Chapter 10- Ancient History
A/N: I'm not getting paid.
Song for this chapter is Red Right Hand by Nick Cave.
Audrey was deeply, dreamlessly asleep when she had the odd sensation of being poked from inside her body. A voice was whispering.
'Hey. Blondie. Audrey!' it hissed urgently.
'Mara?' Are we awake?' Audrey was confused. Everything looked wrong.
'You wanted to know. Look.'
The formless haze around her settled into a memory, or the dream of a memory. Audrey was fascinated, eager to see what her counterpart wanted to show her.
It was strange to feel Mara there, not exactly relaxed, but open enough for Audrey to sense she wasn't angry or plotting.
Mara was sharing this. Willingly.
She sat in the grass, surrounded by wildflowers. She was overlooking the beach, delicate fingers twisting rapidly, braiding the many colors of flowers into an intricate crown. As the wind tickled her she could see her hair, longer than usual; falling to her waist in thick, soft waves the color of burnt caramel.
She wore an old-fashioned dress, deep blue and elegant in it's simplicity. Her body was smaller, like a girl on the cusp of womanhood. Maybe 12, no more than 13 by Audrey's estimation.
Down by the water, a group of boys were wrestling, telling tall tales to impress their peers.
"I did, I stuck my head right in! I could see straight down it clear to the other side. There were barbarians!"
"Don't lie, Thomas. Everyone knows you can't see in the Void."
"You read that in a book? I bet you've never even touched a Thinny. You're scared."
The boys wrestled, and Mara shook her head, scoffing at them.
All children in their society knew about the Void. They studied it in school. For their own safety, they had to be able to recognize Thinnies, the portals that lead to the Void. A child who was careless near a Thinny could fall through. When that happened, they didn't come back.
Their leaders had fenced off several such portals, but they weren't always easy to find and sometimes, brand new ones would appear overnight, as if the Void had a mind of its own.
She heard another voice talking to the boys. A stranger! Mara gazed up excitedly- they didn't get new kids in town often, and she was eager to make a new friend.
This new boy was older, and he had a mysterious, quiet intensity in his smile. His hair was golden, cut shorter than most local boys. He had a casual affect- hands in his pockets, slouching, leaning his hip against one of the bigger boulders on the beach. She listened carefully.
"So, you guys have touched the Void, huh?"
"Of course we have. Dozens of times." Thomas was trying to show off.
"Wow, that's really brave. I couldn't do that." the stranger replied, looking impressed. Mara was disappointed. Thomas didn't need another sycophant believing his silly lies. She sighed, wondering how much simpler life must be for stupid people.
"Well, not everyone can do it. Probably better that you don't. You could get hurt."
"You're right." the stranger agreed affably. "But hey, since you're an expert, maybe you can tell me about this."
He had produced something from a pocket. Mara felt herself tense in recognition as golden sparks danced around his hand.
To anyone else, it would have looked like charcoal. Maybe an iron ingot.
To Mara, it sparkled and gleamed, bright gold and blinding.
He was holding Aether.
"A rock? There's no rocks in the Void." Thomas sneered, laughing mockingly. The other boys laughed too.
"Not a rock, friend. Aether. See, the Void? It's full of this stuff. It's less solid there, but it's everywhere. Like air. The Aether is the interesting part, not the other world. It can do anything."
Still smiling, he closed in on Thomas, the ball of Aether held in two fingers, like he was going to touch Thomas with it. Her mouth went dry and she stood quickly, heart pounding with fear. She had to do something.
"Thomas!" she called, drawing their attention. She schooled her features to impassivity, walking quickly toward the boys. "Your father needs to see you. He seemed like he was in a hurry." Mara smiled kindly, secretly screaming at him to run.
"Thank you, Mara." Thomas replied politely- she was a lady, after all, and well liked among her peers. "I will go at once."
He bowed to her, turned, and loped off, the rest of the children at his heels. She sucked in air gratefully as her fear dissipated.
She rounded on the new boy. He was in perfect counterpoint to her; his relaxed slouch to her straight spine, his open grin to her disapproving frown, his easy chaos to her iron discipline.
"You were going to touch him with Aether!" She almost shouted, fighting to control the unfamiliar anger.
"It wouldn't have hurt him. I can't activate it, see?" He held the ball out to her. It lay cold and inert in his palm. She relaxed... a little.
"Still, you shouldn't play like that. It's not a game."
"Life is a game, little flower. Winners and losers. The sooner you understand that, the sooner you become a winner. How'd you know what it was, anyway?"
"My name is Mara. My father is an Occulus." she replied proudly.
The Occuli were the preeminent members of their scientific community. They were the smartest people in the world. Less than 1% of the population, they were leaders in a society dedicated to knowledge and industry. Her daddy was the best one there was.
"William." He bowed to her, looking appropriately impressed. "Maybe I should give this to you." He offered her the orb, watching her intently.
She deliberated quickly, following the paths of possibility, looking for one that wouldn't be a risk. She grabbed a clean handkerchief from her pocket, careful not to touch the Aether directly. She could pass this off as being afraid to get dirty.
"Thank you. Where did you get it?" She enquired politely as she focused on wrapping the orb. If he told her, she could go make sure there were no stray scraps and if there was a Thinny, she'd tell her father.
"From the Void." Mara jumped. He'd crept nearer to her as she wrapped the bundle and he was too close, his breath stirring her hair as he softly enunciated the words in her ear. Her mind was blank for a moment, sensory overload breaking her control and before she could regain it, William was kissing her.
Mara had taken great pains to keep herself distant from people who didn't know her secret. Physical contact was something she craved, but she understood that her responsibilities were more important than her desires. She had a duty.
William was touching her though, giving her her very first kiss. The overload of sensation was physically painful, psychologically unbearable. It was torture.
And she couldn't move.
There was a wailing sound coming from her throat. Her body shook. She tried desperately to just back up. He bit her lip, and everything snapped.
Mara fainted.
When her eyes opened, she was lying in the grass. William was reclined next to her, watching her with her crown of flowers atop his head.
"I thought it was a myth that girls fainted when they got kissed."
She felt the heat of the blush on her face.
"I didn't faint because you kissed me," she said, unusual acidity creeping into her voice. "It's a medical condition." She considered sitting up, but worried that she'd embarrass herself further. She had to be careful. She had to keep the secret.
His dancing eyes gentled. "What kind of condition?"
Mara was shocked. It was beyond impolite to ask such a question. If an adult had heard him, he'd certainly have been reprimanded. Who was this wild boy who so blatantly flouted the rules?
But... if he didn't care about rules, maybe he would understand. The idea of having someone to talk to was attractive.
She stared at him, wondering if it was safe to talk to him.
"Hey, it's okay. I won't tell anyone. I'm not exactly surrounded with friends."
She sat up slowly.
"If I say... do you swear not to tell?"
He dug into his pocket, bringing out a folding knife. Before she could protest, he'd cut his palm and grabbed her hand, slicing it quickly. He pressed the cuts together, his superior strength keeping her from jerking away.
"I swear I will never tell." Sincerity rang in the words, and though she was irritated with his presumptuous behavior she found she very much wanted to talk.
She scooted a bit further away, retreating back into the no-contact perimeter she kept as she freed her bloody hand.
"I got sick back when the Influenza pandemic hit. Daddy's an Occulus, I told you that. He knew I was dying. He said he would never let me go. That if he had to, he would march through the Void himself and force the gods to heal me.
"He synthesized a medicine from Aether. He only had enough for one dose. He gave it to me while my mother was out. He broke the law." Mara was whispering now. If her father was caught and convicted of illegal experimentation his status wouldn't protect him. He had risked everything for her.
"Your mother would have let you die just to follow the rules? Wow."
His tone made her uncomfortable. She'd never really thought of it like that. Momma just wanted them all safe. It wasn't that she considered Mara expendable. Of course she didn't. She wouldn't have wanted Daddy to get in trouble, that's all. Momma loved her.
"That's not true. He didn't tell her because he wanted to protect her."
"Right, of course."
"Anyway," she went on, disconcerted, "I got well, but the cure had side effects. I can't stand to be touched. Acute Hypersensitivity. That's why I fainted."
"Would you faint if I kissed you again?"
Unfamiliar fury rolled through her. "Don't! It's not funny. This is my life! I'm not a joke!" Mara was shouting, anger burning through her control. As William edged closer she lashed out, and he grabbed her hand, pressing an Aether orb against her palm where it spread out and clung beyond her sight.
She reared back to slap him. Mara would make him take her seriously. She deserved his respect.
He didn't see it fast enough to move. As her hand made contact, she was horrified to feel the euphoria of the activated Aether flow through her.
Panicked, Mara's gaze flew to William's face, seeing the black handprint edged in golden fire on his cheek.
And the obsessive desire in his eyes.
'Target. Intent. Aether.'
'You couldn't have known!'
'That doesn't matter. It happened. It all starts here.'