Chapter Three: "I am Still Living With Your Ghost."
Kick, punt, and pass: the sounds of soccer filled the training ground at Red River High.
Rioroute Vilgyna urged his team on: "Ward! Pick up the pace! Ryker, does this look like a game of dodge ball to you? San Paolo, concentrate. You're trying to prevent your opponent from scoring a goal." Spiky, ash- brown hair poked out from under a cap. He sat on a bench, and rummaged through a gym bag for a snack.
He pulled out a plastic bowl, filled with green grapes. He reached in again, and found a peanut butter sandwich, and a small bag with baby carrots. Muttering under his breath, he began eating.
Across the field, Zero had removed his jacket, and was jockeying between sides, as the boys practiced for a match against Carville High. His hair flew as he kicked, punted, and wove through the game with ease.
"GOOOOOAAAAALLLL!" he screamed, as he kicked the soccer ball into the goalie's net. "Metcalfe! Keep your guard up! Kazui," he called to another boy, "watch the ball more closely. Justo! This is no time for a Ronaldo complex." He faded back, to the sidelines, and paced. Sweat poured down his face and back.
It may be November, but I don't feel it. I'll give the guys another 15, and call it quits for today. Besides, I have to pick something up for dinner. And I need to get the grade books ready, too.
Rio walked over. "Hey, Zero, your boys are really amazing."
"Thanks. Your team's not too shabby, either. Hey," he said, pointing to Vilgyna's left, "what's the commotion?" The Varsity coach looked over, and saw one of the players fall, convulsing on the ground.
Zero blew the whistle. "Guys, practice is over. Get to the showers. Kazui, get the school medics. Metcalfe, call 911. Now." The boys left, as he and Rioroute made their way across the field.
"Coach, sir," a dark-haired boy with green eyes said. "He just started screaming, and then he fell over."
"Gentlemen, practice is over. Get to the showers now. We've called for help, so there's no need to panic. Bring a blanket or something over. We need to keep him warm."
"I'm on it, Chief," Zero replied. "Who is it?"
Rio knelt by the boy, now unconscious. "It's Ryker. Looks like he was foaming at the mouth. Hand me that." After covering him up, the two waited for the medics and for an ambulance. "When Ryker played for you last year, did anything like this ever happen?"
"No. He was always in good form. I can't recall anything out of the ordinary." "Since he moved up, he's had mood swings, gotten into fights, generally become more aggressive. I don't understand. He's always been a live one, but never violent."
Zero thought a moment, and then said, "There's someone watching us. They've been here the last ten minutes, more or less."
"If they're Fire-Rescue, I don't care," Rio replied. "If it's Action News 5, send them off."
"Fire-rescue is on the way," the JV coach said, "and unfortunately, so are the Action News goons. Someone else is in the vicinity. And I can't get a bead on who they are, or why they're here."
Rio glanced up. A royal blue, two-door sedan---one modeled after an ancient Earth car---idled in the parking lot behind the athletic field. A tall, pale man, dressed in grey and black, sat on the hood. What he was thinking, only he knew.
Zero shuddered, though not from the cold. This particular frisson felt, somehow, familiar.
The first time I sensed another person in the area, I was on the observatory deck. I didn't have to see him. I knew he was there. I suppose I should have been scared. But fools like me, ah, well. I never expected to catch him singing. And he smiled, too! That caught me by surprise. This gorgeous, icy, impenetrable being, lost in a pleasurable moment. If I'd been smart, I would have run away. I didn't. I was melting where I stood.
Darden Angel sat on the hood, startled at the images flooding his mind: a young man with wild dark hair walked along a starry corridor. He heard a voice, singing: "Because the world is round, it turns me on, because the world is round, ah; because the wind is high, it blows my mind, because the wind is high: ah, love is old, love is new; love is all, love is you. Because the sky is blue, it makes me cry, because the sky is blue."
The pale singer smiled; he felt the dark haired boy's presence, as he gazed at planets, drifting into view. Let him think he had intruded on a private moment. Dear boy, do you really think I can't sense you? I'm a central part of you, like it or not. He put on a scowl, and turned to face the Candidate.
"Rei, what in heaven's name are you doing here?" Blue eyes widened, dilating in the half-light.
"You know my name."
"Yes."
"Hiead?" The dark haired boy stepped closer. "Have you ever gotten a glimpse at something intimate?"
"Only once." Eyes like pomegranates sparkled, as he moved closer. "Shall I tell you about it?"
"Please do." Rei trembled, then added, "Tell me this: did the glimpse unnerve you?"
"Yes."
Darden stared at the younger coach, shaking his head. I know him. Damned if I can place where, or when. But I know him. And he knows me. He sensed me before the other man ever did. Dear gods, why am I here? And why watch him? I've watched men before. What is it about him that just leaves me breathless?
He jumped off the hood, walking onto the field toward the coaches, when Zero intercepted him. "I don't know who you are, mister, but if you get your jollies off other people's pain, you had best leave."
The bounty hunter's face paled and went somber. "I read about your team in the paper. I wanted to see you in motion. And you, Rei Enna, shame swans with your grace and agility."
Zero took a closer look at the stranger, whose gaze never wavered. How does he know my name? Oh, my god. His eyes, his lips, the hair---there can't be someone else with his face! I'm hallucinating. That's the ticket: the dreams I had last night, pre-marriage jitters, what's just happened with Ryker---I'll just close my eyes, count to three, and this ghost will vanish. One, two, three. No. He's been dead seven years. Dead men don't just pop up at soccer practice, wearing the ring you gave him when you both ascended. Dead men don't call you by name. Dead men.
"I am hardly what you call dead, Zero," Darden replied. "But I think your colleague needs you right now. The soccer player, Ryker, will not make it to the hospital alive. I don't see him surviving." Sorrow rang from his voice. "He may have been taking Quark, high dosages of it."
Zero started back. "I'm sorry. You remind me of someone I knew when I was in space."
"I've dreamed about being in space. Don't know that I have been, though. And I remember seeing someone that looked like you, and a strange boy, that looked like me, only younger. Fire Rescue is here. Watch yourself." He pulled Zero to the right, as an ambulance whizzed onto the field.
"Thanks," the coach replied, as paramedics approached Rio and Ryker, raising the youth onto a gurney. Ryker began convulsing again, flailing and propelling his body to the ground. A choked scream escaped his lips, and he went rigid, then limp, on the ground. Two medics checked the boy. Zero and Darden approached, hearing the words: "He's dead."
Rio fell to his knees, and began to wail. "Rioroute," Zero said, "Let me borrow your cell phone. I'll call his mother." He fished through the gym bag, pulling out a green phone. He dialed a number, and waited.
"Hello?" a woman's voice answered. "Mrs. Kuerten? Hello, this is Coach Enna. I'm calling to inform you that your son went into convulsions this afternoon during practice."
"Is he all right?" Zero took a breath, and prayed that he could finish this call.
"No, Mrs. Kuerten. He died before the paramedics could get him to the hospital. I'm truly sorry. Everything happened so fast."
Mrs. Eveline Kuerten screamed, agony washing through the receiver. "Principal Yerszowy, Coach Vilgyna, and I would like to pay our respects, if you please, this evening. If there is anything we can do, please ask."
Darden listened as Zero spoke, his voice sad but calm. "Yes, we'll be there at nine. Would you like us to bring anything over? At least, let me bring a dish. Thank you. I'm sorry, too. Thank you. See you this evening." He hung up, sagging a little.
"You never did tell me your name," he said, eyes glassy with tears, to the pale man next to him.
"Darden Angel. I'm sorry that the young man is dead."
"You didn't coach him. You never got to see him play."
"No, but I am sorry, because he was a promising young man. And because he was someone that you, and your fellow coach, cared about."
Zero collapsed against Darden, sobbing. "I must look a right fool now, crying on a stranger's arm and all," he hiccupped, after several minutes. Darden shook his head, and pulled him into an embrace.
{Don't worry. You'll be all right. Call the principal and let him know he's due at a wake. Then get home, eat a little something, clean up, fix a dish, and pay your respects.}
"Thank you, Darden," Zero murmured. "Wait. How."
"I don't know, but I've had dreams where I could speak in silence. And the one who replies in silence, Rei---he does look, and sound, like you. And he calls me his Habibi, his Hiead, with such tenderness. It frightens me. And it doesn't."
"Tell me, Darden, what do you remember? I don't mean in dreams."
"Waking up in a hospital, with this ring, and a note."
"May I ask you to join me at dinner? I want to know more about you. And I think you have more than a few questions of your own."
"I'd be honored," Darden replied. "But tend to the matters at hand before you start fussing over the stove."
Zero nodded, walking over to Rioroute. The two made their way to a bench and dialed Principal Yerszowy.
It was going to be a long night.
Author's Notes
Well, here is chapter three, straight off the press, for your perusal. Thanks for reading and reviewing. 88: again, thank you, and I shall certainly continue! Nozomi: yes, it is quite sad about Ikhny. I agree. As to the pairings of Zero/Kizna and Hiead/Zero, well, there's method to thisyer arthur's madness. Stay tuned. (As for the Kizna/Erts pairing, I have seen it mentioned, in passing, in T.K. Yuy's story, "Revolution." I'd like to take that a bit further. Wish me luck.) UE: tovarishch, thank you for your encouragement. And here, I think, is the beginning of the clash. Do let me know what your take is!
Lest I forget: I don't own the rights to "Because." As with the entire Beatles back catalogue, Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the heirs of John Lennon and George Harrison own those. The title for chapter two comes from the REM song, "Texarkana," and the title for this chapter is taken from the Everclear song, "Santa Monica." Art Alexakis deserves major kudos!
To everyone who has read thus far, thank you, and I hope to read your reviews soon.
Antoinette (poetisa)
Kick, punt, and pass: the sounds of soccer filled the training ground at Red River High.
Rioroute Vilgyna urged his team on: "Ward! Pick up the pace! Ryker, does this look like a game of dodge ball to you? San Paolo, concentrate. You're trying to prevent your opponent from scoring a goal." Spiky, ash- brown hair poked out from under a cap. He sat on a bench, and rummaged through a gym bag for a snack.
He pulled out a plastic bowl, filled with green grapes. He reached in again, and found a peanut butter sandwich, and a small bag with baby carrots. Muttering under his breath, he began eating.
Across the field, Zero had removed his jacket, and was jockeying between sides, as the boys practiced for a match against Carville High. His hair flew as he kicked, punted, and wove through the game with ease.
"GOOOOOAAAAALLLL!" he screamed, as he kicked the soccer ball into the goalie's net. "Metcalfe! Keep your guard up! Kazui," he called to another boy, "watch the ball more closely. Justo! This is no time for a Ronaldo complex." He faded back, to the sidelines, and paced. Sweat poured down his face and back.
It may be November, but I don't feel it. I'll give the guys another 15, and call it quits for today. Besides, I have to pick something up for dinner. And I need to get the grade books ready, too.
Rio walked over. "Hey, Zero, your boys are really amazing."
"Thanks. Your team's not too shabby, either. Hey," he said, pointing to Vilgyna's left, "what's the commotion?" The Varsity coach looked over, and saw one of the players fall, convulsing on the ground.
Zero blew the whistle. "Guys, practice is over. Get to the showers. Kazui, get the school medics. Metcalfe, call 911. Now." The boys left, as he and Rioroute made their way across the field.
"Coach, sir," a dark-haired boy with green eyes said. "He just started screaming, and then he fell over."
"Gentlemen, practice is over. Get to the showers now. We've called for help, so there's no need to panic. Bring a blanket or something over. We need to keep him warm."
"I'm on it, Chief," Zero replied. "Who is it?"
Rio knelt by the boy, now unconscious. "It's Ryker. Looks like he was foaming at the mouth. Hand me that." After covering him up, the two waited for the medics and for an ambulance. "When Ryker played for you last year, did anything like this ever happen?"
"No. He was always in good form. I can't recall anything out of the ordinary." "Since he moved up, he's had mood swings, gotten into fights, generally become more aggressive. I don't understand. He's always been a live one, but never violent."
Zero thought a moment, and then said, "There's someone watching us. They've been here the last ten minutes, more or less."
"If they're Fire-Rescue, I don't care," Rio replied. "If it's Action News 5, send them off."
"Fire-rescue is on the way," the JV coach said, "and unfortunately, so are the Action News goons. Someone else is in the vicinity. And I can't get a bead on who they are, or why they're here."
Rio glanced up. A royal blue, two-door sedan---one modeled after an ancient Earth car---idled in the parking lot behind the athletic field. A tall, pale man, dressed in grey and black, sat on the hood. What he was thinking, only he knew.
Zero shuddered, though not from the cold. This particular frisson felt, somehow, familiar.
The first time I sensed another person in the area, I was on the observatory deck. I didn't have to see him. I knew he was there. I suppose I should have been scared. But fools like me, ah, well. I never expected to catch him singing. And he smiled, too! That caught me by surprise. This gorgeous, icy, impenetrable being, lost in a pleasurable moment. If I'd been smart, I would have run away. I didn't. I was melting where I stood.
Darden Angel sat on the hood, startled at the images flooding his mind: a young man with wild dark hair walked along a starry corridor. He heard a voice, singing: "Because the world is round, it turns me on, because the world is round, ah; because the wind is high, it blows my mind, because the wind is high: ah, love is old, love is new; love is all, love is you. Because the sky is blue, it makes me cry, because the sky is blue."
The pale singer smiled; he felt the dark haired boy's presence, as he gazed at planets, drifting into view. Let him think he had intruded on a private moment. Dear boy, do you really think I can't sense you? I'm a central part of you, like it or not. He put on a scowl, and turned to face the Candidate.
"Rei, what in heaven's name are you doing here?" Blue eyes widened, dilating in the half-light.
"You know my name."
"Yes."
"Hiead?" The dark haired boy stepped closer. "Have you ever gotten a glimpse at something intimate?"
"Only once." Eyes like pomegranates sparkled, as he moved closer. "Shall I tell you about it?"
"Please do." Rei trembled, then added, "Tell me this: did the glimpse unnerve you?"
"Yes."
Darden stared at the younger coach, shaking his head. I know him. Damned if I can place where, or when. But I know him. And he knows me. He sensed me before the other man ever did. Dear gods, why am I here? And why watch him? I've watched men before. What is it about him that just leaves me breathless?
He jumped off the hood, walking onto the field toward the coaches, when Zero intercepted him. "I don't know who you are, mister, but if you get your jollies off other people's pain, you had best leave."
The bounty hunter's face paled and went somber. "I read about your team in the paper. I wanted to see you in motion. And you, Rei Enna, shame swans with your grace and agility."
Zero took a closer look at the stranger, whose gaze never wavered. How does he know my name? Oh, my god. His eyes, his lips, the hair---there can't be someone else with his face! I'm hallucinating. That's the ticket: the dreams I had last night, pre-marriage jitters, what's just happened with Ryker---I'll just close my eyes, count to three, and this ghost will vanish. One, two, three. No. He's been dead seven years. Dead men don't just pop up at soccer practice, wearing the ring you gave him when you both ascended. Dead men don't call you by name. Dead men.
"I am hardly what you call dead, Zero," Darden replied. "But I think your colleague needs you right now. The soccer player, Ryker, will not make it to the hospital alive. I don't see him surviving." Sorrow rang from his voice. "He may have been taking Quark, high dosages of it."
Zero started back. "I'm sorry. You remind me of someone I knew when I was in space."
"I've dreamed about being in space. Don't know that I have been, though. And I remember seeing someone that looked like you, and a strange boy, that looked like me, only younger. Fire Rescue is here. Watch yourself." He pulled Zero to the right, as an ambulance whizzed onto the field.
"Thanks," the coach replied, as paramedics approached Rio and Ryker, raising the youth onto a gurney. Ryker began convulsing again, flailing and propelling his body to the ground. A choked scream escaped his lips, and he went rigid, then limp, on the ground. Two medics checked the boy. Zero and Darden approached, hearing the words: "He's dead."
Rio fell to his knees, and began to wail. "Rioroute," Zero said, "Let me borrow your cell phone. I'll call his mother." He fished through the gym bag, pulling out a green phone. He dialed a number, and waited.
"Hello?" a woman's voice answered. "Mrs. Kuerten? Hello, this is Coach Enna. I'm calling to inform you that your son went into convulsions this afternoon during practice."
"Is he all right?" Zero took a breath, and prayed that he could finish this call.
"No, Mrs. Kuerten. He died before the paramedics could get him to the hospital. I'm truly sorry. Everything happened so fast."
Mrs. Eveline Kuerten screamed, agony washing through the receiver. "Principal Yerszowy, Coach Vilgyna, and I would like to pay our respects, if you please, this evening. If there is anything we can do, please ask."
Darden listened as Zero spoke, his voice sad but calm. "Yes, we'll be there at nine. Would you like us to bring anything over? At least, let me bring a dish. Thank you. I'm sorry, too. Thank you. See you this evening." He hung up, sagging a little.
"You never did tell me your name," he said, eyes glassy with tears, to the pale man next to him.
"Darden Angel. I'm sorry that the young man is dead."
"You didn't coach him. You never got to see him play."
"No, but I am sorry, because he was a promising young man. And because he was someone that you, and your fellow coach, cared about."
Zero collapsed against Darden, sobbing. "I must look a right fool now, crying on a stranger's arm and all," he hiccupped, after several minutes. Darden shook his head, and pulled him into an embrace.
{Don't worry. You'll be all right. Call the principal and let him know he's due at a wake. Then get home, eat a little something, clean up, fix a dish, and pay your respects.}
"Thank you, Darden," Zero murmured. "Wait. How."
"I don't know, but I've had dreams where I could speak in silence. And the one who replies in silence, Rei---he does look, and sound, like you. And he calls me his Habibi, his Hiead, with such tenderness. It frightens me. And it doesn't."
"Tell me, Darden, what do you remember? I don't mean in dreams."
"Waking up in a hospital, with this ring, and a note."
"May I ask you to join me at dinner? I want to know more about you. And I think you have more than a few questions of your own."
"I'd be honored," Darden replied. "But tend to the matters at hand before you start fussing over the stove."
Zero nodded, walking over to Rioroute. The two made their way to a bench and dialed Principal Yerszowy.
It was going to be a long night.
Author's Notes
Well, here is chapter three, straight off the press, for your perusal. Thanks for reading and reviewing. 88: again, thank you, and I shall certainly continue! Nozomi: yes, it is quite sad about Ikhny. I agree. As to the pairings of Zero/Kizna and Hiead/Zero, well, there's method to thisyer arthur's madness. Stay tuned. (As for the Kizna/Erts pairing, I have seen it mentioned, in passing, in T.K. Yuy's story, "Revolution." I'd like to take that a bit further. Wish me luck.) UE: tovarishch, thank you for your encouragement. And here, I think, is the beginning of the clash. Do let me know what your take is!
Lest I forget: I don't own the rights to "Because." As with the entire Beatles back catalogue, Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the heirs of John Lennon and George Harrison own those. The title for chapter two comes from the REM song, "Texarkana," and the title for this chapter is taken from the Everclear song, "Santa Monica." Art Alexakis deserves major kudos!
To everyone who has read thus far, thank you, and I hope to read your reviews soon.
Antoinette (poetisa)