Creatures of Snow Page 4

  Al pulled on his arm and dragged him through the open door into the glaring lights and reflective white walls of the hallway.

  “Ahhh, I wish we didn’t have to go, it was just getting good.” Al pouted and blinked hard, trying to let his eyes adjust.

  “Yeah, but you’re right. They might start to worry, and you got curfew.” And Sky would feel terrible if he made Al late again.

  They started off down the hallway, but neither took the lead.

  “I have no idea how to get out of this place. Did we come from the left or right?” Al stopped at the junction and looked quizzically up and down the corridor.

  “I was hoping you knew…“ Sky shrugged, Al was usually the one with a more reliable memory.

  Al closed his eyes and thought for a moment. “I think we came in one level up. Remember? We walked down to our seats.” He opened his eyes, “But really, I don’t think that matters since every stupid hallway looks exactly the same.”

  “Ruth wasn’t kidding when she said it was like a maze, eh?” He tried to chuckle and lighten the mood, but it died in his throat and ended up as a snarl.

  With everyone at the lecture the hallways were deserted. “We’re going to die here aren’t we? No food, no water…no windows.”

  Sky hadn‘t really heard him, his mind still back at the lecture. “What do you think made Zeph rush off like that? You don’t think something happened, do you?”

  As they rounded another corner; the hallway predictably looked identical to the last. “Not sure. That Isaac kid that came to relay the message looked pretty freaked out though.”

  Sky put his hand out and stopped Al in his tracks, “Shhh…” He tilted his head to the side and listened. “Did you hear that?”

  “What?” Al whispered back with a tone that verged on irritation.

  “I heard something.” Sky kept his hand up.

  “It could be my stomach.”

  Sky took off running; he knew he heard something, if it was people, then that meant someone who could point the way out.

  “What’s up, eh?” Al shouted as he chased after Sky.

  “This way, I hear—” Sky ran around a corner and collided straight into a solid body. He flew backwards, but a hand grabbed him before he could hit the ground and he found himself faced with Zeph. His moment of relief was cut short when he was spun around and slammed into the wall, Zeph’s hand closing around his throat so tight the air that had already been knocked out of him had no chance to return.

  Sky’s utter shock at Zeph’s actions was soon outweighed by the look of total fear in his eyes. He had never seen Zeph, or anyone for that matter, look the way he did in that instant.

  “Master Zeph, sir?” Al’s voice cut through the moment.

  In a literal blink of an eye Zeph’s demeanor morphed back into a relaxed and humored state. “Holy moldy, you scared the juice out of me.” Zeph laughed lightly and released Sky. “Sorry there, kiddo.” He continued to laugh to himself as he walked away from the two stunned boys.

  Sky rubbed at his throat and yelled hoarsely at Zeph’s back, “Hey,”

  “Sorry, sorry, I have to get back to the snooze fest.” He called back without even turning.

  “Zeph!” Sky shouted as best he could.

  “Lifts are at the end of the hall to the right.” Zeph sang back merrily before turning a corner out of sight.

  Al turned to Sky with a look of concern, “Wow. What was that? Are you okay, man?”

  He didn’t have an answer to that question. He looked back briefly in the direction Zeph had left. What was with that look? What was with that reaction? But those were questions he just didn’t have time to find an answer to. “Come on, we’ve got to get going.”

  They rushed down the hall. They were running against time at this point, and he was quite certain they were about to lose. Even though they found their way out, it was still a bit of a jaunt to the closest station. The only bit of luck they had was having the transport, ready and waiting for them at the stop.

  “Thought you boys might be coming.” Driver Calhoun laughed as they dragged their wheezing butts up the stairs onto the transport.

  Sky fell into the closest open seat near the back with Al dropping noisily down beside him. A few seats up some kid with flame red hair gave them a brief glance back. Normally he wouldn’t have paid this any mind, but there was something about that guy that caught his eye. Was it his hulking size? Or the way he was overdressed for the desert in a turtleneck and long sleeves? But, no, that wasn’t it. There was definitely something different about him that Sky couldn’t quite put his finger on.

  “Aw, man. I didn’t think we were going to make it.” Al leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes briefly.

  “We still haven’t made it, Al. You’re still going to be late.” Sky felt his stomach churn as he looked over at his friend, “I don’t want you getting in trouble again with your dad. Maybe I can have my dad explain things, or maybe your uncle Zero could.”

  “Explain what – that I wasn’t where I said I was going to be since you decided to bail on your own going away party and then proceeded to drag me all the way down to Capital City? Yeah, I’ll pass. It’s fine anyway. I haven’t been disobedient in a while so the old man should cut me some slack.”

  Sky didn’t know if he believed him. Al’s father had a hard time distinguishing between home and work and treated everyone like they were under strict military order. “I hope so.” He muttered as he looked out the window while the transport lurched forward.

  The ride home was a quiet one. There was plenty to say, but somehow neither knew how to start.

  When they arrived at their stop, Sky could visibly see Al’s anxiety grow and they began the race down the Mainway, towards where the paths would split. The sparse spattering of plant life that had begun accumulating by the sides of the dusty road, soon became a thick layer of green foliage, by the time they reached the Crossroad.

  Al was going to be late - there was no doubt about that now. It was Sky’s fault. He should have just gone to the party, pretended like it was all okay and had a proper send off like any other normal kid. But no, he blew it, and now his last moments with Al were rushed and meaningless.

  Al had time to throw up a wave as they split - Al going left towards his life, and Sky staying straight until the road came to an end.

  “Wait!” He shouted, stopping dead in the middle of the road.

  “It’s not forever, Sky,” Al shouted back. “It’s just school. I’ll see you in a few months!” He reassured him as he continued on his way.

  It’s not forever…funny, that’s the same thing Soul had said.

  Chapter Five

  Sky stood there until Al was well out of sight. He kicked at the dirt under his feet as he began to amble down the street. A screech cut through the still air of twilight, causing his head to snap to attention. There was a funny feeling in the air – but it was most likely his own dread of facing his dad. Or it might have just been the humidity.

  The screech sounded again, but farther away this time. The sound registered fully in his mind this time – it was a strix, probably hot on the trail of its dinner.

  Sky unclenched his fists and willed his feet to move forward at a faster pace; down the path he had tread a thousand times. He tipped his head up to the receding light. The air was cool, but not uncomfortably so. His regret and guilt had receded behind a growing wall of hunger. He just didn’t want to think anymore and let gravity pull him down the steep driveway, towards the quaint little cabin, nestled neatly in the valley, amongst gnarled and twisted trees.

  He paused only briefly before pushing open the thick wooden door, ready to face whatever punishment lay beyond, but it was darkness that greeted him behind its creaking protest, and nothing more.

  He shut the door as quietly as he could and looked around the empty room. His father and Zero’s taste in furniture consisted mainly of wooden crates and curb side novelties that clashed amazingly wit
h Ixanna’s garish taste in décor. It was probably enough to make anyone with any sort of sense of style (or just eyes in general) weep at first sight.

  In memorized movements, he made his way around the living room’s randomly placed furniture to the only room in the house that, aside from his own, was somewhat normal.

  The kitchen, out of lack of use, had avoided a direct assault and remained pleasantly plain and functional. Sky’s stomach grumbled as he stepped onto the dulled wooden floor and shuffled his way on the well worn path between the doorway and the fridge. Signs of what should have been were still scattered around the room: An uneaten cake on the counter, brightly colored plates still set at the table, the lingering smell of roasted meat hanging in the air.

  His guilt outweighed his hunger for a second, and then he opened the fridge and grabbed the first thing he saw that resembled edible food. The one downside of living with a race of beings that didn’t necessarily need food to survive - they generally ate the equivalent of what a five year old would eat, if given the power to choose.

  “So you’re back.”

  Sky’s heart leapt to his throat. He hadn’t heard him come in. “Captain!” He hated the desperation and surprise that filled his wavering voice as he spun around to face his father.

  He didn’t look angry, or disapproving, he simply looked as he always did – calm, relaxed and moderately bored. His drooping eyes and lazy smile were emphasized by his slouching shoulders and casual stance. “Don’t call me that, you little punk.” He laughed and came further into the room.

  Sky didn’t know what to say, how to start. Should he apologize? Or should he just brush it off? He could never read his dad’s expressions since he always looked empathetic no matter what the situation.

  “Sit down, eat.” He gestured Sky towards the table and took a seat himself. “I’ve heard you had quite the night. Got yourself all the way to Cour, eh?” He leaned back in his chair and stretched out his long legs.

  When Sky gave only a wide eyed stare in response, his dad laughed again.

  “Zeph let me know where you were after he saw you. See, even he can be responsible when he has to be.” He explained and again gestured for Sky to sit. “Now come on, you got to be starving.”

  He moved closer with slight reservation. “So…you’re not mad?”

  His dad shrugged, “Meh. It’s not like we didn’t expect it. You can be pretty predictable sometimes.” He gave a charismatic wink.

  His father, the Captain Victor Regan, had to be the most forgiving man in the Living Realm. Sure, it probably helped that he wasn’t really a man, but was an Iko of Protection whose job it had once been to care for the mere mortals, but that was beside the point. The point was that he had spent months planning and preparing a party that he knew probably wouldn’t happen just for the odd chance that Sky might have actually surprised him by showing up.

  “I’m a jerk.” Sky slumped down into the closest chair, “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry.” He leaned forward across the table. The flickering lights caught his youthful face in an almost apologetic state as a few strands of dusty brown hair fell across it. “I knew you were struggling with the whole school thing, but I didn’t say anything.”

  His dad got up quickly and crossed the room. He was so quick, in fact, that by the time Sky’s eyes caught up with him, he had somehow managed to get his hands on a long, rectangular box that was wrapped up in gaudily adorable paper.

  “I didn’t say anything, because I didn’t want to ruin the surprise.” He tossed the box over to Sky. “Happy graduation, Sky.”

  To his own surprise, he actually caught the box which was a lot lighter than he had anticipated. “What’s this?”

  “Well, open it up, genius, and find out.” Ixanna strode into the room in a swirl of white lace and silken robes, complimented by waves of strawberry-blond hair. Her flawless face was stretched wide in a ruby red smile.

  He hadn’t seen her for months and she was amazingly extravagant as always. Out of all the Iko’s he knew she was the one who never changed in appearance or attitude, no matter what her situation. Even his dad, who in recent years had begun to be mistaken for an older brother, had taken on a more ragged appearance complete with rough stubble and shaggy hair to add the illusion of a few more years between them. But Ixanna, they could be on the farthest planet from the sun, in the slummiest of neighborhoods, pretending to be scroungers, and she would still have been dressed to the nines, demanding a clean surface to stand on.

  Sky looked down at the colorful wrapping, and the care that had been taken in making the thin paper perfectly creased around the edges of the box. He felt guilty doing it, but it would be rude not to open it. He carefully undid the paper and was sure to fold it back, minding the pleats, and opened the lid of the box.

  He froze, not understanding. “What is this?” He asked, looking up slowly to find his dad’s eyes looking eagerly at him.

  “Surprise!”

  Sky looked back down into the box at the neatly folded REALM uniform. “I…I don’t understand?”

  “You’re still a student of Arche, but you’ll be attending the REALM academy for a few semesters in a new program.”

  “Axis…” He mumbled, briefly remembering Professor Blanks and his part of the lecture.

  Ixanna reached over his shoulders and pulled up the jacket in front of Sky. “You see that little silver pin under the emblem – that’s the badge of Axis. You’re one of the first – a pioneer!”

  “Did you guys do this?” Sky’s mind was numb. He knew he should be feeling something, he just didn’t know what exactly.

  His dad shook his shaggy head and leaned towards him, “No kiddo, you did this all on your own. Whatever criteria they were looking for – you hit it right on the head. There were only two first-years chosen for this.”

  “Zeph explained everything to us a few weeks back. He assured us that he had nothing to do with the selections either.” Ixanna piped in. “Are you mad? You look mad.”

  Sky shook his head, still trying to understand. “No. I’m not mad. I just…”

  “We knew you were upset about leaving, this way, you get to stay, at least for a little longer. Aren’t you happy?” Ixanna pulled his face around to look her in the eye. “You should be happy.”

  “I am happy. I’m just, in shock I guess.” That was right. He was happy, but there was a better way to describe the feeling that began to rush through his veins. “I guess what I’m really feeling…” He looked over to his father whose face had begun to take on a slight look of concern, “is relief.”

  The look of concern retreated from the surface, but Sky could tell by the way his dad sat back in his chair and tilted his head that it wasn’t fully gone. He just stared at him. His unlined face a mask of thought.

  “So what happens now?” He asked as the news slowly began to sink in, and color flooded his black and white thoughts.

  “Well, unfortunately Zero and I have got a delivery in the morning, and Ixanna here has got to get back to whatever it is she does,”

  Ixanna swung around to the opposite side of the table and sat gracefully beside his dad. “I happen to be involved in a very important-”

  “Yes, we know. A very important, top secret mission. So secret you keep trying to tell us about it.” His dad sighed.

  “Well, it’s very interesting.” Ixanna snapped and crossed her arms with a pout.

  “Anyway, I already talked to Allen about riding with you –“

  “Wait! Al knew? The little liar!”

  “Well, yeah.” His dad shrugged. “Everyone sort of knew…but you. That’s why it’s called a surprise. So, anyway, Allen agreed to take you to campus and from there you can just act like a normal student.”

  Sky still couldn’t believe the show Al had put on. Looking sad, worried and miserable.

  “A Professor Blanks should be connecting with you sometime during the day,” His dad went on, “He’ll explain the rest
and introduce you to the other Axis students.”

  Sky exhaled loudly, still not really absorbing all the information. He ran a hand through his hair - only to have that hand grabbed up by his dad.

  “Is this blood?” He pulled Sky’s arm across the table to bring it under the light.

  “What? No.” He lied.

  His dad let go of his hand and pushed it back in his direction. “So that’s what you were doing? Fighting again?”

  Sky didn’t want to lie, but he certainly didn’t want to tell the truth.

  Ixanna shook her head, but unlike his father, there was no real disapproval in her eyes. “Sky,” She said gently, “You know fighting doesn’t solve problems, it creates them.”

  “It wasn’t my fault! I didn’t start it.” He shouted. Like a cornered animal - his first instinct was to lash out.

  “Go to your room. We’re done.” His dad pointed out of the room, not bothering to look at him.

  Sky knew exactly what that meant. It meant that whatever hope and pride his dad might have had in him had just died because he had missed washing off one small speck of blood.

  Sky stood up violently and threw the box back down on the table, before stomping out of the room.

  “Skyden.” His dad called out calmly as he got to the stairs.

  He stopped, but couldn’t turn around. He didn’t want to be mad. He didn’t want to be in trouble again, but it’s not like he could take it back. “I’m sorry, okay.” His voice cracked and let through his sincerity.

  “Stop being sorry and start thinking things through.” He could hear his dad getting up from the table and the swoosh of fabric told him Ixanna was doing the same. “You’re scared of turning into Soul and turning your back on your family, but don’t you realize when you do stuff like this you’re already pushing us away?”

  Something stirred in the pit of his stomach. He felt sick, and angry and tired. “I am not.” His voice was weak and pathetic.

  “Go to bed. You have a big day tomorrow.” His dad mumbled back, already heading for the back door.