overhang. When nothing happened, I stepped out and immediately found myself grinning. The hot sun failed to burn me, or even hurt me. Refined Sunsoul running through my veins seemed to make me immune to the heat, but it went further than that. I wasn¡¯t sweating. I honestly didn¡¯t even feel the need for more deodorant.


    ¡°Amazing,¡± I murmured, staring at the light on my hand. I¡¯d never felt sunlight before. It was pleasant and warm in a way I had never experienced, and I suddenly did feel disappointed in the tower¡¯s failure. I also thought, just for a moment, that I understood why old folks were so desperate to return the sun to how it was before.


    ¡°This is sort of how it always used to be, or so they tell me,¡± Clara said. ¡°Apparently it got sweaty and gross after a while for normal people, but it didn¡¯t ever really hurt, unless you stayed in it too long.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe¡­¡± I replied, awed.


    ¡°Yeah. Even the old crones I¡¯ve given my gift too before¡­ its always fun to watch someone step into the sunlight for the first time. Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ yeah,¡± I said beaming at her.


    I didn¡¯t know how to describe it. It was as if something that had I¡¯d never known I was missing was being poured over me. Just like everyone I knew, I¡¯d been taking vitamin D pills for my entire life to make up for the loss of this, and now I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever be able to make myself take one again. My body felt like it was drinking in the light like a starving man might drink water.


    ¡°I know,¡± Clara said understandingly. ¡°We¡¯ve got to go though. Sunset¡¯s only a few hours away, after all. If¡­ we¡¯re really doing this. Really going to Telilro, I mean, we¡¯ll probably have plenty of time to get sick of this.¡±


    I looked up into the sky, away from the burning bright sun that hurt my eyes to look at, drinking in the gorgeous blue sky for one more moment before I turned back to her and nodded.


    I approached the door, fiddling with my keys for a moment, before finding the right one and inserting it into the lock. It clicked like it always did, and I opened the door into the gloomy darkness of normality.


    <hr>

 Chapter Nineteen: The Short Drive to Nowhere

    Chapter Eighteen: The Short Drive to Nowhere


    <hr>


    There were always two sets of doors to every hub entrance, so right inside the first set of doors was a second set. Only a few days ago, a giant wolf had destroyed the second set of doors here and been killed right in the hallway after mauling my coworker Danielle. The little airlock room still stank of it.


    We entered the Raceway as casually as possible, but at least three people sitting at various little booths watching the television noticed when we walked in.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± I heard one of them say, but he shrugged and went back to staring at his cell phone immediately. It was deadly to go outside right now. I could almost see the rationalizations as they traversed his mind. We couldn¡¯t have come from outside. We must have just walked over towards the door without him noticing.


    ¡°I¡­ expected that to be harder,¡± I commented idly.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Clara said.


    ¡°Are we sure it¡¯s okay to just leave April out there? I mean¡­ it¡¯s got to be four hundred degrees right now, at least,¡± I asked.


    ¡°Did it feel like four hundred degrees?¡± Clara asked, a cheeky grin on her face. ¡°It¡¯s weird at first, but trust me. She¡¯ll be alright. I don¡¯t know when she¡¯ll wake up, though. She might not open her eyes until we get her to Telilro¡¯s regulation chamber. Hope you¡¯re ready to gain some muscle because there¡¯s no way your car is going to get us all the way to Texas. We¡¯re going to have to walk. A lot.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that for sure. Telilro isn¡¯t all that far. On the highways overnight it''s easy to make it six hundred miles,¡± I replied.


    ¡°On cleared highways. Highways that have been maintained. Not to mention the weird plants that have adapted. You know the Scorched Lands haven¡¯t been staying scorched after all,¡± Clara said under her breath. She grabbed a basket and began loading food into it. Bread. Soup Cans. There was some frozen bacon in one of the freezers, mostly for the Hub¡¯s residential district and folks who didn¡¯t want to make a trip to the grocery store.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna make a call. You¡­¡± I paused as the girl began grabbing every bottle of water in the fridge. ¡°You keep doing what you¡¯re doing. Hey, get some RC?¡±


    She flipped me the bird and I chuckled before turning towards the counter. As I approached, I realized that every television and radio in the place was tuned in to the Activation. People were all gazing up at the TVs mounted on the ceiling, so it was no surprise hardly anyone had noticed us come in.


    ¡°I repeat, it is not safe to leave your homes! The Activation has been delayed unfortunately. News we are hearing is that the tower¡¯s activation was sabotoged. It may be hard to tell from down here, but Scarlatte herself has claimed that someone set off a bomb in the tower. No one save the attacker, a thirty three year old Scientist from Milwaukee named Ciara Schmidtt, was harmed, but the attack has delayed the Activation by as long as a few months. A few minor burns occurred when some attendees of the activation left the safe areas prematurely, but we¡¯re being told they¡¯re all going to survive. In other news, Doctor Violette Fontaine, long time recluse and well known for her part in destroying the world, made a surprise appearance at the failed acti¨C!¡±


    I stopped listening and approached the counter where Barty, the owner, was leaning back in a large stool.


    ¡°Hey Barty,¡± I said softly.


    ¡°Bran! Did you hear? They say the activation was a bust! Can you believe it! After all this fucking time and money, changing the damn skyline for christ sakes, and it doesn¡¯t even work! Gah! I¡­¡± Barty finally looked at me, his eyes widening as he took in my appearance. ¡°Oh. Hey. Are you okay? Is¡­ Bran is that blood?¡±


    I gulped. I¡¯d actually forgotten about the dried blood that had gotten on my shirt when I¡¯d carried April. Her wound was gone, but the evidence wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°I¡­ its a long story.  The blood isn¡¯t mine. I just need a favor, okay?¡± I asked. Barty was the dad of an acquaintance of mine. I wouldn¡¯t call him a friend but he looked out for me in the same way any dad might look out for their kids friends. I¡¯d spent the night at his house a couple of times when I was younger, and he¡¯d hired me when I wanted a job. Good people.


    ¡°I think I should probably call your father. What in god¡¯s name happened to you?¡± he asked.


    I pulled my phone out of my pocket and shook it. ¡°Going to call him myself in just a minute. I just¡­ I¡¯m going to need to buy everything that girl over there is grabbing as an advance on my check. Can you do that for me?¡±


    His eyes narrowed. ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on, Brandon.¡±


    Shit. He wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer at this point, and no amount of explaining could possibly prepare him for this. Worst of all, Sirahn or whoever the heck had been behind the attack on April might actually have people in the Hub, capable of hurting us. We didn¡¯t have time to linger here.


    Seemingly noticing my reticence, Barty¡¯s voice calmed. ¡°Look son, it¡¯s going to be okay. You just need to tell me what happened. We can get this sorted out. I know a few of the officers down at the precinct. Just¡­ tell me who¡¯s blood¨C!¡±


    ¡°Oi! Noonday! What¡¯s your shoe size!?¡± Clara asked, her voice cutting through the din of the room and drawing pretty much every eye in the place.


    ¡°About an eleven,¡± I replied with a sigh.


    ¡°Twelve it is!¡± she said before plopping some hiking boots down into the basket. It was already overflowing as it was and I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be able to carry much more with it.


    I didn¡¯t know we had a basket.


    She was grabbing a few pairs of slick shorts and girl shorts from the racks as well and stuffing it into the basket as best she could. Most of it was West Steppe Goblins memorabilia, which I¡¯d always found funny. Most places were the Bobcats or the Tigers, or some other wild cat. I¡¯d always taken pride in the uniqueness.


    ¡°Brandon. If you don¡¯t tell me whose blood are you covered in, I¡¯m not calling your father. I¡¯m calling the cops.¡± Barty asked with finality that in any other circumstances, would¡¯ve left me stuttering to explain.


    I didn¡¯t have time to waste. Something in Scarlatte¡¯s voice, made me think that we had to get out of West Steppe fast. Not just for our own sakes either. I¡¯d been mentally ignoring the whole ¡®save the world¡¯ business she¡¯d mentioned, because of how ludicrous it sounded, taking our time didn¡¯t seem like a good idea.


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    ¡°Sorry Sir. We don¡¯t have time for that though. Please just charge me for the stuff we¡¯re taking. I¡¯m good for it. I¡­ hope to see you in a few weeks,¡± I said, as I turned around and began to gather stuff up that we would need as well.


    ¡°Oh thank god. Here, take this,¡± Clara said before handing me the overflowing basket. She¡¯d opened a box of hefty bags and was busy loading snacks and food and drinks and everything she thought she could into it. She scooped in anentire box of twinkies, but threw out a box of snowcaps that had accidentally fallen in with them. Other people were beginning to notice the commotion, but I was already on my way towards the door.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t kidding, Brandon,¡± Barty said, picking up the store¡¯s phone, hand hovering over the number pad.


    I couldn¡¯t tell him it was April¡¯s blood. He probably didn¡¯t know who she was anyway, but no matter how I said that it would make me look like a villain. Better if I just leave. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have a job here when I got back after this anyway.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be long gone by then,¡± I said over my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about this though.¡±


    ¡°Brandon!¡± he shouted as I opened the first door. ¡°Brandon the Activation failed! You can¡¯t¨C!¡±


    He cut off as I held the door open. I could almost see the people in the building wince in expectant fear as I opened the door. This time they noticed, but could do nothing as I stepped out, with Clara right behind me.


    I stepped outside the door into the heat, and beamed at the feeling. I walked around the outside of the car, specifically aiming to feel the Sun on my skin. I popped the trunk with the button back there and found the car cool to the touch even though I knew it must be at least a hundred degrees, even in the shade where I¡¯d parked.


    I threw the bag in, but grabbed out a water bottle and a bag of cheetos. I knew for a fact that Barty would be frantically staring at his camera system, uncomprehending as I stood in the daylight with no obvious pain. I waved at the camera as if being out in the Sun was something I did every day before hoping back into the drivers seat. Clara tossed her own bag into the trunk and joined me in the passengers seat, holding a huge Atlas unfolded in front of her.


    I knew the route I needed to take generally but I was certain it was wildly out of date. Still everyone knew roughly where Telilro had been built. San Marcos. The history books told us they¡¯d chosen San Marcos as the location for the first tower because its theoretical projections said its barriers could reach as far as Dallas. It would make San Antonio, Auston, and Houston completely safe for sure, but at San Marcos they hoped it could cover Dallas and Corpus Christi as well. Curiously, in the years before the entire equator became unlivable, San Marcos itself became a larger city than any of the original cities the tower was meant to protect.


    Getting there would be a different story. Where the roads weren¡¯t impassable with abandoned cars and trucks, they were probably just plain melted. I didn¡¯t know what temperature old roads like they used to build could melt at, but I was certain they had begun making entirely new ones about ten years ago, that were capable of withstanding the heat. It hadn¡¯t been a simple process and I remember Dad groaning about the increased taxes involved.


    ¡°Well that was fun. Your boss seemed pissed,¡± Clara said with the sarcastic grin that I was beginning to realize was her default expression.


    ¡°Worried about me, more like,¡± I said sadly. ¡°He¡¯s going to be freaking the hell out. I really hope none of them try to come out here after seeing us. They might get the wrong idea and think the activation really worked.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯d be fucking stupid if they did. Should be fine,¡± she said nonchalantly. ¡°And if they don¡¯t, then they¡¯re probably just about as smart as you, huh?¡±


    I scowled but, she was grinning placatingly as if to soften the sting of her joke.


    I drove the car out into the sunlight and pulled onto the road, marvelling at just how clear everything was in the daylight. It was¡­ well. It was as if I¡¯d been driving in the dark my entire life. The world seemed like an entirely different place when the sun was lighting everything.


    ¡°Hey¡­ I was just kidding. Don¡¯t be offended,¡± she said, misreading my silence as anger.  ¡°That¡¯s the second time you¡¯ve saved me. So thanks, again.¡±


    ¡°We both know you saved me when I ran out after you,¡± I said softly.


    ¡°Yeah. And you¡¯re still an idiot for that. Under the right light, with lots of make-up, and plenty of time to forget the idiocy, it could¡¯ve been called gallant.¡±


    ¡°Jee, don¡¯t hold back,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I was talking about though. The fire hydrant. Ciara. That fucking¡­ gah, I can¡¯t think of a word insulting enough! But she might¡¯ve really killed Thelma, and I¡¯m sure I wouldn¡¯t have been far behind on her list. So thanks for beating the shit out of her. I¡¯ll cherish the memory.¡±


    A sudden surge of guilt flooded me. I¡¯d killed that woman. Well. I hadn¡¯t really, but my actions had led to her death. Till now, I hadn¡¯t really thought about the implications of that. To my surprise, I didn¡¯t feel nearly as guilty as I thought I probably should.


    ¡°Not to dim your light or anything, but I wasn¡¯t really thinking about you when I did that.¡± I spared a glance for the rearview mirror which I¡¯d tilted down to let me look at April sleeping in the backseat.


    ¡°Ah. Lovergirl,¡± she said, turning back to look down at April as well. ¡°She¡¯s a cute thing, isn¡¯t she? Nothing like your last girlfriend. Haley.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°Haley¡­ she said something about what you did to her Dad?¡±


    Clara immediately stopped talking, turning to look out the window. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about that.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± I said before an uncomfortable silence fell around us.


    We continued driving for a while. We were still on the normal roads, and would be until we reached old highway three ninety five about ten or fifteen miles away from the Hub. I hadn¡¯t spent much time on the old roads at night, but a lot of kids liked to do so on dares, or dates. At least they liked to say they did. If any highway was going to be in good enough condition for us to still use in the middle of the day, it would be three ninety five south.


    ¡°So, not that I¡¯m complaining or anything, but do you just make a habit out of dashing headfirst into dangerous situations?¡± Clara asked. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about your survival instincts but you¡¯ve got the stupidly reckless heroism thing down pact, Brandon.¡±


    ¡°Even when you¡¯re trying to thank someone, you can¡¯t help but being sarcastic, can you?¡± I asked, genuinely curious.


    ¡°I already thanked you. Now I¡¯m just stating a fact,¡± Clara said, before smiling warmly at me. ¡°Still. She could do worse, I suppose.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°I just hope she wakes up soon. I don¡¯t know what we¡¯re going to do if we have to carry her.¡±


    ¡°You heard Thelma and Scarlatti. They didn¡¯t think she¡¯d wake up until she gets to a regulation chamber,¡± Clara said with a shrug. ¡°We¡¯ll come up with something. Might have to go garage raiding. I do it around here sometimes, during the day. Every now and then I¡¯ll find these beautiful old cars that have been protected from the sunlight.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ huh,¡± I replied casually. ¡°If you can go out into the sunlight, I guess that does open a whole lot of places that nobody else could get to, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Clara smiled. ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ yeah. I¡¯ve never had to be afraid of the Sun so I do a lot of things like that. Wow. I¡­¡±


    She paused in sudden excitement. ¡°I¡¯ve never been able to show anyone else before. Its always been just me¡­ Uhm. Now that I think about it, don¡¯t ever go two mile south of that gas station. Or to the abandoned railroad tracks. Uh. Or to the top of the Hub. Actually, can you just move somewhere else?¡±


    I snickered. I¡¯d initially thought that we were going to die, but that was before I¡¯d felt the sunlight on my face. Before I¡¯d felt the safety of being out in it where no one else could come. I was trying not to delude myself. The sunlight was far from the only dangerous thing about the Scorched Lands. But as we drove on and I turned onto the old highway asphalt, I began to feel optimistic. Maybe we could get April to the tower after all.


    I thought to myself ironically, that April¡¯s dream was coming true. She was finally exploring the scorched lands, yet she wasn¡¯t awake to see any of it. I laughed out loud when I thought of how pissed off she¡¯d be if she slept the entire way there.


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