Part Seven
By the time that they arrived at their new home, Ayari had run out of tears, and was sitting in silence, though her face remained tear stained, and somewhat gaunt. Reyden and Bejan lifted Turin's body out of the transporter. Leorie had disappeared into the house, unable to watch. Ezala persuaded Ayari out of the transporter. They were both stained with Turin's blood, but that didn't matter as they walked into the house.
"Take Ayari to a room, and make her lie down," Reyden said to Leorie. Ayari didn't protest as Leorie led her away. Ezala picked up Kai, and cuddled him.
"Poor little boy," she said to him. She looked at Reyden, who looked away, pretending to be busy unloading the transporter. Ezala went into the house. Bejan came back from a walk around the building.
"There's some suitable ground just around the side. It's not bad," he said. Reyden nodded.
"We'd better get this done now," he said. Bejan nodded.
"I'll find some tools," he replied. Upstairs, Leorie had found a room for Ayari. Ayari curled up on the bed, as if shutting out the world. Leorie sat beside her.
"I'm sorry, Ayari," she said. She gently touched Ayari's shoulder. "I'll go and get you some water, and check on Kai. Okay?" There was still no response. Leorie looked sadly at her friend and left the room. Ayari lay there, staring into nothing, her mind still reeling from the shock of Turin's death. She kept replaying events over and over, still not understanding why it happened. Gradually, her eyes began to close. By the time Leorie came back, she was fast asleep. Leorie put the water down on a cabinet, then went to find a blanket. She found one, and placed it over Ayari, then went downstairs. She found Ezala sat at a table, having found something for Kai to eat. Leorie sat down near her. Neither said anything for a while.
"How is she?" asked Ezala eventually.
"In shock," said Leorie. "I can't tell anything else, she wouldn't speak to me. She's asleep now."
"She must be feeling pretty devastated," said Ezala. "It's a terrible shame, he was such a nice young man."
"He was," agreed Leorie.
"And there's Cayanne, too," said Ezala. "Two young people who still had many years to live killed by people who by all rights should have died a thousand years ago." She looked at Kai, and at Leorie. "I hope that Kai and your child will live better lives."
"I hope that too, but things are not looking good, are they?" said Leorie. Ezala tried to look more positively on things.
"A lot of people have died, but there must be plenty more still out there. We've just become so scattered now. And with the children, even though they might have been placed in new families, we still have hope, there will still be new-borns."
"Providing that they don't get corrupted," replied Leorie.
"I don't think so," said Ezala. "Even if they are brought up with the Olds ideals, they still have a young mind full of vitality. And that needs to be nourished. I think that the majority will grow up despising the thought of living forever."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because that is how it was for myself," said Ezala. "My parents were typical Olds. They're still alive somewhere. I ran away when I was sixteen, I couldn't take that kind of nonsense any more."
"My parents were like that with the children they had before me, but for some reason they changed their attitude with me," said Leorie.
"You have brothers and sisters?"
"Yes, so I have been told, but I've never met them. I have twin brothers and a sister. They must have gone onto Harluca, for my mother said that they were still alive, though she couldn't remember where they were."
"Quite a bit older then, I take it?" said Ezala.
"It's a strange thought, isn't it?" smiled Leorie. Reyden and Bejan wandered in, carrying the last of their belongings.
"It's done," said Reyden. "We can hold a ceremony or something later when Ayari feels up to it."
"That's okay," said Ezala. Reyden picked up a bag.
"Leorie, which room are we in?" he asked.
"The one at the end of the corridor," she replied. Reyden turned and went upstairs to put the bag away. He guessed which room Ayari was in, and paused outside, but decided not to go in. Instead, he went back downstairs.
A few hours later, Leorie had persuaded Reyden to let Kai sleep in their room. She went to check on Ayari, and found her standing at the window, looking out over the other buildings, their windows lit up against the night sky.
"It's not got as nice a view as the other place," said Ayari, hearing her come in.
"How are you?" Leorie asked, going to stand next to her.
"I don't know," she said. "There's so much going through my head."
"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Leorie. Ayari shook her head.
"Thank you, but I'll be okay."
"You can come and talk to me anytime you wish," said Leorie.
"I know," said Ayari. "But I need to try and deal with it myself first." She sighed.
"Come and have something to eat," said Leorie.
"I'm not hungry."
"You should have something," said Leorie, but Ayari refused. "I've put Kai to bed in our room," she continued.
"Oh," said Ayari, realising that she hadn't thought of Kai for most of the day. "How is he?" she asked, feeling guilty. "He's fine. Ezala found something for him to eat."
"Thank her for me, please," said Ayari, then looked out of the window again. "How do you explain to a child who is nearly two that their daddy is dead?" she mused. Leorie couldn't think of an answer. "He will ask for him, I know," said Ayari. "Turin always plays games with him in the morning…" she trailed off, the tears beginning to well up again. Leorie put her arms around her, and let Ayari cry into her shoulder.
"You can't predict these things," said Leorie. She comforted Ayari the best she could for the next few minutes, until the tears dried up again. "Are you sure you don't want something to eat?" she asked again.
"Maybe later on," said Ayari.
"Well, I'm going to go and eat my dinner. Do you want me to fetch anything?"
"Some more water, please," said Ayari, pointing at the empty glass. Leorie hugged her again, and then left, leaving Ayari alone to stare out of the window again. She raised her hands to lean on the sill, then something caught her eye. Her engagement ring. She looked at it for a few minutes, then slowly took it off, walking slowly over to where her treasure box had been left. Opening it, she dropped the ring inside, and shut the lid quickly. Then she put the box back beside the bed, and sat down, not knowing what to do with herself.
Dark clouds obscured the sun. Ayari wandered aimlessly between the buildings, not sure as to where she was going. She knew that Reyden would probably be angry at her for going out alone like this, but she didn't care. She felt perfectly safe. There was not a soul to be seen. Suddenly, Ezala appeared.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"I'm going on a walk to the old safe house," replied Ayari. That's crazy, she thought. It's miles away. Ezala smiled at her.
"We're already there, silly," she said. Ayari turned around, and saw that she was indeed in front of it. When she turned back to Ezala, she saw that she had gone. Suddenly, Ayari began to feel apprehensive. The already overcast sky seemed to grow even darker. Shadowy figures skimmed the perimeter of her vision, slowly closing in. She tried to run, but didn't seem to be getting anywhere. The front door remained a static distance to her. It opened, and Leorie came out.
"Leorie, we have to go before it is too late," she said. Leorie just laughed at her.
"What's the point? We all die sometime."
"Help me Leorie," pleaded Ayari, trying to run again. Leorie continued laughing at her. Ayari looked round in desperation, and straight into Turin's eyes, but not for long. Turin dropped to the ground, exactly as before.
"No, not again!" Ayari cried as she knelt besides him. "Not again, please." She realised everything was quiet, and stood up. All around her lay bodies. Reyden, Leorie, Ezala, even Kai were dead. Terrified, she screamed, and tried to flee again, but couldn't. The shadowy figures loomed above her, closing in. Feeling as if she was being suffocated, she dropped to her knees gasping for breath.
"Somebody help me!" she cried as she felt herself beginning to fall through blackness.
Ayari sat bolt upright in bed, still gasping for breath. Her blanket was tangled around her legs, and she was drenched with sweat. Her hands were clammy and she was shaking.
"Ayari?" She turned her head, and saw Leorie standing there in her nightdress, not laughing at her, but looking worried. Ayari closed her eyes, and tried to get her breath back. Leorie sat on the edge of the bed, and put an arm round her.
"I had another nightmare," Ayari said, quietly.
"I know, I heard you screaming, and came to wake you up, but you woke up anyway as I came in," said Leorie.
"It's been a month," said Ayari, shaking her head. "Why am I still having them?"
"You've been through something very traumatic. But, they are getting fewer, and will continue to do so," Leorie said, trying to reassure her. Ayari nodded.
"I need a drink," she said. Leorie moved to let her out of bed. On her way down to the kitchen, she peered into the room where Kai was sleeping. Ayari had decided to put him in a separate room because of her recent nightmares, so he wouldn't get woken up like Leorie had tonight. Happily, Kai was still fast asleep. Ayari continued downstairs, and got herself a glass of water. She drank, the coldness somehow soothing to her. She looked out of the window, and noticed some stars. She wondered, not for the first time, if there was an afterlife. From what she had been taught, at one time the Brunnen G did believe in one. But now the Olds dismissed such a notion. They lived forever, didn't they? They needed no such thing. Part of Ayari still refused to believe that Turin was completely dead, maybe because of Kai, maybe because she was with him in her dreams – those that were not nightmares. But Ayari was still very much alive, and was determined to stay that way.
"Turin…I know that you were never keen on the idea, but I am going to leave this planet. I will find a way somehow. I refuse to live out the rest of my life here," she said to herself, then smiled. She could see the expression on his face in her mind, but she knew Turin would have followed her anywhere. Anywhere in the universe.