Aetheran Child (6 page)

Life, he thought, an amazing set of instances that I or no one else can control, but he wanted to control it. He pondered on life and what has happened to him. The events flashed through his mind, burnt into his memory forever. It would haunt him for years, and he knew it. He wished these feelings to go away but they would not. Death, separation, a new parent, it was too much.

A sound ripped through the air, slicing the fog to reveal its contents. Someone was crying, or weeping in the gray matter. Lexan moved closer to see who the noise came from. A boy sat on a bench close by a swing-set. It was Nangern, the boy realized and moved in closer. Nangern looked up with tears flowing down his face and eyes red.

“You know, it’s all your fault!” He yelled across the distance,” you could not listen to my advice, could you!? You had to go behind my words, the words of your friend. Now she’s leaving and I couldn’t even spend her last moments with her!” He seemed to have yelled out his energy, “It’s your damn fault.” The boy cried even more.
 

Lexan’s blood boiled, “It wasn’t my fault; you just couldn’t see us together!” he yelled back, bringing the old conversation back to life. He did not try to assuage Nangern’s pain; he elicited even more of it. Nangern seemed lurid at the response and sprang to his feet. With incredible speed he ran up to Alexander. He drew back his curled up hand and punched the soon-to-be-adopted boy in the face. Nangern did not wish a fight; the punch was a prerogative to him as a revenge.

Alexander felt the steel hard knuckles bore into his cheeks and force themselves against his jaw, tearing the tissue. The dark blood came pouring out from his cheek into his mouth and down his throat, spreading the metallic taste. The tiny droplets were enough to make the boy sick.

Surprised, Lexan stood there for a moment, spitting the blood out. The content did not amount to much but both boys knew an imaginary line had been crossed.

During other fights, Lexan and Nangern were even, but Lexan always felt he had the upper hand. When he fought Leo, he could dodge any of the attacks. He could feel them coming, predict his moves. It was the same with Nangern but not now.

The sense had left the boy, for the time being. The fist hit him and he could not see it, feel, nor sense it. He could not fathom of a defense, his reflexes were shot. No one had ever attacked him and bore through his natural instinct to defend this way before.

 
What happened? Alexander thought. He could not understand. Then it came to him, his best friend, or at least he used to be, punched him because of Nangern’s own mistake, his own jaded, provincial thoughts on how only he is right. He could not discuss it without thinking only he’s right? He stood frozen and looked around.

Nobody was there.

V

It was past eight when Alexander returned to his dormitory. He spit out the remainder of blood in his mouth and massaged his cheek again, still feeling the force behind Nangern’s knuckles.

He said his goodbyes. He said goodbye to Taylor who playfully punched him in the arm, “Oy, you’ve been ‘ere only a few months and yer gone already? No fair.” He laughed, “Enjoy yer life, Lexan.”

“Yeah, you too. Let me know how it goes with you and Tanya, eh?” the boy grinned and held up his pocket wireless device.

“Yeah, sure. Just send me one of those pocket wi-fis, and I’ll let you know,” Taylor answered.

Alexander parted with Dominik, the little chubby boy, “We’ll see each other again, won’t we?”

“Sure thing Dominik,” Lexan answered and smiled, already planning to make trips to the orphanage with his new “father” to visit the others, “See you guys, later. I gotta go meet Alary.”

Taylor grinned when he heard that and Lexan only answered, “Shut up.”

The two met minutes later, both packed up. Lexan wanted to cry but it felt too unreal, just like when his parents died. He was in a state of shock and all he could think about was how he would come see her at her new home. He told her to message him and let him know where she lives. She told Lexan that they will be together and she smiled.

“I’ll come see you, even if it takes me four years until I get my license and I’ll get to drive to see you,” Alexander thought but he knew he would not be able to wait that long. He would want to see her every day. Alary smiled, they kissed and hugged, and then Alexander took his bags and walked to the office. He did not feel as if he was leaving his new found friends behind, on the contrary, he felt he would see them again soon. He knew he would come visit them or that they would get adopted too; maybe go to the same school. It could happen!

At office, Mr. Raki waited and smiled at Lexan, “So we leave then?”

 
“Okay,” Lexan said gloomily looking at the umbrage of the trees around the front of the Orphanage. A green leaf fell down meritoriously onto a small puddle of water left from the condensed fog.

“Oh come on now, you don’t have to be sad, this was going to happen sometime. You’re lucky you have me now. We’ll have lots of fun.” Mr. Raki said but did not await a response, nor did he expect one. Lexan felt expectantly a little better though it felt artificial, as if he had taken an anti-depressant pill. It was an untruthful feeling of slight happiness. It overshadowed his deep sadness and mind-lassitude from the past few days.

“Alright, off we go then.” Mr. Raki said and took Alexander’s bags. The boy refused to let go of his backpack, housing his most precious possessions.

Alexander followed obediently as the pain permeated deeper and deeper inside his head and heart. A taxicab was waiting for them outside the office.

“Where are you off to?” The driver asked Mr. Raki. He simply raised his hand which seemed to flicker a couple of times like a broken light bulb. He, then, waved his hand and the driver turned back around and drove. Lexan saw something escape the man’s hand and enter the driver’s body.

“Wha-?” the boy formulated from the shock of the occult experience.

“Don’t mind that for a moment.” Mr. Raki said.” Let me ask you something. Will you answer truthfully?”

Alexander watched the man in fear. Was he going to kidnap him? Who was he?

The man held Lexan’s head in his hands and stared into the boy’s eyes, “Will you answer truthfully?”

The boy nodded, scared. He wanted to leave the car and go back to the Orphanage but the taxi was already on its way out of, “Where are we going?” Alexander asked, distracted.

Mr. Raki, if that is who he was, turned to the boy, “I am from another planet.”

“Yeah, right,” the boy answered. The guy is psycho, he thought, great.

“Look at me,” the man said, and Alexander turned to him again. The man flicked his fingers and disappeared. Not entirely, but he was barely visible.

“How did you-?” Lexan stared in surprise.

“I am from another planet,” before Raki could go on, the boy interrupted him.

“So you are an alien? But you look so human,” Lexan scanned the man carefully.

“I am human,” Lexan looked at the man suspiciously, “It’s a long story and I will tell you everything you wish to know. Right now though, we are headed for my ship and off this planet. Do you wish to come?”

The boy looked at the man, “Do I have a choice?”

“You do, I can only take you if you wish to come. If you do not wish to come, I will erase this part of your memory and send you to your new family.”

Lexan’s mind whirled with thought, “New family? What are you talking about? You adopted me.”

“Yes, but that’s only a formality. If you do not wish to accompany me, I have made arrangements with a family out in the country that will take you.”

Out in the country? Lexan thought, the closest rural town to the city was at least fifty kilometers away. The city was surrounded by an endless expanse of suburban homes. If he lived that far, he would never be able to come back to the Orphanage. If Alary moved into the city, he would not be able to see her either. Helplessness took the boy over and he did not know what to do. It was a great choice. He could either…travel off planet? Fulfill his dreams of space travel?

What am I thinking? The boy thought, this is my dream. I have always wanted to meet aliens, go out into galaxy and travel. If he stayed in the rural country, he knew he would never be able to become anything more. It was a dead end, he thought, while the adventures of space provided him with countless possibilities.

“Will I ever be able to come back?” Lexan asked tentatively.

“Yes, you will be able to come within five years but you will not be allowed any contact with anyone on the planet,” Mr. Raki answered and waved his hand over the driver again, the driver turned a corner and drove on.

“But, why me? Where are you taking me?” Lexan asked, but he already knew he had decided.

“Why you? That’s a long story I will explain later. I am taking you to an academy of sorts on the other side of the galaxy.”

The boy nodded in agreement, “I guess I’ll go then.”

Mr. Raki smiled and beckoned the driver once more.

VI

Alexander stared outside through the window. He could not fathom how the man could hide a spaceship. He still thought the situation was a joke, a terrifying, stupid joke but he was intrigued.

“Where is the ship?” the boy asked,” I hope you haven’t lost it.” Something seemed out of place; the taxi stopped on a dirt road, out in the rural country. It had taken them almost two hours to get there.

A large green field surrounded the road, nothing out of the ordinary at all. Tall grasses swayed left and right; the trees by the road accentuated the atmosphere of plainness.

The two stepped outside, leaving the driver in his place, “Go, forget, do not come back,” Mr. Raki said and the car left with most of Alexander’s possessions.

“Wait, what about my bags?!” The boy screamed out and tried to run after the speeding car but Mr. Raki held him in place. Alexander looked up at the man, “What about my clothes? What about my stuff?”

“You won’t need it. I have clothes for you on the ship,” Mr. Raki said and walked into the field. Alexander, happy to keep his backpack, followed the man into the grasses although he felt largely confused.

“So your ship is invisible?” The boy changed the subject. He wanted the man to keep talking.

“Yes,” Mr. Raki answered and stopped short on what seemed like a random spot. The field shimmered slightly, “It is invisible to the naked eye and to any sensor known to Earth and most of the galaxy.” The man smiled slightly with pride.

“If this technology seems a bit advanced, do not worry; you’ll get used to it.” The shimmering stopped and an opening appeared, the rest of the ship stayed invisible.

“Is this really a spaceship?” The boy asked.

“From what I understand of your language, it could also be called a ‘starship’,”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I come from a different planet with different language and culture. Your language is mostly unknown or at least unused by us.”

Figures, the boy thought. Why would they speak it anywhere else, “Then how do you know it?”

“I have been studying Earth’s history for a very long time. Consequently, I learned some of the Earthling Languages. I loaded an update on your language before I came here.”

Confusing, the boy thought, this conversation could take hours. He had a barrage of questions that could take months to answer.

“If your planet is as far away as you say then why bother coming here for me?”

“All in time. I’ll answer everything in time, now come.” Mr. Raki stepped into the circular opening denoted by pale blue lighting. Inside, a range of screens and input devices lit up and a loving female voice spoke, “C’tu tjaaa ishta, Rakee.”

I

Alexander stood, shocked to his core, in the beautiful, polished cabin. What a new life, he thought, just a few hours ago, I thought I’d be stuck with some crazy man. Everything changed; nothing would ever be the same. What horrors awaited him? What adventures? Mind over matter, he told himself, adventures were for kids, don’t get too excited.

He breathed deeply for a few seconds, barely holding himself from screaming out, “Wow.”

II

The boy closed and opened his eyes again. The inside of the ship glowed brilliantly but not brightly enough to hurt one’s eyes. Floating panels of information inhabited the apartment-like cabin. Three streamlined rectangular boxes stood in the corner while a main floating console occupied the middle. A thin disk suspended by a string on both sides made up the main console. Several holographic projections, including one graphing the outside of the ship, floated above the disk. It was the only one of its kind; the rest of the cabin was lined with glowing lights and input-like devices. More projections surrounded the input devices.

The walls accentuated the pale blue lights with a bright white. The whole place seemed heavenly.

“I see your state of shock; would you like to be in a more familiar setting?” Mr. Raki waved his hand, rather as a gesture than for any practical purpose, and the inside transformed. Diamond-like patterns emerged from the white walls, along with a grayish military hue. A base grew around the console disk to secure it in place, while the top string holding the disk gained in thickness and display screens, much like from his old computer, emerged. Other information panels and inputs grew screen borders as well. Holographic projections were suddenly supported by holographic projectors, rather than appearing out of nowhere. Several simple chairs rose from the ground by every “workstation.”

The streamlined boxes became grey boxes with see-through screens and alien labels.

Mr. Raki caught Lexan’s eyes and replied simply, “Those are hybernators.”

Alexander nodded and scanned the room once more. It did not seem as alien anymore, Mr. Raki was right. It resembled a high-tech submarine the boy has seen on TV.

A holographic screen opened before them right above the table-like computer, covered with illegible symbols. Raki looked at them and turned to Alexander, “

“Put this on, please,” Mr. Raki asked, holding a bizarre object.