Chapter 20 (redone)

Today turns out to be one of the three days of the week that we have gym class. Now, I’ve never been very good at gym, even at a normal, Earth school. I was about a million times worse in this school. Have you ever played dodge ball with a bunch of people that have Powers? The Fire Classmen kept throwing blazing dodge balls at each other, and whoever was unlucky enough to get in the way paid for it. The Teleportation Classmen were worse. They’d throw a ball at you, and right as you were about to catch it, they’d teleport it right into your gut. Kyle had produced a steady stream of balls built up with various levels of electric charge, depending on who he was trying to throw them at. He’s got a good arm; only three out of dozens of balls missed.

I don’t know what Wynn was doing, but he won. Every time I looked at him, he was simply standing calmly, but the people around him were getting mercilessly pelted with what looked like invisible projectiles. A few hit me when I went too close.

I have a deep blue bruise spreading over the lower half of my arm. It doesn’t feel like a bruise though. It’s covered with what looks like frost, or dust, or something, and it feels freezing cold. When we are dismissed, everyone crowds around Wynn. I assume that it’s because he won.

I’m in the classroom, Krystal. Of course I know which classroom he means.

I’ve been dreading this since my class with Lorik ended. Suddenly shaky, I push myself away from the wall and slip out of the gymnasium. I make a wrong turn twice, and catch myself only after Lorik corrects me. At last, I’m standing in front of the classroom. My stomach drops to my knees, and I reach for the doorknob with trembling hands.

Inside, Lorik stands at the far end leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He beckons me over with a jerk of his head. There are no chairs in the bare room, so we stand facing each other.

What happened earlier was disturbing, he begins.

I already said I’m sorry.

You are not here so that I may extract an apology from you. Unwilling apologies mean absolutely nothing.

Well, I really am sorry.

Did I say that I doubted you? What I said was that what happened earlier was disturbing.

I didn’t mean it.

I understand. You don’t. You are not in trouble for breaking the connection. You aren’t even in trouble, so stop shaking.

I’m not in trouble?

Sometimes I swear you ask questions just to annoy me. I just told you that you aren’t in trouble.

Then why am I here?

Again with the questions, Krystal. You are here because I need to talk to you. What you experienced earlier was—“What’s that on your arm?” he asks suddenly. The switch from telepathy to speaking aloud startles me.

I surrender my arm for him to inspect. “It’s a bruise. We played dodge ball in gym today. I’ve always been really bad at it.”

He takes my arm in both of his hands, running them over my skin. His hands barely touch me. “This is a Death-Spot. You said you got it playing dodge ball?”

“Yeah. What’s a--” before I can finish, Lorik gives me an annoyed glare. His hands begin to produce heat as they pass over my skin. “A Death-Spot is exactly what it sounds like. The ‘bruised’ part of your arm is dying, while the rest remains unaffected.” He says this like it’s totally normal. Maybe for this school, it is normal. “Only Shadow Manipulators can give them. They aren’t supposed to, not to other students. Unless they intend to heal you within 20 minutes, at any rate. Who Spotted you?”

“I think it was Wynn.” My voice shakes a little. What happens if part of my arm dies?

“And he didn’t offer to heal you?”

“Well…no. I didn’t know I had to be healed. I kind of left before everyone else.”

By now, the heat from Lorik’s hands is so hot that it singes the hair off of my arms. I flinch involuntarily, but my arm doesn’t move. As I watch, the blue begins to fade, until my skin is its normal shade of light caramel. “There. Next time, make sure Wynn gets to reverse the damage. When we’re done, you should go and ask him to take a look at it. Only Shadow Manipulators can totally erase them.”

“Why--”

Because only they know how it works. No more questions.

Fine. You were saying something about earlier?

That was a question.
Sorry.

What you experienced earlier is known as a “Torrent”. It is just what it sounds like; a torrent of uncontrolled memories. All it means is that your mind is adapting to supporting a connection. I didn’t recognize the symptoms before. I was distracted by the Torrent. What I don’t understand are the memories themselves.

I’d rather you forgot my memories and left me alone, to be honest. I move to lean against the wall so that I don’t have to look him in the eye.

Lorik is quiet for a space. I get the sense that too many people have left you alone. You were beaten?

Yeah. It’s not a big deal. So you were never mad at me?

No. And it IS a big deal. I understand that you don’t want to talk about it. Know that it won’t happen again. I understand that Kyle told you about…the situation we left for your friends and relatives back home?

Yeah. Nice job. Didn’t know you guys did that kind of thing.

How else are we supposed to deal with students like you?

Does it happen a lot?

Most of the children on the milk cartons are now students here.

I guess so, then. But why did you have to stage my death instead of just letting me go missing?

Lorik sighs and looks over at me. We let some students go home on the weekends. Nobody even notices that they are gone; Time and Space work to allow them to live their normal lives while they’re only gone from here for 72 Earth hours.

But, this isn’t Earth.

Lorik raises his eyebrow as if to say “Are you serious?” I’m glad that you are aware of that. We use Earth measurements of time, as well as School measurements. You can learn those later. Time doesn’t run the same here as it runs on Earth. An “Earth Hour” simply means the time it would take a Earth clock to count one hour.

So does this place run behind or ahead of Earth?

Neither. There is no Time here at the School. So, if you were to go back home right now, the Time would pick up right where it was when you left.

But—

It’s time for lunch, Lorik interrupts me, abruptly walking to the door. “Come, Krystal. I’ll explain Time to you on the way.”

I listen without interrupting as Lorik explains. “Time is a force, just like Gravity. Think of Space as being spread out like a blanket. Time is like a liquid spilled on that blanket. It’s thicker in some places, and thinner in others, yes? And there are places where there is no Time at all. The School in built in one of these places. So, Time doesn’t truly affect us here.
You will age based on Earth hours here, but as soon as you return to Earth, you will return to the age you were when you left.”

We arrive at the cafeteria, where the Instructors all wave Lorik over. I opt to sit with Kyle and the rest of Team 010 this time. Kyle greets me with a smile and pulls out my chair for me. “You alright now?” he asks. “Yeah, I’m good,” I respond cheerily. He hands me a plate full of things I’ve never seen in my life. I dig in, abandoning caution, to the delight of my Teammates.

When I’ve finished, Wynn reaches across the table and touches my injured arm. Pins and needles poke fiercely at my muscles, and fade away as quickly as they came. “I never got a chance to heal you,” he says. “You’re lucky Lorik knows what he’s doing. For a non-Shadow Powerholder, anyway. Next time, let me heal you before you run off.”

“Sure, Wynn. Thanks!” I guess that’s why everyone crowded around him after gym. Death-Spots ain’t no joke.