Authors: Lorijo Metz
McKenzie glanced down at Hayes, only to find him staring back at her. Her heart burst into double time and she looked away, hoping he hadn’t noticed her blush.
“H.G. Wells arrived around the time of Petré Revolvos’ disappearance.” Pietas shook her head and sighed. “Dear me, of course, that’s not where to begin.” Then she proceeded to tell them about the discovery of the Circolar; the book she’d shown them in the cave. “I was a child at the time, a mere hundred or so loonocks old.”
McKenzie and Hayes exchanged looks.
“I remember it well. How excited the explorers were upon their return from Iciis, and seeing the Circolar for the first time. It was as if the san’s light were magnified a thousand times over—swallowed up, then spit out in a glorious burst of color. We covered our eyes for fear of going blind.”
McKenzie nodded her head, recalling how it had been almost too bright, even in the cave.
Pietas picked up the poonchi and began scratching behind his ears. “But the explorers were also afraid. When they removed the Circolar, the pyramid upon which it was balanced disappeared in a display of light and sound, making enough ruckus to send all the explorers fleeing from the cave.”
McKenzie sat up straighter. “There was a pyramid in the box in Principal Provost’s office.”
Charlie the poonchi jumped off Pietas’ lap. He flipped over, squirmed in the sand, itching his back, then righted himself and wandered over to Hayes.
“Hey little roller dude!”
“Shhh!” said McKenzie. Apparently, Hayes’ charm worked on dogs as well as women. “What happened next?”
Pietas peered out over the sea. “No one was brave enough to return to Iciis, so nothing happened for almost a hundred loonocks. Not until my good friend, Petré Revolvos, decided to lead another expedition. Petré had spent loonocks unsuccessfully trying to translate the Circolar.”
“And that’s when he disappeared!” Like someone suddenly possessed, Hayes jumped up, knocking Charlie off his lap, and tossed all his pebbles into the sea. A dozen “thup, thup, thups” were joined by Charlie’s yipping and running madly back and forth along the shore.
“What
is
your problem?” said McKenzie.
Pietas stared at Hayes as if she’d never seen such behavior.
“I was just…” Hayes looked from one disapproving face to the other. “Awww, never mind,” he said, and plopped down again.
Charlie stopped barking but continued to pace back and forth beside the water, as if waiting for more “thup, thup, thups” to erupt.
“Revolvos did not disappear. Not then,” said Pietas, looking slightly perturbed. “He returned from the expedition, having unlocked the key for translating the Circolar.”
“But, you said he disappeared,” said Hayes.
Pietas spread her arms wide, as if entreating the Lapis Sea for assistance. “Concentric, help me!”
McKenzie had never shared a class with Hayes, but it was now clear why he spent so much time in Principal Provost’s office.
“Is anyone else thirsty?” he asked, oblivious to any and all frustration directed his way.
Pietas looked confused.
“I think Hayes wants to know if we can drink the water in the Lapis Sea.”
“Dear me! You DO NOT drink the Creator’s home.”
“Creator?” McKenzie looked at Hayes. He shrugged his shoulders.
“Yes. Yes, Concentric!” Once again, Pietas seemed to have forgotten that McKenzie and Hayes had just arrived on her planet. “The Creator.”
Hayes wandered down to the water and leaned over, as if to get a better look. “How do you know?”
“The Lapis Sea belongs to Concentric, and the rest is ours,” said Pietas, as if this were self-evident.
“Then why do you need a savior?” said McKenzie. “If your Creator lives right there, why not ask him, or her, for help?”
“I did!” Pietas smiled. “I asked Concentric to assist Bewfordios in his search for you. And it worked.”
Hayes tossed another pebble. “Does this mean I just skipped a bunch of rocks into God’s house?”
Pietas sighed loudly. “Enough.” Her sphere inflated and she turned. “I find myself suddenly hungry and not at all in the mood to answer any more questions. We’ll continue our discussion on our way to the Gathering. There’s an inlet not far from here where you may, indeed, drink the water.”
“Come on Mac, you don’t wanna get left behind.”
“Coming.” McKenzie glanced at the Lapis Sea. It looked perfectly calm. Then, as if aware of her scrutiny, it rose up and washed the gentlest of waves onto the beach and under her chair. She turned to see if Hayes had noticed, but he was reaching down to pick up Charlie. Pietas was almost out of sight. McKenzie put hands to rims, and with surprising ease, took off across the glistening, pebbled beach.
Chapter 16
FBI TRANSCRIPT 21201
Agent Wink Krumm and McKenzie Wu
Monday, May 4th
KRUMM
: Have you ever seen this, for lack of a better word…
man
?
M. WU
: Never.
KRUMM
: Take a closer look. Notice anything…
unusual
?
M. WU
: He’s wearing a costume.
KRUMM
: May I remind you, Miss Wu, I witnessed you emerging from that hole in the sky. He’s Circanthian.
M. WU
: Ahhh, you’ve been reading my uncle’s novel.
KRUMM
: Your great-great-great uncle. Well over one-hundred-years old.
M. WU
: Uncle Wells loves to exaggerate. He’s not that great.
KRUMM
: We’ll see. Regardless, I’ve requested authorization for a blood test.
M. WU
: For my uncle?
KRUMM
: For you, Miss Wu. I have a theory we’ll discover something…
interesting
. You’re smiling. Did I say something amusing?
M. WU:
Look at my legs, Agent Krumm. I’ve been to the hospital plenty of times. My blood type is AB+. Can I go now?
KRUMM
: Of course. I believe you have a game tonight.
M. WU
: I didn’t know you were a wheelchair basketball fan!
KRUMM
: …I am now.
***
THE LAST GATHERING
Monday, March 16th
Circanthos
“
H
ayes, close your mouth, you’re staring!” Though, in truth, McKenzie could hardly blame him. In addition to the normal array of human skin tones, there were bright pink and crimson Circanthians, blushing violet and canary gold Circanthians, aquamarine and even olive green Circanthians, rolling towards them, waving and shouting greetings to Pietas.
“
Salooti
! Salooti, Pietas, salooti!”
It was a sight that McKenzie would never forget. She couldn’t help but wonder if Pietas was disappointed to be such a boring color as pale peach.
After surviving an extremely embarrassing introduction (McKenzie definitely needed to talk to Pietas about the whole savior thing), and a quick escape through the crowd assisted by Hayes, they were now within minutes of the Gathering—suddenly, a long, gurgling, embarrassingly loud growl erupted from McKenzie’s stomach—and even more important, she realized she was tired and hungry, and the Gathering was a place where they could find food and rest.
Hayes groaned. “Please God, let them have bathrooms.”
McKenzie tried to ignore him.
“They don’t have bathrooms in sci-fi movies.” He groaned again.
“OMG!” McKenzie felt her face redden. “Think of it this way…if we are in a sci-fi movie, then you don’t have to go to the bathroom.” She reached back and pinched his hand. “And you don’t have to push my chair either.”
“I suspect you two would like to freshen up,” said Pietas. “After four long loonocks, I certainly do. Follow me to the cleansing area.”
“Oo, la, la!” cried Hayes, and despite McKenzie’s protests, he grabbed her wheelchair and took off.
The Circanthian Gathering looked like a giant beehive carved into the side of a small mountain. An ebony mound, infused with glittering flecks of diamond-like rocks; a strikingly bright, black contrast against the Locent san-red sky. Arched entranceways lined its face, each ascending level more deeply carved than the last, allowing a single pathway to zigzag all the way to the top.
Pietas led them to an entrance on the lowest level. Located in the center, it was by far the largest of the archways.
“Egyptian,” said Hayes pointing to a carving over the archway that looked something like an eye with two wavy lines covering it.
“Right!” said McKenzie. “And any moment now, the sun god Ra will come flying across the sky.”
“He did on the retro channel.”
“This is real life. They don’t have Egyptians on Circanthos.”
“Well, excuse me.” He grinned.
“What?”
“Real Life!’” Hayes pointed up.
McKenzie’s eyes grew wide at the sight of a multi-colored Circanthian peeking over the edge. “Holy guacamole,” she muttered, as Pietas led them under the archway. “I guess you never know.”
The room they entered was cavernous by any standard. Giant torches lined the glittering, ebony walls casting wild, orange-red reflections off row upon row of huge steaming pools of water. The smell was sinus clearing and refreshing all at once.
Pietas led them through an archway in the back, to the most anticipated living area in the Gathering: the bathrooms.
“They’ve solved it!” Hayes announced, several minutes later, when McKenzie joined him back in the pool area.
“What?”
“The toilet paper controversy. You know—which way to hang it.”
“But there wasn’t any…Ohhhhh!”
“Yep, shower-off and air-dry.”
McKenzie laughed. It had taken some convincing to get Pietas to make the minor, though necessary particle-weaving adjustments to the girl’s bathroom. She hadn’t wanted to accept that McKenzie couldn’t particle-weave the adjustments herself.
“Ready for a soak?” asked Pietas, appearing like magic behind them. Three of the pools had been curtained off. Attendants, holding towels, stood next to each pool. “Personally, I’m covered head to spheres with a thick layer of filth and can hardly stand the smell of myself.”
A short while later, they emerged from the cleansing area feeling refreshed and smelling something like peppermint-eucalyptus.
“Dear me. I have never heard anything quite so, so…?”
“Awful!” McKenzie glared at Hayes. “Listening to him belt out Queen’s
Bohemian Rhapsody
is something no human—or Circanthian—should ever have to endure.”
“I will keep that in mind,” said Pietas.
While they’d been bathing, the other Circanthians had been busy. The area in front of the mountain, a wide open space empty save for a small fountain in the center, now contained a large table set for at least thirty and covered with a feast so colorful it rivaled the surrounding foliage.
“I believe, that’s for you,” McKenzie whispered to Hayes, indicating a lone stool drawn up to the table.
Soon more Circanthians joined them including several children. McKenzie noted that while the adults were of all sizes and colors, the children were as white as bleached cotton sheets.
“Salooti,” said Pietas, touching two fingers to the center of her forehead. “Salooti” responded the other Circanthians, returning the gesture. And the meal began.
McKenzie, who was usually the world’s pickiest eater, at least according to Grandma Mir, tried to taste nearly everything. The food was similar to Earth’s food, but ultimately, unrecognizable. Something green and crispy, smelled like meat, while something wide, flat and yellow (like a pancake) tasted like toothpaste. Then there were tastes and smells so exotic McKenzie could hardly believe they were possible.
“Fantabulicious!” said Hayes, a red, mashed-potatoie-substance dripping from his chin.
“My guess is you’d probably eat anything.” McKenzie glanced across the table and found Pietas smiling at her, as were many of the other Circanthians. She wiped her mouth and smiled back. She’d never experienced a large family dinner, and lately, it was just McKenzie, Grandma Mir, and the TV. Ever since they moved to Avondale, her dad spent more and more time at his new lab.
McKenzie’s mind was bursting with questions, and now seemed as good a time as any to ask them. “This H.G. Wells…he’s human, I think you said, and I was wondering…” her voice trailed off. Had she said something wrong? She glanced around the table. Eyes turned away, smiles turned into frowns and even Pietas, who normally looked her straight in the eye, was staring at her plate. Everyone had stopped eating. Everyone except Hayes.
“Our world has not always been peaceful, mind you.” Pietas wiped her mouth and looked at McKenzie. “Yet, after H.G. Wells arrived, the Tsendi seemed to become more than hateful. They were vicious and, unfortunately, more organized. After loonocks of what was undoubtedly an uneasy truce, the Tsendi began repeatedly raiding our villages and stealing our young ones. There was no provocation—no reason for it. The only plausible explanation at the time was the intervention of H.G. Wells. Perhaps, we should have fought back sooner, but we didn’t understand his effect on the Tsendi. He was able to organize them and help them strategically with their attacks upon us.”
The tension around the table had grown so thick, McKenzie wondered if the Circanthians saw her as a savior—or a sacrifice. She wanted to shrivel up and disappear.
Stealing children!
H.G. Wells was a monster. She should have waited until they were alone to ask her questions. Should have…but didn’t. “So, he is with the Tsendi.”
“They call him the Advitor, their savior.”
McKenzie glanced at Hayes. Now even he was staring at his plate.
Coward!
“The Circa Septim, a group of Circanthian elders of which I am a member, sent representatives to negotiate. One did not return. The two that did…”
The Circanthian next to Pietas excused himself and left the table.