Chapter Eight
The Second Trainer
Before meeting Iris, I had always been pretty confused by the two types of deads I had seen in movies. one was when people died, they went to heaven or hell depending upon their deeds; that was where they probably had a peephole or something like that to view the different parts of the earth and look at the living people going through their daily lives without actually being able to modify it (afterall they were just dead people, not some God Almighty who ruled over all). This category was called simply the 'dead', but people made it sound like a good death.
The second movies were where after people died, they stayed on earth itself, and haunted people. These were not the 'dead' but instead named differently as the 'ghosts', and could modify and haunt others on earth; the word 'ghost' automatically made it sound like a bad and unpleasant death. After some interaction with Iris, I had realized that the dead people could actually choose when they wanted to go to heaven and when to stay on earth (there wasn't an option of hell, since each person had done something good in his or her life which made the person deserving enough to be a guest to heaven).
They could stay at heaven whenever they wanted to (that was where they got all the world's luxury and comfort) and visit earth whenever the wanted to, which they mostly did to view the places that left them with many memories. The dead could see or sense dead people, but not the living people; well, except for some special ones like Iris, which is why most deads got pretty excited sensing her.
It was the day after the one when I had started seeing some almost ridiculous hope in Iris's abilities. My instincts didn't actually trust her for my secrets, but I guess it really was worth a try – all these crazy plans of mine. "Well, here comes a point where you can't be social and outspoken about certain things anymore."
"Okay; well, I can't promise you that, but –"
"Uh – uh, if you can't promise this, then get the shit out of here. If you can, you're welcome to stay here and listen to the rest of my plan, and be a part of it."
"Fine, I'll not tell anyone about . . . your plan. Though I would've seriously advised you to be careful in whatever crooked thing you're planning to experiment with me. I mean, after all I'm only human; sorry, not human, I'm only a Trylle. God, I've been here for almost two weeks here and I confuse myself with a human; that's the most pathetically embarrassing. Or so Finn says"
"Don't talk about Finn. Anyways, what is exactly Brian's ability?" I interruptedly questioned, hoping hard that it was not very much related with Iris's abilities. "Is it related to your ability?"
"It's partially related; I mean, my ability is communicating with the dead people, while his ability is communicating with the non-living stuff. Like he can speak to chair or table, but only the ones that are in good conditions – not the broken, torn ones, that would be in biotic standards be considered dead. Maybe that's why people chose him – or maybe he volunteered – to be my trainer; because we are genetically and ability-vise related."
I thought for some time and then said "Okay, so from now you have two trainers. The primary one – who would teach you things according to your age and maturity level, and who would be slow and more detailed and who would train you into everything – would be Brian. He will be publicly known, no big secret and all that. Then the second trainer would be me – not to be mentioned to anyone, secondary, and the biggest secret someone is ever confiding in you in your lifetime.
"I will train you secretly and will not look upon to your age or maturity level. I will just train you and make you perform whatever I've trained you into, and then heal your aftermaths. While Brian's trainings would be legal and useful to you, my trainings would be illegal and useful only for me." And then I explained the properties of the healing bracelet to her.
"You're accepting my request?" I asked, hoping I don't have to use persuasion or manipulate her against her will, if she refuses.
"Okay." She said, as if even she knew that if she didn't accept it willy, I could persuade her unscientifically.
"Good; we start our . . . classes this afternoon, after lunch. I won't be accepting any fees except your good performance." I said satisfically.
"Um, well, Wendy," this was the first time she had called me by my name. "Why don't you have lunch, like, with us today? I mean, sure, it's not to be a very queeny thing lunching with all sorts of people right from markises to trackers to humans, but then, we'd just like your company. I hardly see you eating; god knows where you get all that energy from. Though I must say that you've shrunk a lot in weight since I first met you."
"I'll see if you can keep your promise, and then maybe I'll solve that mystery for you." I said. "As for lunch, sorry, I'm not much into social gatherings; especially casual ones."
As Iris walked outside my room, I couldn't help eyeing the cupboard drawer where I kept my nutritioning drugs supply – the very ones that gave me the energy if not the weight or fat. I wondered if that day when Iris comes to know about them from my mouth, would actually come, or would my tutoring Iris plan be a big failure.
Anyways, Iris was on time for her class, and I tried to act as much as Tove had with me when he had been my trainer. Before sending her off to lunch, I had asked Iris to get out some information from Brian as to how could a normal Trylle without the speaking-to-things-that-are-not-supposed-to-speak-ability can speak to a thing-that-is-not-supposed-to-speak with the help of a Trylle who has the speaking-to-things-that-don't-speak-ability.
And this was what she told me "Okay, so Brian was there for lunch thankfully, and I simply stated out the facts such as that after what he had explained to me after his conversation with you this morning, I had been kinda curious as to can this thing actually be done. And that was how I went on and on in my usual would-chat-as-much-as-I-can manner, and got out many things out of him.
"True, he was vague, spending most of the time telling me that you were being insensible and that I should not be taught to do this at such a young age, but then I managed to get out the basics from whatever he said. first of all, me – as the person who can speak to dead things – and you – as the person who cannot do so but wants to do so – will maintain some physical contact –"
"Okay, physical contact." I said, immediately grasping Iris's hand; it was cold and bony, but then which young Trylle would have plump hands.
"Yeah, and then we both concentrate, like, really hard and yield some sort of a power that can make me connect you to the dead and that can make you connected with the dead. Not exactly concentrate, I guess; whatever brain-power-summoning we all do before we use our abilities; you know what I mean right?"
I nodded, though I wasn't very sure what she meant. Most probably she was talking about the concentration and focus I needed in order to yield some telekinetic stuff, and I could do that. "What next?"
"Well, then he vaguely said that you can also hear the dead voices; not very clearly perhaps, but you can. You know, you as the person who's being connected with the dead people side. So . . . you're willing to try this, because he said that it could have a pretty horrific aftermath on me? I mean, I know you're gonna elsewise manipulate me into doing so by persuasion (so she knew that I had planned that as a backup), but then, I'm just asking in case you think that maybe it's not really necessary afterall."
"You might think I'm very selfish for doing so, but yes, I would like to do it, and much better done if without needing to persuade you in Trylle manners." Iris nodded.
It was probably the first time I could say that Iris actually looked kind of scared; not exactly intimidated, but just basically scared and anxious. I tried not to dwell too much to the fact that I must be – that I really am – her reason for getting so scared, and instead continued with our plan. I placed my hands, palm-downwards, on hers, and she wrapped her fingers around them, shutting her eyes.
"And well," I said, before her eyelids were entirely shielding the irises. "Just letting you know that as a teacher, I won't be much of a theoretical teacher like Brian had been, but instead more of a practical one. You know practical experiments and sorts."
She nodded barely with her eyes before shutting them back again, and I realized that I kind of was not accustomed to her being silent and just nodding. Iris was more of the kind of person who would give an entire paragraph of verbal response than a small eye-nod. Maybe silence was also a side-effect of her fear, and I again felt guilty about it. Trying not to add up another antagonizing factor in my list of things that excruciate me, I closed my eyes too, and summoned whatever brain powers I had.
It was a complicating process for sure, and keeping in mind the fact that Iris was still immature and weak for such type of a complex form of her own ability, I tried to reduce her efforts by yielding a little more of my psycho-powers. It was – I hoped – same for me to do right now as it was when I wanted to telekinetically move something or persuade someone.
I anyways did all I could, summoned all my psychiatric energy, and then bridged up the connection between me and the dead world. I could literally feel the strength of the mental power physically, burning my veins lightly and a little more mildly in my temples. I could feel the difference between my own yielded stuff and Iris's, and I stayed that way with my nails digging inside Iris's hand and my eyes clutched shut, until a small (but strong) voice whispered in the air "Open your eyes; you're missing everything."
It belonged to Iris, and when I opened my eyes with some slight courage, I looked around at first instinct. The library was the same as it had always been; rows and rows of the bookshelves, small desks at a corner. Even I was sitting in the same table where I had been sitting when me and Iris had not been actually fiddling experimentally with her abilities.
However Iris's eyes were still closed, and from her expression it looked like she was doing a lot for things to continue this way. Also I noticed that something had changed the color scale of my vision, and I was viewing things in a more ancient, unreal way. I had got on thinking that everything was just the way it had been before we had started this weird spell, when I suddenly saw a figure in midair. A pretty tall, intimidating-looking girl who looked around Duncan's age (in the middle or late twenties) was striding around in midair. In a way, this lady looked exactly like me – especially the eyes that were all almond-shaped and a beautiful shade of mahogany. The way she regarded me was of both confusion combined with pleasure and excitement.
"Ah, good to see that we've got another guest around here." She said, sounding surprisingly pleasant for someone who looked as intimidating as her.
"Who are you?" I couldn't have been more surprised than this to realize that I could even speak.
"I am Queen Lovisa – trust me, you younger generation people don't want to hear my wide collection of last names."
Lovisa. Elora had mentioned this name before when she had been suggesting names for my christening ceremony, and that definitely had to mean that Lovisa was a queen who had lived couple of decades ago, and had most probably also had quite of a fame and respect. Within these few seconds of my recollection of Elora's information about Lovisa, I had known that my idea of assaulting Iris illegally and offering its treatment in exchange of interacting with the dead, had been successful.